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Never forget--the family is one place where you are always wanted!

Ward Cleaver

Had to share this quote.  Can you tell we watch Leave It To Beaver every day?!

Good News!

Today I was working on something and Grandpa walked over to where I was and said, "Elaine, you're nice.  I decided to like you!"

Quote

If you are on the right path, it will always be uphill.

The Lord is anxious to lead us to the safety of higher ground.

Elder Henry B. Eyring

Keeps Getting Better

I remember my dad telling one of my brothers that he didn't lay brick his whole life so his son could be a bricklayer.  He wanted him to go to college and do something more with his life.  He told me he wanted all of us to be better than he was.  I know he would be so proud of what each of us have accomplished.  I have felt the same way about our kids.  I wanted them to be better than we were.  And I know that is exactly what has happened.  Bill and Cathy, Andy and Angela, Ben and Becky, and Christian and Amy are so much more than we could have hoped for.  I believe they are now hoping that their children will be better than them and it is so exciting to me to see that their hopes and dreams for their children are coming true.  Each generation just keeps getting better and better.  Heavenly Father must be so proud of his children who from the beginning have gotten better and better.

Journal Prompt

Since we are finishing out November I decided to address a prompt I had used earlier.  It was to make a list of things you're thankful for.  I am still thankful for those but today I wanted to address that again.  I am thankful for perspective.  In Google the definition of perspective is the way that one looks at something.  As I am getting older I love perspective because it is like putting together a big puzzle.  You look for similar colors, shapes, or objects so that you can make a big picture. And in fact sometimes you think you found the right piece and then continue putting the puzzle together.  But then you look back and realize that piece didn't go there!  I have realized lately that I am coming to terms with perspective in my life.  Part of that perspective is understanding what was important and what wasn't really as big a deal as I may have thought it was at a different time in my life.  Our lives have changed drastically and yet there are so many things about the change that have fascinated me.  I was given a prompting while we were on our mission that the area I needed to improve in my life was to be kind.  It is embarrassing to think that I needed to be told that and yet in retrospective I was not particularly kind.  Without that prompting I don't think I could have taken care of Scott the way he would need to be taken care of.  I am learning patience and I express gratitude often to Heavenly Father for helping me understand kindness.  I have learned to forgive and forget and even more important I have the perspective to understand the end from the beginning.  It is hard to watch Scott lose his sense of self, to be able to express his thoughts and feelings, to feel peace and calm when he is overwhelmed by noise, change, or unexplained fear.  Yet in spite of that he has a constant and that constant is me.  When he reaches out in the night he has me beside him to pat his face or rub his arm.  When he can't remember what a toothbrush is or what he is suppose to do with it he has me beside him showing him.  When he shaves for a minute but doesn't know what to do I am able to take his razor and finish cleaning his face.  When he takes a bite or two and says he is full I am able to encourage him to try a little more.  My perspective is that I know that when we meet again on the other side of the veil the most important piece of the puzzle is the last one and then the picture is complete and Scott will be whole again.

New Floors!

It has been a little busy at Grandpa and Grandma's house.  I have to continually remind myself that I am not 29 years old any more!  After this my knees have been reminding me of that every single day--and they keep saying, "we are 99!"  When we moved into our house just over a year ago I took some of the money left over and bought laminate flooring with the thought that Andy would put them in when he had some extra time.  Joke was on me because he is so busy that the year has gone and the flooring was still waiting in the sun-room.  About three weeks ago our newest neighbors had new flooring put in their house and so I asked the contractor doing it to give me the cost of putting the flooring in our house.  The cost was so much less than I had anticipated that I asked him to put us on his schedule.  I then got busy and took off all the baseboard in the rooms where the laminate was going in.  I removed nails, washed the baseboards and then repainted them.  In one day the floors were done and looked so beautiful I was ready to cry!  I then started putting baseboards back in and was in agony by the time the last one was installed--but it was so worth a little discomfort.  I told Angela that I finally feel like we have a clean house.  Although Andy didn't do it he has done so much to help us this past year that I have nothing to complain about.  Before to much longer I will show you the new back-splash he is putting in our kitchen!

Thanks Ellis & Andy for
moving the furniture!

The floor guys were exceptional
and FAST!

Finished Project!  Now the sun-room!

Quote!

                                I testify that BAD DAYS come to an END,                                                       that FAITH always TRIUMPHS, and                                        that HEAVENLY PROMISES are ALWAYS KEPT.

Elder Holland

Aunt Bev

We have loved having Bill and Bev come over and spend time with us.  Something else I especially love about Bev is how sweet she is to our grandkids.  She puts me to shame when it comes to nurturing the imagination of kids.  I have often thought as I watched her what a phenomenal teacher she must have been. These pictures show Duncan and Aunt Bev having a great time at a Mexican food restaurant in Gilbert in October.  She is the best!

Duncan had to have a picture of him with the skeleton.

Then he wanted her to have her picture taken--and she let him take the picture!

Piano Recital

Ava had her piano recital on Saturday.  We waited out in the foyer until she was ready to perform and then we stood at the back so we could hear her.  I was amazed at how well she did and how accomplished she is becoming.  It is nice to have some of our grandkids close by so we can participate in the wonderful activities they are a part of.  I was able to make the cupcakes for the refreshments after the performance and had a good time baking and frosting.  I was happy with how well they turned out!

Mint chocolate, Lemon, Lime, and Strawberry!

Good Job Ellis!

Football season ended on Friday.  I am especially proud of Ellis for going outside of his comfort zone and learning how to play football.  I think towards the end he was counting the minutes until it was over so he could get on with his life!

Halloween Dinner

It is a little out of place but Andy sent me some pictures he took when they came for a Halloween dinner last Monday.  With the help of Pinterest I had a great time planning a taco dinner with spider bowls, treats and games.

The bowls were spiders!

I made candy apples  that
actually turned out!

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                         God is the gardener here.                        He knows what He wants you to be.

Hugh B Brown

Trust Me

One of the things that I have thought about a lot this week was something I say to Scott almost daily. Nothing makes sense to him and even in our house he is concerned about people who are watching him or who are in the back yard or where we are when we drive around town.  I do try to explain to him but most of the time he is beyond frustrated and afraid.  At those moments I often just tell him that he has to "trust me." You know, that often is the only thing that will help him calm down.  The phrase "trust me" kept coming into my mind and then I realized that Heavenly Father is saying to us each day, trust me!  I know that He knows the end from the beginning and knowing that brings me such comfort as I daily do things that I never expected I would have to do.  It sounds funny but for over 40 years I might have had to take the trash out once or twice.  Now if the trash is to go out it is up to me, along with many other things.  One night I was in the kitchen cleaning up after a particularly difficult day and I realized something.  I am doing everything that has to be done around here and I can.  It made me think of the story in the Book of Mormon.  I would give you exact scriptures but I don't have Scott to tell me anymore!  There is a community of people who are under the rule of the Lamanites and they continue to increase the tasks that the people are required to do. But they call upon God and he doesn't take away the burden, he increases their ability to do their work.  I do feel often as I maneuver through each day that the burden isn't more than I can do and in fact I often take great joy in the knowledge that I'm not doing this by myself--because Heavenly Father loves me, and he loves Scott.  And each day I get to be reminded that I can trust Him.

Torture?

It looks like dad isn't enjoying this experience but he did a really good job.  After he was all hooked up to the machine the technician told him that he would have to wait for 30 minutes and stay still.  I wasn't very hopeful that this was going to go well but he was a champ!  Earlier in the week we had an appointment with a neurologist in Apple Valley and he wanted to check his brain activity.  I suspect I could tell him more than the test could but we will get the results at our next visit at the end of the month.

Halloween 2017

I only got costume pictures from the California Duncans but I will add the rest when I get them.  Angela amazes me every year with her creativity.

A DJ and a Pusheen Cat!

A pretty handsome senior citizen!

From the Arizona Whitneys we see a Harry Potter extravaganza!

Lincoln and Graham were muggles!

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And from the North Dakota Duncans

Mad Scientist!

Pizza Delivery Man!

                                                                                                                                                                                          And from the Utah Duncans we have Abby who was the "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie."  Unfortunately for Will he had the flu and had no interest in trick or treating this year.

Cutest Mouse Ever!