A Glimpse of Thanksgiving 2015

Thanksgiving 2015 was spent in Idaho at the Wolfley homestead.  My mother-in-law always does a great job making everything feel fancy and comfortable all at the same time.  All 19 of us were there which was a first!  Jared’s older sister, Kristen, from Utah; her husband, Richard, and their four kids - Kate, Will, Drew, and Claire; and Jared’s younger brother, Clint, from Boise; his wife, Katie, and their three kids - Max, Christian, and Charlee. 

Everyone pitched in to make it a success.  Jared did a great job carving the turkey, Katie made the most delicious rolls, my father-in-law gave a prayer of thanks, and the kids ate & ran around like wild monkeys.  AnnMarie nonchalantly imposed my dad’s favorite Thanksgiving tradition before the prayer which was always for everyone to say one thing they're thankful for - something that starts with the first letter of their name.   

^^^ Drew enjoying himself ^^^

^^^ Carlie extra happy to be able to spend time with her cousin Claire ^^^

After a very filling feast, we loaded up the kids and sang "over the sagebrush and through the fields to Grandmother Julie’s house we go,” haha!  My mom hosted a Thanksgiving Feast of her own, too, so we were able to share some pie with extended family in the house that built me...and play some good ole Turkey BINGO.  Oh my goodness, it was so funny!  I wish I would’ve taken a few pictures of that; it was pretty entertaining.  It brought tears to my eyes hearing a house-full of laughter from the edge of the driveway as we pulled up that cold afternoon.

^^^ Marley, Madi, and Carlie ^^^

I love having opportunities to be surrounded by family.  It’s one of the great joys of my life and something I look forward to creating as the years go by.

On Being Unselfish

I came upon these quotes this morning that I want to hold on to forever.  Our Savior gave Himself to unselfish service; I want nothing more than to be like Him.  I pray that my husband & I can always be wise in our decisions - in order that we may lose ourselves in the unselfish service of others and build the Kingdom of God on earth!  It isn’t always easy to give up our personal desires or dreams when called to His work, but from my experience - at the end of the day - it’s impossible to feel peace & sincere happiness in the pursuit of personal gain.      

"We live in a time when sacrifice is definitely out of fashion, when the outside forces that taught our ancestors the need for unselfish cooperative service have diminished.  Someone has called this the “me” generation—a selfish time when everyone seems to be asking, what’s in it for me?  Even some who should know better seem to be straining to win the praise of those who mock and scoff from the “great and spacious building” identified in vision as the pride of the world.” - Elder Dallin H. Oaks

"People that know they are important, think about others.  People that think they are important, think about themselves.” - Hans F. Hansen

“Selfish persons are incapable of loving others, but they are not capable of loving themselves either.” - Erich Fromm

"Selfish people often mistake selfishness for strength.  It takes no talent, no intelligence, no self-control, and no effort to sacrifice other people for your ego.”  - Anonymous

Raising Nice Girls

  Now before you start thinking this post is about how nice my girls are...it’s not.  Although I will say I think they’re getting better at being nicer more often.  

  I feel like my girls have both grown up so much this school year.  I’ve noticed changes in both of them, and it takes my breathe away sometimes.  It really wasn’t that long ago when their after-school festivities involved dressing up like a super hero (or a three musketeer princess), rearranging furniture to build forts, and sneaking snacks!  These days they're more in to just plopping down on a stool next to the counter to tell me every detail of their entire day!  I appreciate that they’ll do that though.  The social aspect of school is an education in and of itself.  The playground is tougher than it use to be!  I know mean-girl behavior has existed forever, but it’s really interesting to see some of these tendencies seep into the early elementary years.  

  I try to be careful about being that terrified parent who classifies everything as bullying though.  Some of it’s perceived, some of it’s provoked, but some of it’s real, and I guess that’s where we as parents have to make judgement calls - being attune to our child’s self-esteem and the social interactions that are affecting them - for better or for worse.  I can’t help but wonder what’s causing it though.  Girls wanting to be older than they are?  The excessive types of media made available to kids at such young ages?  Mean moms?  Who knows!  If anything, it’s started some healthy after-school conversations like - Are you saying hurtful things?  Are you telling secrets about other girls?  Are you upset when someone does a good job?  What do you think it means to be a good friend?  Are you concerned with what other girls look like or are you nice no matter what they look like and how they dress?  What’s the difference between being funny and making fun of someone?  Do you start “clubs” that exclude others?  Do you "wanna be” like someone else or do you “wanna be” YOU?  (The more I think about it, I need to ask myself these questions more often, too!)   

  It’s not easy helping girls to work through relationships, and I suspect it’s something I’ll be dealing with for a very long time, but through it all, I’m so very fortunate to have this experience - raising two beautiful daughters who are maturing the best they know how.  I’ll love them forever, I’ll like them for always - they can count on that.  Sad, but true - being nice doesn’t come naturally to most people.  

  But one thing’s for sure, we’ll continue to have plenty of opportunities to work on it here at home with each other.

AnnMarie, 3rd grade

 Carlie, 1st grade