Boy's sleepover--really late! (with pictures fixed)

I started downloading the pictures for this post on Sunday, but haven't had any time to finish it since then.  I kept hoping I could finish it on the bus, but I've had a really hard time getting internet access on the bus this week.  But this afternon I finally was able to get it come up.  So I am hoping to get this done today on the bus on the way home from work.

We had our boy's sleepover last weekend and it was a little crazy, but really fun.  We actually have less boys than we do girls, but our boys are younger (we had two 2 year olds), so it was a little bit more work to keep them all happy.  But we sure loved having them all over. 

We did the same thing that we did at the girl's sleepover.   They each had heard about the journals they would be getting from their sisters, and were so excited to get them.  Thankfully, this time I had my published journals to show them (I still haven't done a post about that.  I will take a picture of how they turned out one of these days and post them on my blog).  I was able to show them how I had pictures of each of them in my journal, and they loved seeing them.  Then I read to them from my eight year old journal just like I did with their sisters, and then passed out their journals.  They had so much fun decorating them--they went to town on the stickers!  Here are some pictures (note: the second picture of them with their stickers somehow moved to the bottom of the post, and with my laptop tracker mouse, I can't get it to move back up.  So please scroll down to the end of the post to see the other picture, then come back here.  :)  UPDATE: I was able to move it up now--having a real mouse makes it so much easier!

We, of course, did the weighing and measuring just like we did with the girls.  Here are some pictures of that:

And here is my compilation of all the boys holding their journal. Aren't they cute?  (2nd Note: I did the compilation really fast the next morning, so I have Joshy and Brendan mixed up--Joshy is actually a month older...)  WAIT!  Where is my compilation?  It was just here a second ago!  I'm telling you, this is the hardest post I've ever done.  I'm going to have to put it on when I get home.   Okay, now I'm home, and here it is:

Our two year olds had a hard time about this point--little Camden, on the right, was missing his Mom, and kept crying every time he saw the door she went out.  Matthew kept wanting to watch "Green Tractor" on You Tube.  So I took them both back for about 1/2 hour and watched You Tube videos, which helped calm them down.  Here is a picture of them:

I did still manage to get some pictures of the cookie making.  We couldn't get all of our boys to line up on the counter like the girls did--some of them wanted to run around screaming instead of making cookies (they were playing with a bear we got for the Year 2000, which counts down and then laughs.  They were pretending it was a bomb, so would throw it down and go running.  I hope our downstairs neighbors forgive us for the pandelerium...)  But we did get some cookies made.

 Hmmm... I did have a picture of all of them decorating cookies, but it looks like it somehow got deleted.  That's the problem with doing a post on the bus.  I'm afraid if I don't finish it now it may never get done.  So I'll see if I can remember to come back and put the picture in later.  They sure had fun (eating more sprinkles and chocolate chips than they actually put in their cookies).

After the cookie making we watched Robin Hood, and then put out the wall to wall air mattresses and finally got them all to sleep.  They are generally easier to get to sleep than the girls, but this time it took them a little longer to go to sleep (we only had seven by this time--our two year olds went home).  Thankfully they all slept well--these pictures are some that Jan snapped when she woke up at midnight.  Aren't they just darling!

The next morning I made a double batch of waffles, and they had fun decorating them with whipped cream and sprinkles.  Jan got a few pictures, since I was busy making waffles.  Oh heavens.  There is something wrong with the internet on the bus.  It just put the second waffle picture at the bottom.  I think this is the most convoluted post I've ever done.  Well, have fun scroling down again.  (Update: I got it fixed, so it is here now).

After breakfast we cleaned up, and the boys watched our  traditional 32nd birthday video, starring all of their dads.  They just love it, and had to run all around, as usual, during the part where Jon is chasing Seth all over our house.  These are still video shots, so pretty blurry, but still show how cute it was.  Notice that a bunch of them are writing in their journals.  I'm so proud!

Well, that's about it for now.  We sure had a fun sleepover!  I'm so glad that they all live close, and that we can do this a few times a year. We are so blessed!

Girl's Sleepover

We had another sleepover with our darling nieces again this weekend, and so I thought I would break my blog silence to do a post about it.  I really do need to blog more often--hopefully this will be a long enough post to make up for not doing many posts this year.

I just love our sleepovers!  It is so fun to have all of our little ones here, to be able to spend time with each of them, do little activities with them, and have so much energy at our house.  I hope our neighbors will forgive us though.  It can get quite loud with so many little ones.  But they were all so good and so cute.  I just feel so grateful to have an abundance of nieces and nephews who all live so close to me.

We always try to do a fun activity to start our sleepovers (after pizza for dinner).  For this time, I found a really cute idea in The Friend magazine to help kids do a journal.  And, since I am such a journaler, I thought this would be a great time to get my little kiddies excited about doing journals.  My mom gave me a journal when I was about 7 1/2 years old.  It was just a notebook, but it got me in the habit of writing things down.  The notebook pages have long since come out, but I still have a few of them, and have them in sheet protectors in my Book of Remembrance.  So for our journal activity, I showed the girl's my journal I started when I was 7 1/2 (between Kate and Jenni's age).  I read them a few of the entries, and they liked hearing about their daddys, (although Jenni wanted to know why her mom, Michelle, wasn't in my journal.  I told her it was because Michelle wasn't born yet).  Here are some pictures of me telling them about my journal:

 

And, I thought it would be fun to put a page from my 7 year old journal in this blog post.  I didn't read this one to them, but I think it is so funny to read now:

It says,

"Jan 7, 1979, Sun" (My Dad's birthday, actually)

"Sometimes I think about what to write in my journal, and sometimes I wonder who I am going to mary and if I am going to get maryd" (then pictures of the Book of Mormon and the Bible).

I guess I've been wondering about that question for about 32 years now.  :)

Anyway, after I showed them my young journal, I showed them my 2007 journal in a binder (since I don't have my journals back yet that I am getting published--hopefully this week!)  Then I told them that we wanted to get each of them their own journals so that they could start writing.  I went to Wal-Mart and found 10 pink binders, and made a cover for each one, and then put the journal page from The Friend in the front.  The girls were so excited, and we had fun helping them to fill out their pages.  Here are some pictures of them with their journals:

Part of the page from The Friend asked about their weight and height, so we took some pictures of measuring and weighing them.  (FYI--Matthew wasn't really at the sleepover, but Ems stayed for a few minutes to help with the journal part since there are so many little girls that can't write yet). 

After they finished their front journal page, I took them each over for my traditional picture by the tree, holding their journals.  Rather than put all those pictures in here,  I put a compilation I made that night.  (I made a two page compilation of sleepover pictures which I printed out the next morning for each girl to put in their journals)

One cute thing about the journals--one of the pages I showed them from my journal was a page where I was praticing writing my numbers.  Janice said later, "Did you notice that a lot of the girls wrote numbers on their pages just like you?"  I thought that was so cute.  And, it was so fun to see what each of the girls wrote about their families and their favorite things.  Cute Holly, who is almost 12, wrote the sweetest things, and wrote an entry the next morning in her journal.  She was really excited about it.  Again, I hope this will help our girls (and our boys next week) get excited about keeping journals!

After the journal activity, we made cookies together.  I always love the pictures of all of them sitting on the counter (except Holly, who is too old--but she was invaluable to help us with all the little ones).  Here are some pictures of the cookie making: 

The last two pictures are of the girls decorating their cookies with an assortment of sprinkles and chocolate chips.  I don't know how Jan keeps them all straight, but somehow she does.  They usually eat one cookie that night, and she saves one for them in a baggie for the next day.

Finally we got them all on wall-to-wall air mattresses (with Holly on the couch), and put on Alladin.  After the movie, Jan and I laid down by them and told them stories and sang to them.  They actually did really well at falling asleep this time--and it was cute to hear their little voices singing Primary songs with us.  Here is a picture of them all getting ready to go to sleep (we had all but the littlest one, Mieka, sleep over, so had 9 girls plus Jan and I):

The next morning we had waffles (I ended up having to make three batches, so didn't get any pictures of the waffle eating), and them tried to sort out 9 different sleeping bags and clothes.  Then we watched the traditional birthday video their dad's made for us, and then their parents picked them up.  Again, I just feel so grateful that we get to have these sleepovers.  The girls seem to really love them, and Jan and I love getting to spend time with our sweet little girls.  We are so blessed to have so many little ones who love us. 

Well, as I said, this was a long post.  Watch for another one next week after our nephews sleepover!

Letter from my Grandpa

I'm on the bus on the way to work (which I almost didn't make today, because I somehow turned off my alarm, so I woke up about 15 minutes before I had to leave for the bus stop.  So if you see me today, you'll see what I look like with only 15 minutes to get ready.  Hopefully it's not too bad! :)  Anyway, I could have driven today, but I hate driving, and I love being able to take the bus and get things done.  So I'm really glad I made the bus this morning.

This morning I've been working on formatting my 2007 journals.  I have already printed out January through May, but had never finished June through December.  So, since I love the place that I took my other journals to so much, I decided to have the last half of 2007 printed and bound.  These are much easier because they are all done, but I just need to format them for printing.  But I'm hoping to get them formatted in time so that when I go to pick up my other printed journals, I can drop my 2007 ones off.  (I have to drive in order to go to the printing place.  I really do hate driving to work, and so I do all I can to minimize driving time).

After that long explanation, I thought I would get to my actual post.  My parents 40th anniversary was in November of 2007, and as part of their celebration, I read out a letter I'd found that my Grandpa wrote years before.  I read it again this morning, and was so touched by it that I wanted to post it.  My Grandpa Spendlove was the most amazing man.  I've read many of his letters, and he just had such a way of writing sweet things to help promote faith and to show his love.  So, here is the letter.  It was written when my parents were pregnant with Emilee (their 8th child), and I'm sure were nervous about how they would pay for another baby, and were struggling with raising lots of little kids:

Dear Corilee and Joseph,

Before I begin what I want to say, I want to remind both of you that you are covenant children of God, the eternal Father, our Lord and our God.

You have been endowed with covenants and promises which the Father cannot break, which only you can break. You have the power in you to come forth in the morning of the fist resurrection clothed with glory, immortality and eternal lives. You have been given the right to preside over your posterity which may increase til they are as numerous as the sands on the seashore.

However, you, like every candidate for this sublime and glorious blessing, must be tried and proven in the fiery furnace of tribulation which refines and purifies—where the gold is gathered but the dross is cast into the darkness.

I hope you are able to weather the storms of adversity. No one ever said it would be easy—but nothing good or worthwhile ever came easy to anyone.

What I have pointed out you already know but sometimes we lose sight of these eternal verities and we need to be reminded.

I know how desperate the situation sometimes seems. But please let your father assure you that our Father is mindful of you. He is fully aware of all your challenges (I like that word better than problems), and he loves you with a Godly love. Let me quote you a short poem:

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Must Jesus bear the cross alone?

And all the world go free?

No there’s a cross for everyone!

And there’s a cross for me.

Be faithful, have courage. If you are faithful over the stewardship you have been assigned, you will receive the wonderful promise from the Saviour, “Ye have been faithful over a few things. I will make you ruler over many.”

As I have pointed out to you many times—depression, discouragement, doubting, unhappiness, resentment, murmurings—all these are directly and emphatically from the adversary. If he possibly can, he will destroy you. Determine in your minds that he will not find lodging in your heart. Make certain that all of your thoughts will be lofty and uplifting. Thank the Lord, we can control our thoughts. Remember that every good thought comes from the Lord. He never ever inspired anyone with a bad thought.

Lucifer, on the other hand, will do all in his power to give you negative thoughts. He will do his best to undermine your faith and thwart your onward progress to the Celestial Kingdom.

Having children is in compliance to the very first commandment ever given by the Lord to “multiply and replenish the earth.” God will most assuredly honor and bless those who keep his commandments, and as he lives, I testify in deep solemnity that he will open the way for you both financially and spiritually that this baby will have all the advantages of this wonderful life.

You have such a wonderful family. All of your children are so cheerful and happy. You are certainly to be commended for the way you are teaching them. I have never seen a more happy, optimistic person than little Jonathan; nor a more intelligent, sincere person than Joseph David. Your two lovely daughters are so sweet and cute—and the younger lads are following the example set by their older brothers and sisters. It’s perfectly obvious to me why our Heavenly Father wants more spirits to come to your family in such a spiritual environment. As one who has had his share of trials and sorrow, I can sympathize with you, but I also thank God that you are having them because growth and development of the soul can come in no other way.

You two are very special spirits, and you are very special to me. Oliver Wendell Holmes writes these lines which mean a lot to me—“Build thee more stately mansions, O my soul,” and Jesus said, “In my Father’s house are many mansions.” The work of raising children is building more stately mansions for you.

God bless you, and may he “guard the furrows where the precious grain is sown.” Continue to look up. Be not cast down. God lives! The gospel is true! Your family loves you—and especially your father—I would do anything that is possible for me to do to help you. You are not alone.

Hang in there! Weather the storm. God’s mercy knows no bounds. Behind the clouds “ye so much dread,” lies a smiling providence. I pray for you daily and I know everything is going to work out alright for you. 

Isn't that great? (Of course, when I read it out to the family on my parent's anniversary, Jon teased that he was only cheerful and optimstic, while Dave was intelligent and sincere.  Trust my brothers to make jokes)

As I said, I was just so touched again this morning when I read this letter, and I'm so grateful for what my Grandpa wrote, which continues to help me in my life now.  I'm grateful for the legacy of faith that I have recieved from my parents and grandparents.

Well, we are almost to my stop, so I'd better get this posted