Day Three

I put lipstick on.

When I looked at my face in the mirror this morning, I thought to myself surely the bride of Frankenstein had seen better days. Nikki had planned to come see us this week, and I had mentioned to my family that she might laugh when she saw me. She said that she would try her hardest to refrain. As I was getting ready, I was worried that when she saw me that she would not laugh. Then I would know how badly I really looked.  

When Nikki arrived, her expression did not reflect any humor, only concern. I was afraid of that. However, after she had been with me for about 30 minutes, she said, "Too bad it's not Halloween."

Funny.  

I had my first public outing today. We went to Target. Nikki said that my new purple sunglasses match the bruising on my face perfectly.

That was funny too.

In all seriousness, we joke to ease the pain. We are counting our blessings this week. As we go over what happened, it amazes us how blessed I am. For instance, at the last minute, I considered taking my sunglasses off, but I felt that I shouldn't. My sunglasses probably saved my eye.

One day when I am completely healed, we really will look back at this and laugh. 

The Big Race

The day after.

I've been training to have a big race with Everett for months now. I have been very hopeful that I just might win. We are in South Carolina for the week visiting Brad's family. The big day finally arrived yesterday while we were playing in the courtyard. It's the perfect distance for running a race. I was so excited. The entire family was there, so that gave my little legs extra incentive to run their fastest!

I remember Brad yelling, "On your mark, get set, GO!"

I sprinted for my life. I recall keeping up with Everett and processing a little anxiety that I was running too fast.

What came next is a blur.

I lost control at the finish line, and I skidded face first into the pavement. 

I remember being turned over. I could feel the blood running down my face. My sister-in-law, Meredith sprinted home to get the car. Later that evening she joked that she wasn't sure if she sprinted as fast as I did, but she did her best. That really struck me funny.

I do not remember getting into the car, but I do rememeber looking into the bathroom mirror. There was so much blood. My mother-in-law was assisting me. I am so thankful for her calm soul. She is a nurse and knew instinctively what to do. I was shaking and crying uncontrolably. All I could say is that we needed to have a prayer.

Brad gave me a priesthood blessing with the assistance of Bill and Sam.

That gave me comfort and strength.

When I walked out of the bathroom, Everett was sobbing, Kayleigh was crying, the cousins were distraught, Meredith had tears in her eyes, and I knew I had to say something.

"Well, did I win?"

Everyone burst out laughing.

Then we headed to the urgent care center. I am very grateful the x-rays showed there is no damage to my face, and I did not have to have any stitches. Cleaning out all of the wounds to my hands and face is an experience I would never want to go through again! I need to mention that it's a miracle that my teeth were not knocked out, and that I did not break any bones. This terrible ordeal was bearable because of the tender care of my dear family.

Last night at dinner I told Everett that when I was at the urgent care center, I had a memory flash of  him crossing the finish line first. Someone added, "yeah but only by a hair."

Then Meredith chimed in, "Jeannie, I think we can safely say you won the race!"

Brad teased me by suggesting we have another race.

No thanks.

I believe my racing days are over!

Merry Christmas

Every other year Mommom, Papa, and Nikki spend Christmas with the sweet home Alabama crew.  Here are some pictures of the Christmas celebration we had with my family earlier this week.

Quincy and Kirk were featured on the front page of the Huntsville Times today. The headline read Joy shot through with sorrow mixed: Parents empathize with Joseph and Mary. As I read this to my little family this evening, we were moved to tears and filled with hope and remembrance of our precious Elijah. It made reading the account from Luke chapter two even more meaningful. How grateful we are for the humble life of a baby who was born in a manger.

Please click here to read the article.

Merry Christmas.

The Best Christmas Story Ever

Sydney at Halloween

I've had the pleasure this year of teaching the six year old class in Primary. These kids have made me laugh, and they have often been the reason for me going straight to bed after church! Today was our special Christmas lesson. We discussed why we give gifts at Christmastime. Their insight on gospel principles has made an impression of good upon me. I told them I wanted to share a Christmas story with them. My class understands that they must listen, because they will be quizzed afterward. The account I shared is of S. Dilworth Young, who was a General Authority for 36 years.

When Elder Dilworth was a boy, he dreamed of getting a fire engine puzzle for Christmas. He was jubilant on Christmas morning when he received this treasured gift. After putting it together, and playing with it for about an hour, his father came into his room and told him about a family from Denmark who did not have any Christmas presents. His father proceeded to ask him to give up his most cherished gift to a boy who was the same age as him in this family.

We all have heard different versions of this story. People make selfless sacrifices during the Christmas season to give to those in need.

Elder Young shared the feeling of joy he had after giving up his cherished puzzle. When I finished telling the story, I asked the kids how they would feel if they had to give up a treasured gift.

They paused for a moment to contemplate this. No one answered me.

Sydney then spoke up, "Sister Simpson we did that once."

"Your family gave up your Christmas?" I was incredulous.

"Well, we just got a new Wii, and when we started playing with it, my mom came in the room and told us about a family who only had one dollar," She explained to me.

"Did you give them your Wii?" I was eager to know.

"Yes. We did." She answered like it was no big deal.

"Sydney, that is the NICEST thing I have ever heard." I practically had tears in my eyes.

Sydney looked at me, popped a chocolate in her mouth, and nonchalantly responded, "Well, actually it was the worst day of my life!"

I have been laughing all day.

Preschool Musical

The Christmas program at preschool is a highlight of the season. Today's presentation reminded me of the days when I taught music at preschool. You have the children who steal the show, the ones who wave at their parents, a few get stage fright, and then there's the one who refuses to sing. I don't think that happened today. Today's program was titled, "Happy Birthday, Jesus." Cozette was front and center, and it pains me to report that she hardly sang one word. She mostly just stood there and stared into the very large crowd.

She did wave to her Daddy twice.

I noticed her lips moving some, and she did the motions to some of the songs. I spoke to her music teacher afterward, and she told me that Cozette would sing very loudly in music. She also said that  Cozette knows every word to all the songs. I believe Cozette caught a case of stage fright!

Cozette's class had a book exchange at the Christmas party afterward.

Cozette could hardly wait for us to come home and open the present she made for us. We agreed at school that we would wait for her daddy to be there, but once we got home she said, "Why don't we just open it now!"  She made us a very lovely candle holder.

I asked Cozette what was her favorite thing about the Christmas party today.

"That my daddy was there."

Why am I not surprised?

A Prayer of Gratitude

Cozette enjoying her first Thanksgiving feast at preschool.

Have I ever mentioned that Cozette becomes a rooster when we have our family prayers? I am not sure why she becomes so silly. There's been plenty of times we stop to laugh at her. And have I ever mentioned that she usually will not pray with out a little help? We were surprised the other evening when she expressed that she wanted to pray by herself. I was not sure if she was going to be silly or stop mid-sentence. I can still see her little body next to our bed. She folded her arms, bowed her head, and proceeded to offer a very sincere prayer.

Here is what I remember her saying:

Dear Heavenly father,

I am thankful for Jesus. I love Mommy and Daddy. I am thankful for Kayleigh and Everett. Please bless Daddy to get better. Please bless Mommom and Papa. I love Grandma and Grandpa. Please bless my Grandpa to get better soon. Please bless my Daddy to get better...

 I need to mention that Brad is perfectly healthy. She asked two times for him to get better. I am the one who has been sick!

What she said next brought tears to my eyes.

Please bless baby Elijah...

Cozette has heard his name included in every prayer we say at night.  

I love bunny. I am thankful for my pillows. She ended the prayer in the name of Jesus Christ. 

When Cozette finished, she looked at us knowing she had just done something very special. There is wonder in hearing a child say a sincere prayer of thanksgiving.

I have so much to be grateful for.

The Coach and Mr. Baseball

When I'm old,  I will remember the days of Coach and Mr. Baseball as some of my favorite.  Brad started coaching Everett about three years ago. I remember taking baby Cozette to the park. I barely paid attention--only when Everett came up to bat. I never noticed when Everett was in the outfield. I sure have come a long way. Nikki and I often joke that we should get part-time jobs as umpires. Sometimes, I even tease Brad that I should have been his assistant coach. I have never mentioned how much I love watching Brad with his teams. And I have never gone into detail how he has blessed the lives of so many little boys. There have been many parents come up to me over the years stating that he is the best coach they have ever had.   

One of my favorite memories is from last spring. We were playing in a tournament game. The boys were struggling. An umpire made a really bad call. Brad took off his hat and beat it against the dug out. It was one of those moments when the parents were watching Brad for his reaction. My sister and I started laughing. What struck us even more funny were some of the remarks of the parents!  

" Wow. I'm glad to see that he will get mad!"  

"I've never seen coach Brad mad before!"

"It's about time he got mad."

These were a few of the comments we heard. You see, Brad never loses his temper. He certainly never did with the boys, and he earned the respect and confidence of the boys and their parents because of it.

It appears Brad's coaching days have come to an end.  This is truly sad for me. Everett has been invited to be a part of a traveling team in the spring. This invitation was extended with the understanding that he does not play on Sunday. It amazes me how that boy has been blessed. I do need to mention that Everett had two other travel teams express they wanted him to be a part of their league if we would play on Sunday.


So, now Brad will turn in his coaching hat for a scouting uniform. He was recently called to be the 11 year old Scout Leader. He will be able to serve with Everett in Boy Scouts. We are very excited for this opportunity for them to be together.

Believe it or not, Boy Scouts is even more important to us than baseball!

A Little Princess and the Scooby-Doo Gang

 When we went trick-or-treating last night, I reminded Cozette to say thank you at each house. Sometimes she would say "Thank you" and other times she would say "Happy Halloween." The best part of the evening was when we arrived at a very festive house. The lady answered the door and instead of saying "trick- or-treat" Cozette said, "Thank you!" The lady laughed and gave her extra candy.

I love having a three year old enjoy the festivities of Halloween.

Cozette and Emma Grace

An incredible resemblance of Daphne and Velma!

Introducing Sydney as Velma, Hunter as Fred, Ammon as Shaggy, Kayleigh as Daphne, and a very brave Michael as Scooby-Doo! Kayleigh is blessed to have such good friends.

Now, if you're wondering where Everett is, I did not get a single picture of him this
Halloween. He almost got his nerve up to go as a nerd. At the last minute, he decided that he just couldn't go through with it.

Guess what he was instead?

A baseball player.

Very original.

She's All That

She's 14 now.

She's also dynamite, spectacular, smart, witty, clever, creative, full of life, beautiful, good, kind, thoughtful, a true friend, classy, independent, the owner of a new cell phone, loyal, snazzy, humble,  easy going, dramatic, sensational, incredible, outstanding, amazing, friendly, a fantastic back scratcher, stylish, absolutely positively wonderful...

And a little bit more.

A Citizen in Action

A letter addressed to Everett came in the mail today. I opened it because I thought that it was a blue card. They have recently been working on the citizenship merit badge. I had no idea that Everett had written this to Senator Chambliss at Boy Scouts.

It delighted me beyond words.

A Little Dose of Baseball

What I love most about baseball is the uncertainty. Some games end on a high and others end on a low. Yogi Berra's statement,"It ain't over 'til it's over," is the most clever and true thing a person could say about this sport. I've heard Brad say many times to his boys, "Sometimes you look like professionals and sometimes you look like the Bad News Bears!" This always makes the boys laugh.

The other day our team was down two runs and it was the bottom of the last inning. Everett came up to bat. I tensed up, crossed my fingers, and shouted cheers.  I always hold my breath.

Crack!

He hit a double and the two boys on second and third made it home. The score was now tied 7-7. Then like something you would see in a movie, the next boy came up to bat and hit the ball, so that Everett could score the winning run. We went wild!  At the next game, our team found themselves in the same position. We were confident the boys would come back. They didn't. We lost 7-5.  That's how it is with baseball; you win some, you lose some.

 I never dreamed this sport would impact my son's life so greatly.


The game of baseball has taught Everett the importance of teamwork, good sportsmanship, and individual success.  Baseball has, most importantly, been instrumental in shaping Everett's testimony. Last year, he learned what it meant to truly exercise faith and put his trust in the Lord. The Sabbath day is more meaningful to Everett. I can thank the wonderful game of baseball for these lessons in faith.

Everett has accepted that he would never play travel ball because some games are played on Sunday. Travel ball is far more competitive and would give him even greater opportunities. I have to say that it's not even an issue with Everett. He dreams of playing on a team, but he knows what is most important.

Now to make a long story short, I will share that one of the travel coaches is aware of Everett because Everett's All-Star coach has been telling the travel coach about him. The travel coach knows he is a good ball player, and he knows Everett will not play on Sunday. Circumstances on this team have presented an opportunity for Everett to play ball with them on Saturdays. Everett has been invited to come practice and participate in Saturday games. He did not even have to try out.  There are many other boys that could have been considered.

I asked Everett the other day if he thought this was a coincidence.

"No, I don't." He simply answered.

"Do you think Heavenly father is aware of you and your dreams? I asked him.

"Yes." He thoughtfully answered.

"Me, too," I agreed.

So, there you have it.

In baseball it's never over 'til it's over!

Yogi Berra also said, "You can learn a lot by watching."

I agree.

That's how I've learned everything I know about baseball.

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet

Choosing the perfect book for The Literary Queens is not easy. The criteria for choosing a book is whether or not the book is clean, is the book is worthy of discussion, and will the book appeal to everyone--this is the most difficult for us.  We had fantastic luck with our first two choices, because everyone loved the books. Nikki and I were surprised that some of the ladies did not enjoy this selection, and a couple did not even finish it.

This was cause for a lively discussion.

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet is set in Seattle, Washington in the early 1940's.  It's a love story between Henry Lee, a Chinese American boy and Keiko Okabe, a Japanese American girl. Henry and Keiko both receive a special scholarship to attend an all white school. They meet while working in the school cafeteria. They quickly form an intense friendship which leads to platonic love. Keiko's family is among the Japanese Americans in Seattle, who are deported to an internment camp in Idaho. Henry and Keiko lose contact with each other because of circumstances beyond their control, but their affection for each other lasts for over four decades until they are able to cross paths again.

Our discussion centered around the mistreatment of the Japanese Americans. It's a shameful part of our history. Two of the ladies shared that they had family who were POW's in Japanese prison camps during WWII. It was interesting to hear about these men and how their lives were forever changed by this experience. What impressed me the most is our friend, Brindi, shared the experience of her Grandfather. He was imprisoned for three years and was a part of the group that was left behind in the Philippines after General MacArthur made his famous escape. He had a beloved wedding band that he miraculously kept hidden from the Japanese during the entirety of his imprisonment. This ring has been handed down to family members. Brindi told us that later in her Grandfather's life, he opened his home to Japanese exchange students. What an amazing example of overcoming hatred.

We had one favorite quote shared by our friend DeAnn:

Mr. Okabe expressed this to Henry when Henry gave him his "I am Chinese" button hoping that it may protect the Okabe family. "You just gave me hope and sometimes hope is enough to get you through anything."

I liked what the author said about Henry,"He'd do what he always did, find the sweet among the bitter."

This is good advice for all of us. 

Next month: Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

My New Boyfriend

It was love at first sight.

Have you ever seen lips so kissable?

These are my other two boyfriends.

The one on the left was in one of his silly moods.

Isaac Frederick Sorensen is the newest addition to our family.

What a joyful day!

The Birthday Pookie

Happy Birthday Little Pookie by Sandra Boynton is one of our favorite books. We have been reading it in anticipation of Cozette's birthday for weeks now. Cozette and I have been practicing what we would do on the morning of her birthday.

Cozette lays on the pillow and pretends that her eyes are closed.

Then I sit by her on the bed, cup my hands around my mouth like I am speaking through a megaphone and say,"ATTENTION ATTENTION, will the birthday pookie please wake up!"

Cozette opens her eyes and responds, "It's my birthday! I'm the birthday pook."

This morning she woke up early while I was downstairs in the kitchen. I told her that it was her birthday and made her lay back down, so we could do our pookie routine.

Oh, it was so much fun.

We had her birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese yesterday. Cozette was in heaven.

Cozette requested pink cupcakes. 

Cozette with Emma Grace and Lacey

Cozette with Blane and Emma Grace

The girls were clapping to The Birthday Song.

Saturday was Betsy's birthday. It was so loud that we could not sing Happy birthday to her, so we just sang to the song that was playing, which was Hey, Soul Sister. I think that's the name of the song. The only lyrics I really knew was,  "Hey soul sister, la la la la, stereo, radio, la la la..." 

Cozette and Emma grace are quite the little pair.

Our favorite part of the night was watching Everett in the Ticket Blaster. He tried his hardest to get as many tickets as he could. His strategy was to catch tickets in his shirt. He accumulated about 400 points.

Cozette loved being the birthday girl so much, that she requested for us to light candles on top of a cupcake and sing Happy Birthday to her three times today. She likes to lick the icing off of the cupcake. We even had to do it right before she went to sleep tonight.

Happy birthday, my little Pookie!