Starting to click...

Everyday is a joy to watch Emmett and to see things are starting to click with him. Last week, he was really mastering pulling himself up and this week he has started climbing the stairs. The video is kind of dark cause I was using my cell phone in the stairwell. By the way at the end, he didn't get hurt.


I was excited and not so excited that he started climbing the stairs and thought that was a good accomplishment for the week. But apparently Emmett didn't think so. I gave him a sippy cup at lunch and he picked it up and tried drinking out of it. He hasn't mastered it yet and still needs a little help, but I imagine by this time next week or the week after, he'll have mastered that as well.

Our little guy isn't so little anymore. He weighed in at 3 pounds when he was born and now is a hefty 21 pounds at 15 months. He is such a big boy.

Joy in the Journey

Thomas S. Monson said, "This is our one and only chance at mortal life—here and now. The longer we live, the greater is our realization that it is brief. Opportunities come, and then they are gone. I believe that among the greatest lessons we are to learn in this short sojourn upon the earth are lessons that help us distinguish between what is important and what is not. I plead with you not to let those most important things pass you by as you plan for that illusive and non-existent future when you will have time to do all that you want to do. Instead, find joy in the journey—now."

I know The Family: A proclamation to the World will help us all find joy in the journey now as families.

It is from the November 2008 Ensign Conference edition, "Finding Joy in the Journey" pg 84-87.

Joy in the Journey! LIFE is the road, FAMILY is the vehicle and the Celestial Kingdom is our DESTINATION!!

I have been thinking about this a lot lately. Especially with all the job, house, and spouse losses that my friends/family are experiencing. It just brings me back to what's the most important thing in life; it's not our jobs, it's not our homes or material possessions. The only thing is our families!!!

For the longest time in my life I wasn't finding "joy in the journey". I was just stressing through the journey. Now, I have found a new appreciation for life, love, family, and the gospel of Jesus Christ. You don't have to have a dramatic or a traumatic thing happen to you necessarily for this change to take place. I think there comes a point in our lives when you stop worrying about the little things and you focus your time and energy to what does matter in this life. For me that is my family.

I am thankful for a wonderful Prophet who leads and guides us. But more importantly who brings us back to the real purpose of our lives and reminds us "not to let those most important things pass you by as you plan for that illusive and non-existent future when you will have time to do all that you want to do. Instead, find joy in the journey—now."

Cindi Morgan come on down, you're a contestant on ...

THE PRICE IS RIGHT

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Our Relief Society put on "The Price is Right" for a Home, Family and Personal Enrichment Activity. We had a fabulous time. Enjoy the video or read for the details below.

Each sister entered their names into a bowl. I was one of the four contestants that was called to "Come On Down". It was fun to play it up like I was actually on the show. While we sat upfront an item from the Church Cannery was brought before us and we all bid. The closest contestant with out going over got to play the first game.

The first game played was similar to "It's in the bag". All of the items were things that would be found in a 72 hour kit. There were 7 items used: flashlight, pocket knife, hand warmers, sewing kit, emergency blanket, emergency candles, and pocket can-openers. The price of each item was placed on the front of the mini-grocery bag. The contestant had to place each item where she thought it belonged. When the correct placements were revealed, the contestant won whatever she got right!

After each game, a new name was drawn and another contestant would "Come on down". A new item from the Cannery was shown and again bids were made. I won the bid on the second item shown.

My game was Higher or Lower. There were 5 items found at the Cannery on the table with a false price. I had to tell if the actual price was higher or lower. I didn't do very well. I guessed the jam and potato flakes right, so I got to take those items home.

The third game played was Shelf Life. There were 5 categories: 2 years, 5 years, 10 years, 20 years, and 30 years. Each #10 canned item from the Cannery corresponded with the number of years it was good for. After the contestant placed each can in a year, the "Cliff Hanger" revealed how many she had right. The "Model" revealed the correct placement, and she won the items she got right.

After the three games, all three contestants had a chance to spin the wheel. The 2 that came closest to a dollar with out going over went on to play the "Showcase Showdown". The two ladies that spun the wheel before me, spun so well, they both tied at 90 cents. Me not so much. So I dropped out and those two were left to showdown.

The two items for the showcase were: a Starter Kit from the Church Cannery and a complete Food Menu for a 72 hour kit, it even came in a handy carrying case. Each contestant placed a bid and the closest one with out going over won her showcase! The left over prizes were first given away as consolation prizes, and then names were drawn randomly out of the bowl.

Between each game there was a brief "Commercial Break". A mini-talk was given about each category and handouts were available afterwards. The night focused on: 72 hour kits, The Cannery, and 3 Month Food Supply. One of the men in our ward was the "Vanna" or "Model" for the night. (I know wrong show, but I didn't know how else to explain his role). The night was fun and well put together. Kudos to the Relief Society Enrichment Committee. I know it wasn't an easy task to pull off, they did a FABULOUS job.

Communicating with our babysitters

This day and age is so different from when I was a kid. Wow, saying that statement, I guess I am getting older. When I was a kid, people who wanted me to babysit for them would call my parents (most likely my mom) and ask if I would be available to babysit. Today is much much different. We have 2 fabulous babysitters (sorry can't give our their names, because no one knows about them and I like having them all to myself). When I first started asking them to babysit, I called their mom's cause that is what you were supposed to do thinking back to how it was when I was a kid. But their mom's would tell me, "I don't know if they are available call them on their cell phone and ask." What, huh? Okay. So one answers her phone and the other prefers you to text. Isn't that funny and crazy?LOL So the other night we conducted our whole conversation of babysitting through texting. Even when we where at the hockey game, the babysitter contacted us through text.

I think of myself as pretty up-to-date with technology and grasping the new trends, but I am not so sure about never talking only texting. I still enjoy hearing the other person's tone and laugh as we are talking. You don't quite get that when you text. I know my nieces would disagree, but....it is still not the same.

So for now, texting is my friend when it comes to finding out if my babysitters are available. LOL!

Look what I can do...

Emmett in the past week has really become confident in his pulling up to a stand abilities. He seems to be pulling up on everything. Here is in my bathroom standing at the tub.













This weekend at grandma and grandpa's house, Emmett decided to visit the bear statue in the entry way. He pulled himself up and started talking to the bear. By the time I got over to him with my phone to record his conversation, he stopped. I thought it was cute with Emmett standing with the bear.


Emmett has also "grown" a new tooth as my other kids call it. Here is Emmett with 3 teeth on the bottom. Our little cutie pie!

Family Time

The Amazing Race started last night. Our family loves to watch this race together. When I was a child, my family would gather together on Sunday nights and watch "The Wonderful World of Disney". So last night I was reminded of those times as we sat at my parents house and watched kick off of the Amazing Race. We all laughed through the show. We are looking forward to every Sunday night to gather together as a family and enjoy a family show together.

This is why I storybook

10 Ways to Love with Heritage Makers

1. Believe
You have a story. Part of the adventure is discovering what that story is. Maybe your story is about your high school years, your first kiss, or your prom. Maybe it’s about your spouse, your courtship, and your wedding. Maybe it’s about your children, their births, their first words, or their first day at school. Know that your story is important and needs to be shared. Give your children, your spouse, your friends…your heritage, their heritage.

2. Be Yourself
You don’t need a degree in writing or creativity to make an awesome book. You have everything you need. Your personality and your excitement will bring your story to life. Remember, this is about you, your family, your friends. Have fun with it.

3. Communicate (Listen)
Talk to your friends and family to get ideas for more great stories. Get their impressions, their experiences. Wouldn’t it be exciting to see how everyone remembers your memories, learn about their feelings and their thoughts? You can create a fun storybook with everyone’s participation. Get everyone involved. Get your characters together, have a party, and learn about the people who mean the most to you.

4. Show Interest
Create a story for someone-your parents, your best friend, your sister or brother. Help others see that their stories are important too. Then surprise them. Their smiles and tears will be worth all the effort.

5. Share Your Feelings
Share all the sights and smells of your story. Share the small details that made your experience-the smell of the roses at your wedding, the touch of tiny feet as you cuddled your newborn baby, the taste of a foreign fruit on your family vacation. Share your feelings, your thoughts, your excitements. These stories mean something to you. Let others know how and why.

6. Prepare
You have your story, now you need the details. Go through your pictures. They say a picture is worth a thousand words. So find the perfect images to present your story. Then decide how you want to share your experiences. If you’re stumped, you can use the Story Maps found in your Studio. They have great questions to get your ideas flowing.

7. Commit
Once you have discovered your story, your responsibility is to share it. Put some time aside to work on it each day. It doesn’t have to be much. Even 10 minutes a day will get you closer to a finished book. And once you start, you may find it hard to stop. It is way too much fun to create, to remember, to share.

8. Create the Atmosphere
Be creative. There are plenty of things in Studio to help you create a unique design. Have fun with the paper, the picture frames, the buttons, the ribbons, the tags. Or party with the templates. There are some great designs, perfect for any story. Make your story your story.

9. Snuggle
Storybooks make great bedtime books. Snuggle up with your children and share your stories with them. Let them fall asleep to the sound of your voice as you read your wedding story, your family vacation stories, or their baby stories.

10. Show Appreciation
Once you receive your book, display it, love it, enjoy it. This is your treasure. Show it off. Read it to your children; share it with your friends. Keep it where everyone can see it-on the coffee table or in the kitchen. Make it a part of your home.

These 10 things inspired me to do more storybooks. My sister-n-law (Scott's sister) and I are going to LA for the weekend to sit and interview Grandpa Wally. We are going to scan all of his pictures to get them digital. After interviewing Grandpa Wally and hearing stories from the pictures, we are going to create a storybook. A storybook for him and for our children. Grandpa Wally is 92 and lives in Southern CA. We don't get to visit with him very often and our children definitely don't know him very well. So our gift to him and our children is a storybook about their Great Grandpa Wally.








I hope this post has inspired you. Whether you create a storybook or scrapbook, the most important thing is that you are capturing your story, your heritage. When you are ready to storybook your heritage, let me know or visit www.createyourheritagebooks.com.