It's been a long time coming but we finally began the process of paving the driveway today. Yahoo! There will be lots of room to play and ride bikes. So exciting! The kids have spent hours today watching all the equipment prepare the ground. It made for a great show during breakfast.
Tonight we ended Mary's weekend birthday celebration with our traditional trip to Red Robin. Yum! Noah actually won a ball from the little video arcade they have tucked in by the entrance. I thought those claw grabbing things were impossible to win, especially on your first try! Where is the lesson in probability and the sting of spending too much only to fail? Now he is telling everyone that when we go for his birthday he'll simply get a prize for whoever wants one, because it is totally probable now. So funny.
Seven years ago today Mary entered our family and our hearts. It marked the beginning of a new life for her and for me, as a mother.
It was a Friday morning when I went in for my 37 week check up. Aaron came with me since he had just finished his last finals at BYU. I can still see the pause in Dr. Lawrence's face as we were leaving the door following the routine appointment. It was as if a thought to do an ultrasound just popped in her head. We were super excited to see a picture of Mary again. Dr. Lawrence grew quiet as she was checking the monitor and started to explain that for whatever reason there was no fluid protecting her. Mary needed to be delivered...right away. Scared and surprised we went next door to the hospital for induction. Twelve hours later we ended up having a c-section to deliver a strong little Mary with huge beautiful eyes that immediately entranced us forever. A couple of weeks in the NICU for underdeveloped lungs and several skilled doctors later, we got to take her home. I am grateful each day that Heavenly Father blessed us with such a loving and obedient daughter. I am so very thankful for the inspired doctors who saved our little girl. God's hand was in her delivery, that I know.
After Mary's favorite meal of Grandma's chicken noodle soup, salad, Grammie's homemade rolls, and fruit we surprised Mary with a group family gift...all the Grandparents, Tanta Henri, and the Idiart aunts and uncles pitched in and got her a kindle fire. Thirteen cousins and siblings kept it a secret for over a month. Since she knew about it's existence, I told Mary that if she asked about what the present was I would return it. Not a peep came out of her mouth and she was very patient. She was shocked and excited; it was a very memorable gift and she is already sharing it with everyone.
What an angel girl.
Today we celebrated Mary's birthday with her friends. It was a wonderful party filled with games, sweets, and all things Candyland. We had King Kandy's Kraft, Lord Licorice's Limbo, Jolly's Gumdrop Tower Race, Mr. Mint's Peppermint Pass, Gramma Nutt's Peanut Toss, and Queen Frostine's Freeze Dance. It made for a very memorable birthday!
No one wants to play in the darling playhouse Aaron so masterfully built. Why? Because bees/wasps like to make their little homes in the cracks along the roof. The kids play for a minute or two before a bee will scare them into a panic. I have no idea where this fear comes from. I'm sure I have never run away screaming from a bee like that before! Wink, wink.
So Aaron with all his bulging muscles came to the rescue today, killer spray in hand. The kids took breaks from jumping through the sprinklers to watch from a safe distance.
Do you think painting it yellow made it more attractive? Those busy little bees work fast; as soon as Aaron fumigated they were back to their beesyness.
Tonight we finished our stake primary training for the year. It was amazing. My favorite part was definitely listening to all of the wards present. Everyone is so full of great ideas and there was something for everyone. It was a wonderful blend of spiritual and entertaining...just as it feels when teaching children.
Our Stake Primary President, Mollie, of course did an outstanding job reiterating the influence primary has on our children and the gratitude we have for the leaders called to serve there. President Dixon also did a wonderful job helping the leaders remember that they are called of God. Just that information alone can bring strength and meaning to our callings.
The theme of "TULIPS" was meant to parallel the lives of our primary children. Often we plant bulbs in the winter to see it bloom later in the spring. In primary we hope to plant seeds and lay a rich soil that they can plant their testimonies in. Each letter it the TULIP acronym should help the teachers and leaders remember the purposes of primary as outlined in the church handbook. How this acronym came to our presidency was truly inspired.
The T helps us all to remember how we need to constantly Teach with the Spirit. (D&C 42:14). The U inspires us to help the children Understand Heavenly Father's love for them (1 John 4: 16). The L reminds us to help children Learn to recognize and feel the Holy Ghost (Galations 5:22). The I reminds us to encourage the children to Instill faith and testimony in Jesus Christ. The P pushes us to help children Prepare to make and keep sacred covenants. And the S, which we didn't see in the handbook under purposes of primary but feel is equally important, is to remind us to Seek out his lost sheep. Each ward presented what they did to makes these themes successful in their Primary. It seemed as though it had been scripted; it so perfectly blended together. I Think the Spirit really directed the presidencies.
I always feel so blessed to have my mother help me with projects and callings. I value her opinion and she was a real lifesaver when it came to taking care of my responsibilities for this event. It was hours and hours of planning and preparing, but I think worth it in the end.
And I will never look at a tulip the same again.
We've been getting ready for Mary's birthday party this Saturday. It's been a lot just because I've been trying to complete the stake training prep at the same time, and I probably go a little overboard on the details anyway. Mary's party is a Candyland theme. I used this picture for her invitation. Mary is sweeter than sugar on a stick!
The pollen count is high and my head is suffering. My watery eyes are puffy and my face an itchy mess. Medicine brings some relief, but it makes me sleepy and tired and I'm just plain fed up.
Itch, scratch, sneeze, sniff
If it doesn't end soon
I may throw a fit.
Watery eyes disturb my view
of tulips and daffodils
and colorful hues.
Spring, my dear friend,
I wish you could stay.
But your traveling companion
Oh, he needs to GO AWAY!
Tiffany texted to see if we were interested in a family home evening marshmallow battle. It's amazing what fun a styrofoam cup, a balloon, and a launched mini marshmallow can be. It was children verses parents. There were a few casualties. Cameron simply went around eating the marshmallows, his fat lip is from swing mishap #56 which occurred earlier in the evening. Afterwards we shared treats and chatted while the kids ran around. It was legendary.
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I am prepping for our stake primary leadership training this week. It's been a ton of work, but I'm nearing the end of my responsibilities. Tonight Aaron helped me finish modge podging these tulips. We will be using them for a demonstration from the wards on how we help our primary children bloom. We are using the word TULIPS as an acronym for helping wards remember the purposes of primary. Hopefully it all works out as we see it in our heads. This basket is full of chalk and eraser sets for each person. I think they are super cute and useful and I put the acronym on a sticker on the back of the eraser.
Today was filled with soccer games and sunshine. Noah scored the first goal of the season. Mary scored three goals, helping her team stay undefeated. We took full advantage of this beautiful day and planted trees and flowers of all sorts. Aaron made perfect lawn mowing lines. It was just the kind of Saturday you dream of. Then during family scripture study we happen to land on Alma 32. The analogy played in perfectly to our day of gardening, and it's one of my favorite chapters. Love this scripture:
But if ye will nourish the word, yea, nourish the tree as it beginneth to grow, by your faith with great diligence, and with patience, looking forward to the fruit thereof, it shall take root; and behold it shall be a tree springing up unto everlasting life.
Here they are...on their little date night to MRE's Daddy Daughter Dance. Oh, how I love that Mary has Aaron for her Daddy. He listens to her, he plays with her, he brushes and straightens her hair, he encourages and protects, he strengthens and he leads, he loves her mother...and all of this is going to impact who she marries. You see, it wasn't too long ago that my Dad had his arm around me at a Daddy Daughter Sock Hop, and it definitely made all the difference.
The senseless Boston Marathon bombing and the political frustration of the local school board's hiring of a new principal who is undergoing an investigation for not properly protecting students from a teacher accused of child abuse make me feel a little uneasy. Politics, terrorism, and the corruption in our world leave me with a pit in my stomach. I find solace in my Savior and in the walls of my home. I read something in this month's Ensign today that brought some peace to my soul.
Today was Noah's first soccer practice of the season. It is his third time playing on a team and he loves it. Every minute of it. We had been waiting for quite a while for the call from his coach. So exciting!
It's amazing to me how Mary will begin playing a new piece and the tune doesn't even sound remotely musical, just a bunch of notes in succession. Then after the rhythm begins to peek through and there is less of the tedious note identification I hear the lovely melody and I recognize it. She can now play the Sleeping Beauty Waltz. And it's dreamy.
