Inspiriation

A stake high councilman asked me to be his companion speaker today for another ward. I kind of forgot how busy life would get this weekend when I said yes, but I am sure glad I did, because there was a lot I needed to learn.

My topic was preparing spiritually for challenging times. I related the story of Job and talked a lot about attending the temple and feeding our spirits to know God. Job knew God's character and it was that testimony which had sustained him when his trials came.

I thought all week about my trials through out my life, looking back, none seem of any real concern compared to that of Job and so many others. I am grateful that my life hasn't had to go through any dark periods. I began to wonder what, perhaps, will be in store for me and our family and prayed that I can be humble and true for whatever comes our way.

The other speaker had the same topic and he related a story about his personal life that I thought was very powerful. He was going through a trial and received a call from someone who never called him for help before. Of course, he dropped everything and ran to his aid. As a result of his service his own spirit was lifted. He said he believed God put this opportunity for service in his path to help him through his trial. I thought his remarks were beautiful and while I prepared for the same topic, so many of his words did not cross my mind.  It was as if I had a double dose on the subject. So awesome.

Following the meeting I ran back to our ward to meet up with my family. There I felt more inspiration from the talks and lessons. After church we headed to Christine's to celebrate Jared's birthday this Tuesday. It was so nice celebrating together on this glorious Sunday in such a breathtaking backyard.

Magnifico!

Our Daddy Daughter Fiesta was a hit. There is nothing more tender as a father spending time with her daughter...the father so gentle and attentive, the daughter glowing with an understanding of just how special she is. We had too much food, since we planned on around 150 people and there was just over a hundred there. The maraca painting craft was a hit as well as the Mexican hat dance, limbo, and pinata raffle. Overall, I think it was pretty fantastic. And Mary can't wait until next year when she gets to come with her daddy.

I'm feeling really grateful for Justin who helped with our sound system, dance instruction, and taking down of lights and banners. He is so helpful and I love that he doesn't mind me calling him for help. Plus, he and Annie were so darling today.

Is that a gym?

That's what you might say when you look at this incredible space we decorated today. Isn't it fantastic? I am thinking these 8-11 year old girls and their dads are going to have a lot of fun. I feel so grateful for such a supportive family, who helped decorate and babysit today, especially my mom. I am so thankful for Aaron and his help buying sprinkles late at night, picking up my slack at home, and coming home from work on his lunch hour to hang Christmas lights and fiesta banners. I'm looking forward to having it all done tomorrow.

Good Friends

Our stake daddy daughter dance is this Saturday. We have been planning and preparing. We were stumped on what to do for dessert for nearly 150 people. We decided that churros were just too hard to keep fresh and warm, ice cream was hard to serve quickly and store, and cookies were the best option because they could be prepared in advance.

Melody found these darling sombrero cookies online. We emailed some of our friends and within a couple hours we had over 15 people willing to bake 2 1/2 dozen sugar cookies for today when Melody and I would decorate them.

Aaron held down the fort with the kids and soccer practice, including Noah's first practice with his team, which Aaron is coaching. Mary went to play at her darling friend Emi's house before practice. I did a bit of carpooling and errands. Nikki loved joyschool again. 

All day during the hustle and bustle my kitchen filled with deliciousness, all our friends dropping off cookies. Melody came and we worked hard, running out of sprinkles faster than you can believe. Two friends and my mom offered to come over late to help decorate them. We had a great time. There was a lot of love that went into these treats.

Noah Rides the Bus!

I don't love the idea of my kids riding the bus. I think because it takes a lot longer to get home, it's crowded, and there aren't any adults on it. Although on occasion Mary has ridden the bus to Annie's house since it's the very first stop. However, Noah really wants to ride on the kindergarten bus. I don't mind the kindergarten bus at all...a bunch of sweet 5 year olds isn't so nerve racking for me. So, we park at Elise's house that way he doesn't have to ride alone to our house, the last stop. He loved it today. He says he wants to ride it every time Elise does. It was so darling.

 After the bus ride we went to seven oaks farm to look at pumpkins, visit animals, and grab some fresh produce. Estelle was so excited to see the animals. The kids had a great time playing in the children's area. Nikki needed someone to hug for this picture, so she wrapped her arms around this little statue. So cute.

Jumping for JOY SCHOOL!

Every Sunday I try and take Nicole to Sunbeams and every Sunday she cries and needs me to stay with her. The last two Sundays I kept her with me in my class since they called an assistant for our fantastic Sunbeam teacher and three teachers for five kids feels a little funny. For this reason, I was nervous that joy school would be stressful for her. So I prepped her all week, explaining that I couldn't stay while she was there, but that I would be at the door as soon as it was over. If there was an emergency Erin could call me and we discussed every scenario we could think of. We also had a little planning meeting at the first little boy's home last week, and I think that really helped her feel more confident when she went there again today.

Surprisingly, she did splendidly well and never looked back. She was joyful to go, joyful  to participate, and the first thing she said when I picked her up was that she was overjoyed to go again, guess that's appropriate given it's name.

I am ecstatic that her first experience was so positive and that she feels like such a big girl,...because...sniff, sniff....she just might...sniff, sniff.... be one...sniff, sniff. Love this girl!

Noah Starts Kindergarten

Well, my sweet boy loved everything about his first day of school. He was happy to go and when I picked him up he said it was an awesome day and that he loves Kindergarten. I am beaming!

I decided to ask him a few questions about his first day. Here were his responses:

What was your favorite part of the day? Ram bucks
How did you get a ram buck? Holding up a 'c' quietly with my hand. Oh, and I also liked play-dough.
What did you do with the play-dough? Um, make whatever the teacher told us to..a worm, snowman, letter 'c'
What is the first thing you did when you got there? Be scared. (Pause and chuckle) Put my back pack in my cubby. Sit in my seat. Sit at the carpet. Line up like a candle (which is so darling). Learn the rules.
Did you read a book today? Yes, my teacher read Mean Jean the Recess Queen, but Mrs. Bjorge read with these funny voices like this (He demonstrated. I've read this book a hundred times, last night in fact. I guess I need to add a little interest to my voice.)
Who were some people you recognized? Elise, Adeline, Miley, Liam
Did you play with them? Pretty much no, cuz we only had like two minutes of recess.
What do you like the most about your teacher? She's funny.
What do you hope to learn this year? Soccer
I mean in school? Math
Anything else? Eh, nah.