This post brought to you by the number 4...

Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities.

4 acts of faith:
1. When Johnny and I were deciding whether to get married or not, we went to the temple together. We were asked to be the witness couple. It was already obvious to me that I wanted to be with Johnny forever but I think it took Johnny a little longer to know. We were sitting in silence next to each other in the celestial room and I was dying to talk to Johnny and see what he was thinking about, but the Spirit told me to keep my mouth shut-that Johnny was getting his answer and we could talk later if I would give Johnny a chance to receive his answer. It was faith to keep my mouth closed but I've for sure had it open ever since then. Did you know women use 7000 words a day and men only use 2000? I definitely fill my quota.
2. Waiting for Johnny boy to be born
3. Owning your own business
4. Raising children in the world today

4 instances of answered prayer
1-4. We lose our keys all the time and God hears and answers our prayers to find them.

4 times of repentance
1. Repentance = change We have changed as a couple as we try to keep the Lord's instruction to not sleep longer than is necessary.
2. We have changed as a couple as we try to study early in the morning when we are rested and alert.
3. We have changed as a couple as we try to manage our resources wisely
4. We have changed as a couple as we try to become self-reliant in spiritual and temporal ways. Thank goodness for 2nd chances and 3rd and 4th and 5th...

4 opportunities for forgiveness
1. I often misread Johnny's intentions. I forget about his impeccable track record and misconstrue statements to mean that he wanted to hurt my feelings. This could be 1-a lot, but I won't embarrass myself by putting an actual number. The moral of the story is that I have to trust my spouse's intentions rather than create something in him that doesn't exist just because I'm insecure about myself. Johnny forgives me when I choose to be offended and the intention to offend never existed.
2. I was talking about my postpartum hormone situation and discussing my options to keep my hormone levels as normal as possible without adding extra craziness to my already crazy state of mind. I vetoed a medicine that had high hormone levels in it stating that if I could just stay away from extra hormones, I might not be so emotional and unreasonable. Johnny said, "I don't think that's going to help". I forgave him.
3. Without going into the horrible details, I made a $10,000 mistake. Needless to say, I cried and cried and cried and cried some more. Johnny just forgave me and loved me. I consider myself at least an 8 cow wife. How many head of cattle can you purchase for ten grand?
4. We started a business entity together the year we got married. I knew Johnny was meeting with the lawyer that day and so I spent every free second trying to think of a name for our business together. Then, at the end of the day, Johnny brought some paperwork home. I kept seeing Johnchris, LLC written all over it. What? He picked the name without me? What? He just put our names together instead of asking me for my opinion on the business I was part-owner in? Don't worry. I forgave him.

4 times we respected each other
1. Just last night, I was cutting up some steak for Johnny boy because he was showing interest in it and I was extremely excited to add steak to the handful of things that Johnny is willing to eat. Johnny dad leaned over to help me cut the steak on the plate I was holding in my lap. I thought, "How nice of Johnny to help me feed our son." But then Johnny fed me the steak because I hadn't eaten yet. I felt very honored and respected.
2. When someone asks us to commit to something, whether it's babysitting or working or coming over for dinner, Johnny's classic response is "Let me ask Christine". Not because I'm in charge and he's coming to me for permission. Johnny respects our relationship and we counsel together before we make decisions. Even small decisions.
3. A neighbor needed help with a dead battery in her car. Johnny was on a business call, but he said, "Guys, I have to go for a minute. I'll call you right back." I have so much respect for Johnny, for his willingness to love and serve others.
4. We are sensitive to each others' needs. We try to figure out what we both need and figure out solutions that meet those needs. We strive for win-win which means ultimate respect for all involved.

4 acts of love
1. Johnny got me a highchair for our anniversary for our son. He had it made specially to match our house.
2. I cut Johnny's hair for him. Don't worry that's an act of financial savings. The act of love is that I sweep up the hair from the kitchen floor so I can let him take a shower to clean off.
3. I make banana bread for Johnny as often as I can. It's his mom's recipe and it's our favorite.
4. We write each other notes on our birthday, anniversary, and Mother's/Father's Day.

4 examples of compassion
Johnny still loves me despite:
1. My stinky feet
2. When I eat all of the brownies
I still love Johnny despite:
3. His habitual flatulence
4. His talking in his sleep

4 ways we work
1. Johnny always does the dishes. Can you imagine? It makes keeping the kitchen in order so much easier. What a babe. I feel like that was a gift to me directly from Mom Covey. Dishes were Johnny's job every day growing up. Now I just have to figure out what gift I'm going to give my future daughter-in-laws...
2. We blitz the house together. At the risk of sounding like a housewife that doesn't do any chores, Johnny never expects me to keep everything looking immaculate. And then, he offers to help work together to get it clean.
3. We make lists and we do the hard things. We all have favorite to-do's on our list and it's easy to do those. It's the big hard ones that take more effort that we don't enjoy doing that we want to skip. But not in this family. We do the hard things and we know it will pay off.
4. I always mow the lawn. Either I wake up early or go out while my kids are napping and Johnny's inside working. I know all my true confessions are revealing our out of the ordinary work allocation, but for us, it works.

4 instances of wholesome recreational activities
1. We love to boat with our family. Johnny and Evelyn are awesome on the boat.
2. We watch documentaries together. It is so interesting to learn about how other people experience earth.
3. We like to play tennis as a family. We are evenly matched so it's competitive and fun.
4. We like to eat. We like to be with our extended family and it usually involves food. We have lots of family members who are really good at cooking food and we like to think we are really good at eating it.

Number of people in our family: 4
Number of years we have been married: 4

Happy Anniversary to us!

My dad can beat up your dad

That's what my bumper sticker would say if I were a bumper sticker kind of girl. But the cool thing is that he never would. He's not that kind of guy. This is the kind of guy my dad is.

He's the guy who put up the birthday sign with his 21 month old daughter (Callie Marie) for my mom when she brought their three day old daughter home (me) from the hospital on her own birthday.



He's the guy who loves and supports his family.

He's the guy who wanted to be a pilot when he was a kid

and actually graduated from the Air Force Academy and played basketball for them, too.

He's the guy who is the oldest of three brothers (but Uncle Bluce is taller)

He's the guy who was Moroni in the stake play.

He's the guy who hiked Half Dome with us every summer.

He's the guy who climbed Mt. Fuji...twice

He's the guy who runs and trains for marathons with his daughters. (Don't worry - I cheer while my sisters run)

He's the guy who could do anything in the eyes of this daughter.



He's the guy who would do anything for you because he loves you. He has taught me so much. My dad is full of love. He is a great Beepa to his grandchildren. He is a dedicated husband to his wife. He has instilled deeply in me my testimony of the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

Dad, I love you so much.


Christine

Trip down south

We went down to Sand Hollow to inaugurate the boat. It was a great first trip. It's been so long since we've gone but you know how it goes.
Sleeping beauty

The two boys

The other two boys

What a babe

My nieces and nephews are the bomb.com and I'm sure Johnny will join their hilarious status when he can speak coherently. He did add the word HORSE to his vocabulary this week. We go on walks in a double stroller with both of them bundled up in this unusually cold weather and we pass by horses and cows. I love where we live. So we have learned HORSE because we see them every day.

Ila and Ruby are playing upstairs right now. Earlier today, my neighbor offered Ila some licorice. Here was Ila's response. "My mommy said no. Licorice gives me diarrhea."

Then we were playing with my neighbor's leopard geckos. It was an emotional morning once we thought we had lost a gecko outside in the sand box. Thank goodness Spot decided to come back or she would have left 2 completely distraught little boys behind. We were talking about how funny it was that Rainbow (the sister gecko) went potty on my neighbor while he was holding her yesterday. Ila was insistent. "Pets don't go potty. They don't have bums!"

Hilarious. Funny. Amusing. All of the above. This is what makes little kids so fun.

Name and a Blessing

Evelyn received a name and a blessing today in our brand new Lehi 43rd ward. It was so fun to get ready for everything. Shout out to my husband - I love being on his team and having his support in everything that I do. Why wait for a holiday to celebrate him? Every day is "my husband rocks" day at my house. Oh no. I'm thinking of a surprise gift I bought for Johnny for Father's Day but I have NO idea where I hid it...hmmmmm. Oh well, on to the next shout out to everyone who helped so much. I appreciate it so much. My mom saved the day so that I could take a shower before going to church. She stepped in and wrapped up my projects for me so that the people sitting in the pew behind me didn't pass out from the stench of my stink. Thanks, mom. And if the people in that pew had any clue about their alternative smell experience, they would thank you, too.

Evelyn was so calm and mellow during her blessing. Who was crying? Not her, but yes, her older brother was. Reminds me of the day he got his name and blessing. Poor guy. we just switched to 11 o'clock church which is, of course, nap time. He got gypped from a Sunday nap today so nursery will be especially interesting next week.

Evelyn is such a joy. We cherish her. It was wonderful to spend the day celebrating her. Thanks to everyone who came and special thanks to everyone so willing to help us host. I love my life.



Notice my matching purple shoes to Eve's dress? Totally awesome. I could get into this clothing situation for a little girl.

Cougar Country

Evelyn and Johnny have worked hard to help me with my masters degree at Brigham Young University in Youth and Family Recreation. They help me try to apply all that I'm learning. Our blood definitely runs BYU blue in these veins! Nigel is happy to be holding Ev (or as his dad calls her - villain as in eh-vill-ain).

Look familiar?
The boys

The girls

We've got a comedian on our hands

My nephew is so cute. He is a constant source of hilarious comments. For example:

There was a leak in his house and it was stressful because the bathtub on the top floor had overflowed and was leaking into the living room on the main floor. The twins were running around still in their towels and catching the dripping water in their hands and splashing their fingers in the bowls that were catching the water. In an attempt to get everyone to settle down so as not to add to the chaos, I explained, "This is not fun. Let's go sit on the couch, guys."

Perplexed, Isaac looked at me and asked, "How is this not fun?"

Fast forward to carpool day (why oh why did I not take a picture of the SIX children in carseats?) and my Johnny boy was poking his neighbors a little bit too much. So I'm singing verse after verse (FYI all the verses are the same) to How much is that doggie in the window? Arf! Arf! The one with the waggly tale. How much is that doggie in the window? Arf! Arf! I do hope that doggie's for sale. After singing through quite a few times in my futile attempt to distract my son, Isaac looked at me and answered my question.

"I think about sixteen bucks."

Well, you can tell by the way he uses his walk

That he's a woman's man

No time to talk

Beal's School

Today was Johnny's first day of school. I was completely unprepared because we decided the night before that he could go, so Johnny boy, I'm sorry there are no pictures of you with a lunch box standing at your bus stop with a side ponytail. Wait a minute, that was me, not you. And wait another second, you don't go long enough to eat lunch at school and I drove you, not the bus driver.

Since Johnny is 18 months old now (we start nursery next week and will report) Camille said that Nonny (Nigel's name for Johnny) could come to Beal's school. What is Beal's school? you might ask. When we were little kids, mom sent us to Montessori school with Mr. Veenop and he taught me how to pass scissors politely and how to carve a turkey and he had a little tiny toilet for kids. It is a fond memory of mine.

So fast forward from the time warp to a few years ago when Millie (aka Camille or uncle beal) was teaching at a Montessori school and she certified to be a Montessori teacher. Camille has just the right personality for how Maria Montessori believes adults should act in the lives of children - with love and empowering them to be their best selves. Listen to what Maria has to say...

Never help a child with a task at which he feels he can succeed.

The greatest sign of success for a teacher...is to be able to say, "The children are now working as if I did not exist."

Now for a pretty deep one...
If we have neither sufficient experience nor love to enable us to distinguish the fine and delicate expressions of the child's life, if we do not know how to respect them, then we perceive them only when they are manifested violently.

Camille has sufficient experience and oversufficient love which is one of the reasons she started Beal's school. It is based on Montessori principles and has stations where the children can choose their work and feel loved. It is a great thing.

And now Johnny can be a part of it this fall. Thank goodness beal is full of love and has a digital camera so we could record this momentous occasion.









Thanks to the men for mother's day meals. I didn't lift a finger except to hold this cute girl.

She died with her boots on

I want this to be said about me when I die. I died with my boots on.

Meaning I worked hard to the end.
Meaning I was doing meaningful work to the very end.
Meaning I was helping others.
Meaning I was a part of the team still in my own way even if that way had to morph a little bit because my abilities and capabilities and agilities had changed because of time.
Meaning I try to metaphorically put my boots on every day and do the hard things so I will be in the habit like I imagine Marjorie Paye Hinckley and Grandma Dahl.

Meaning I made my sweet Ev this blanket at our annual sisters trip (thanks for hosting us, Callie and thanks for teaching me how to sew this, Beal) because John Deere tractor logos in pink with hearts and brown plaid represent what I mean when I say, "She died with her boots on". Now I just have to learn from little Ev what it means to be born with your boots on. I CANNOT wait to put her hair in pigtails and put her in cowgirl boots.