Calder - by Julie

I decided I needed to write about my sweet Calder-boy today.   :)

Calder has always been such a sweet, funny boy.  He's very observant and thoughtful and has a gift for remembering peoples' names and faces.  If we see someone he recognizes he'll say, "There's (so & so).  They go to my school," and the kid usually looks at him like, "Who are you and how do you know my name?"  
He also loves to change his name.  When he was three he insisted his name was Scooter David (or various forms of it) then for years was just Calder again.  I remember Leah went through a stage of insisting on being called names like "Robin Hood" or "Peter Pan" and would not answer unless you called her by the name she prefered at the moment.  I loved it and found it so sweet and endearing.  So when Calder started then stopped, I missed it.  But lately he has taken to wanting to be called various names again.    :)   It changes often, sometimes weekly, daily, even hourly.  Lately he has been known as "Hulk", "Mr. Strong", "Six" (that's how old he is), "Jet", "Wolverine", "Finn McMissile".  One of his classmates even addressed her valentine for him, "to Hulk".   :)    I love it!

I had to scan some of his worksheets with his name on them to have it recorded forever.   As you can see, he likes to embellish just the regular Calder, as well.   :)

Today on the way home from school he asked if he could go to a friend's house (because she had cookies) and Bess said no because we don't know her mom and don't even know what she looks like.  Calder said in response, "I can't tell you what she looks like, because it's a bad word and it starts with an "f "."  As you can probably guess, he's had experience saying this "f" word far too loudly and obviously, embarrassing the person and mortifying his mother.

But he's also an honest complimentor/sweet talker.  He often compliments me on what I'm wearing and many times at church he has raved about what someone is wearing.  One day he went around showing everyone his friend Addalyn saying, "Look at her dress!  Doesn't she look beautiful?"  Her mom told me Addalyn often would chose what to wear based on whether or not Calder would think it was pretty.    :)   One Sunday when he saw our chorister (his Sunbeam teacher), he gasped and pointing at her, whispered to me, "Oh Mom!  Look at Sister Hayes!  Doesn't she look beautiful with that feather in her hair?"   And today there was a note from his teacher that simply said, "Such a sweet child!"   Apparently he told a girl in his class her hair looked pretty and it impressed his teacher.   :)   I love this boy!

We have a little friend named Grace who is so sweet and extremely well-behaved.  Bess and Calder have both randomly commented to me about how good Grace is, and you know it's extraordinary when kids notice it.  So a couple of weeks ago after church, Calder said to me, "I decided I'm not going to be bad anymore because of Grace."  Then in his prayers that night he kept saying, "Thank you that I changed my mind."  And for the past 2+ weeks as he and Max have been playing, I'll hear them start to complain or argue or something, then one of them will gasp and say, "Oh yeah!  Remember, the rules?" meaning "remember we've decided to be good like Grace".  It has been so sweet to see them want to be like her!  I've made sure we've also talked about whose example Grace is following.   :)   I am just so tickled about all of this.  It's so sweet!  On Sunday I made sure I told her mom and thanked her for her sweet daughter.  By the way, Calder has already asked her dad if he can marry Grace.  It's all set.   :)  
One time I was at the store with her and her mom and I grabbed a bag of Andes mints and when they said they had never had them before, I opened the bag right there in the aisle to share.  Sweet Grace gaped, mouth open at me, then looked at her mom.  I quickly explained that I was still going to be paying for them, but I could see this didn't comfort her any.  I tried to save myself by saying I often did this so we wouldn't be so hungry and want to buy everything, but I could see the damage was done.  I'm already tainted in my future daughter-in-law's eyes.    ;)    Hopefully Calder does better than me and remains untainted in her eyes.    

Our sweet Atticus - by Julie

We have really been enjoying this sweet little Atticus so much lately.  Not that we weren't before, of course;  he has just been so exceptionally cute as of late, jabbering away, learning to say new words this past week that I thought we needed to get some video of his cuteness and share it with all of you.  I'm excited for you all to meet him this summer.  He is 16+ months old but he doesn't look it;  he's bald so it makes him look younger and he isn't talking much (the other kids had a pretty extensive vocabulary by this age).  He's following his older siblings' examples and is already getting a little sassy and he is SO busy and cute!  

There's a number of things he has done that none of our other kids have done and I wanted to keep track of the ones I can remember.
 - at maybe 10 or 11 months old, he pulled open the oven door.
 - he is constantly on the table -- like, standing and walking on, not just climbing up
 - he empties out drawers - clothes, pencil/junk drawer, dish cloths, and if he can, climbs inside
 - he can peel a mandarin orange completely by himself
 - he waves his little hand in the air while he's nursing   :)
 - one day he got a bucket, pushed it over to the cupboard, climbed up, reached a banana, climbed down, took it over to his high chair, climbed up in it, peeled the banana and ate it all by himself.
 - he frequently climbs into the dryer, full or empty, and tries to close the door
 - he whips my glasses off and chucks them behind him (he chipped them the other day)
 - he climbs the bunk-bed ladders (at 16 mon.!! The other day I heard him crying out in distress and went in the bedroom to find him dangling off the top bunk hanging on for dear life.  He had climbed up and was trying to get down the other side.  Crazy child!!)

I know there's more, but that's all I can think of right now.  As you can see, he keeps me busy.  I think the Lord knew what He was doing sending him last.    :)   He is such a sweet, funny, busy boy and such a joy to our family.

Healing a Family Breech

Healing a Family Breach, David, Dad, Papaw

My memories of my grandfather James DeFord (Papaw DeFord) revolve around fun, laughing, and playing. One of my fondest memories is how he used to run into the kitchen when we visited and fetch the candy dish. The covered glass dish teemed with candy haystacks, Three Musketeers bars, candy corn, and other sweet treats.


Papaw loved playing yard darts, baseball, and shooting BB guns, shotguns, and rifles. He could hit a can from 20 yards with a slingshot.


Not long after we married, Kathy and I visited him and Mamaw. He was mowing grass and drove over to where we stood and said, "Let me finish this plot, and then we'll play."


He had a delayed childhood. When Papaw was about ten, his father, a Methodist minister, ran off with a female member of his church, leaving his wife and large family to struggle in poverty. Papaw quit school and began working at a stone quarry, where he carried a bucket and ladle of water to refresh the workers.


When he reached the appropriate age, he enlisted in the army, and learned the blacksmithing trade. Mostly he shoed the mules. Papaw sent most of his money home to his mother for her upkeep.


While I found him upbeat and fun-loving, he remained deeply hurt and resentful of his father. As I began researching our family history, he wanted to stay away from the topic of his father and his father's family.


George Washington DeFord, James' father, had created a breech in the family that affected family historians around the world. No one seemed to be able to trace the DeFord line past George's father, Jacob.


Thanks to Sarah, After nearly forty years of research, Jacob's father has been found! The effect of George Washington DeFord's indiscretion has been overcome.


Turns out, Jacob's father and George's grandfather, the long-sought ancestor also bears the name George Washington DeFord. He was born in Indiana in 1808, nine years after the death of his namesake, our nation's first president.


Last week I had him baptized and confirmed in the Winter Quarters Temple. Last night I received the endowment for him. His deliverance from spirit prison was delayed for many years, but it wasn't prevented.


As I pondered this story while waiting for our stake conference general session this morning, I felt deeply the impact of temple work. We are all connected. The Doctrine and Covenants says, "For we without them cannot be made perfect; neither can they without us be made perfect." D&C 128:18.


The breech has been healed by the Savior's atoning sacrifice and the temple ordinances it makes possible.


The temple work for another six generations can now be performed.


Let the healing continue!