Happy Thanksgiving

Jeremy and I were able to attend the temple 3 times this past week. Last Friday, we went to the Salt Lake temple with the Young Women to do baptisms. Jeremy went as our priesthood leader. It was great to have him come along. We went the next day to the Provo Temple and did sealings. We went again yesterday to the Jordan River Temple and did a session. I have forgotten how wonderful it is to be able to attend the temple so much. The spirit is always so strong there. It is such a blessing to be able to feel peace when our lives are up in the air right now. I am so grateful for a Heavenly Father who loves us so much that he gives us so many opportunities to be close to Him.

Clara officially started walking this week too. She's been taking a few steps here and there, but last Saturday she really took off. She still crawls a lot, but at least she is willing to walk across the room if needed. I love watching any little kid when they first walk. I think their teetering back and forth is so cute. Enjoy the not-so-great quality video of a very cute girl walking. I love how excited she gets when she walks. It doesn't matter where we are, if we put her down and let her walk, she starts giggling.

Peace, Be Still

Since I know pictures are the most important for my readers, I'll post those first and then write all the "boring" stuff.

We turned on the Wizard of Oz a few days ago, and Clara stopped playing and just sat and watched all the little munchkins. She was mezmorized by it. I thought it was so funny with how still she was.A while later, we looked over and found her like this: I wonder how that could be comfortable for her!This week has been a hard week for Jeremy and I. The storms of life seem to be raging all around us right now. Not that anything happened that is horrible, but just that it made me think of the scripture in Matthew 8 where his disciples are in a ship with Jesus. A great storm arose, but Jesus was sleeping. Upon awakening Him so that He could save them, Jesus said, "O ye of little faith." Jesus then caused a great calm. Even though this storm seems to be raging all around us, there is a great calm in my heart. I am so grateful for the trials that bring us closer to our Savior. I am so grateful for the things that allow us to prove our great faith to our Father in Heaven. I know He is watching over us. I know that "if ye are prepared ye shall not fear." I am so grateful for prophets whose words can guide us to the things we need to do to be prepared. I am so grateful we listened to our prophets so that in this time of trouble, we are not afraid. I am so grateful for our scriptures, and for my daily scripture reading. It has helped me so that as these challenges come up, I can think of the scriptures that I can read for comfort to help me and guide me safely through them. We truly have so many more blessings in our lives than struggles. I think we all need to focus more on our blessings rather than our set backs. When we do, our set backs seem insignificant and easier to pass through.

Great Attitude

Clara has started trying to put on her shoes and socks this week. I love watching her figure things out. She doesn't get mad when she can't do something, she just tries again. I love that attitude. I couldn't get a non blurry picture because of her constantly moving that foot up and down. But here's the best one I could take.

Picture Tag

So even though I hate being tagged, I do enjoy sharing little random things. I've discovered that if I don't get the message saying "You are tagged," but instead are invited to continue the tag just because I read it and I think it would be fun, I'm a lot more apt to do the said "tag." So thanks to a friend's blog who tagged anyone who read the blog, here is the 6th picture in my 6th file.It comes from a folder entitled "First Christmas." For those who don't know when Jeremy and I got married, it is from Christmas of 2006. The reason why there is a picture of them is two fold. 1. It was our first Christmas, so I took pictures of EVERYTHING. 2. I made these myself, including spending the hours to cross-stitch the patterns as well as make a pattern and sew the stockings themselves. I made them before I was married, so it's a good thing Jeremy liked them!
In honor of not forcing anyone who doesn't want to, I tag anyone who wants to do this. Just find your 6th picture in your 6th file and post it on your blog.

Info

Clara loves to play in the drawer under our stove. She plays in it at least once a day. She climbs in one side and then climbs out the other. She'll walk all the way around just to climb in the same side and then climb out the other. Sometimes she'll put her toys in there and climb in to play. If she does has toys, then she throws them out of the drawer so that she can climb out to pick them up. As soon as she picks them up, she drops them back in the drawer so that she can climb back in to play with them. She knows how to open and shut the drawer herself, and is always so proud of herself when she does. If any toys go missing, I know right where to look: in the closed oven drawer.Clara loves pasta. Her Grandma Beck took this picture of her when we were up there visiting a few weeks ago. She posted it on her blog, but I loved it so much, I wanted to post it on ours too.I saw this on a friends blog and I figured it was time to disclose some more information about myself. I hadn't done this in a while, so here's my chance. I've highlighted in blue the things on the list that I've done and the things highlighted in red are the things Jeremy has done. And of course, if we've both done it, then it will be in both red and blue.

1.Touched an iceberg
2. Slept under the stars
3. Been a part of a hockey fight
4. Changed a baby’s diaper
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Swam with wild dolphins
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a tarantula
10. Said "I love you" and meant it.
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Stayed up all night and watched the sun rise
15. Seen the Northern Lights
16. Gone to a huge sports game
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
19. Looked at the night sky with a telescope
20. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Bet on a winning horse
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Taken an ice cold bath
28. Had a meaningful conversation with a beggar
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Ridden a roller coaster
31. Hit a home run
32. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking (in my younger days)
33. Adopted an accent for fun
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Felt very happy about your life, even for just a moment (a lot more often than a moment)
36. Loved your job 90% of the time (both being a teacher and being a mom)
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied (not that I've been rich, but I definately had enough to do things I wanted to do)
38. Watched wild whales
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Gone on a midnight walk on the beach
41. Gone sky diving
42. Visited Ireland
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited India
45. Bench-pressed your own weight
46. Milked a cow
47. Alphabetized your personal files (all my files are alphabetized)
48. Worn a superhero costume
49. Sung karaoke
50. Lounged around in bed all day
51. Gone scuba diving
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Done something you should regret, but don't
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Been in a movie
60. Gone without food for 3 days
61. Made cookies from scratch
62. Won first prize in a costume contest
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Been in a combat zone
65. Spoken more than one language fluently
66. Gotten into a fight while attempting to defend someone - verbal or physical
67. Bounced a check
68. Read - and understood - your credit report
69. Recently bought and played with a favorite childhood toy
70. Found out something significant that your ancestors did
71. Called or written your Congress person
72. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
73. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
74. Helped an animal give birth
75. Been fired or laid off from a job
76. Won money
77. Broken a bone
78. Ridden a motorcycle
79. Driven any land vehicle at a speed of greater than 100 mph
80. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
81. Slept through an entire flight: takeoff, flight, and landing ( I would wake up periodically, but I was pretty much sleeping the whole time.)
82. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
83. Eaten sushi
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read The Bible cover to cover
86. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
87. Gotten someone fired for their actions
88. Gone back to school
89. Changed your name (my last name)
90. Caught a fly in the air with your bare hands
91. Eaten fried green tomatoes
92. Read The Iliad
93. Taught yourself an art from scratch
94. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
95. Apologized to someone years after inflicting the hurt
96. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
97. Been elected to public office
98. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
99. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
100. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you
101. Had a booth at a street fair
102. Dyed your hair
103. Been a DJ
104. Rocked a baby to sleep
105. Dropped a cat from a high place to see if it really lands on all fours
106. Raked your carpet
107. Brought out the best in people
108. Brought out the worst in people
109. Worn a mood ring
110. Ridden a horse
111. Carved an animal from a piece of wood or bar of soap
112. Cooked a dish where at least four people asked for the recipe.
113. Buried a child
114. Been inside the pyramids
115. Shot a basketball into a basket
116. Danced at a disco
117. Played in a band
118. Shot a bird
119. Gone to an arboretum
120. Tutored someone
121. Ridden a train
122. Brought an old fad back into style
123. Eaten caviar
124. Let a salesman talk you into something you didn’t need
125. Ridden a giraffe or elephant
126. Published a book
127. Pieced a quilt
128. Lived in a historic place
129. Acted in a play or performed on a stage
130. Asked for a raise
131. Made a hole-in-one
132. Gone deep sea fishing
133.Gone roller skating
134. Run a marathon
135. Learned to surf
136. Invented something
137. Flown first class
138. Spent the night in a 5-star luxury suite
139. Flown in a helicopter
140. Visited Africa
141. Sang a solo
142. Gone spelunking
143. Learned how to take a compliment
144. Written a love-story
145. Seen Michelangelo’s David
146. Had your portrait painted
147. Written a fan letter
148. Spent the night in something haunted
149. Owned a St. Bernard or Great Dane
150. Ran away from home
151. Learned to juggle
152. Been a boss
153. Sat on a jury
154. Lied about your weight
155. Gone on a diet
156. Found an arrowhead or a gold nugget
157. Written a poem
158. Carried your lunch in a lunch box
159. Gotten food poisoning
160. Gone on a service, humanitarian or religious mission
161. Hiked the Grand Canyon
162. Sat on a park bench and fed the ducks
163. Gone to the opera
164. Gotten a letter from someone famous
165. Worn knickers
166. Ridden in a limousine
167. Attended the Olympics
168. Can hula or waltz
169. Read a half dozen Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys books
170. Been stuck in an elevator
171. Had a revelatory dream
172. Thought you might crash in an airplane
173. Had a song dedicated to you on the radio or at a concert
174. Saved someone’s life
175. Eaten raw whale
176. Know how to tat, smock or do needlepoint
177. Laughed till your side hurt
178. Straddled the equator
179. Taken a photograph of something other than people that is worth framing
180. Gone to a Shakespeare Festival
181. Sent a message in a bottle
182. Spent a night in a Hostel
183. Been a cashier
184. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
185. Joined a union
186. Donated blood or plasma (every 8 weeks. I've donated 3 gallons of blood so far)
187. Built a camp fire
188. Kept a blog
189. Had hives
190. Worn custom made shoes or boots
191. Made a PowerPoint presentation
192. Taken a Hunter’s Safety Course
193. Served at a soup kitchen
194. Conquered the Rubik’s cube
195. Know CPR
196. Ridden in a convertible
197. Found a long lost friend
198. Helped solve a crime
199. Shaken hands with a famous person
200. Been on a glacier.

It looks live I've done 102 out of the 200. It sure seemed like I was highlighting a lot more than I really did. I guess 51% isn't bad. Jeremy has done 87 (44%) and together we've done 121 (61%)

Costumes

Here is the post I know you've all been waiting for, pictures of Clara in her Halloween costume.We started Halloween festivities at our ward Trunk-or-Treat. Clara wasn't really sure about what was going on, but she didn't seem to mind her costume. She definitely didn't mind all the candy she got! After she made it around to all the trunks, she played in ours until we ran out of candy. By the time we left, it was dark. But we still had to get a picture of one of Clara's good friends, Taylor the puppy. We then headed up to Mom and Dad's for some trick or treating and the yummy cinnamon rolls Sharon had made. I'm not sure if Clara liked this Halloween or not, but her Mom and Dad sure had fun dressing her up and showing her off!