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Emily Life Topher Truman Tucker

Never Published?

While going through my old Blog Archives, I found this post that I never posted. I am not sure why? (Maybe because there were no pictures?) It is over a year and a half old, and something that I didn’t write about just then, but can add now is that I was pregnant and in my first trimester with Elliot at the time this was written. Maybe that’s why I was so emotional???

The only constant in life is change…

One thing I never fully understand, but always learn to appreciate is the hand of the Lord in my life. I often start out questioning his hand, whenever there is a major change in my life. But I am also the type of person, who eventually understands pieces of why the Lord does the things he does (I am sure I’ll never understand everything, but it is good to gain a small piece of comprehension) and am always very grateful for them. The hand of the Lord has been with us constantly directing us in so many good ways, that I really have no doubt in my mind that he has led us to be where we are today.

Well, a big change this way cometh, and my latest questioning began when we received a call to come and meet with the Stake President. Later on that same evening, I got a call informing us that the Bishopric in our ward was changing….Hmm, coincidence? I don’t think so. Before I married Christopher, I knew the high quality caliber man he was, and still is. I know he is true to his testimony of the gospel, therefore knowing the true Love of Christ. Knowing this, I know he will serve diligently and willing when and where he can. I knew this call from the Stake Presidency meant, something big but what? I knew something big was coming…

But before I get to that, let me share something else. For me I like to get to have things scheduled, a routine, and then with that, I can move forward successfully in my life. For me, I can accomplish so much more in life through simple scheduling, I have a big list of things to do daily, and in order to accomplish them, plan ahead, and not end up at the store every single day of the week, I have to plan things, and organize things. But there must be something I am obviously not learning…because my life keeps getting thrown out of schedule. Once I get it in a groove again, it gets MAJORLY thrown out of wack again…

So is true of the change for our family that occurred today. Christopher got a new calling as Executive Secretary. Currently I am the Enrichment Counselor in the RS Presidency. And while Christopher was being set apart today, with the other members of the Bishopric, I began to have huge doubts about my ability to support our family through this busy time in our lives. How am I going to be able to schedule it all? If we were newly married, it would be a piece of cake. But being a mom can be hard enough on some days. My boys are old enough now, that we get through without too many crisis during the day, but they are incredibly active boys, who require constant supervision and stimulation. With a husband who will be gone often, do I have the inner strength and patience to be the parent they need and who they are going to be spend most of there time with? Christopher is my perfect help-meet, he is my perfect half in every way, he balances me, including being the perfect half to my parenting style, and being exactly what the boys need. I doubt myself, and my abilities to be this person I need to be right now.

But then I have to stop. And ask myself is this fear I am having?

And I answer myself, Yes it is.

Can faith and fear be in the same place at the same time?

Again, answering myself, No.

What am I am going to choose, faith or fear?

Definitely Faith.

So will our family make it?

Yes, we will, because where great things are required, great blessings are given in return. My life will get on schedule again, we will adjust, before the next big change comes. And I know and must remember that we will do more than just ‘make it’. We will be blessed beyond our understanding, so then why do I doubt?

Human nature? I don’t know. But I still doubt myself and my abilities, but again, must have faith that the Lord knows me and my abilities better than I do.

Thank Goodness I can have faith in him, his understanding, and his hand in my life.

And such gratitude feels my soul in knowing I am married to a wonderful, worthy priesthood holder who can go where the Lord wants him to go, and will do so willingly. I am so blessed.

Now over a year an a half later, with the arrival of a new member of our family, and MANY other changes, I can say with out a doubt that the Lord does indeed know me, and my family. We have now transitioned to this new phase of callings, and all have adjusted. It is our new normal. Again, as I read this I ask myself, why do I ever doubt the Lord? He knows me and my family, and wants to bless us.

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Emily Life Topher Truman Tucker

St. Patricks Day

(yeah we’re a holiday or so behind, but eventually I plan on getting caught up with life…to post exactly what happened on the day it happened. Yeah, someday 🙂 )

We had quite the eventful St. Patty’s day…and those tricky Leprechauns sure tricked us!

Tricky, Tricky guys…

They left green footprints outside our front door with this note.
lepsnote
Then when we went to eat breakfast, we notice our milk. It was green. Tucker insisted it tasted different, and Truman thought it tasted minty.

Later that day, Truman came home from school,
hat
and insisited I read it a ‘Leprechan Note’ that was in his backpack, right then…here’s some of what it said:

It is very difficult to catch a Leprechaun. They are tricky little fellows and like to play pranks on unsuspecting people, so beware! … You can make a trap to catch a Leprechaun, and if you are lucky enough to capture a Leprechaun, legend says you cannot take your eyes off the Leprechaun for even a second or he will vanish. And if you make him laugh, he must give you his pot of gold.

From that point on, Truman was determined to catch that guy, and make him laugh. He wanted that gold.

And he wasn’t the only one, Tucker wrote a note about it at school:
leprachannote
(translation, I like Leprechans? Are you missing your gold, Yes.)

Later that evening, this note was hung on our door, in a last failed attempt to convince the Leprachauns to stay here.
stayhere

Then, as the boys were laying in bed, Truman was having a hard time getting to sleep. He came out a little bit shaken. I could tell something was wrong, but he didn’t want to tell me what. A few minutes later, he got out of bed again, and asked me, Mom do Leprechauns have weapons?
I reassured him that they didn’t, and seeing that he was a little bit upset still, I reassured him saying, Leprechauns only come out on St. Patricks Day, and sent him back to bed.
Well the reassuring, wasn’t very reassuring, because the next thing I knew, Truman was out of bed again, and this time he was crying, again, after some questioning, he sweetly said, ‘but mom, if they only come out today, and I didn’t catch one, how am I going to make him laugh, and get a pot of gold?’
Oh, to be little again, and dreaming of that gold at the end of the rainbow.
guy

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Emily Life Topher Truman Tucker

Answered Prayers

My boys are constantly an example to me. It is no wonder that we are told in the scriptures to look to our children. I wish I was more like them in so many ways.

Case and Point.

We have a wicked awesome car. Wicked awesome for many reasons. One, it’s totally paid off. Two, It’s been with us our entire married life. Three, to use it you must know the wicked awesome tricks…. like how to open the door that has no door handle and how if you smack the ceiling just right you get the internal ceiling light to shut off or even how to move our 3 car seats just right so the doors will close. And lastly, it’s wicked awesome because you have to know the right way to insert the keys to get it to start up.

And even then, when you know the tricks, it’s no guarantee it’s going to start up.

I have been in many different locations trying to coax Rusty (that’s our cars name by the way) into letting me turn the key, and therefore ignite the engine. There has been a few times when we’re running late, or we’re far enough away from help, that I’ve felt overwhelmed by the situations. It is then that my boys always sugguest a prayer. And after these prayers, our car always starts. ALWAYS. They have learned at a young age, the power of prayer.

So it was no wonder that the other evening, when we were expecting some guests, and they hadn’t arrived, that my children suggested a prayer. You see, it was Missionary Month for our ward, and the youth were practicing being missionaries all month long, and one of the concluding events was going to members home for dinner. We had been asked if we would entertain them, and gladly said yes. But When the actual night came we weren’t sure if we were going to get guests or not, but had prepared the house and dinner for them just in case. At the mention of this, our little boys were ecstatic. We live in a cul.de.sac and as the time approached for the missionaries arrival, the boys were glued to the window.

A set of missionaries arrived across the street, then a few minutes later another set arrived next door, then a few minutes after that another set arrived at another neighbors home. Then we waited. And waited. It was over a half an hour after their sugguested arrival time, and we began to think they wouldn’t be coming. So we began to prepare our boys, telling them that if we didn’t get missionaries tonight, we could talk about dad’s mission or invite another friend over who had served a mission and he could tell us about his. The looks on the boys faces just about broke my heart…then Tucker had an idea. Let’s pray mom. So we did. Tucker and Truman both offered prayers, and then they went back to the window. And just then when I had given up hope, a car pulled up and two of our youth missionaries hoped out of the car.

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I can’t remember what Tucker said later that night, but it was something to the effect of, see mom when we pray, Heavenly Father wants to help us out.

And he’s right. He does, so why do I so often try to do things on my own? Thank goodness for the faith and purity of little ones, and the reminder that Heavenly Father wants to bless our lives. He wants to help us. So why do I sometimes hesitate to ask for his help? My children turn to him first, and I should follow their examples.

Again, I am floored by the things I am learning from being a parent.

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Elliot Emily Life

Elliot.

Just lights up my life.
onsie
Look at his little arms and legs. You forget about how they have to so gradually learn to work their appendages. You forget how darling they look in just a onsie. You forget how their breath smells like milk. You forget how much your heart just grows by leaps and bounds. You forget how their little eyes just make your heart melt. You forget how much you hate to use those silly blue blooper things to get boggies out of their noses. You forget how pure and peaceful they look, even when they are so little. You forget how your nearly have a heart attack when you wake up in the middle of the night, and realize they’ve slept longer than usual, and you begin to worry if they are alright, and race to their crib. And they are a-okay.

You just forget. And when you remember, you want them to stay itty-bitty for forever. BUT IT JUST DOESN’T HAPPEN.

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Emily

My new doo

Simplify, Simplify, Simplify.
hair-doo
That is what I am trying to do. Hence the shorter hair. So far, it is so much simpler. More pics to come.

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Elliot Emily Life Topher Truman Tucker

Now Open for Business

The Treehouse, Sandbox
treehouse
and Swings in our backyard.
The upper and
swing
The lower one.
sing2

I think one word sums it up for the whole family: Hallelujah.

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Emily Life

There are many things…

I am going to miss about having little kids at home.
handprint
THIS (handprints on the clean mirror) is not one of them. 🙂

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Emily Life Topher Truman Tucker

Being Parents

Ever wonder how you look in your children’s eyes? I do.
And his week we now know.

This is me, a picture by Truman
mom
And here is Toph, a picture by Tuck.
dad
What do you think? I must admit, even on paper, we still make a pretty good looking couple….

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Elliot Emily Truman Tucker

Playing Dress-ups

I love dressing my sweet Elliot.

I sometimes feel like a little girl, dressing my cabbage patch dolls (of course, when I was a little girl, I always dressing my dolls in pink, dresses full of ruffles)…

Truman and Tucker love to dress themselves, and express their personalities in their outfits. Case and point, Trumans outfit last week, that he insisted on wearing to school, camo pants, and brown plaid pants and a yellow shirt. I love that they are still untouched by the need to conform to what society says is the style…
truman

Where as Elliot doesn’t care what I pull out of the closet (unlike the other two) , and I get to dress him a couple times a day (thanks to spit ups, and messy diapers, and etc.) And I am a sucker for sweaters…there is nothing cuter than a baby in a fluffy warm sweater, especially my little Elliot.
brown

white

stripe

fluffy

I’m going to enjoy dressing this sweet little one while I can, ’cause pretty soon, stylish outfits like this one, are going to be coming his way…
trubee2

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Elliot Emily Life Truman Tucker

Great Grandparents…

I have many memories from my childhood of my great grandparents.

One of my great grandmothers had an oxygen tank named Charile,that when tipped over made a funny steamboat type whistle noise. And honestly, with little kids running around it was always getting knocked over. And when it did inevitably happen, I remember thinking, that the tank was such an important piece of equiptment she is going to be angry. But she wasn’t, She’d just say, ‘there goes Charlie’, and just laugh.

I had another great grandparent, this one a great grandpa, who watched MacGyver with us, telling us his own MacGyver stories from his life as a detective, He also shared his tennis ball collection. Which as a kid, was a pretty awesome thing.

What I am trying to say is Great Grandparents get life and life with little children. They have lived it, have so much wisdom, and are just what their name states: GREAT.

A few weeks ago, we finally made it up to SLC, and Elliot got to meet some of his Great Grandparents, the Great Greenes. I’m so grateful my boys have great grandparents who love them. Love is a powerful thing.
greatgrandmanancy

My grandparents hold a special piece of my heart. As a child, grandparents can do no wrong. I still feel that way. They give us their love, and love my children. Even when they are crazy. They’ve seen me grow and change, loved me in my good times and bad times. And now they extend this love towards my children too.
greatgrandpanboys
I wonder what memories my children will carry with them about their Great Grandparents…I don’t know exactly what it will be, but I am sure that one thing they will know, is that they are loved.

It was a great thing to see the Great Greene’s and to introduce Elliot to them. We love you Grandpa and Nancy! Thanks for letting us come and see you!