Most of November 2025

The first nine days of November, I "worked" about 85 hours helping with my mom. I am putting work in quotations because 63 of those hours were in the evening while she was sleeping. My shift was from 5pm to midnight, and I would usually help her use the restroom once during those hours. Otherwise, I was creating Shutterfly calendars, watching Netflix, working out, using the massage chair, and missing being at home with Brian. (He stopped by most nights after work, though, and we were able to catch each other up on our days.) I also worked 8am-5pm on Tuesdays/Fridays that fell in the first nine days.

During that time, my dad was at a photography workshop in southern Utah and Arizona. He takes such good care of my mom, and they enjoyed traveling all over the world together. I LOVED that he was able to go explore, meet new people, and work on his photography skills. These are a few of the awe-inspiring pictures he sent to my siblings and me. He is working on a book with more pictures he took while on this tour. I am looking forward to seeing his work.

Horseshoe Bend in Page, Arizona

Lower Antelope Slot Canyon in Page, Arizona

I had two of my nephew's children one morning. I thought it might be fun (for them) and easier (for me) to have Kaide come over as well. Noah is four,  Kaide is three, and Gracie is two years old. 

I am not sure having them all at once was my best idea. For one, I am out of practice taking care of a pack of tiny humans at the same time. For two, Kaide is used to one-on-one time with me. I think he felt somewhat betrayed by my divided attention and limits to what we might do at any certain point in the morning. For three, Noah was very clear that he wanted nothing to do with Gracie and/or Kaide and fully expected that I would be interacting solely with him throughout the morning. Gracie, bless her, got the gold star. She played happily the entire time. 

We had lots of good times: Lincoln Logs, obstacle course, playing outside on the swing, going on a walk, snacks, and more... but there were tears. I felt bad because the tears were in full swing when both Erin and Adam came to pick up their children. I promise...there were good times too!

Gracie and Kaide are best buds and love to play together on Sunday nights, at playgroup, and during nursery at church.

Noah was so cute building his cabin while singing boisterously. He was seriously jamming!

Megan asked me to keep Gracie and Noah one afternoon in December. Part of me really wants to invite Kaide over again to join, but maybe I should just practice with two kiddos and build up.

Parker sent this picture to our family group chat, and we were all jealous that he got to meet and snuggle baby Wells, my nephew Joseph's new baby.

Lots of great BYU football in November. BYU is having an awesome season, and all of our children and their spouses have made it to a game. (Parker and Aubrey to multiple.)

BYU played Texas Tech in Lubbock. Tanner and family bought tickets. Kaide was not a fan. (An early morning two hour car ride and then a hot and loud midday game...I get it!)

The Birds and Adam and Lincoln went to. I was definitely feeling the FOMO, but the game fell during my dad's photography trip, so I had committed to be with my mom. Brian had to work the weekend so he could not make it either.

Adam, Hudson, Ella, Lincoln (#11), Brit, Charlotte and Braddock (The guys got their jerseys, for free, at the alumni tailgate.)

Nate and Beth were all in for the big game too...just cheering for the WRONG TEAM! For the following weeks after, Kaide would shake his head and sadly say, "B.I.U. did not win the big game. Texas Tech won the big game." We kept mentioning to Kaide all of the other games BYU won, but alas, he would remind us that it was not the big game.

A couple of weeks later, these four met up for a quick picture at a home game and sent a picture in our family chat. Erin replied that she was jealous. Aubrey drew Tanner and Erin into the photo so they wouldn't feel left out. It's pretty fun having six college-aged kids. (Derek graduates next month, and Brinley wraps up her Master's degree in June, so I can't say that for much longer.)

In fact, this is a picture of Brinley and Derek celebrating after she defended her thesis. She has worked extremely hard, and we are very proud of her.

Kaide finally got to go to work with his daddy and loved it. I am so happy for him to have a tangible image in his head about where his "dadda" is all day when he is at "work." In reality, Tanner is mostly on the road taking supplies from this warehouse to his clients, but still.

Gigi and Kaide day. We are both happy when we spend time outside. I read a statistic recently that children average 7 minutes of outside time a day. Seven minutes. That breaks my heart. 

We've had a very mild fall and our tomato harvest is still going strong. We enjoyed gathering some before walking to the monster house. 

Also, we had the best surprise. The trash truck came down our alley while we were picking outside. I love this picture of Kaide reverently watching the trash truck until he couldn't see it anymore.

I've worked on a few orders here and there this month. I really need to be better about marketing. It's amazing what happens when I actually list something on Facebook or in my Etsy store. (Imagine that!)

Kind of at the last minute, Ang asked me if I could make 200 pillowcases for her missionaries. She was going to be in the states for a birth (baby Wells) and a baptism (Lincoln). I tried to talk her into something smaller to take back, because I knew that would add a lot of bulk to her international travels, but she had an idea to have all of the missionaries sign each other's pillowcases for a keepsake. I'm sure they will love both the signing activity and the keepsake. Also, I really do love making and pressing designs, so I was excited to dive in. 

I was able to find enough pillowcases in bulk, and luckily, I had already designed a logo before they left in June. I was a little worried about having enough time before all the kids came for Thanksgiving, but a little blessing occurred. I found a new company locally to purchase the DTF prints from, and they offered to let me use their amazing automatic double press. I didn't even know this existed. It was magical and saved me about six hours and a very sore shoulder from pulling down and lifting up my press every fifteen seconds. (Pressing 200 items would usually take me about 10 hours.) I want one! Maybe this press will be my inspiration to get back on top of marketing more.

*December 14 update...Sadly, the pillowcases never made it all the way to the mission home in Cote D'ivoire. Ang had some flight delays and her luggage was lost. One suitcase eventually got to her, but the 70lb suitcase containing the pillowcases did not. I feel so badly for her and Chris. This was their Christmas gift for their missionaries. She is still praying for a miracle.

Moving on with our month, Brian was vacuuming sawdust in the garage, and Kaide knew he was needed. He grabbed the Dyson and went out to help Papa.

Tanner is currently a young men's advisor. I love hearing about the activities and his involvement as a leader. He is dependable and willing to help with the service activities, devotionals, weekly activites, or campouts. It makes my momma heart proud. 

I love this picture with his cousins, Hudson (15) and Braddock (17), from a campout at the Davis Mountain Preserve.

Have I mentioned that our family group chat is called "Kaide Cult"? He has us all wrapped around his pinkie finger. Also, I can't wait to update that name in March when baby boy Atkinson is born!

All in all, November has been good to us. I'm grateful for all of these little happenings that make life interesting. I'm looking forward to making more memories with the fam over Thanksgiving.

Wrapping Up October 2025

October 2025

Happy 76th birthday to my beautiful mom. She had lots of family and a couple of friends stop by on her b-day weekend with cards, gifts, and balloons. I don't think she was particularly interested in any of it, but we were interested in celebrating her. 

Bri and I gave her these cute green striped pajamas, and this picture is one of my favorites of her from this month. I love that she is busy taking care of her baby and folding laundry. In Alzheimer's meetings, they always mention trying to provide activities your loved one used to enjoy doing. She knows, from all her years of love and sacrifice, how to be a good homemaker and mother. It's nice when she has moments of clarity, usually in a couple of 5-minute stretches per day, where she can enjoy loving and serving her family.

My great nephew, Lincoln, turned 8 in September, but we didn't get to celebrate as a family until early October. His great uncle, Adam, is also his bishop. Bishop Bird gave him this baptism book to help celebrate this special birthday.

Lincoln is ALL about the BYU Cougars. I made him a jersey in early September, and I was so excited to give it to him for his b-day. It was killing me that the family birthday celebration kept getting pushed back because I wanted him to be able to wear it on game days. He loves his new jersey, and Adam says he wears it every single day.

After watching (well, really half listening to while Bryn, Derek, and Brian watched) the first BYU game of the season on August 30th, I went with #11, Parker Kingston's number. I kept hearing his name being announced. Since then, I've watched him make huge plays and score so many touchdowns. I appreciate him not letting me or Lincoln down on the number representation.

And can we just say RISE AND SHOUT?! BYU is ranked #10 in the national polls, and our record is 8-0. It's such a fun year for Aubrey to be on campus. She has been able to get tickets to every home game but one. Parker has driven up from Rexburg for two of the games. Ironically, Parker, who goes to BYUI, was able to attend the BYU vs UofU game, which Aubrey watched with a group in the dorms. She was jealous.

After the win against Utah, a ton of the students stormed the field, and Park loved being part of the action.

Next weekend, Tanner and family have tickets to the BYU/Texas Tech game in Lubbock. Brian and I are feeling the FOMO, but our schedules weren't open. (I'm helping with my mom while my dad is in Utah, and Bri has to work that weekend.) I've been teasing Erin because she will be cheering for Texas Tech instead of BYU. She just sweetly smiles, shrugs and says, "It's my school." (And I LOVE that for her...so proud that she was accepted into the nursing program.)

My weekly mornings with Kaide are going strong. One of my favorite days this month was when he talked to me about all the things he was looking forward to doing the next day together. "It will be so fun on Gigi and Kaide day. We play animal game and go see monster house. We do ostacle course (obstacle)." Made my DAY that he knew what our special day was called, and he was looking forward to it.

Our ward was in charge of putting together a zone conference lunch for 45 missionaries, and I was tasked with heading it up. Food is not my strength, but after serving the past decade in both ward and stake Relief Society presidencies, I have learned a few things along the way. I know some good go-to menus and serving suggestions that make things easier, and even more importantly, there are always amazing ladies who are willing to help. 

These ladies are the best. They are all my friends, and I really appreciate them answering my plea for help on our ward RS Facebook page. I am currently serving in the Odessa 1st RS presidency with Debbie Carlston.  Airi Billings, Emily Ormsby and I served together for a number of years in the 4th ward RS presidency. We put together a baked potato bar with mac and cheese and grapes for the side, and ice cream bars for dessert. Even though we kept it simple, it was still so much work. We had a lot of fun visiting together while we served our hard working elders and sisters.

Airi, Debbie, me and Emily

Lucie is in the Red Sox shirt next to me.

Speaking of missionaries....the super sweet Lucie Packer stopped by with her family. She was released from the Texas Lubbock Mission in February, and she was traveling with her family to visit all of her areas. She is good friends with our niece, Lindsey, so it was really exciting when she was assigned to serve in our ward. She and her companion helped us decorate for Tanner and Erin's wedding and serve at the reception. (Here is that blog post.) We enjoyed catching up with her and getting to meet her family.

Also, I have had the chance to visit with Chris and Ang a few of times this month, which has been great. Once Chris FaceTimed me, and the other two times, I just happened to be at my parents. We miss them. Parker, Brian, and I are looking at going back to Parker's mission in Ghana this April, and we will fly to Senegal or Cote d'Ivoire and visit them too. It's exciting to think about.

An evening walk with my guy. I always try to show Kaide the shadows when we go on walks, but usually our walks are in the daytime. I thought this was one pretty cool and sent it his way.

Confession...I took some illegal pictures during church one Sunday. The opening song was "I am a Child of God," and when Kaide heard it, he broke into the sweetest smile and then began to sing.

The Primary program was last week, and Kaide was pretty interested, especially when he saw his two friends on the stand. (Noah Vore-cousin and Emi Norton). They both were waving at him at times throughout the presentation. Kaide earnestly told me, "I want to sing." I think what he was really saying was, "I want to be up there with all of the other kids."

It was so cute watching him longingly watching the Primary children.

Also, Tanner left at the beginning of the meeting and never returned. Later, I asked him where he was. He noticed a friend of theirs from the other ward struggling to watch their daughter in the program because their one-year-old child was fussy. Tanner took care of their little boy in the cultural hall. It was very thoughtful of Tanner, and it made me proud. He's always been a kind friend.

And to wrap up October, here are a few Halloween pictures.

The cutest three bears: My nephew Joseph and his wife Kate with their brand new baby Wells.

Spidey! Almost every picture I've seen of Kaide from Halloween, he is glancing sideways. There is so much to see for Halloween.

Noah (his cousin on Erin’s side) and Kaide

Adam and Megan dressed up as Chris and Ang--epic!

Bryn went to her elementary school as a flapper, and Derek went to his high school as a judge.

These beautiful girls were cheetahs. Aubrey is on the far right.

Parker, far right, and friends went to Lagoon to celebrate Halloween.

I’m grateful for another month full of family time, service, and sweet moments with the people I love. I feel so blessed for all the ways I have to keep in touch with my family members who aren't living close. Life is good.

General Conference October 2025

October 2025

General Conference...one of my very favorite times of the year. I love hearing the counsel of apostles, prophets, and other leaders. It's a good spiritual reminder for me to do better and be better. I jotted down a few lines from each talk, but I also tried to take another step and write down what I was feeling moved to do. Here are a few thoughts: 

-make more of an effort to teach Kaide (and future grandkids) Primary songs (His parents are taking care of this too...but just a little, but an important way I can be involved.)

-be more diligent with my personal scripture study and prayer

-When I encounter people with big problems, it can often feel overwhelming. There is no quick fix, but I can make a big difference if I can love them like Christ would.

-be stalwart and diligent/don't let my testimony weaken

-Use study apps in tools to help me as I study The Book of Mormon

We invited Sandy McKown to join us for the Saturday and Sunday morning sessions. She expressed so much gratitude for being able to watch with friends. She is just as fun and humorous as she was when she was my Young Women's leader back in the day. 

We had the missionaries and one of their friends, Lupe, join us on Saturday morning. I set out a spread on the bar: sandwich stuff, a veggie tray, grapes, and some mini cheesecakes. Bri and I watched Saturday afternoon alone, and I cleaned windows while listening to the Saturday evening session. Finally, we had the Superest Super Bowl with the Birds for the Sunday afternoon session. Whew! Ten hours of General Conference makes for a full and inspirational weekend.

I kind of love this picture because it's real life. It's nice to be able to enjoy church curled up on the couch with warm blankets and good treats.  We also took turns quietly playing with Kaide, who was a trooper. 

At one point, we pulled out his balance bike Papa got him, and he practiced riding from one end of the house to the other during the Sunday morning session of conference. 

The Superest Super Bowl gathering was small this year. Adam, Megan, and their crew were sick and so was Brian. Tanner and Erin watched with several young families from church. Brit and Adam still provided an amazing spread of food, and my parents and I added some to it. Then we feasted on food and conference. 

I was cracking up because President Oaks' announcement of no new temples caused a pretty vocal reaction. Brit's kids had filled out a "Fantasy Conference" sheet the day before and had all guessed there would be 10-15 new temples announced. They threw their arms up and started talking all at once about the injustice of no new temples. I was thinking, "Wow, the Bird cousins are passionate about new temples." I personally was looking forward to what new temples would be announced. Then I realized there was another level to why they were freaking out; no one earned extra points on their conference game. Pretty funny.

Here are some of the notes I jotted down from President Oaks' remarks. 

Some of Ella's adorable notes. It's impressive what a ten-year-old can feel and learn while watching General Conference.

(Printed note taking page and fantasy conference idea/pages came from https://kristenwalkersmith.com)

I am re-listening to the conference talks and really looking forward to my conference journal coming in so I can begin diving deeper into the doctrine taught and counsel given.