The Lamoreaux Family

Saturday, January 26, 2013

The Canterville Ghost

After weeks of hard work and many rehearsals...

Aliysa and Jace and the rest of their advanced acting class ("ACTivate") are performing their play "The Canterville Ghost" to rave reviews. They had three performances this week and will have 3 more next week. It is a delightful play with amazing acting, impressive costumes, set, and top-notch direction.

Jace plays Lord Cecil Rowland, a proper gentleman

Aliysa plays Lady Catherine Delamere, an overbearing presumptuous woman who is determined to marry her daughter, Primrose off to Lord Cecil.

These pictures are from their dress rehearsal. More performance pictures to come next week...

Quantitive bhcg test

When I e-mailed my oncologist to tell him that my hcg level was the same, he wrote back:

"Tasha, call the lab. Tell them that the test is a 'quantitative tumor titer' because of the diagnosis of 'Trophoblastic Disease' and find out what their 'normal range' is for this situation."

This confused my doctor's office, and they eventually told me that it looked like we had been doing the wrong hcg test. Of course, I was worried about how this would change my result. I should get the result from the new test on Monday.

It looks like it wasn't so much the wrong test, as Dr. Jolles wants to do a specific test that will show what the hcg from the tumor is, if there is any.

Here is his explanation:

"Tumors produce different types of beta-hCG that may be detected. We are just verifying that we know the date that your level normalizes because we use it to determine safe followup in the year to come. I am thinking that it is possible that levels less than 3.2 are considered normal in their lab. The tumor titer normally reads anything less than 1 as normal. Let me know what it shows."

So, on Monday we'll see how much hcg is actually in my blood from the cancer. I feel that I have been healed from cancer. I'm just waiting for the blood test to show that.

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Our Homes are to be Mission Training Centers

“The new MTC is the home,... The new family history center is the home. This teaching model [the new curriculum] is going to help the youth and the parents, both, in that role.”

-Elder Boyd K. Packer

Read more about how the Lord is "hastening his work"

Raw foods

I liked reading this article about "8 Ways To Eat More Raw Foods"
I think it is a motivating article

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Hmph.

My hcg level stayed exactly the same this week. 2.4, exactly!

Soon I'm going to get to zero, and we'll take my sister-in-law Tara's suggestion of declaring a carrot juice toast on that day. So, get your carrots and juicer ready, a juice celebration is coming soon! If you don't have a juicer, you can make a salad!

Monday, January 21, 2013

Spudman

Spencer (Spud) has been being creative with his construction set, Construx.

I think soon everyone will be wearing a name helmet.

Sunday, January 20, 2013

Smiles

I think every home should have a two year old. Taycie is constantly filling our lives with joy and enthusiasm. Her smiles are the funniest lately. I love her happiness, bear hugs, and smooches. Even though she is constantly exploring and getting into things lately, it is so fun to watch her grow and learn. We love you little Taycie Grace!

Mallory dressed her up and took her out in the snowy front yard for a photo shoot

Sledding

We went sledding on a frozen lake

Abby surprised me by being brave in the frigid temperatures

Even Taycie was brave...

...for a while. She was braver than me, though. I was ready to leave during the walk to the hill from the van. I have no cold tolerance lately. And it was COLD.

Abby's ready to go too.

So, I left with the two little girls and left Bob and these braver children.

One last run with Taycie.

I'm so grateful for a big strong husband who is also an amazingly sweet and fun dad.

Christmas

Making gingerbread cookies at Grandma and Grandpa's house

During the Christmas program at the Senior Citizen Center

Well, I'm not quite a month late for Christmas pictures. We had a wonderful, amazing Christmas. We were able to do a Christmas program, we got to go to Utah and be lifted by spending time with family, and then come home and spend Christmas with our own family. We had many, many Christmas angels who blessed us with gifts galore, food, a car, and much more. We were so touched. Our difficult year ended with happy memories. I love Christmastime!

Heading downstairs. Abby isn't happy because it's early and Taycie got ahead.

Taycie, thinking "I'm not sure what all this early morning fuss is all about...?"

Checking out the stockings


These stockings were crocheted by Bob's Grandma.

And the present opening begins!

Taycie got an adorable hat and gloves. Thanks!

Abby's new hat

The boys and their BYU hats

Aliysa's new socks and hat

Spencer enjoying the day

Courtney, already wearing her colored jeans that she squealed and danced about.

Jace likes Courtney's soft fuzzy pillow. He constantly steals it. Jace, we'll get you a pink fuzzy pillow someday too.

You know you're a health nut when you're smiling about a book titled "Gut and Psychology Syndrome"

Aliysa opening a new phone - her day was made. Her phone had broken a few days before.

Yes, I know I'm cute. New necklace, skirt, and dress up shoes. What more could Abby need?

Oh, how I adore these little girls. look at all the pink, sparkly, glittery. I love it.

This was one of my favorite gifts of the day. All the kids buy a present for one of their siblings. Abby had Spencer. We let her choose the gift. And she chose a truly heartfelt one from a 4 year old girl - Barbie Jacks, and a soft bunny rattle. Spencer was a great sport about it, and we all tried to hide our laughter from Abby.

Fill the spiritual needs

“some parents become so expert at filling every physical desire for their children that they begin to suppose that all is well in this life and that their eternal stewardship is progressing right on schedule. … I believe that we must pause and take a careful inventory to determine how well our families are doing spiritually. We could ask how well are we feeding, nurturing, training, and exercising the spirits of our children; or how well have we taught, trained, loved, and inspired our children to build their spiritual muscles and strength? … Remember, eternity is now, not a vague, distant future. We prepare each day, right now, for eternal life. If we are not preparing for eternal life, we are preparing for something else, perhaps something far less.”

–M. Russell Ballard

Pray with your little ones

"Behold your little ones. Pray with them. Pray for them and bless them. The world into which they are moving is a complex and difficult world. They will run into heavy seas of adversity. They will need all the strength and all the faith you can give them while they are yet near you. And they also will need a greater strength which comes of a higher power. They must do more than go along with what they find.

They must lift the world, and the only levers they will have are the example of their own lives and the powers of persuasion that will come of their testimonies and their knowledge of the things of God. They will need the help of the Lord. While they are young, pray with them that they may come to know that source of strength which shall then always be available in every hour of need."

-Gordon B. Hinckley

Be Wise In Our Diet

“…let us consider our relationship with ourselves. We must each take proper care to see that the little things regarding our personal life are in order. We must learn to care for our health and our mental well-being. Do we maintain proper exercise to give us the energy and alertness of mind necessary to keep our spirit strong & our attitude positive? Are we wise in our diet? Do we avoid the unnourishing snack that might keep our stomach full but our health quite empty?

–Joseph B. Wirthlin, Finding Peace in Our Lives, p. 59

Turn it off, walk out...

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland:

“Tragically, the same computer and Internet service that allows me to do my family history and prepare those names for temple work could, without filters and controls, allow my children or grandchildren access to a global cesspool of perceptions that could blast a crater in their brains forever. . .

“Along with filters on computers and a lock on affections, remember that the only real control in life is self-control. Exercise more control over even the marginal moments that confront you. If a TV show is indecent, turn it off. If a movie is crude, walk out. If an improper relationship is developing, sever it. Many of these influences, at least initially, may not technically be evil, but they can blunt our judgment, dull our spirituality, and lead to something that could be evil. An old proverb says that a journey of a thousand miles begins with one step, so watch your step.” (Place No More For the Enemy of My Soul, April 2010)

Only a teacher

"If any parent needs added inspiration to commence his God-given teaching task, let him remember that the most powerful combination of emotions in the world is not called out by any grand cosmic events nor found in novels or history books—but merely by a parent gazing down upon a sleeping child. That glorious biblical passage, 'created in the image of God,' will acquire new and vibrant meaning as a parent repeats this experience. Home will become a haven called heaven, and loving parents will teach their children 'to pray, and to walk uprightly before the Lord.' (D&C 68:28.)"
--Thomas S. Monson

Quote

“Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on: you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently he starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of—throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were going to be made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. …”
--C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

Raise up patriots

The importance of teaching & training

"In 1904, President Joseph F. Smith said to parents: “Do not let your children out to specialists … , but teach them by your own precept and example, by your own fireside. Be a specialist yourself in the truth.

… Not one child in a hundred would go astray, if the home environment, example and training, were in harmony with the truth in the gospel of Christ, as revealed and taught to the Latter-day Saints.”

The ideal way to transform your home into a house of learning is to hold family home evening faithfully. The Church has reserved Monday evening for that purpose. In 1915, the First Presidency instructed local leaders and parents to inaugurate a home evening, a time when parents should teach their families the principles of the gospel.

The Presidency wrote: “If the Saints obey this counsel, we promise that great blessings will result. Love at home and obedience to parents will increase. Faith will be developed in the hearts of the youth of Israel, and they will gain power to combat the evil influence and temptations which beset them.”

President David O. McKay gave the same promise in 1965 and added that the youth will gain power “to choose righteousness and peace, and be assured an eternal place in the family circle of our Father.”

In 1976, the Presidency reaffirmed that “regular participation in family home evening will develop increased personal worth, family unity, love for our fellowmen, and trust in our Father in heaven.

Considering these glorious promises, we would expect every faithful member to be exceedingly diligent in following this prophetic counsel. But, of course, we are all human, and our best plans don’t always materialize. Why not? Let it not be for lack of commitment."

--Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin, Spiritually Strong Homes and Families

Our Health Duty

“I am grateful to understand that my physical body is an eternal component of my eternal soul, and that I have a duty to honor and respect and care for it, and to refrain from knowingly imposing upon it any treatment or substances deleterious to it. While I could not choose nor govern the condition of the body into which I came, I have the responsibility to give it the best care I can, and if I do not I am acting in derogation of a great gift of God.”
--Marion D. Hanks, “For Man is Spirit”

Come to the Temple

"The season of the world before us will be like no other in the history of mankind. Just as this is the dispensation of the fullness of times, so it is also the dispensation of the fullness of evil. There is no safety in the world: wealth cannot provide it, enforcement agencies cannot assure it, membership in this church alone cannot bring it. We must come to the temple for light and safety. There are hosts of unseen sentinels watching over and guarding our temples. There will come a period of time when even the elect will lose hope if they do not come to the temples. They will long to bring their children here for safety's sake. The covenants and ordinances will fill us with faith as a living fire. In a day of desolating sickness, scorched earth, barren wastes, sickening plagues, disease, destruction, and death: we as a people will rest in the shade of trees, we will drink from the cooling fountain. We will abide in places of refuge from the storm, we will mount up as on eagle's wings."
--Vaughn J. Featherstone