False Alarm

Even though I'm writing this post, it's Tracy's story.  I just know that if I don't tell it, she won't.

I got a call a few weeks ago at work.  Tracy was panicking because Tanner was missing.  She had gone to Costco with him and Alexa while Afton was at school, and then she came home, took him inside, and went back out to start talking to our neighbor.  After talking for a while, she realized that she hadn't heard from Tanner. at all.

I asked her a few questions, "Did you look in the closets and the lower cupboards? You know he likes to hide in there." She had, and even gone through the house, and then the neighborhood calling his name.  She decided that she had either left him at Costco or he had wandered away while she was talking.

I left work and started driving home in a slightly more spirited manner than usual.  When I was about halfway home, Tracy called again.  He had been hiding in our bedroom closet, in the dark section that divides the "Hers" from the "His".  He didn't come out when she was calling for him because he had decided not to use the potty, but soil his underwear instead, and didn't want to get in trouble.

Crisis averted.

I finished working from home that day.
   

Live blogging #ldsconf April 2014

   This is something new to me; I'm going to try to live blog the Sunday sessions of LDS General Conference.  I've missed the start of the meeting, and started listening during the hymn by the choir, Let us All Press On.

Pres Dieter F. Uchtdorf (Second Counselor, First Presidency)

   Gratitude.  We should perhaps, not try to be grateful for what we have received, but cultivate a general attitude of gratefulness, regardless of how many blessings we thing we have received.

Use the bright light of revelation through the spirit to look past the bitter trials of life, and look to the glorious future the Savior has wrought.

   Three is something inside of us that seems to resist endings. Why?  Because we are made of the stuff of eternity.  Endings are not our destiny.  

Elder M. Russell Ballard (Quorum of the Twelve)

   64 years ago he returned from his mission, went to a dance, and met a girl named Barbara Bowen.  His mission taught him to follow up and be persistent, and that led to a date, and that date led to future dates.

   In Oct 2011, he gave a talk (The Importance of a Name) regarding the importance of calling the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by its true name, not as the Mormon Church.  He is following up.

   In Oct 2013, he asked members to find someone they could invite to hear the message of the restored gospel before the end of the year. Follow up.

   Inviting is part of the process, but there is more to missionary work than just that.

Jean A. Stevens. (1st counselor, Primary General Presidency)

   Our Father's Purpose is the help His Children.

Gary E Stevenson, Presiding Bishop.

   10 of the athletes in the recent Winter Olympic Games were member so fthe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  3 of them won medals.  One was Noelle Pikus-Pace, who spent years preparing for the 4 minuts she would compete.  Her years of preparation paid off.  She knew that 4 minutes was all she had, so she prepared diligently.  (She wore her Young Women's medallion while she received her medal)  The Apostle Paul said to "Run the race, that you may win the prize."  We must prepare for the race of our life.
   The miracle of the Atonement can make up for

David A Bednar, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

   A friend of his, near the start his marriage, insisted that they needed a 4wd truck to go get milk for their children if there was a terrible snowstorm.  His wife replied that if they got that truck, they couldn't afford to buy milk.

Bearing a load is essential to the plan of salvation, but our individual load must be heavy enough to give us sufficient traction.

Music and Easter

Yesterday was Music Sunday in our ward.  Sacrament meeting was all about sermons taught through hymns, and I gave the closing talk. I'll link it.
  Last night was the stake Sacred Music fireside, where our ward choir sang My Shepherd Will Supply my Need.  We used the Mack Wilberg arrangement that was made for the BYU University Concert Choir.  As a thought at the start of it, I found our that Isaac Watts, who wrote the lyrics, was of poor health for much of his life, and lived his last 36 years as a guest in another family's household.  That makes the ending lyrics substantially more poignant:

O may Thy house be my abode,
And all my work be praise.
There would I find a settled rest,
While others go and come;
No more a stranger, nor a guest,
But like a child at home.

Since people tell me they can't see the favicon, see the above picture.  (this is in Chrome)

Template updates

We're working through updating our blog template.  It may go through a few different iterations while we settle on something.  Just know it's a work in progress.

Oh, and my personal favorite tweak? The new favicon. (That's the little icon that shows up in the address bar and in any bookmarks you have.  It's a Scoresby "S" now, instead of a Blogger "B".  Yes, I'm a nerd.  Are you surprised?

Introducing Alexa Jane Scoresby

Alexa decided to enter this world 2 weeks early (which I will forever be grateful) and was born January 26th 2014, weighing in at 7lbs 14oz, and 20.5 in. long. (Confessions: I had to look up her birthday just to make sure I got it right.  I blame sleep deprivation, but at least I got the date right. With Afton, both Joe and I were off by a day for the first couple months of her life. We actually had to look at the birth certificate to double check. :)    I know what else your thinking, and yes she is a shorty, but there is still hope. She just might have to be the point guard for our basketball  team. )

Coming home from the hospital. She looks so small in her car seat

She is my first child where the infant sized hat actually fit. It was even a little too big!

Current Likes:

• MILK!
• Snuggling
• Spitting up a lot on her daddy (she likes to do that to me as well, but not as much as she likes spitting up on Joe.  And when I say spit up, picture a volcano errupting. )
• Being held
• Sleeping
• Pooping

Current Dislikes:

• Spitting Up
• Baths
• Getting her diaper changed
• Not being held 

She really is such a sweet little girl and I'm thankful that she gets to be part of our family. Love you Alexa!!

Her First Bath

Her Scheduled birthday, Feb 9th :) I like January 26th much better!

  
   

Ham dinner

Tonight for dinner, we had ham, roast potatoes and roast carrots.

Alton Brown's City Ham (from Good Eats, vol. 1).

I didn't have the gingersnaps or the bourbon, so I improvised.

Parmesan Roast Potatoes, from Whatsgabycooking.com

Ingredients

• 4 cups cubed Yukon Gold potatoes
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp garlic salt
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp pepper
• 4 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
2. Place the cubed potatoes into a baking dish. (The cubes of potatoes should be about 3/4 of an inch on all sides) You can spray the baking dish with a baking spray too to eliminate anything possibly sticking
3. Pile on the olive oil, garlic salt, salt, paprika, pepper and Parmesan cheese. Using your fingers, or a spoon if you feel inclined, get in to the potatoes and carefully mix everything around until the seasonings coat each potato.
4. Transfer the baking dish into the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and toss the potatoes with a pair of tongs. Put the baking dish back into the oven and bake for 10 minutes more. Remove the baking sheet and give them another toss and place them back in the oven and roast until they are golden and crispy.
5. Season with an little dusting of sea salt and extra parmesan cheese and serve.

Roasted Baby Carrots with Herbed Mustard Butter Recipe from chow.com

Ingredients
1 pound baby carrots (about 2 bunches), peeled (optional), green stems trimmed to 1/2 inch, and wispy carrot tips removed
2 teaspoons olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 teaspoons coarse-grained mustard
1 tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh herbs, such as dill, Italian parsley, chives, chervil, or tarragon

Instructions
      Heat the oven to 450°F and arrange a rack in the middle. Place the carrots on a baking sheet, drizzle with the oil, season with salt and pepper, and toss to evenly coat. Roast, shaking the pan occasionally, until a knife easily pierces the carrots, about 10 to 15 minutes. (Smaller carrots will cook in less time.) Remove from the oven and set aside while you prepare the herbed mustard-butter. Melt the butter in a large frying pan over medium heat until foaming. Add the mustard and stir to combine. Add the roasted carrots and herbs and toss to coat the carrots in the butter mixture. Season with salt and pepper as needed.

End of 2013

Highlights of the end of 2013 (Better late than never, right?)

•   Joe traveled a lot towards the end of November and December.  He went to London and Amsterdam.He brought back some yummy Cadbury chocolate, which was amazing. It could have been amazing since I was 8 mos pregnant, but I'm sure it was because of the quality of the chocolate.  I guess I'll never know. :)
• We went up to Lake Anna and visited with our good friends, the Walls for Thanksgiving. The kids had a blast playing together. Unfortunately, we didn't take any pictures but we had a fun time.  I went Black Friday shopping (probably never again) and was out shopping all night with Nina.  I was actually scared for my life at Wal-Mart, but that's ok.  
• 2 of my brothers and nieces drove out here from Texas. It was awesome! We went to the petting farm and had a picnic during a warm spell. We also drove to the Manassas Festival of Lights which the kids always enjoy. They put on a good show. :0)  

  

  My brother, Scott

  
  

  

  Afton and her cousin, Mary Jane, at the petting farm

  
  

  

  My crazy brother, Andrew and Afton at the petting farm

  
  

  

  Tanner at the petting farm

  
  
  
• We also put up bunkbeds in Afton and Tanner's room. They love them and love sharing a room. Although, yesterday Afton informed me that she misses her old bed because she can't jump on the bunk bed. It's a tough life for a 5 year old.
• We stayed here for Christmas and enjoyed a pleasant, relaxing Christmas. One of my favorite times was when we were opening gifts, and Tanner had already opened one gift, which was cars.  When we tried to get him to open another gift, he kept shouting, " NO! NO! NO!" over and over. He really liked his cars. :) We watched movies, played with our new toys, skyped with family,  and just enjoyed being together.  
• New Year's eve was hard. We went to Logan's grave in the morning and gave him some balloons for his birthday. I really just tried to stay busy and keep my mind preoccupied.  Afton and I looked through is photo album book and that was nice.  We also went to a fondue party and played some games with friends.  

 Below are just some random pics.

Our giving tree we made for FHE