I have recently learned that everything that I say, or write, can and will be used against me ... even the good stuff! Because of this strange new reality, I am adding a little "Disclaimer" on my blog, to make sure my writing efforts here on www.clingtocourage.com are more clear and concise and will not be misconstrued.
My blog isn't a play-by-play of factual happenings in my life.
Does anyone write the full story on social media? I think not. I certainly do not write my full story on my blog for the world to read, just bits and pieces of this and that.
There have been plenty of times where awful things have happened and I have not shared a word about it, because, well, I just can't. And it will always be true, that some level of discretion and privacy is needed when sharing life happenings on the internet. I share pieces of the puzzle, not the full picture. The only One who sees the full picture and complexities of my life is God. I am grateful He is my judge.
So, here is my disclaimer:
(And it can always be found right under the "Cling to Courage" blog header.)
DISCLAIMER
This blog is where I record a limited depiction of my feelings, family, and faith. My blog was recently under intense scrutiny, and so I feel this disclaimer is necessary. I try to tell my story as openly as I can, but this blog represents a cropped and narrow-viewed version of my story -- like all social media -- it is NOT the full story. Many events happen behind the scenes that are not recorded or written about, due to the sensitive nature of others involved. Life has many layers. Many layers can be shared and many cannot, and this blog is simply a layer of my life that I allow others to view, but it is not an accurate depiction of all the layers of my life.
On that note... let's move forward, shall we? Yes, we shall.
I am SO READY to move forward from some of the insanity that has been going on lately.
For now... let's look at some fun bits and pieces pictures! Yay!
Have you ever tried looking at life from a different perspective? Johnathan has... he likes to see the world from upside-down. I haven't tried looking upside down lately, maybe I should?
Johnathan is turning into such a cute little boy. He is no longer a baby.
Here we have a couple of older cute boys enjoying a nice sunny day in the backyard here in Spokane. Daniel enjoys wearing his family Tartan whenever he can.
And we are upside-down again.
And again...
My boys like to play with these really fun toys. I got them for Johnanthan, but they are fun for all.
I have been spending a lot of time in the temple lately. I LOVE it there! It is a place of peace amidst the CHAOS of life.
A gorgeous sunset with a single storm cloud.
I have a great view of the sunset from my back deck.
Why is Spring hiding this year? I am pretty done with the snow.
And more snow...
I had my kids visit Spokane, the original reason was not so fun, but we made our gathering fun regardless, because that is who we are! The kiddos sang for me, and that warmed my heart! I miss the music!
Yay for FAMILY!
Sammi serenading us on the piano. The piano has missed her.
Soaking in the sunshine!
Laying on the hammock together like we used to. :) Do I look concerned? I have been concerned here lately, for sure. It is hard to hide that concerned look on my face.
Cuties. My parents came to Spokane too, to help me through some hard times.
Sammi helping Johnathan.
A rainbow shining through on April 1st. A little love symbol from Charles. It has been 9 years since he passed away.
The big boys ready to leg wrestle.
Sammi wanted to join the party too.
The big kiddos gathered in the basement for games. They LOVE playing games together. I joined them sometimes too. ;)
Gorgeous clouds.
Learning how to interior design using himself as an accent piece.
Johnathan loves to sit in my cozy red chair. The chair was left with the house, and it is my FAVORITE!
Henry is such a great big brother to Johnathan.
Working on some letters and numbers.
And shapes.
William showing off a cool LEGO set.
Henry showing his cool LEGOS.
Johnathan loves being outside.
And watching the spinning thing in our backyard.
Oh look... it is a picture of Sammi... she made the frame in her art class.
She is majoring in Art, so she must look like it.
She is also a major Disney Princess at parties... she has done most of them!
Merida... (I think she was just trying this costume on for fun.)
Anna... super cutie!
Ariel...
I love how everyone is working creatively on something different in this picture.
Sammi drawing with Henry.
Sammi giving William a hug. He is still working on loving having his picture taken. William has recently worked SUPER hard, lost a bunch of weight and gotten in great shape. It is super inspiring!
This is the machine William used to get in shape. The seller left it with my home. William was super diligent and disciplined about working out on it (still is). Johnathan wanted Sammi to take him on a ride on the machine.
Stacking cups... a favorite thing to play with.
Johnathan often stacks them by color.
He found a Santa hat and wanted to wear it. So cute.
Clouds... I love these kind of puffy clouds.
More Santa hat cuteness.
Johnathan loves his boots. He loves that he can put them on himself.
He has certainly needed his boots this year!
It is interesting because in Spokane, there are still trees that never lost their leaves. So, the Fall leaves are still there in the Spring, except Spring looks like winter. Crazy! Gorgeous though!
More cups...
Sweet baby was sick, but he still looked precious.
The sun comes through these doors and makes rainbows... it is really amazing. I love it.
Because sometimes you need a bulk-sized pack of stress balls.
Family game time, which included Sammi on FaceTime. :)
I love my boys. They are so much fun together.
Family games... see Sammi on FaceTime? :)
Either Sammi is giving Henry life advice, or Henry is giving Sammi life advice. I am not sure which?
Preparing for battle.
This was one of Charles' games... Bounce the Broom. It was SO funny how long it took William to figure it out. We were dying laughing SO hard!
Daniel seeing if he could carry Henry out of a burning building... Yes, he could.
And William too.
Chilling in the toy room.
Playing his dad's guitar.
The boots.
Fun playroom.
I got a splash table for inside during the winter. It is messy, but fun!
Johnathan loves his grandpa. He wanted him to push him on his little car... a little too far down for grandpa.
He would follow him around into the kitchen. Grandpa doesn't always wear a suit, but he had just returned from the temple. My parents were a huge help to me, when I needed them.
I loved General Conference, it was SO needed.
Fog on the high drive.
Cuddling with all the kiddos... Johnathan was running in circles.
I love my children SO MUCH!!!
Here we are gathered in the living room having a very interesting conversation about politics and world peace. One thing I love about my family is that we can have these kind of hard conversations, and even disagree, but we can all still learn from each other and love each other.
The van Ormers in the kitchen. Our natural habitat.
Daniel sporting his kilt and BYU hat, and a Muppet shirt.
Daniel making sure his muscles are still there.
More Disney princesses... because that's normal... and real life. Ha, ha.
This kid and his boots. Love it!
This is a beautiful building in Spokane, the Courthouse. Look at the architecture! Why don't we build like this anymore?
Such an impressive structure.
Building forts for General Conference.
A pan of some of the best brownies ever. It is an old family recipe. SO GOOD.
Ice cream. Is the best.
Enjoying the sunshine.
Johnathan found a strap on Dan's overalls and was holding on to him.
Baby blues.
More princesses.
This wig is so cute it makes bangs look good. :)
I think she does Anna SO well.
Ariel... with feet. :)
Daniel and a Performance Missionary gathering.
Daniel is going back to Nauvoo this summer for another performance mission... here he is practicing for the LIFT!
Nico eating some yummy food.
Some of Sammi's art from class. She is learning to work with different kinds of materials.
Nico and Sammi watched Johnathan and took him to the park.
Yummy food that Sammi ate. It looks amazing...
A cute pumpkin painting by Sammi.
Princesses with some BSU football players.
More Anna.
I think Anna is Sammi's other Spirit Animal besides Rapunzel.
Normal Sammi.
In-between Princess jobs.
Elsa. Sammi mentioned the children can be kind of afraid of Elsa, unless Anna is with her.
Tinkerbell!
Scarlett Witch.
Food eaten by Sammi.... hmmm... I am hungry.
More Sammi's food. And I am more hungry.
Yum. Yum. Yum!
An art project by Sammi...
Airport. Sammi is going to travel quite a bit this year. (Hopefully she will share her pictures!) ;)
BYU attired Daniel.
A pile of brothers.
Just chilling.
Sammi flying.
Sammi went to see some shows.
Beautiful snow!
Beautiful Sammi!
Scary Sammi. (She was helping a friend with a ghost project.)
Beautiful art by Sammi.
A large gathering of the Performing Missionaries at Christmas time.
Dan going to the temple with some friends.
Daniel got into the big musical production,
The Secret Garden, at BYU. If you are the area, you will have to go see it! It will be playing in November 2023. He is a lead role with lots of beautiful songs.
Dan works out daily to prepare for his mission and all the physical demands of performing.
He also enjoys eating daily... here he is with his friend Gavin, at Tucanos.
He was re-creating this picture of his Dad and Tyson at Tucanos.
BYU Dad sweatshirt. :) I am sure his dad would have been proud to wear it.
Daniel's artwork he creates on his iPad. This one is called, "Jesus is a friend of mine."
Sammi and Nico on a walk in Boise.
Sammi snuggles with Rio.
Beautiful sky, beautiful girl.
Another picture Daniel created of the First Vision.
The end.
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