So much to be thankful for...

1. My incredible husband.
He treats me like a queen and our kids like the treasures they are to us. But is doesn't just end with us, he treats everyone with compassion, respect and love (even perfect strangers). I will sometimes tell him that he is too nice (I am very cynical) but he just does it and sometimes people hurt him but it never stops him from helping the next person.

2. My oldest, Cole.
He is my first greatest joy. Having been told I may not have children, going through fertility treatments and a difficult pregnancy, his birth was a happy day for me. I held him and all the heartache and difficulties melted away. The last 18 years with him have been wonderful. He was a loving, outgoing, confident child and now young man, who has such a bright future ahead of him. He makes friends easily because people know how much he is really interested in them. I can't wait to see what the years bring him!

3. My Charlie.
My joy doubled the day Charlie was born. I had a curious, active four year old who could run circles around us (still does) and then Charlie with his peaceful, loving spirit came into our home. He balances out his brother and they are the best of friends! As an infant and then toddler, Charlie would wait patiently while I dealt with his high-maintenance brother without a complaint and then he knew he would have my attention. He still waits patiently for others. He is my peace. My heart broke the day almost 11 years ago when he was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes but he has been my hero. As a three year old, he would never complain about the shots, blood tests, etc (we did battle over eating, he didn't want to) and even as a 14 year old, he rarely complains even though we know it SUCKS! He deals with so much and is still the calming spirit in our home.

4. Syd, Sissa, Squid or Wampus (depending on who you are)
Our family was complete the day Syd was born. After two boys, a little girl was a change for us. Her joyful personality has had the four of us in giggles from the very first moment. That same personality is what makes our home the stomping ground for her numerous friends, people love to be around her. She is smart, witty and high maintenance. She is fierce defender of anything she perceives as a wrong and is very tender-hearted. She is my best girlfriend!

5. My wonderful parents, Therice and Hazel
My Dad has always been my hero, not just for his unwavering sacrifice to his country but for that same sacrifice to his family. He adores my Mom and treats her like a queen. From a young age, I knew how a husband should treat a wife and was told by my Dad to never accept anything less. My Dad is also my peace, my love of all kinds music comes from the way he helped me deal with problems. My Mom is an incredible, smart, loving woman. I grew up knowing I wanted to be just like her. She raised seven very different, stubborn kids, sometimes with no husband around, and survived it! She never stopped learning even though she had obtained her Bachelors degree before marrying my Dad. Whereever we were stationed, she would find some way to take class or learn something new. She passed her love of learning onto her children and so when she was getting her Masters degree, we were right there rooting for her and helping with research. Both of my parents are my strength. I know I can do anything because they told me I could!

6. My in-laws.
Beverleigh and Keith are Eric's parents and that should be enough but they are also wonderful people. They are very generous, loving and service-minded not just with their family but in the church and community as well. People know they can ask them to do something and it will be done correctly and with love. I couldn't have asked for better in-laws.

7. My siblings.
I have four older brothers, an older sister and a younger sister. Growing up they were my best friends, we didn't need anyone else. We had our arguments (or discussions as we called them) and sometimes we could be mad for days but if anyone or anything threatened another one of us, we would rally and take care of it. I always wanted a boy first because I wanted my other children to experience the joy of having an older brother who would love and protect them. I had four! My older sister, Lilley, is 10 years older than I am and waited a long time for me to join the family. She and my sister, Julia, were my only real girlfriends growing up. They are to this day, my best friends.

8. The gospel of Jesus Christ.
I am grateful for Jesus Christ and his ultimate sacrifice. His gospel makes me want to be a better person and to live one day with my family in the eternities.

9. My friends
I have been so blessed through the years to have many people come in and out of my life. They have added to who I am and been there just as I needed them.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

Bringing our own experiences and feelings...

We've recently had some issues with a teacher of one of our children. Eric and I haven't been able to figure out the problem. We have used the generic "It is just a personality conflict" but that has just been our way of dealing with a teacher that has, through actions, stated, "It is my way or the highway." Now, a teacher can expect that his/her students provide the work requested but I don't happen to believe that it should be done EXACTLY the same way as the teacher.

We are all separate individuals with our own set of experiences and feelings. I found the following story in my studies that summed it all up for me:

Carl Filtsch, composer Fredric Chopin's favorite pupil, was once asked by a visitor why he played one of Chopin's compositions so differently from his teacher. His reply delighted Chopin, "I can't play with someone else's feelings."

So, I feel pretty confident in stating: Excellent teachers teach, give the assignments and then allow the students to add their own personality and feelings to it.

Isn't it wonderful that we aren't all the same and do everything the same way?

Now, to make sure I am the kind of teacher who allows my student to play with their own feelings!

My unexpected joy!

Twelve years ago, when I was pregnant with our third child, I was POSITIVE I was having another boy. I had difficulty getting pregnant (on fertility treatments all three times), with my small stature had difficulty carrying the babies, had gestastional diabetes each time and with VERY large babies had difficulty deliverying the babies so we knew this would be my last pregnancy that my fabulous doc would allow. It was a bitter, sweet time. I had pretty much figured we would be a family of boys. So, imagine my surprise that at my first ultrasound, the tech told me it was a girl. That is why at each ultrasound after (I had a high risk pregnancy), I would ask "Are you sure it is a girl?" I was positive that I would get all this really cute girl stuff (not girly since I am a tomboy) and then Surprise! You have a boy! Instead, at 37 weeks, I delivered a beautiful, dark-skinned, black-haired girl! She has been my unexpected joy every day since--and today we had a Mother-daughter day.

We took Charlie to school a little after nine, picked up some much needed soy milk at Walmart and then, headed to Gardener Village. A very busy fall with all three kids playing lacrosse, we didn't get to the village to see the witches displays so I promised Syd we would go and then have lunch together. We have a great time together since she is so much like me! That can be good and bad---I am very high maintenance and so is she, but she is also very loving, caring and tender-hearted (me, not so much). She is an absolutely delightful young woman!

I am grateful for all three of my kids and it is days like today that I am so glad that Heavenly Father saw fit to allow me to have them in my life. Eric and I had figured we would probably need to adopt children so I am ever so blessed that Heavenly Father not only allowed me to be their natural mother but also that he sent me such great kids!

We are so lucky!

The very best job...ever!

Eric and I have the very best job in the church...ever! This is how we spend our Sundays:

After spending an hour and 10 minutes watching our teenagers use their iTouch (s) to play games and pass notes during sacrament meeting, we get to go play...

for twenty minutes with 3-8 year olds: playing hot and cold, bowling, jumping up and down and spinning as we sing "Do as I'm doing", and matching games.

for twenty minutes with 9-11 year olds: listening to their smart^*& comments, play battleship and hot/cold, and trade witty barbs.

for 10 minutes with 18 months to 3 year olds: playing musical instruments, ring around the rosy, finger puppets, singing "Wheels on the Bus", "Popcorn Popping" and "If you're happy".

The very best parts of it, however, are...

*Their hugs and squeals when they see us
*Their joy and excitement when they see the new game to play or song to learn
*They way they want to share everything that happened to them since we saw them last
*The tears and "goose bumps" I get when they sing so beautifully
*The spirit I feel when they share their little testimonies through song
*The way they wave and giggle when they spot us on the bench in Sacrament meeting
*When they plop their cute little bums on my lap or hold my face to share a secret
*Seeing their faces when they, too, feel the spirit
*The way they feel comfortable making witty comments (or being smart*&^) to me and knowing I won't get mad or offended
*The love I feel for them---they are the best and brightest!

So, you see, we have the best job...ever. Who wouldn't want to be the in Primary?!

The difference between Lucifer's plan and Jesus' plan...

Oliver Wendell Holmes said, "Think things, not words."

In words, many see a need for "social justice" to override "the dictates of the market."

In reality, what is called "the market" consists of human beings making their own choices at their own cost. (Jesus' plan)

What is called "social justice" is government imposition of the notions of third parties, who pay no price for being wrong. (Lucifer's plan)

So, I admit this is just my interpretation of this recent thought found in the Washington Times. But if we believe that we live in the land that our Heavenly Father prepared so that his gospel could be restored and that our founding fathers were influenced in the way our country/government was set up, then my thoughts are, "the market" allows us to make choices and live with the consequences (Jesus' plan) and "social justice" is Lucifer's plan to force us to live the way that is deemed by someone to be the best for all.

Goodbye our sweet little Ollie!

This weekend we went to Park City to get away from all the stress and pressures we have been under over the last couple of years. We did come back to Salt Lake so the boys could sing in the General Priesthood session with the Young Mens choir. Syd and I spent the time shopping at Gateway and seeing a movie. We had a great day and night! Then we received a phone call from my mother-in-law, Bev, to let us know that our sweet little 10-year-old poodle had gotten into our neighbors backyard and been killed by their daughter's visiting pitbull. We came back home to bury our friend!

Ollie was a spunky six pound poodle that thought he was bigger. We should have named him Napolean instead. He was Eric's birthday present the year Syd turned a year. Ollie was our friend, cuddle dog and a member of our family for so long. Cole gave him the ultimate act of love by standing out in the dark cold night and dug a hole so we could have a burial.

So, Ollie, we love you and we will miss you. Goodbye, friend!

Where has the time gone?

Nineteen years ago today, I married my best friend!

It seems like it was just yesterday but when you consider all that has happened, we know it wasn't really. We have had three children, eight cars, eight homes, nine surgeries (most were mine), thirteen combined years of college, two bachelors' degrees, one masters' degree (in 3 mos), two cats, four dogs, two birds, numerous fish, and thirteen jobs. We have moved around the state, out of state and back in state, helped our kids to learn to read, ride bikes, play instruments, play hockey, soccer, and lacrosse. We have served as Elder's quorum president, Primary president, Young Women's president, High Priest group counselor, Young Men's President, Ward Mission leader, numerous counselor positions, Sunday school teachers, Primary teachers, Ward organist, Primary chorister and Primary pianist. We have served on a hockey board, a lacrosse board, JDRF board, and volunteered all those years in between. The list goes on and on.

Even through it all, the ups and downs, the highs and the lows, I have had my best friend by my side and he has made life all that much better.

I love you, babe!