A glass half full of realism

When considering a glass of water one is asked: is it Half Full or Half Empty? It is barometer of sorts to see if one is an optimist or a pessimist. I like to smile really big and tell everybody I’m a realist. My family teases me and tells me I’m a dream killer. haha

glass.jpg

Yesterday, Lily came home from school with a heavy little heart. The last few months at school have been pretty dramatic with the girls she has interacted with this year. My heart was sad for her. It is so silly that one girl says they won’t be your friend if you are friends with a certain different girl. Who decided to put such high stakes on friendship? Can’t everybody just ALL be friends? I wanted to take the hurt and frustration away and protect her from all of the attacks that were being made against her self-esteem armor. To keep it real I wanted to march right over and knock on the “rude” little girl’s door and give her a lesson on being nice. But I can’t fight rudeness with more rudeness right? I can’t, and I shouldn’t – I won’t. It is more beneficial to “kill them with kindness” even if it isn’t our first reaction. 🙂 It is a hard thing to understand and realize that as a mature and wise person the best way to rescue and help our children is to be a shoulder to cry on and have a smile to offer when they feel they don’t have a friend left in the world – even when your own heart is breaking inside for their hurt.  Offering them a home where they can feel safe and protected emotionally as well a physically is of high importance. I am grateful to be a mother and try my best to be this person for my children. I have gone through similar experiences with Lexi and Mason, and I’m sure to experience this same scenario many more time with each of them in addition to Olivia & JT.

To fight back against the sorrow and drama so prevalent, I suggested that Lily make some cookies and think of somebody to share them with, because I know it helps me when I feel like she was feeling. She reluctantly took me up on the suggestion, and as I came into the kitchen and watched her melting butter and cocoa together I could see her spirits lifting – slowly but surely. I joined her cookie making efforts and in the end we both felt better. She composed a couple of notes for two of her friends whose loyalty and kindness she really appreciates. We talked about how easy it is to see the bad things that are happening and less likely to see the good, by digging a little we recognized a few good things that happened and pretty soon we were on a roll “counting our blessings.”

The cookies were delivered and we came home for FHE. As much as I tried to stay positive and patient with things, I could feel myself sinking into frustration quickly. Kids fighting, kids not wanting to help, kids feeling pressured to get homework finished, whining, complaining, Stephen not getting home until 6:30, trying to share important feelings on FHE topic and feeling like nobody is listening, planting the garden as a family and feeling like my opinion was being interpreted as “naggy” and too high of expectations. I was tired physically and it was obviously manifesting itself emotionally inside of me. After trying to stay strong and be as neutral as possible as to not set off a bomb, we finally said the family prayer – a signal the day would finally end and afterward I quickly exclaimed,”I’m going to bed.” I was scared of my emotional self. I sensed that Stephen was tired of the demanding expectations he must feel like I always have; I felt discouraged as I worried that Alexis views me as a slothful mother who always makes her do all of the work; I was overwhelmed at the fact that Mason was overwhelmed with homework and probably could have used some extra support & help; I was frustrated with Lily and her temper and stubbornness about not getting to take a shower before bed, but it was too late; I was annoyed that Olivia’s room smelled like urine and I was too unorganized of a mom and didn’t get all of her smelly clothes washed, in addition to being mad at myself for not helping her overcome her wetting habits; I was remorsefully reflective that I haven’t recently been taking opportunities to tuck JT into bed each night with a song or a story because I was too exhausted.

Then, just as was about asleep, Stephen broke the news to me, that Lexi feels like it’s all her fault that I am feeling overwhelmed. “Great!”, I sarcastically thought but could not let out the response. I had become an empty shell who couldn’t and didn’t want to feel anymore for the day – I had shut down. I closed my eyes and prayed a silent prayer that things would be better when I woke up. But when the alarm clock rang my body and mind felt the same. After hitting snooze twice, I willed myself to wake up but couldn’t find the strength or courage to feel even “half full” – I was “half empty” as my feet hit the floor. I ran down the road with my thoughts & a prayer and tried to sort through everything. It was a ping pong match against negative and positive thoughts – discouragement then hope. I am grateful that I have a Heavenly Father whose has a “shoulder I can cry on”, and offers me “emotional safety”. As I sorted and sifted and humbled myself enough to feel the answers I needed, the answers came concerning my current state: 1. I need to study my scriptures more (not just read the words) to continually recognize how much I need the Lord’s influence daily in my life  2. I need to play and have quality time with my kids – it is time to really play, really talk (the demands of all of the extras in my life need to take a back seat to enjoying time with my growing children)  3. I need to forget about me – talk less & listen more, realize that my quiet humility is much more valuable than my boisterous pride. Funny thing in all of this – I already knew these answers last night, I just needed to take the time to really want to overcome my selfish and stubborn nature.

And just for the record, I am so blessed to get to live in a family unit and experience the unconditional love they offer as well as the encouragement when I have a bad day.

So in less than 24 hours I have experienced optimism, pessimism, and found myself back at realistic. I am recognizing in this moment how much I learn being a parent. I certainly can’t encourage Lily to be forgiving and look for the good in life when I am not willing to do it myself. I appreciate the opportunity to help her through her experience, because in essence by trying to teach her the best way to handle a bad day, I was able to – in my own way – re-teach myself.

Now it’s time for me to go find somebody to “take cookies and a note to”. 🙂

A glass half full of realism

When considering a glass of water one is asked: is it Half Full or Half Empty? It is barometer of sorts to see if one is an optimist or a pessimist. I like to smile really big and tell everybody I'm a realist. My family teases me and tells me I'm a dream killer. haha

Yesterday, Lily came home from school with a heavy little heart. The last few months at school have been pretty dramatic with the girls she has interacted with this year. My heart was sad for her. It is so silly that one girl says they won't be your friend if you are friends with a certain different girl. Who decided to put such high stakes on friendship? Can't everybody just ALL be friends? I wanted to take the hurt and frustration away and protect her from all of the attacks that were being made against her self-esteem armor. To keep it real I wanted to march right over and knock on the "rude" little girl's door and give her a lesson on being nice. But I can't fight rudeness with more rudeness right? I can't, and I shouldn't – I won't. It is more beneficail to "kill them with kindness" even if it isn't our first reaction. 🙂 It is a hard thing to understand and realize that as a mature and wise person the best way to rescue and help our children is to be a shoulder to cry on and have a smile to offer when they feel they don't have a friend left in the world – even when your own heart is breaking inside for their hurt.  Offering them a home where they can feel safe and protected emotionally as well a physically is of high importance. I am grateful to be a mother and try my best to be this person for my children. I have gone through similar experiences with Lexi and Mason, and I'm sure to experience this same scenario many more time with each of them in addition to Olivia & JT.

To fight back against the sorrow and drama so prevalent, I suggested that Lily make some cookies and think of somebody to share them with, because I know it helps me when I feel like she was feeling. She reluctantly took me up on the suggestion, and as I came into the kitchen and watched her melting butter and cocoa together I could see her spirits lifting – slowly but surely. I joined her cookie making efforts and in the end we both felt better. She composed a couple of notes for two of her friends whose loyalty and kindness she really appreciates. We talked about how easy it is to see the bad things that are happening and less likely to see the good, by digging a little we recognized a few good things that happened and pretty soon we were on a roll "counting our blessings."

The cookies were delivered and we came home for FHE. As much as I tried to stay positive and patient with things, I could feel myself sinking into frustration quickly. Kids fighting, kids not wanting to help, kids feeling pressured to get homework finished, whining, complaining, Stephen not getting home until 6:30, trying to share important feelings on FHE topic and feeling like nobody is listening, planting the garden as a family and feeling like my opinion was being interpreted as "naggy" and too high of expectations. I was tired physically and it was obviously manifesting itself emotionally inside of me. After trying to stay strong and be as neutral as possible as to not set off a bomb, we finally said the family prayer – a signal the day would finally end and afterward I quickly exclaimed,"I'm going to bed." I was scared of my emotional self. I sensed that Stephen was tired of the demanding expectations he must feel like I always have; I felt discouraged as I worried that Alexis views me as a slothful mother who always makes her do all of the work; I was overwhelmed at the fact that Mason was overwhelmed with homework and probably could have used some extra support & help; I was frustrated with Lily and her temper and stubbornness about not getting to take a shower before bed, but it was too late; I was annoyed that Olivia's room smelled like urine and I was too unorganized of a mom and didn't get all of her smelly clothes washed, in addition to being mad at myself for not helping her overcome her wetting habits; I was remorsefully reflective that I haven't recently been taking opportunities to tuck JT into bed each night with a song or a story because I was too exhausted. 

Then, just as was about asleep, Stephen broke the news to me, that Lexi feels like it's all her fault that I am feeling overwhelmed. "Great!", I sarcastically thought but could not let out the response. I had become an empty shell who couldn't and didn't want to feel anymore for the day – I had shut down. I closed my eyes and prayed a silent prayer that things would be better when I woke up. But when the alarm clock rang my body and mind felt the same. After hitting snooze twice, I willed myself to wake up but couldn't find the strength or courage to feel even "half full" – I was "half empty" as my feet hit the floor. I ran down the road with my thoughts & a prayer and tried to sort through everything. It was a ping pong match against negative and positive thoughts – discouragement then hope. I am grateful that I have a Heavenly Father whose has a "shoulder I can cry on", and offers me "emotional safety". As I sorted and sifted and humbled myself enough to feel the answers I needed, the answers came concerning my current state: 1. I need to study my scriptures more (not just read the words) to continually recognize how much I need the Lord's influence daily in my life  2. I need to play and have quality time with my kids – it is time to really play, really talk (the demands of all of the extras in my life need to take a back seat to enjoying time with my growing children)  3. I need to forget about me – talk less & listen more, realize that my quiet humility is much more valuable than my boisterous pride. Funny thing in all of this – I already knew these answers last night, I just needed to take the time to really want to overcome my selfish and stubborn nature.

And just for the record, I am so blessed to get to live in a family unit and experience the unconditional love they offer as well as the encouragement when I have a bad day.

So in less than 24 hours I have experienced optimism, pessimism, and found myself back at realistic. I am recognizing in this moment how much I learn being a parent. I certainly can't encourage Lily to be forgiving and look for the good in life when I am not willing to do it myself. I appreciate the opportunity to help her through her experience, because in essence by trying to teach her the best way to handle a bad day, I was able to – in my own way – re-teach myself.

Now it's time for me to go find somebody to "take cookies and a note to". 🙂

a quote for me to internalize

"How much larger your life would be if your self could become smaller in it; if you could really look at other men [and women] with common curiosity and pleasure….You would break out of this tiny and tawdry theatre in which your own little plot is always being played, and you would find yourself under a freer sky, and in a street full of splendid strangers."

G.K. Chesterton

Bike Date with Mason

Mason's best friend is his dad. He loves to spend time with him and can't wait for him to come home from work each day. You can imagine his loneliness a couple of weeks ago when Stephen left town for an entire week for some training in Washington D.C. By the time Thrusday came around Mason was itching for somebody to hang out on his bike with. He said slyly to me, "Mom, I haven't ever been on a mt. bike ride with you around our house since you got your new bike, how about we go on a ride tomorrow after school?" I looked out the window before I committed and took note of the wind. I replied with, "As long as it's not windy outside, I would love to." Mason kept his eye on the weather and when he arrived home Friday after school he was a bit down. When I asked him what the matter was, he remarked how we probably wouldn't be able to go on our bike ride because it was too windy. I couldn't resist him and despite the wind, told him to load up the truck and we would head out. He was soo happy! I was so happy to see his happiness. I text Stephen and jokingly said, "I'm going for mom of the year." I really don't enjoy biking in the wind – especially with dirt blowing.

We ended up taking along one of Mason's friends and had a memorable time. I love being one of Mason's biggest fans, even though I get very nervous and anxious about him getting hurt on the jumps. He is very talented and has worked hard to develop his biking skills. I think he is turning into a wonderful young man. I am flattered that my 13 year old boy would want to spend Friday afternoon with his old mama! This date will be one of my favorite memories from getting to be Mason's mom.

Parker Women Unite

A tradition was started (I'm not sure how long ago), and the Parker mom's began taking weekend retreats once a year. It is fun to learn, chat, laugh, and make memories with these top notch ladies. It would have been fun to itemize all of the family events we had to miss seeing or hearing about collectively in order to make this getaway happen. For me alone it was Olivia's Kindergarten program & soccer game, as well as playgroup; Lily's activity days, soccer practice & game; Mason's soccer practice & game and his scout campout; let's not forget JT's constant need for entertainment; Lexi's soccer game & practices, as well as a birthday party. I say this to recognize how aweome the Parker Men are in our lives – who are so willing to pick up the slack with transportation, keeping house tidy, making sure everybody eats, and being there as a referee and to lend emotional counseling when called upon – all while holding down a job.  We could never have these getaway's without them and awesome/good kiddos at home. I came home to Lexi doing the family laundry and also found out that she had organized a cleaning brigade to get the house ready and clean for Sunday (without being asked). Bless HER HEART!! I am so proud of her initiative and support. She has figured me out – happy kids and clean houses make me feel so happy and loved for some reason? 🙂

This year it was decided that we would attend BYU Women's Conference for our annual retreat. What an amazing place to fill a bucket that needs refilling. The theme was, "And they were armed with righteousness and with the power of God in great glory" 1 Nephi 14:14. Many talks were prepared and presented to help us women understand the need to be armed in righteousness. I loved the theme and the program cover – it inspires me to want to be better and try harder. At night when we returned to the lovely home of Stephanie's sister in law, we talked about life's mysteries and problems until well past midnight – it felt like a mom slumber party. I'm motivated to try new ideas in my home and have an even greater determination to strengthen my home & family because of these few days. Good times with good women.

A visit with the Sun

We got spring fever an started our Spring Break a couple of days early. haha 🙂 The rest of Sugar City closed the doors of the schools on Monday, but we headed out of town on Thursday. Just couldn't wait to see the sun and some of our awesome cousins, aunt & uncle – the Lance Parker Family.

We rolled into the town of St. George with high hopes and it didn't disappoint. For me, the mom, it was the perfect vacation spot for the crew I vacation with. There were plentiful bike rides, hikes just the right size for our varied ages, shopping options to fulfill or shopping urges, good choices of places to eat, and the perfect temperatures to enjoy it all! I can't wait to visit here again.

On Thursday after a very long drive we met up with the Lance Parkers. Lance had a fun bike ride planned for the older guys – Mason included and the rest of us headed to a very cool park to get some energy out and feel the sun on our faces. When we returned to the hotel the swimming pool was the first place determined to visit.

Friday morning Anne took us to Snow Canyon State Park. There were many beautiful spots to stop to see. We chose the pioneer names hike and the petrified dunes. I was so proud of Anne and how tough she is climbing along the steep slopes after just enduring surgery recently. Mason and Stephen unpacked their bikes to experience the trail on wheels. We later found out that bikes really aren't suppose to be on the dunes – but they sure had fun, and impressed some of the other hikers on the dunes. After Snow Canyon we met Lance and the little ones at a really awesome red rock park. The remote control cars were unloaded and the kids scrambled among the rocks for good pictures and fun. We later attempted to do a family bike ride with a newly purchased bike trailer at Bear Claw Poppy. We unloaded the bikes and Stephen started unfolding the trailer and soon discovered that a key piece that connects the bike to the trailer was missing! Of course he tried to jimmy rig something – but it didn't really last long. He ended up returning to the store for the piece while the rest of us road around some awesome little trails. We had fun just puttering around at the looping trails. The night ended with a swim in the pool by dad and kids and moms going for a quick shopping trip.

Saturday morning we journeyed out to an Easter Egg hunt that began at 9:00 am and ended at 9:01. It was amazing how many people and eggs were there! We got there just in the nick of time and I think it made things feel more like Easter. After the hunt we did a fun little hike to the Ivin's Petroglyphs. We then ate lunch at In and Out Burger – delicious, and headed for Red Cliff Lake. The hike was packed with people and we had to be shuttled to the trail head. It was a very fun spot with fun pools to take a swim in. I enjoyed watching the swimming – the water was ice cold! My non-adventurous nature won out and I stayed conservative with only going up to my knees. Most everyone else jumped in – crazy people! Sami was the water queen as usual and Mason had fun trying to keep up with her. JT and Josie were great troopers, but by the end they were all tuckered out. After Red Cliff Lake hikes, Lance and Anne headed for home and we headed back toward St. George. On the way home the girls decided we would go hang out at the pool and relax with JT while Stephen and Mason went on another bike ride named Barrel Roll. When they got back we cleaned up and head out for our early Easter dinner. We chose Golden Corral for our restaurant and decided afterward that should be our last time going to a buffet. (I'll have to elaborate on another blog about that)

Easter morning came and we decided to enjoy it by sleeping in! What a luxury. We chose to attend the 11 o' clock sacrament service in a building next to the temple and participated in a wonderful meeting refelcting on Christ's atonement made for us. Afterward we walked around the beautiful temple grounds before heading for Zion National Park. We took along of picnic fixings and ended up having lunch at the trail head of Cannon Overlook. To get to the trail head we drove through an awesome rock tunnel that was 1.1 miles long. We walked along the cannon overlook trail. Lily was concerned about us "hiking" on Sunday – so we decided to be more leisure and stroll casually and with the least amount of energy up the trail. 🙂 Notice in the pictures that I was in a skirt. 😉 We talked about the wonderful world that we get to live in and how beautiful and magnificent Heavenly Father's creations are! We headed back to the bus stop and rode on the bus to observe some of the amazing rocks offered to view in Zion National Park. We hopped of at the Emerald Pools and walked around there. The "walk" seemed to be a little longer than we anticipated, but is was lovely. This walk was the last we enjoyed before heading back to our temporary home at the Economy Lodge. We watched the movie, "to this end was I born" and had a great discussion on how important Jesus Christ is to us in our lives. I love my kids and their faith and desire they have to follow Him. Got back into town just in time to take a picture of St. George Temple at night and drive pass Dixie College and see what it's like.

Monday consisted of us doing a fun family bike ride to Gooseberry Mesa. It was a bit involved for Lily and her bike, but the rest of us enjoyed it. Other than the fact that Lexi was beginning to feel sick. JT and Olivia rode in the bike trailer for a bumpy ride. Mason and Stephen sure heard me tell them to be "careful" a lot as they were getting a little to close to the cliff. In the end it was a great memory. I decided to ride out to the main road with Mason on our bikes. We had fun adding 5 more miles to our odometers and feeling the wind blow in our faces! I was so happy when the van caught up to us and Lexi proclaimed that she checked her email and found out that she made swing choir – the top choir at Sugar-Salem! She was stressing about it a lot on the previous days as she had auditioned just before we left for our vacation. When we got back to the hotel we all went to the pool and soaked up some more rays of sunshine before doing our last minute shopping trip. Lexi and Mason were excited to go to Dick's Sporting Goods to pick out their souvenirs – new soccer cleats. Lily and Olivia loved going to Del Rio. At this point Lexi and Olivia were starting to feel like sick heads, so we ate dinner and went back to the hotel to pack and prepared for an early morning and long drive home.

Next day we made our way home and stopped off in Idaho Falls for Lexi's soccer game before opening the doors of our Sugar City home. It felt good to be back in our own beds, but we sure did have an amazing and well needed weekend of playing in the sunshine.

I am now even more convinced that Stephen and I need to have a winter home in St. George when we retire!

from Norway to Sugar City

So our family decided to host an exchange student for the 2012-2013 school year! The fam has been tormenting me for the past 2 years about it. (that question intermingled with… "when we can get a foster child" or "why can't we adopt a black baby" or "can we have dancers stay with us during the Dance Festival") It seemed inevitable that I would finally cave and say "yes" to one of them, and I truly am excited about this new adventure. A few weeks ago I got a call offering the opportunity (again) to host an exchange student. For some reason I found myself being open minded about it this time….weird?! Stephen and I discussed and we asked our children and of course there was a resounding "YES!!!!!" Lexi squealed like a little girl with the prospect.

As of yesterday we can say it is official. We've emailed our new friend and received word back.  Our family is about to be a family of 8. Astrid, (pronounced Austreed-kind of like Ostrich with a d, I think?) is from Stavanger Norway and comes from a farm of 650 sheep and pigs! She is also a great soccer player and has a twin brother. She is almost 17 years old and will be a senior in high school when she gets here. We can't wait to learn more about her country and culture and show her all of the beautiful places in our neck of the woods.

This experience for me is feeling kind of like pregnancy and having my first baby. I'm not sure what to expect, and as much as I try to think about it, study, and prepare for it, it will probably end up being a roller coaster ride. Her due date is: August 4th. 🙂

Comments:

michelle said…

Wow-what an adventure. I bet your family will have some great experiences.
Sunday, March 25, 2012 10:28:36 AM

Magan said…

WOW! Exciting!
Monday, March 26, 2012 7:55:00 PM

Someday

This morning I found out that my cousin, Mandall Beattie, passed away. My heart is sad as I reflect the years I spent with him and my Uncle Morgan’s family as we grew up. We ate a lot of cake and ice cream together each year as we celebrated birthdays and living well in Burton, Idaho. As he grew up, it seemed that he struggled through life trying to find his way and himself – don’t we all? But I loved him like I love any of my cousins and could recognize his good heart. I think of his children, parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends left behind to sort through pieces and try to understand. Hurt and grief is so painfully real and I can’t even begin to imagine how badly it must feel – especially for his five children. Tender feelings of compassion and empathy for them are easy for me to find but difficult to express through my own words or actions. It is humbling and relieving to know that Heavenly Father is in charge and we can be instruments in his hands when our heart is in the right place and it’s the right time. It’s amazing to also know that because of the sacrifices made by our brother, Jesus Christ, our hearts can heal. Because of him we can find the peace we seek. It is miraculous.

I’ve been sitting at my piano. A place I find myself when my feelings get all mixed up and I feel helpless inside. I begin to work out my sadness through each note – it is very therapeutic. Eventually I ended with the song, “Someday He will Come.” This song becomes the words to the testimony my heart wants to speak. I can’t wait for the day when Jesus Christ will come again and there will be continual peace ….

“Someday He will come, sure as we live and breathe. One day every man and woman living on the earth will see His face. Someday. Someday He will come, sure as the seasons change. He will call the children to Him, He will bless the souls of every race. Someday. When He comes the world will melt away, earthly things will slip right through our hands. Leaving just our hearts to stand before Him – just our lives to speak for what we’ve done – what we’ve become. Someday He will come, sure as the end of day. When I humbly bow before Him will He find me worthy of His mercy and His grace? I will speak of Him with every breath. I will seek His sprit all my days. Everything I am I will surrender, just to know Him when this life is done – when He comes. Someday.”

Someday

This morning I found out that my cousin, Mandall Beattie, passed away. My heart is sad as I reflect the years I spent with him and my Uncle Morgan's family as we grew up. We ate a lot of cake and ice cream together each year as we celebrated birthdays and living well in Burton, Idaho. As he grew up, it seemed that he struggled through life trying to find his way and himself – don't we all? But I loved him like I love any of my cousins and could recognize his good heart. I think of his children, parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends left behind to sort through pieces and try to understand. Hurt and grief is so painfully real and I can't even begin to imagine how badly it must feel – especially for his five children. Tender feelings of compassion and empathy for them are easy for me to find but difficult to express through my own words or actions. It is humbling and relieving to know that Heavenly Father is in charge and we can be instruments in his hands when our heart is in the right place and it's the right time. It's amazing to also know that because of the sacrifices made by our brother, Jesus Christ, our hearts can heal. Because of him we can find the peace we seek. It is miraculous.

I've been sitting at my piano. A place I find myself when my feelings get all mixed up and I feel helpless inside. I begin to work out my sadness through each note – it is very therapeutic. Eventually I ended with the song, "Someday He will Come." This song becomes the words to the testimony my heart wants to speak. I can't wait for the day when Jesus Christ will come again and there will be continual peace ….

"Someday He will come, sure as we live and breathe. One day every man and woman living on the earth will see His face. Someday. Someday He will come, sure as the seasons change. He will call the children to Him, He will bless the souls of every race. Someday. When He comes the world will melt away, earthly things will slip right through our hands. Leaving just our hearts to stand before Him – just our lives to speak for what we've done – what we've become. Someday He will come, sure as the end of day. When I humbly bow before Him will He find me worthy of His mercy and His grace? I will speak of Him with every breath. I will seek His sprit all my days. Everything I am I will surrender, just to know Him when this life is done – when He comes. Someday."

Comments:

Ri Ri said…

Joe, You have such an amazing testimony. I hope that oneday i can be as strong as you. I love the amazing example you set for eveyone around you! Keep it up!
Saturday, March 10, 2012 7:20:44 AM

Grandma and Grandpa Parker said…

Jodi, we share your feelings,but on a different level. Morgan is such a good man and each of the things he cares about or that anyone we love cares about cause us to feel deep feelings when difficult things happen.
We sure hope that he and his family, including nieces feel the power of the love the Savior helps us feel at these challenging times. What a blessing to have the testimonies we have at times like these. We sure love you and respect you great example.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012 1:26:40 PM

Driver’s Ed

Lexi is half way through driver's ed. What a joy. I personally cannot wait for her to get her license so she can drive herself to where she needs to go. Yippee. I am not excited about worrying that she is safe and paying more for insurance though. 🙂 I do have a lot of confidence in her and think she will make a responsible driver. Driver's Ed consists of driving every Monday from 3-4:30 after school, and Tues & Thurs morning classes (6:30-7:30) this is the schedule for 2-1/2 months. She absolutely hates writing chapter summaries – which are due every Thursday. They are very time consuming and she has to type them, but it will all be worth it very soon.

We had a fun day last Friday when she got out of school. The final scores were turned in for the last trimester and she aced it receiving her first 4.0! After seeing her work so hard for it, I decided it was time for a "fancy pants" scholarship. She has been wanting some cool jeans for awhile. We set out to find the perfect pair and came home with some fancy pants. She wore them proudly on Monday to school. Fun days.

Other photos were from a fun photo shoot her and Stacy Roberts went on. Love the turquoise house.