Thought that was a good title for this post. If you read my last post you know that I have been reading my family history on familysearch.org. It has been so interesting, exciting, and overall just awesome! I love learning about my family members and being able to feel like I can get to know them and who they were. I love when I can pick out traits that I or someone in my family has that an ancestor also had.
Well, tonight I have been reading about Vilate Murray Kimball. Just a little background: She is my great-great-great grandmother, wife of Heber C. Kimball (the first). Heber C. Kimball being one of the first to join the church and be in the presidency and lead the pioneers across the plains. Vilate was his first (of many) wives who he loved dearly. Their son, David Patten Kimball begat Heber C. Kimball who begat Milton Chase Kimball who begat Brady Kimball who begat...ME! (Feel like you're reading the Old Testament yet?)
Anyway, Vilate wrote her autobiography and they put parts of it on the website. There is part that I want to share because it really stood out to me.
I consider my testimony of the Book of Mormon to be one of the biggest parts of my entire testimony. Especially, the more I read my family history. Learning that my ancestors were there when it was translated and they were the first to teach others about it definitely helps. So tonight I read something I had never heard of before in family history or church history. It was quite the testimony builder and I can't even imagine what Heber and Vilate must have been feeling and thinking at the time. How lucky they are to have experienced the things they did, even if their trials were hard.
Here is the part I'm talking about:
Here I will relate a marvelous incident, of date previous to our entering the Church.
(They hadn't joined the church yet!)
On the night of the 22nd of September, 1827, while living in the town of Mendon, after we retired to bed, John P. Green, who was then a traveling Reformed Methodist preacher, living within one hundred steps of our house, came and called my husband to come out and see the sight in the heavens.
Heber awoke me, and Sister Fanny Young (sister of Brigham), who was living with us, and we all went out-of- doors.
It was one of the most beautiful starlight nights so clear we could see to pick up a pin.
We looked to the eastern horizon, and beheld a white smoke arise towards the heavens. As it ascended, it formed into a belt, and made a noise like the rushing wind, and continued southwest, forming a regular bow, dipping in the western horizon.
After the bow had formed, it began to widen out, growing transparent, of a bluish cast.
It grew wide enough to contain twelve men abreast. In this bow an army moved, commencing from the east and marching to the west. They continued moving until they reached the western horizon. They moved in platoons, and walked so close the rear ranks trod in the steps of their file leaders, until the whole bow was literally crowded with soldiers.
We could distinctly see the muskets, bayonets and knapsacks of the men, who wore caps and feathers like those used by the American soldiers in the last war with Great Britain. We also saw their officers with their swords and equipage, and heard the clashing and jingling of their instruments of war, and could discern the form and features of the men. The most profound order existed throughout the entire army.
When the foremost man stepped, every man stepped at the same time. We could hear their steps.
When the front rank reached the western horizon, a battle ensued, as we could hear the report of the arms, and the rush.
None can judge of our feelings as we beheld this army of spirits as plainly as ever armies of men were seen in the flesh. Every hair of our heads seemed alive.
We gazed upon this scenery for hours, until it began to disappear.
After we became acquainted with Mormonism, we learned that this took place the same evening that Joseph Smith received the records of the Book of Mormon from the angel Moroni, who had held those records in his possession.
(Say wha...??!!! That is amazing!)
Father Young, and John P. Green's wife (Brigham's sister Rhoda), were also witnesses of this marvelous scene. Frightened at what we saw, I said, Father Young, what does all this mean? He answered, "Why it is one of the signs of the coming of the Son of Man."
Now, if that isn't testimony building, I don't know what is.
I love my family history. I am proud of my ancestors and all they did, not only for my immediate family but for others around them and their families down the line. Not to mention all the work they did for the church. And to think about the church now and what it has become. To hear (in other parts of Vilate's autobiography) about the building of the Kirkland Temple and how challenging that was versus today when we now have hundreds of Temples, being build a few a year with no thought of not being able to have the means necessary or fear of persecution.
I am so thankful for the times I live in, the technology I have access to, and everything my ancestors did for me, not even knowing or thinking about it. I am so lucky and so glad to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints.
Sunday, November 8, 2015
Sunday, October 25, 2015
Grandma Lottie
Mom and I had a fun day, yesterday. Mom discovered some information on Familysearch.org. One of the things she found was that my great-great-grandmother was buried in Provo. We had never been to her grave so we decided to take an adventure to find it.
Of course, it was Saturday so the office was closed. We only knew a general area that she was buried. Mom said when she was little her grandma told her that she was buried "over there". Provo cemetery is huge!
We did a lot of walking and eventually I decided to see what I could find online. Success! I found the location. We were looking in the wrong area. Eventually, we found it. It was so exciting after all that looking!
Not only did we find her headstone but we also found her husband, who was next to her, and her in-laws who had the biggest headstone I could see in the cemetery!
Of course, it was Saturday so the office was closed. We only knew a general area that she was buried. Mom said when she was little her grandma told her that she was buried "over there". Provo cemetery is huge!
We did a lot of walking and eventually I decided to see what I could find online. Success! I found the location. We were looking in the wrong area. Eventually, we found it. It was so exciting after all that looking!
Not only did we find her headstone but we also found her husband, who was next to her, and her in-laws who had the biggest headstone I could see in the cemetery!
According to a story I found on familysearch.org Henry Davis Sr. was a horse trainer and very well known. Maybe that's how they got such a huge headstone. I don't think you can tell how big it is from the picture but it is probably a foot or more taller than me!
Mom and I were discussing why Lottie always seems to be a big part of our family history and why we always think of her. I told her I thought it was because we take pride in our Irish history and she's the only one that we know of her story.
Lottie was actually Charlotte but she always went by Lottie. We think that the headstone doesn't have her full name because she never went by her full name and it was probably cheaper to engrave less letters.
She came to America from Ireland when she was 18. She traveled by herself on a ship for 6 weeks before reaching New York City. She lived with her cousin who was married to a Presbyterian Minister. They moved from NY to Florida and then to Utah. Lottie was working for a family in Payson when she met her husband, Henry. According to the story it was love at first sight and they were married within a month. (Guess quick relationships run in the family!) I also found out that they had 11 children but 3 of them died as babies. My great grandmother was the youngest.
 |
| Henry and Lottie Davis |
I'm so grateful that we have access to this kind of information and grateful for the people who have worked hard to not only keep up on genealogy but also post things like the story I read and other pictures. To think, we have been so close to my great-great grandparents and my great-great-great grandparents and never even knew it!
I can't wait to see what else I can discover and see what kind of adventures I can go on next!
Sunday, February 22, 2015
Kids Keep Growing
Jaysen is getting bigger and learning every day. It's hard to keep up on all the new things. He is now 22 months. At 18 months I was a little worried because he wasn't talking at all. He would whine and motion and make noises when he wanted something but as far as real words goes he would only say "ma". So his doctor and I decided it might be a good idea to have his speech/learning tested. They didn't make it out for a couple months because of busy schedules, and by the time they made it out his speech had totally blossomed. He went from no words to about 10 small words and noises that sounded more like words. And he learns a new one almost every day.
They still did the testing and told me that in order for him to qualify for therapy he would have to score in the 7th percentile or less of kids his age. He didn't qualify and I wasn't surprised. I'm glad to know that nothing is wrong, he just takes a little longer to do things as some kids his age, and that's ok!
This last week he said my favorite word of all, "mommy"! He doesn't say it often but when he does it just melts my heart. Other things he says are: Tak you (thank you), up, eese (please), uh-huh, nu-huh, yeah, owe, hot, ya you (love you), es you (excuse you). He can say a few others when I ask him to but those are the ones he uses on his own. I've got him to say eat, rio (as in Café Rio), bath, two, yee haw, cereal. And he can bark like a dog and meow like a cat.
He is stubborn. When you tell him no he will just look at you almost questioning if you are serious or not and trying to decide if he can do it anyway. If he wants something, you can't distract him from it. Most kids you can give a different toy or try and show them something else, not Jaysen. He wants it and he will still want it ten minutes from now.
He still has his binky. His dino binky to be exact. It has a stuffed dinosaur attached so that you can find it easier. I love it and so does he. We've started hiding it during the day and I'm sure that's helped with his talking but we haven't decided to cut him off yet.
He is my sweetheart. He gives great hugs and kisses and loves to cuddle...when it is on his terms, of course.
He knows how to find his eyes, ears, mouth, head, hands, tummy, feet, and toes.
He is my dare devil. Just this week he has tried to walk right off the couch (Jake caught him) and then he thought it was a funny game and kept trying it. And he climbed from the bench next to the table onto the top of the high chair. The older he gets it seems like the less fear he has. I have a feeling he will be the one that scares his mother to death (look mom, no hands!).
He is getting more and more picky. UGH! When he finds something he likes (at that time) he will eat so much you'd think there is a hole in his leg or something where the food falls out. He just can't get enough. It's just finding something he wants. Lately he is really into fruit, apples, bananas, grapes, etc. And not so much into sandwiches, which used to be his favorite. Now, it's two bites and done. He loves yogurt on a good day and he loves cereal. Crackers and granola bars are also a big hit right now.
Kyler is 4 now! Where did time go? Sometimes I get teary-eyed when I think of how little he was and how fast time has gone by. He is in preschool and loves it. Since he has a late birthday he will have another year of preschool that starts in the fall and then he will go to kindergarten the next year. And I am just fine with that. I don't want him to grow up so fast!
He is the best big brother. He is always willing to help when Jaysen needs something. He is an expert sharer. He is very patient with his brother and knows how to talk kindly to him instead of yelling at him or getting upset. He likes to teach Jaysen how to do things and they love to play together.
He is turning into our little thinker. He is always telling us about an idea he has or asking how something works. I think I've said this before but his favorite shows to watch are what I like to call thinking shows. He loves Mythbusters and Dirty Jobs and Top Gear. What 4 year old do you know that asks to watch those over Mickey Mouse or Henry Huggle Monster?
He is still working on letters but is doing really well when it comes to recognizing a lot of them. He knows most of the letters in his name and he has been practicing writing them.
When it comes to eating he is the opposite of his brother. He is willing to try things and eat new things but he doesn't eat much. At least he eats.
He doesn't know how to do very much at a high speed. He prefers slow. Very slow. As in he is always the last one eating, even when he eats less than everyone. He takes his time getting dressed and putting his shoes on, even when mommy tells him we are late 10 times and he needs to hurry.
He is a daddy's boy. He loves to help Jake with whatever he is doing. Either they are out in the shop building something or in the kitchen cooking or just laying on the couch together. He sure loves his daddy.
Speaking of daddy, Jake has been busy this year. He cleaned out his whole work shop last summer and rebuilt benches and shelves and cupboards to put all his tools and stuff. Its now a very efficient work space. His first big project was our new dining room table. He built it using no nails or screws, just wood and glue. It is gorgeous and I love it. It has a bench on one side and he is building chairs for the other side and the ends. I am so proud of him. He is really good about making something happen when he gets an idea.
Work has been busy for him. He is still at the Orem Sizzler as the GM. He has been short at least one manager all year. He works really hard at work and at home and I am so proud of him.
His ankle has finally healed up (its been 2 years!) and he has started playing church ball again. I can't say I love it but I am proud of him for getting back at it.
Hmm...what else? Oh, me. Well, nothing much new with me. Still loving being a mom and working part time at the doctor's office. We upgraded to electronic charts and it has been quite the ride for all of us. Some things are easier and others are harder or more time consuming than paper charts. I think I can finally say I have gotten used to things and have more of a rhythm now. I still love my job, maybe not everything about it, but in general, it's great!)
The winter seemed to bring a state of depression upon me and for awhile I just blamed the weather. Being cold made me want to stay cuddled up on the couch and not do anything. Well, this winter wasn't too bad at all and I started to notice that it didn't matter what the weather was, I just wasn't in the mood to do anything. One day, I slept all day, off and on. That's when I decided I should do something about it. When it first started I went to the doctor and he checked my thyroid and said it was fine. Sadly, I think that made me more depressed knowing it wasn't anything physical that was wrong with me. It was mental. So last week I went to my therapist (love her!) and we've worked out a plan to get me out of this funk. I just started but I have high hopes that I can get back to my normal self, energy and all!
I blame Jake for this next part...He recorded a movie for me to watch. Divergent. I'd never heard of it but watched it because he said I'd like it. I didn't. I loved it! I watched it again and then found out it was a book. My brother-in-law had it so I borrowed it and read it and then borrowed the second one and read it and now I'm waiting to borrow the last one. I also might have bought the sound track...Yeah, I'm a little obsessed. Not sure why, but it's true. I'm sure everyone around me is so tired of hearing about it. The second movie will be out in March and I can't wait. I may or may not have a count down on my phone. Some people are obsessed with Harry Potter or Doctor Who or whatever, I get Divergent.
Well, that's about it for us. Hope you enjoyed our update!
They still did the testing and told me that in order for him to qualify for therapy he would have to score in the 7th percentile or less of kids his age. He didn't qualify and I wasn't surprised. I'm glad to know that nothing is wrong, he just takes a little longer to do things as some kids his age, and that's ok!
This last week he said my favorite word of all, "mommy"! He doesn't say it often but when he does it just melts my heart. Other things he says are: Tak you (thank you), up, eese (please), uh-huh, nu-huh, yeah, owe, hot, ya you (love you), es you (excuse you). He can say a few others when I ask him to but those are the ones he uses on his own. I've got him to say eat, rio (as in Café Rio), bath, two, yee haw, cereal. And he can bark like a dog and meow like a cat.
He is stubborn. When you tell him no he will just look at you almost questioning if you are serious or not and trying to decide if he can do it anyway. If he wants something, you can't distract him from it. Most kids you can give a different toy or try and show them something else, not Jaysen. He wants it and he will still want it ten minutes from now.
He still has his binky. His dino binky to be exact. It has a stuffed dinosaur attached so that you can find it easier. I love it and so does he. We've started hiding it during the day and I'm sure that's helped with his talking but we haven't decided to cut him off yet.
He is my sweetheart. He gives great hugs and kisses and loves to cuddle...when it is on his terms, of course.
He knows how to find his eyes, ears, mouth, head, hands, tummy, feet, and toes.
He is my dare devil. Just this week he has tried to walk right off the couch (Jake caught him) and then he thought it was a funny game and kept trying it. And he climbed from the bench next to the table onto the top of the high chair. The older he gets it seems like the less fear he has. I have a feeling he will be the one that scares his mother to death (look mom, no hands!).
He is getting more and more picky. UGH! When he finds something he likes (at that time) he will eat so much you'd think there is a hole in his leg or something where the food falls out. He just can't get enough. It's just finding something he wants. Lately he is really into fruit, apples, bananas, grapes, etc. And not so much into sandwiches, which used to be his favorite. Now, it's two bites and done. He loves yogurt on a good day and he loves cereal. Crackers and granola bars are also a big hit right now.
Kyler is 4 now! Where did time go? Sometimes I get teary-eyed when I think of how little he was and how fast time has gone by. He is in preschool and loves it. Since he has a late birthday he will have another year of preschool that starts in the fall and then he will go to kindergarten the next year. And I am just fine with that. I don't want him to grow up so fast!
He is the best big brother. He is always willing to help when Jaysen needs something. He is an expert sharer. He is very patient with his brother and knows how to talk kindly to him instead of yelling at him or getting upset. He likes to teach Jaysen how to do things and they love to play together.
He is turning into our little thinker. He is always telling us about an idea he has or asking how something works. I think I've said this before but his favorite shows to watch are what I like to call thinking shows. He loves Mythbusters and Dirty Jobs and Top Gear. What 4 year old do you know that asks to watch those over Mickey Mouse or Henry Huggle Monster?
He is still working on letters but is doing really well when it comes to recognizing a lot of them. He knows most of the letters in his name and he has been practicing writing them.
When it comes to eating he is the opposite of his brother. He is willing to try things and eat new things but he doesn't eat much. At least he eats.
He doesn't know how to do very much at a high speed. He prefers slow. Very slow. As in he is always the last one eating, even when he eats less than everyone. He takes his time getting dressed and putting his shoes on, even when mommy tells him we are late 10 times and he needs to hurry.
He is a daddy's boy. He loves to help Jake with whatever he is doing. Either they are out in the shop building something or in the kitchen cooking or just laying on the couch together. He sure loves his daddy.
Speaking of daddy, Jake has been busy this year. He cleaned out his whole work shop last summer and rebuilt benches and shelves and cupboards to put all his tools and stuff. Its now a very efficient work space. His first big project was our new dining room table. He built it using no nails or screws, just wood and glue. It is gorgeous and I love it. It has a bench on one side and he is building chairs for the other side and the ends. I am so proud of him. He is really good about making something happen when he gets an idea.
Work has been busy for him. He is still at the Orem Sizzler as the GM. He has been short at least one manager all year. He works really hard at work and at home and I am so proud of him.
His ankle has finally healed up (its been 2 years!) and he has started playing church ball again. I can't say I love it but I am proud of him for getting back at it.
Hmm...what else? Oh, me. Well, nothing much new with me. Still loving being a mom and working part time at the doctor's office. We upgraded to electronic charts and it has been quite the ride for all of us. Some things are easier and others are harder or more time consuming than paper charts. I think I can finally say I have gotten used to things and have more of a rhythm now. I still love my job, maybe not everything about it, but in general, it's great!)
The winter seemed to bring a state of depression upon me and for awhile I just blamed the weather. Being cold made me want to stay cuddled up on the couch and not do anything. Well, this winter wasn't too bad at all and I started to notice that it didn't matter what the weather was, I just wasn't in the mood to do anything. One day, I slept all day, off and on. That's when I decided I should do something about it. When it first started I went to the doctor and he checked my thyroid and said it was fine. Sadly, I think that made me more depressed knowing it wasn't anything physical that was wrong with me. It was mental. So last week I went to my therapist (love her!) and we've worked out a plan to get me out of this funk. I just started but I have high hopes that I can get back to my normal self, energy and all!
I blame Jake for this next part...He recorded a movie for me to watch. Divergent. I'd never heard of it but watched it because he said I'd like it. I didn't. I loved it! I watched it again and then found out it was a book. My brother-in-law had it so I borrowed it and read it and then borrowed the second one and read it and now I'm waiting to borrow the last one. I also might have bought the sound track...Yeah, I'm a little obsessed. Not sure why, but it's true. I'm sure everyone around me is so tired of hearing about it. The second movie will be out in March and I can't wait. I may or may not have a count down on my phone. Some people are obsessed with Harry Potter or Doctor Who or whatever, I get Divergent.
Well, that's about it for us. Hope you enjoyed our update!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)