WHA?!?!

Here is Ben's album cover from 1973. Also known as his symphonic band picture from this year. He can't wait to finish the scouting event so he can start back on this hair project again. Can you believe how beautiful this boy is???

Fall band concert

I was such a proud mama tonight! Ben was awesome in jazz band to start out, then Sophie had her debut with the flute in the beginning band, then been finished up with the symphonic band, the top Junior High band in the state, and one of the top in the country. They looked great and had a fun time making music and being the center of attention. Ben got his symphonic band pictures back and lamented that he had to cut his hair for the big scout celebration where he is playing trumpet next week. I will have to send that one next.

Noah turns nine!

I need to put more down about this, but here are a few pictures from Noah's birthday yesterday. He wanted pizza at the Pie, his first visit there, then we went for cake and hot chocolate at Gourmandise. He had a nice SLC-style birthday. I can't believe my sweet little guy is losing his pudgy cheeks and growing up.

Farewell Spencer

Sophie and I skipped work and school Wednesday to go see off my nephew to the MTC. Have fun in Ontario, Spencer!

Sophie and her cousin Julianna got to go to baptisms afterward at the Provo Temple.

Red ribbon week: crazy hair day

Noah and Lucy took advantage of crazy hair day this year.

Baptisms in Brigham City

For her birthday, Sophie wanted to go do baptisms. We got a recommend a little early from the Bishop so that we could go today and skip school. This is a temple she went through for the open house so she feels attached to it. No one else was there, so she had the place to herself and about 10 temple workers wishing her happy birthday and helping her through. That won't happen again, usually Ben and I wait in long lines each week! It is a very beautiful town!

Sophie says: It was the best feeling of my life! It was awesome!

Sophie is 12!

I didn't update her 8 YO movie yet but we watched it this morning with tears and smiles.  I looked for it on the blog but the video was no longer in the post!  I put it below.

Happy birthday, my newly minted young woman!

Cleaning: My Quotidian Liturgy

Don't get me wrong, I don't clean very much and would love to build a habit of liturgy--daily worship--through my cleaning, but this blog post is a comfort to anyone feeling ground down by the daily grind and repetition of caring for a home and family. I am reading the author's book, One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are. It was recommended to me by my visiting teacher when I explained that Heavenly Father had started to gently show me that ingratitude was my greatest sin, the root of all my unhappiness, and conscious, deliberate and specific thankfulness was bringing my greatest healing. This book truly has taught me new ways to see that recent revelation. I can't recommend it highly enough.

Noah won his first soccer game!

Super rainy, so they only played 5 minutes, but they scored a point an his first soccer game was deemed a fun success.

Back to School 2013-14

Noah's in 3rd and Lucy is in 2nd. Ben (9th) and Sophie (7th) started earlier so I will need to get pictures after school. Everyone is very close to home this time so I'm hopeful for a more peaceful, simple way of life this school year with very little driving, yay!

Lucy's Ears

Lucy's ear surgery this morning went just fine, Her third set of tubes, thankfully the only preemie problem we have. She is barfing and groggy but will rest today and be back to ballet tomorrow. Her hearing loss should be corrected hopefully, just in time for school Monday.

Ben turns 14

Wow, my firstborn was ordained a Teacher on Sunday. Although he is getting a little bit too cool for everything, he actually is pretty cool. He is just about taller than his dad, give him a couple more months. He found a few of his dad's old suits in the closet and they fit! I'll add a picture of that.

Ben gets good grades and loves playing trumpet in the jazz band--he also got into the main symphonic band, the best one in the state! In his spare time you will often find him longboarding around town and he is starting to get into cycling, he got a jersey and some shorts and a helmet for his birthday, plus a bike tuneup from mommy's mom. Every winter he participates in the snowboarding club at school also. He also loves going up on the slopes with his dad a couple of times a year.

He got to move to the upstairs bedroom after hitting his head on the ceiling going downstairs, so he is now in the adult section of the house and happy to have a nice new bedroom. This year he has been getting into action movies, Ironman and Superman, the robots versus dinosaur movies, etc. and go ahead and judge us, we are letting him watch LOST. Most of all, Ben is an outdoors type of guy. He loves camping and fishing and hiking. Right now he wants to go into environmental sciences, and is taking his first AP class in this area this year as he goes into ninth grade. He's most interested in forestry but also considering geology. I'm looking for some kind of outdoor summer job for him next year that will allow him to be outside working in nature, possibly a boys camp or something like that, let me know if you have ideas.

Things I love about Ben: he is willing to work hard physically, he is very independent and generally stays on top of what needs to happen, which is a huge help to me. He is very intelligent and if you can get him to do it, gives a very nice hug.

He seems very low-key and unlike his early years, is not excitable at all, but can pop off with some pretty funny things sometimes, like his recurring joke that anytime you prefer a color of anything, even a snow cone, he will call you a racist.

He's trying to figure out the world and what is important and seems to have a pretty good head on his shoulders. He seems to innately understand that, and temptations for boys his age represents the restriction of freedom and the kind of shackles, and he seems to have an internal desire to avoid losing his independence in that way.

Socially he sticks to one on one situations generally and seems comfortable being on his own, like his dad--he likes peace and quiet. This is probably why he likes to go to grandma and grandpas as much as possible where there are fewer small and yelling children (and fewer larger, but sometimes also yelling, adults).

I love him, I'm excited for his future. We've been trying to make it to the temple together weekly, it's something I felt I need to do with him, and it has helped me have a sense of who he is. Teenagers are definitely a whole different world for me. Seminary is starting this year too, he's not super enthusiastic but I'm hoping it will be a place he can answer his questions and feel the Spirit. I don't know what the Lord has planned for him, but I know that Ben can do great things. I am very lucky to be his mom.

Davis County Fair 2

Lucy did a great job for her first time in showmanship.

Davis County Fair

Although we live just one minute away, we have not come for the last two years. And although I was raised in Davis county, I don't remember ever being here. Our neighbor is heavily involved in 4H and the fair and encouraged us to enter our chickens. Lucy even participated in the showing competition where you hold and present your chicken. She got a blue ribbon. Sophie's hen won first place and got a champion hen trophy! Noah got first place for a warty Pat-A-Pan summer squash he entered in the living arts. Sophie also had some sewing projects in that I have not seen results for yet. This has been so much fun for so little effort. I'm so glad we did it.

Backyard in (Almost) August II

Backyard in August I