We had the first ultrasound of our little baby in March. Within a few moments of seeing this little child kick and wiggle around, Elijah and I were smitten! All that nausea and sickness, my inseparable friends during this pregnancy, became a distant memory as my eyes beheld this little miracle inside my body. When we told our children that we were expecting, and when they saw pictures of the ultrasound, they all got so excited, especially Charlton, who immediately started making plans of kicking James out of his room, so he could put the baby to sleep. He also needed a whole drawer to put the diapers and wipes. That started a war on deciding who was the most capable of taking care of the baby. This child is sure going to grow in a very happy and loving environment!
Also in the beginning of March, my brother informed me that Albania was going to have its first Stake. Beautiful and touching news! My brother was called to be the first Stake President, thus continuing to make history for our little family, first to be baptized, and now first stake president. What an amazing opportunity and responsibility! It is interesting how we each choose our life's path with our mortal minds and limited vision, and then the Lord opens up possibilities, that if chosen, can bless our life and those around. I see that clearly in my brother's life, his choices, career paths, and then ultimately in the Lord's guidance.
I've realized that being Christ's disciple is the hardest thing. Discipleship doesn't pertain only to following his commandments, but doing what He would want you to do, what he would do himself at all times. I've tried throughout my life to have that as my guiding dictum, and I've been blessed well beyond my imagination. But it has come with a price: the one price that the Savior himself had to pay - giving of one's self completely. The hardest thing for me is reconciling my faith that God has my back with the fact that I haven't made much of my life on a personal level, because that person was asked to be given. How do I reconcile my belief that God wants all of us to reach our potential, to be the best we can, to reach for the sky, to never settle for mediocrity, and the reality that my time, energy, and mental capacity is spent on one area of life (motherhood), when I know my drive, ambition, and mental abilities, if allowed to be pursued, could conquer a country?! Following the will of the Lord when the choice has been offered has been relatively easy; living with that choice day after day, being a true disciple of Christ in action instead of just faith, has proven to be the test of my life. Why do I continue to follow a path that requires such sacrifice? On bad days, I could say, gosh, I don't know, maybe life's circumstances at the moment don't allow me to choose my own path. And yes, there is some truth in that. But on good days, I would answer that I know God loves me, and the way I show him I love Him is by being his true disciple - and the road to true discipleship isn't easy, but it's worth it. I don't think my brother was looking to live in Albania, or even be a leader in a relatively new Mormon congregation, but the call was issued by the Lord, and his life is blessed for the better.
Life in March continued to be relatively calm and without too many activities. I tried to store my energy for the culminating experience that would result in Rebekah's wedding in the end of March. Meanwhile, during the month itself, I taught a really entertaining lesson on Matisse and Paul Klee, two artists of totally different art movements, but who used their love for space and shape in their own creations. The kids truly took off with their own imagination and I felt impressed with each of their masterpieces.
The kids continued to take turns in cooking, helping with chores inside and outside, and when mom wasn't feeling up to snuff, they would take off outside for hours playing with each other, making up new games, and rehearsing for various plays of their own creations.
Two days before we were to leave for Idaho to attend Rebekah's wedding, and which days I really needed for laundry and cleaning the house, my brilliant, but procrastinating child, Jefferson, reminded me that his California mission model was due the next day. Furthermore, always wanting to be different and share original excitement with his classmates, he expressed a desire to make the model completely eatable! We stayed till the wee hours of the morning, but we were able to accomplish this interesting feat with flying colors. The next day, after the teacher graded it, it was devoured by hungry 4th graders exclaiming that it was the best model cake they had ever had!
The night before we left for our 14 hour trip to Idaho, Elijah gave me a blessing of good health and safe travel, which I have to say worked wonders for me, because I felt better than I had ever felt during this whole pregnancy. The kids did amazingly well, with each of them reading, coloring/drawing, and playing with each other. They watched only one movie the entire time, and I rarely heard them fight. I was grateful for that special tender mercy.
We enjoyed Rebekah's wedding, cried and laughed at being together and seeing my little sister get married, had good food, met new people, and enjoyed Elijah's family reunion. The children loved being with their grandparents, aunts and uncles, and of course their cousins. I wish the Utah Garmons made a bit more of an effort to visit with their California Garmons. I think we've seen them as often as we get to see my brother's family who live on the other side of the world.
The wedding ceremony was sweet, and Rebekah looked stunning, befitting to a beautiful young woman on her wedding day. The weather worked out great, and we all had a great time taking pictures of each other, and especially of the happy bride and groom.
The reception was a lot of fun, with all of us dancing and singing our hearts out. My little baby inside me must have loved all of that moving and jumping, because I didn't feel sick the whole time we were jamming. The prize for the best cousin went to James, who played well with his older siblings and cousins, but who also never forgot to pay attention to the little ones. Hannah was often found roaming around alone, and I would always see James go to the rescue and make her happy. My sweet, loving James. Charlton and Matthew became best buddies and they weren't heard much. Gillian tried very hard to be kind and attentive to her younger cousins, but being a young woman herself, she really wanted to dance and talk with the adults, and I totally understood. As for Jefferson, half way through the reception, he overcame his shyness and danced with me through many songs, as well as with every member of his family. I remember my older kids dancing during Sarah's wedding reception, and they were younger then. This time they each could hold their own. Well, what can you expect when the first movies they watched were of Gene Kelly dancing in the rain, and Fred Astaire twirling his dame around the ballroom dance floor. Here is to Rebekah and Zach who gave us the chance to show our own moves! Best wishes to the happy couple!
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