“Christmas doesn't come from a store, maybe Christmas perhaps means a little bit more....”
― Dr. Seuss, How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
“How many observe Christ's birthday! How few, His precepts!”
― Benjamin Franklin
“My idea of Christmas, whether old-fashioned or modern, is very simple: loving others. Come to think of it, why do we have to wait for Christmas to do that?”
― Bob Hope
“Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, and we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmas-time.”
― Laura Ingalls Wilder
Important dates
past...
Nov 16 Aubrie Campbell (Kelli and Allen's)
18 Jeff Mordechai-Smith, Ginger Brakke
20 Kenny Barlow
21 Mariah Smith, Candy and Phil's anniversary, and the date Dad/PMS/Paul died
23 Katie and Connor's anniversary
27 Nena Slighting
28 Cassidy Campbell (Kelli and Allen's)
2 Rob Smith
4 Sharene Smith
upcoming
11 Jared Smith
14 Bob Bailey He will be 93!!
15 Craig Peterson and Davis and Asialene's anniversary
19 Natalie Baker Barlow, THREE anniversaries, Dan and Val, Paul and Verna, and Dave and Lola
21 Sister Kieren Smith
22 McKay Thomas, Elder Gavin Smith
25 Valerie Smith and Christmas
27 Two anniversaries--Timm and Megan and Lissa and Severin
30 Sharla Hales
Jan 1 Cara Webber
2 Bryce and Carol's anniversary
3 Gabriella Smith (Trent and Lyndi's)
Mission updates
Cameron in California--The members are telling us about people like crazy and we had a great lesson with another investigator. He should be getting baptized soonish, hopefully late November-early December.
I kind of crashed on my bike a lot this week so walking still hurts a bit, just don't fall on your butt, and wear a helmet, and you will be fine.... other than that, it was cooler this week, but is going back into the 90's this week, so not sure when it will stay cool.
I am trying to be more productive and smarter with my time this week because
last week I was not as smart as I could have been. We will see how it all
goes this week.
Kieren in Brazil--Opening an area is fun, but very different from what I would have thought. For example, I thought it would be hard to find people to teach, but we are actually basically overwhelmed with the number of people we have, the difficulty now will be accompanying the people sufficiently. For example, we had a distrito amigo and asked everyone to find at least one new family to teach and everyone came back with the page full of people! We have been asking the Lord for guidance in our area and I know for a certainty He has been helping. For example, we often have to ask the name of a road, so we were one this dirt road that basically had no people just floating around, but on a side road, I saw a couple of people sitting on chairs. We went to talk to them, and they not only accepted to hear a message but accepted basically everything we had to say and wanted us to come back the next day! And they told us the name of the road.
Gavin in Mexico--Ive finally made it here. (hermosillo mexico,) and I get to learn spanish all over again because whatever they're speaking here isnt spanish. its something else. the flight went smoothly and everything and life's good. Im chilling in an internet cafe writing this cause thats pretty much the best way to internet here. My companion is great, Elder González. he speaks very little english so that will be really good or me I'm sure.
so if you ever need some motivation in life, personally i would hit up helaman 5:12--just remember that tough times come and life may beat at you but theres nothing it can do to stop you from having a good time and loving life because you believe in something better. you have hope for a beautiful future no matter how dark the present.
Family updates.
Boston--Danyka Dakota Peterson was born November 28 at 9:15 AM. Thanksgiving dinner put me right over the edge!! She was 6 lbs 12 oz and 19 1/2 inches. My water broke at 1:30 AM, and I was able to sleep off and on until 6 AM, and then she came quickly after that! We had her at home, and it was a perfect, peaceful birth. She was 5 days before her due date, so we thought she would be a boy (my boys were both early). We are happy to have another beautiful baby girl, and feel honored to name her middle name after Dakota.
We are all doing well. The kids all think she is wonderful! Sawyer spends hours every day insisting that she hold her. And the boys are very helpful. My mom is here helping out this week, so I am being well pampered. We are so excited to be a family of 6 now!
Here is a photo of the machine that radiates me
I lay on the table and the machine moves around me .
The normal person they tell me has two or three zones that they radiate. Lucky me, I have 12 zones. It takes about 20 min.
the guy who operates the machine reminds Shar and me of somebody from Crosby Stills Nash and Young. He has long hair and always has rock music playing. The fun part is that the rock music he plays we know and like, so the treatment area doesn't seem so formal. The side effects are what you would expect when you radiate that portion of your body. It's probably too much information so feel free to send me an e-mail if you have further questions.
No pain so far and no fatigue. Only six more weeks to go. :)
Katie Baker McKeown--funny Emmeline stories. Sometimes it is hilarious how much Emmeline is like me. I often think about nature v. nurture when things like this happen. I know some of it is nurture, but I swear some of it is nature. Anyway, this morning she woke up and ate breakfast, and then I was working on the computer when she came over to me with a piece of paper and a pen. She then wrote down get out of bed. (I helped her spell out.) Then she said, "I did that, so I'm crossing it off." Then she asked for help in writing eat breakfast and crossed it off. Then she said, "Now I'm going to write get dressed and then I'm going to get dressed and then cross it off." But then she started frantically writing potty (copying it from her morning High Five chart) and then ran to go to the bathroom. (I though it was hilarious that she felt the need to write potty before going.) Then she crossed off potty and then got dressed and crossed off get dressed. Then she asked me how to write go to Michaelle's house since apparently that was something she wanted to do today. Then with my help, she added prayers, make bed, and teeth.
This whole thing was just so funny to me. I am a big user of to-do lists, but I don't really do them with Emmeline. (I have a notebook up on a counter where I keep a running list and cross things off, but Emmeline never sees that list.) But as she was doing this, I was like, She is SO MUCH like me!
Emmeline and I were grocery shopping at the commissary today. We were in the produce section when I passed some "baby bananas" (look like a bunch of bananas, but all of them are super tiny--see picture below I found on google).
I pointed them out to Emmeline and commented, "I don't even know how they grow those." Emmeline responded, "Maybe they just watered it each day?"
Natalie Baker Barlow--Truman was sick last month, for most of the month. He had a virus to start it (diarrhea and vomiting) then he just didnt get better. For about 3 weeks, he threw up nearly every night and sometimes during the day too. They kept going to the Dr. They did CT scans, a GI barium test, urine and blood tests. But couldnt find what was wrong. He was lethargic, and lost 10% of his body weight! It was so hard! Poor boy was so sick! They were finally able to get into a pediatric GI. She was helpful and we think figured it out. Natalie's words- Right now the theory is that he had a virus that caused delayed gastric emptying (so his body wasn't emptying the food he ate for a long period of time which made him continually throw up). It seems like he is better now!
Work hard, study hard, pray hard,
Carol
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