The Panameno's Pretty Princesses

Thoughts ...

2012-01-30T07:26:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned in a previous post, I read The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown. This was a really great read. It's short and easy to read but filled with some real wisdom. As I mentioned earlier, she talked about not comparing yourself to others. Then she lays out the guideposts (or qualities/values) that she found in her research led to whole living. Some of them I feel like I'm doing pretty well on or at least I'm aware of their importance and trying to incorporate them in my life.

Her guideposts are these:
authenticity
self-compassion
a resilient spirit
gratitude and joy
intuition and faith
creativity
play and rest
calm and stillness
meaningful work
laughter, song and dance

I found the chapter on gratitude and joy to be so inspiring. She said that as she did her research, she found that gratitude and joy were inextricably linked...that those who were joyous actively practiced gratitude. Also, she (like many apostles have done in conference talks) discussed the difference between happiness (which is a feeling that comes and goes and that is based on circumstances) and joy (which is a more spiritual feeling..its Greek root was chairo and means the "culmination of being" or "good mood of the soul".) What I found especially interesting is that she spent time in this chapter talking about the opposite of gratitude and joy which is fear and scarcity. Many of us (including me at times) get into attitudes of scarcity... "I didn't get enough sleep", "there isn't enough money", "my students aren't doing well enough on tests." She quotes Lynne Twist in The Soul of Money, who writes, "Whether true or not, that thought of not enough occurs to us automatically before we even think to question or examine it. We spend most of the hours and the days of our lives hearing, explaining, complaining, or worrying about what we don't have enough of..." (page 83). She then says, "As I read this passage, it makes total sense to me why we're a nation hungry for more joy: Because we're starving from a lack of gratitude." (page 83) Wow! That seems so powerful to me. How many times have I answered someone's query, "How are you doing?" with something like, "Fine, but too busy." So time to transform my thinking. I have chosen the activities in my life and for the most part, I am happy with them...so time to stop complaining about them and give thanks for them, or let them go. Scarcity is a big part of what I see as a problem in public education right now...and I could do a long post on just this. But basically we, as a nation, are so scared that some other country will pass us by and we won't be number one. We are afraid that there aren't enough high achieving students, that students aren't passing enough tests, that we won't make "adequate yearly progress" and as a consequence we are making some very bad decisions as a nation when it comes to education. We are testing too much and instructing too little. We are teaching kids to bubble in worksheets but not teaching them to be creative, to appreciate the arts, to understand history (so we won't be doomed to repeat it), etc. I could go on an on.

I found the chapter on creativity both interesting and in a sense, rewarding. I can relate to her original thoughts that she is "not a creative person" because I've definitely thought that before. But as I read that chapter, I realized some interesting things. First, my blog is one way I am creative (I was about to add a deprecating remark about how my blog isn't that creative, but after reading this book, I'm not going to). But secondly, I realized in a more concrete way one of the reasons why so many teachers are not happy with being handed text books and teacher's guides and told to teach out of them. One reason of course, is that there are often times when the way a lesson is being taught is not the best way to teach that lesson to the group of students you have in front of you that year. Perhaps, they need even more background before they can learn it...or less... or they'd learn it better if there was art or music tied to the lesson or whatever. But, I also think that teachers are frustrated because our ability to use creativity is being hampered. As I read this, I realized that teaching is my main way to act creatively and that I'm happiest as a teacher when I'm putting my own spin on a lesson...even if I'm teaching the same concept as the text book, if I'm doing it in my own unique way, then I'm happier, more enthusiastic and the lesson generally goes better. Brown says, "There's not such thing as creative people and non-creative people. There are only people who use their creativity and people who don't. Unused creativity doesn't just disappear. It lives within us until it's expressed, neglected to death, or suffocated by resentment and fear." (page 96) In a way it is refreshing. We, the teachers at my school, have been accused a few times of being "unwilling to change" or being "stuck in our ways" and I've always felt that (at least for most of us on my faculty) that was an unfair description. No two years are ever the same in teaching and I'm constantly changing things and trying new things. I don't think I'm unwilling to change, in general, but I am unwilling to change if I'm being told to do things that I don't believe are best for children and that take away my creative process. I've tried in various ways to explain that, but I'm not sure I've been 100% aware of what I was feeling. This book helped.

I am thrilled that I do feel I am engaged in meaningful work and to have that reinforced as I read the chapter.

And now to the most difficult chapter for me. Guidepost 7, "Cultivating Play and Rest". I'm okay at playing with my children. I take them out to do fun things with them and I read to them and I even get down on the ground and play with them. But I'm not so good at the resting, overall. And could be better at the playing, as well. I would like to read Dr. Stuart Brown's book, Play: How it Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination and Invigorates the Soul. Some of what she talked about, I already knew... at least when it comes to my children. I make sure that they aren't too overscheduled so they have free time most evenings to play. But wow, I had some personally rude awakenings as I read this chapter. I'm a busy woman with a full time job and I'm a mom and I'm active in my church, etc. And I actually usually like most of what I'm doing and feel it is important. But I found that I'm very guilty of using all that I get done as a kind of badge to show myself (in my head) and maybe to show others that I'm of worth. Brene Brown says, "If we want to live a Wholehearted life, we have to become intentional about cultivating sleep and play, and about letting go of exhaustion as a status symbol and productivity as self-worth." (page 102) Wow! That could have been written to me. I often find myself feeling very proud of the fact that I teach all day, have 3 great kids (who are great kids but are far from perfect! and neither is their mother), cook a healthy meal for dinner most nights and a healthy meal for breakfast most days, keep my house fairly tidy and read a lot of books. I do it all! (I think this as I mentally pat myself on the back.) Now, don't get me wrong. I also have plenty of the other kinds of thoughts...about all the things I'm not doing right, about the things I leave undone, etc. In this moment of self-disclosure, I'll even admit to something that I only sort of realized about myself until I read this book. I love to read. It is one of the things I do for myself, to relax, unwind and to have a little "me time". Reading is a priority for me. I don't do well when I have weeks where I have little time to read. But if I'm not being careful, even reading can turn into one of my "to do" things rather than a pleasure. I'm on goodreads and at times, I find myself comparing myself to others...and thinking, "wow, I haven't read nearly as many books as she has" or "she reads more sophisticated books than I do". There I go, comparing myself again. A couple of years ago, I admitted to a couple of friends that I feel almost a little panicky if I run out of books to read...I always have at least 2 or 3 books checked out for myself at any given time. A wise, dear friend said something along the lines of "Jenny, you are more than the sum total of your list of books read." At the time, my feelings were a tiny bit hurt (not too much and certainly not enough to hurt my friendship, but a tiny bit). But I've reflected on that off and on since the comment was made and realize what a wise comment it was. I am much more than just the books I've read or the tasks I've accomplished. I don't have to get a million things done each day to be of value. I am a child of God, His daughter. My worth comes from who I am, not what I get done. I need to take time to play, to laugh, listen to music, dance with my children, and recognize the joy in life ...and not push myself to keep working when I'm tired, but to get enough sleep. What a great book. I still have a lot to learn and a lot to get better at. But I'm thankful for the insights I've gained.

photo shoot funnies

2012-01-29T16:23:00.001-08:00

Yesterday we had family photos taken by Aubrie, who was one of my Beehives 9 years ago...and who was a Laurel when I was in young womens again a few years ago. She is now married and takes photos part time.

A couple of funny things happened while we were taking our photos. First, we sat down on a grassy area, and right after I sat down, Alfredo was about to sit when he said he thought there was dog poop where I was sitting. We looked and sure enough I was sitting on poop, with my hand in it. Gross. But funny, because it happened to me. I am seriously so clumsy and unaware. That same morning I had seen a quote on Facebook that I'm going to adopt as my new excuse: "I'm not clumsy. It's just the floor hates me, the tables and chairs are bullies and the wall gets in the way." So of course, if someone was going to plop down in dog poop, it would be me. Ah well. We have a glass table in our living room and when we've had toddlers, others have worried that they would fall and get hurt on our table. You know, each one of our kids fell into or bumped into their table once or twice and then they learned it was there and never really bumped into it again. But we've had it for 10 1/2 years, and wouldn't you know that I still bump into it at least once a month.

After we were done taking pictures, Michelle wanted to play on the playground for a few minutes. Ella and Gabby were cold and didn't want to. So I walked them back to the car and was going to drive over to pick Michelle and Alfredo up at the playground. It was less than 5 minutes that Michelle played there, but when I picked them up, Michelle told me she'd made a friend. It was a boy, and "he was cute" she said. Alfredo told me that he and the mom had been laughing because after just a couple of minutes of playing, the little boy invited her to come over to his house. If they weren't so young, it totally seemed like he was picking up on her...and she liked him too. Thank goodness they are still young and it was innocent, but boy is she growing up too fast!

Sunbeams

2012-01-23T21:11:00.000-08:00

I've said it before, but I really love teaching the Sunbeams.

The first month of a new year is kind of rough. They are not used to being in Primary. They are used to playing, not sitting still. And my own 3 year old is in my class and wants my attention. In fact, she was very upset about me being her teacher. Her cute best friend Sofie was so excited that I would be her teacher, but Gabby kept saying that she did NOT want me to be her teacher. Finally, on the first Sunday, Gabby said something like... "I want you to still be my mommy, not be my teacher." Somehow in her mind, she thought she would just see me at church (like her nursery teachers) and that she'd have a different mommy, or something. :) Sweet girl. I hope now that she's realizing that I can do both, she'll be a little happier. Yesterday it certainly seemed like it.

Yesterday, in sacrament meeting, one of my darling Sunbeams was sitting in front of me. She's been pretty lukewarm toward me so far and hasn't been too excited about Primary...or at least about sharing time. But yesterday, she kept turning around during sacrament meeting and holding my hand and smiling at me. Then the last 10 or 15 minutes, she came and sat on my lap. She is darling. As I sat there, holding her, I felt how lucky I am to have this calling. It seems like only with the very youngest kids do you get to go to church and have someone telling you they love you (and then crawling up on your lap). I think perhaps I benefit more from being around them than they do from the lessons I teach them. I love their sweet spirits, their purity, their love, their sweet smiles. It brightens my day to see the cute kids in my class now and to see the darling ones from my class last year. You can't help but love them. What a blessing it is! It is truly no wonder the Savior loved little children so much!

Perfection/Imperfection

2012-01-22T20:19:00.000-08:00

I am currently reading a book entitled The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown. It was recommended by a friend. So far it is really good. I don't know if I'll agree with every thing written in the book, but there certainly seem to be some gems so far. Her theme is to help people live a wholehearted life...which she says requires courage, compassion and connection. I'm only a few chapters in, but already felt really impressed by something she wrote...probably because related thoughts had already been on my mind.

When defining what she means by compassion and connection, she talks about how we think we need to be able to do things on our own. That if we are independent and self-sufficient, then we are strong. She says, "Many of us are willing to extend a helping hand, but we're very reluctant to reach out for help when we need it ourselves. It's as if we've divided the world in to 'those who offer help' and 'those who need help.' The truth is that we're both." (page 20)

Then she goes on to say that one of the most important lessons she's learned is:

"Until we can receive with an open heart, we are never really giving with an open heart. When we attach judgment to receiving help, we knowingly or unknowingly attach judgment to giving help." (page 20)

That seems so powerful to me. I know a few people who have proudly said things like they've never had anyone bring a meal to them or never asked neighbors to help with ____ (moving or something). To me that seems sad...and one more example of how we place people into groups and judge...and I'm not totally free of this at all. I absolutely love my neighborhood, and there are many reasons why. But the one that stands out in my mind is how wonderful my neighbors (and family) were when Ella had her open heart surgery. So many prayers were offered on her/our behalf. While she was in the hospital, neighbors brought meals to us. Several neighbors brought gifts for Ella...and even for Michelle so she wouldn't feel left out. A neighbor asked if I needed her to get milk or anything else from the store. People called to get updates and to just let us know that they cared. I'm not sure that I've ever felt such an outpouring of love...from others around me and by extension, from Heavenly Father...knowing that He had sent these people into my life. Even now, more than 4 years later, on days when I feel a bit alone or like I could use a friend, I often remember back to that experience and know that if and when we really need help, we will get it...know that there are friends and neighbors that care about my family. It's an experience that makes the world seem like a better and brighter place. I would hope everyone has the opportunity to feel that way from time to time. Serving makes you feel wonderful and it is great to serve and show love to others but it is also great to be served. On countless occasions, people have helped me out to the car when I had a cart full of groceries and 3 young kids or have done other small and simple things to serve me...and when it happens, it makes me feel like the world is a good place and that there is still a lot of good in most people.

As for recognizing imperfection as a gift, I'm sure I still have a lot to learn.

I read President Dieter F. Uchtdorf's General Conference talk today entitled "Forget Me Not". In one section, he talked about not forgetting to be patient with yourself. He reminded us that none of us are perfect and that we often compare our weaknesses with someone else's strengths. He reminded us that the person we admire and think is perfect, isn't. President Uchtdorf said this, "God wants to help us to eventually turn all of our weaknesses into strengths, but He knows that this is a long-term goal. He wants us to become perfect, and if we stay on the path of discipleship, one day we will. It's OK that you're not quite there yet. Keep working on it, but stop punishing yourself." What a great reminder for me!!

In this same talk, President Uchtdorf reminded us to be happy now (despite our imperfections, trials, etc.!)... I love what he said there..."The happiest people I know are ...those who, while in pursuit of worthy goals, discover and treasure the beauty and sweetness of the everyday moments. They are the ones who, thread by daily thread, weave a tapestry of gratitude and wonder throughout their lives. These are they who are truly happy." In the book The Gifts of Imperfection, her journey really began after a lot of research about shame and fear when she kept finding these people that were living inspiring, happy lives. She began looking at these people and one day jotted down what she saw in their stories. She made a list of do's and don'ts... and her do list included: rest, play, worthiness, trust, faith, hope, love, belonging, joy, gratitude, creativity, authenticity (page x). Some real connections with what President Uchtdorf said (of course).

On Facebook, many people have been sharing an article this week called "Don't Carpe Diem" by Glennon Melton ...an honest, opinion piece by a parent that admits that parenting is hard and every moment isn't wonderful. But she, goes on to say, there are two types of time...chronos...the typical minute by minute, often filled with drudgery and even unpleasantness... and kairos...God's time...the magical moments where you really see the beauty around you. For me... these are the moments when my 3 year old wraps her arms around me and tells me she loves me...or when she begins laughing so hard and we all begin to laugh because she is so stinking cute. The moments when my 6 year old plays every note on a piano song perfectly and her face lights up and she beams with happiness...or when she snuggles into my side and looks at me with love and trust. The moments when my 8 year old asks insightful questions or begs me to read another story or comes and sits on my lap (since she doesn't do that so often now that she's getting bigger). The moments when a student at school really grasps a concept that has been eluding them. The times when I'm reading or sitting in church and suddenly, something clicks and I understand something I didn't before or I know how to tackle a problem I'm facing. And yes, I agree with Melton. Most of our minutes are chronos time...and plenty of them aren't that amazing or fun or pleasant. But if we focus on the kairos minutes, if we watch for them and remember them, then life is beautiful and happy, over all.

New Year's Resolutions

2012-01-21T21:19:00.000-08:00

I know, I know...January is already almost over...but I wanted to make sure that my resolutions were ones I could stick to... and well, I've been busy. But I wanted to record my resolutions to make myself more accountable.

So here they are:

1. Physical: I am going to concentrate on getting 5-7 or more fruits and vegetables every day. This shouldn't be hard because I usually (but not always) eat at least 5 servings of fruits and veggies. But I'm also going to really make an effort to pick a fruit or vegetable when I'm craving a sugary snack. If after eating the healthy snack, the craving is still there, I will probably have a treat (I'm being honest here...and I know myself well.)

2. Spiritual: Attend the temple more frequently. Hold FHE every week with my family.

3. Mental: Continue to read. Participate in at least some (6 or more this year) of the monthly challenges given by the Salt Lake County Library System on Goodreads...this will encourage me to pick up books I might not have otherwise.

4. Emotional/Social: I'm still thinking about this one....

Sledding

2012-01-16T14:15:00.000-08:00

Today, since it snowed and the girls and I are off (for Martin Luther King Jr. Day), I took the girls sledding. Ella got a sled for Christmas from my Aunt Elaine. So we decided to put it to use. I'm a little embarrassed to admit that this is the first time I've taken my kids sledding. I do think they've gone a few times with their old babysitter when Michelle and Ella were preschool age...but this is the first time I've taken them, the first time they can actually remember going! I am not a cold weather person and really don't enjoy being in the snow. But sledding is fun and growing up in Utah, it's the kind of activity they should have some memories of.

First, we met Alfredo at Chick-Fil-A and had lunch (he, unfortunately, had to work today). The girls thought it was fun to see the cow there.

Then we bundled all up and headed for a nearby park to sled down the hill. Ella was nervous, so I went first. Gabby went once with me, but hated it. Ella did it a few times but would only go half way up the hill. She got cold fast and didn't really love it. But Michelle had a blast. She went down that hill, over and over and over again.

We'll definitely repeat it some time...maybe on a day when we can leave Gabby home with Alfredo.

The MIM

2012-01-15T21:11:00.001-08:00

My mom took Suzy, the girls and I to the MIM...the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix. It hasn't been open for very long and she thought the older girls would really enjoy it. She was right! It was so very cool. They had displays from each country, organized by continent. You wore a little headset and as you approached a display, a video would be playing of natives of that country and you could hear them singing and playing the instruments as you watched the video. It was very cool. There were so many instruments...some that were familiar and some that we'd never seen or heard of before.

Michelle enjoyed seeing the violins and similar instruments from around the world. It was also fun to see instruments from countries where my students are from. The girls were disappointed because both Costa Rica's and El Salvador's displays were very small with signs saying that the museum was looking for more instruments from these countries.

The best part of all was the room where children (and adults) were allowed to try out some of the instruments. Although it was a little loud in there. We think it would have been even better if either it was in several sound proof rooms or if after each continent you went into a small room where you could try out a few instruments from that continent... but we all had a fun time trying out the instruments.

There was also a display with information about a number of famous musicians.

It really was a neat museum. I think in another several years I would like to go back (when Gabby is a bit bigger) and spend more time there.

Who hasn't wanted to try hitting a gigantic gong?!

There were guitars, a harp, drums, gongs, xylophones, rhythm instruments (maracas, rain sticks, and others), and other instruments for us to all try out!

Trip to Arizona

2012-01-01T20:58:00.000-08:00

The morning after Christmas, we woke up early and headed to Arizona. Alfredo had to work, so it was my sister Suzy, the girls and I. I drove. I don't really like to drive..especially long distances... and was feeling quite nervous about driving so far...even with Suzy with me. I've been very blessed to have a husband that loves to drive and have done very little driving outside of the Salt Lake/Provo/Ogden area in the past 10 years. But it really wasn't too bad. The girls had some new movies and toys from Christmas and the weather was great...the roads were clear and we hit only a bit of traffic. So it went smoothly. What a blessing!

When we got there, my parents had bought a few small gifts for the girls (we'd already opened gifts from them on Christmas Day)so we opened more gifts. It was like having Christmas all over again, on a smaller scale. Several days later, Michelle and Ella talked about how many times they'd gotten to open gifts this year and how it was like they'd had 4 different Christmases. Lucky kids!

On Tuesday, the girls and I just spent the day relaxing. Michelle and Ella had brought their electric scooters and they rode and rode them on my mom's circle. I read and Gabby played with her princesses and princess castle. We loved the warm weather.

On Wednesday, my mom took us to the MIM. I'm going to devote a whole other post to this.

Wednesday night my parents watched my kids for me so I could go to dinner with some of my dearest friends from high school. Kara, Kerie, Charity and I met at Claim Jumper and had a nice dinner and talked for hours. It was so nice to visit with them. Charity lives in Indonesia...she's a principal at an international Christian school there, and I live here in Utah, so we only see each other every several years. So it was great to see all of them and hear what is happening in their lives. Kerie sells Pampered Chef and kindly brought us all gifts. She gave each of us the latest seasonal cookbook and I'm loving it. I've made 4 recipes out of it and they've all been hits. :) She also gave me measuring spoons which I needed. Somehow some of the measuring spoons I received at my wedding 10 1/2 years ago have vanished. :)
After dinner, we got a little tour of Kara's house which was fun. Then we drove through an outdoor Christmas light display. Super fun! It really was great to see them.

On Thursday, I took the girls to go visit my college roommate Monica. Monica lived in AZ for awhile back when Alfredo and I first got married. But it had been years since I had actually seen her... in fact, I've only seen her first 2 children in person and she has 4...and the last time we saw each other Ella was a newborn. So our kids were strangers and at first they were all kind of shy. But soon they were happily playing together and later that day my kids asked if they could go back and see Emily again soon. Too bad we don't live closer. :( It was so nice to visit with Monica. She is very talented and makes all kinds of amazing things with vinyl as well as making lots of cute hair bows. She gave the girls several darling hair bows and she had made me 3 stacking blocks that say "Panamenos, est. 2001". So thoughtful!
**Even though I brought my camera along, I didn't end up taking pictures when I went to Monica's or to dinner. Oops!**
Thursday evening my parents, the girls and I headed to the Mesa Arizona Temple to see the lights there. It was beautiful. Different than Salt Lake, of course, but beautiful in its own right. I especially enjoyed the nativity scenes...and found it quite neat that they were played in English and Spanish.

Friday we spent the day somewhat lazily at my parents' home, just visiting. My mom let the girls help her plant flowers in the garden which they loved. We enjoyed watching the birds eat out of the feeder, especially the hummingbirds. The girls played on their motor scooters. And Gabby had an accident. Ella was riding the motor scooter with Gabby. She was going fairly slow and being careful. She tried to go up the curb onto the sidewalk and tipped just a bit and they both fell. They started to cry. When I ran over to them, Ella just yelled, "I'm fine. Help Gabby. She's hurt. Just help Gabby. I'm sorry that she's hurt." Poor Gabby was crying and had split her lip. She was okay and after we wiped off the blood and cleaned up the scrapes and got all the girls a popsicle, everyone was okay. But Gabby had several scrapes on her face and a split lip that took a week to heal because everytime it would be almost better, she'd pick the scab off. Poor thing!

Then Saturday, New Year's Eve, we headed back to Utah. I wanted to be back in time to teach the Sunbeams (the 3 year olds) on Sunday because it was their first week in Sunbeams/Primary...which is an adjustment after being in nursery where they get to spend a lot of their time playing. On our drive back we stopped at Glen Canyon Dam by Lake Powell to stretch our legs and see the dam.

Since everyone was tired after our long drive, we played Mario Kart on the Wii for a bit and then went to bed. I stayed up a little longer to read but even I didn't make it until midnight. Alfredo did go to his family's house for their annual New Year's Eve party, but the rest of us were party poopers. :)
!

Christmas Day

2011-12-30T13:59:00.000-08:00

Christmas Day was wonderful. This year, of course, Christmas was on Sunday. I loved the beautiful Sacrament program done by our ward choir. It really invited the spirit and helped us remember our Savior and feel of His love. What a special way to have Christmas be focussed on the Savior!

Because we were up so late at the Christmas Eve festivities, our kids slept in until 8:30. Michelle and Ella came in and woke us up and woke up Aunt Suzy....We decided to let Gabby sleep. So Michelle and Ella took turns opening gifts.

Just have to comment about this one quickly. Michelle helped us wrap some of the gifts for Christmas. She was wrapping them very carefully, and then she began to wrap a gift for Gabby and was doing it a little sloppily. Alfredo said something about it and she said, "It doesn't matter...it's just for my sister." So Alfredo decided to wrap one of her gifts as terribly as possible...with part of the box showing, with part of a wrapping paper roll on it, etc. We all had quite a good laugh about this.

Santa was quite tricky this year. Usually Santa leaves his gifts unwrapped and out for the girls to discover right away. This year when the girls awoke, Santa had filled their stockings and there was a gift for Gabby wrapped in Santa Claus paper. But Michelle and Ella didn't seem to have anything from Santa. When they were nearly done opening gifts, Michelle commented that maybe Santa didn't give them any gifts. But then she discovered a note...and Ella found one too. It said, "'Ask and ye shall receive, seek and ye shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you.' This is especially true with spiritual things such as following the Savior, but this year it is also true for the gift I give to you. Seek it and ye shall find it. Santa" It took a minute or two to figure out what Santa had meant, but then the girls figured that maybe he'd left the gifts near the fireplace downstairs so they rushed downstairs to see... and to their great suprise and delight, they found electric scooters...just what they really, really wanted! Thank you Santa!

Right about then, Gabby woke up so she opened her gifts, and Alfredo, Suzy and I opened our gifts. Alfredo gave me a beautiful outfit as well as the softest bathrobe and slippers ever. Gabby was thrilled that Santa gave her a Disney princess castle. She also got a Lalaloopsy doll with pink pigtails, art supplies and several Disney princesses.

After church, we went to my Aunt Elaine and Uncle Phil's house. We were able to visit with them and my grandpa. My Uncle Brent and his kids came over as well (unfortunately, his wife Diane had to work.) Great, great day!!!

Christmas Eve

2011-12-30T13:52:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve is one of my favorite holidays. I really enjoy our traditions.

We always put out luminaries...to guide the way for Santa, and more importantly as a reminder of the Light and Life of the world, our Savior Jesus Christ. This is a tradition that started when I was a teenager or perhaps even a tween, and it is one I've continued in my own family. (Although there are years in Utah where it is a less pleasant tradition in the freezing cold than it was growing up in Arizona). This year was a very mild Christmas Eve, so it was nice. Plus, my sister Suzy recently moved to Utah and was able to spend the weekend with us and be a part of our celebrations.

Then we read Luke 2 and the girls open their Christmas pajamas. It is nice to spend time remembering the true reason for the season. Several years ago, my sister made us a nice advent calendar that includes a scripture to read each day for the month of December, leading up to Christmas Day. Each scripture either tells of Christ's birth or is a prophecy foretelling of his birth. It is nice to have that daily reminder of the reason we celebrate.

Then we dress up fancy and head to Alfredo's aunt's house for their celebrations. They have dinner around 11 or midnight and then open gifts. They stay up most of the night.... we stay until around 1 AM. It is nice to spend time with them, and the girls have a great time playing with Alfredo's cousin's kids who are the same ages as Michelle and Ella.

Christmas Lights

2011-12-23T21:53:00.000-08:00

Drove around last night to see Christmas lights. Went first to Taylorsville where the Night Before Christmas is displayed.

Then headed to Murray for Christmas Utah, supposed to be the biggest individual light display in Salt Lake. It was impressive to see faces on the trees talking to each other. My favorite part was when the garage had musicians playing on it. Also, Santa appeared to be standing at the window waving to everyone. Very, very cool house. Michelle was expecting something even bigger, I guess, and also didn't like the music choices playing while we were there, so she was a little disappointed. But I thought it was pretty cool. However, I would definitely get out and walk rather than sit in the tremendously long line of cars trying to get to it.

Then to SugarHouse to visit Christmas Street and to see the street with the retelling of the birth and life of Christ. That was my favorite, but they were all very cool.

When I was a little girl, my dad would always take us to see Christmas lights. My whole family usually went (my mom, sisters and I), but my dad would read the paper and find out where the best displays were. My sisters and I would count houses with lights, sometimes having a contest who spotted more...other times just trying to make sure that we saw at least 100 or 200 houses with lights. It seemed so magical. It still does. It's one of many things I love about Christmas time. :)

Elf Scavenger Hunt

2011-12-22T22:03:00.000-08:00

We had a cute friend over to play on Tuesday. The girls were so excited and there was a ton of giggling. Our friend is only four...a little older than Gabby, but she has been in my Sunbeams class and we all adore her. So we decided to head to Gardner Village to do the Elf Scavenger Hunt there.

You print off a list of a dozen elves to find. If you find them all, you get a free candy stick from Sweet Afton's. So we bundled up and searched. We found most of them pretty easily, but there was one that we somehow missed and had to get help to find. We took a break for a bit because we were cold and got a little treat from the Bakery. Then we found the last silly elf...an elf rollerskating with a plate of sugar cookies in his hand and headed home. It was a fun time. There was a lot of giggling and some of the elves were quite fun to see.

Gingerbread House Displays

2011-12-22T07:10:00.001-08:00

Apparently, each year there is a display of Gingerbread Houses at the Rio Grande station at the Gateway. It is sponsored by Ivory Homes and the proceeds go to United Way. So Saturday we headed there to see the houses. Some of them were really amazing. Santa was also there, but my kids had already had their pictures taken with Santa and had no interest in getting pictures with him again. (Gabby is terrified of him.)

This was one of my favorites!

Afterward, we had dinner at Gourmandise, and Michelle surprised us all by deciding to order an Asian chicken salad...which she loved! She is definitely growing up way too fast.

The Cat is out of the Bag

2011-12-22T07:07:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I took the kids with me to buy Alfredo's gift. When Alfredo got home from work last night, our darling 3 year old Gabby said, "Look, Daddy, this is your gift." Then she proceeded to announce, "It's a laptop." Both Alfredo and I busted out laughing, which made her cry... she hadn't meant to do anything funny or wrong.

Christmas Letter 2011

2011-12-21T22:45:00.001-08:00

Mailed almost all of my Christmas cards today! Have about 6 more presents to wrap and a few more neighbor gifts to deliver. I'm almost ready for Christmas to come!

Here is this year's edition of the Panameno Christmas letter:

December 2011

Dear friends and family,
Merry Christmas! We give thanks at this time of year for our many blessings…good health, freedom, the gospel of Jesus Christ, and our dear friends and family.
Among the highlights of our year were two trips: one to Oregon and one to Disneyland. In Oregon, we were able to see Multnomah Falls and the Columbia River, go to rose gardens, and see fireworks in Spokane, among other activities. It was beautiful. This was the girls’ first trip to Disneyland, and they loved it! Michelle and Ella loved seeing all the characters and we enjoyed a fun breakfast with Minnie and many of her friends. Gabby was a little scared of them. Michelle loved all the scary rides: Space Mountain, California Screamin’ and Tower of Terror. Ella liked Matterhorn, Autopia and Little Mermaid. Gabby loved Little Mermaid and especially Winnie-the-Pooh. It was a great trip!
Gabby is 3 now. Her curly, curly hair and deep brown eyes draw compliments on a regular basis. She has always been very verbal, and her stories, singing and dancing make us laugh daily. She loves Polly Pockets, Disney princesses and animals, especially our dog Chester.
Ella is 6 and in first grade. She and Michelle recently completed memorizing the 13 Articles of Faith, quite an accomplishment. She loves school and loves to read, in English and Spanish. She is learning to play the piano. She has a sweet and sensitive heart.
Michelle is 8 and was baptized in June. She is in third grade. She is learning to play the piano and the violin. She and Ella are also in a dance group at school, Ballet Folklorico, that performs Mexican and South American dances. She is growing up so quickly.
Jenny is teaching second grade again and loves it! She is teaching the Sunbeams (3 and 4 year olds) at church. She also reads a lot and blogs (www.panamenos.blogspot.com).
Alfredo was able to change positions within his company. He is learning new skills as a salesperson in the Kalmar division of Utility Trailer. He enjoys his job. He has also done some remodeling in our home this year… knocking out part of a wall, removing the carpet and putting in laminate in the living room. It looks so nice.
We are so blessed and wish you a Merry Christmas! We give thanks for the birth and life of our Savior Jesus Christ and wish you a Happy New Year!
Love, The Panamenos

Gingerbread Houses

2011-12-21T11:28:00.000-08:00

The holiday season is upon us...and now that I'm on break, I'm trying to (once again) catch up on my blogging. We've had a fun season so far, including making gingerbread houses as a family. Michelle and Alfredo worked together to create one. I built Ella's but she decorated it almost entirely on her own, and I helped Gabby. It was fun to listen to Christmas music and work together.

Have I ever mentioned how much I adore and love this little girl's expressions? She makes the funniest faces!!

Assembly

2011-12-20T08:37:00.000-08:00

On Friday, December 2, the girls had a Student of the Month Assembly at their school. Ella was chosen as student of the month for her class by her teachers, Miss Finerfrock and Maestra Mary Lou. Also, Michelle and Ella's dance group Ballet Folklorico was performing at the assembly. So I took a half day off work so that I could attend the assembly.

The assembly started with the fourth graders performing. It was beautiful. One class stood and recited the Pledge of Allegiance in Navajo (their teacher is Navajo). Then the dual immersion class stood and recited it in Spanish. Then the third class and the audience said the pledge in English. It brought tears to my eyes hearing it in these other languages. Then they sang, "We are the Children of Many Colors" which is a song that I love. They did a beautiful job and had a nice slide show playing on a screen behind them as they sang.

Then the Ballet Folklorico performed. Ella was in the first dance. Unfortunately, while I was in the first row, she was on the other side of the stage so I didn't get any good photos of her.

Michelle was in the second dance. They both did a great job.

Then they announced the students of the month, including sweet Ella. So proud of her!

Lights at Temple Square

2011-12-04T13:49:00.001-08:00

Last Saturday, our friends Jeremy and Stacie and their kids came and had dinner with us and we all went to Temple Square to see the lights. It is so beautiful and peaceful there (albeit cold!) and was fun to have this experience with our family and theirs. I love this time of year!!!

After walking around for a bit, we went into the visitors center to see the Christus and to warm up a bit. There were a lot of other people there, and we were up there for at least 5-10 minutes and they hadn't played the narration of Christ speaking.
As we were walking back down, the narration started. Gabby cried so hard because she wanted to go hear "Jesus talk to me"...but with the crowd, there was no way to get back up the ramp in time. We'll have to make another visit to Temple Square after Christmas so she can hear Jesus talk to her.

Deck the Halls

2011-11-27T20:53:00.000-08:00

I know it isn't original but I absolutely love the day after Thanksgiving festivities. I'm one of those crazy people that braves the "Black Friday" crowds. This year, since Walmart's sales started at 10 PM on Thursday, I got there about 9. I couldn't get a shopping cart but I got the main things I wanted for my kids and saved about 50% on the main items. To me it was worth braving the crowds. And I have to say that my experience has always been fairly positive. Most people are actually fairly polite. The employees were polite and helpful. It was so crowded that it was hard to maneuver, but people were saying "pardon me" and apologizing if they did bump into you. No one was fighting, screaming or anything else. And I was out of the store by 10:45. Not bad. No actual shopping occurred on Black Friday this year! :)

But my favorite part of the day after Thanksgiving is getting out the Christmas decorations and "decking the halls". I turned on Christmas music and pulled out all of our boxes and the girls and I had a great time decorating. We have 2 trees. The one upstairs is color coordinated and while Alfredo lets the girls decorate, he'll go back over it at the end and make sure that the decorations are spread out evenly. (Although he won't have to do much of that this year. Michelle was overseeing the decorating and kept instructing Gabby where to put her ornaments and moving them when she thought it was necessary. She has a pretty good eye for detail.)

The tree downstairs is a hodge podge of ornaments that we've been given and the kids have made. There is no real rhyme or reason to that tree and I don't let Alfredo move those decorations around... it is the kids tree. We put up the garland and the advent with scriptures about the Savior. We put lights in the front window and on Saturday, Alfredo got the lights up on the outside of the house. I just love the decorations, the music, the parties and festivities, the gifts, the stories and everything about the Christmas season. Well, okay...there is one thing I don't like...the cold weather! :) But I can't complain (yet) this year, because we had a quite comfortable Thanksgiving.

I should mention that we got a late start on decorating on Friday, so we decorated upstairs on Friday and decorated downstairs on Saturday morning. But in some ways that was even better...it spread out the joy of decorating over two days.

I love this little nativity scene. It is one of four nativities that I have. My mom gave me a beautiful one that we keep upstairs. Then my mom gave my kids one that they can play with... they love it. The pieces aren't breakable and they enjoy moving the pieces around. We have one set that is ornaments that we hang on the tree downstairs. This little one is one I bought and I like it because it is so small. It fits into this little red box with a green ribbon...it looks like a little Christmas gift. And then you open it up and it is truly the greatest gift of Christmas, the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ.

Beach

2011-11-26T10:14:00.000-08:00

Oops! We spent 4 days in California, with 3 of them at Disneyland. Then the week after we returned home, the girls had a dance concert and Michelle had a violin concert. We had Halloween festivities. I had too many things to blog about and not nearly enough time. I just realized that I neglected to blog about our trip to the beach on Saturday.

On Friday night, we moved from a hotel a couple of blocks from Disneyland to a Hilton in Ontario. It was less money and a nicer hotel. On Saturday morning, we headed to the beach. It was windy and a little chilly, so the girls spent most of the time playing in the sand. Gabby loved watching a man throw a frisbee out into the water for his dog to go and catch. I love the beach...but wish we could sometimes manage to go on a warm day so it would be more enjoyable in the water. :)

That afternoon, we went to a good friend of Alfredo's home for a barbecue. Israel and his family were so hospitable and kind and the girls had a great time playing with their kids. It was a nice relaxing way to end our trip after the business of Disneyland.

Giving Thanks, Part 2

2011-11-26T09:09:00.000-08:00

After reading more about the First Thanksgiving, I am again thankful to live in this day and age. Did you know that along with corn and other vegetables and turkey, they ate deer, clams, and long, slimy eels at the First Thanksgiving. Now doesn't that just whet your appetite? I'd much rather stick with our turkey/ham, mashed potatoes, stuffing, yams, rolls and pumpkin (or in my case pecan) pie.

During this Thanksgiving season, I have done some reflecting on what I am grateful for.
First, I'm grateful for great teachers for my children. Both Michelle and Ella have written multiple lists of what they are grateful for...at school, at church, and then on their own at home. I am grateful for teachers who help me teach my children... I'm sure that at school it was in a more secular way, but I'm still glad that along with the turkey crafts there were lists made of what they are thankful for. It obviously sank in, since they have both made additional lists here at home.

This is a list Michelle made at school: "I am thankful for my mom, my dad, and my food, my clock, my close (clothes), my house, my cusins, my grama.

Ella made this cute turkey in Spanish class. It says, "Estoy agradecida por... mi familia (I am thankful for my family), mis mascotas (my mascots...she thought it meant pets and maybe it can?), la escuela (the school), mi casa (my house), and mis juguetes (my toys).

This morning before church, Michelle asked if she could use a piece of scrapbooking paper. I came upstairs a few minutes later to see her writing/drawing a list of what she is thankful for. It says, "How much I am thankful: I am thankful for the Earth (then she drew a cute Earth with all the continents labeled), shoes for your feet, socks to keep our feet warm, and for teachers to teach. I am thankful for everything.

I, too, am grateful for shoes and socks...my feet are constantly cold and I can only imagine how miserable winter would be without warm shoes and socks.

I'm thankful for my family. Being a parent is often more challenging than I expected, but I love it. I love my husband and children. I am thankful for the ways that I am growing as I try to become a better wife and mother. My family teaches me the most important lessons. I also love my extended family and I'm so grateful for their love and examples.

I'm thankful that I have a job that I love and that I feel is important and worthwhile.

I'm thankful for good books to read. I learn a lot from reading and it is my main way to relax and take a break.

I'm thankful for chocolate. I know that seems like a superficial thing, but I seriously love chocolate and I'm thankful that I can indulge in a little bit most every day.

I'm thankful to live now and in this country. I enjoy reading historical fiction and learning about different events and time periods. However, I don't think there is any time period in the past that I would want to live in. There are many people and groups that I admire and that I would love to meet after I die, but I appreciate electricity, indoor plumbing, appliances, cars, computers, carpet (or other flooring), heating/cooling systems, and so many other modern day conveniences. I'm also incredibly thankful to live in a country where I can worship as I please, where I have the right to work in a job of my choosing, live in a home of my choosing, marry who I choose, have the number of children I choose, speak up about what I believe, vote and have many other rights that aren't rights for many people (especially women) in other countries.

There are so many other things that I am thankful for. This list could go on forever. But above all, I am thankful for my Savior. I love Him and worship Him and I'm grateful for His example, His love, His Atonement, and I'm grateful that He succors me. I can never say enough about how thankful I am for the Savior and for His death and resurrection. I am thankful for the scriptures and prophets that teach me about Him and help me to follow Him.

I want to end by sharing 3 quotes that I've been thinking about. First, in a talk in sacrament meeting last week, the speaker shared a thought that I've heard before but have really tried to take to heart this week. "What if you woke up tomorrow with only the things you thanked God for last night?" Wow! I know there would be times when if that really were what happened, I would wake up with very little. I'm trying to express my gratitude more completely.

Another quote, which is a quote I'm sure I've shared before, comes from a children's book by Douglas Wood called The Secret of Saying Thanks. In this book, one line says, "We do not give thanks because we are happy. We are happy because we give thanks." The more I reflect on this and practice this, the more I recognize the wisdom in this quote.

The final quote was one I heard while doing a lot of baking today. I was listening to Sounds of the Sabbath on the radio. The announcer read Doctrine and Covenants 59, verse 7: "Thou shalt thank the Lord thy God in all things." The announcer then went on to point out that this says all things...it doesn't just say good things. We are told to give thanks for all things...including the hard things, the trials and disappointments and hardships. These things are given to us to give us strength, to help us develop faith, and to prove us. I can't honestly say that I am very good at giving thanks for my trials. There are times when I am not certain that I am strong enough to bear them. But certainly, I see that they are teaching me things that I may not have learned otherwise...such as not to judge others, to be patient, to have faith, to focus my efforts on what I can control. And most especially to turn to to my Heavenly Father for help. So I am going to try to remember to give thanks in all things. For in that same chapter, (D & C 59) verse 21 says, "And in nothing doth man offend God, or against none is his wrath kindled, save those who confess not his hand in all things, and obey not his commandments."

Fun Date Night

2011-11-26T09:04:00.001-08:00

Alfredo and I had a fun date night last Saturday, thanks to my dad. My dad had season tickets to the BYU football games. He offered to give us his tickets to the last home game and to watch the girls for us. He bought them pizza and tacos which they were thrilled about, and they got to watch several fun movies like Sharpay's Fabulous Adventure.

Alfredo and I got dinner at Costa Vida and then saw a movie together. Then we headed to the BYU football game. It was Alfredo's first BYU football game... and the first I'd been to since I was in college there... about 15 years ago. BYU was playing New Mexico State and BYU did great. It was so fun to be surrounded by BYU fans and to sing the fight song and remember some of the great times I had at BYU so many years ago. It was quite cold though and the game didn't start until 8:15 so we only stayed through the half time show and then left so that our kids wouldn't be up all night long. (Surprisingly, both Michelle and Ella had fallen asleep at my dad's. But Gabby was still wide awake.) It was a lot of fun!!

Recipes

2011-11-24T19:27:00.000-08:00

I've just found a new recipe that we've really enjoyed. We've eaten this for breakfast a couple of times now and love it (although it would make a good side for lunch or dinner as well.)
I found this recipe in the December/January issue of Parenting The School Years. The recipe is from Lisa Atwood. Thank you! It is delicious!!!!

Potato Latkes
Peel 2 russet potatoes and grate or shred. Grate or shred 1/2 onion. Roll up the potato-onion mixture in double layer of paper towels and squeeze out as much moisture as possible. In a large bowl, combine the potatoes and onion with 2 eggs lightly beaten and 1/3 cup bread crumbs, 1 Tbsp. scallions (or green onions), 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp pepper. Stir together.

Then heat on medium heat about 1/4 inch of vegetable oil in a frying pan or we like a tad bit of butter on the bottom of a skillet. Place balls of the mixture in the pan and flatten. Cook on each side for about 2-3 minutes, until brown. Place on a paper towel to drain. The recipe recommends serving with applesauce or sour cream. We like them with ketchup or honey mustard.

This probably only makes enough to feed 3 people if using as a meal, so I double the recipe.

Also, we've tried a few modifications. First, I have a yummy Indian seasoning that is a tiny bit sweet and spicy and I like to add that to the mixture before cooking. In the magazine they recommend substituting half of a potato with zucchini and adding 1 peeled carrot. I haven't tried the zucchini, but we have added squash and carrots. Also, Alfredo had me add tilapia (cut into tiny pieces) one time and shrimp (cut into tiny pieces) one time. We only added the tilapia or shrimp to part of the mixture but it was quite good. And this is a great way to get your kids to eat vegetables for breakfast!!! (Ironically, I should add that Gabby does NOT like these...which is funny because she loves vegetables. But she refuses to even try these. Maybe it's because she is 3?!)

Inspiration

2011-11-24T19:03:00.000-08:00

Had the neatest experience in the car on the way to the girls' school the other morning. For some reason, I was contemplating the trials that my sweet little Ella has experienced in her life. When I was about 6 months pregnant with her, Alfredo and I were in a car accident. We were okay, but as a precaution, since I have the Rh factor and some of her blood had mixed in my bloodstream, I spent a night at the hospital. Then at four months old, we found out she had a hole in her heart. She had many chest x-rays, echocardiograms, EKGs and at 19 months old, she had open heart surgery. Her speedy recovery was such a blessing. Then a month later, she got Influenza B and RSV and was hospitalized for 3 days. At about 2 1/2, she rolled off the bed in the middle of the night and broke her clavicle. Ella is also my kiddo who seems to always have cavities despite the fact that I'm quite conscientious about her teeth brushing. She is also a tender-hearted little girl who is quite sensitive to stimuli. She gets easily upset and hurt.

I was reflecting on this as I was driving the girls to school. For only being six years old, she has already had some pretty difficult trials. Some how, as I was thinking about this, I was reminded of Joseph Smith and the trials he had beginning at a young age. Suddenly, I was overwhelmed by the spirit telling me that Ella, too, has a strong spirit and an important mission on this Earth. She is strong enough to endure difficult trials and remain faithful, if we as her parents do our best to teach her the gospel and instill in her a love for the Savior. She does have such a sweet love for the Savior already and each day she prays to know and remember that He loves us. The spirit was so strong that I began to cry as it testified to me of this truth.

It was such a powerful moment because while I dearly love Ella, I often feel that I am not well suited as her mother. At six years old, she still has more meltdowns than her 3 year old sibling. That really worries me at times, and frustrates me at times. I recognize that this aspect of her personality is both a blessing and a trial because the same part of her that leads her to melt down and overreact easily also leads her to be very aware of other people's feelings and to be very compassionate and caring. But it can be exhausting and makes me feel at times like I'm failing as a mother. But as the spirit washed over me, it was confirmed to me again that it is not my job to try to change or rid her of this part of her personality but help guide her so that she can learn to control it. If I can be more effective at building her confidence and at really establishing a "house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God" (D & C 88:118) then Ella will be able to fulfill her divine mission here on Earth and we will be an eternal family in the eternities.

Interestingly, as I was flipping to the Doctrine and Covenants to make sure I typed that verse correctly, my scriptures fell open to Moses 3. Moses 3 talks about how Satan "sought to destroy the agency of man...to deceive and to blind men, and to lead them captive at his will" (verses 3 and 4). At the bottom of this chapter I have written, "If you help break a baby chick out of its shell, it will die. Satan would remove our shell and make us go back to God, but without our strength. Christ leaves our shell and helps us gain the strength we need to break our shell and return to God." This just really seemed to fit with my thoughts about Ella...she needs to continue to overcome trials to become strong to fulfill her mission.

Giving Thanks

2011-11-23T15:29:00.000-08:00

Today my kids had a couple of friends over playing. At one point, Ella and her friend were drawing pictures. Then Ella decided they should write what they were thankful for. Ella started making her list, stopping several times to help her friend (who is in kindergarten) write/spell the things she was thankful for. It made my heart happy to see Ella counting her blessings, completely on her own, not with any prodding from me. And to see her helping her friend to write. I love that girl.

Just now, as I'm typing this, I heard her friend say to her, "You are my best friend forever. You were my first friend and you are my bestest, bestest friend in the whole wide world."

Disney on Ice

2011-11-23T15:15:00.000-08:00

On Saturday, November 12, we took the kids to Disney on Ice. We went with friends, Leo and Annette and their kids as well as Justin and Heather and their kids. We met Justin and Heather at the Gateway first and had lunch together. It was a cold, snowy day.
I brought my camera, but when I pulled it out to turn it on, I realized that the last time I used it, I had accidentally left it on and the batteries were completely dead. So alas, no pictures. Alfredo tried to take a few with his cell phone, but they turned out terribly.

The girls loved Disney on Ice. It was the first time we've ever gone. And since we had just been to Disneyland, it seemed especially fun. The girls loved the princesses such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Aladdin. Aladdin was Michelle's favorite. I really liked the Lion King...I liked the costumes and I've always loved the movie The Lion King and really enjoyed seeing the highlights performed by skaters. (Someday I would love to see the Broadway version of The Lion King). I have always loved figure skating...and then to see favorite Disney shoes acted out while skating...such a happy thing. It makes me feel a little like a kid again...in awe and wonder about how talented the performers are and full of hope and happiness.

Ella loved seeing the Incredibles. Gabby's favorite was Peter Pan, specifically Tinker Bell.

Gabby must have been tired, because right after the intermission, she curled up in my arms and fell asleep and missed the whole second half...which is when all the princesses came. But she still enjoyed the first half.

It was so much fun! Thank you Alfredo for organizing this fun outing and for talking friends into going with us.

Violin Concert

2011-11-23T15:03:00.000-08:00

(My goal is to finally catch up completely on blogging during this wonderful, long Thanksgiving weekend!) Michelle had a Violin Chamber Concert on Thursday, November 3 at Day Murray Music. Linda Montgomery is her amazing teacher and the concert was amazing. Michelle played Fanfare by Laurence Lyon, Pachelbel's Canon, Indian Drums by Lyon, Mozart's Sonata, London Towne by Lyon, and Orange Blossom Special by Rouse. Other songs were played by some of the more advanced students, including both Spring Music and Winter by Vivaldi. It was a wonderful concert.

I know that practicing violin daily is not always easy for Michelle. Learning in two languages at school, then staying in the afterschool program, practicing piano and violin, and completing homework and reading mean that she does not get as much play time as she would like. She was nervous for this concert...it was hard work to have all five songs memorized and polished. But she did a wonderful job and was so proud of her accomplishment. And Aunt Suzy was here staying with us and was able to attend the concert with us so that made it more special. Good job Michelle!

El Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) Dance

2011-11-12T06:37:00.000-08:00

A friend talked Michelle and Ella into joining their school's Ballet Folklorico group this year. (I had tried to convince them and they said no, but once Zoe asked them to join, they signed right up.) They practice right after school on Wednesdays and will have several performances this year. (This is perfect for me because they would love to dance at a nearby dance school, but I just can't add one more thing to my already busy life.) The group is much bigger this year than it was when Michelle was in first grade.

The Day Riverside Library had an event for El Dia de los Muertos on Tuesday, November 1. El Dia de los Muertos is a Mexican holiday (although it is celebrated in other countries as well) that takes place on November 1 and 2...same days as the Catholic All Saints Day and All Souls Day. It is a day to remember your loved ones who have died. They visit cemetaries and they make altars to remember their deceased loved ones. They often cook the favorite foods of the deceased.

So the Ballet Folklorico performed at Day Riverside Library.
The first grade group performed first.

Then the beginners (grades 2 and up) performed next. They did the Old Man Dance.

Finally the advanced group performed.

School Spirit Week

2011-11-12T06:26:00.000-08:00

October 31 - November 4 was school spirit week for my kids. (I'm still playing catch up, but getting closer!)

Monday they could wear Halloween colors. They both wore Halloween shirts.

Tuesday was Mismatch Day.

Wednesday was Crazy Hair Day. Even Gabby decided to participate in this one by spraying her hair purple. :)

(And I don't know why they have weird smirks in several pictures... They seem to like to make silly or grumpy faces when they are having their pictures taken.
Thursday was Culture Day where you dress up in something from your culture. Ella wore a dress from El Salvador. Michelle decided not to participate.

Friday was "Teachers Wear Uniform. Kids have Free Choice Day." They thought it was fun that the teachers all had to wear uniform since usually the kids have to but teachers can wear "regular" clothes.

Halloween festivities

2011-11-09T20:32:00.001-08:00

Our Primary had a fun activity on Saturday (October 29) that Michelle went to. Ella woke up feeling all better, but as she had vomited on Friday night, I made her stay home as a precaution.

On Saturday evening, we carved pumpkins. My sister stayed with us for several weeks while she was looking for a place to move into up here (Hooray! Soon she will live less than an hour's drive away!) so she participated in the pumpkin carving. My daughters thought it was hilarious that they put two of the pumpkins together and made them look like they were kissing.

On Sunday, we painted faces (just for fun.....after church of course.) Michelle painted Gabby's face and Aunt Suzy painted Michelle's face and Ella's face.

We also made caramel apples.

On Halloween, our dear friend/babysitter made us dinner and then the girls and I went trick--or--treating with her family and another friend. It was fun for the kids to trick-or-treat with friends. It was so nice for me to not have to cook after working all day. And I love Halloween. I loved seeing my Sunbeams dressed up in their costumes (I saw 3 of the 4 while we were trick-or-treating.) I love seeing so many neighbors and ward members either out with their kids or as we go to their homes. I have a sweet tooth, so of course I love raiding my kids' candy bags as well. I love stopping by Laurel's house for hot chocolate and scones. Michelle is always thrilled to go to the Gustafson's and go through their spook alley which is an annual tradition. It's fun that the young men in the neighborhood have a fun way to spend their Halloween and many of the kids love it...and for those who don't, the Gustafsons also have cotton candy. What a great neighborhood I live in!! And this year, the weather was nice so it was even pleasant to be out walking around. It was a great night!

Halloween Carnival

2011-11-08T05:38:00.001-08:00

On Friday, October 29, a Halloween Carnival was held at the girls' school. I'd helped plan it and the girls were so excited. They wore their costumes... Ella was a witch, Michelle a princess, and Gabby was a giraffe (that night...2 of the 3 wore different costumes on Halloween).

We met one of Ella's friends there. Her mom used to work with me at Mountain View about 8 or 9 years ago. Now our daughters are in the same class (at a school that neither of us live nearby) and are friends. Fun.

At the carnival, the kids played musical chairs, go fish, mini golf and other games. They got their faces painted. We all got nachos and soda... but the kids apparently don't like nachos so I ate two servings and threw most of the other 2 servings away.

Then we went to Ella's teacher Miss Mary Lou's room. They were doing an art project. As Ella was working on the project, she told me she didn't feel good. We finished the art project and I asked Ella if we should go home. They hadn't gone bowling yet and Michelle really wanted to, so Ella said we should let Michelle go bowling. Then suddenly, she grabbed her witches hat and began to throw up in it. A LOT! So needless to say, the hat went into the garbage and we went home. Ella was miserable for the next couple of hours, but by the Saturday morning she was fine. It seems every year one of my kids gets sick on Halloween. Last year Michelle had to miss her school's Halloween carnival and Gabby didn't go trick-or-treating because she was sick. Oh well! At least this year they were all healthy for the trick-or-treating!

More Photos of Disneyland

2011-11-06T21:12:00.000-08:00

Let's see what else... we stayed at the Holiday Inn & Suites Tues.-Thurs.. It was a fairly nice hotel. There was a decent breakfast. There was an outdoor pool that we swam in once. We left Monday right after work and drove to Vegas and stayed at Alfredo's cousin's house. Then we spent Tuesday morning with them and then headed to LA. The weather was beautiful! Beautiful! We needed our sweatshirts in the morning and evening, but the rest of the day it was perfect... not too hot and not too cool. I was not good about putting on sunscreen on any of us ( I usually am but not this trip...although I did carry it around with me the whole time) but none of us got burned at all. Seriously, perfect weather.

Oh, I forgot to mention in the last post. Gabby has suddenly become very camera shy. She does NOT want her picture taken at all. So sorry that in almost every photo she is hiding her face, looking away or grimacing. She did not want to cooperate with photo-taking whatsoever. But she did have fun. You just can't tell in many of the photos.

We all liked Storybook Land where you ride a boat and see little villages from many of the Disney stories. The girls especially liked the palace from Aladdin. Me, I'm weird. I was excited that we saw two very cool birds. ... A heron and an egret, I believe.

Okay, another thing that impressed me about Disneyland was that along with all the rides, there are also places for kids to just play and kind of take a break.

See...I told you Gabby loved the Soundsational Parade. Here she is from the back just waving and waving at everyone in the parade. The girls all had the biggest grins on their faces. Gabby was clapping and waving and smiling.

Disneyland...The Happiest Place on Earth

2011-11-06T20:24:00.001-08:00

This is going to be mostly pictures so I'll apologize up front....we took hundreds and I'm going to post a lot. We spent 3 days at Disneyland....Weds., Thurs., and Friday (which we actually spent at California Adventure). We went during UEA weekend. Weds. wasn't too bad but Thursday was really busy. On Friday, Disneyland was crazy but we spent the day at California Adventure and it wasn't that busy. There were so many people there from Utah. I don't know if I've ever seen so many BYU shirts (except maybe at a football game way back when I went to college there). Only a couple of U of U shirts, but at least 100-200 BYU shirts or hats. Crazy. One other silly thing I want to say is that for as busy as it was, I only waited in line for a bathroom once...and it seems like women have to wait in line for the bathroom every where you go. So that was impressive! :)

Gabby absolutely loved, loved, loved Mickey's Soundsational Parade. She was waving and clapping and grinning from ear to ear. I loved World of Color...it amazes me the creativity of Disney and the music and everything just brought back such happy memories of favorite Disney movies when I was a kid. I think World of Color might have been my favorite part...and then as we were leaving World of Color on Friday night, there were fireworks over Disneyland. Just a spectacular way to end the trip. I can see why some people go there every year. (That won't be us...but I can understand it.)

Michelle liked all the "scary" rides... California Screamin' was her favorite. But she also loved Space Mountain and Splash Mountain and she liked Tower of Terror. Ella detested, HATED, and despised Tower of Terror. She didn't like Space Mountain either. But she loved the Matterhorn. And all of the girls loved Autotopia. I think we rode that 3 times. Pirates was closed for repairs and we never made it to Star Tours. Michelle and Ella also really liked the water/boat one at California Adventure...I can't remember it's name.

Gabby didn't like rides that were scary or dark... she hated the Matterhorn and she didn't even like calm rides if they got too dark. She loved Winnie-the-Pooh...that was her favorite...and the carousels... and The Little Mermaid (although she didn't like the part with Ursula). She loved all the rides in Bugsland, especially the bumper cars. I thought the movie was pretty cool there in Bugsland.

We tried the Dole pineapple smoothies and ice cream. I liked them...Alfredo and the girls thought they were just okay. Probably they'd been too hyped up by too many people and so they weren't as amazing as all the hype. We ate at a bbq place in Adventureland. Expensive, but yummy. Cornbread, baked beans and bbq chicken and ribs...all you could eat. We had beignets and pommes frites at Cafe Orleans. Yum. I'd like to figure out how to make those at home.

It really was a great trip...except when we "lost" Alfredo. He said he was going to the bathroom and didn't come back...After 20 minutes of sitting, we got in line for a ride right by where we'd been. A few minutes later, we saw him walking around the carousel where we'd been...it was dark and we yelled for him but he didn't hear us...Michelle tried to chase him but couldn't catch him so came back to me. Finally, we all left the line when we saw him come around the carousel again...but by the time we got out of the line and followed him, we couldn't find him at all. So we watched part of the parade and decided to head back to the hotel, hoping we would find him on the way. He'd gone to buy us hot chocolate and a muffin and that's why his bathroom trip had taken so long. It worked out in the end but caused all of us some frustration and worry.

Anyway, great trip. Great fun! Great memories.

Character Sightings

2011-11-02T05:48:00.000-07:00

One of the things we did while at Disneyland was go to a Minnie and Friends Breakfast at the Plaza Hotel. It was so much fun for the kids... it was buffet style and the food was great. Plus, Minnie Mouse and many of her friends were there. They came around to each table, signing your books and taking photos with you. The girls loved it. Well the older two did. Gabby liked seeing them from afar, but she was NOT getting into pictures with them. Michelle and Ella especially liked Chip and Dale. They were funny and gave the girls a kiss on the forehead or cheek. Gabby was terrified of Captain Hook.

I don't know that I would do a breakfast or lunch like this on a future trip, but I am really glad we did this time. The girls really loved it. We met Minnie Mouse, Chip and Dale, Eeyore, Winnie the Pooh, Captain Hook, and The Fairy Godmother.

We of course saw some other characters in the rest of the park. The girls were quite happy to see Woody and Jessie. They also saw a couple of Storm Troopers.

There was an area where you could meet some of the villains. We lined up a few minutes before they changed so we saw 3 and then got to meet two. We met Jafar and Cruella DeVille and Cruella lived up to her name! :) I guess she wasn't really cruel in person, but definitely snobby and self-centered. :)

The girls decided not to wait in the long line to see the princesses. But they did go through Mickey's house to meet Mickey. They also saw Pluto.

Michelle got to dance with Phineas and Ferb at California Adventure.

Last, but not least, we saw the tail end of Mickey performing hip hop at California Adventure and got our pictures taken with Hip Hop Mickey.

Coming Soon...

2011-10-31T20:54:00.000-07:00

to a blog near you! (In fact to this one...if I can ever, EVER get caught up.)

Is it sad that I need to make myself a list of posts so I don't forget...and so it will motivate me to get them done?

*Disneyland...this may turn out to be a series of posts...too many pics, too many memories and it may be our only trip to Disneyland in their young childhoods so I want to remember it all

*Halloween carnival

*Pumpkin carving/caramel apples/face painting

*Trick-or-treating

*Dance performance (maybe...it's tomorrow...we'll see if I remember my camera)

*Violin concert

And coming to my other blog...if, again, I can ever catch up:
*More math games
*Halloween photos
*Science lessons on birds

Time to get busy blogging...in between working full-time, cooking dinner, cleaning house, helping with/supervising homework and reading in 2 languages, piano practice and weekly lessons, weekly violin lesson and daily practice, dance performance tomorrow, violin concert Thursday and so on. This week, I'm feeling even busier than usual. :)

Greatest Show on Earth

2011-10-02T11:57:00.000-07:00

Last Friday evening we went to the circus with our friends Leo & Annette and Christian & Teresa and their families. It was the first time we've taken our kids to the circus and they were very excited! It was a lot of fun.

Before the circus starts, you can go down on the floor and be up close to some of the performers. We got clown noses and the kids got temporary tattoos that said, "Greatest Show on Earth" and we watched an elephant paint a picture as well as clowns, trapeze artists, and jugglers.

My favorite part was the tight rope walkers. I think they are amazing...they walked the tightrope, rode bikes on the tightrope and then they had a pole connecting the two men riding the bikes and a girl walked on the pole then sat down on a chair on the pole. It was amazing! There were also people who walked on stilts...and one whose stilts were so incredibly high that it was amazing to watch. Near the end a man was shot out of a cannon and that was cool as well. I ALSO LOVED seeing how happy my kids were. Michelle and Ella sat right in front of Alfredo and I and Michelle kept turning around to say, "Did you SEE that? Look at that!" The smiles on their faces and delight in their eyes were the best part!

Gabby is an animal lover through and through. So when you ask her what her favorite parts were, she says, "I liked the elephants...and the zebras and the horses." Then if you ask if she liked the tigers, she excitedly tells you that one of them was white and that they were kind of naughty. And they had cages that they went into after their performance. And they are mean so you couldn't be near them.

Here is what Michelle liked:
It says, "What I liked about the circus! I liked the bouncy shoes and How they Did flips and tricks with them and also I liked the tigers, Elefants, zebras, horses, white tigers."
Unfortunately, I didn't get a very good picture of the people with the springs on their shoes that allowed them to bounce and do flips and stuff.

Here's what Ella enjoyed the most:
It says (with spelling corrected so it's more understandable): "how the people standed up on the tight rope. I like when they were on the bike. I liked the clowns that played football. It was fun."

Alfredo liked the tightrope walkers the best...they were definitely among the favorite parts for all of us.

Learning

2011-09-27T05:41:00.000-07:00

I think the process of learning something new...especially learning to read... is such an exciting one and really enjoy as my children develop new skills. I sometimes feel guilty but I've felt very little sadness about having my children start school. Partly, I think, it is because I work and I'm not home with them during the day. But partly, I think, it is because I always loved school and I find each new school year so exciting...a chance for new opportunities to learn and grow, meet new people, make new friends, learn from a new teacher (or for me to learn from new students). This process was never sad for me as a child...and only a little bit scary...and I take my own positive feelings about school into my parenting. I think it is wonderful that my children will have a chance to learn things from other adults and develop relationships with other adults who can also become role models for them.

I get a pretty good idea about what they are learning from talking to them, watching them as they do homework and listening to them read. I get a very good idea about how their teachers teach and what they say and do by watching my children play school...which is a favorite activity around our house. And I am amazed on a regular basis how much they pick up.

Two quick examples: 2 weeks ago I picked the girls up from after school program and Michelle spent nearly the entire 30 minute car ride telling me all about the history of the flag. She remembered so many details about the flag that I was quite impressed. She was excited about it too, asking me several times, "Did you know...?"

Last night, Ella was reading to me. Her teacher has obviously talked about reading fluently (as she uses that word a lot) and modeled paying attention to the punctuation and using expression as you read. Last night as she was reading, when she saw a sentence with an exclamation point, she would read it loudly, excitedly and sometimes would even be jumping up and down as if shouting hooray about the sentence. She is applying what she is learning. She must also have learned a little about compound words ...or just figured it out on her own, because she pointed several out...I told her they were compound words and for the rest of the time she was reading she would shout excitedly "compound word!" every time she found one.

Even as an adult I find learning new things to be an exciting process and hope that I can help (along with their wonderful teachers) to instill this love of learning in my children.

Stake Conference

2011-09-18T20:33:00.000-07:00

We were so richly blessed to have Elder Tate of the Seventy and Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve attend our stake conference this weekend. I went to the Saturday evening meeting for adults as well as the Sunday morning general session and they were both wonderful.

Michelle's favorite part was listening to our Stake President, President Isaacs. He told about going to a very expensive mall in another state and seeing many people who were obviously not living the gospel. A man in a wheelchair with both legs amputated locked eyes with him, asking with his eyes if he had anything of value to share. He held a sign that said, "Even a smile would help." President Isaacs spoke about what he did have of value to share...something the man was not prepared for...a testimony of the Savior and His Atonement. President Isaacs then spoke about how we need to be valiant in our testimony and follow the Savior in faith, enduring to the end. We need to repent, daily. He shared an experience of President Kimball's where a young man had sinned greatly. President Kimball told him to get up the next morning and pray that Heavenly Father would help him to be clean that day and then go to school and work and do all in his power to stay clean. Then that night to give thanks to Heavenly Father for helping him and to ask for forgiveness for anything he had done. And to just keep doing that each day. Then he could have the life that he wanted.

Ella liked knowing that an Apostle was there. We also talked about Elder Tate's talk today where he spoke about the 3 D's. Decisions determine destiny. Elder Tate challenged us to read the Book of Mormon between now and the end of the year, a challenge that our Bishop also issued to us a couple of months ago. I don't know if I'll make it with my children, but I'm trying to make it on my own, at least. It's much slower going with my girls, but I've decided that's okay. I'd rather go slower and make sure they understand and are learning. Elder Tate also challenged us to go to the Bible Dictionary and look at the Harmony of the Gospels. Then he challenged us to read of the Savior's last week of life before General Conference. He said that we live in a difficult time, a time of many challenges and dangers, but if we want to know how to live in a time of stress and challenge, then there would be no better example of how to do that than the Savior in His last week.

Elder Ballard spoke about serving others as did President Peterson of our Stake Presidency. Elder Ballard shared an experience when he was a young bishop and he was quite close to an older woman in the ward who lived with her daughter. One night he'd been doing interviews and when he finally finished, he felt prompted to stop by and visit this woman. He looked at his watch, saw that it was nearly 10 PM and decided it was too late. He didn't sleep well that night and at 7 AM the next morning, he went to their home. The daughter answered and had been crying. Her mother had died a couple of hours before. Elder Ballard promised the Lord then that he would try to do better to heed the promptings of the spirit. He shared times when he had been able to serve by heeding the promptings of the spirit.

Last night Elder Ballard spoke about the temple and its purpose...to bind families together from generation to generation. President and Sister Bateman of the temple presidency also spoke of the blessings of the temple. Both yesterday and today we were counseled to cleave together as families and as spouses. To attend the temple regularly to strengthen our families against the temptations of the adversary.

For me, the talk that spoke to me the very most was Elder Tate's last night. He spoke about strengthening our families and strengthening and blessing the lives of others around us. He shared a story of a 14 year old boy that had begun making bad choices. The mother and father were beside themselves with worry and tried many things unsuccessfully. The mother prayed and felt prompted to tell her son that she loved him. She didn't feel like she even liked him or that it would work but the prompting continued. So she did. Every night, after her son was asleep, she would tiptoe into his room and kneel by his bed and tell him she loved him and stroke his hair. After awhile, he began changing, finding new friends and going back to church. Eventually, he served a mission. After he came home, his mother was talking to another ward member that was experiencing similar things with her daughter and the first mother said that she'd outgrow it and those things would work themselves out. Her son interrupted and said that's not how it worked at all. He said that all those nights when she thought he was asleep, he hadn't been. It was her love...her expressing her love, that had led him to change. Elder Tate said that all around us are those that need to feel of our love and our kindness. Especially, of course, our children and spouses. But also our neighbors, those we work with, and those we come in contact with. Someone said that the world has become so dark that it seems normal and we don't expect light. But we can be that light for others. As I listened, I had a renewed desired to do a better job of teaching my children the gospel, praying more fervently for them and doing more to protect them from the evils of the world. I also, though, felt very prompted that there are children in my class at school that don't feel loved and that by loving and teaching them, I can also bring more light into their lives and help them see that they are special and worthy.

I can't remember who said it...perhaps Elder Tate? but one of the speakers also said that the women of the church are so important, so special. Satan would have us believe that we are not good enough, that we don't do enough, that we are not important. But this is a lie and we are important and need to remember who we are.

Such a wonderful conference. I'm so grateful for the gospel and for the spirit I felt this weekend. I feel better able to go forward with faith and to love and serve those who I have a responsibility towards...in my calling, in my family, and at work. I am far from perfect but I give thanks for my Savior's example and Atonement so that I can be with my family forever. I'm grateful for the knowledge that "I am a child of God" and that He loves me and is aware of me and my challenges. I agree with President Isaacs' statement that he loves his wife, but that she'll tell you that when he is diligently serving the Lord and living the gospel that he loves her better and is more kind, patient, and slower to anger. That is true for me as a spouse and a parent.

Parenting

2011-09-14T05:28:00.001-07:00

I have just read a book that has helped me so much as a parent. It is called Parenting the Ephraim's Child: Characteristics, capabilities, and challenges of children who are intensely MORE by Deborah Talmadge and Jaime Theler. It is written from an LDS perspective.

I love my children and I am so grateful for them. I have one child, however, who is so sensitive and who still regularly has meltdowns despite the fact that she is long past the terrible twos. I have tried many things with some success but haven't felt like anything has worked especially well. I often get frustrated and even angry with her and with myself. After all, I'm a teacher and have worked with many, many children and yet have found myself being fairly unsuccessful with her...and have felt that it often hurt our relationship.

I don't know that this child would really be considered an Ephraim's child. They talk about the tribe of Ephraim and how many of us in the latter-days are descended from this tribe. Ephraim's children have 4 characteristics (persistence, difficulty with adaptability, awareness and sensitivity) and may have high activity levels, high intelligence, a great desire for control, and a strong desire for independence. I don't know that my daughter has all of these characteristics, but she is certainly aware and has high sensitivity.

Here are a few of the things that have helped me. First, they explain that each of these characteristics have both positive and negative parts. They talk about viewing and labeling these things as strengths rather than as challenges...even though they do present challenges. But each of these characteristics can be used to become a stronger person, a more faithful member of the church, a contributor to society. In addition, how we think about things strongly influences how we feel and act...if we think of our child's qualities as being bad, we are going to have more negative reactions than if we view them as strengths. So instead of thinking of and calling my child sensitive (or touchy or emotional), refer to her as tender-hearted or sympathetic. And view this sensitivity as a way to help her become more charitable. A child who is in tune with his or her emotions as well as the emotions of everyone around them is more likely to be empathetic, to recognize others' needs and be able to serve others, especially if they are taught to channel their emotions for good. (Note: This chapter was about both physical and emotional sensitivity and at first, I thought my child only displayed emotional sensitivity...but as I read, suddenly a multitude of memories popped in my head of certain clothes she won't wear because they are scratchy/itchy/uncomfortable and other sensory inputs that bother her that don't bother my other two. I never connected the two or recognized that she probably really is more bothered and tuned in to both physical and emotional sensory input.)

The chapter on sensitivity also provided some suggestions on helping prevent emotional meltdowns and on dealing with them. It especially says to watch to see what the triggers are and try to prevent them. For example, my child is much more likely to become overly emotional when she is tired (as am I). So it's important to make sure she has a bedtime routine and gets enough sleep. Also, she is very tuned in to my emotions, so when I'm upset or frazzled or frustrated, she is much more likely to become upset... right when I'm least emotionally prepared to deal with it. So I need to do my best to calm myself before interacting with her. They also caution to make sure you are dealing with the root of the problem and not just the outward behavior. So when she gets upset, find out why. That's not always possible if she becomes overly upset and melts down...until later. I'm slowly learning that with her, I need to calmly stay next to her and talk softly while gently rubbing her back or singing to her quietly. Then as she begins to calm down, I have her take some deep breaths and then I talk her through visualizing something happy. Then when she is calm we can talk about why she got upset and how to better deal with it. I've tried time outs and they just make her more upset. I've yelled at her and tried to pick her up and move her. I've grounded her. I've ignored her outbursts. I've tried most of the other discipline techniques out there. None of them have been successful. And they've made me so frustrated. I don't think this is going to be like a magic pill and her melt downs will stop...but it has equipped me with the strategies to deal with them. It's also helped me feel much more positive about my child and about myself as her parent. I love her so much, but I have worried about her strong emotions. That worry hasn't completely gone away, but I'm focussing now on how her emotions help her to be a kind, more Christlike person. She really is very kind to others and feels so sad when anyone gets hurt or is sad. I can use that to help her develop charity.

The book has lots of ideas that I already use... giving choices about small things so that your child has some feelings of control (do you want your pink pajamas or your yellow nightgown, do you want to eat an apple or plum for lunch), giving warnings about transitions (we have to leave in 5 minutes), establishing a routine for the day and a routine for bedtime, only giving 1 or 2 directions at a time (put your shoes on and grab your backpack), and letting my children do things for themselves when they are able. I also liked that they pointed out that the root of discipline is disciple...we are trying to help our children become disciples of Christ and our discipline should come from love and the desire to help them become more righteous. Punishment often comes from anger and is not often meant to teach.

Amazingly, in addition to helping me understand my daughter better, there were also parts of this book that helped me understand myself better...as a parent and a child.

I am not perfect at this but it's helping. This is probably a book I should reread every couple of years. It is helping me become a better, more Christlike parent and to see my child more like Heavenly Father sees her. And while I read this to benefit one child, in particular, it gave me insights into my other two children as well.

Bountiful Baskets

2011-09-10T12:45:00.000-07:00

So I've been participating in the Bountiful Baskets coop with my friend Carin for a month now. My friend Stacie has been doing it for a year or more and loves it. I have been loving it! We get a ton of fruits and vegetables each week for just $15. I think it's definitely saving me a lot on groceries and we're eating some great fruit. I was a little worried that we'd get foods that we wouldn't eat, but so far the only unusual thing we've had was figs. I thought I hated figs, but I just tried one a few minutes ago and it was pretty good. I can't use up the lettuce quite as fast as I get it..and usually I have a few pieces of fruit left on Saturday morning when I go pick up the new basket.

Today we got 5 yams, 1 head of lettuce, 1 bunch of spinach, a head of cauliflower, 5 peaches, lots of bananas, a bag of grapes, a carton of about 6 or 7 figs, a bunch of pears and a bunch of plums.

I also bought the 9 grain bread a few weeks ago and it is delicious!

It really turns out to be almost the perfect amount of fruits and veggies...although most weeks I do buy a few extras at the store...to add to salads or for specific meals...this week I'm not planning to go to the store at all, except perhaps for a gallon of milk.

Here's photos of the first week's basket:

Second Grade

2011-09-09T19:06:00.001-07:00

I have such a great class this year! I am really enjoying it so far this year. :) And they seem to be enjoying it too... I don't think I've ever had so many kids hug me...sometimes right in the middle of the day. It's caught me off guard a few times.

Now that I'm back to work, I'm also back to posting on my second grade blog... probably a lot more this year than last. Check it out if you want some ideas that you can steal and use at home with your own kids. :)

It is Sensational Second.

Quote I love

2011-09-05T16:15:00.000-07:00

"Charm is the ability to make someone think that both of you are quite wonderful." --Source unknown

I saw this quote a couple of months ago and loved it and jotted it down on a slip of paper... happened to find the paper on Saturday and wanted to share this lovely quote. I have known some people that are very charming based on this definition and don't you love to be around people that not only make you admire them but also make you feel great about yourself? A couple of my friends come to mind, in particular, and I would like to be more like them.

Albion Basin

2011-09-05T08:04:00.001-07:00

A couple of weekends ago, the girls and I took a drive up Little Cottonwood Canyon to Albion Basin to see the wildflowers. It is so beautiful up there this time of year! I am no expert photographer, so believe me when I tell you that it was even prettier than my pictures show.

The girls were thrilled that we saw a squirrel. They enjoyed our little "hike" (really just a walk) and loved the flowers. Every time we do go up into the canyons (which is not often) I think that I really should get us up there more often...it's so beautiful and peaceful and easy to feel the Spirit. And it's only about a half hour drive. When I was at BYU, I often drove up Provo Canyon on Sundays to read my scriptures, write in my journal, and take time to ponder and pray. I probably went up the canyon nearly weekly back then. It's a little farther now...and takes more effort to get 4 or 5 us up the canyon than it did to just take myself...but I should make the effort more often.

First Day of School

2011-09-04T13:54:00.000-07:00

Michelle, Ella and I all had our first day of school on Wednesday, August 24. This was the first year we've all started on the same day since my school just switched from year round to traditional.

I had great plans to get them there nice and early so they could meet their teachers and deliver their teacher survival kits. But for some reason (Construction every where!) it is now taking us 40-45 minutes to get to their school each morning instead of 25-30 minutes. So we got there only a couple of minutes before the bell rang. So no cute pictures in front of the school...only the 2 I took at home before we left. Ah well. At least they made it. (And I've now learned that as long as we leave by exactly 7:30, we'll be fine...wait until 7:35 and we probably won't make it on time...Argh!)

So far the girls are LOVING school. Michelle is in 3rd grade and her teacher is Mrs. Rudolph...for the first time, she only has one teacher...who teaches English one day and Spanish the next. Michelle loves how they have one computer for every two students. She is also happy about math because "we get to learn more times tables." Mrs. Rudolph is very nice.

Ella is in first grade and has Miss Finerfrock (Engish) and Miss Mary Lou (Spanish). A fun fact about this is that we all three taught at another school, Mountain View, together a few years ago. So I know her teachers pretty well. (And Michelle had Miss Finerfrock in first grade.) Ella thinks her teachers are nice. Ella loves first grade "because we have desk. This is my first time getting desks. Also, we have a red notebook to write in for English."

Other than the terrible commute in the morning, the school year is off to a great start. I'm really enjoying my class.

Gabby's birthday

2011-08-28T16:17:00.000-07:00

Our sweet, spunky Gabrielle turned 3 on August 11. Last Saturday we had a small birthday party for her. She was so thrilled with all of her gifts. She got a trike that she has wanted to ride every day since. She got a shopping cart that all of the girls have enjoyed playing with. She got a darling stuffed doggy and a doggy purse and some clothes and a train that you can take apart and put back together with a "screwdriver" made for little kids. So many fun, wonderful gifts.

Of course, we had a barbecue and then a pinata...after all, it's tradition! Alfredo made great burgers and hot dogs and sausages. I made my rice and a yummy broccoli salad and we had watermelon and chips and soda. Then the kids went to town on the pinata. Since it had started to rain a bit, we moved the party to the carport. Gabbby absolutely did NOT want to hit the pinata, but the other kids loved it...and she loved the bubbles and candy inside.

Then we had cake and ice cream. One tradition that she did not want to take part in was we usually have the birthday child take a bite right out of the cake (it's a hispanic tradition, I believe)...and usually Daddy helps them by pushing their sweet little faces right in... Michelle and Ella love it, but Gabby didn't want anything to do with it. Although she was content as can be to sit on Aly's lap and eat her cake and ice cream once it was on a plate. :)

Happy Birthday to our sweet girl! We love you!

Saving Cee Cee Honeycutt

2011-08-27T09:09:00.000-07:00

Just finished reading a fun book called Saving Cee Cee Honeycutt for my book club. This was a sweet book about a girl whose mentally ill mother dies and she goes to live with her great aunt in Savannah. She meets several women who help her find peace and happiness. I loved how Mrs. Odell talked about each person having a Life Book. She compared changes in life to beginning a new chapter and said that throughout life many people will write in your Life Book. It seems like such a nice way of viewing changes and seems like it would also help to have a positive outlook when challenges arise.

This book is filled with great quotes and pearls of wisdom. I wanted to write down just a few of my favorite to remember.

At a time when Cee Cee was scared, Oletta said, "Every time you give in to your fears, you're lettin' that man win. And every time you do that, he gets stronger while you get weaker. Givin' in to your fears will rob you blind."
CeeCee's mom told her, "It's how we survive the hurts in life that brings us strength and gives us our beauty."

Oletta said, "People is wise 'cause they get out in the world and live. Wisdom comes from experience--from knowin' each day is a gift and accepting it with gladness."

Oletta also said, "Don't go wastin' all them bright tomorrows you ain't even seen by hangin' on to what happened yesterday. Let go, child. Just breathe out and let go."

Aunt Tootie told Cee Cee that everything would be fine if she made it fine. She said, "It's what we believe about ourselves that determines how others see us." While there are so many good quotes in this book, so many words to live by, I think this one is so important to internalize.... how we perceive ourselves plays such a big role in how others perceive us. If we are confident and self-assured, if we are positive and happy, then others will want to be near us. This, for me, for most women, I think, isn't always easy to do... we tend to be our own worst critics. I think those who know us best, of course, see a lot more than this...but especially at first meeting, I think this is true.

"'Look,' she (Oletta) said, smiling out at the trees, the sky, and the birds flying by. 'That's life out there. See how it's movin'? Even the leaves on the trees is movin'. Life don't wait for nobody, and even as special as you are, it ain't gonna wait for you, neither. So it's time to make up your mind that you're gonna join it.'"

Aunt Tootie said, "It's our hearts that tell us the truth of things, honey."

Miz Goodpepper said, "Don't grow up too fast, darling. Age is inevitable, but if you nurture a childlike heart, you'll never, ever grow old."

Cee Cee watched Sapphire and Miz Obee's friendship and realized, "that's what friends should do: cherish the good and pretend not to notice the harmless rest."

White Water Rafting and Day 2

2011-08-21T20:39:00.000-07:00

Alfredo and I had made reservations to float down the Snake River. We did an 8 mile scenic float, followed by 8 miles of white water rapids with the Dave Hansen River Rafting company. Both were amazing! I loved how peaceful the river was in the early morning, and we were able to see at least 10 bald eagles, several osprey and 4 river otters. Our guide, Ryan, said he had only seen one other river otter this summer. I just thought it was so beautiful...although cold. And during this section of the trip, our guide was able to tell us a little about the history of the area. Our bus driver who brought us from the pickup spot to the river also told us about the history... he also told us about two female bears they have been following. One is the mother of the other female bear. The mother has had a couple of sets of triplets now. In the spring she had triplets, and her daughter had twins. One of the triplets got separated from the mother and is now the daughter is nursing it along with her twins. He said there are a couple of possible explanations, but most likely the mother couldn't provide enough milk and so passed one of the babies on so it could survive.

Anyway, it was fun to get to know the others on our raft a little bit and to just enjoy the peace of the river.

Then we got off and had a short break and prepared for the white water rafting. I don't have photos yet, because you could only take waterproof cameras and I keep forgetting to take it in to be developed. Anyway, the white water rafting was AWESOME! Totally amazing. I didn't think it was scary at all, but I was at the back of the raft and therefore missed most of the drenchings and some of the view. So next time, I will want to sit closer to the front. But it was so much fun. During a quiet part in between rapids, we were able to get out of the raft and "swim". If you did it, you got a little bracelet that says, "Snake River Swim Team. Get in or Go Home." Alfredo and I both got in (although only for a minute or so...it was cold) and got our bracelets. For someone (ME) who doesn't like to jump straight into a warm pool...but likes to ease in slowly, that was an accomplishment. Such a fun experience. We can hardly wait to do it again... and will definitely take the girls in a few years when Gabby is old enough. Somehow, I'm getting just a tiny bit braver in my old age. HeeHee. Kidding, but really this isn't something I would have tried until the last couple of years.

My favorite rapid was the Cottonwood Rapid. It was the longest rapid and the last rapid we went on. Alfredo liked the Big Kahuna and Lunch Counter. They are one right after another and very cool. Most of the time only one of them is running...one runs during high water and one during low water...but for about 2 weeks a year they both run, and we were lucky enough to be there during that 2 week period. Also, about 3 1/2 months ago there was a terrible avalanche. It closed the road into Jackson for 3 weeks and dumped a ton of soil into the Snake River. It created a new rapid that we were able to go over. It was so amazing! All of it.

We had lunch after the rafting and then headed to a visitor center where we saw an interesting movie and wandered through the exhibits. I loved this quote:

I think there is a lot of loveliness to be found in America...and around the world. And if you look, especially keeping an open mind (as for example, many people think the desert is ugly...and it can be, but some areas have a beauty that is unique, if you look and are willing to see it), you will find it and it will change you. I've had a couple of friends go to Alaska and talk about how seeing the whales and the glaciers and all of the beauty changed them...and I've had traveling experiences that have changed me. Anyway, love this quote!!

The visitors center was beautiful...and had a gorgeous view of the Tetons. It was so relaxing to just walk around, read the displays and just enjoy one another's company.

Later we had enormous hamburgers and fries and milkshakes at a hamburger place in Jackson. They were so delicious! We sat outside, enjoying the nice weather and the yummy food.

On the way back to the hotel (as well as on the drive home) we saw lots of deer and antelope.

I'm so glad we did this. It was so nice to spend the weekend together, just the two of us, to renew our relationship and celebrate the past 10 years.

While in Jackson, we bought our girls matching pajamas. It was fun to see them model them for us when we got home, and good to be with them again. We, of course, missed them while we were gone.

Jackson Hole

2011-08-18T05:49:00.000-07:00

For our tenth anniversary, Alfredo and I took a 3 day, 2 night trip to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. It was really our first time away from the kids, and it was wonderful! I'm so grateful to Aly, who watched our girls for us while we were gone. The girls had such a great time there...and we had a wonderful, relaxing, fun time in Jackson.

We left Friday morning to drive there. My sister left for Canada just a few minutes before we left...so on the drive up we passed them. We stopped at a rest stop so I could use the bathroom and a minute later my sister and her kids pulled in...so I got to say one final goodbye!

When we got to Jackson, we ate lunch at a Chinese restaurant. The food was only okay, but we did get fortune cookies with fun fortunes. Mine said, "He who has imagination without learning has wings but no feet." Alfredo thought that was appropriate since I spend my days teaching children...helping them to gain their footing (and I hope their wings too!) Alfredo's said, "An exciting opportunity lies ahead if you are not timid." This seemed appropriate for 2 reasons...first, we were going white water rafting the next morning...and also, because he recently started a new position at work...we think and hope it will be an exciting opportunity...but as it is a sales position, he will have to not be timid...not that this is a concern for Alfredo. He is not a timid person.

Then we spent a couple hours wandering around Jackson and doing some shopping. One store was closing down and I got 2 cute shirts for $15. We also found cute jammies for our girls. Here are a few photos of wandering around Jackson:

Shopping, we saw several t-shirts with funny slogans. Here are the 2 I wrote down to remember:

"You see a cute little deer. I see a couple of steaks and a leather jacket." (I totally see the cute little deer...we both do, but this made us laugh out loud and we quoted it all weekend.)

Second: "Vision...the ability to see yourself surviving the (crazy) thing you're about to do."... (I substituted crazy for their profanity... but as we were about to go white water rafting...this struck me as an interesting way of looking at vision.)
Then we drove to Teton Village. We rode the Bridger Gondola up the mountain and ate dinner at the Deck. I had gotten car sick and just didn't feel real good, so I mostly just enjoyed the beautiful view and visiting with Alfredo. It was so beautiful up there...peaceful and beautiful. Bridger Gondola:

That was the first day of our trip. Then we drove the hour trip to our hotel in Pinedale (because it was much cheaper than any similar hotel in Jackson...) and it was a pretty drive.

Fiddle Concert

2011-08-18T05:40:00.000-07:00

Michelle has been taking violin lessons from Mrs. Montgomery (who used to be in our ward) since January. Michelle has already learned so much. Mrs. Montgomery is such an amazing teacher. The students had a fiddle concert at Sugarhouse Park last week. Michelle was able to play five songs... Mary Had a Little Lamb, Orange Blossom, Cripple Creek, Camptown Races, and Old MacDonald Had a Farm. She did a great job, and the concert was wonderful!

And we were lucky to be able to have Michelle's aunt Rebecca and her kids be at the concert. Also, our dear friends Aly and Stacie came with their kids. Thank you!

Photoshoot of the Girls

2011-08-17T10:49:00.000-07:00

While my very talented sister Rebecca was here visiting from Canada, she offered to do a photoshoot of my girls. Of course, we took her up on it! They turned out beautiful. She told me at the end that we'll have to watch out for Michelle when she's a little older because she loves being in front of the camera and she is so photogenic (I already know that!) Gabby, however, does not love getting her pictures taken as much. But still we got some beautiful photos of all 3 girls. Thank you so much Rebecca! We love you.

I sure do love these beautiful girls and I'm so thankful for the wonderful summer we had together. I love my job, but one of the best parts is that I am home in the summertime with my children.

Swim Lessons

2011-08-15T10:10:00.001-07:00

Michelle and Ella just finished their first round of swim lessons at Kearns. Ella was quite scared at first, but by the end she loved it and they have been signed up for 3 more weeks.

fun with cousins

2011-08-15T10:02:00.001-07:00

I adore how curly Gabby and Hannah's hair is. Michelle had an interesting realization. The third child in my family has curly hair... My dad was the 3rd and his hair is curly. My sister Suzy is the third and her hair is very curly. Gabby is our 3rd and her hair is curly. Hannah is Rebecca's third and her hair is curly. Now there are some others that have curly hair as well...but interesting that in 3 generations, all of the 3rd children have curly hair. :)

Serving in the Church

2011-08-15T09:59:00.000-07:00

Since this serves as my journal, it occurred to me that it would be good for me to include a copy of the sacrament talk I gave about a month ago. Usually I would have stapled a copy into my journal...and I would like my children to someday be able to read my thoughts and testimony. So here it is.

My talk today is about service in the Church. I’d like to talk about why we receive callings and how we should magnify them, particularly how we should follow our Savior’s example as we serve.

First, why do we receive callings? I think there are several reasons.
#1- Callings help us learn and grow. The Lord qualifies us for the work He calls us to do.
#2 Callings require us to listen to the Spirit and learn from the Holy Ghost.
#3Service in the church helps us to “succor the weak, lift up the hands which hang down, and strengthen the feeble knees.” (D & C 81:5)
#4 Callings help us to develop the pure love of Christ.
#5 Callings lead us to become more like our Savior Jesus Christ.

First, callings can help us to learn and grow. Often, callings require us to stretch ourselves and can lead us to gain new talents, new understanding and greater faith. In Phillipians 4:13 we read, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

I have had a few callings that I felt unprepared for. But Heavenly Father knows what He is doing and if we have faith and do our best, He will qualify us for the work. But He requires “the heart and a willing mind.” I am not naturally a very outgoing person. I often get nervous in groups or when going to meet someone for the first time. Doing visits when I was in the Relief Society Presidency were often hard for me. However, I don’t have any problem teaching classes…that rarely makes me nervous. So, for me, if I could choose, I would probably want to teach Relief Society or Primary forever…but then I wouldn’t be pushed to grow. And few callings have taught me as much as being in the Relief Society Presidency at least partly because I had to do things that were not easy for me…and because I had to rely on the spirit.
We also learn through our interactions with those we serve. I remember serving in YW… I taught a lesson on repentance. One of the young women said she was going to try to repent daily of her mistakes.. Then months later she told me that she had been doing that… she taught me an important lesson that day, one that I think about often… and many others have taught me lessons as well…

Elder Henry B . Eyring, Watch Over and Strengthen, April 2000 Conference said, “Confidence depends on your seeing the call for what it is. Your call to serve is not from human beings. It is a trust from God. …Because you are called by Jesus Christ to His service, you may go forward with great confidence. First, you may be assured that He knows you and your capacity to grow. He has prepared you. Calls will stretch you, often at the start and always over their course, but He will give you the Holy Ghost to be your companion.”

A second reason we serve in the Church is to learn to listen to the spirit. Often, callings require us to really turn to the Lord for help. We must rely on the Holy Ghost to guide us.
Elder Eyring explained, “The Holy Ghost will tell you what to do when your own abilities and efforts are not enough The Holy Ghost will prompt you to bear testimony with conviction. The Savior will let you feel the love He feels for those you serve. The call is an invitation to become like Him The Lord is (our) only hope for success. Most of the help will come through the ministrations of the Holy Ghost. The Lord’s servants cannot succeed without it. We can only have the Holy Ghost as a companion if we plead for it and if we qualify for it. And both require a lot of praying, praying with real faith in our Heavenly Father and in His Beloved Son and in the Holy Ghost.”

Elder Eyring also said, “….As the humble servants of the Savior, we should pray for the manifestations of the Holy Ghost to come to us in our service and to those we serve. Humble prayer to our Heavenly Father, in deep faith in Jesus Christ, is essential to qualify us for the companionship of the Holy Ghost.”

Third, Callings also allow us to serve and bless the lives of others, which is part of the covenant that we made at baptism. I’m sure you’ve all heard the quote from
"President Spencer W. Kimball said, 'God does notice us, and he watches over us. But it is usually through another person that he meets our needs. Therefore, it is vital that we serve each other in the kingdom'
Elder Eyring said, “every call is an opportunity and an obligation to watch over and strengthen the children of our Heavenly Father. The Savior’s work is to bring to pass their immortality and eternal life (see Moses 1:39). He called us to serve others so that we could strengthen our own faith as well as theirs. He knows that by serving Him we will come to know Him. An inspired prophet saw service as the way we come to want what the Lord wants. He wrote: “For how knoweth a man the master whom he has not served, and who is a stranger unto him, and is far from the thoughts and intents of his heart.”

I have experienced this many times. For awhile, Alfredo and I had only one car and he often worked on Sundays. I walked to church often… but at the time, Julie Cannon was my wonderful visiting teacher and she often gave me rides to church. Julie was an amazing visiting teacher. She helped with so many things…including delivering Ella at home unexpectedly J and she and her family answered many of our prayers, especially when Ella had her open heart surgery. I can remember another time in college when I was feeling very discouraged. My home teacher at the time dropped by a plate of goodies, which was nice, but more importantly included a note saying that He’d felt prompted to write to let me know that the Lord loved me and was aware of me and telling me of a few of my good qualities. The goodies and note were so special…particularly to know that the Lord was aware of me and knew what I needed right then. Home teaching and visiting teaching are such important callings that we’re given… they truly allow us to become a friend, set an example and provide service to others.

Perhaps most importantly service helps us to develop love and charity for those we serve as well as those we serve with. Some of my dearest friends are those I have served with or had the opportunity to serve.. NO matter what our calling, we are serving sons and daughters of God. He loves each of His children, and if we pray to Him, He will help us feel pure love for those we serve. Sometimes it is easy to feel that love, … for example, right now, I am teaching the Sunbeams in primary. I love it! They are so sweet and so full of love that it is easy to love them back. Other times, it may be more difficult… perhaps we’re assigned to visit teach someone who is not active in the church and may even be hostile… or maybe there’s someone who has different political views than us…or maybe we just don’t seem to have much in common with those we are called to serve. But the Lord can bless us to love these brothers and sisters, if we diligently pray for that love and if we continue to serve them. I work at a challenging school, and there are at times, students that are difficult to deal with and to love… I realize this isn’t a church calling, but I do feel like my job as a teacher to these kids is part of my calling in life… and I have found that even with very difficult students, if I will pray for them and try to love and serve them, then the Lord will bless me to be able to love them., to begin to see them as He does..
Elder Holland said, “If our service is to be most efficacious, it must be accomplished for the love of God and the love of his children. The Savior applied that principle in the Sermon on the Mount, in which he commanded us to love our enemies, bless them that curse us, do good to them that hate us, and pray for them that despitefully use us and persecute us. (See Matt. 5:44.) He explained the purpose of that commandment as follows:
“For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?
“And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?” (Matt. 5:46–47.)
Moroni chapter 7 talks about charity, the pure love of Christ. It is often quoted. My favorite verse is verse 48 which reads, “

” This is, what service really means, I believe… as we serve, if we ask our Father to, we will be filled with love for those we serve. And this love will purify us and help us to become like Jesus Christ.

Finally, service leads us to become more like the Savior. Jesus went about doing good. As we serve in the Church, we to are going about doing good. Jesus loved others and as we serve, we too are developing and showing love for our fellowman. President Uchtdorf gave a wonderful talk in October 2010 General Conference called “Of Things that Matter Most.” While his talk was not specifically about service in the Church, I believe some of his counsel applies to our service. I believe that our service in the Church can help strengthen our relationship with our Savior and our Heavenly Father. As we serve, we are able to become more like Them. He said , “My dear brothers and sisters, we would do well to slow down a little, proceed at the optimum speed for our circumstances, focus on the significant, lift up our eyes, and truly see the things that matter most.”- I believe that among the things that mater most are taking the time to study the scriptures, pray for our families and those that we serve, and then doing our best to magnify our callings…while carefully balancing the needs of our families. We should remember that the first great commandment is to “love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind…And the second is like unto it, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” I think as we truly develop love for God and love for our fellowmen, it becomes easier to prioritize and to focus on what really matters most. President Uchtdorf said, -“our relationship with God is most sacred and vital. We are His spirit children. He is our Father. He desires our happiness. As we seek Him, as we learn of His Son, Jesus Christ, as we open our hearts to the influence of the Holy Spirit, our lives become more stable and secure. We experience greater peace, joy, and fulfillment as we give our best to live according to God’s eternal plan and keep His commandments.

Elder Uchtdorf said, “Brothers and sisters, diligently doing the things that matter most will lead us to the Savior of the world. That is why “we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, … that [we] may know to what source [we] may look for a remission of [our] sins.”8 In the complexity, confusion, and rush of modern living, this is the “more excellent way.”9 As we listen to the Spirit, and as we talk of Christ and preach of Christ and rejoice in Christ, we will come to know Him and love Him and we will be able to return to live with Him again someday which is our ultimate goal. Let us be diligent in doing the things that matter most: serving in the Church, teaching our families, and becoming like our Savior so that when we see Him again, we shall be like Him, we shall have “received His image in our countenances.”

Ultimately, while I have talked about several reasons that service in the Church is important, I believe that the most important reasons are that it will help us to gain charity and to become like our Savior. That is my hope and prayer.

Hogle Zoo with Cousins

2011-08-15T09:22:00.000-07:00

We had the best week! My family was here for a visit. My mom and stepdad and sister Suzy came from Arizona. My sister Rebecca and her kids Evan, Sarah and Hannah drove down from Canada. It was so wonderful to visit with all of them. Gabby has asked a few times since they left where they are and when we'll see them again! We loved playing, visiting, and spending time together.

On Monday, we headed to the Hogle Zoo.

Discovery Gateway

2011-08-04T18:28:00.001-07:00

Tuesday we spent the day at Discovery Gateway. My friend Annette has a membership there and was able to get us in free. The girls all had so much fun. We got there right after it opened and Annette suggested we go upstairs first. It was awesome, because for at least 20 or more minutes we were the only ones there. There's a fun backgammon board that plays music as you dance on it, giant dominoes,and a huge parachute. The parachute scared Gabby a little bit. Michelle and Ella thought it was great fun to stand between the dominoes as they got knocked over.... and fun to knock them over with Annette and I standing between them.

The kids also went to a class where the teacher read Brown Bear, Brown Bear by Eric Carle and they colored a book with the characters.

They played in the water, the market, and the house. Then we went back upstairs to play with the puzzles, blocks and legos. My favorite was one where you used wooden blocks to build a structure and then you pressed a button and it would begin to shake like a bad windstorm or an earthquake and you could see if your structure would stay standing.

They played in the ball area, the construction area, and again in the house/mail/market. They had a fabulous time...made even more fun by having friends with them! Thanks again, Annette, for the invite!!

Ten Years

2011-08-04T18:15:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Alfredo and I celebrated our 10 year anniversary. He took me to a nice dinner at an Italian restaurant called Fresco's. We sat outside in a lovely porch area with ivy growing on the walls. The food was delicious. Alfredo got sea scallops and I got pasta with calimari and prawns. Alfredo had cheesecake for dessert and I had these freshly made doughnuts with lemon sauce and fresh berries. I know doughnuts don't sound that amazing, but let me tell you these were DE.LI.CIOUS! I wanted to lick the plate... they were that good. Hot and a little bit doughy in the middle (in a good way) with cinnamon sugar on the outside, lemon sauce and raspberries and blackberries. Oh yum!

After we finished eating, we talked about going to a movie. But as it was after 8 and Michelle had an early violin lesson, we decided to save the movie for another night. But we happened to drive past a Shopko and I talked Alfredo into going inside to help me buy spiral notebooks for 15 cents each. I need 60 for school and they have a limit of 18. I've already made 2 trips this week and needed to make 2 more to get them all...but with him there, I got the rest purchased! Woo hoo. Now that is love.... for him to spend our anniversary with me buying school supplies! :) It worked out well though because we've been eyeing a decoration at Kohl's for our living room wall, but we found the same one at Shopko on clearance last night for less than half the price. Awesome!

I should mention that Alfredo also bought me a dozen of the most beautiful red roses. He's such a wonderful man!

He was laughing at me because I can still remember where we went to dinner for our first anniversary but can't remember where we went to dinner for my birthday a few months ago. He said, "I think it is because you kept such a detailed journal back then." I think that is at least part of it. So while no one else probably cares about the specifics of our anniversary date, I want to be better about recording things like that so I will remember.

I love you Alfredo!

You can tell it's summer....

2011-08-01T09:06:00.001-07:00

by looking at my blog. Not just the pictures, but the shear quantity of posts. In 2011, I've averaged about 7 posts per month. In July, I've posted 17 times! There have been vacations to post about, outings, etc. In fact, I probably could have done several other posts...and I really haven't posted much about just cute, everyday things my kids do.

I sure do love being home in the summer! It's one of the best perks of my job! :)

Thoughts to Remember

2011-07-31T22:39:00.000-07:00

Heard a quote in church today that really struck me. My Bishop was quoting my friend Sara, who said, "Triumph is a little try with some umph." I don't know if she came up with this or heard it from somewhere else, but what a great quote! If we want to succeed, we have to try and give it some real effort.

This made me remember the quote my dad shared with me from his sacrament meeting last Sunday. One of his speakers said, "The antidote to bad attitude is gratitude."
Such truth in that gem. It reminds me of the quote that I have on my emails:
"We do not give thanks because we are happy. We are happy because we give thanks." --Douglas Wood. This great quote was in a children's picture book that I read a few years ago called Grandad's Prayers of the Earth.

Gratitude is such an important quality/state of mind/virtue. It truly changes your outlook on life.

I've been thinking about challenges. It seems, at times, like some people have almost perfect lives and so many blessings. Then others seem to have so many challenges. I'm aware that often the challenges that people face are private and most are not aware of what struggles an individual has... and really I'm sure that even though at times I might wish my own struggles away, I am quite sure that there are few if any people whose burdens I would want to trade mine for. But getting back to gratitude. I've slowly come to realize that as I express thanks for my MANY blessings, as I practice an attitude of gratitude, my challenges seem less. But when I stop feeling and acting grateful, then I begin to feel less content and the problems seem to multiply. I do not just give thanks because I am happy. I truly am more happy when I give thanks.

I have realized something important lately. When bad things happen, particularly when someone does something unkind and you are hurt, angry or worried, you have a choice. You can think about the problem and focus on it and let your thoughts be centered on how terrible things are. Or you can focus on your blessings and on the things that are going well. You can think about all the reasons they are wrong or why you're mad and concentrate on the negative. Or you can turn your thoughts around and think about the things that you do that are less than perfect and think about all the things that they do that ARE right and kind and good. One way of thinking will almost certainly NOT solve the problem and will lead to a lot of disappointment and unhappiness...the other will help you gain more peace of mind and more happiness. (I'm not saying you should just always let things go and problems may require thinking to solve them...but they usually don't require brooding over them.) I'm not perfect at this, but it does help me. Abraham Lincoln said, "Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be." I've heard this for years and thought that he was saying happiness is a choice...and I think there is truth to that, at least for the most part. But as I've reflected lately, I have noticed the word mind and it has led me to conclude that another way of thinking about this quote, is that our mind, our thoughts, to a large degree, determine our happiness.

ABC's of... Guess Where?

2011-07-31T16:11:00.000-07:00

Can you guess where we went on Friday? This idea to blog about our (secret) location using the ABC's was actually my friend Stacie's idea, so kudos to her. So glad we went together! We actually went through the alphabet while there, but I know I've forgotten some of what we said...so some of these are mine, and some are Stacie's, Eli's, Avy's, Michelle's, Ella's and Gabby's.

A is for amazing view. What we had when we made it to the top. A is also for Avy. She said at the end, "If we can do this, then we can do anything!"

B is for beautiful. The mountains are beautiful this time of year.

C is for the Chime Chamber, my favorite part. I wish that I could have been there years ago when they actually used to ring the stalactites to hear the chiming sound!

D is for dolomite and other rocks that we saw. D is also for darkness. Without the lights, the cave is very dark.

E is for Eli and Ella. They did it!!! (And Ella did it with almost no complaining. She often cheered Eli on! I was so proud of her. And surprised.) E is also for encouragement. We had to provide plenty of encouragement to make it up the mountain.

F is for freezing. That's what the kids thought it felt like inside... 45 degrees Fahrenheit. I was so sweaty...I thought it felt great!

G is for Gabby. She got carried the whole way up. On the way down, she wanted to walk, stopping every 2 - 3 feet to find a "Gabby-sized" rock to sit on. :) After a bit, I picked her up and gave her a piggy back ride so it wouldn't take hours to get down.

H is for heart. The heart of Timpanogos weighs approximately 4,000 pounds. Stacie was very interested to find out how they figure that out. The heart was Michelle's favorite part. (And if you hadn't figured it out already, you should know where we went!) H is also for Hansen Cave, the first cave found, by a man named Hansen who was following a mountain lion when he discovered the cave.

I is for imagination. Inside one room, they pointed out all the interesting shapes...one that looks like an alligator, one that looks like a chicken. My kids noticed a stalagmite that looked like a unicorn's head. Imagination is important in so many endeavors. I is also for the ice cream cones we got when we were done!

J is for journal. Stacie was planning to write about this in her journal... and I consider this blog to be my journal. Maybe I can even get Ella and Michelle to write about it in their journals.

K is for kicking rocks. Really, we didn't kick rocks...you aren't supposed to, but we couldn't come up with anything else for k....and sometimes you do kick a rock on accident.

L is for lion as in mountain lion. Mountain lions, mountain goats, bighorn sheep, rattlesnakes, squirrels, and chipmunks all consider American Fork Canyon their home.

M is for Michelle. Michelle was tired and wasn't sure she would make it on the way up. But she and Avy were the speediest on the way down. They kept having to stop and wait for the rest of us. :)

N is for nature...where we spent our day. N is for national park.

O is for opportunity...to get exercise, to spend time with friends, to smell the pine trees, to learn new things, to see amazing sights, to live on a beautiful planet. We are blessed daily with so many opportunities!

P is for park rangers. It was fun to chat with a few park rangers. The kids wanted to know why they carry guns and we asked how many times they hike to the cave each day (usually 2 or 3 times...Wow!) We were told that there is a park ranger that has been there at Timpanogos for 43 years! Another park ranger retired a few years ago (and died 2 years ago) after more than 50 years there.

Q is for NOT quitting. Even though it was tough for the kids, they didn't give up. They triumphed (TRY + UMPH...see the last post!). Q is also for questions, because you learn more when you ask questions.

R is for river. As we got out of our car, the kids were thrilled to be so close to the river. As we hiked back down, we could tell we were getting closer when we could hear the river flowing again. Gabby was sure she was hearing a waterfall!

S is for signals. The park ranger that led us through the cave, told us that her mom was a ranger when she was younger....and they lived in Lehi, very close. Her mom would call her on her lunch break and then use a mirror to send signals to her at her house. She used a large mirror to flash signals back. How cool! S is also for Stacie, whose idea it was to go, who made all the arrangements, etc. Thank you!

T is for Timpanogos caves. They are amazing! Totally worth the long hike.

U is for unique cave structures...the caramel falls, the stalactites and stalagmites, the heart, etc. It was cool when they turned off the lights and showed how a laser pointer just put a dot on the rock, but when it hit the crystals or quartz (can't remember), it began to shimmer and spread light. They asked if anyone had a diamond and since I was next to the guide, they shined the laser on my diamond ring and sparkles of light were everywhere. Cool!

V is for victorious! How we all felt when we made it to the top!

W is for water. Water was a necessity on this hike (3 miles round trip...lots of switchbacks) and we should have brought even more than we did. This was a hard hike for the kids...and since Stacy and I were carrying backpacks and camera bags and trading off carrying Gabby, it wasn't that easy for us, either!

X is for X-ray... fortunately, we had no broken bones or injuries and therefore didn't need any X-rays!!!

Y is for yummy snacks. At one point, several of the kids wanted to quit. It was lunchtime and so we got out sandwiches, apples, and chips. After the yummy snack, they felt better and were able to keep going.

Z is for the z-shaped trail we could see on the mountain opposite us.

24th of July

2011-07-25T14:58:00.000-07:00

Our friends Leo and Annette had a BBQ on Saturday to celebrate Leo's birthday and Pioneer Day. We had a great time. The kids had fun playing together, we enjoyed visiting and eating great food, then we headed to the front and spent nearly an hour doing fireworks. It was a great evening. We're so grateful to have such good friends.

Kennecott's Bingham Copper Mine

2011-07-24T21:38:00.000-07:00

In May, we took our second graders on a field trip to the copper mine since we study rocks and minerals. It was pretty cool and I decided I should take my own kids there. So, a week ago, I headed up there with some friends. They had a couple of weeks where it was free (usually it costs $5 per car) and it was very busy. I think I would have preferred it if we'd gone when it was less busy and we just paid the $5, but it was still fun. You parked and then rode a bus up to the actual "pit" ... the largest open air mine in the world... and to the visitors center. I'd told the girls before we left that the tires on the trucks they use to haul dirt, copper, rock, etc. were bigger than them...bigger than me. They didn't believe me, until they saw them. They are HUGE!

They show a 20 minute film that talks about how the mine was discovered, how they process the rock to get the copper (and silver and gold) out of the rock, and what they have done to be as environmentally friendly as possible. It's a little bit propaganda-ish at points, but also has some interesting facts and information in it.

The visitors center shows samples of different minerals found in mines around the world, displays miniatures of the different trucks and equipment they use to mine, contains a series of relief maps of what the area looked like in 1905 (before mining)and then how it changed over the years and has a few displays that show all the things we use daily that require copper as well as other minerals. Another fun, free (or nearly free if you pay the $5 per car entrance fee) educational activity. :)

Planetarium

2011-07-24T20:08:00.000-07:00

As mentioned in the previous post, I like free places that are also educational. So 2 weeks ago, on a day that we didn't have anything else planned, I took the girls to the Planetarium at the Gateway. You have to pay for parking and movies at the Planetarium cost $6-$8, but the exhibits are free. And the Gateway does have the water play area as well.

Ella had gotten a coupon for a free lunch at Costa Vida from her kindergarten teacher, so I took the girls out to lunch. It was quite good. I got a chicken raspberry chipotle salad (the small size) and it was delicious...and the perfect size for me. And unlike most times when we've taken our kids out to eat, they just about cleaned their plates...only a few bites of food went uneaten. :)

Then we headed to the planetarium. They loved the Newton's laws ball area that shows that an object in motion will remain in motion and in the same direction unless a force is exerted on it to cause it to change direction or stop. They also enjoyed watching the Foucalt pendulum. Ella thought it was fun to see how much she would weigh on other planets. They have displays that tell about the planets in our solar system and then you can take a little quiz on a computer0 to see what you learned.

There is an area that tells about comets, asteroids and meteors and you can lift an iron meteorite to see how heavy it is. Ella and Michelle both had a hard time lifting it.

There are a couple of telescopes that point to a tiny picture of Saturn on the wall and you can see how much bigger it looks in the telescopes.

There's a place where a light is shining and you can put a prism under it or a concave or convex mirror to see how the shape of the light changes.

It's worth the couple of dollars parking fee...especially because Michelle and Ella also got to run through the water area afterward. (Gabby absolutely hates sprinklers or any kind of water that sprays on you. She likes baths and pools but doesn't like water spraying or splashing at all.)

For some reason, I only took a few photos (usually I err on the side of overtaking photos...but not this time. :))