This will make you happy

Gina's "Greenie" Missionary Package

                Gina is on a plane, right now, on her way to serve the people of New York!!  For Family Home Evening yesterday, we put together a "Greenie" Package for Gina.  I am putting this blog together for anyone else who would like to do something similar for their missionary.  (For those of you who are unfamiliar with the term, "greenie", it refers to a missionary who is fresh out of the MTC.)  You will soon see, this package is a play on the whole "greenie" concept.

The package contents:

• Mint M&M's
• Lifesavers Mints
• Green Picture frame with photo
• Green shower poof
• Green Whoopee Cushion
• Green Crayons
• Green Finger and Toenail Clippers
• Green Bubbles
• Scotch tape
• Giant Green Pencil
• Jello: Lime and Pistachio Pudding
• Little Green Notebook
• "Doodle Journal" AKA. Sketchbook
• Letters from Home

Then to top it off we paired each item with a scripture...

For example, the doodle journal:

Isaiah 30: 8  "Now go, [DRAW] it before them in a [journal], and [DOODLE] it in a book, that it may be for the time to come for ever and ever."

And the shower poof:

Isaiah 1:16  "WASH YOU, make you clean."

M&M's:   Psalms 78:25  "Man did eat ANGEL'S FOOD."

Notebook:   Moses 6:5  "A BOOK OF REMEMBRANCE was kept."

Crayons:   2 Corinthians 3:3  "Written not with ink, but with the color of CRAYONS."

Nail Clippers:   1 Chronicles 20:6  "FINGERS and TOES were four and twenty."

Mints:   2 Nephi 33:1  "When a missionary speaketh by the power of the Holy Ghost ... she needs FRESH BREATH."

Picture Frame:    John 13:15  "For I am have given you an EXAMPLE."

Bubbles:   D&C 78:18  "Be of good CHEER!"

Whoopee Cushion:   Psalms 126:2  "Then was our mouth filled with LAUGHTER."

Jello:   D&C 89:13  "Used only in times of WINTER, or of COLD, or famine."

Giant Pencil:   Acts 15:23  "And they WROTE LETTERS."

Tape ("Just stick to it"):   D&C 24:8  "Be PAITIENT in afflictions ... ENDURE them, for, lo, I am with thee."

Lastly, I thought it would be fun to give Gina a little sneak peak of the fun to come by writing "greenie" all over the outside of her package...

And Voila!  Go and think green!  Happy Tuesday everyone!!

Update Alert!
April 1, 2013:

"OK ... THANKS FOR THE PACKAGE!!  It was ubber cute, and the mint M&M's were AMAZING!"  -Sister Rasmussen

2012 Family Picture

Book of Mormon Comic

                My little sister, Gina, is a truly remarkable artist.  And last Sunday she wrote and illustrated a little Book of Mormon comic- which I have to share because it is so hilarious.  The comic is based on four verses, Alma 57: 30-33, narrated by a chief captain of the Nephite army named Gid:

30 Behold, we did start to go down to the land of Zarahemla with our prisoners. And it came to pass that we did meet the spies of our armies, who had been sent out to watch the camp of the Lamanites.

31 And they cried unto us, saying—Behold, the armies of the Lamanites are marching towards the city of Cumeni; and behold, they will fall upon them, yea, and will destroy our people.

32 And it came to pass that our prisoners did hear their cries, which caused them to take courage; and they did rise up in rebellion against us.

 33 And it came to pass because of their rebellion we did cause that our swords should come upon them. And it came to pass that they did in a body run upon our swords, in the which, the greater number of them were slain; and the remainder of them broke through and fled from us.

There is more to the story in Alma 57; if you would like to know how the Lamanites came to be POW’s and the fate of the city Cumeni.

The BIG Boy Bed

                One fateful day, AJ plopped down, without a thought, next to Samuel on his bed, and one of the wooden slats, which supported the mattress, snapped.

CRACKKK!!

                AJ and I were both shocked because we had both been plopping down next to Samuel for over a year without the slightest crack.  Yet, in a word, Samuel’s bed had just become a Safety Hazard.  Okay, I guess that was two words, but I digress.  It was time to ditch Samuel’s crib and upgrade to a real toddler bed.  I was thrilled and my enthusiasm fueled Samuel’s.  I scoured Craigslist.  Every.  Day.  It took a few days before I found what I was looking for: a toddler bed frame for 20 bucks and bonus, it was purple! … Wait.  Still, I couldn't pass up the deal, even if it was purple, besides that is what paint is for, right?  We drove out, picked it up and assembled it that very same day!  Samuel loves his "new one bed" and Mommy is relieved of the worry of the cracked crib.

We disassembled Samuel's crib and found this NASTY surprise.

YAY!!  So excited about his big boy bed.

Sleeping in his "new one bed."

What's that word again?

January 30, 2013

                During our family prayer this evening, AJ was desperately trying to remember a specific word, and it was one of those words whose synonyms don’t carry the same weight as the word itself.  While he was racking his brain trying franticly to recall the word, he kept repeating, “What is that word?  What.  Is that, word?  WHAT IS THAT WORD?!”  All the while, with his head turned to the ceiling and his face scrunched in deep concentration.  This was the first time Samuel had ever witnessed this strange spectacle during a prayer, and he was very confused.  Gently, he tried to assure his Daddy that it was okay, and he was making an effort to cue AJ what to say next.  But Daddy was so focused on figuring out that one word, he was oblivious to Samuel.  Instead, AJ used a whole slough of words, in a patchy attempt to convey the same meaning he could have said with one.

After our family hugs and kisses AJ took Samuel to his room to tuck him into bed, but before bed we help him say his personal prayers.

Reverently, Samuel started, with his head bowed into his folded arms, “Hem Fadder (Heavenly Father), love you.  Bless the … mumble, mumble, mumble.”

Confused at his unusual behavior, AJ said, “Samuel, I can’t hear what you are saying Buddy.  Sit up big and talk loud; so I can hear, okay.”

To which Samuel adjusted himself slightly and started again, “Bless the … mumble-y mumble mumbling.”

Starting to get a little impatient with Samuel’s disrespect during a prayer AJ said, “Son.  You need to sit up big and talk clearly to show respect to Heavenly Father and Jesus during your prayer.  Start again, okay.”

“Hem Fadder,” Samuel began again, “Bless the …”  Then he lifted his little head to the sky, with his eyes scrunched tight and his lips pierced, in mock concentration and said, “Whas suh say? Whas suh say? (What to say? What to say?)”

At this point, AJ quickly wrapped up Samuel’s prayer, tucked him into bed, and ran out of the kid's room so Samuel couldn't hear his laughing.  What an observant boy we have.

Chef Samuel

                A couple mornings ago, Mommy was too busy taking a shower and getting ready for the day, while Daddy was trying to get some last minute stuff done on the computer; that neither noticed that the other  wasn't making breakfast!  Samuel was quick to recognize the horrendous problem before it climaxed to disaster, by taking matters into his own little hands.  Without a second thought, he knocked over the baby gate separating him from the fridge and organized a culinary masterpiece.  He gathered the bowls that had been used for popcorn the previous night and filled them with grapes and strawberries.  The strawberries tops had been carefully ripped off and thrown on the floor, and the grapes were only washed because Daddy had to help Samuel get them out of the bag.  Such a sweet, thoughtful and hungry little boy.