Alpacas

Last Friday, we went to another fun free activity at the public library! Love those things! This one was about alpacas and the kids got to see (and be sniffed by) two alpacas as well as see items made from their fleece and learn about them. How much do you know about alpacas? Take my little quiz below to see. (It's not interactive...I'm not that techy...just record your answers on a scrap of paper and check your answers at the bottom. Enjoy!)

1. What animals are alpacas related to?
a. camels
b. llamas
c. guanacos
d. all of the above
e. none of the above



2. Where do alpacas come from?
a. Saudi Arabia
b. Andes Mountains
c. Switzerland
d. Mongolia

3. What do alpacas eat?
a. bugs and insects
b. fruits like bananas and mangoes
c. grass hay
d. small animals like rabbits and squirrels



4. Why would you want socks, a sweater or a blanket made from alpaca fibers?
a. they are very lightweight
b. they are very warm
c. they are not scratchy
d. they can help improve circulation
e. none of the above
f. all of the above

5. If you have alpacas, how many should you have?
a. they are pack animals...you must have at least two or they won't survive
b. they like to live alone
c. females live in groups, but males live alone



6. How many types of alpacas are there?
a. 5
b. 4
c. 3
d. 2

7. What is an alpaca's gestational period?
a. 24 months
b. 6-7 months
c. 10-11 months
d. 36 months

8. About how long will an alpaca live?
a. 7 years
b. 20 years
c. 50 years
d. 10 years



We learned quite a few other facts, but these were some of the more interesting ones. A cool tidbit is that the two people presenting said that they welcome visitors to see their alpacas. Just call ahead and they will give you a little tour.

So how did you do? Here are the answers:
1. d 2. b 3. c 4. f 5. a 6.d 7.c 8. b

cute outfits

When Alfredo went to California a few months ago, he was able to get darling dresses from El Salvador's embassy. Here are the cute dresses, handmade in El Salvador, he bought the girls.

April - June 2010 Reads

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith (excellent book)
Forest Born by Shannon Hale
Golden Spiral by Lisa Mangum
Grip of the Shadow Plague (Fablehaven 3)
Igniting a Passion for Reading by Steven Layne (LOVED this book...got me excited about teaching again!)
Lunatic Express by Carl Hoffman
Maisie Dobbs
Making Toast by Roger Rosenblatt
Mergers by Steven Layne
Methods of Madness by Stephanie Black
One Thousand White Women by Jim Fergus (Very interesting!)
Paris Pan Takes the Dare
Readacide by Kelly Galagher
Rise of the Evening Star (Fablehaven 2)
River Secrets by Shannon Hale
Saboteur by Dean Hughes
Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary (Fablehaven 4)
Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
The Book Whisperer by Donalyn Miller (about teaching kids to love reading)
The Daily Five (about teaching reading)
The Kitchen Boy
The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephenie Meyer (Fun read...thanks for letting me borrow it Shannon!)


Okay, wow! That seems like a pretty long list, even to me. And really almost all of them were good books... but a couple stand out on this list. SO...in case anyone cares, or just to refresh my memory at a later date, there are four books I'll mention.

First, I love the Fablehaven series. I read #1 to Michelle and Ella and they really liked it. I can't wait for them to get older to read the rest...but there are some sad/intense parts and so I'll wait. I especially loved #4!!!!

The book One Thousand White Women was very interesting. It takes a real historical event and changes what did happen to ask what if? What if one thousand white women were married to members of the Sioux tribe. It was very interesting and really showed both good and bad in each society...white and Native American. Very interesting.

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is a classic and was our book club read in June. I'd read it before about 10 years ago and recommended it to quite a few people over the years. Rereading it now, totally different things stood out to me. It led to a great discussion about how women can be catty and gossipy and jealous and unkind...and also charitable, loving and noble. We also talked a lot about socio-economic status and the role that plays in lives. I've been thinking about our discussion ever since...how it is so easy to think that people are poor because they don't work hard or use drugs or whatever. I think so often that is untrue. Oftentimes, those who are poor work harder than those in the middle class. They have just been, as Francie's dad points out, unlucky. Why have I been blessed in so many ways that my students haven't? The good news is that while it is difficult, it is possible to change your socio-economic status, primarily through education. We can each overcome whatever challenges we are given...and we all have them.

The last book that really was a great book and really made you think was Mergers. In this book, a man realized that so much suffering in the world was a result of racial and ethnic differences... there is often hatred, prejudice and persecution of people based on the way they look or where they come from or the way they speak. So the man decided to merge all the races and create one race. This book is about four teens who were born different, not merged, and with special skills/powers. Who is right? Would merging people, eliminating race and diversity, eliminate problems? Or is diversity part of what makes us human, unique and special? This book is action packed and intense and was a real page turner, but also gives you a lot to think about... Fabulous read!! I'd recommend this for 5th graders on up to adults.

Lagoon trip #2

Due to the inclement weather (wind and cold, cold, cold) we were able to have a return trip to Lagoon. We went Saturday. It was much more crowded this time, but we were able to have the kids' first visit to Lagoon-a-beach and Michelle, Ella and I went on Rattlesnake Rapids. Plus, many other rides. Very fun day! Love Lagoon... and it will probably be even more fun in a couple of years when the kids can ride more of the rides.

My talk for the funeral

Faye Neff is my grandmother. I am grateful for this opportunity to speak at her funeral and remember her.

I am also grateful for the knowledge that the gospel gives us about the plan of salvation, sometimes called the plan of happiness. I love that--the plan of happiness…our Father wants us to have joy, both in this life and the next!

The plan of happiness consists of several key points:
*we lived in heaven in a premortal life
*we came to Earth to be tested and to gain a body
*Our Savior came to Earth to atone for our sins and to be resurrected.
*All of us will be resurrected, and we can also gain eternal life if we repent and are obedient.

First, the plan of salvation teaches us that we lived in heaven before we came to Earth. We lived with our Father in Heaven and we learned His plan. We knew our Father and our Savior. Heavenly Father’s plan for us was for us to come to earth, receive a body and be tested and tried. In Abraham 3:22-23 we read, “And we will aprove them herewith, to see if they will bdo all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them.”
We accepted His plan.

While on Earth, we can choose whether or not to follow our Savior, Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ lived a perfect life. He set an example for each of us. He suffered for our sins in the Garden of Gethsemane and then hung on the cross. Finally, he was resurrected. Through Christ’s Atonement, everyone will be resurrected. We can also gain eternal life. If we follow our Savior, keep the commandments and endure to the end, we will return and live with our Father in Heaven and our Savior forever. We will also be reunited with our family. This plan gives us peace when a family member or other loved one dies. I know that my grandma will be resurrected and that I will be able to see her after I die. I know that she has been reunited with her parents and siblings and others who have gone before her. It is so comforting to know what happens after death and to be reassured that death is not the end.

Elder L. Tom Perry said, QUOTE “Life on earth is of limited duration. There comes a time for all of us when the spirit and the body are separated in death. But because of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, we will all be resurrected, regardless of whether we have accomplished good or evil in this life. Immortality is the gift to every mortal child of our Father in Heaven. Death must be viewed as a portal to a new and better life. Through the glorious resurrection, body and spirit will be reunited. We will have a perfect, immortal body of flesh and bones that will never be subjected to pain or death. But the glory we attain to in the next life will depend on our performance in this life. Only through the gift of the Atonement and our obedience to the gospel can we return and live with God once again.” UNQUOTE


Perhaps the most comforting and most important part of the plan of salvation is the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Our Savior, Jesus Christ, the only Begotten son of the Father, not only suffered for our sins, but he took upon himself our sicknesses, our sorrows.
Alma 7: 11 And he shall go forth, suffering pains and aafflictions and btemptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will ctake upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.

12 And he will take upon him adeath, that he may bloose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to csuccor his people according to their infirmities.

. Because he was the son of God and he was without sin, he was able to atone for our sins. Atone means literally “at one” or to make as one. Elder Russel M. Nelson said this,

QUOTE“With this background in mind, let us now ponder the deep meaning of the word atonement. In the English language, the components are at-one-ment, suggesting that a person is at one with another. Other languages 18 employ words that connote either expiation or reconciliation. Expiation means “to atone for.” ..Reconciliation, literally means “to sit again with.”

Rich meaning is found in study of the word atonement in the Semitic languages of Old Testament times. In Hebrew, the basic word for atonement is kaphar, a verb that means “to cover” or “to forgive.” 19 Closely related is the Aramaic and Arabic word kafat, meaning “a close embrace”—no doubt related to the Egyptian ritual embrace. References to that embrace are evident in the Book of Mormon. One states that “the Lord hath redeemed my soul … ; I have beheld his glory, and I am encircled about eternally in the arms of his love.” 20 Another proffers the glorious hope of our being “clasped in the arms of Jesus.” 21

I weep for joy when I contemplate the significance of it all. To be redeemed is to be atoned—received in the close embrace of God with an expression not only of His forgiveness, but of our oneness of heart and mind. What a privilege!” UNQUOTE

What a wonderful comfort and hope that gives us to know that we can be embraced by our loving Father and live with loved ones. However, in order to partake of the Atonement, we have a responsibility to repent. Unlike our Savior, none of us are perfect. All of us sin and make mistakes. We must repent and have a change of heart to enter into the kingdom of heaven. In addition, the Doctrine and Covenants tells us that in order to be forgiven of our sins, we must also forgive others.

64: 9 Wherefore, I say unto you, that ye ought to aforgive one another; for he that bforgiveth not his brother his trespasses standeth condemned before the Lord; for there remaineth in him the greater sin.

10 I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to bforgive all men.

Forgiveness can be difficult when someone, a friend, family member or neighbor has hurt us. It is especially hard when that person should be one who loves us unconditionally, but it is only through forgiving others and repenting of our own sins, that we can access the atonement and we can be encircled in the arms of our Savior’s love.

Through this plan of salvation, through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, baptism into the church, repentance of our sins and forgiving others, we can be able to return to our Father in Heaven and our beloved Savior. We will be embraced by them, and we will live with our families forever. I bear testimony that each of us, including my grandma, are beloved children of God and that this is His plan for each of us.

Memories and Thoughts about Grandma

My grandma's viewing was Monday evening and the funeral was Tuesday. It was a beautiful service...my mom offered the family prayer. My cousin Tamara played the organ. My uncle Steve and my uncle Brent spoke about my grandma, and I spoke about the plan of salvation. My cousin Tamara did a special musical number, How Great Thou Art. The Bishop of the ward also spoke about my grandparents.

My grandma is buried in Sandy, in a beautiful plot with an amazing view of the mountains and the valley. I think and hope that she is at peace.

It was nice to hear and be reminded of so many of my grandma's positive qualities. She was not a perfect woman and at the end of her life had become angry and unforgiving about some things she had endured. But she also had many wonderful qualities.

My grandma loved animals. She always had a dog and at least one cat. She also had many other animals. My sister reminded me that we spent lots of playing with ducks during the summers we spent up here with my grandparents. I guess she also had bunnies, geese and other animals at various times.

My grandma was an amazing gardener. She had many fruit trees, raspberry bushes and a huge vegetable garden. She could grow anything. And she was very generous with the food she grew, often giving it away to friends, neighbors and family members. She canned a lot of food. As a little girl I loved her canned apricots. I also enjoyed helping her pick raspberries.

My grandma was also an amazing seamstress. She made quilts for her children and grandchildren and others. As a little girl, I wore many dresses and other clothes that she sewed for me.

My grandma was very frugal. She really lived by that old adage, "Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without." She and my grandpa never went out to eat or did other things that were "extravagant." They saved and used their money wisely and carefully.
****************************
Uncle Brent's talk (the great thing about the talks is that almost everyone collaborated and shared memories to help write the talks for my two uncles)

Faye Morris Neff was born on September 16, 1924 to Albert Oscar and Rosina Eliza Sparkes Morris. She passed away on Thursday, June 17, 2010 at the age of 85. She was married to Floyd Neff on October 28, 1948. They were sealed in the Salt Lake Temple on June 12, 1957.

Faye is survived by her husband of 62 years as well as her five children: LaRue, Barbara, Steve, Elaine and Brent. She had 15 grandchildren and many great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents and all of her siblings.

Mom was a very hard-working person and taught her children to work hard. She was constantly doing something. Even when she sat down, she had embroidery or knitting in her hands. She loved to quilt and made quilts for her children and grandchildren. She loved to sew and made lots of clothes for others.

Mom was a wonderful cook. She loved to make pies. Pineapple was my favorite. There were always fruit trees in our yeard and Mom used the fruit to make jams, jellies and pies as well as canning the fruit to eat. Mom was an amazing gardener, growing fruits and vegetables, which she then shared with friends, neighbors and family. She had such a green thumb that no matter what she planted, it would grow.

As teenagers, Mom and Dad would often take us boating and waterskiing on the weekend. Often, one of our friends would go with us. Our parents wanted to share with others the fun we had as a family. (Note from me, Jenny: I also have found memories of going boating with my grandparents and Aunt Elaine and Uncle Brent as a child during the summers spent up here in Utah!)

Mom loved to babysit her grandchildren. Even when she didn't feel well herself, she was always willing to take care of her grandchildren.

It was really important to Mom that her children marry the right person. She wanted each of them to find the happiness in marriage that she enjoyed in her own marriage to Dad. She loved Dad with all of her heart.

Mom loved to listen to talk radio and always wanted to be up to date on current events.

I loved my mom and I will miss her.

Favorite Hymns...

or what I want sung at my funeral... (No, I am not planning to die soon or anything, but we just lost my grandma this past week...and for what it's worth, these are the songs I would want sung...)

**Lead, Kindly Light...probably my favorite hymn...especially verse two:

I was not ever thus, nor pray’d that thou
Shouldst lead me on.
I loved to choose and see my path; but now,
Lead thou me on!
I loved the garish day, and, spite of fears,
Pride ruled my will. Remember not past years.

97: "Lead, Kindly Light,” Hymns of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, no. 97


**Come, Come Ye Saints... I have loved reading about church history and I have many ancestors that crossed the plains. Somehow I can rarely make it through this song without tears in my eyes...I don't have the trials they have, but I know that this rings true:

Why should we mourn or think our lot is hard?
’Tis not so; all is right.
Why should we think to earn a great reward
If we now shun the fight?
Gird up your loins; fresh courage take.
Our God will never us forsake;
And soon we’ll have this tale to tell—
All is well! All is well!

And verse 4 talks about dying...And if we die before our journey's through, Happy day, all is well...we then are freed from toil and sorrow too, with the just we shall dwell.

30: "Come, Come, Ye Saints,” Hymns of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, no. 30


**God Be With You Till We Meet Again..(Hymn 152).it's just a perfect funeral song, knowing that we will be reunited thanks to our Savior's Atonement.

**O My Father (Hymn 292) is another of my very favorite hymns... today there was the most beautiful musical number at church with the Montgomery's playing the violin and clarinet and accompanied by the piano.

A few other hymns that I just love are:
*We Thank Thee O God for a Prophet
*Praise to the Man
*How Great Thou Art
*There is a Green Hill Far Away
*Now Let us Rejoice
*A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief
*Redeemer of Israel
*Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing

fun at Liberty Park

What more could a kid ask for? Swings, slides, water, climbing areas, and ways to make music....oh, and a warm enough day to go to the park. Fortunately, this week the weather has been great!! The kids plus a friend had a great time at Liberty Park...

The Brave...and Not As Brave

The Brave:



Michelle definitely takes after Alfredo. She loves rides! She loves the dinosaur drop and the ladybug drop and this year she was tall enough to go on the Wild Mouse as well as many others. The Wild Mouse was her favorite. She went on it nine times!!! Alfredo's favorite ride was Wicked. While we all spent a lot of our time in Kiddieland, Alfredo and Michelle also went with Jeremy and Stacie's family and Patti and Nelson's family to ride more of the adult rides. Michelle had a blast!

The Not as Brave:


Ella, on the other hand, is my girl. Neither of us like the roller coasters or "scary" rides. But maybe she is even braver than I am. She did go on the ladybug drop (which terrified her!) and she was disappointed that she was still too short to go on the Wild Mouse (which I actually do like). So Ella and Gabrielle and I spent nearly all day in Kiddieland...which was fine by me. I am at Lagoon for my kids. And they also had a great time! It was Gabrielle's first trip, and with the exception of one ride that scared her a little, she seemed to love it!

We were afraid it was not going to happen. When we left Salt Lake, it was overcast but otherwise it was nice. When we got up to Lagoon, the wind was blowing like crazy. We ended up sitting in our car for about 45 minutes because the wind was so bad and few of the rides were working. But finally, it was almost lunch time and the wind wasn't quite as bad, so we headed inside...dressed in our winter jackets and with a big blanket for the girls. The kids rode a few rides, and then we headed to lunch...a barbecue with Alfredo's company. Again, everyone got prizes. And it is really fun going with Alfredo's company because the kids have so many friends to take turns riding all the rides. By the time lunch was over, both Ella and Gabrielle were asleep in the stroller.




It ended up being a pretty good day...it was cold, but it didn't rain and there weren't many people there so we just walked right on to most rides. We stayed from 12:30 until about 7:30 or 8. The only downside: the waterpark was closed and we didn't go on Rattlesnake Rapids...it was just too cold. Maybe next time...

My Gabby girl

...or Gabs... or Gabbers...

Those are all perfect descriptions/nicknames for her, because she does like to "gab". She seriously echoes nearly everything you say, speaks in sentences and talks all day long. "Wass (What's) that?" is a common question around here these days, because she wants to name everything and talk about it. She has learned probably 40 or more Spanish words/phrases and who knows how many hundreds of English words. She adores her big sisters, and seems especially close to Ella. But as I've mentioned before, she can not be left unattended.... Here's proof:


Gabby's attempt at putting makeup on!


Last Sunday morning, I ran downstairs to wake Michelle up. There was a bottle of nail polish on the kitchen counter, closed tightly. Gabrielle was sitting at the kitchen counter when I ran downstairs for no more than 3 minutes. I returned to find her painting her fingernails and toenails. She wouldn't hold still for a good picture, and it was actually much worse at first, but this gives you an idea:



Unfortunately, her nail painting also ended up on the kitchen counter! And I was out of nail polish remover!

But despite her bent for causing trouble, she is as sweet as can be (most of the time)... and we adore her curly hair, which seems to be getting curlier all the time, and her shy smile, and her laugh. We're so glad she is part of our family!!

The Right Thing to Do

I have both a sense of loss and a sense of accomplishment. School is over. Technically it was over on Friday, but since I am moving to second grade next year, I had to pack my old room and move to a new room on the other wing of the building. I am sure moving to second grade will end up being a good change. It will challenge me to learn and grow as a teacher and hopefully, I will be able to get these young children excited about reading and help them learn and develop. But I have loved teaching third grade. I like the age...old enough to be fairly independent, but young enough to still be (mostly) sweet and innocent. I like the curriculum...force and motion, sun and moon, heat and light, South America compared to North America. But mostly, I love who I work with. Brenda has become one of my closest friends and we collaborate on almost everything we do. This has helped us both tremendously, cutting our work load and helping us both to grow and learn from each others' strengths. So as I said at first, there is a sense of loss to not be working with her and to leave a classroom filled with memories. But I've spent the past two days packing and moving into the new classroom, going through everything I own as a teacher to decide what to keep and what to toss or give away. And I basically finished moving in. So that feels great!

So, many people have asked why I'm moving to second grade and if I'm excited. The answer is more complicated than I usually share. I have very mixed feelings. But moving to second grade was the right thing to do. We have a bilingual program at my school. It is usually K-3, although it used to go to 5th grade. This year we had such a small 3rd grade group that there were only enough students to have 2 classes, so there was no bilingual third grade. But the plan was to have bilingual in third next year. When we began looking at staffing for next year, we found that there were too many teachers in the upper grades. So the plan was to move one of them into third grade and then we wouldn't have bilingual in third grade. Stopping a bilingual program at second grade is not what is best for kids, though, and our bilingual program is working and helping a lot of kids. I truly believe it is what is best for our students...and I wasn't always convinced of that. But at first, it appeared that we would be losing our bilingual program...or at least shortening it to K-2. But as we looked at various options, I realized there was another possibility. I honestly hated to mention it, but since one of our second grade teachers was retiring, I could move to second grade, one of the 4th or 5th grade teachers could take my spot and then we could still hire a bilingual teacher for third grade. And so that is what was decided. I said up front that if another solution could be found, I would prefer another solution. But I was willing to move if we felt it was what would be best for kids. And so after looking at various options, that is what the school decided to do. So a 5th grade teacher moved to fourth, a fourth grade teacher moved to 3rd and I'm moving to second (although I'm the only one that actually has to move physically since 3rd-5th are in the same wing). So when I say it isn't really by choice, that is true, but I wasn't forced to go either. I am happy and comfortable in third grade and we are/were a good, strong team. But this is the right thing to do...and so I will do it. (I'm groaning now...I hope this didn't come off sounding all self-sacrificing or anything... just trying to explain my feelings and why I am moving.)

Our singer/songwriter

Michelle loves to sing. At her birthday party, she was planning to perform a song. But then she got too embarrassed at the last minute and decided not to. She is always singing songs she learns at school, songs she hears on the radio.... and songs she makes up. Sometimes when she "reads" her homework book to me, she actually sings it to a tune.
In April, I asked her to record a message on our answering machine. She asked if she could sing a song, and I said yes. So she sang a cute, made up at that moment, song about spring. I wish I had written the words down before I changed the message in May, but it went something like this:

"Spring...one day you are rainy, the next you are sunny. It rains and it snows, the wind blows...Spring, you're a weirdo!"

She came home a few days ago telling me all about an assembly where the upper grade students played violins. They also, apparently, said goodbye to teachers who were retiring. One of which is her music teacher, Miss Shorten. She will really miss her music teacher who has taught them to sing and to use percussion instruments and to recognize the works of several composers and who has definitely ignited a passion for music in Michelle's heart.