Lots of January Birthdays

In our family, January is a big month for birthdays!  We already had Ori's this past week.  Happy birthday Orianthi!
Happy birthday to Glenn and Christine also,  on the 2nd. 
Coming up this week we celebrate with Matt on Tuesday and Caitlyn on Friday.  This is a pretty important birthday for Caitlyn--she'll be 18.  I can hardly believe it, the last 18 years have gone by so quickly.
Lest I forget the remaining birthdays later this month, I'll just say happy birthday now to Jieun, (21st) Maverick (21st) and Andy (31st). 
Our family now has every month represented for birthdays except September. 

On the evening of Ori's birthday, Roy and I had made plans to go out to dinner with Roy's Aunt Gloria and Uncle Mike Toomey.  We took them to Twigs in Farmington (but they treated).  Before we met them, however, we ran a little gift over to Ori.  I had made her a doll blanket and dolly.   Apparently, she loved it.  When she wouldn't give Roy a hug he picked up the blanket and teasingly said, "Okay then, I guess I'll just take this back."  Ori cried real tears. She can dish out the teasing, but I guess she can't take it 😇.  Later, Nick sent me this picture:  She still sleeps with the sleep mask, too.  Which is fine except that one night it came off and she woke Nick up in the middle of the night and insisted he help her find it.  She also likes Nick to take pictures of her wearing it so she can see what she looks like.

Note the nightgown, blanket, dolly and eye mask.  And Ori's
big smile!

I'm pretty excited about having 11:00 church.  I'm all ready for church and writing this letter.  I've also listened to the Tabernacle Choir and am now semi-listening by an archived talk by President Monson.  It's pretty important to mention in this journal/letter that President Monson passed away last Sunday.  We will miss him.  It's a great blessing for him, of course, that he was able to leave this life and his suffering body.  We'll always remember meeting him at Grandma Ila's funeral viewing.  He was so gracious.  He shook our hands and told us the long genealogy that proved we were related.  He was such a personable, wonderful man who really did care about individuals.  Our lives have been greatly blessed because we have followed him as our prophet.  

The only problem with the new church schedule is that Roy's YSA ward meets at 1:00.  With his morning meetings, it means that we won't see each other until he's done with his meetings at 4:00 pm.  He just told me, however, that he intends to come to Sacrament meeting with me often since he'll be done with his extra meetings by then.  What that means is he'll be in church all day.  I guess that's one way to keep the Sabbath Day holy!  At some point, maybe I'll start going with him exclusively to the YSA ward (after Caitlyn graduates?), but I don't want to give up my calling.  I love being a Relief Society teacher.  

We end a lot of our Sunday evenings with the Young Single Adults at Ward Prayer.  They start with a welcome, then a thought from an individual, and then the person assigned to give the prayer stands and asks who needs our prayers.  People call out names and the prayer writes them on the board.  Then we all kneel and the prayer is offered.  I have tried this once while saying my own prayers.  I took a note card and thought about who and what I needed to pray for.  I need to take the time to do this more often.  It was very beneficial because it made me ponder and meditate first.  

Also, from our first Relief Society Counsel meeting today, I came away wanting to pray more often, and more sincerely, and to depend more on my Heavenly Father.  

I hope to see all of you in the coming week.  I know Adrienne is going to Sun Valley with the Greens, but maybe I'll see them before they leave.  I was able to skate with Ollie on Friday for about 40 minutes.  I've heard that Ori is ready to learn to skate a little bit, too. 

Love you all.