Spring Break in Denver

Spring Break is officially over and I feel like I’m just now coming up for air before being re-submerged again next week.

As aforementioned, we have spent the last several years in Utah skiing and playing with family. This year, it wasn’t in the cards because of work and finances so we decided to stay closer to home.

It doesn’t hurt when your entire Colorado backyard is a world-class family travel destination.

We spent a few glorious days horseback riding, hot springs-ing, skiing and sleigh riding in Steamboat Springs (details here).

Sleigh ride dinner at the Haymaker

The family that skis together

We got together with our friends Nolan and Rowan for some quality playtime at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.

“Mother, this is SCIENCE, not picture time.”

Not to mention some memorable moments hangin’ out at City Park eating Dipping Dots.
On another day, we did a tour of Engineering for Kids that brings math, science, engineering, and technology to elementary and middle school students in a fun and challenging way through after-school programs and summer camps.

I was literally moved to tears as I watched that girl of mine grasp complicated scientific and mathematical experiments that have been such a struggle for her.

On Saturday night, Hadley and I went to our church’s General Women’s Meeting and then to frozen yogurt with friends. It was a momentous occasion as all girls ages 8 and up were invited for the first time to this combined world-wide meeting that was broadcast from Salt Lake City.

I loved the beautiful musical presentation of girls from around the world singing “I am a child of God” and my favorite quote was from Sister Oscarson. “We as women can be particularly hard on ourselves. When we compare ourselves to one another, we will always feel inadequate or resentful of others. … We need to realize that we all desire to serve in the kingdom using our unique talents and gifts in our own ways. Then we can enjoy our sisterhood, our associations and begin to serve.”

She said women have “so much to learn from one another and we often let self-imposed barriers keep us from enjoying associations which could be among our greatest blessings in our lives.” AMEN!

Our Sundays after church have been dedicated to family walks. On this particular Sunday, I casually mentioned to my friend Eva we were talking about going to Lair o’ the Bear, an open space park that had been closed until recently due to flood damage. She laughed and said that was the exact place her son Rory had talked about going so we made an afternoon of it.

Yep, that’s still snow you see

Sunday walk, Colorado-style

I also introduced my kiddos to Colorado’s cossetted Camelot, Dunafon Castle, hidden deep in the woods.

We’ll call this one the bribery tree. It’s their favorite,  must-climb tree in the park and they begged me to climb it. “Only if you pose nicely for a picture,” I countered.

The things I do for a great shot.

On another day, I injured my neck really badly at boot camp. My coach prescribed a day of rest and a professional massage.

That was the day I had a house filled to the brim with all the kids’ buddies. Better luck next time.

I thought they went back to school yesterday for Spring Break but turned out, Bode had an extra day off school so he invited his friend Seamus over. I’d like to see it was a rip-roarin’ good time but good gosh, I’m so busy so this was about as exciting as it got.

The single greatest thing about our fabulous, fun-filled Spring Break? That it is over.

“I’d like to bear my testimony”–of false doctrine

The first Sunday of each month is Fast and Testimony Meeting at church. It’s kind of like an open mic night where anyone who feels so inspired can get up in front of the congregation and share their testimony of the gospel. It’s often one of my favorite meetings because the spirit is thick as people share their feelings but it can occasionally go array. Think: false doctrine. And that would be my son.

As a part of Fast and Testimony,  we are asked to go without food and drink for two consecutive meals and to give a generous fast offering for the care of the poor and needing.  This offering should be at least the value of the two meals we went without while fasting and the funds are used to provide food, shelter, and other necessities to people in need, both locally and worldwide. It’s a wonderful opportunity to serve in a simple way while becoming more in tune physically and spiritually.

Every month, our family decides something (or someone) we’re going to fast about and unitedly kneel in prayer before and after our fast. There’s no requirement to fast–it’s completely voluntary. Jamie and I decided age 8, when the kids get baptized, would be a good time for them to start. But Bode being Bode (and age 7 going on 40) decided to put aside his carnal self aside and started fasting with us earlier this year.

As we knelt in prayer this morning, Hadley dramatically feigned starvation (she is my daughter, after all), while Bode man reverently stayed on his knees a few seconds after we finished. “Do you know what I was praying about?” he later asked me. “I was praying that our family would be strengthened by the Holy Ghost.” Good gosh, the kid is more spiritual than moi.

Getting up in front of a congregation of 300+ people to bear an unscripted testimony is an intimidating thing for anyone, especially if you’re a little kid. Hadley has done it a few times and I was pleased when she did it again today and talked about our recent studies of the creation. Bode has never borne his testimony in Sacrament Meeting and that is something I’d never force. In fact, even though I wanted to, I never did it as a kid because I was too nervous.

When she sat down, Bode leaned over and whispered, “I have made the goal to bear my testimony two times this year” and from the tone of his voice, today would not be the day. Until his best buddy Carson got up for the first time and all bets were off.

“Mom,” he said urgently. “What can I bear my testimony about?”

“Bode, you should let the spirit guide you. I can’t tell you what to say.”

Now, as an aside, when the youth turn 12 they are occasionally asked to prepare a 5-minute talk in front of the congregation. I’ve never been afraid of public speaking and enjoyed preparing and giving my talks. But the one I gave when I was 17 goes down in infamy. It was a mind-blowing time. The Berlin Wall had fallen and I found a fascinating revelation given by an apostle nearly 50 years earlier that predicted everything that was happening–from how the wall fell to democracy taking over communism and the gospel flooding these lands. This was the premise of my talk and it was powerful to be living in such a time as that.

Until the Bishop got up after I sat down and denounced my talk. I’d never seen this happen before, nor have I ever since. But just that morning he had received a notice from the Church about this very revelation that, though it likely happened, they couldn’t 100 percent confirm it. Remember, these are the days before Google and I’ve since confirmed its veracity.

Later in his office the Bishop lovingly talked to me about everything and, though embarrassed, I understood why he had done it.

Fast-forward to Bode today. When kids get up to bear their testimony in Sacrament meeting, it’s often simple along the lines of “I’d like to bear my testimony. I know the gospel is true. I love my family, I know that Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon etc.”

Not Bode. I could see his little mind was in overdrive trying to identify gospel principals he knew to be true. “I know what I’m going to talk about,” he finally whispered. “Can you remind me what language the scriptures were translated from?” Jamie started spewing off a bunch of facts. The Bible’s Hebrew and Greek, the Book of Mormon’s Reformed Egyptian. It was a fire hydrant’s worth of information for what should have been a little trickle of water.

Bode was unnerved. The Bishop was about to close the meeting when Bode popped out of his chair and bravely strode to the pulpit. “I’d like to bear my testimony that I know the gospel is true….”

I breathed a sigh of relief. He was sticking with the basics. But oh no, he was nervous and kept right on going, “And I know that Joseph Smith translated the Bible,” and he threw in some Greek, Hebrew and reformed Egyptian for good measure. He was flustered by the end but I stifled a laugh. Trust Bode to take the most complicated approach to something that can be so simple.

Jamie learned over to me and laughingly hissed: “That false doctrine? It comes from your side of the family.”

Touché.

 

Temple Square: The Most Beautiful Place on Earth at Christmas!

I don’t care what denomination you are (or aren’t). If you want to get into the Christmas spirit, Temple Square in Salt Lake City will send you into overdrive. The headquarters of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has literally thousands of festive lights, nativities, lanterns and garlands that set the city ablaze. In addition to the visual feast, the Church organizes a lineup of holiday concerts and other events that offer visitors acoustic experiences full of holiday cheer.

We made an evening of it with Jamie’s sister, the Twinnies and his mom by starting out at the newish City Creek Center’s Deseret Book. Our family tradition is when the kids turn 8 and get baptized, they each get their own beautiful set of leather-bound scriptures from the Deseret Book flagship store (Bode will have to wait until this summer to be given his).

Though we’ve been to Temple Square several times, the kids have never done an official tour so that is what we did. Two  hundred “sister” missionaries are called from all over the world to serve here and speak more than 40 languages. I walked into the South Visitor’s Center and I queried the sister at the front desk.

“We are wondering when you are offering your next tour?”
“They’re actually on-demand.”
“OK, I’m demanding it.”

I assure you it came off funnier in person.

It has been years since I’ve toured the various buildings on Temple Square and I loved how technologically advanced the exhibits are and the beautiful spirit as we learned about the Assembly Hall, Tabernacle, North and South Visitor’s Center, Welfare Square, Family History Library and of course, the cornerstone of it all: the fairy-tale-esque Salt Lake Temple, which took 40 years for the Saints to complete.

The famous Christus in the North Visitor’s Center

We visited all my favorite haunts including the Lion House Pantry, cafeteria-style dining in the Historic Home of Brigham Young. We didn’t stay for dinner but grabbed the most delectable item on earth: Lion House rolls.

I’m not kidding when I say I could have eaten every single one of them.

The top floor of the adjacent Joseph Smith Memorial Building offers the best views looking down on Temple Square.

Photographer Bode’s photos of Temple Square

On the top floor, the JSMB has the elegant The Roof Restaurant or the more casual Garden Restaurant but we were thrilled to discover the new Nauvoo Café on the main level was offering quick-serve hot chocolate in addition to their fast-casual menu.

Lion House rolls and hot chocolate for dinner?

This was a picture-perfect evening surrounded by beloved family and sites that warmed my heart.

Top 5 Reasons to Crash Your Sister-in-Law’s Ward Christmas Party

We had planned to drive to Utah last Saturday, the day after the kids got out of school for the holiday break. But there was a complication: Utah’s weather. They were getting slammed by snow storms and both routes through Colorado and Wyoming were risky. On Thursday, I worriedly watched the weather while Jamie was at a Christmas party and when he arrived home at 6:30 p.m., I told him our dilemma.

“So, let’s leave tomorrow (Friday) then,” he suggested.

I was shocked, then elated. I had hoped he’d say that but when you’re self-employed it’s tough to get away earlier. But then I panicked. I had to do all our packing and round up all our gifts in just a few hours?! Somehow we pulled it off and despite a few precarious stretches of road in Wyoming, we arrived in Utah in a very small window between two very big storms.

And how glorious our arrival was!

Sledding at Sugar House Park, Utah

Dear (brown) Denver: this is what a white Christmas looks like.

We stopped by Jamie’s sister Tammy’s house and she was exhausted after setting up her ward (congregation) Christmas party. Did someone say party? We just happened to be there early…and available. And so we did what any moochers would do: we invited ourselves.

The party we crashed was actually a Christmas breakfast. Here are the Top 5 Reasons to Crash Your Sister-in-Law’s Ward Christmas Party.

#5. Hot chocolate bar. All the food at the potluck breakfast was amazing–from bananas foster French toast casserole to Jamie’s sister’s delicious potato casserole with Gruyère cheese. But my favorite was the darling hot chocolate bar with delicious, high-quality cocoa, peppermint marshmallows, syrups, whipped cream and candies.

I tried to take a picture before the table got ravaged but darn people kept coming and coming and coming. Talk about moochers (it takes one to know one).

#4. Hanging out with our edible twin cousins.

At a recent Santa encounter, Berkley asked him for a goat.

“Why do you want a goat?”
“Because I don’t have one.” Duh.

#3. The glorious snow. The ground looked like a puffed pillow, icicles framed the backdrop of the Christmas party and we later built snow forts and appropriately went to see Frozen.

Tammy is a pro interior designer.  If Mother Nature hadn’t lended assistance for our winter wonderland, I’m sure Tammy would have pulled off something just as good.

#2. Anyone who knows me knows I love bringing out my pipe chimes to play “Jingle Bells” every Christmas. But I have a new obsession: COWBELLS. Since my LDS mission in Switzerland, I’ve loved cowbells and at every Olympic games I’ve attended, the Swiss are always there sounding their mellifluous rings. But I never knew they could be actual instruments.  A colorful German-loving character in Tammy’s ward regularly gives cowbell performances and with his professional sound system, that guy was amazing.

I later cornered him. Where did he get those genius cowbells? (Ernst Licht.) How did he learn how to do them? Did he perform on German Idol?

I’m very serious about saving my money to purchase a set ($600–awk!) Jamie knows I’m very serious but has been my husband long enough to know he can’t change my mind about something as important as cowbells.

Me: “Bode, when I purchase my cowbells, will you play them with me?”
Jamie: “Bode, don’t be a sheep.”
Me: “Technically he’d be a cow.”

#1. We sat with some of Tammy and Jeremy’s friends. Jamie’s mom also joined us and at one point, their buddy leaned over to Jamie and asked if he was Tammy’s dad.

After picking himself up off the floor, Jamie later pointed out this guy’s clothing.

“For someone wearing a Yale shirt, he’s not very smart.”

 

My Merry Christmas Wish of Living Outside of Yourself

On our long drive to Utah, I read an article in Outside magazine, “The Pursuit of Happiness–launch the year with these simple, life-improving tips.” It. Was. Awesome. (Read the full article here). One of my favorite excerpts:

“In a 2013 study, researchers at UCLA and the University of North Carolina reported that happiness levels have powerful effects on genes and our health. But there was a catch: the specific kind of happiness mattered a lot. The unselfishly happy, whose feelings of well-being involved a deep sense of purpose in life, had a strong expression of antiviral and antibody genes.”
“Happy hedonists, meanwhile, wrapped up in materialistic pleasures, had weaker immune systems, resulting in inflammation that can lead to cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. ‘Even pleasures that seem virtuous, like looking at a sunset, can be hedonic, because they involve one’s own emotional gratification,’ explains UCLA professor of medicine Steven Cole, the senior author of the study. ‘The real distinction is whether your happiness is tied into purpose and meaning outside yourself.’”

Bottom line: like so many things, how happy you are comes down to how you choose to live your life.

One of my favorite days of the year is the Christmas program the Sunday before church. We attended Jamie’s parent’s ward and I loved the humble, inspiring messages on Mary, Joseph and Jesus. As I set there looking around at this room of strangers, I just felt happy and grateful for everything the gospel of Jesus Christmas has brought to my life.

I mentally listed out all the things the LDS Church is teaching my children: Gospel principals. Morality. Honesty. Service to each other and in our community.  Goal setting. Public speaking. Leadership. Friendship. Eternal families. The worth of a soul. The purpose of life.

This Christmas, I am grateful to the many, many people, places and things that are teaching me to live a life with meaning outside of myself.

Merry Christmas!

 

It’s the most wonderful time of the year!

My very most memorable Christmas wasn’t even Christmas as I spent the evening in Shepherd’s Field outside of Bethlehem.

However, spending time with our LDS ward family at the Christmas party is always a highlight of the holiday season.

Sure, the Shepherd looked ticked.

Note: He was pretending he was looking up at the herald angels in awe. The kid may need acting lessons.

The girl who aspired to be Mary (remember that little debate?) was assigned to be the star, which she forsook when she learned there were animals was not very pleased about her “cheesy” sheep costume.

Baaaaaaaad. Sorry, bad pun.

Sure, our rehearsals were a disaster (but they pulled it off) and the manger was made of a hula skirt.

And that heathen Santa made an appearance.

But somehow I think baby Jesus would have loved our ward Christmas party as much as I did.

November: Because It’s Better Late Than Never

Sure, I know we’re already blazing through December but November, how I loved November. I’d be pretty darn remiss if I didn’t give a few of my favorite November moments a mention before they’re lost forever.

We had our first family ski trip of the season at one of my favorite Colorado ski resorts, Copper Mountain. Many more details to come but for now, our first of what I hope will be many pictures on the lift together.And then there’s Hadley. This fun, free-spirited, strong-willed girl of mine and I may not always agree but there’s no place we bond more perfectly than the outdoors.

There was plenty of bonding for the whole family on the slopes and off. That evening, the kids tried to make me jealous when they abandoned me for Jamie’s side of our booth at Casa Sanchez Mexican restaurant.
Nope, I didn’t feel envious even one bit.

When people say they have no desire to ever try skiing because it’s too cold and difficult, I honestly feel sorry for them because they think a ski vacation starts and stops on the slopes. Soaking in a hot tub under the stars and white lights as you listen to the groomers on the mountain is truly a magical end to the day.

Boy with creepy beady eyes notwithstanding.

Jamie and I had a great month in the romance department. It turns out that if you sing “You don’t bring me flowers anymore” that if you married a good man, he will deliver.


We went on some memorable dates but none was more memorable than when we were at a preview for the History Colorado Center’s new Living West exhibit and we tried the two-seater outhouse.

Let’s just say I saw him in an entirely new light.

Do you love It’s a Wonderful Life as much as my Jamie does? I surprised him with a date night to see this  story brought to life as a 1940’s radio broadcast at Miner’s Alley Playhouse in Golden. I’m admittedly not a huge fan of the movie but fell in love with the charming and hilarious cast who made us laugh ’til we cried and ignited an appreciation for idealistic George Bailey as he received divine intervention one Christmas Eve. This 130-seat theater was quaint, the acting superb and the audience interaction was fun (have you ever been playfully given Jelly Bellies by the actors prior to a show?) 
We made an evening of it and went to dinner prior to the show. Downtown Golden has some of our favorite dining options and we tried the new Indulge Bistro & Wine Bar with outstanding service, food and ambiance  in Golden’s Gateway Station. I’m still salivating over my Filet Oaxaca, a Black Angus filet mignon served with manchego potato puree, grilled vegetables, blackened shrimp and mango mole sauce. I could show you a picture but it would just make me  hungry again.
In honor of Thanksgiving, Bode gave a great lesson for Family Home Evening and they made a big gratitude basket where we listed all the things for which we are grateful.

Jamie cut out a big pumpkin and put “grandma” on it. We all know what he really meant.

For the third year in a row, we served Thanksgiving dinner and made cards for low-income seniors through Volunteers of America.I get a little choked up thinking about all the wonderful people we met that afternoon that really brought home the whole spirit of Thanksgiving. November, you’ve never been a favorite but you will be most welcomed next year.

 

Johnson Family Newsletter 2013

In typical bipolar fashion, I decided to do a holiday newsletter, then opted out and then upon receiving newsy holiday  newsletters from friends,  decided it should be back on. After all, the world must know what the Johnsons did in 2013!

Overall, we had a great time full of family and friends, travel and minimal hospital visits (our gauge for a good year). We took plenty of fantastic ski vacations all over Colorado and a week at our favorite, Park City Mountain Resort in Utah. Last summer, the kids and I spent almost a month in Canada on a 3,000-mile trip that covered two countries and six states (Colorado, Montana, Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Utah). Jamie was only able to join us for a week of our trip, citing  “someone has to work to support your playtime.” Wise man; I couldn’t agree more.

Here’s a quick glimpse at our happenings. Click on the links for more details!

Atop 14,265-foot Mount Evans

Hadley

Hadley (9 going on 19) is in fourth grade at her Waldorf charter school and continues to love their arts-based academic education. Our free-spirited, fun-loving girl has been on several camping trips with her class and keeps busy with piano and volleyball. She’s also a stellar skier and for my birthday, we had a girl’s weekend of mogul-busting, snowshoeing, lake-skating and sledding. Hadley is a huge fan of horses and was delighted to spend a week at overnight Camp Chief Ouray last summer. She loves Fat Kitty, swimming, hiking, crafting, gardening, cooking and she was the top-performing girl in her grade at her school’s Fun Run. I should know. I ran beside her the entire way until our fifth mile when she blazed past me and I walked with a limp for a week. Her love for Scooby Doo has been replaced by mind-numbing shows on the Disney Channel like “Jessie” and “Dog with a Blog.” It looks like we have a tween, folks.

Hadley’s first scary leap into the Rooster Tail at the lake house in Vernon, B.C.

Skating at Copper Mountain

Summer hiking group at Mount Falcon

Bode

Our resident geek, Bode (age 7) loves all things space, educational and ensuring everyone is following the rules all the time. He is moderately obsessed with being the best-behaved kid in his second grade class (yet somehow is also among the most well-liked), thrives in academics, is a great little soccer player, skier, hiker, cook, master pumpkin grower and lives for his bi-weekly WiiU and technology sessions. For the second year in a row, he and Hadley were my child models at the 9News Back-to-School fashion show and he put Zoolander to shame. He and his sister went to Avid4Advenventure’s Survival Camp last summer and I now feel confident they can survive exactly two hours solo in the great outdoors. He never shuts up on the piano loves to play the piano, enjoys to read Calvin and Hobbes, bike down to our neighborhood skate park and play with LEGOS. His current obsession is constructing dream mansions for us out of giant wooden blocks and creating intricate maps of his designs. We strongly encourage this as a future profession.

First solo flight to see Grandma in Utah!

A snowy hike in Evergreen=joy

First fish fly fishing at The Ranch at Emerald Valley

Jamie

The Pumpkin Man had a great year. He grew his biggest pumpkin ever, 1,220-pound Stanley, and we landed a picture of him in The Denver Post. A professional carver drove down every day from Fort Collins for a week to chisel a marvelously creepy face into the giant gourd. And then Stanley and Jamie went on tour visiting both of the kids’ schools and harvest festivals, thereby cementing his status as a local celebrity. In other news (though really, is there any other news?), Jamie’s web development business Pixo Web Design and Strategy continues to grow, he has a few employees and is always busy. We marked our 10-year wedding anniversary last February and he surprised me by recreating the magical night we got engaged that included a limo ride to the swanky Briarwood Inn. He was recently released from the Bishopric at church and not even five days later, he was called as a stake clerk over technology, a real stretch.

Atop McConkey’s lift for the first time as a family at Park City Mountain Resort

Stanley the Pumpkin

Stanley’s scary carving

Amber

I’ve had a busy year working for the newspaper and various freelance opps in the travel industry. Our favorite gig is writing for AAA Five Diamond The Broadmoor’s magazine because they pay their writers in trade, which amounts to an opulent, indulgent vacation like no other in Colorado Springs.  I love hiking every week, skiing, boot camp, volunteering at school and in the community. I received an award in recognition of journalistic excellence as a community blogger from Digital First Media, The Denver Post’s parent company. But my real prize was when I was at a media luncheon hosted by the Maui Convention and Visitor’s Bureau and my name was drawn as the winner of a trip to Maui (we’re going in February). At church, I was sad to be released from the Young Women (favorite calling ever) and now serve in the stake’s Public Affairs where I work with community leaders and media.  I’m also the volleyball coach and our ward’s Primary pianist and have mastered The Look from across the room, which quickly corrects the behavior of any misbehaving kids. We all have our talents.

Solo hike to Maxwell Falls in Evergreen, Colo.

9News fashion show

Girl’s only birthday ski trip

Fat Kitty

He’s still fat, snuggly, sleepy, sweet and lives for his backyard adventures of stalking mice and eating grass ’til he pukes. We often walk in on him licking himself in Cirque du Soleil-esque positions but it was this shot I took of him on my bed that convinced us all that he’ll be America’s Next Top Model. Look for him on a Kitty Litter advertisement coming your way soon.

America’s Top (Cat) Model

We feel infinitely blessed this holiday season for wonderful family, good friends and the gospel in our lives.

Merry Christmas!

XO

The Johnsons

Getting resurrected (or would that be crucified?) in the Primary program

Every year, the Primary children (kids ages 3-12) in our congregation perform a program for Sacrament meeting. Each child is assigned a short  scripture or talk and it is interspersed with lots of music. Putting on a production like this takes a fair bit of planning–from writing the script to rehearsing to performing. In years past, the kids have received their parts several weeks in advance with plenty of time to practice. A couple of overachieving Primary presidencies have even burned a CD with all the Primary songs for the kids to learn.

This year, the kids received their parts only one week prior, leaving very little time to prep. I was admittedly a bit irked about this but then realized I was forgetting what I love most about the Primary program: when kids mess up. Now, I’m not talking about anything demoralizing that would land the kids in therapy session but rather, those funny little unpolished moments where kids are just kids (like the one time toddler Hadley very obviously lip synced when she forgot the words).

Every year, I have helped my kids memorize their lines but that didn’t quite happen this year due to three reasons.

1) Lack of time. Remember that?

2) Complexity of what was required of them. This is specifically referring to Bode, who was given a humdinger of a scripture in the book of Abraham that even I couldn’t keep straight…something proving them herewith to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them. Huh?

3) Messing up on key terms in a major way.  And yes, there is a story behind this.

Bode had memorized his introduction, “My name is Bode and I am a child of God” and he had practiced reading his scripture several times so he could recite it smoothly. But here’s the thing: he was over it before it even began. Before church started, he complained, “When this is done, I can’t WAIT to throw away this piece of paper with my lines.”

Because the 10 minutes I required them to practice was just so demanding.

Standing up at the pulpit in front of 300 grown-ups is terrifying for anyone but all was going smoothly until Bode got near the end. We had practiced smiling as he wrapped everything up and I was prepping myself for his million-watt toothless grin…until…until…until while he was saying his final few words, he turned around and went back to his seat, still reciting it as he walked.

At first I was mortified until the congregation united in a collective chuckle. It could have been a lot worse and that worse couldn’t been Hadley.

You see, her part was a bit longer but a lot easier so she had memorized her lines. Part I involved her going up with a darling Sunbeam (3-year-old) and asking him, “Owen, what is your favorite story of Jesus?” Owen, being an unrehearsed 3-year-old, gave her a deer-in-headlights stare and shrugged his shoulders. More laughter.

But then I braced myself for Part II. You see, when Hadley had been practicing, she made a very critical error along the lines of “Because Jesus was crucified, we can be crucified, too.” I reeled in horror and then laughter when I told her the word she should have used was resurrected.

After Owen sat down, Hadley continued with her lines, which she decided to read. Normally I would have been disappointed because she had already memorized them but decided to look on the bright side:

Not preaching false doctrine from the pulpit? I’ll count that one was a win.

Our Junior Chefs and Why Jamie Can Just Eat Ramen noodles

I love Sunday mornings. Every year, our church meeting time changes between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. and the latter is my favorite. It’s late enough for us to race back from weekend trips and provides plenty of time to kick back we’re home.

Jamie was just released after a few years in the Bishopric but when he was at his morning meetings, the kids sleep in (at our house, that doesn’t usually extend past 8 a.m. during the school year). Read. Practice the piano. Listen to the weekly broadcast of the Mormon Tabernacle choir performing Music and the Spoken Word (seriously inspirational whatever denomination you are).

Weeknights are so chaotic with homework, meetings, playtime and activities that our cooking tutorials have been put on the back-burner. But on Sundays, the kids help me cook a big dinner and we spend a lot of the day in the kitchen together.  On a recent Sunday, we went overboard and I boasted about it to Jamie afterward.

“The kids did a great job cooking today! IHOP pancakes for breakfast, slow-cooker roast beef, garlic mashed potatoes, steamed artichokes, caramel apple bars, popcorn and caramel apples.”

“That’s awesome they did all that,” said Jamie. “So when are you going to step it up around here?”