Brigham was diagnosed with a slight heart murmur when he had his sports physical before cross-country season. He had an EKG as a very young kid-- maybe 3 or 4? It was nothing to worry about then, but the doctor thought it was a good idea to check it out one more time, now that Brigham's growing bigger. Happily, it's still nothing to worry about!
I bought this cool model of the arc of the covenant online. It opens up and inside are representations of the tablets with the ten commandments, the stick of Jesse, and a vessel with manna.
This is the display I made for the Temple of Solomon seminary lesson. In front we have the sacrificial lamb, then the baptismal font, followed by the break offering, the lamp stand, the incense, and behind the veil is the holy of holies where the arc of the covenant is kept.
Thanksgiving!! I took hardly any pictures, shame on me!! We had the Welches, Jardines, grandma and grandpa Frandsen, Uncle Abe, Aunt Eva, and Uncle Christian. Getting a picture with the grandkids was pretty comical.
Grandma and Grandpa cooking together, Sandy waiting hopefully for any spare tidbits.
Grandpa and baby MaryAlice
Grandpa, Christian, John, Dad, and Abe
Dearest Family -
Happy Thanksgiving to all! I am writing this letter from Gabrielle's beautiful home in Austin, Texas where 21 Frandsens gathered for a most wonderful Thanksgiving celebration. We missed having Naomi and Brigham and Benjamin and their families with us, but were so grateful that so many were able to be together. I know it involved significant sacrifice and many hours of travel and resulted in some tired and irritable children, but I think we would all say it was worth it. It certainly was for me and Daddy. Here are some things I especially loved:
*Hearing all the wonderful music produced by my children and grandchildren - guitar, piano, organ, violin, and lots and lots of singing. There is probably nothing I love more than this.
*Preparing the feast with my daughters - in my opinion, this is the best part of Thanksgiving - even better than the eating. And I must say, my daughters are fabulous cooks! They excel at all my favorite dishes: stuffing, sweet potatoes, rolls, and pies! Oh my, what an embarrassment of pies we had! Each one absolutely delicious (and I would know since I sampled each and every one...) The only thing we did not have enough of was ovens. I should have gotten up earlier to get the turkey in sooner. But we adjusted our plans and had a late afternoon feast and our patient wait was well rewarded.
*Having Deborah with us! It was so wonderful to share the meal with Deborah and her friend Joey. I love the ancient idea of hospitality and enlarging our tent but I seldom remember to invite others in to our circle - Deborah's presence added so so so much to the whole experience.
*Seeing the cousins interact - One of my deepest desires is that my children's children will know and love each other so this was one of my favorite parts of the weekend. Rosalia and Jacob feel completely at home with Gabrielle's family. How wonderful that is to me!
*All the conversations - I didn't participate in as many as I wished, but I loved just observing all the circles of conversation that took place. It especially warmed my heart to see my sons-in-law engaged in deep discussions - we have really smart and interesting people in our family!
*Our family variety show - the fulfillment of another deep yearning that I have. I loved seeing Joseph step up as the MC and show his wit and charm and prowess as a magician:)
*The Affirmation Gathering - Christian took it upon himself to plan a central Texas Thanksgiving gathering for Affirmation on Saturday night and Gabrielle and Ben were so gracious to open up their home and hearts and spend the entire evening hosting this. It was a beautiful event and I know every one who came felt the love of Christ in this home.
*Going to Gabrielle's church meetings yesterday. All the other visitors had already left so I was the only one who got to enjoy the beautiful spirit of her Ward. They had a special musical sacrament meeting which was just so so wonderful and sincere and moving. Brigham had a small but really meaningful part sharing his reflections on the hymn "Where Can I Turn For Peace?" It was miraculous in several ways: it was a miracle that he remembered about the assignment literally 5 minutes before time to leave for Church. It was a miracle that he and Gabrielle were able to write a beautiful talk so quickly. And then another miracle to see Brigham stand up and deliver it with amazing poise and polish just a few minutes later! He is a really special young man (all my grandchildren are special and extraordinary). The rest of the meetings were extra good too and I was kicking myself for not arranging the flight times so that Daddy and the BYU kids could have been there with us.
*Seeing Gabrielle teach seminary this morning - there is absolutely nothing this mother loves more than seeing her children excel at something I love so much. And Gabrielle excels at teaching - she loves her students and they love her. She loves and knows and studies the scriptures and that shows in her teaching. She loves the Savior and His grace and she has His spirit. And that infused every second of her class this morning. My joy was full.
Here are just a few things I wish had been different:
*The family movie outing - I got tickets for everyone to see "The Good Dinosaur" together (I stayed home with Mary Alice), hoping it would be fun and memorable. But it's hard to find a movie the entire family can enjoy and I fear I totally missed the mark on this one : too scary for the little ones and too juvenile for everyone else. At least that was the impression I got from the comments when they got back. Oh well...
OK - this letter is way too full now too! I will end with one final expression of gratitude for the blessings of a family and a life that is far far better than I deserve. I will try harder to be deserving of all of you.
I hope all of you will celebrate Advent in preparation for a spirit-filled Christmas. Call Rosalynde or Rachel if you need ideas ♡♡
All my love to all of you-
Christie/Mama
PS - another happy memory:seeing "Once I was a Beehive" with Gabrielle, Rosalynde, Elena, Eva, and Christian on Thanksgiving night
2 thumbs up from all of us!
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