A Great Man Moves On

Yesterday, Mike's Grandpa Spencer passed from this world to the next. It was December 8th, just three weeks ago, that we learned he was terminal with cancer. The doctors had said he'd have anywhere from 2 weeks to 6 months to live. We bought our tickets to fly home, hoping to see him before he died, but it was not the Lord's will. We had been praying that he would stay alive until we could get to Utah, but Sunday night, in our Family Prayer, Mike prayed only that the Lord's will would be done. Mike had been able to talk with Grandpa on the phone a little while ago, telling him all that he wanted to say. We are grateful that we will be able to be there with the family for the viewing and funeral services. It is very difficult, during times like these, to live so far away!

The one thing Mike regretted was not asking Grandpa to make him a Mandolin. Grandpa had said he would only make one for us if we promised to learn how to play it. We told him to wait until we moved back to Utah (who knows when that will be!) To our surprise, we found out today that one of the last Mandolins Grandpa made was meant for us! We will cherish it!

I, personally, am so very grateful for this good and wonderful man! From the moment I met him, he was warm and loving - treating me as one of his own grandchildren. He was always anxious to give me a hug, see how I was doing, offer a bit of advice, and assure me of his love. I will miss him greatly.

When I think of the legacy of faith that he has left for this entire "Spencer Clan," as I refer to us all, I am in awe! Coming from a family that has been "disassembled and reassembled" in so many different ways over the years, I so deeply cherish being a part of a family that lives the gospel SO completely, even through each succeeding generation, that the concept of an eternal, consistent family becomes a tangible thing. It is because of the examples of faith, determination, and personal growth that have been set by Grandpa and Grandma Spencer that this is possible! I remember being overwhelmed by the reality of it all when Mike and I were engaged and we all went to Manti for the reunion Little Zane planned. And then again, each time there would be an occasion to gather together in one of the temples of the Lord, especially if Grandpa was officiating for an endowment session, I would be reminded of the amazing reality of this eternal family he and Grandma have created together. It is wonderful!

Christmas Saga Continues: Ethan Learns the Power of the Priesthood

After we opened presents and played with our treasures for a while, we were able to webcam with some grandparents. It had been hard for the kids to see all the wrapped presents that had been sent and have to wait until we could webcam on Christmas Day to open them. Once they were opened, it seemed that Grandmas and Grandpas did a better job of choosing the right gifts than even Santa. They were all thrilled with each one.
The rest of that day was pure bliss. We spent time with each other playing games, watching movies, and eating our candy, along with a little "real food" as well. This year I made the "Christmas Quiche" (sausage and egg casserole) that my mom usually made for us on Christmas morning. Of course, neither of my kids would touch it (picky, picky), but Mike and I enjoyed it.

That night, we all laid down sleeping bags in the family room and had a sleepover together. It was great fun! - Until around 1 am.

I was in Alex's room, feeding him, when Andrew began throwing up. At first, Mike (who had already cleaned up Andrew and his mess by the time I left Alex's room), and I explained to Andrew that this is what happens when you eat too much junk and not enough "real food." However, when Mike threw up about an hour later, followed by Ethan about an hour after that, we decided this was more than just too much junk food. We brought our sleeping bags and blankets into the kitchen (so we wouldn’t have to keep scrubbing our new carpet), and each slept with a bowl nearby.
After the first time Andrew threw up, he asked if Dad would give him a Priesthood Blessing. Afterward, he threw up a few more times, but was then able to keep some ginger ale down (luckily I had bought some for the Christmas Eve Party), and went to sleep. He has been fine ever since! Ethan, on the other hand, refused the offer to receive a blessing, and he is still sick today, with both diarrhea and vomiting. We are having a Brother from the church come give him a blessing with Mike this afternoon. We have faith that he will soon get better with the help of the Priesthood! Alex threw up Friday evening, and I had been feeling pretty yucky myself that day, so we received blessings from Mike, with the help of another Brother from our ward. Except for a little bit of diarrhea, we’ve both been doing well since our blessings too.

Christmas Ups and Downs

We had a wonderful Christmas day! We woke up at 7 am, saw our presents, examined the contents of our stockings, and read through the Christmas story in Luke 2. Then we opened presents, one at a time, taking some time to play a little before moving on to the next thing. It was a little sad to watch Andrew get so hopeful that each present he opened next would be a Nintendo 64. He really enjoyed playing on Uncle Levi's when he was here earlier this month. We didn't know, but Andrew said he told Santa's Helper, that had come to his school on Dec. 23rd, that that was what he wanted. We decided that Santa probably wanted to keep that a special thing just between Andrew and Levi, and that's why he didn't bring him one.

And so it begins!

Hey, I think I'm gonna start a blog- we'll see how it goes! We went to a Christmas party with some friends in our ward (LDS Church congregation), and one of the ladies talked me through how easy it is to start a blog, and what a great way it can be to keep up on family history. I have been avoiding creating a blog because I'm afraid I'll either spend my whole life working on it (I tend to get obssesive, and I take a long time to do my creative projects), or I'll start it but never go back to it and it'll just be another item on the list of things I should make time to do. But, for whatever reason, I've decided it's time to give it a try!
Already I've spent longer on finding out if this is really where I want to have my blog than I was oging to spend on the whole thing. My family is calling me, but I hope to write more tomorrow about our Christmas.
Merry Christmas!