General Conference Weekend

Conference is kind of a big deal in our family. Growing up, my mom would plan huge brunches for us to eat during the Sunday morning session, and we would all spend the pre-conference hours in the kitchen chopping, frying, mixing, arranging, and snitching. Usually there would be at least a few extra people at our home (cousins, friends, roommates) so the atmosphere was always a little more cheery and social than just sitting around a television set. Don't get me wrong, we watched and took notes and everything. It was just fun to make it a little more special.

Matt and I have tried to keep this tradition alive in our own family, and I think we have done pretty well. Several of our friends and neighbors now know they have a standing invitation to come watch the broadcast with us and share a delicious brunch on Sunday morning. This year I just wasn't up to it, though. I thought about inviting people, preparing a menu, buying the food, making a brunch, and then cleaning it all up after people went home, and it just didn't sound like a whole lot of fun to do all that by myself. Matt was always the master chef behind the brunches anyway. So I invited myself to spend the weekend with Mary and Wayne instead.

At first we were just going to watch conference like normal. But then I got a phone call from Bekah and Nathan (two of the people who have had the pleasure of partaking in my mom's Conference bounty) and they said that I had better bring some cinnamon rolls because they were coming to Mary and Wayne's with my sister-in-law Kim and brunch was on!

So on Friday a sweet young women from our ward voluntarily came and took Bennett to the park for the day (seriously, she just showed up at my door. Bless her!) and I stayed home and made homemade cinnamon rolls to bring to San Antonio that night. They were hard and I was disappointed, but they still tasted OK. Like I said, Matt is the master chef in our family.

Conference was awesome, as it always is. Granted, I didn't hear as much of it as I would have liked with Bennett running around and trying to press every button he saw, but still. It was good. And it was really, really good to be around family again...and to have a tiny break from the boy I love so much, but who is with me so much of the time lately. (This was only days after that journal entry post of his. You remember, the one where he single-handedly destroyed my house while whining incessantly? I needed a break at that point.) It was a great weekend all around, and I am so grateful Mary and Wayne let us come.

Look, a picture of me! I am still alive...although I look horrible here...

Bennett with Maimie's Fall Buddies.

Watching Conference with Bennett. During the session where you sustain all the leaders he would raise his hands when we did. We are teaching him young.

We had to lock Bennett upstairs with us for all four sessions, so to help him be entertained (and to help us hear a thing or two) we brought a ton of toys up for him to play with. He was a pretty busy guy the entire time, but whenever the Tabernacle Choir sang he would stop whatever he was doing and just be completely focused on them. This boy can dance to hymns like no body's business.

Uncle Nathan pushing Bennett in the swing between sessions. He is so good with him.

Bennett with his Maimie and Pop. Thanks for letting us come!