Who's at the door?!?!?!?

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

All I want for Christmas is.....

Ok, just one front tooth! (The other one is loose, but I don't think it's going to make it in 3 days!)

Happy Angel Day, Darling Mariah

To Our Dear Sweet Angel Baby,


We are so happy you are part of our forever family! Since we miss you so much, it is still easy to be sad, but we wanted to spend your special day celebrating that we all will be together again! One day, there will be no more tears, sorrow, or grief! We will all hold you in our arms again, and there will be so much joy, we won't even think of the pain of our now empty arms and hurting hearts!


Momma knew she better cry out all the sadness of the year before we got to our celebration day, so she could make more room for all the hopeful and happy feelings that are inside of her, too! So a few days before your Angel day, she rocked your special blankie one more time in the nursery before packing away all the girlie things that had been waiting for you to come. There were so many sweet clothes that your sisters had worn, so many bows and little shoes for you, and so many dreams that we put into boxes. And momma let out all the tears. You did have a few outfits we had gotten just for you, brand new and everything. Momma knew some other sweet girls should have them, so we gave them away. Except for your Christmas dress. Momma rocked it in your blanket, kissed it, and put it away in your special box. And then she ate chocolate.


Auntie Amber came and we made you a special Angel Wreathe. Pink with bows. We took it to your special place and talked about what a special daughter of God you are. Isn't it pretty? I bet you love it as much as Momma.



And then our celebration day! Daddy took off work, and we spent the whole day together! And all of us were so full of love and happy all day! We know so many people were praying for us, that the power and love of God just encircled us. It was so peaceful and special and sacred. And it kept getting better and better! When we went to see your special place, we were surprised to find that others had already been there, sharing tokens of love and expressions of support. It was amazing.


We took balloons to send kisses and messages to heaven for you! We are sure you got them!


We stood together around your special place, and all smiled, because we know we will be together again.


We left you lots of roses. White ones, like the first time you had roses. One from every Aunt, Uncle, Cousin, Brother, Sister, Grandma and Grandpa. Just like the first time. And now you have all of your angels for the whole year, too. Your special place looks beautiful. It was hard to leave. It always is.



But guess what we did after we left? We went to the bouncy place we love so much, and we had pizza, too! When we got home, there were more treats and cards and love waiting for us on the front porch! Heavenly Father was reminding us of all the people He sent to love and care for us! God is so good! And somehow, we made it through the first year. And even though it has been so hard so many days, today it was not. It was lovely. It was a gift. It was a miracle. It was beauty for ashes. Again.

Happy Angel Day, Sweet Mariah Grace. We miss you so much, and love you even more. We will be together again. Until then, we will walk in faith, praise and love and serve the Lord, and keep you forever in our hearts. Forever and ever.

Some Ghosts of Christmases Past!!!

Before digital cameras and blogs....

Kamberlynne 1997


And then there were two. 1998

And three. 1999

Yep, then four! 2001

Here's five..2004 (I think?!?!)( Yahoo for digital cameras!)

And up to six. 2007.

These guys look familiar! 2008

Was that just last year!?!?!?

Now those sweet faces from years gone by spark some more Christmas Spirit in my heart!

Ok, Friends, now I want to see some of YOUR Ghosts of Christmases Past!

Singing Thanks and Praise....

This past week, Kamberlynne and I had the opportunity to be a part of the NATIONAL BIBLE ASSOCIATION Interdenominational Concert of Praise!


We were also joined by world renowned violinist Jenny Oaks-Baker, who was absolutely magnificent. She will be performing at the LDS Visitors Center December 13, and I can't wait to take the whole family!

We sang in the Nations First Cathedral, the Baltimore Basilica of the Assumption, with choirs of other Christian Faiths as we celebrated our mutual love for God's Word. The Basilica is pretty amazing (it just so happens the Brian's Company did the renovations on it a few years back!), and the acoustics are every bit as wonderful as any I've ever sung at, including the LDS Tabernacle on Temple Square! Our little choir of 30 sounded at least twice as big!

(Can you find us?!?!?)

The piece here was one of our two selections "Come Unto Christ" My favorite part is about 2 minutes in....so wait for it!

"Come unto Christ, ye sorrowful and frail. Seek this Jesus, whose comfort cannot fail.
Seek this Jesus, and triumph in His might. Come unto Christ, Come unto Christ.
Come unto Christ, abide in Him and live. He will bless you with every perfect gift.
Seek this Jesus amidst a world of strife. Come unto Christ, and find in Him

Eternal Life."

Tears for missing our Mariah are still always close. But because of Christ, we will triumph in His might, and find Eternal Life. We continue to count the many gifts from His hand, and wait for the perfect day when there are no more tears, only joy. What more can we be thankful for?!

Thanksgiving blessings to all of you!

HP7

Jonah was pretty devastated that HP 7 was PG-13, so he got left at home for the big premiere! Poor guy! Everyone else sure loved it, though! This year our numbers went from 4 kids to 8 kids, plus a few moms to see the show, then home for a Harry Potter pizza party....Nine large pizzas disappeared like magic...without the invisibility cloak!!!

And guess what?!?!? The second time was even better! After pizza, I went back with Brian and another couple to watch it "adult" style!!!!

Now we can't wait for Part 2!

Halloween Take 1...

Brian came up with the family idea this year!!!

Watch out, Dr. Suess!

And a big Happy Seventh Birthday to Thing #7!!!!! Her birthday post should be coming soon!!!

Some things you just HAVE to blog!!!!

Yep, I'm breaking my blogging hiatus for this.....

The MAGIC childhood moments that no more training wheels bring!!


You go, Bekah!!!


And for you, Nana....



But that's not all...look who couldn't be outdone!!!

Of course, going back up the hill is easier this way!!

(OK, Nana, this video is weird...it will tell you it's unavailable, but if you double click it will take you to watch it on Youtube....)


But, wait, there's more!

Remember THIS? (March, 2009)

Well, check out this!! Today, October 22, 2010


Woot, Woot!
And for a closer look (yeah, we're still waiting for more to come in....)
(ok, those are not rotten teeth on the bottom, he just wants everyone to see his black retainer icky...BTW....see his little "caterpillar" on his top lip?!?!?!? How'd that happen?!?!)
...and until those other teeth come in, we have "retainer buddies"!
Ok, can you believe this post still isn't done?

The BIG finale:

First peek at new Washburn Baby....almost 14 weeks!
We found out on Brian's birthday in August we were expecting this new little one...and guess the due date....Catherine's birthday in April! Now talk about a loving God who gives good gifts?!?!? All looks good, and we are hopeing and praying this baby gets to come to our home this time!

So, now you know the reason for the blog hiatus....so keep praying for us!

Ten Months, Ten Roses

"Parents who have surrendered the sweetest and smallest flowers from the family's garden need to remember our Heavenly Father. He has promised a special reward to those who now suffer in silence, who spend long days and longer nights through their trying times of bereavement. Our Creator has promised glory. He said, 'For after much tribulation come the blessings. Wherefore the day cometh that ye shall be crowned with much glory; the hour is not yet, but nigh at hand.' (D&C 58:4) That promised glory includes the blessing of reunion with each child who has left the family circle to help surviving members of the family to draw nearer to God. Those children still live and are a heritage to the Lord." Russell M. Nelson


How glorious it will be.

We miss you so much, and love you even more, sweet Angel Baby Mariah.

Thanks, Jeremy!!!!

So take a look at the dedication on this piece of music:


A very talented and wonderful young friend arranged this piece of "Called to Serve" for us, and he just left for his Freshman year of college a few weeks ago! Well, Jeremy, in case you're feeling a bit homesick, we wanted to let you know we were thinking of you!!! It's not perfect yet, but we hope it makes you, (and plenty others), smile!




(OOPS, we dropped the melody there on the last note, but that just means you can sing along and add it in yourself!)

Thanks, again, Jeremy! So in between college classes, maybe you can make an arrangement of "There is Sunshine in My Soul Today"! Because that's what this song did for us!

Nine Months, Nine Roses

This month anniversary was a hard one. We passed that mark where now she has been gone from us longer than she was with us. How swiftly the tears still come.

But not forever.

".....Heaven's kindness will never depart from you, regardless of what happens......Bad days come to an end, faith always triumphs, and heavenly promises are always kept."

--Jeffrey R. Holland-

No, not forever.

We miss you so much, and love you even more, sweet Angel Baby Mariah. We wish you had been with us longer. One day, you will be. I wish it was today.

You Go, Girl!

A clip from Kamberlynne's latest work in progress...



Contemporary composer Jon Schmidt's "Waterfall". Cool, huh? The composer's note was to "play piece with obnoxious body movement and facial expression". She's still working on it!

Our Hero

Things are going to happen. They just are. We had one of those, and we are so glad Jonah was around!

I was upstairs working on Saturday chores, Brian was outside doing the same. When you're a momma, you always have a part of your brain on alert and a listening ear for the kiddos, no matter what you're doing. You mommas know what I mean.

And I heard something. A mixture of Briella coughing/gagging/crying/hysteria. I haven't heard that specific combo before. I bolted downstairs to the kitchen and took her in my arms. My Jonah calmly explained that he had been making and eating apple slices from the corer-slicer-thingy, and she had been standing on the chair next to him, helping. And you guessed it, she started to choke. Jonah said he could tell she was trying to cough it out, but no sound was coming.( Now remember, Brian and I are both seconds away, and he could have called for help, but he said he didn't even think of it.) He wrapped his arms around her, just above her tummy (thanks heavens she was standing on that chair) and performed a perfect hiemlich maneuver. It was at that point that the coughing/gagging/crying/hysteria sound began, and within seconds I was there.

It was only after Jonah told the story did I realize what a lovely sound that combo is.

And in the next moment I remembered how blessed we are to have Jonah in our family. I have seen many of his gifts over the years, but to see him problem solve a potentially life threatening situation calmly and act appropriately without hesitation isn't one I've witnessed in him before. What a special special guy. And I get to be his momma.

Bless you, Jonah.

Eight Months, Eight Roses

Through many dangers, toils and snares
I have already come;
'Tis Grace that brought me safe thus far
and Grace will lead me home.

The Lord has promised good to me.
His word my hope secures.
He will my shield and portion be,
As long as life endures.

(Amazing Grace verses 3 and 4
John Newton)


We held our beautiful baby for only a day, and somehow, we have made it to eight months later. "Tis grace that brought me safe thus far". The only way it has been possible is through the Lord's promises, hope, and love. His grace is amazing.

We gave Mariah her middle name long before she was born, but how much more power it has to us now.

We miss you so much, and love you even more, sweet angel baby. Sending kisses to heaven for you.

Another perk...

of homeschooling---

Fortunately, you don't have to do too much of this.

I pretty much despise doing the "pack your lunch" thing. I only have one more day left after 5 weeks in two different sessions of theatre camp this summer, and I am grateful all over again that we homeschool!

What would I have done without Bj's?!?!?

You momma's that do the real non-Bj's thing everyday for a whole school year amaze me.

Ugh.

Grab some Popcorn....

...and enjoy the show!

We're back in our second theatre camp for the summer, but we thought Rebekah's first show was so cute, we wanted to share it before the next show is over!!!!

The show was a musical version of "Jack and the Beanstalk". The first number was the opener about looking forward to "Good Things (which) are Bound to Happen". Just remember, these guys are ages 5-8!

Our Peachie Pie is to the very left of the screen in pink!




Along with playing the chicken that layed golden eggs, Bekah also got a big solo as "the bean seller" who convinces Jack to trade his cow for the "Magic Beans"! Hang in there for a few minutes of dialogue, 'cause you don't want to miss the song!(Even though Jonah was in the other show, he doubles in our cast as the Sheriff and got in a few minutes on stage as well! Oh, and that's Indy as the cow...they just love filling in holes for me!)



As the director, I always sort of fear doing these little guy shows...worrying about if they are gonna remember their lines, their dances, and just about everything else in the production (like when Rebekah sang nearly her whole song with her bum toward the audience...)But I tell you, seeing these little guys pull it off it is so very rewarding...especially when my own little cutie is so adorable!

Guess Who.....

dressed herself?!?!?!?


"Look, mama! Pink and Pink...they match!"

"Ummm, wow, Briella. The pink and pink....ummmm... do match. Nice job!"


We'll just leave it at that until she's four!