I was wrong...I am wrong... and I am sorry

Being a parent isn't easy.  You've heard it before, it's not for wimps.  Well, I am a wimp.  And why God thought I could handle seven amazing people to be my children has caused me more than one sleepless night.
You know, you go to college, take classes from experts, you read books and blog posts, you go to extra parenting classes...and then in the end what really matters is LOVE.

You know you can do SO many things to help your child, help them develop their talents, their testimony of God and Jesus Christ and you can try to teach them life skills ie organization, being part of the team/family and so on.  But if it isn't done with love, not just love but in away THEY feel loved.  It doesn't matter.

It's hard.  We all feel love or loved in different ways.  And true love is finding out how that is for the other person.  Some are simple or similar to our own thus 'easy' and others need love in different ways.  I am learning and I am going to try to love these seven children the way God somehow knew I could.

It will take change, it will take God's help and but you know I love them and I really want them to know that.  It matters to them and so it matters to me.

I am so sorry I didn't see it until recently and hopefully they will forgive my wimpiness. Look past the mistakes and see my heart...someday.

2013

Pew Family Year In Review 2013

Time marches on leaving us left to figure out, where did this year go? I know some of it was left on the soccer field, in the laundry room, by my dad's bedside, in the temple and in front of the computer. Here is an update of our family's experiences.

Gwen (7) started first grade, her first full day in school. She loves school and making new friends. She finished soccer in the spring and took this year off but is still taking Irish Dance. They have these competitions called a feis (fesh) which she has yet to do--she wants to just do the recital (her words). She has real ghillies (gillies-Irish fancy ballet shoes) hardshoes that she dances in, she's pretty amazing to watch! She also is a great little swimmer and she loves it too. She would say the highlight of this year was going to Disneyland, her first trip. She went on every ride she was tall enough for at least once! It was magical.

Zane (10) is in the 4^th grade and LOVES football. Especially the Dolphins in the NFL and BYU in college. He is the true FANatic! He played flag football and REALLY hopes Mom and Dad will change their mind and let him try tackle next year. He enjoys Jr Jazz which he plays in the winter and made lots of improvement in his swimming too. He continues to progress in scouts and piano even though they aren't his first choice. He LOVED Disneyland, he was so young the last time we went that it was like it was the first time. He was so fun!

Micah (11-3/4)Is the big guy at the elementary school being in 6^th grade. He continues to play well on his competition soccer team but was diagnosed with Severs Disease just as the fall season ended. He just got the boot off in November and hopefully it will remain healed. He is fun and enjoys playing most sports with his friends but really wants a shot at indoor soccer—he missed the first session because of his foot. He is a second class in scout—one camping night short of 1^st class and is steadily completing merit badges. His favorite is Robotics, he got to build and program a robot with his cousin Jeremy. He is also doing well in school and piano. He misses Disneyland and reminds us all the time. He refereed soccer this year in his spare time with Emily and Izak. We appreciate them earning their own spending money!

Izak (13 & some) is in the 8^th grade and got into some criminal mischief. Who would have thought that walking through wet cement with your friends would bring a visit from the police and a visit with a parole officer? Hopefully he learned his lesson; it only cost us over $200. for our part of the restitution We actually laughed a lot about the whole thing, how ridiculous it was! He is playing soccer and they ended the season strong and look forward to futsal over the winter. He has been taking care of Taran's bass guitar and keeping up on piano. He has grown and may be taller than Taran by the time Taran returns next summer! His goal is to have his eagle scout by then. His favorite ride at Disneyland was California Screamin'.

Emily (16) started high school, she is in 10^th grade. She loved 9^th grade and finished the year as Miss Dorothy in the school musical Thoroughly Modern Millie—Millie's best friend. She did a great job and earned a spot on the high school drama Productions team. She was appointed the sophomore Rep for the Drama Council and got to go to Snowbird for a retreat to plan activities for the students in drama! She is also in choir and taking honors classes, teaching beginning voice lessons and still volunteering weekly at the Ashford an assisted living facility for those with dementia and Alzheimer’s. They recently asked her to work, as in an actual job, helping with food prep and serving the residents meals. She is so happy because that means she can give up her refereeing job in the spring! She went on her first date the week she turned 16, Sadie Hawkins dance at the high school. The theme was Disney so they chose to be the Pirates of the Caribbean. She had a lot fun but secretly worries she won't get asked to a dance. We'll see. Girl's camp was a river run in Moab and she loved it and wants to work there some day as a guide! She loved Disneyland as well and enjoyed meeting Flynn Rider as much as Gwen enjoyed meeting Rapunzel! She was able to go to Cedar City this fall to the Shakespeare Festival and enjoyed being in the ensemble and watching her fellow actors compete. It was a great experience! To her relief she passed her road driving test so now to get those 40 hours done!

Timo (19) had a crazy, busy year! A year ago the age change for missionaries The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints changed for young men to can go at 18 and young women can go at 19. Timo was thrilled with the change and decided to put in his papers as soon as he could. In February he got his call to the Texas, San Antonio mission. He was thrilled, as were we. Tim has 2 brothers who live in Texas and their parents served a mission there in the mission office. After he got his call it was all he could do to graduate with his honors in tact, and he did. He still applied for colleges and was accepted but deferred. So he graduated from high school and had 6 weeks until he left. During that time he was busy getting ready, he also helped my mom get things done at her house and watched the kids while I was at girls camp and he went to his last scout camp. He went through the Draper temple which was a neat experience for us and our family who came. He picked Jdawgs for his last meal together before we dropped him off at the Missionary Training Center (MTC). There he had great teachers and a great district he really loved. He has been in Texas since the end of July and has had a lot of great experiences. Not all have been easy but that is the mission. We are grateful to his companions and the people of Texas for helping him have a great experience. He is happy and we enjoy hearing from him each week!

Taran (20) still in Mexico serving a mission, he comes home in June! The time is flying by which is weird but true. He has had some great learning experiences and has grown so much. He was in the branch presidency in one area, has trained and is currently a district leader. His letters are always upbeat and inspiring. He has served in some really lovely places that we hope someday to see! He loves the people and the food! We are grateful for the companions and mission president and his wife who have helped in his journey as a missionary and when he finally does come home it will be a little sad. Do you think I can get him to write me weekly from BYU?

Rachelle (40 something) me! the writer, I spent most of the beginning of the year helping my mom with my dad. Around Christmas he was put on hospice. After Christmas she would not leave him alone. This gave us the opportunity to be there often so my mom could have a break. It was still hard and taxing on her. He finally went super downhill in March. We knew the end was coming. I spent more time there than usual, thankfully Tim and my friends helped me out. Once hospice gave us 24 hours but it took him 3 more days until he finally passed. It was the most exhausting experience of my life-- kind of reverse of birthing a child. Instead of euphoria in the birth, it was relief in his death. I felt so bad for him even though they said he was not suffering anymore and I felt bad for my mom who sacrificed physically so much to take care of him. So that is why it was a relief. His funeral was a great tribute to a unique individual whom we love and miss but know he is watching over us! And he is without pain or mental anguish from Alzheimer's. My mom's high school sweetheart lost his wife, rather unexpectedly 2 days before my dad. After the funeral he called my mom and asked her how long she needed to mourn, she told him 6 months and he said, “I can't wait that long.” So in June my mom married Jay Davis, he is the one who baptized her into the church in high school. He is a wonderful man and we are grateful he loves our mom and is willing to 'take care' of her. They have been all over visiting family and friends something neither could do when their spouses were ill. They took us all (all my siblings and our families) to Disneyland and the beach. I cried when we got to Disneyland, I know it sounds cheesy but I have wanted to take Gwen for so long. It was a true dream come true. Thanks to my mom, my dad and Jay for using that money that way. We had a wonderful time, it was magical! We were sorry Taran and Timo missed out but it was the best time to go for everyone else! Now I am home alone without a little person I go to the temple on Tuesdays, sometimes with my sister-in-law Amy when our schedules permit it . I help in Gwen's class every week, I am in charge of the Book Fair—helping the librarian and I am Room mom for Micah's class. I also help with publicity for choir events and drama events at the high school. I am still in YW and enjoyed my first whitewater rafting, which was pretty mild but for one day. We were in beautiful Southern Utah, the beauty of that desert landscape is something else! Both Emily and I lost our shoes on the river, the mud just sucked them off! It was a great spiritual experience too. I am trying to work on getting organized and am halfway done with my craft room. I am also working on Family History stuff, lots to figure out of my dad's stuff. Tim and I had two getaways this fall one to see our niece Erin get married in the Boise Idaho temple in September we drove up with his sisters Amy and Shellie and his parents. It was a short but sweet visit and are so grateful we could go. Mom held down the fort here with some help from Timo's friend Brynn. Then in October Tim had a conference in Las Vegas for Splunk. Learning to use it at his work. My mom and Jay watched the kids and it was quite the feat with all that was still going on! We flew down. Tim was hilarious taking pictures from the airplane because we were low enough you could see the beautiful Southern Utah landscape from above. I got to rest and read and shop and explore while Tim attended training during the day. At night we explored the Strip but one night we went to the temple and it was the highlight of our stay! We were grateful to them for making it possible! I still hope to get into a better schedule with exercising and organizing but things come up!

Tim (also 40 something) is still working at Family Search and is managing a team of Q & A guys. All his team members I've met seem to really enjoy him. Which is no surprise. He is awesome! He still fits in tennis no matter the weather if his friend Ryan can play. He keeps the bishop organized and appointments full as Executive Secretary. He also coaches teams and has taught Emily to drive and takes her driving. He does a good job because she passed her road test. He has done several home improvement projects around the house besides everything else he does to keep things going when I am helping at things or at YW. He writes our missionary sons faithfully each week keeping them updated in the sports world! He is my Duck Dynasty watching buddy! (we watch it on the internet). What can I say? He is amazing!

We've been greatly blessed this year from trips to health to happiness. Sure there have bad and even terribly sad things that have happened but really what matters is Heavenly Father and our Savior were there for us. They comforted us, they sent help, they loved us! So with their help we can still have a happy life, and for this I am so grateful for especially as the year comes to a close and we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. He lives and loves each one of us and wants the very best for us. I know this and I hope you feel His love this holiday season! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year Rachelle and the rest of the Pews

Six months already or that's all?

It's funny having served a mission I thought sending my son off on his own mission wouldn't tug on my heartstrings like it does.  I was super happy and excited the whole while getting him ready to go.  I actually didn't have that much trauma dropping him off at the MTC.  The hardest part of all the good-byes was the kids, his siblings saying good-bye was very hard for them and hard to watch as a mom.  But once that was done I was fine.  But when he called from the airport and it was the lamest call ever, we weren't prepared so we didn't say much or talk much it was rather disappointing.  I was in a funk for a couple of days after and realized I was actually starting the 'mourning' process of saying good-bye for awhile.  Anticipating the hard times he would inevitably face, the loneliness of not knowing a soul or understanding anyone but also the deeper sense of purpose in relying on God because there is no one else to really trust.  I think unconsciously you realize the magnitude of the change to you and him.  You also experience a deeper trust in God to watch over and care for this child you have nurtured and cared over for the last 19 years.  All the while days seem to drag, and then it seems like he's been gone forever but he's only been gone 6 months?  And then other days, wow, it's time to write him again...these weeks fly by!  It's just amazing the range of emotions you can feel but at this point I mostly feel happy.  I am so happy he has had many amazing experiences that have helped him become a better person.  He has faced many challenges with faith and hope.  He is receiving many blessings and noticing the compensation during these hard times.  I am so happy he is faithful and loves the people he is serving.  I am grateful I know that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior.  I know that as my son shares the message of Jesus Christ with others they will be blessed forever and that brings me great joy.  I pray for and think of those he is teaching.  I care about them too.  It is a huge blessing.  Another heart enlarging experience for sure.  I would post a photo but I need to clean out my web albums because I am out of free space for photos!  Crazy, huh.  Here is a link to his blog that has some photos: http://eldertaranpew.blogspot.com/

2012 Year in Review

2012 Year In Review

Taran: Finished off his first year at BYU with all As and only one A-! (For some this may not seem like a big deal but I may have gotten an A- my first year and that was my only A) His 'band' appeared in BYUs got Talent and they were easily the 3^rd best group overall—there were some amazing groups. He had a great college experience at BYU. He made great friends and had great roommates. In February he received his mission call to serve in Guadalajara Mexico. So once the winter semester was over he worked and prepared to leave for 2 years. He was able to go camping with some of his college friends before some of the them went into the Missionary Training Center (MTC). He went to a lot of farewells on Sundays. We did a mini family vacation to Park City before he left. He went into the MTC June 13^th and has been in Mexico since mid- August. He has already had a lot of amazing experiences. We look forward to Mondays when we get an e-mail from him. We were able to meet his first companion who returned home in November. That was a fun experience.  Here is a link to his blog with his letters and pictures.

Timo: Is in the middle of his Senior year at Lone Peak high school. He works part-time as a custodian at a local elementary school. He is involved in A Capella choir which was invited to Carnegie Hall to sing in February. Last year he got to go to Disneyland & Universal Studios for A Capella Choir tour in California which is where they won nearly all the choir awards. He is part of our Youth City Council, a service organization. They are currently raising money for their Santa's Workshop—needy families from our community can come and choose gifts for their children for free. He was able to go to NYC with some friends and help with the Sandy clean up through Mormon Helping Hands over the Thanksgiving Break. It was one of the highlights of his life. He has been serving as First Assistant in the Priest Quorum and looks forward to serving a mission once he graduates from high school. He just finished applying to BYU and BYU Hawaii even though he will defer until after his mission. He has the lightest load he's had since 8^th grade. AP Calc and AP Spanish are his hard classes, he has ProStart (foods), Sports Sewing for fun besides choir and seminary. He recently received his Eagle Scout Award. He is glad that is over! He has enjoyed a lot of great scout experiences this year. We are grateful for all his great scout leaders! He enjoyed flag football this fall, their team went to the championship but didn't win. It was still fun. He has started Jr Jazz basketball and so far they have won.

Emily: Was able to go to Cedar City with her Granny Louw and see Les Mis and The Merry Wives of Windsor.  They had a great time and enjoyed exploring the local shops and cafes.  She has been serving as Student Body Vice President this school year at the Jr high. She loves being involved. She is still in drama and musical theater. She is going to be Peter Pan in January and she is also helping with the school play with directing. She enjoys attending local musicals and plays and her junior high sporting events. She has discovered the joy of photography and saved to buy a nice, used camera to learn and experiment. She continues to serve at the Alzheimer/Dementia center near our house. She visits there once a week singing to the residents. She is taking care of Taran's guitar while he is gone. She still plays the piano and sings in Concert Singers at the Junior High. She is serving as a counselor in Mia Maids. She always has something going on!

Izak: Started Junior high this year and seems to be enjoying it and adjusting to 8 classes. He is in a Mens Hip Hop class which he enjoys. His soccer team continues to do well. They won their second championship in the spring. They almost went AAA but had a few players leave so they decided to stay AA. They will play indoor after the Christmas break. He became a deacon in the Spring when he turned 12. He broke his toes last spring just before soccer season. Luckily he was back in time to play during tournament time. He enjoyed scout camp except for having to say good-bye to Taran on Monday before he left instead of Wednesday like the rest of us. He enjoys reading, playing ping pong, playing most sports and hanging with friends in his spare time. He is taking care of Taran's bass and cell phone while he is gone and still takes piano. He is star rank in scouts and has made it a goal to be an eagle scout before Taran returns.

Micah: Is in 5^th grade. He is enjoying his teacher a lot. His soccer team also won the championship this past spring. They continue to do well this fall. He has started running with friends. He looks forward to Jr Jazz basketball over the winter. He loves drawing sports figures and creating sports logos and jerseys. He is a great student and is progressing in piano.

Zane: Is in 3^rd grade. He is super responsible and also does well in school. He enjoyed flag football this fall and looks forward to Jr Jazz basketball. He is also progressing in piano. He is what people might call a fanatical BYU fan. Especially football! He loves Superhero Legos and riding his bike.

Gwen: Started kindergarten this year. She enjoyed preschool and was ready to move on. Her reading skills have taken off. She loves to read, draw and create. She loves Irish dance and is really good at it. She is super sweet and less outgoing than some of the others. She learned to really swim and ride her bike this year! She loves her friends and family.

Rachelle: Besides trying to manage all our schedules and sometimes missing some things—oops! I keep busy with PTA as Secretary, helping in Zane and Micah's classes, high school Choir Board member and Young Womans Secretary in church. I enjoyed going to Girls Camp for the first time since I was a teen! I also get to watch my niece Anna's daughter (17 months) June once week so she can have a little break. And I spend a few hours a week with my dad so my mom can have a break too. My dad struggles with Alzheimer's and was recently put on hospice. As sad as that reality is for us the knowledge that he will soon be free from this disease is comforting. He has been blessed to still know us yet struggles to remember day-to-day or hour-to-hour happenings and barely eats, mostly sleeps and stays in his room most of the time. It has been a huge blessing to be able to spend time with him. He still has great thoughts and carries on great conversation. This is the way I want to remember him. I have enjoyed sending packages to Taran on his mission--so far he has gotten all of them. I am missing keeping up on my blog--maybe next year.

Tim: Keeps busy with helping get people places as well! He had been playing tennis at lunch even through our mild winter with his good friend Ryan. Ryan works for Adobe and they have recently moved into their new building far from Tim's work so they will have to figure something else out. He has played church softball, flag football and now basketball will start. He works on various home improvement projects and helping our parents with the various things they need. We are glad to be near enough to be somewhat helpful at times even though probably not enough. He continues to work for Family Search but he has no control over the site and the bugs there so don't complain to him:) He enjoys going to BYU Football games, and other BYU sporting events as well Jazz NBA games.

We had a fun summer going to Seven Peaks Waterslide Park both in Provo and Salt Lake City. We enjoyed Trafalga, Owlz games and such. We also visited Thanksgiving Point a lot, and local canyons and beauties. We also got a zoo pass and have enjoyed more visits there as well. We are grateful we can enjoy these things and for all the many blessings we have. We live near so many family members that we enjoy their company on most holidays! We are blessed with great friends and neighbors. We are grateful for our many blessings throughout the year! Life is not always easy or maybe should I say life is rarely easy but it is not without meaning, happiness and hope because of Jesus Christ. This holiday season brings the spirit of His life and mission: love, service and mercy. May you and your family feel His love in your life this season and coming year! Love, The Pews

I miss you...

I miss blogging even though I don't have a huge following it's about sharing my life and thoughts somewhere and my journal isn't quite the same.  I am really hoping to figure this out!  I have so many cute photos of my kids...I am reading a time management book so maybe that will help!

2012-09-30

Monday, I was able to help in Mr. William's class and Miss Riddle's class. I really enjoyed that. I got some stuff done and then picked up Gwen and her friends from kindergarten. It was minimal day so I picked them up at 11:15 AM. Gwen goes to Zoe's after school on Mondays so I walked everyone home and her to Zoe's. Everyone was home early, it is so weird. Gwen had Irish dance. I actually had time to get some stuff done. I was going through rooms and getting stuff to sell at the yard sale. That night we did Family Home Evening at the Ashford (Alzheimer's/Dementia assisted living). Some neighbors asked to join us so they could do it on their own sometime. All the kids played something on the piano except for Izak. He just wanted to lead the music for the songs. I did a spiritual thought on the Savior, short and sweet. We had our largest group ever. It was a great experience as usual. I went grocery shopping after we got home. 

Tuesday it rained quite a bit. I went to the temple at 7 AM so I was home just after 8 AM. I had to get my crown on the tooth that broke a few weeks ago. Then I got home just in time to go to a PTA meeting. I usually have YW Presidency Meetings but this week we were meeting after YW with all the leaders so we consolidated the meetings into one. So I went to a PTA meeting at the Regional Council. I came home and made a treat for the kids, a new one I found on Pinterest that tastes like Reeses peanut butter cups, pretty yummy. Again I worked on going through stuff. Emily stayed late a few days this week being Quidditch referee for their Harry Potter week at the junior high. Zane and Micah had piano and are doing well. The weather cleared up enough that Micah had soccer practice. Timo had a flag football game--I guess they played well and barely lost. I wish he would have let us see that game. Timo got asked to Sadies with socks all over the porch and flower bed and even on the lamp on the porch! Her name is Arianna. I guess she is in Timo's seminary class and really nice. He was suppose to find her on Wednesday wearing a certain sock but didn't see her. He saw her in seminary Thursday and gave her some old athletic socks with YES on them. I hope she wasn't disappointed! I told him I am going to make her a sock bouquet to make up for it! Tim played in his flag football game that night and they won by forfeit and no one got injured.

Wednesday I put up some of the yard sale signs we had laminated the week before. I had June here after dropping off the girls at school. We played with puzzles and toys downstairs and then I took her with me to Kneaders to get lunch for Stephanie and I. I also got Gwen and Zoe lunch at Wendy's for Stephanie's actual birthday. We got back in plenty of time and June was asleep. I let her sleep until I had to pick up the girls and then I put her in the umbrella stroller I bought for Taran that we still have! She was happy to go on a walk to the school and back. I fed June a French fry, then thought maybe Anna wouldn't like that so I gave her some pasta and mozzarella which she loved-- leftovers from dinner. We had a nice visit--I'm grateful for Stephanie's friendship. The girls played until Anna got here.  I took a little nap once they all left. But as usual it didn't last as I had to get up when the boys got home. Timo's team had a game at 5 PM so he had to leave work early and go back. It was Brynn's birthday so he and his friends did stuff with her after YW. Izak had scouts early because they were doing service for an older couple in the neighborhood. YW met early for a scavenger hunt--One of the leaders had taken pictures around the ward and the girls went looking for them in groups. It was really fun. We had to start early because it is getting dark by 7:30 PM or earlier! The leaves are changing, it's just beautiful. Too bad we don't have time to go up the canyon! I had my meeting after YW. I got home around 9:30 PM. We are planning Young Women in Excellence and camp. We are trying to go to Moab river rafting next year, depending on the price. I hope we can, it would be a great experience for the YW.

Thursday, I actually got to go walking for an hour. Then I ran to Walmart for a few things--helmets for Zane and Gwen, a kickstand for Gwen and a few other things. One of the workers, a tiny lady, accidentally stepped on my big toe—my left foot. This toe was almost done healing from Micah stepping on it with cleats in the summer and bruising it. I thought I was going to cry it hurt so bad. I quickly finished up my shopping and got home to see my toe was bleeding. It was nasty. And it hurt. Gwen's kindergarten carpool group came home for lunch and to play. It was fun but after lunch I had to put my foot up for awhile. I got the Halloween books out and they loved having me read lots of them! Thursday after school was CRAZY! Micah had a game, Zane and Micah had Pack Meeting, Izak and Gwen had soccer practice, Emily was helping Sister Stewart do a photo shoot for a couple getting married, it was Student/Teacher at the Jr high, so Timo and Clay got a ride to work with the Francis'. Izak had some missing assignments which we got settled and came home but it took awhile. Julie and I put up signs for the yard sale when I got home from the Jr high. I went to my Mom'd after Pack Meeting so she could run some errands. My Dad and I watched the end of South Pacific, not my favorite but poor Dad got all choked up at the end. I was able to put ice on my toe at my Mom's which helped a lot. I was glad THAT day was over.

Friday Gwen was going to ride her bike but she decided at the last minute not to even though I bought her a new helmet and lock. Owell. We walked and it was a nice, crisp fall day. I did a couple of errands including Costco. I got home with plenty of time before Gwen got home. I worked on some PTA stuff for our meeting this coming week. Then Gwen and I went to Lone Peak to laminate sign stuff—yes we had a ton of signs. Our concern was that we would have twice as many kids selling so we needed more people to come. It paid off! Julie is super efficient thinking so we laminated stuff so we could reuse them next year and hopefully beyond. We didn't get done with it all until 3 PM. Tim came home early so he was there. He was able to pick up Emily and then he took Izak to the BYU vs Hawaii game. Micah, Zane, and Gwen had the Primary program practice from 4-5 PM. Micah had a birthday party at 5 PM--dinner and the movie 'Hotel Transylvania.' At 5:30 PM we started loading stuff into the Roger's trailer and the Beardall's truck, our van and their suburban. We had a little pile left in the end that we got later that night with the Hallsted's truck. We finished just after the BYU game started. Zane had football practice so I waited until he came home to feed the kids. Emily had a party at a friend's and it was on Julie's way so she dropped her off for me! YEAH! Timo and Zane listened to the game at the computer. I helped Gwen with her cleaning and then put the Avengers on for her. Micah took over when he got home at fast forwarding stuff she wouldn't/shouldn't want to see. She loved it. The BYU game was done by 9:30 PM and we started unloading shortly after that. It was 1 AM before I got home. My toe was terrible so I soaked it 2 times in hydrogen peroxide. I knew it had gotten infected by some dirty water that got on it at the parking lot at the school while we were setting up. Timo, Tyler and Brynn slept in the van at the parking lot. We had talked to a policeman who was patrolling the area and he said that he would watch over them. That made us feel good.

Saturday my toe woke me up at 5 AM so I got going and showered then I had Tim drop me off since the van was already there. We were done unpacking everything by 7 AM after that we did more organizing. It went well. I got fried. We had people coming until almost 2 PM buying stuff even though it ended at noon. Meanwhile Emily, Izak and Micah reffed 8-10 AM, Izak had a game at 10:30 AM, Zane had a flag football game at 10:30 AM and Gwen had a game at 10 AM. Tim went to Zane's game then to the end of Izak's game. Emily had the freshman football game at 3 PM. Back to the yard sale, between the three weeks they did quite well, so I think Timo is happy about it. I think he had fun on top of it so it was a win-win. Once we were totally done it was 4 PM. Tim and some of the other parents and kids took the stuff that didn't sell to DI, some other parents threw out all the garbage and took back tables, and Tim did tables too since he had the trailer hitched to our van. Tim also bought Timo and Izak bikes at the yard sale so now they are set up. A kid in the neighborhood who does BMX racing is fixing Micah's bike. I need a bike now. After the yard sale I came home and ate some Wheat Thins (my lunch) and crashed. I woke up just as the RS Broadcast was starting so I quickly got dressed and ran over to the church. I had missed the very beginning, I can watch that part to make sure I got what I thought she was talking about. It's a new presidency so I was interested to see what they said. It was really good and President Eyring spoke as the concluding speaker which was excellent. I am so grateful for living prophets! I am so excited for General Conference next week! I had a nice chat with Alison after the broadcast. When I got home Tim and Gwen were watching Avengers again! I laid down on the couch and watched with them until Gwen and I fell asleep. Timo, Izak, Micah and Zane went to watch Avengers on the Hallsted's big outdoor screen. They had a lot of fun but Zane fell asleep and came home right after. I was in a daze and I ate some more wheat thins since I didn't get dinner. I had a high fiber fudge bar (like ice cream) too so I'd get some protein! Timo helped clean up so he got home after curfew. Emily and Ashley watched Alias.

Tim had early meetings this morning (Sunday) but I was dead. I enjoyed the MOTAB broadcast today. Today was the Primary Program which was hilarious as usual and also uplifting . Choose the Right was the theme this year. Gwen mostly sang but did have her hands in her teeth a couple of times. She must have a loose tooth! Today in Sunday School the teacher talked about how we are compensated when we are going through hard times, how we should look for those blessings that are given to compensate for it. I loved that, so things like hope, a feeling of love from our Heavenly Father, etc. Sometimes all we see is that we are going through a hard time and we have things to learn but there is more to that than just getting through the Lord provides a way for us to be sustained through these blessings. Tim taught a devotional on having a good foundation using the 3 pigs analogy. I think it went well. We are the pigs, the parent pigs= Heavenly Father , the road=the world, the house=spiritual foundation, big bad wolf=Satan, huff and puff=temptations. He used scriptures that told how to have a good foundation. After that Tim and I went to my Mom's to borrow a book for Timo to read for school.

The End.

2012-09-23

It is feeling like fall here. The leaves are changing and the air is crisp. 

So this was a dumb week for me, I thought I was finally coming down with what Tim had on Monday morning so I didn't go in and help Mr. Williams or Miss Riddle. I rested and by noon I was totally fine. Had Tim not been sick I would have not really worried about my tummy since I have a pretty tough one. Owell. Gwen went to dance with Claire and Zoe. For FHE Zane was in charge and we played that Headbandz game where you are an object on a card stuck to your head and you have to guess what you are. It's pretty funny. Anyway that was it but it was good.

Tuesday I went shopping after getting Gwen and Zoe to school. It was cute as I was leaving Walmart I saw a temple lady and she said that they missed me that day! I told her I had to switch with a friend so I would be going Wednesday which I did. I hope I get there this week on Tuesday, I just love my temple ladies! I got home in time to unload everything and put it away and then I went to get the girls from kindergarten. We walked all the other other girls home and then I took Zoe and Gwen home for lunch. They mostly rode their bikes on our hill into the basketball court. I would check on them periodically but I worked on some projects that I had going on besides the daily laundry and cleaning stuff. That afternoon was more simple than usual because Micah and Izak didn't have soccer practice. I was able to plant some pansies and mums and I pulled most of the red petunias I planted in the spring that ended up growing well and HUGE. But as it is cooling they are dying. I kept 2 clusters while they look good. I also pulled out some major weeds.   Zane had scouts and some of the kids had piano. Timo had work and a Youth City Council meeting that day. So I ended up going to my Mom's once Tim got home so she could go to the temple. I left my purse in the van so it made me late since it was at Timo's work! I had another great time with my Dad. We looked up Guadalajara on my tablet and I showed him the wax museum Taran talked about in his letter, and some other stuff. He loved it! We found out they have 2 Costcos in Guadalajara! 

Wednesday I went early to the temple. Anna and family went to Idaho for the weekend so June didn't come over. So I ran to Costco and the Dollar Store and Target. I got photos printed to send to Taran. Our mechanic showed up that afternoon to fix the van. He had been sick so he couldn't come before. So that meant I didn't have a car. Luckily I had taken Tim to work so I had his car and Timo took that car while Tim borrowed my Mom's car and went to Micah's soccer game and then the end of Timo's first flag football game. Tim got home before Brian was done and was able to get something fixed on his car as well. What a relief to have that done! Tim also fixed the filter on the fridge which had caused the fridge to leak into the basement Homecoming day! That night for YM they did a Book of Mormon reading in 80 days challenge kick off! That night I didn't sleep because of my allergies. There are fires in Idaho that are so bad the smoke has spread into Utah and our air quality is terrible.

Thursday morning I had to take my Mom's car back to her. I ran to Orem so we could get Gwen back in time for kindergarten. We barely made it. After my Mom dropped me off I went to the after hours doctor. My actual doctor never has openings the day you are sick--too bad I can't decide ahead of time, right? So they actually gave me a breathing treatment because my chest was so tight when I was breathing. She also prescribed an inhaler and Nasonex. I was already taking the Zyrtec—24 hour. I also bought some Ricola cough drops and saline nasal spray. That night I slept better until about 4 am. After the doctor I worked on signs for the Yard Sale and a food drive flier. Timo had flag football game, Zane had flag football practice, Izak and Gwen had soccer practice all around the same time! Micah was a jewel and helped Gwen get to practice and then picked her up when she was done. I didn't want to go outside anymore. I made dinner for a neighbor that had a hysterectomy. I made ham and cheese sliders and apple crisp with Thomas' apples. Another neighbor made the rest of dinner. Tim and Emily took the food over. I hope she is doing alright. Zane watered my plants I planted Tuesday since Tim hasn't had a lick of time to hook up sprinklers to them. After Izak's practice they went to Tim's parents to watch the BYU v Boise State game. Once I got Gwen to bed I listened on KSL until their signal went out part way into the 2^nd half. Timo went to Tyler's to watch it after their game. I sort of kept track on my tablet but it was a crazy defensive struggle. It's too bad Riley won't relent when he is so injured. They are still saying he will start this week—I know I listen to sports talk radio sometimes. Really? I think they need to get him healthy FIRST. 

Friday I was still pretty miserable since I didn't get back to sleep after 4 AM. I put up signs for the yard sale, I went to get copies for the food drive, went to the dry cleaners and then put up some more posters than ran to the post office and mailed a package to Taran. PHEW! I got home at 10:30 AM from all of that and I got a call from Julie to go laminate the signs I had made to put up—not the smaller ones I already put up. So I went to the high school with her at 11 AM and we laminated--pretty cool! We got done just in time for her to drop me off at the school to pick up the girls. After we got home from that I fed them lunch and basically crashed! Luckily a neighbor had brought us chocolate chip zucchini bread so I didn't need to make a snack. I was partly zombie, miserable—my head started throbbing and I got dizzy moving around. Ya, I was thinking I am getting a sinus infection, so pumped my sinuses with the saline and took ibuprofen and I bought some Mucinex DM which I thought we had but we didn't and I think the combo starting working. We had a surprise birthday party for Stephanie that night and we had to take a treat. Emily helped me make a treat after she had been at the Ashford. Tim and Timo worked on yard sale stuff then we went to the party. The plan was to make an appearance and leave for the doctor. Well, the ladies got me chatting and it was 9:15 and too late to go. It was alright because I just took all the meds and cleaned out my nose. I slept good and I was feeling way better the next day! YEAH! Timo, Tyler and Brynn slept with the yard sale stuff at the school parking lot! They didn't get much sleep.

Saturday I woke Tim up to go help them. I wanted to but I knew I needed to stay in another day to be healthy. I drove the kids to their games and reffing. Micah got a ride to his soccer game. Emily stayed with Gwen at her game and I sat in the car at Izak's. After Izak's game we took down the signs for the yard sale. I dropped him and Gwen off at the house and then my nephew Scott showed up! We chatted and I got to meet his friends. Cute girls! He said he'd be back today but somehow I knew he wouldn't be able to fit it in. Then I went to pick up Emily and Micah from reffing and we stopped at the high school to help loading up the yard sale leftovers. Micah and Emily found some treasures! By then I could handle being outside. Once we were done it was 4:30 PM! We didn't eat dinner until 6:30 PM. I was so tired even though I was better so I rested then got myself in gear and we had soup! The Bybees gave us homemade bread for a thank you to Tim and Timo (and Taran) for hometeaching them. So we had that with the soup. After dinner we got bikes for the kids with birthdays coming up. I figure if we are going to get new bikes anyway, it's a good time to get rid of the old bikes at the yard sale. I ironed and watched Facing the Giants with Emily and Izak. Tim had an early meeting and went to bed. Timo was at the Hallsted's and came home with his hair straightened. It was a late night--we talked a bit about choir tour and stuff.

Sunday I still felt better.  It was the dedication of the Brigham City temple. It was nice but I only could stay awake for the last talk. Tim, Micah and Izak went at noon and me, Timo and Emily went at 3 PM. Gwen taught our devotional about why we have temples. Then we read a special letter my Mom prepared for each of us and gave us each a simple yet pretty handkerchief. It was cool. She even got Gwen one for later. It was a rather relaxing sabbath, for us! The kids played uno and skipbo and watched family videos. Pretty fun!

Time after time I am learning how much I can do with the Lord's help. Honestly I couldn't have done what I did do this week without his sustaining power. I am so grateful for the gospel, how do people survive without it? Watching Facing the Giants reminded me of how much we can rely on the Lord. If we do all we can do he will work miracles in us but the glory should go to him. I am so grateful for this understanding.