Uncle Jeff

Eric's Uncle Jeff Turnidge passed away on July 31st. He had been sick for a long time, shortly after we were married he got a new liver that allowed him an extra eight years. During the short time we lived in Washington I was able to visit with him quite a bit, I was really glad I had the chance to know him.

We were excited that circumstances allowed for Eric to go to Spokane for a few days to spend some time with his family and attend the Celebration of Life for Jeff.

My Father in Law, Gary, was the second of three boys. Uncle Rod was the oldest and he passed away earlier in the summer, and their parents both passed away in 2008. So now Gary is the only remaining member of the family on this earth. I'm grateful for our knowledge of eternal families, life after death, and the atonement.

Missouri State Fair

A couple of days before school started we decided to make our way over to Sedalia, Missouri for the state fair. We had a great time, originally we thought we would just spend the afternoon, but there was so much to do and see we ended up staying until almost 8 pm.

Before we went in we sat the kids down and had a talk with them about staying close to us and what to do if they got lost/separated. We didn't have any trouble getting Carmi and Jared to decide to stick together!

They had several petting zoo's. Lilli really likes the idea of animals but when it comes to touching them she really doesn't like it. Jared is the exact opposite! He LOVED the animals and wanted to touch all of them and never leave!

So we found a friendly camel

Come on Lilli...

We finally got her to touch a Shetland pony!

Eric took the kids to the cow barn while I took a break to feed Nadia.

They had a great time "milking"

We got TONS of stickers and fliers and pins...

Jared was our walking advertisement for the Missouri Department of Conservation, Ethanol, 4-H, and I think there was a beef sticker somewhere in there too!

Just a few fishies...

We listened to a Bluegrass Band, they were SO funny!

They had a great tractor display

Jared did not want to get off his John Deere!

Vroom

Race anyone?

Lilli wants to Win!

Lilli got a giant ruler and helped haul around one of the bags of stuff we got.

By the end of the day Carmi had pretty much removed all her stickers...

We are definitely looking forward to next years State Fair!!

The Things We Do

From 8 am to 3:30 pm our house is a very quiet place.......

Blueberries anyone? (Did you know blueberries are excellent for brain development?)

A little Nadia time...I love it that these kids get along so well!

yep, thumb sucker #2

Lilli Goes To School

Thursday August 15th Lilli went to school. We saw her off on the bus, then I left Carmi, Jared, and Nadia with our friend Janet. I walked over to the school to snap a few pictures (It's super close, it takes about 8 minutes to walk there, Lilli is on the bus for about 15 minutes in the morning and 10 in the afternoon). I nearly missed Lilli, it was crazy with kids and parents everywhere. Luckily another friend of ours was there and saw Lilli and managed to get through the crowd to tell me and I caught up with her right as they were walking into the building. I didn't get a picture but the principal was out directing traffic in his suit. It was pretty awesome!

Lilli has Mrs. Wallace. I was really excited because I had several people tell me to request her and since she is so popular I wasn't sure Lilli would get her.

It was a pretty sad couple of days for Carmi, she kept asking if we could go get Lilli and I had to keep telling her it wasn't time. She finally stopped asking (and crying) about halfway through this week. I think she is going to be overjoyed next year when she gets to go with Lilli.

Totally random, but Lilli had some beads she cut into sections and made a bracelet for Nadia, she even put it on her by herself.

It sure is quiet around the house now with Lilli gone all day, Carmi and Jared have really been enjoying playing together even though they miss Lilli. I sure hope that all we've taught Lilli about who she is and her potential stick with her for the next 13 or so years of school and her associations with a lot of people.

Tithing is for Everyone

Tithing is for Everyone

06 Aug 2013

by John W. Welch

In a world that focuses so much on the individual, modern readers may be surprised to learn about a little detail in Malachi 3:8-12, about the blessings of paying tithing. When the Lord says, "Prove me now herewith, if I will not open you the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing," the "you" is not singular in the ancient texts, but plural. This insight, noted by James Rasband in a concise article in BYU Studies a few years ago, has lost none of its relevance for today. The point is that when we pay our tithing, the blessings come not only to us individually but also to the people around us. After all, how can the Lord make it rain, or the sun shine only on the farms or homes of those who pay their tithing? As Dean Rasband continued, although the scriptures contain many instances in which the Lord speaks to individuals separately, he also speaks on many occasions to the Church or his people collectively. It is not always easy to distinguish between these two modes of address, especially because the English pronoun you can be either singular or plural. However, ye is always plural. Awareness of this linguistic detail can open up new dimensions in our reading of the scriptures, at times revising our understanding substantially. And indeed, this passage in Malachi has several indications of collective address beyond the plural pronouns we and ye. For example, the Lord states that he has been robbed by "this whole nation," that "all nations shall call you blessed," and promises that "ye shall be a delightsome land."

One may also note that, with a similar collective blessing idea in mind, Jesus said that the Father "maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust" (Matthew 5:45). He does not limit the effects of his blessings, so that when people pay their tithing, the benefits fall only on the one's he is blessing. And his children, to be like him, should do likewise and do good to all those around them. "For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye?" "Do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you." (Matthew 5:44-46). And thus, be pleased that tithing is for everyone, in more ways than one. Be grateful that, for your goodness, God blesses not just you and yours, but also the wider circles of people around you as well.

Birthdays, Haircuts and a couple of photoshoots...

When my brothers were young they would watch tv on their bellies with hands on their faces, we called it "Elbow TV." I caught the kids doing the exact same pose the other day so I had to capture it!

Carmi turned 4!! She asked for Strawberry shortcake (with blueberries). At the time I bought the strawberries I knew there was a shortage but didn't realize that would be the last time I bought them this summer. Our sweet Carmi LOVES strawberries with all her heart so I was happy we could get them for her.
Carmi is such a sweet girl, we're so happy she's part of our family.

 Carmi and Nadia are definitely kindred spirits.

Couldn't resist her little toe!

I was at the store with Nadia the other day and these ladies told me to be sure to take pictures of her feet. It was pretty random, but then I have always enjoyed pictures of little baby feet so I decided to have a little Nadia photo shoot. (Thanks to Aunt Holly for the gorgeous handmade blanket!)

Since Carmi is now old enough for a booster seat we decided to get Lilli a new one. She was very excited!

Our solemn little guy, but there is definitely a hint of silliness too, it just doesn't show up in pictures.

Aunt Holly Turnidge came for a visit for a week from Washington. (Good times were had, unfortunately not documented though :() One morning Lilli asked Aunt Holly for a haircut, and after she was done Carmi asked for one as well. They both turned out super cute!

For Eric's birthday we decided to try something new. So I made a Lime Cake with Cream Cheese Lime Frosting. It was SO.Good. (I may or may not have eaten leftover frosting with a spoon)

Happy 33rd Eric! Now for the next 7 months I am not a cougar/cradle robber. Tehehe.

Eric and I spicing up our facebook profile picture. We have way to much fun sometimes.