When children are little they learn how to smile. Our children have been very different in the way they learned this skill. Prince seemed to be born with the knowledge of smiling. He did not wait for me to smile. He made me smile and laugh. I remember being overwhelmed as new parent and some days Prince was the only one that could make me smile. Infact I think that Derrill sometimes used Prince as a weapon against me when I was down.
Princess is the opposite. She usually waits for us to smile, and is becoming more and more willing to smile. Her favorite time to smile is when she gets her diaper changed. It surprised me so much because Prince hated having his diaper changed. My favorite time that she smiles is in the morning. When I get her in the morning if I will wait and smile at her before picking her up she will smile in anticipation of me getting her out of bed. I miss that smile if I pick her up too soon. I am sure there is a lesson in that for being patient and happiness :)
I love both of their smiles and I am so glad they share them frequently.
---Joy
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Conference Oct 2011
There is a prophet that speaks to us today, who tells us the words of Jesus, just as they did in the past. His name is Thomas S, Monson. He is also the president of Jesus Christ’s church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. We were privileged to listen to the semi-annual conference of the church last weekend. I am so grateful that the internet connection worked so well even here in our home in Jimeta, Nigeria. It is like being at home.
-- Joy
-- Joy
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Games and Cookies
We have had some fun game nights. The Austin family has been over to play games with us a couple times. We got together and played Dominion and they brought over some divine homemade peanut butter cookies. Another night we played a fun game of scrabble where you don’t use the board. Everyone gets 7 tiles and you try to make a word or words with it. When someone uses all of their tiles, they say go. When someone says go everyone has to take another tile. When someone uses all their tiles again they say go and another tile is drawn for everyone. When all the tiles are gone the first person to say go which is using all their tiles is the winner. It is fast and fun and I stink at it :) We then played Guillotine which they liked very much. They were good nights.
We got to spend time online with out friends the Peterson’s. We played Dominion online and we are looking forward to playing Carcassone and Ticket to Ride online together too. I have really enjoyed seeing some of their picture lately. It is so nice to feel a part of their lives. I am not very good at online games either, but they are fun.
I have been enjoying a game called Wonderland Adventures on the computer from Big Fish games. Most of it’s levels do not have a time limit so I am doing alright though I usually feel stupid on computer games. Derrill had to help me with one level because it was timed and needed to be faster than my clicker clicks. We had gotten the game for me a while back, but I often lose interest in games before I get very far. Prince is the one that was persistent with this game and once he got farther in his game than I did on my old game I had gotten interested in it again. It is a story line puzzle game (go through mazes, get keys open doors, collect jems and coins. No fighting, but you have to avoid attacks from plants that spit fire.
My activity of choice when I nurse Princess is to read. In the past 2 months I have read 13 books, some of the books of the New Testament, continuing the Book of Mormon, and some Ensigns. I don’t think I have ever read so much in such a short period of time. Go Kindle!
Have a great week everyone,
--Joy
We got to spend time online with out friends the Peterson’s. We played Dominion online and we are looking forward to playing Carcassone and Ticket to Ride online together too. I have really enjoyed seeing some of their picture lately. It is so nice to feel a part of their lives. I am not very good at online games either, but they are fun.
I have been enjoying a game called Wonderland Adventures on the computer from Big Fish games. Most of it’s levels do not have a time limit so I am doing alright though I usually feel stupid on computer games. Derrill had to help me with one level because it was timed and needed to be faster than my clicker clicks. We had gotten the game for me a while back, but I often lose interest in games before I get very far. Prince is the one that was persistent with this game and once he got farther in his game than I did on my old game I had gotten interested in it again. It is a story line puzzle game (go through mazes, get keys open doors, collect jems and coins. No fighting, but you have to avoid attacks from plants that spit fire.
My activity of choice when I nurse Princess is to read. In the past 2 months I have read 13 books, some of the books of the New Testament, continuing the Book of Mormon, and some Ensigns. I don’t think I have ever read so much in such a short period of time. Go Kindle!
Have a great week everyone,
--Joy
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
3 Month Growth spurt
All most the day that Princess turned 3 months she just got ravenous. She was asking for food every hour and sleeping very little inbetween. Then after a couple of days of feeling like every plea was a request for food, I was nursing her and she lost all the milk she just drank and I think all that she had the feeding before. Half of my skirt, my shirt, my sheet and the bed. There was so much after mopping it up, I accidentally sat on it later and had to change my pants again that were totally soaked through. I am sure she was just as surprised as me. Derriill keeps trying to remind me that change is really normal for these little ones. I was just starting to get used to her schedule of sleeping and eating. I guess she is trying to keep me on my toes
-- Joy
-- Joy
Monday, October 3, 2011
Market Kindness
The last two weeks that I went to the market I needed to keep my shopping trip simple. Princess needed to eat while I was at the market both times. It is interesting because people here are a little more willing to share their opinions with you when they have never met you. So when my baby is crying as I go through the stalls ladies are calling out to me, “You need to feed your baby”.
The trip two weeks ago, I was pausing before a material stall to look at the material. The lady that owned the shop asked me, “What do you want?”. I had an honest moment. I don’t want you to think that I am not normally honest, but I have always thought that people who ask you questions and don’t know you might not REALLY want the answer. In my frankness I answered “I want to feed my baby”. The lady invited me into her stall, gave me the only seat with a back which was directly under a nice powerful fan so that I could feed her. I felt cared for and I was really grateful to her for allowing me that time and rest, the market is really tiring.
This last week when I came home with low grade heat stroke (only a headache, but one that had to have meds). I was shopping and I was at my last place as far as I was concerned for shopping purposes. I bought a set of plastic baskets that stand on top of each other for my vegitables and fruits. I don’t remember why, but a lady came over to where I was from another stall. It may have been because my baby was crying. She told me that I needed to feed my baby, to which I agreed and she took me to her stall and sat me down under her fan so that I could feed my baby. As I sat there, I noticed that she had a child napping on some blankets to the side of her. The child was a baby only 1 month older than mine. Given how tired and hot I was (more than any other trip to the market) I was so grateful to her as well. There did happen to be something in her shop that I wanted, so I bought it. Infact, I may end up going back to the other store to buy the material when I am ready to make a dress. The first material store (the one that I fed princess in) offered 7,000 Naira for 5 yard of material when another place I walked into the same day said that 1 yard was 3,000 Niara for the same type of material.
It is not just because they helped me that they are likely to get my business. Although I think that big businesses underestimate the personal touch and customer service benefits and loyalty. It feels so nice to be treated with compassion among people you do not know, and I feel that they are less likely to try to charge me an arm and a leg because they see me as more human too.
--Joy
The trip two weeks ago, I was pausing before a material stall to look at the material. The lady that owned the shop asked me, “What do you want?”. I had an honest moment. I don’t want you to think that I am not normally honest, but I have always thought that people who ask you questions and don’t know you might not REALLY want the answer. In my frankness I answered “I want to feed my baby”. The lady invited me into her stall, gave me the only seat with a back which was directly under a nice powerful fan so that I could feed her. I felt cared for and I was really grateful to her for allowing me that time and rest, the market is really tiring.
This last week when I came home with low grade heat stroke (only a headache, but one that had to have meds). I was shopping and I was at my last place as far as I was concerned for shopping purposes. I bought a set of plastic baskets that stand on top of each other for my vegitables and fruits. I don’t remember why, but a lady came over to where I was from another stall. It may have been because my baby was crying. She told me that I needed to feed my baby, to which I agreed and she took me to her stall and sat me down under her fan so that I could feed my baby. As I sat there, I noticed that she had a child napping on some blankets to the side of her. The child was a baby only 1 month older than mine. Given how tired and hot I was (more than any other trip to the market) I was so grateful to her as well. There did happen to be something in her shop that I wanted, so I bought it. Infact, I may end up going back to the other store to buy the material when I am ready to make a dress. The first material store (the one that I fed princess in) offered 7,000 Naira for 5 yard of material when another place I walked into the same day said that 1 yard was 3,000 Niara for the same type of material.
It is not just because they helped me that they are likely to get my business. Although I think that big businesses underestimate the personal touch and customer service benefits and loyalty. It feels so nice to be treated with compassion among people you do not know, and I feel that they are less likely to try to charge me an arm and a leg because they see me as more human too.
--Joy
Sunday, October 2, 2011
15 minutes Outside
I didn’t realize how scared of my surroundings I have been. This is the same world and I am the same person. But we got so many warnings about diseases here and there are so many bugs (including small lizards) that join us in our home unwanted that I have not been comfortable. It has been interesting to note the small things that help me to overcome these feelings like 15 minutes outside.
One day this week one of the boys next door asked if Prince could come outside to play. He has been inviting him to play quite regularly, but I am not always ready to let our son go outside. His friend is beginning to find out how small the window is in each day that I will let Prince go outside (partly because of the time of day that malaria can be a problem and family time).
So on the day this week that I am thinking of I told his friend that I would talk to Prince who was changing and get back to him about going outside. His friend said that he would wait outside the door. I laugh because he says that other times and never does :). I talk to Prince and we decide that he can go outside and for how long, he gets ready and I go out with him.
Now, Prince doesn’t want me to go outside with him. He wants to do all of this by himself, but last time I sent him out by himself he knocked on their door and stayed inside watching DS. The time I send him out I expect him to be playing outside. So Prince says to me, “Mom you stay here, you need to do the dishes”. What a crafty little 3 year old he is. I refused that logic however.
We went outside to look for Prince’s friend. We knocked on his door, and looked outside, but found him not (we did end up having his 3 year old brother tagging along with us though, the friend is 5). Prince was so excited about playing outside that I stayed outside with them for 15 minutes after we could not find his friend.
As I sat there watching Prince and the other little boy playing, there was a nice breeze and the day wasn’t too hot. I suddenly felt a sense of normalcy that I hadn’t felt before in being here in Africa. It is hard to explain it, but I wasn’t afraid of what I was breathing or what kind of bugs might crawl on me or my children. It was a moment of a calm feeling like things were alright. I felt very blessed.
-- Joy
One day this week one of the boys next door asked if Prince could come outside to play. He has been inviting him to play quite regularly, but I am not always ready to let our son go outside. His friend is beginning to find out how small the window is in each day that I will let Prince go outside (partly because of the time of day that malaria can be a problem and family time).
So on the day this week that I am thinking of I told his friend that I would talk to Prince who was changing and get back to him about going outside. His friend said that he would wait outside the door. I laugh because he says that other times and never does :). I talk to Prince and we decide that he can go outside and for how long, he gets ready and I go out with him.
Now, Prince doesn’t want me to go outside with him. He wants to do all of this by himself, but last time I sent him out by himself he knocked on their door and stayed inside watching DS. The time I send him out I expect him to be playing outside. So Prince says to me, “Mom you stay here, you need to do the dishes”. What a crafty little 3 year old he is. I refused that logic however.
We went outside to look for Prince’s friend. We knocked on his door, and looked outside, but found him not (we did end up having his 3 year old brother tagging along with us though, the friend is 5). Prince was so excited about playing outside that I stayed outside with them for 15 minutes after we could not find his friend.
As I sat there watching Prince and the other little boy playing, there was a nice breeze and the day wasn’t too hot. I suddenly felt a sense of normalcy that I hadn’t felt before in being here in Africa. It is hard to explain it, but I wasn’t afraid of what I was breathing or what kind of bugs might crawl on me or my children. It was a moment of a calm feeling like things were alright. I felt very blessed.
-- Joy
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Elder Callister's Book
This is a repost from our old family blog, January 2010. Given that Brother Callister was just sustained as a member of the Presidency of the 70, I thought some people might be interested to know more about his book:
Two verses from the Doctrine and Covenants usually get some good play teaching US teenagers about irony:
"59:13 - And on this [Sabbath] day thou shalt do none other thing, only let thy food be prepared with singleness of heart that thy fasting may be perfect, or, in other words, that thy joy may be full.
14 - Verily, this is fasting and prayer, or in other words, rejoicing and prayer."
Fasting is joy and rejoicing? Going without food is not fun. What is this? A counselor in my stake presidency back at BYU (Litchfield) helpfully pointed out that one of the things God is saying is that fasting is like kissing: if you're doing it right, you'll enjoy it. God made them both to be enjoyed.
Today, I'm doing it right.
I prayed last night to know what I should be fasting about and felt a Spirit-ual nudge in one direction. I read my scriptures, which by odd coincidence were about fasting and the blessings that come to people who diligently and regularly fast, and then went back to trying to finish Elder Tad R. Callister's book The Infinite Atonement that I received 6 years ago for graduating from the church institute program.
In Chapter 23, he moves from a discussion of God's grace as a power that is both redemptive and exalting to a discussion of the gifts of the Spirit. I had well known one of his early points, made by Elder Orson Pratt, that the gifts are not primarily there to convert others, though they may assist in accomplishing that. When the scriptures then refer to the gifts being there for the perfecting of the saints, though, I had largely assumed that they were there to enable us to do specific things. Missionaries call on the gift of tongues to learn the language. We ask for the gift of healing so we can be healed. We ask for gifts of revelation to know how to do a part of our calling or to bless our child or something else. The gifts are there to do something.
What then-Bro. Callister emphasizes is that the things to do aren't the point. The point of the gifts is to change us, to enable us to become like God, to perfect us little by little. He cites Pres. George Q. Cannon, who tells us that the gifts of the Spirit will "eradicate" our imperfections. "He wants His Saints to be perfected in the truth. For this purpose He gives these gifts ... notwithstanding their many weaknesses, because God has promised to give the gifts that are necessary for their perfection." Callister speaks about an "orderly, persistent persuit," of a God who, "in his unbounded kindness anxiously seeks to shower these spiritual gifts upon us" but "we must ask. We must want the gifts so fervently that this pursuit is a constant, unending struggle."
And I realized that the answers to the things I have been struggling with at the end of last year are in the gifts of the Spirit. By prayerfully identifying and dedicatedly seeking for specific gifts that will eradicate weakness - not just vaguely praying to overcome - the way will be open. And, oh, how I rejoiced to feel the love of God for me and for each of us in that thought! Fasting is joy and rejoicing!
Two verses from the Doctrine and Covenants usually get some good play teaching US teenagers about irony:
"59:13 - And on this [Sabbath] day thou shalt do none other thing, only let thy food be prepared with singleness of heart that thy fasting may be perfect, or, in other words, that thy joy may be full.
14 - Verily, this is fasting and prayer, or in other words, rejoicing and prayer."
Fasting is joy and rejoicing? Going without food is not fun. What is this? A counselor in my stake presidency back at BYU (Litchfield) helpfully pointed out that one of the things God is saying is that fasting is like kissing: if you're doing it right, you'll enjoy it. God made them both to be enjoyed.
Today, I'm doing it right.
In Chapter 23, he moves from a discussion of God's grace as a power that is both redemptive and exalting to a discussion of the gifts of the Spirit. I had well known one of his early points, made by Elder Orson Pratt, that the gifts are not primarily there to convert others, though they may assist in accomplishing that. When the scriptures then refer to the gifts being there for the perfecting of the saints, though, I had largely assumed that they were there to enable us to do specific things. Missionaries call on the gift of tongues to learn the language. We ask for the gift of healing so we can be healed. We ask for gifts of revelation to know how to do a part of our calling or to bless our child or something else. The gifts are there to do something.
What then-Bro. Callister emphasizes is that the things to do aren't the point. The point of the gifts is to change us, to enable us to become like God, to perfect us little by little. He cites Pres. George Q. Cannon, who tells us that the gifts of the Spirit will "eradicate" our imperfections. "He wants His Saints to be perfected in the truth. For this purpose He gives these gifts ... notwithstanding their many weaknesses, because God has promised to give the gifts that are necessary for their perfection." Callister speaks about an "orderly, persistent persuit," of a God who, "in his unbounded kindness anxiously seeks to shower these spiritual gifts upon us" but "we must ask. We must want the gifts so fervently that this pursuit is a constant, unending struggle."
I got some great gifts for Christmas. I'm enjoying them. I think I'm going to make 2010 the Year of Gifts, earnestly coveting the best ones.
Prince discovers cowboys
For family fun time we've been watching some old Disney cartoons. Prince has a new favorite: A Cowboy Needs a Horse. He's asked for it several days in a row and for the first time he wanted Daddy to be a horse. "Giddy up, Pardner," he shouts, and I giddy up and he giddies down laughing onto the bed, and I lay down so he can clamber up on me one more time to start again. He's finding toys to be lassos. But he admits he doesn't know any "western songs" to sing.
First World Problems
At my work blog the number one search lately has been First World Problems. That got me thinking about problems I no longer have, now that I live in Nigeria:
I don't worry about the escalating price of gasoline because I don't have a car anymore.
I don't worry about the escalating price of gasoline because I don't have a car anymore.
I also don't worry about finding parking places, or paying for parking.
I don't worry about paying doctor bills to half a dozen doctors because I don't have specialists out here.
I don't worry about finding a place for stuff that doesn't fit inside my home, because I don't have most of my stuff anymore.
I don't worry about 75 degrees feeling too hot to go to sleep.
I don't worry about snow, or getting a good winter coat, or making sure the kids are warm enough. (Though some of our maintenance staff do worry about children being too cold.)
I don't worry about trying to fit in. I stick out like such a sore thumb, there's no hope. (Not that there was ever much hope for me blending in.)
Here are some from tonight's Twitter feed, in case you wanted something slightly more humorous:
The clasp on my string of pearls broke.
Not being able to read because my book ran out of batteries.
My dogs keep sitting in front of my DVR and I'm having a hard time fast forwarding through the commercials.
I was expecting something I bought online to arrive today, but it didn't.
Health issues prevented me from wearing high heels. This is a problem because I own 30+ pairs.
-- Derrill
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