December 2015

More memories from my mom from the first week of December:

So, I am back from Texas after a wonderful week with Gabrielle and Rachel and their families. I was so glad I extended my Thanksgiving trip - I loved every day of that extra week.  I got to teach seminary 2 and a half days which I loved and which I think was a help to Gabrielle who was suffering from a very bad cold all last week. And I actually cooked meals every day, something I haven't done for a long time. Why is it more fun cooking at someone else's house? I helped with some housework and laundry and tried to ease Gabrielle's load every way I could. But we also found time to watch two movies together on the computer - both really sad.  

On Friday Rachel drove back up from San Antonio with her kids and we went to a fantastically wonderful re-creation of Bethlehem put on by a church in the town of Burnet, about 45 minutes from Austin. It was like Nauvoo, with people dressed in costumes and all the shops and tradesmen re-enacting real life 2000 years ago. It was just magical. If ever you get a chance to go, it is worth the trip!  And it was free (they just asked for a donation, which I gladly and generously gave) including cookies and hot chocolate afterwards. Everything about it was infused with the spirit of Christ.  We loved it so much.  It was so much fun to go with Rosalia and Jacob - they are perfect ages for that sort of experience.  

And then Saturday I was able to go to the Turner boys' piano recital and for the very first time, hear my grandchildren perform.  They all did perfectly, of course :) And then, to top it all off, Sunday I was able to hear Brigham perform with the Austin Youth Orchestra and was just blown away by the quality.  And heartened to see that in Texas the youth orchestras are NOT 99% Asian :)  Such talented and accomplished young musicians, including my very own grandson Brigham! It was a joy to hear him practicing diligently every single day, with NO PRODDING from his mother! [Not all of her boys are quite that self-disciplined, lest you think she has a life of ease with nothing but sweetness and bliss... her boys are quite normal in their resistance to doing what their mother wants them to do :)] 

Another highlight of my week and of this Christmas season was going to a stunning production of the Nutcracker ballet with Gabrielle and Rachel - I have always loved ballet (and secretly longed to be a ballet dancer) and it was even better to be there with my daughters.  I think I might have to make that a tradition every year.  

November 2015

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

This is from a letter my mom wrote about Thanksgiving-- thank goodness she is such a diligent letter-writer, because I didn't write down a thing!

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!

October 2015

 AYO fall concert. Brigham is in the Philharmonic this year!

 Brigham will never be too old for Kapla blocks. :-)

Another cross country race!  Run, Brigham, Run!

Ben and the boys came along to this race. This is the first one that Joseph and Moses have seen. I wish I could get Joseph to run cross country!

Moses waiting on the haybale for Brigham's race.

 I really like the Royals cross country team, and cross country as a sport overall. Here are a bunch of runners from several teams saying a prayer before one of the racec.

Beautiful sunset after the race.

Speaking of which, driving Brigham to cross country every morning gives us the chance to see the most beautiful sunrises.

And, for good measure, sweet Sandy the dog.


No Halloween pictures this year, because Halloween afternoon/evening, Ben and I drove out to Houston to buy a new car! We got a dark grey Dodge Grand Caravan. It has dual sliding doors and stow-and-go middle and back seats.
We'll keep the Astro, because it is a darn useful vehicle, but the minivan will be so much better for me to drive, especially putting my wheelchair in and out of the car.
It comes at a good time, too, because, sadly, while driving through a ridiculously narrow ATM lane at Bank of America, Ben accidentally scraped up the side of the Astro pretty badly. Ah, well.