Pioneers and flour sacks

Happy Pioneer Day from some of my little pioneers. I decided long ago that I could never be a pioneer but aren't we all pioneers in some way or another, someone who marks the path for others to follow. We may not be pushing hardcarts and living out of tents and walking with holes in our shoes or no shoes at all for that matter. But we do light the way by the lives we live. Whether for good or for evil, our posterity will follow, and it is extremely important that we not be casual in the choices we make and wander off the correct trail, ending up at some other destination than where we had originally planned. I am forever grateful for my ancestors who pioneered the way for me and do honor all pioneers this day, not just the ones who pushed and pulled their way to the Salt Lake Valley.

Our stake had the opportunity to participate in the annual youth parade in Salt Lake as part of the Days of '47. The theme was Press Forward Pioneers. Erik, Nate, and Ash wore pillowcases made into flour sacks representing the Benson Grist Mill, a part of our stake's heritage.

I believe the only reason Erik wanted to be in the parade was he thought he might make it on television. We let them stay up that night to watch the news. He didn't make it, BUT he claims to have been standing behind the lady who was interviewed. AND he and Ash did make the LDS Church News, although it is a small picture and hard to see them (photo below courtesy of the LDS Church News).

Nate didn't want to do the parade at all. I made a flour sack anyway for him just in case he changed his mind and even though he kept insisting he wasn't going to do it. Wouldn't ya know it. When he learned there wouldn't be any candy thrown, he decided to participate and had a great time. I guess he was afraid of missing out on the candy loot. Ash was just plain excited and kept asking me for weeks when it was going to be.

I think I can, I think I can

I ran 12 miles today in preparation for my first half marathon next month. It gave me great hope that I think I will accomplish this goal and finish. Boy do I ever have respect for long distance runners. I'm sure it would get easier if I ran longer distances more frequently. But honestly I don't really want to. I'm excited for this race but am ready to scale back to 4 or 5 miles.

And I don't ever see a marathon in my future. Way too long and too much training involved.

Girl's camp

Kiersten was gone for four days to girl's camp this week. While we were at the pool tonight, I had her sit by me and fill me in on all the details . . . who she rode up with, did it rain, who slept in her tent, did she have any cooking assignments, did she go snipe hunting, how long was the hike, what was her skit about, did she learn any new camp songs (sadly, she didn't learn very many new ones and none that I remember as a girl), who her secret sister was, did she attend some classes, what crafts did she do, how was testimony meeting. After chatting for awhile I admit I was a little jealous and wish I could be up there with her. I hate missing out on first-time experiences and am so glad she took her camera which allowed me a few glimpses into her life this past week.

She came home this morning to brickers putting up our half wall, some guy tilling in all the compost in our yard, and the concrete people epoxying the garage floor. Lots of stuff happened this week, but most of all I wanted Kiersten to know she was greatly missed . . . even if Alex didn't really want anything to do with his "second" mom for most of the day.

And I was a tad bit excited to try out my newly-hung chalkboard that uses markers instead of chalk.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, we escaped to Gateway for an evening of playing on the splash pad.

An excerpt about my great-great-great-great-great grandma

My in-laws know how much I enjoy reading the Mormon Times that comes in the Deseret News on Thursday, and since we are weekend subscribers only, it never comes to my home. So about once a month I get a stack to peruse.

This morning as I was reading through one, my eyes caught the headline, "Abigail 'Nabby'Howe Young: In the words and life of my mother" and my heart jumped a beat as I realized this was an article about my great-great-great-great-great grandma (or some might know her as Brigham Young's mother).

I was so excited to read and learn more about her.

On June 11, 1815, Nabby Howe Young died of consumption, the disease which had been torturing her flesh and her spirit for many years. Ten days before, her ninth child and fourth son, Brigham, observed his 14th birthday.

Abigail "Nabby" Howe was one of five sisters, all pretty, vivacious girls, all possessing sweet, kindly personalities and musical talent, and who often performed duets of the simple folk songs enjoyed so much in that day. According to the description left by Brigham’s daughter, Susa, Abigail "Nabby" Howe “had blue eyes, with yellowish brown hair, folded in natural waves and ringlets across her shapely brow.”

Nabby married John Young when she was only 19 years old — on All-Hallows Eve, Oct. 31, 1785. He was a handsome, promising Revolutionary soldier, and times were hopeful, with the colonies having just won their independence, land available for farming and the commercial center of Boston nearby. Nabby entered marriage with a devout religious nature and a delightful sense of humor, which balance helped her to endure the many trials of her shortened life.

By 1799, John and Nabby had lived in Hopkinton for more than 10 years, and now had eight children to feed, clothe and raise. Why did John Young pick up and leave in the middle of the winter of 1800-1801, taking his pregnant wife and his children through the bitter New England weather to settle in Whitingham, Vt.

Here, as summer greened and the weather softened, Brigham was born on the first day of June 1801. Because of Nabby’s physical weakness, the daughters took the little one under their wing, and Fanny, not quite 14, carried him around on her hip while she did her household chores.

Life was harsh, but there was love and unity in the Young home. Brigham learned to cooperate, he learned to obey his strict Methodist father: “It was a word and a blow with my father, but the blow came first,” he later expressed. But, it was remarkable that Nabby quietly went forward being herself, realizing the importance of her influence in the home. As Susa said, “Her sympathies were so broad, her vision so clear, her grasp of human values so perfect that friends would come for her when their children were married and take her in wagon or sleigh to spend a few days in counsel and assistance to young couples who were starting out life.”

After only three years in Whitingham, John moved his family to Sherburne, N.Y., again, with high hopes and hard labor, clearing land for a farm. Here, 14-year-old Nabby, a daughter who was named for her mother, died of consumption.

In this household Brigham learned the beauty of suffering with faith, dignity and even humor. He learned the power of example. He learned the importance of godliness. His brother, Lorenzo, described their mother in the following vivid words:

"She was a praying, fervent woman. She frequently called me to her bedside and counseled me to be a good man that the Lord might bless my life. On one occasion she told me that if I would not neglect to pray to my Heavenly Father, he would send a guardian angel to protect me in the dangers to which I might be exposed."

Nabby softened her husband’s strict ways, and from her Brigham learned how to be a tender, nurturing parent, as the shape of his character began to be formed. His daughter, Susa, wrote: “The Lion House was the loved home of as healthy and happy a family . . . as ever dwelt beneath a roof. Of this I speak with knowledge in this intimate revelation of Brigham Young’s home life, for I was the first child born under its unique roof. ... In all my life in that beloved home I never heard my father speak an unkind or irritable word to one of his wives."

Brigham, following the teachings of the Prophet Joseph, instructed men that women should be treated with deference and respect. “The man who treats a woman disrespectfully,” he taught, “does not know that his mother and sisters were women.”

Brigham held women in the highest, most tender regard and labored to promote their well-being and secure opportunities for them. He believed in women and their God-given capacity to lift, support and inspire men. He paid a reverent tribute to his mother:

"Of my mother — she that bore me — I can say, no better woman ever lived in the world than she was ... my mother taught her children all the time to honor the name of the Father and the Son, and to reverence the Holy Book. She said, 'Read it, observe its precepts and apply them to your lives as far as you can. Do everything that is good; do nothing that is evil; and if you see any persons in distress, administer to their wants; never suffer anger to arise in your bosoms, for if you do, you may be over-come by evil.'"

These were the great truths Brigham lived by, picking up the threads of his mother’s sacred faith and weaving them into his life — acting “the part of a father to all,” and bringing the children of Israel safely home to the valleys of Deseret.

It is the light of the mother that shines in the souls of her children. All of Abigail’s family joined the LDS Church, and lived lives of faithful, devoted service, blessing others, as their mother had taught them to do.

This, of course, was the consummate tribute to a woman who took what little life gave her without complaint — magnifying her gifts, magnifying the truth she cherished — raising up a son to become a Prophet of God. --Taken from Deseret News, Mormon Times, June 28, 2011

Photo of Brigham Young and his brothers that someone in my family had possession of because I was able to scan it. My great-great-great-great grandpa is John Young who is 4th from the left.

 

A glance at our nightstands

My stack of books:

Ty's stack of books:

Notice a theme here.

With Kiersten entering junior high this year, I know I need to revamp our Super Money Credit Union idea for her and who better to get some ideas from than Richard and Linda Eyre. I particularly wanted to know how they ran their family economy (Hence the reason for so many of their books on my side of the bed.).

I just finished reading Three Steps to a Strong Family. It was a book I had to renew from the library just to finish it. Not because it was hard to get through but because it had a lot for me to think about. Kiersten actually thought we owned the book since she had seen it around so often. I'm still gathering ideas and hope to have a system in place before school starts.

Ty has been concentrating on nothing but the yard. I doubt he read all of his books but maybe just having them there inspired him a little.

Currently I'm reading Journal of the Trail, a book of journal entries about the handcart pioneers, particularly the Willie and Martin companies. I'm hoping to finish it this week in time for the 24th of July celebrations. I love biographies and books about true incidents. Everyone has a story to tell.

And I just wouldn't be Missy if I weren't in the middle of at least one or two other books. Divine Signatures is quickly becoming one of my favorites, but that is a blog for another day.

Lego Club

Erik has been busy this summer with his involvement in the First Lego League. Last May he was given the opportunity to TRY OUT for this club. I didn't really know what to expect. Out of 30 who were tested, only 10 could make the team. Erik, along with his cousin Scott, was selected.

Every Wednesday and Thursday for an hour and a half he gets together with his team members to get ready for their competition in January. They will be given a problem to solve based on a real-world scientific topic sometime in September using computer programmed Lego robots. Again, I'm not really sure what he is doing exactly and think I'll have to step in one day just to see what they're up to. But in the meantime I've been able to get a little glimpse through their team website.

He has loved it, and I'm happy it's given him something to do this summer.

The halfway mark

Yesterday marked exactly 6 more weeks until school starts up again and summer is officially over. Sniff, sniff. Why does summer go so stinkin' fast. I'm sure my kids feel like we haven't really done anything, even though we did mark the second half of summer by heading to the library, AGAIN, and enjoying ice cream afterwards, a fun little tradition we started this summer. It sure seems all our little traditional activities always seem to include food.

Here's a recap of our summer so far.

A trip to Phoenix sans most of my kids.

Our annual trip to Manor Lands but without really going to Manor Lands. We weren't sure how the snow situation was up at the cabin, so we opted for a "camping" trip to Kamas where we stayed at the Winterton home with running water, showers, and beds. I even went for a 6 mile run one morning.

A new playset and teeter totter.

 A visit to the zoo.

A very fun family 5k with the best cheering section ever.

A Peter Breinholt concert with Jon Schmidt as a surprise guest. Fireworks followed.

(Mom/Grandma thought Peter Breinholt looked just like Tyler. Hmmmm . . . maybe.)

Cub scout day camp for Nate. I am lucky enough to be his Wolf leader and got to go.



A short trip to Ferron for an open house. While there we had an unexpected visitor show up. Paul Johanson. I hadn't seen him since he was 7 and I was about 9 when they moved to South Carolina. I was good friends with his sister Mary. Dad asked if I knew who he was. I took one look and said, "He's a Johanson." Then Dad asked if I knew his first name. I answered, "Paul." I think I shocked everyone, including myself, that I would remember someone I haven't seen in about 26 years. He was passing through and wanted to see if he remembered anyone. I'm glad he did. I also got to catch up with another good childhood friend, Amber. Love going home and seeing old faces. (Also got in a 8.5 mile run; that 1/2 marathon is creeping up.)

While the boys spent time in Ferron, we talked the girls into cruising the Jordan River Parkway on bikes and rollerblades instead of going to a parade on the 4th. Lucky for us, Grandma Laura and Grandpa Brian came along for breakfast because we forgot the bike piece that connects the bike trailer to the bike for Alex.

Practiced our nursing skills on this poor girl. Natalie tore her ACL playing tennis and ended up having surgery the day before her mom (my mom) left for Phoenix to attend a baby blessing. The poor girl was miserable and just wanted to be home. Notice the little red cowbell? That's our dinner bell and she was under strict orders to ring it anytime she needed something and four darling little angels would magically appear.

Ate hot dogs and ice cream at a neighborhood party. We are loving our new neighborhood and seriously could not imagine living anywhere else. (Did a 10 mile run on this day.)

AND . . . yard projects galore. I swear we are the only ones on the block that have tackled the entire acre at once. It is slowly starting to take shape thanks to Tyler who has kept on top of it all. I think the one thing that has surprised me the most with building a home and putting in a yard is how everything interconnects. You make decisions WAY before you ever thought you'd need to. You end up doing things that you thought could be put off until next year just because it's more cost efficient to do them now. Just wondering what next summer will be like. In the meantime we're finishing up a deck and walkways and getting ready for sprinklers.

My three boys

I've been sorting through photos and organizing them, and when I came across this one of Alex,

it reminded me of both Erik and Nathan at about the same age.

Zip line

Weekend fun at Grandma's.