Randall Family Christmas Party

 It has not been a tradition to have a Randall Christmas party every year. Usually we do something, but Grandpa and Grandma have been on missions for so many Christmases, that we haven't developed a good tradition. This year we had a party though and it was wonderful!

We started with an easy dinner of Costco alfredo and chicken pot pie. Easy and yummy! Easier still for me to pick up a gluten-free, dairy-free frozen chicken pot pie for Kate. Dinner was full of conservation and sharing; it was wonderful.

After, the younger kids (Marcus, Guard, Lucy, and Milo) played upstairs while the adults visited. It was so fun to catch up with everyone and have some quality family time. After a bit, Grandma called us together for a fun craft. At the Christmas Devotional a few weeks earlier, Elder Gong told the story of his wife making clothespin ornaments for Christmas. We made our own ornaments and the kids had so much fun with it!

After ornaments, we did stockings. Grandma and Grandpa went all out this year and all the kids were thrilled with their presents. Enoch favorite present was a wooden puzzle globe, Kate loved her art dice, and Guard was super excited with his electronic bank.

It was great night and we can't wait to do it again next year!

Bethlehem Dinner

One of my favorite Christmas traditions is our Bethlehem dinner. We always have it on December 17th, eight days before Christmas Eve. We prepare food that would have been eaten by Jesus and his family (or, as Greg says, if Bethlehem had a Costco!). We eat fish, lentils, crackers, cheese, flat bread, grapes, dates, nuts, figs, cucumbers, oranges, and persimmons. It is truly one of our favorite meals - so much good food!

We eat by candlelight on the floor. Some of us are adventurous and finish our meal with our fingers, as per custom. We talk, laugh, and share our favorite stories of Christ.

After dinner, we celebrate our first night of Fowler Hannukah. It is such a special night to remember Jesus and his birth.

Our Sweet Coal

 Coa's birthday was a few weeks ago. She turned 12. I can't believe she is 12! She is starting to show her age a bit - more gray hairs, shaky back legs, grumpy attitude, possible hearing loss (or maybe just more grumpy attitude?), but she is still our sweet girl. She actually lays on her dog bed occasionally, which makes me happy and sad at the same time. Happy because she has her own soft spot, but sad because I know it is because she is getting older, is slowing down, and wants more comfort.

Border Collies and Aussie Shepherds are very much heirachical dogs. They know where they fit in the family and they know who the Alpha males are. Greg is her highest Alpha, with Gavin followed closed behind. When Coal came to our family, Enoch was six. He wasn't old enough or had enough power to be an Alpha. Because of that, Enoch's and Coal's relationship has always looked a bit different. Enoch is Coal's safe person, they one she goes to for comfort, tummy rubs, and 'good girls'. And Coal loves to lick Enoch's feet! And he lets her! 

They have such a sweet relationship! I'm so happy that Coal has Enoch, especially now that she needs some pampering. Enoch makes sure she is fed, watered, and loved everyday. She is lucky to have him. We are blessed to have them both!

Enoch and the Temple

This is one the those days, those best days, that you wait for, work for, pray for, and when it comes it is even better than you imagined it would be.

Enoch received his endowments today and it was glorious! 

He was ready. Not only did he study and prepare, he has lived the life, and made the choices to be granted the priviledge for continued learning and blessings. The spirit was strong with him after the session. I could see his curious mind spinning, absorbing all he could. It seemed as if things long forgotten were clicking back into place and he had complete peace of wholness in his spirit; like knowing who he was after a lapse of memory.

Heavenly Father has gifted him a pure heart, one without guile and anger. It is a rare gift. As I have watched Enoch prepare for this day, I have recognized a spiritual maturity than he has kept tucked away. As his mom, I have felt it from him, but now he knows it himself and that is powerful. He is at the beginning of his journey of understanding himself and how he can be more, be what God needs him to be, through the covenants of the temple.

Scattered Thoughts

 1. So many cute pictures of our bunnies! This is Cedar and Sycamore, loafing and flopping. We love our buns!

2. Guard can't decide if Sycamore is helping him with school or not, but either way, he loves being with his babies.

3. We also love our Autumn. Her favorite place in the whole world is under the Christmas tree. She gets so excited when she sees the tree going up. This year, we decided to put our baby manger under the tree and Autumn has decided that it was just for her. She is usually in the manger snuggling with 'baby Jesus'. A few times, I've found the baby nudged onto the floor in the morning with Autumn curled up in the manger.

Thanksgiving 2023

 We had a fantastic time with the Randall family this year for Thanksgiving! We met at Grandma's and Grandpa's new house, ate yummy food, played football, did puzzles, sorted Christmas decoration, and loved being together as a family.

Dinner, as always, was wonderful. We brought rolls, stuffing, and sweet potatoes. We also brought rolls and mashed potatoes for Kate and her allergies. Most of us aren't big fans of turkey (Greg does love it!) and we are here for the sides and pie, Thanksgiving dinner never disappoints.

Guard threw out the idea of doing a Turkey Bowl this year. I wasn't sure how people would respond, but most everyone participated. Grandma, Kate, Dave, and I were the cheering section and sport photographer and everyone else played. I was actually impressed with the plays called, runs made, and ball caught during the 30 minute game. Everyone was a winner and had a great time!

Reformation Day

This year we were a few weeks late celebrating Reformation Day, but it means a lot to our family, so I still wanted to make it happen. We had our traditional dinner of brats, German potato salad, roasted brussel sprouts, and applesauce. We all love this meal and the kids are great at helping to prepare it.

We also wrote our committments for the year and 'nailed' them to the door, just like Martin Luther did. Each time we walk into the garage, we are reminded of our goals.

Laughing Gas

In the spring, we found a new speech therapist for Guard. Miss Kathie has been amazing and such a blessing. She is truly an answer to our prayers! She is very intentional with her relationship with Guard and customizes all his lessons for maximum progress. It has been so heartening to see how quickly he has responded to her instruction and feedback.

A few weeks ago she mentioned that we might want to think about getting Guard's tongue tie clipped. Huh? No one had ever told me he had a tongue tie! So many years of frustrating speech that could have been avoided if we had known! I immediately booked an appointment at the dentist and within a few days, Guard was in the chair with a smile.

Since we have spend a lot of time at Dr. Jensen's office because of Guard's weak teeth, he was quite comfortable with the whole procedure. They asked if he wanted some laughing gas and Guard responded, "Of course!"

Guard usually has a difficult time getting numb and today was no exception. They had to give him extra shots to make sure he was comfortable enough to start the procedure. Because of the extra shots, they kept upping his laughing gas.

I think the laughing gas must have hit him all at once; he became so loopy! It was hilarious! He couldn't stop giggling and then full on belly laughing. All the nurses kept poking their heads in to see what was going on. We all laughed right along with him. His laughter was completely contagious! 

A few of the funny things he said:

• "You're Mom! But where's my monkey?"
• "I'm Woody! I need a slinky dog!"
• "I'm so fat!" (said with a pouty mouth)
• "My python doesn't have poison, only heart stickers."

Dr. Jensen could hardly laser his tie, but it finally got done and he did a wonderful job. On the way out of the office, I basically had to prop up Guard, he was still laughing so hard he couldn't walk. We finally made it to the car and he giggled all the way home. Finally, things wore off and he had a restful evening. 

And...Miss Kathie was right. Getting that tongue tie clipped was the best thing for his speech. I can't believe how much difference it has made!