March Madness

It's really happening--we are moving. I know, I know, you've heard that before. This time, the selling process is far enough along that I have finished the packing that I started two years ago. 

So the Gales are off on another adventure. 

This move marks one of those important junctures in life:

The Empty Nest

We are ever so happy that the baby of the family is going to BYU and he is ever so happy that he gets to launch into life right as we are uprooting again. He is planning to room with Sam in Provo this summer and then move into the dorms in the Fall.

Speaking of Sam, his release date is June 1st!

 Elder Gale will be coming home to a new home and ward. 

That new home and ward will be in Utah. Another interesting turn of events for the Gale Fam!

We realized that employment was going to require that Andy travel to serve on boards for various companies and the end result of the job he has is to sell the company and send him somewhere else. So we decided to set up a home base in a place where we can live the life we choose--having children and grandchildren around and in a place that is easier to travel to for those that are further out. 

My old joke about following Shane to college when he grew up is actually happening as well. 

Mama's retiring as teacher/administrator of the Gale Academy of Classical Education and going back to school. After shepherding the Gale kids through their upbringing and into college, it's time I followed through on all of my admonitions of the importance of education. 

I have already enjoyed for many years the career of my choice: Wife, Mom and Keeper of the Home. I have loved it and would not trade my years of loving, teaching and guiding our eight amazing kids for anything else. I feel very fulfilled and satisfied with the learning and growing and blessings and refining I received in this honorable endeavor. 

Now I am looking forward to being the student for a change of perspective and just for the pure love of learning. My Patriarchal blessing promises me that "knowledge of the arts and sciences shall come to you readily and you shall find success in fields of honorable endeavor." So I am going to do my part and see where that path leads. 

I have loved our time here and it was a tender mercy yesterday that I got to substitute in the Primary class of my Webelo scouts. I am such a fan of scouting and have loved being the Den Leader for the Webelos these past several months while we were in limbo. I had 10 of the most energetic, fun, smart, clever, cheerful, friendly, helpful (and sometimes courteous!) scouts you could ever hope to know. One of those scouts said to me "Sister Gale, I really liked the talk you gave today. I just really love to hear about Jesus straight from the scriptures." Another of those scouts gave the closing prayer and blessed that "Sister Gale and her family will be safe in their travels and that things will go well with their move." They have been telling me goodbye since our last Den Meeting and did so again after church. After a boy scout handshake, I told each of them I expect  great things from them and I want to hear that they got their Eagle. It warms my heart that they are sad that I am leaving--just not what I expected from ten year olds. 

With their faith and well-wishes, we will be just fine. 

Happy Birthday Scott!

I found this forgotten memento today as I was searching for a cute picture of Scott to insta for his birthday. I thought that tiny newborn picture of him was long lost. It is the only picture we have of him brand-new. As we have often told, we were poor students when he was born and we couldn't afford to buy the hospital pictures that were offered. This was the thumbnail pic that was stapled to the order form. I managed to save it and keep it in his baby book. 

I wrote that little poem for him in the early weeks of his life on earth. I was smitten with this little bundle of joy who made me a mother. I typed it up on a real typewriter...Andy had to have it for his BYU classes so it was a fancy bit of technology in our little chicken coop. It looks like I illustrated it as well. I am certainly not a poet or an artist, but that was the expression of my overflowing mother heart. Somehow it survived all of the moves and the chaos of a big, busy family. 

And, yes our joy has grown with this son. 

Today I can say again, thank you, thank you for 

this (not so) little son.

How we love him so.

Our son, Scott.

Happy Birthday!

Love,

Mom

P.S. Seeing this picture today, I am struck by how much Porter looks like him! 

Forever is Composed of Nows

Welcome to the World Little One!

Earlier this month, I flew to Texas and with fortuitous timing, this little guy made his debut about a day later. 

Meet our 8th grandchild:

 Porter Scott Gale

8 lbs. 6 oz. 20.5" tall.

Son of Scott and Nicole and little brother to Bailey, Norah and June.

He was born on his Aunt Shanna's Birthday on General Conference weekend.

The Conference blessings just keep piling up!

The big sisters meeting baby brother.

And Nana crying happy tears and bursting with joy.

June likes to check on her little brother. 

My son with his son.

Nicole and her sweet baby boy. 

Beautiful--inside and out.

Birthday Boy!

Happy Birthday Seth!

Today we celebrate our "Middle Child". 

 Actually, I purposely had an even number of children so no one could claim to be the middle child.

 But Seth happens to be the middle boy.

 Born smack dab in the middle of the five brothers Gale. 

There was hardly a dull moment from the moment he was born.

Born with a head of thick dark hair (you can see his birth story here) and a bright, cheerful, adventurous spirit!

(cute  pictures here...)

So much energy packed into one little boy!

He was relentless when he got an idea and wanted to create/build something. 

Our yard was his flight experiment lab and the neighbors were patient

with the many rockets and various balloons that flew out of our air space. He  learned to fly and eventually flew way out of our air space!

His love of the outdoors began at an early age with many nights camping under the stars in our back yard. He dreamed up fun adventures with his siblings and built forts and a tepee out there to feed their imagination. He went on to many Scouting adventures and hiked over fifty miles (fifty-FOUR miles to be exact!) along the Olympic Peninsula. And became an Eagle Scout. 

Reading wasn't his favorite but he was always up for listening to a good story and built an astonishing vocabulary with his good memory. We spent many pleasant evenings reading and discussing the scriptures as a family and delved into the deeper questions of life with Spencer and Seth often leading the discussions. I learned to check his pants pockets before washing and often found bits and pieces of his projects along with the odd rocket engine or firecracker. But one time I found his carefully written notes on string theory. He has a great mind for memorization and amazed us all with his 

command of Shakespeare passages. He was amazed to find out that his Shakespeare skills were actually needed one time in the grocery store for someone's video project. 

"To be or not to be, that is the question..."

He met his match, the talented and amazing, Taylor Marie, while we were living in California and here you see them at the San Diego temple on their wedding day: 

It makes my Mother Heart happy to see the love they have for each other and the precious family they are building with their sweet baby Mabel.

Here he is with their bright, cheerful adventurer with her

own head of thick dark hair:

Happy Birthday, Son! Now the adventure really begins!

Celebrating Our Siara

Some fun girl time in North Carolina!

Today is Siara's birthday! I am so blessed to be the mother to some really amazing people. Each came with their own unique personalities and talents and qualities. I have loved every stage of their lives but I feel like the real reward for motherhood is moving into the friendship stage with them when they become adults. 

So here are some Birthday thoughts (and awesome childhood pictures!) of my daughter who is also my dear friend...

Some birthday posts for Siara's past birthdays:

click on this and this and go here.

If you are still interested, here is the story of the day of her birth.

And, the frosting on the cake--a  funny story about our spunky gal.

Mission Birthday

One of our missionaries celebrates a birthday today:

Elder Gale turns 19!

Here he is with his current companion and a young man they recently

prepared for baptism:

And here they are at the Los Angeles Temple last week: 

These two remind me of Elder Kessler and Elder Green 

from Saturday's Warrior...

In his email this week, he told us about a new exhibit at the visitor's center

there at the LA Temple. It is all about missionary work and they

have all the name tags of the missionaries currently serving in the area.

Here is an experience he shared this week as well:

"We got  a phone call from Julio saying that he was taking us out to eat, and that he was there! We got ready super fast and went out to Pollo Inka with him, a Peruvian restaurant. It was such a cool dinner. Julio was telling us about how he heard stories of missionaries who would go to poor members' homes in Guatemala (where he's from) and give everything they had to the missionaries and not eat themselves. He said that he always wanted to give his all like that, and that even though he always gave us the same stuff to eat whenever we came over to his house, that today was a special day because we were eating good food in a restaurant and that he was finally sharing his best with the missionaries. I seriously just looked at him and his wife across the able and cried. I am so blessed to know as good a man as Julio. He is such an example to me of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. As we were walking out of the restaurant, the sun was starting to set and it was raining, and there was a beautiful rainbow across the whole sky, and we all looked up at it in amazement, it was seriously incredible...

We got home and grabbed our bikes and went to visit the Reyes' family since we couldn't last week. We watched "The Restoration" with Juan and at the end he looked at us and said "now I finally understand who Joseph Smith was, he was just an honest man looking for truth from God" and it was awesome. He said he was learning slowly, but that little by little he's beginning to understand our message. We answered a lot of his questions and he's coming along! He also said to me "What part of Argentina are you from? You're from Argentina, right?" Always an awesome compliment to get when you're trying to learn someone else's language! "

It makes my Mother Heart happy to know that my son is serving among such amazing, loving people there--and that he is learning and growing in that service. 

I still can't believe how fast time flies--I'm pretty sure our little Sammy was 

picnicking in the park with his sister just yesterday:

Bouncing Baby Boy

Announcing the newest Gale Grandchild:

Remington Colt Gale

Born October 27th

7 lbs. 15 oz.

He made his grand entrance 3 weeks early--with that weight it was 

a tender mercy for Mama Adrianna that he didn't go to his full term size!

Her water broke early in the morning and when they got to the hospital 

they saw that he was breach (feet first!) and did a c-section.

So he was out into the big wide world pretty quickly and caught

us all by surprise. 

Baby Remi with his Papa--so sweet!

And with his Mama on the day he went home.

Adorable Baby Yawn!

He seems pretty happy with life so far...

Welcome to the world little one!

I am patiently waiting for my time with him--

I can't wait to smoosh those chubby cheeks!

P.S. If you want to see a cute picture of baby Spencer for comparison purposes, go here.

Fresh From Heaven

We welcomed a new little grandbaby to the Gale Family:

Mabel Sienna was born to Seth and Taylor

last Saturday morning.

She weighed 6 lb. 4 oz.

Mama Taylor had a short labor and delivery and the 

proud parents were holding their sweet daughter seven hours

after Taylor's water broke in the wee hours of Saturday morn--

So Precious! And look at that hair!

Mother and daughter

Aunt Siara stopped by to visit.

Here's a blurry, pixelated picture of Seth as a newborn--

just to make note of the hair similarity...

...it was cropped from this awesome picture of Seth being

welcomed by his older siblings. 

I have to wait a couple of weeks to welcome this newest little one in person--her early arrival caught us all a little off guard. I am dying to get her in my arms and start the Nana spoiling!