President Monson

I just read this on my sister-n-law's blog and thought that this was amazing! President Thomas S Monson was voted the most powerful octogenarian (person over 80) for the second year in a row by Slate. I especially love that when you click on his face and see what he has done for the world since turning 80 it says, "Is regarded by the world's more than 13 million Mormons as a Prophet of God 'in the same way they view Abraham, Moses, Isaiah and the apostles in the day of Jesus Christ'." I love how they word it. For one thing, they recognize that he is regarded as a Prophet and not as a Savior, like some people confuse. For another, I love how his name is put up next to the other Prophets from the Old Testament. He truly is called of God in the same way. This is such a wonderful thing to know. It is an incredible gift that God has given us today, as if He hasn't given us enough already!

What we've been up to lately...

I can't say that I've been very good at taking pictures this past month or so, but I have been better than other months! Things have been fun, crazy and busy. But I thought I'd let y'all know what we've been up to.
Of course, living on an island in the gulf has its perks! One of those things is the beautiful beaches and one of the others is the warm weather in the fall and winter months! Gotta take advantage of it! We love going for walks on the beach and so does the little lady! She just wishes we'd let her really get dirty in the sand more often! And let her put all of the seaweed into her mouth! Ick!


The firemen came to storytime at the library one day. Lydia could have cared less about them. But she did enjoy the truck!


We had a bonfire with some friends out at Crystal Beach (for those who aren't familiar with the area, Crystal Beach is on a peninsula that we get to ride a ferry out to from Galveston.) That was by far the best bonfire I have ever done! The wind was blowing in the same direction off the water all evening and kept the smoke from the fire going in the same direction! So, we could sit around the fire without getting blown by smoke and smelling like it for days afterwards! It was amazing! Plus you can't beat ditching the group for a little bit to take a moonlit stroll on the beach! Amazing! And Lydia loved getting dirty in the sand (and taking a few handfuls of it to the mouth)!

Lydia went on her second plane trip to Washington for Thanksgiving. This is her on one of the better flights! She loved playing on the tray! Luckily we got the whole row for 3 out of 4 of the flights.

Lydia slowly warmed up to the cat during her time at grandma and grandpa's. At first she enjoyed looking at him from a distance, but would cry when the cat made any sudden jumps that scared her. But by the end of the trip she did not let the cat rest in peace! Luckily the cat was very patient with all her poking and prodding!

Washington was sooooo cold! I could have gone without seeing snow this year! Lydia didn't know what to think getting bundled up so much! (Do you like our way of bundling her up since we are from an island?!!! We don't really have snowboots and heavy coats! But we had already gotten her a warm hat and gloves.)
Lydia discovered fallen leaves! She picked a favorite one and carried it around with her.

We were fortunate to make it up to my grandma's house while we were in Washington. We went for a walk around my grandpa's grave. I think it was good for me to get to visit and try to find some closure. I still have a hard time believing that he's not physically here sometimes. (This is a picture of us with grandpa's grave and my Uncle Mark and Grandma Matthews.)

Three out of Four of the generations. Mom, you need to come up with us sometime so that we can get all 4 generations! Lydia loved her great grandma though!

After coming back from Washington, we thawed out and enjoyed some time outdoors. Lydia is a big fan of the swings and even tried out the slide on her own! I'm not sure how much she liked it. She smiled at the top and then smiled when I caught her at the bottom. But all in between was a look of terror!

We went to the Festival of Lights at Moody Gardens. It was such an amazingly beautiful night! And the lights were so original!

And there you have it. That's some of the things we've been doing the past month. Also mixed in is David studying like crazy. He has 2 more tests next week before Christmas break. And also trying to get everything ready for Christmas. It's been fun though!

To Lydia at 10 Months!

Dear Lydia,

The Holiday season is filled with so many ups and downs, but I am so grateful to have you to share it with this year. You bring joy to even the gloomiest of days! Your sweet smile is so incredibly contagious! And you don't shy away from sharing it with most everyone you meet. I've had opportunity to reflect on the many things I have to be grateful for recently, and you are right up at the top. I am so thankful to have you as my daughter.
Once again, you never cease to surprise me with all that you accomplish. You are off the charts! Here are just a few of the many things you have done this month!

*The first one that everyone notices is that you walk! You are most always on your little feet moving around! It's so fun to watch you! I never tire of it! And you still have the cute new walker style where you pick up your feet super high and look like you might topple over any second, yet somehow manage to stay up. I think one of my favorite things about you walking is how you sometimes hold your arms out in front of you. It's almost like a zombie walk! (but in a super cute way)
*You are a climber! I don't really know how or when you learned it, but you did! When we went to Grandma and Grandpa Dickinson's for Thanksgiving, it's like you already knew how to get up those stairs. Nobody had to show you a thing! Oh dear! It's only a matter of time before it's the kitchen chairs!
*You love to have your little pointer finger out pointing at things! It's so much fun! You point at things in books, on people's faces, or whatever! You just love having your little finger pointing!
*You have learned how to clap! I've been trying to teach you for a while now, and then just last week I put on some music and you started clapping to it! It's so much fun now! You clap over almost anything!
*You are starting to figure out the light switches! At least every night after you brush your teeth you point to the light switch in the bathroom and wait for me to let you turn off the light. It takes several tries for you to successfully turn it off, but when you do, you get a look of triumph!
*One night I started putting some blocks in your hoodie and you copied me by throwing them over your shoulder into your hoodie. Well, I still catch you occasionally tossing things over your shoulder. It's super funny!
*You are quite the little beggar! You love food! I think I've said this in just about every letter to you! But it is so true! We let you eat a much larger variety of foods now. Anything that you can mash in your mouth. So, lots of breads and cheeses. And some other things. There's almost always something on our plates that you can manage, and you know it! In fact, you enjoyed your first Thanksgiving dinner of mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, stuffing, jello and rolls.
*Tooth number 3 is on it's way in! And, surprising to me, it's on the bottom too! Still no top teeth!
*You love to play chase with us now! You still don't chase us, but you love it when we chase you!
*You have started to throw balls! Well, sorta. I noticed you one day with the juggling balls making the cutest sounds. Then I realized that you would grab it and sorta toss it/let go of it like you were trying to juggle too.
*As you have noticed in several of these comments, you are starting to copy what we do. This is so exciting and nerve racking at the same time! I've got to watch myself more now, but I love seeing you try new things!
*You are much more interactive with your little friends! You love playing with them and laughing with them whenever they come over!
*You went on your second plane trip! This I could leave off the the fun list. But you enjoyed looking out the windows and pulling the magazines out of the pockets.
*Unfortunately the first surgery done on your eye to unclog your tearduct was unsuccessful. So, we just took you today to have it done again. Many people have been fasting and praying on your behalf. We will find out if it worked in just a few days.
*You are figuring out clothes. When we try to put on a onesie or shirt you help get your arms through. The other day you saw a santa hat on the floor and tried to put it on your head. We were astounded that you'd figured that out because we hadn't even shown you that it was a hat. You also put your mardi gras beads on around your neck now.
*And now we must hide all the pens! You have figured out how to uncap them! It's only a matter of time before you try to write on things!

Lydia, I love you so much and love experiencing the simple joys in life with you. I am so proud of everything you have accomplished so far and am so excited for you to discover more of the world around you! Thank you for choosing to come to our family! We love you!

Love,
Momma