Silly Girls

Weekends are fun for the girls because they enjoy being together. This weekend they found their big dolls. They were the big sisters and the dolls were their little sisters.


They also painted their fingernails. Then they imagined that they were fairies with magic powers in their fingernails. They had to use magic to protect their little sisters.


They spent alot of time hiding upstairs making up this performance for us.


Silly Girls!

Line Upon Line

Once upon a time.....
there was a little girl. She was born into a family where she was the oldest child with 6 younger sisters and 3 younger brothers. She grew up on a small farm way out in the middle of nowhere. She was surrounded by much family; all her grandparents and many uncles, aunts, and cousins and she knew she was the luckiest girl alive. She learned to milk cows, move hand lines, hoe sugar beets, and pick rock but mostly she just played and played and played. The whole world, for as far as she could walk, was her play ground.
And she was happy!

As she grew, life seemed to become more complicated, but with the support and unconditional love of her family, she knew she would always be okay. She could make it through anything because she knew who she was and she knew that her family would always be there for her, no matter what choices she made.
And she knew she was blessed.

One day, she met her prince charming. It was love at first sight, sort of. After one date of water skiing, a slight misunderstanding and a second chance at a Young Single Adult activity, they were engaged a week later and married 6 weeks later. It was an exciting time but mostly this girl knew that she had found someone who was perfect for her. Together they were a good team.
And she loved him very much.

Children came quickly. There were many moves, college, more children and job changes but this girls heart was overflowing with love and joy. There were good times and bad but she knew that together, side by side, they could face any giant that came across their path. Her life was full of good.
And she was happy.

Her children grew and so did she. Each day brought a new surprise or challenge, but as she sought for answers on bended knees and kept her eyes focused on her eternal goal, she knew that she would have the knowledge and strength to make the right decisions.
And she was happier now than she had ever been.

One day, her life changed forever. She was faced with one of her biggest challenges ever, and this one was very personal because it hurt one of her precious children. This little girl suddenly realized that life can be really cruel and very ugly and she experienced hurt and pain like she had never felt before. She learned what it must be like when a mother animal becomes angry or scared and she follows her instincts to do everything in her power to protect her young one. She wanted to wave her magic wand and make it all better. She didn't have the answers and she was faced with the cold harsh truth of knowing she couldn't always protect her loved ones.
And she cried and cried.

She wanted to run back home to when she was a child, and crawl into her safe bed and sleep, knowing that in the morning, her mother would make it all okay. But she couldn't do that because she was the mom now. She was still surrounded by loved ones but suddenly, love didn't seem big enough to fix her world. As things progressed from very bad to worse, she felt like her whole foundation was crumbling. Everything she had ever loved or believed in seemed to be questioned and tested. She didn't know if she had the inner strength to make it through this challenge.
And she didn't know if she even wanted to try anymore.

One night, she found herself ready to walk away from it all. She didn't want to be a part of something that hurt so much. She doubted her abilities and her divine worth...and her faith. In desperation, she found herself on her knees, pleading for some kind of proof that her prayers and cries were being heard.
And she felt peace.

The next day, as she was going through a box of papers looking for some documents her husband needed, a small piece of paper slipped out of her pile and silently fell to the floor. She picked it up and her tears began to fall. It was a copy of her patriarchal blessing. As she read the sacred words spoken just for her many, many years ago, she remembered who she was and what she believed. And she knew she was loved far deeper than anything she could comprehend while here during this earthly experience. Her feelings of intense hurt and pain and of overwhelming love and desire to protect her child paled in comparison to what her Heavenly Father felt for her and her family. And through him she knew she would be able to find the faith and strength to face this monster and win.
And she wept.

As she listened to General Conference that weekend, every single talk was an answer to one of her pleas. And once again, she felt the indescribable love of a Father to his child. She was not alone. Her burdens had been lifted.
And her faith was strengthened.

As for the happily ever after ending....well, this story is still being written. There are many chapters left to live. There will be more love and joy along with pain and sorrow. That is all part of the plan. This girl knows that this journey we call earth life is not about fairy tales and magic but it is about faith, love, and joy**.
And she is strong.



** "I define joy as a sustained sense of well-being and internal peace - a connection to what matters."
Oprah Winfrey, O Magazine

Hard Knocks

The kids school had a fund raiser a couple weeks ago. It was a dance-a-thon. The kids were encouraged to send a letter to friends and family. There were some rewards that could be earned for different things the kids did to contribute to this fund raiser.

The students had the opportunity to draw a picture to go on the front of the dance-a-thon t-shirts.
They wanted each student to send out at least 10 flyer's. If the class could send out 80% then they would receive a popcorn party.

The class with the most flyer's sent out would receive a pizza party.

If a child sent out 50 flyer's, then he would receive a school jacket.

Z and S were not interested at all in all the rewards but J was really excited. He couldn't wait to spend a whole day dancing and if he could do something to help his school, he would be happy to do all that he could. He helped rally his classmates to participate and do their best to support the school fund raiser also.

J said that he had thought about it all day and he had the perfect picture to turn in for the t-shirt competition. He loves to draw! He also went through all my unsent Christmas cards and set a goal to address 10 flyer's a night until he reached his 50. This was a huge goal for him because he really really struggles with handwriting. (Thanks to all of you who received these random flyer's.)

The dance-a-thon was scheduled for a Friday. On Wednesday, J became very sick. His goal was to be well by Friday. His teacher sent home a note saying that their class had won the pizza party with 185% and that it would be on Friday during the Dance-a-thon. She also sent home one of J's flyer's that had been returned because the address was wrong. J had to readdress the letter and get it returned before Friday if he wanted to win the school jacket.

On Friday, J was still way too sick to go to school. He was very sad. He missed the class pizza party. He missed the dance-a-thon. Luckily, he was actually too sick to dwell too much on it that day but it was hard to watch him work so hard on something and then not get to enjoy the reward. To top it off, his sister forgot to take the newly addressed letter back to his teacher by Friday so he missed out on receiving the free jacket. The best news of the day was when J saw that his design was one that had been printed on the front of the dance-a-thon t-shirts. He had won the competition for his grade.

We bought him pizza that night for dinner and he felt a little better. His class is still waiting to have their popcorn party. J said there is always next year. He is really excited to try again for that free school jacket.

Z at the Dance-a-thon wearing the t-shirt with J's design on it.

Friends, Birthday's, and CP80?

When we first went back to college, we lived in a duplex. In the "other half" of our house was a newly married couple. Hubby and I moved in with our two little boys and that poor couple. We only lived there a couple of months, but we quickly fell in love with this couple. Fast forward 10 years! We now have 6 kids, they have 3. We live in Idaho, they live in Arizona. We have not seen them in 7 years but we still think of them as very close friends.

One year, this friend called me. It was my birthday. I was having a very hard day. I had a one month old baby, I was turning 30 and Hubby was working and had "forgotten" what day it was. I know she was inspired to call me and she has called me every year since then on my birthday just to remind me that I am not forgotten. She is a wonderful friend and the one gift that I look really forward to receiving all year long.

Okay, now that you know how wonderful she is, let me tell you how lame I am. I have NEVER called her on her birthday. I didn't even know when it was for a few years. I finally asked her and then I wrote it down with the intention of surprising her. Each year I totally forget. Not even by a couple of days, but by months and months. So this year, I made a special effort to remember. I knew it was in March, towards the end. I just needed to find my book and look it up for the exact date. Last night, March 30th, I was laying in bed thinking about tomorrow being the last day of March when suddenly I realized that I had missed it again. I ran to find my book and sure enough, her birthday was on the 24th. Dang! So I decided that since I had one more day of the month, I'd call her today. I couldn't find her phone number so I just looked her up online. There was only one number with her name on it so I dialed hoping it was the right number. She answered it, not with the more traditional Hello, but with the "Oh my gosh. What in the world?" I had the right number(She has caller id). Next year, I'll get her on her birthday! Love you dear friend! Happy "late" Birthday!

She told me about a project she is involved in and I haven't had much time to research it in depth yet, but from what I have seen, it looks like something that is good. It is called CP80 and it is about options and solutions to Internet pornography. Internet pornography is a problem that if you have children, I can promise you, at some point, they will come across it on the Internet, whether it is at home, at school, or from friends and you will deal with it in your home. It's scary for me to step out of my comfort zone and get involved but change has to start somewhere. I encourage you to check out the web address. It's http://www.cp80.org/If it looks good to you, maybe you too can get involved and help pass the word on.





On a lighter note, I want know when all of your birthday's are. I'm not going to promise good things from me because I'm just really bad at that kind of thing, but I want to try to do better. Also, I want to know, What do you do for others on their birthdays? AND What do you like to recieve from friends on your birthday?

A Split and A Song

Today our ward was split. They split 2 wards to make a third. Half our ward is now in a new ward. We know we are very blessed but this means change. I like knowing that each Sunday I get the chance to go to church and see and be with my "ward family". As I looked around the room (we filled the enitre chapel, overflow and gym!) at all the families I have grown to love, I couldn't help but feel sadness at the thought of all the friends and familiar faces I will miss seeing each week. But a new ward means growth and that is a good thing.

In Primary we are learning the song "If The Savior Stood Beside Me" written by Sally DeFord. I have always loved the words to this song. I find myself humming the words often. The chorister asked the chidren, what would be some of the things they would want to choose to say or do differently if they knew the Savior was going to be watching them? I'm in with the younger children and their honesty and innocence is so sweet. They couldn't think of anything they would change.

When I grow up, I want to be just like a child!

If the Savior stood beside me, would I do the things I do?
Would I think of His commandments and try harder to be true?
Would I follow His example? Would I live more righteously,
If I could see the Savior standing nigh, watching over me?





If the Savior stood beside me, would I say the things I say?
Would my words be true and kind if He were never far away?
Would I try to share the gospel? Would I speak more reverently
If I could see the Savior standing nigh, watching over me?





If the Savior stood beside me, would my thoughts be clean and pure?
Would His presence give me strength and hope, and courage to endure?
Would His counsel guide my actions? Would I choose more worthily
If I could see the Savior standing nigh, watching over me?





He is always near me, though I do not see Him there
And because He loves me dearly, I am in His watchful care
So I'll be the kind of person that I know I'd like to be
If I could see the Savior standing nigh, watching over me.

**All Pictures in this post are by artist Nathan Greene.

A little of nothing

On the way to school today, K said to me, "I slept two nights with the girly-girls and the rest of the nights with you. The End." Girly-girls? Finishing a thought with "The End"? I laughed.

Last night after the Blue and Gold Banquet, a gentleman in our ward came up to me and while winking and smiling, says, "Great job decorating that cake, MOM!" I laughed and started to correct him when J interrupted and said, "Do you think my mom could do that good of a job? I made and decorated that cake all by myself! I just wish I could have had some real competition here tonight!" Can you say humility?

I stopped in to visit with the principal of Z's school today. She was wonderful to talk to and she has come up with some great ideas to help Z survive the last 2 months of the school year. The last thing she said as I walked out the door was, "Tell Z to get his butt back here to school. I miss him!" That seemed to be exactly what he needed to hear because he is anxious to get back to work again on Monday!

Hubby wants Z to finish the school year. He wants him to learn to finish what he starts. Life is hard but that's how we grow. I've thought alot about this situation this week. My first reaction is to take away all his problems and bring him home if that what he wants, and let him "run away" when things get tough. Then I realized that that is what I always do and where has it gotten me? I had an experience this last year that was one of my worst "mommy nightmares" come true. I decided that I had completely failed as a mother and so I gave up! If I couldn't do it right, then I didn't want the job anymore.

Nine months later, and my replacement still hasn't showed up so I guess I better get back to work. I layed in bed last night, waiting for Hubby to get home from work, and I thought about all the things I had messed up on through out the day, and I said to myself, "It's okay. I'll do better tomorrow!" And then I thought, "This is the exact same thing I have told myself every night for the last 12 years. I can't wait for tomorrow or someday I'm going to run out of tomorrows to hope on. I've got to start right now." I can't fix all the bad and I can't take away all the hurt, but I can keep getting up every day and going back to work, doing the best I can with what I know.

"And when I know better, I will do better!" I'm the mom in this house. That is my job! And if my husband and my children still have faith in me, then maybe I can still have faith me also.

I'm so amazed at the hard lessons I learn as a parent. I may end up ruining my children's lives, but in the end, they will have saved mine. Then I can only hope and pray that they too will be blessed with children of their own.

The End!

J's Secret Weapon- Designed by J!

Tonight is our ward's Cub Scout Blue and Gold Banquet. Each scout is supposed to bring a cake that he has made all by himself. The cakes will be judged and then eaten as dessert. We have done this several years now. Since we always seem to be in a different ward each year, we just keep making the same cake. It's super easy for J to make and decorate and he always feels like he does a good job and he is very proud of the completed project. (You know how it goes, if something works, why mess with it.) But somehow I have never managed to remember to take any pictures so, since this is our last year in cub scouts for a few years (Yeah!) , I remembered to take pictures. J also wanted some proof that he really did make this all by himself!

Okay, some stories first: One year the boys had to bring the cakes made but not decorated and then they had about 15 minutes to decorate them and then the cakes were judged. This cake worked out well because it was really easy to put together. The part that takes the longest is putting on the brown frosting all over the cake. That's why the cake is chocolate. A little tear here or there all blends in and will probably be covered by something else.

Another year, the scouts had a father/son cake decorating contest where the cakes were to be decorated at home by the scout and his father and then brought to be judged. This cake worked well for that also because Hubby did not have any time to think about a cake and J was able to do this on his own. In fact that year, a boy made the comment to J, "Well, if my dad could have taken the whole day off to stay home and work on my cake with me, mine would have looked cool also but my dad had to work all day." J's comment was, "My dad hasn't even seen this cake yet. He's still at work. I hope he get's here before it gets eaten though. I want him to see how great our cake turned out!"

Now, because I know many of you have or will have little Cubbies who may need a great cake idea someday, J has given me permission to share his winning design with you with hopes that if your son uses it, he will love it as much as J does.

The first thing J did was draw a picture of the completed design and then he made a list of supplies.

After a trip to Target, it was time to get started. First J picked out the sizes of pans he wanted for his cake. He chose a 9x13 and a bread pan. He used a chocolate cake mix and divided it between the two pans.

When the cakes had cooled, he stacked them on top of each other. (They look a little white because he made sure he used plenty of flour in the pans so the cake would not stick!) We just covered the back of a big cookie sheet with tin foil.

Now begins the fun part, decorating. He covered the whole cake with chocolate frosting. We slid some wax paper under the edges of the cake so that when J is finished making a mess, I mean decorating the cake, we can slide the wax paper out and the tin foil is still clean underneath making the finished cake look even more like it was done by someone older than a Cub Scout.

Then he mixed some chocolate frosting along with some green food coloring into white frosting until he got the desired color of camouflage that he wanted. Then he added the green frosting to the cake.

Next he added Oreos to the side to make the wheels and black licorice to make the tread.

Finally he used a big chocolate covered pretzel stick(we've used a tootsie roll stick in the past but it is really heavy and I couldn't find one this time and now I think I like the pretzel better), added some camo to it, and then poked it into the cake.

A few finishing touches,

and the end result is a very cool looking army tank, made entirely by my Cub Scout.