Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year!

To our Family and Friends, Aloha from New Jersey!

                

                Eve has flowered into an amazing young lady this year! She turned five in November and was excited to have cupcakes at school with all her friends. She is incredibly service oriented. She helps her sisters get dressed in the morning. She has taught her sister the ABC’s. She loves to read stories. Even chapter books holds her attention. We are currently reading Harry Potter. She also demonstrated great courage in giving a talk at church and loves daddy daughter dates. She enjoys puzzles and Lego’s and she even completed a 100 piece puzzle on her own.  

               

                Esther is as talkative and vivacious as ever. This year she has gone from diapers to panties and has also started preschool, which she absolutely loves. The principal of the school told Juanita that Esther is like the mayor of the school. She is very loud and very opinionated but in a very sweet and kind way. She still loves to sing and is a quick study in picking up new songs and shows a real talent for all things musical.  She comes home from school and shares the songs that she has learned. Musical ability is definitely one of her gifts from God. She is incredibly positive and confident. She loves her high heels and the color pink and if we would let her she would wear three different dresses every day.                                                                                                

                Make no mistake. Asenath(pronounced uh-SEN-eth) rules the house.  This two year old, she bosses her sisters around and usually ends up getting what she wants. Her sisters are good sports, even when she claims everything as her own. Well established property rights and clearly defined usage rules for toys mean nothing to her. Her sisters are usually quick to accommodate her because, “she’s just a baby”. She is frequently spotted putting on her sister’s backpacks and shoes and trying to go to school. Asenath is also a terrific dancer. Whenever she hears music she starts moving and shaking her chunky two year old body. She is also following in her older sisters shoes of being very service oriented. Also her vocabulary has increased exponentially the past few months and she makes her wants and wishes known without shrieking like a velociraptor. She also is a huge cuddle bug.                                                                                                                                               

               Juanita gave birth to Zion Israel Denninghoff on the 10^th of November of this year and had her quickest delivery yet. 10 minutes after checking into the hospital our little boy was born. The nurses weren’t quite ready. They called us a “drive by” delivery.  Both Juanita and the baby are doing fine. Zion is eating and sleeping great.  After several attempts Juanita graduated with her Master’s in Education Magna Cum Laude from Arizona State in December. We are so proud of her!                                                                      

              Mark loves teaching high school English and only has his life threatened occasionally by his rambunctious 10^th graders. He enjoys his commute on the train. It has given him an excuse to do some guilt free pleasure reading. He also finished his master’s in political science from the University of Utah. At the beginning of the year Juanita was teaching and Mark was the stay at home dad and at the end of the year Mark is teaching and Juanita is the stay at home mom. Pretty crazy.                                                                               

              The Lord has watched over and protected our family so much this year. He kept us safe as we moved from Hawaii to Utah to New Jersey. Making our car start when it broke down. Miraculously taking away our children fevers after we prayed for them. The Holy Bible and the Book of Mormon have been our family study materials this year and God has given us personalized answers to our specific questions through the Holy Ghost. We love the Savior and we strive to be His disciples. Life is hard at times but we enjoy it because we are together and God gives us hope. We miss you all and hope to cross paths with you in the near future. God Bless and Happy New Year!

Delighted to Introduce

I fell in love all over again and his name is: 

Zion Israel Denninghoff

Born 11/10/12  8lbs 15oz 20 1/2 inch. long

The name Zion is found throughout the Holy Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price. The name Zion is used to describe a holy mountain where God can dwell and it also refers to the pure and heart. Zion is also a city where the inhabitants are of one heart and one mind and there are no poor among them. The name Israel means one who prevails with God or true believer of Christ. Our hope is that when our son thinks about his name it will give him guidance as to how to live his life. Both Mark and I had strong impressions of his first name. His middle name is what took the longest. He has brought such a sweet spirit into our home. When we were all in the car driving home from the hospital I looked back at my children and my heart was full! For the first time I felt like my family was all there. Children are indeed a gift and a blessing from our Heavenly Father and I'm delighted that once again He has trusted me to take care of, learn from, and nurture one of his chosen spirits.

 My midwife cleaning him up before giving him to me

 All my girls doing their own thing

 My beautiful family

I'm so in love!



P.s. My birth story this time is quite interesting. It's funny, embarrassing, and unlike any of my other births. Mark and I laugh because it's the only one we didn't video tape for good reasons and it's not a birth you would see on the baby channel. All in all it was perfect for Zion and I. I ended up being a lamb and a lion with this birth;) We are both healthy, happy and thriving.

Getting in the Zone

It's time to get into the zone! I'm 40 weeks pregnant, any day my son will be here. I'm anxious, excited, content and so very happy that this pregnancy is coming to an end. My back is killing me and I walk like a penguin. I gained all my weight back that I worked so hard to shed off this past year. That's the price I pay when I get pregnant. Oh well! He's worth every ounce. His sisters talk about him every day and kiss him before they go to sleep. I'm excited to see how this birth will turn out. Will I roar like a Lion protecting her cubs or will I just breathe him out in silence like a timid Lamb. This is when I get my spiritual RUSH wrapped in a ball then exploding in every direction. I can't wait! Oh my son please don't tell me you're going to wait till grandma gets here. That's in 2 weeks! Although my midwife said she would let me wait that long. Only time will tell. Love you sweet angel can't wait till we finally meet.

P.s. Your daddy did a pretty good job taking pictures of you so far

Fall Harvest

Our ward had an activity for the youth in south Jersey. We drove down to meet up with them. We went apple and pumpkin picking. We picked a variety of yummy apples. Store bought apples just don't measure up to the ones we picked ourselves.

 Eve and Esther found delight being picked up by daddy to grab some apples. Asenath however seemed afraid to pick the apples if you carried her so we just let her pick it on her own. She ended up picking some delicious ones to.

 When we found members of our ward I guess Mark got excited he let go of the wagon and the girls came tumbling down. Kind of embarrassing but it was memorable.

 I was over heating and wanted to pass out. I was close to being full term and feeling like I should rest with all the waling around on the farm.

Afterwards we drove to Princeton University to grab a bite to eat. The food was so yummy! I can totally see Mark attending there. All in all in was a fun experience for all of us.

Priesthood Power

A few weeks ago we took a short family weekend  vacation to Big Flats, NY so Mark could watch Bob Dylan in concert. He had a wonderful time! The girls and I had fun with our little hotel party. We ended up going to church in a ward in NY and Mark ran into a mission buddy. It was a pleasant reunion. On our way back home we stopped at Harmony, PA at a church history site. It was near the banks of the Susquehanna River. This place is very special to Mormons because it was the place where the prophet Joseph Smith received the priesthood from the ancient prophet John the Baptist then latter the ancient apostles Peter, James and John. These ancient servants of the Lord lived during the time of Jesus. They walked and talked with the Lord. How is it possible that these men appeared to Joseph Smith when they didn't live in the same time period? These ancient servants were sent from the Lord to the prophet Joseph Smith as resurrected beings similar to the mount of transfiguration as recorded in the bible when Elias and Moses appeared to Jesus with Peter, James and John as witnesses of the event (refer to Mark 9:2-4). Elias and Moses lived before the Savior walked the earth and died before He came to the earth but yet as resurrected beings they appeared to Jesus. 

What is the priesthood?

"The priesthood is the eternal power and authority of God. Through the priesthood God created and governs the heavens and the earth. Through this power He redeems and exalts His children, bringing to pass “the immortality and eternal life of man” (Moses 1:39)." (True to the Faith, 2004)

Why is it necessary for us to have the priesthood on earth?

"God gives priesthood authority to worthy male members of the Church so they can act in His name for the salvation of His children. Priesthood holders can be authorized to preach the gospel, administer the ordinances of salvation, and govern the kingdom of God on the earth" (True to the Faith, 2004)

What does this mean?

We are able to be obedient to Heavenly Father's commandment to getting baptized in this life just how Jesus's got baptized, by a man who had the authority of God, who was John the baptist.

Refer to this site for more information http://mormon.org/

As our family visited this site it brought such sweet and tender feelings in my heart. You could feel the sacredness of this spot on earth.

Where I'm standing in this picture is where the prophet and his wife Emma lived for a while. Their first son died here. Being in this spot provoked many emotions. Seeing how small their house was and how simple life was and how hard their trials were gave me a deeper appreciation for their sacrifice for their millions of brothers and sisters.

Mark is teaching the girls about the priesthood authority and how we received it before walking to the banks of the river.

Entering this site, inhaling deeply the sweet smells surrounding me reminded me of the day I got baptized. What a special day that was for me. I literally felt the Holy Spirit so strongly! I felt Heavenly Father's approval of my decision in being baptized. My connection with the Heavens that day were so real and tangible. Till this day I get choked up talking about my baptism and conversion. God is REAL! and that day I felt his love for me in such a tender way. This holy place that we visited  brought back those wonderful feelings. It was indeed a special trip for our family and I'm so grateful that our girls are having these experiences.

I love this man!

I had a temple recommend interview with one of the members in the stake presidency today and he asked me about my conversion story than he asked me how I met my husband. Would you believe I started getting emotional when I told him how I discovered Mark. Next to getting baptized, marrying Mark is the best decision I ever made and I'm so grateful that God brought us together. He really tries hard to be a good husband and father. I'm extremely grateful that he holds the priesthood and that I can have access to God's comfort and love anytime through him, if I ever needed a blessing. I didn't grow up in a home with someone who held the priesthood but I'm extremely grateful that my children are having this special blessing.

I Want To Laugh Like Really Loud

I'm craving LAUGHTER! I want to laugh like really hard, long, loud and a possible accident in my pants (comes often when you're this far a long in pregnancy, no shame). I feel like I haven't laughed REALLY HARD in a long time. I feel like I've been to focus, overwhelmed at times & distracted with life.  Any movie suggestions, stories or wholesome jokes you want to pass my way? I'm so ready.

If I Get Through This day....

This morning at 6:30am I woke up to one daughter throwing up all over her bed and the bathroom floor and the other one peed her pants. Hmmm I thought to myself today is going to be a great day and I get to start it bright and early. Something similar happen 2 years ago when I was pregnant with Asenath. I was in my third trimester cleaning up vomit off the carpet and bathroom floor, trying my very best not to vomit myself with my extra sensitive pregnant nose. So history repeats itself I'm approaching my 33rd week of pregnancy cleaning vomit trying to hold my breath and not sniff at all, except this time I have another child who wet herself and another child to keep away from the other two girls. If or shall I say when I get through this day I can get through many other tough days ahead, right? Just had to record this, so I can look back and laugh.

So it Begins

I could hardly sleep last night. My thoughts were racing for both my husband and children. When I got up this morning at 5am I couldn't go back to sleep. I just laid in bed in the dark pondering/meditating/praying until about 6am. Today was the FIRST day of school for Eve, Esther & Mark. Eve went to preschool before in Hawaii for about 4 months but Esther never had that experience before. As for Mark, well he volunteered in my class before when I taught middle school boy's in Utah, but this would be his first time as a teacher and getting paid. You can understand why I was so nervous for my whole family. 

 Eve and Esther were so excited to go to school and meet their teachers again. They love learning new things and sharing what they learned with others. This past summer when they were home schooled by mommy they were eager to share what they had learned with their dad.

 Poor Esther she had a battle scar from one of her sisters and her backpack was larger than she was.

Asenath had a hard time watching her sisters get ready for school. When she saw them put on their backpacks she started to cry because she wanted to go and do what her sisters were doing. Kept trying to let her know that she'll get her turn next year. When I dropped them off I didn't expect to respond the way I did. Yes, I bawled like a baby. I kept questioning myself if I made the right choice for my family and after a while I realized and felt reassured that they are where they need to be, in school. I don't have to stop teaching them at home just because their going to school learning can be around the clock. In fun ways of course. When we had dinner that night everyone had something to share about their day. I loved it!

Starfish

Pulled this bio from their website "Starfish is not your average band for kids, and our concerts are not like a preschool sing-along. We are a rock band made up of 5 New Jersey dads who aim to give kids -and their parents - a taste of "cool" music influenced by classic rock. A StarFish concert is like a lesson in Rock 101 for the whole family. Our shows are fun and high energy, complete with special effects and even a bubble machine! StarFish is the coolest band for kids around. Come check us out and jam out on your air guitar" http://www.reverbnation.com/starfishrocks

 Our family got the awesome privilege to watch this band rock out for FREE at Rutgers University. The ambiance was PeRfEcT. One of my FAVORITE things to do is listen to live music out in nature. The river in the background was pretty and I'm so happy it didn't rain that day.

I discovered that my girls LOVE to rock out! They love music and absolutely LOVE  to dance! They were CrAzY, SiLLy and so fun to watch. They started off a little timid for the first minute but after that they were all over the place, dancing, jumping and weird moves I never seen them do before. Brought Mark and I back to some fun concerts we been to back in the day when we were single. Except this band and environment was incredibly kid friendly.

This weekend our family is going to take a little family vacation so Mark can live his childhood dream and see Bob Dylan in concert. He has been a passionate fan for years. Since the tickets are ridiculously priced and we would have to pay for each child even the baby, we decided that the girls and I will have a hotel party while daddy rocks out to Bob. We also hope to stop at some church history sites as well. We're all excited!