Sometime in January

Apparently my boys have a plethora of UNDIES, SWEATSHIRTS and SHOES.

Tanner received a Nike sweatshirt from Lauron (blue) and us (maroon) for Christmas.  I thought it was pretty cute that he laid out his collection.

Park purchased new hot pink Nikes and then pulled out his collection of shoes.  Crazy boy.  Brian and I give the boys $60 when school starts for shoes.  They just think they need more pairs, and they think they need to spend more per pair.  This is what they both like to collect.  (Parker more than Tanner at this point.)  I'm glad they both work hard and have their own money which they can learn to save and spend.

A few other random photos from our week:

I thought it was so fun that we accidentally matched and wanted to get a picture before we headed into church.

Sunday night was at the Vore's this week.  Hudson and Isaiah wrestling.

Christ, Ella and Charlotte

Part of the group....the kids usually hang out upstairs.  I think the teens (Aub, La, Tan and Holden) are going on short walks on Sunday nights now.  It gives them a little time alone and space away from the younger kids who beg them to play.  Now they play a little and then slip out.  

Aunt Wendy, my mom's sister, is in town.  She stopped by, and it was fun to catch up w/ her and hear about our Linde cousins and their families.

Brit, Ang and Megan

Aub off to Nimitz with her new b-day sweatshirt from the Vores.   (Park photo bombing in the background.)  

My current Valentine projects I am selling.  Aren't these scratch off cards the cutest?!  

I've also been making these personalized wood signs.  The scratch off cards were a huge hit on my personal Facebook page, and I sold a ton at $5 each.  They didn't sell at all on Marketplace though.  It was the opposite w/ these personalized wood signs.  I sold a few to interested friends on Facebook, but I had so many purchased through Marketplace.

One kind of funny thing, and I can say funny now because it is in the past.  The wood signs were taking a ton of time for each one.  I listed them at $14 each which I think was a fair price if I was the consumer.  However, they were so time consuming.  Brian would cut and sometimes sand them.  Then I would paint (several layers) or stain them, customize/design the wording, print, weed, and make the sign.  Then I would still need to take a picture to get the okay from the customer which is good because I mixed up the established date on two of the orders one day.  Next I would purchase the postage, print the label, package the sign and either Brian or I would run the orders to the post office each day.  Way more work than $14 worth I think.  However, it was nice to have that extra income coming in.

But back to the funny thing...I was swamped with several orders day after day.  I decided I needed to take the listing down to at least catch up on orders.  However, FB wouldn't let me take the listing down because I still had open orders.  I would work as fast as I could so I could catch up on all of the steps and get those darn wood signs marked as shipped...and then I would hear a DING.  That ding meant I received another order.  Noooooo.  It happened over and over again, and it was so stressful.  

Finally I had the idea to print labels for all of my orders and mark as shipped even though I hadn't even made them yet.  That allowed me to mark the listing as sold out.  Whew!!  Moving on from wood signs.

I saw Tanner eyeing my photo prop and knew I was in trouble.  He was contemplating wearing it to school.  No way my boy.....I might need that for future products.  But he makes a handsome model, right?

Goals

We finally were able to have our FHE about our goals for the new year.  We usually do this every year, and I think it is helpful.  I enjoy taking the time to remember why goal setting is important, and I think it's helpful to take the time for each of us to write down our goals.  

This year I taught the Family Home Evening lesson, although it is often Brian or one of the kids.  After we wrote down our goals I asked if anyone was willing to share one of their goals.  I loved hearing the one goal each person shared.  They were varied and valid:

Dad: workout 5x a week

Mom: 10-15 minute morning scripture study

Parker: start filling out mission papers (WOOT WOOT!!)

Tanner: make all A's this semester

Aubrey: drink more water

As a family we want to continue taking the time for evening scripture study and prayer.  We do just fine at this, so we probably should have set a new goal like "pray together in the morning" or "take notes during our family studies."  To be honest, the family goal portion came after our lesson and after we planned individual goals.  I didn't want to push anything.  We will just keep plugging along and hopefully those individual goals will make us a better family!

We also want to be better about calling our Gwilliam grandparents.  That one is always tricky.  We are often not all at home at the same time and so we better wait until everyone is home to call them.  Then there is a two hour time difference.  Also, when we take the time to call, they often don't answer.  We love them though, and everyone wanted to make this a goal.  (We called them last week....no answer....Maybe today!)  

*Update....we called them this afternoon.  No answer.  I think they are probably home and available.  California is pretty shut down.  I think they just don't have their house phone or cell phone right by them most of the time.  We will keep working on staying more connected with them and all of our other goals as well.  Happy 2021!

Football Banquet

The Permian Football banquet took place on Satuarday,January 23rd this year.  I honestly was shocked when I found out it was still happening.  Covid has shut down lots of events this past year.  (Our state is pretty open too.  I have friends in California, New Mexico and Michigan whose kids have not ever been back to school in person since last March.  So glad we live in Texas!...but I digress....) I was also a little shocked by the $30 a plate price tag.  Killer.  The football team and their dates were "free" though so I'm sure the high price was to help all those boys be able to attend.  

Parker went with a friend he has known since kindergarten: Claire Hill.  He used to come home and talk about "Claire Bear."  She was his first elementary school crush.  I distinctly remember I was at the computer typing when Parker stood behind me and laid his head on my shoulder.  Then he popped up and said, "Claire Bear put her head on my shoulder today!"  I was dying inside but calmly asked, "what did you think of that?"  He got a huge grin and enthusiastically replied, "I liked it!"  

These four friends went to Reagan together, then separated for Middle school, and then back together in High school.  Kendyn Armstrong, Emily and Claire Hill (twins), and "Pawhka" as Claire used to say his name.

They met two hours before the banquet to do pictures at the Hills house and then head over to Cole's house.  I met up at Cole's to take a few pictures of the group.  Maribel Jacobo snapped these two pictures for me.

The boys: Kendyn Armstrong, Cole Brannan, Parker, Cade Tschauner, Harris Sewell, Harper Terry, Lucke Bland, Tate Terry, Austin Jacobo, Brady Digby,?

The girls: 

The decorations are really amazing.  I went the day before to help set up but they were mostly finished.  There were several balloon displays, fun table decorations, Mojo banners and an ugly (and expensive) ice sculpture.

The football players are on one side of the room and the guests are on the other.  I am glad a brave mom ventured over and took this picture.  Kendyn, Emily, ?, Cade, Park and Claire

I LOVED the table Brian and I were seated at.  We were spoiled by Jesse Brannan (Cole's mom.)  She put us at a reserved table for booster club members.  (I think she and her husband are Pres and secretary this year.)  We had an amazing view of all the important happenings of the night.  Best of all, we were seated with Kim and David Terry and Meghan and Collin Sewell....both great couples.  It made for a fun night.

The coaches introduced each player.  Last year they mentioned more of their stats and highlights.  This year they didn't.  I'm not sure what else they cut out but the banquet went from three hours to two which was a win in everyone's books.

Park with some of his very best guy friends and their dates.  Park, Claire, Cole, Bethani (one of Parker's closest girl friends), Harper, Hailey, ? and Austin

Parker and his teammate Amarion Garrett received the award for best linebacker.   Park's good friend Harper Terry was MVP.  Austin Jacobo received the award for highest GPA.  Luke Bland earned the award for special teams.  Harris Sewell received the award for best offensive lineman.  I felt like a proud momma with so many of Parker's good friends being recognized for their hard work.

It was really awesome that Parker was recognized.  He had a great Senior year even with being out for a few games due to his dislocated toe and surgery.  He also received recognition for Second Team All District.  (I'm sure if he had been able to play those additional district games, he would have been named First Team.)  

 

Update from Sister Gwilliam

January 18, 2021

So as a missionary, it's pretty common to switch around in your mission. About every 6 weeks (which we call a transfer), our mission president moves missionaries around to new locations within Idaho and Oregon. How often you transfer depends on how the mission president feels prompted, but usually missionaries don't stay in one place for very long.

This week we recieved transfer news, and because I've been in Boise for almost 6 months now, I fully expected to leave. To my shock, both me and my companion will be staying here for another 6 weeks🥳🥳 which means at the end of this transfer, almost half of my mission will be spent in one area. (Welllll like almost 8 months... but pretty close lol)

In celebration of discovering I'll be staying in Boise for 8ish months, I decided I'll list 7.5 things I've learned in BN1🙌🏻

1) You don't have to be rich to be generous

One low key embarassing example of this is when I forgot to bring nice shoes after a service project, and I didnt realize it until we had to be at a lesson in 15 minutes. I was stuck in a dress and Nikes with pretty much no other options😂 As I was about to resolve myself to pretending tennis shoes are the new high heel, we remembered that a kind member lived nearby. Luckily, she was generous enough to give me a whole closet's worth of shoe options to borrow.

In addition to generosity to me, they are also so giving to those around them! This area of Boise is not the most well off in the world, and often others in the area will ask for food or clothes or a ride somewhere. Although they are often in the same boat, families (usually ones with 8 kids, 2 jobs, a church calling, and full time school) are always willing to give of their time or resources to help.

2) Calling someone by name makes a huge difference.

One thing I've really appreciated about serving here is that several people have made a point to say "Sister Gwilliam" (or Squilliam or Gloria or some attempt at it😂) instead of just "Sister". I've done my best to call everyone by name as well.

Several of the people we're teaching feel more comfortable calling us just "Sister", so a definite highlight of this week is when Casey - one of my FAVORITE people in the world - said "I love you Sister Gwilliam" as we were leaving. She had never used my full name before, so I felt so loved in that moment.  

2.5) The potato thing is a total myth - except for when it isn't 

We either have no potatoes at all, or every single person we meet that week gives us 2 different forms of potato for dinner and a free sack of potatoes - there is no in-between

3) A clean home makes a difference.

I've noticed this in our own apartment, and I've noticed it in the homes of others. I don't mean spotless clean - when you have 8 kids (or one missionary companion😜) that's not always realistic. But basic hygiene and cleanliness bring in the spirit and definitely make a difference.

4) If you treat everyone as if they are going through a hard time, then 98.876% of the time you'll be right.

This week we were worried about a lesson, because a little boy we are teaching is always bouncing off the walls. It's reallyyy hard to keep him focused sometimes...actually most of the time😂 We always play games to teach, so during this game, as he was jumping from checkpoint to checkpoint, I asked him how he could be kind to someone this week. Usually he gets distracted and goes on a tangent, so we have to repeat the question again so he keeps his answer on track. As I was about to repeat the question, I felt like I should stop and listen this time. He started talking, and although he didn't answer the question, he told me all about another boy at school who has been bullying him. 

Suddenly, the reason he's had trouble staying focused made sense. It must be really hard to learn all about being nice to other people when people at school aren't nice to you. I was filled with so much love for this little boy! Although I couldn't take the bullying away, I was able to talk to him about his problem in a more compassionate way, and I feel like I understand him better now.

I've found that this is the case for most people. Whether unfocused or seemingly perfect - pretty much every person you meet is struggling with something you're not aware of.

5) Those who have gone through the hardest things often shine the brightest 

Cliché quote I know😂 but because I have been blessed to talk to several people who have opened up about their trials, I have seen just how beautiful they've become because of it. 

6) If you ask small children "does this look drinkable?"  for an object lesson, then they will walk up the the bowl and stick their entire face in there to drink it. Even if another child's face is already in the bowl and the water is covered in pepper...(#lessonfail)

7) Those we work with think we're teaching them, but often they're teaching us much more.

I have learned SO MUCH from the people in Boise, and I'm pretty pumped to serve around them for another 6 weeks! 

Love you all! Have the best weeks!

-Sister Gwilliam 

 

January 11-22, 2021

The past couple of weeks have almost felt a little like pre-Covid life.  Our evenings have been busier with Aubrey starting up basketball.  She plays one game a week usually on Thursday evenings.  Tanner plays two games a week on Tuesday and Friday evenings. We have places to be!  I was also asked to help sell basketball t-shirts between the JV and Varsity games.  I think I helped two whole people, but it just felt so good to be asked and to be volunteering at the school again.  We have Parker's football banquet to attend and an upcoming Relief Society activity.  

Brian and Aub snuggle/fighting on the couch.  He loves teasing her, and she loves screaming/squealing about it.

Park re-did a picture frame in his room.  It looks cool.

And here Park is modeling one of his tank tops.  I think he was asked to put on a shirt for FHE.  He keeps things real over here.

I love this picture.  I was helping my mom put away her Christmas nativity and neither of us could get the stable back in the box.  Grandpa was out of town so I called Brian to see if he could stop by.  My mom stood about three feet from him and watched him while he tried to put the puzzle together.  How is that for pressure?  I was giggling thinking about the pressure Brian was probably feeling and just cracking up that my mom was watching him so intently.  I finally busted up laughing and called her into the kitchen with me.  She was just curious.  He did get it taken care of...thanks my Bri.

Aubrey missed b-ball tryouts because she didn't attend Nimitz last semester.  She was so glad the coach allowed her a late tryout and that she made the team!  She scored 10 points in her first game and 6 in her second game.  She is great at defending the other team as well and a lot of fun to watch.

Our brother-in-law's mother passed away last week.  The siblings and spouses got together and had this wind chime engraved with words that represented her life.  She loved music and played in the symphony for many years.  I think it turned out beautifully and hope Mike and Karol will feel our love with this gift.  (This also makes me want to get a laser printer!!  There are so many beautiful things you can do with one!)

I stopped by Brit's house one day.  We were actually able to visit for about 20 minutes before home school demands took precedence.  (Brit is the PE teacher and the lunch lady during virtual learning days due to Covid.)  I loved seeing Ella, who is in Kinder, at her little tiny desk.  It was adorable seeing Brit, on her knees,  helping with an assignment.  I think the girls do home school in their individual rooms, Hudson is in the play room and Braddock is in the front office.  I am soooooooo grateful my kids were a little older when this hit.  They just lounge on the couch in their pj's and take care of business.  (Aubrey is full time at school, and the boys do some classes from home by choice now.)

Moving on to Sunday the 17th and back to feeling a little busier than I've been in awhile.  We had ward council starting at 9:30 and then church at 11:00.  I came home and got dinner ready, rested for a few minutes and then went out with the missionaries from 3-5.  We left that appointment and headed home.  Then two sets of missionaries came to our house to give a 20 minute spiritual thought, and we sent food with them for dinner.  (They aren't allowed to eat with families yet.)   Then we headed over to the Birds for Sunday night.  But....I needed a little quiet time of my own so I joined after about an hour.  Here are a couple of picts from the night:

Jake Davidson, Charity, Aubrey, David Martin, Bri, Ella, Hud and Holden

Charity some cute hairdos.  Ella wanted to match Aub-Daub.

Moving on from Sunday night...here is Parker having a healthy lunch of a box of macaroni and cheese, two Swig cookies and a large glass of milk.

Park dropped AP statistics and got in a photo journalism.  His heart isn't in it, but it's kind of cute to see him w/ Brian's camera around the house.  

Also, this week he had his partriarchal blessing.  It was a beautiful experience.  He was so still afterwards and a little shocked/surprised I think.  I loved that Brian and I were able to be a part of it.  For me, it felt as sacred as the day he was born.  It was amazing to see Parker and his many gifts through Heavenly Father's eyes.  He is a special boy, and I love him.

We picked Hudson up for Tanner's Friday night game.  It was pretty intense.  They won in overtime.  His team is really good and out of twentiesh games played, I think they have only lost one so far.  

Gram and Gramp were able to come watch too!   They got their first vaccine shot this week, so hopefully after the second dose they can get out more.

We love getting to talk with Brinley each Monday.  She is doing great.  She has become quick friends with her companion Sister Knudson.  They are even hoping to room together at BYU.  I am going to include a few pictures and then do a separate post of her last letter.  

Their Christmas Eve talent show entry: Napoleon Dynamite dance.  She learned this dance and taught it a girls camp a few years ago.  It was a hit and apparently still comes in handy!

Beautiful sisters!  Brinley is in the backseat on the right side of the picture.

Her district.  (Bryn in mauve dress.)

Sure love this sweet girl! (Bryn is in the floral dress.)