I Can't Believe It's Over

Our first ever season of lacrosse was a resounding success! Nevermind that we had to travel 45 min. each way to practices or spend $100 on lacrosse gear.....Joshua had a GREAT time! Back in January when Joshua's best friend's dad invited him to be part of his lacrosse team, I initially thought NO WAY! We lived too far away and I didn't want something else taking over my life. It seemed undoable (I don't even know if that's a word, but I like it, so I am using it)! But over the next few days, I felt unsettled with my decision. I started to see Joshua as a child always standing in the background to Samuel's successes. I realized that by always putting these two boys in the same sports to save time and stress for me, I wasn't helping them to each develop individually and gain self-esteem. I felt these undeniable promptings from the Spirit that I needed to let Joshua shine in his own way. No one in our family had ever played lacrosse....quite honestly, I knew nothing about it. I called Joshua's friend's dad back and we talked about how we could make this work. He was so gracious to offer to let Joshua come home with Nate after school on practice days so we would only need to pick him up at the end of practice. He also arranged to get us a helmet to borrow which saved us over $100 on gear. Joshua went to the first practice and immediately fell in love with this new sport! Each week he has improved....he learned and played new positions, he bettered his ball handling skills, he assisted on several goals and even scored quite a few times himself. He was so proud of his accomplishments!


I have to say, I am a minimizer; I pride myself on how I can live life with the least amount of stress while still managing a family of five kids. Lacrosse was one of those times when I stepped out of my comfort zone and took on more than I previously would. Did it complicate my life? Sure. Was it worth it? ABSOLUTELY! I am thankful that this time I was able to listen to the inspiration I received about my kids; it doesn't always happen that way, you know? I have so enjoyed watching Joshua's growth and I know this was something that he really needed!

Mother's Day Poetry Reading

Joshua's 5th grade class held a special Mother's Day Poetry Reading the Friday before Mother's Day. When I arrived at his classroom, Joshua escorted me to my seat and then got a plate of refreshments (a cupcake, cookie and chocolates) and a drink. Then the children each took a turn reading a poem they had written about their mom. They made a card with an embroidered picture on the front (mine was a bird) during part of their study of India and then put the poem inside.

Here is the poem Joshua wrote for me:

Your personality and beauty

Makes people

Want to be with you,

Including me.

Your elegant dark hair

Sparkles in the sunlight,

As the sun's rays

Shine.

The sound of you humming

On a warm summer day,

Makes me think of

Angels singing from above.

As I look

Into your dark brown eyes,

I sense the warmth

That only you provide.

Kindergarten Program

Chris and I got to go watch Savannah in her kindergarten program a few weeks ago. You can see her in the pink shirt at the very left edge of this picture next to the flag. It was a little strange to sit watching a kindergarten program without having to juggle other fussy kids between us and as Chris and I walked out alone, we agreed that it is a little sad to be passing these stages in our lives.

Savannah is such a sweet little girl and we are so happy to have her in our family. If anyone is hurt or upset, Savannah is the first one to try to comfort them. As a matter of fact, her teacher has put her as a special helper to a little boy in her class who is autistic. She is very good at settling him down and helping him to behave.

Take Me Out to the Ballgame!!!

The kids got free tickets to see the Flying Squirrels for reading 8 books, so we decided to make a Family Home Evening of it!

Savannah, Josh and Samuel all wanted to go the "Meet and Greet" with Nutzy and got a kick out of the notes he wrote with his autograph! This is proof that the whole family went along....although Shelby and Caleb will probably make me take this pic down once they see it! I don't think they were as excited about the game as the little kids were....

My Mom

My mom, ever-prepared, sitting with all our stuff at the amusement park

while we played with the kids!

• My mom is the kindest, most loving person you will ever meet. She lives her life in a way that shows her deep commitment to her beliefs. She is meticulously honest and taught us to be also, to the degree that we were never able to claim "found money" that we saw laying around anywhere without first taking it to a store clerk or other authority to see if anyone had lost it. She feels a responsibility to help others and has always "adopted" older people everywhere we lived and tried to help them with anything that they needed. As a matter of fact, if I had to think of one quality that perfectly summed up my mom, it would be SERVICE. As far back as I can remember, she was always babysitting, cleaning homes, making dinners, giving rides, inviting people to our Thanksgiving dinner, volunteering at church and school, helping friends get ready for garage sales, you name it.....she did it! My mom is a pro at sizing up a situation, seeing what needs to be done, and doing it!

• When I was in high school, she used to leave little notes (with candy) on my bed to let me know that she loved me. At the time, I was incredibly annoyed that she was trying to bond with me, but I ate the candy anyway! Now I appreciate her efforts to reach out to me when I just wanted to blend in to the woodwork!

• In college I mostly tried to support myself, but I remember mom slipping checks in my coat pocket when I came home for visits. One time I had mentioned on the phone that I wasn't going to Preference because I didn't have the money for a dress, and within 3 days Mom had mailed me a check for $80.....nevermind that I had never seen my mom spend more than $10 on a dress for her in her entire life.

• When I was a young married mom with a baby and another on the way, my mom convinced my dad that they needed to buy us a washing machine when we bought our first house so that I wouldn't have to go to the laundromat anymore. We couldn't afford a dryer, but I was so thrilled to have a washing machine that I had my husband string up a clothesline in the basement to hang dry our clothes on (it was the middle of winter in Utah, so outside was not an option!). A month later I lost my balance on a chair I was standing on to hang the clothes up; I was 8 mos. pregnant at the time. I wasn't seriously hurt, so I called my mom laughing about it to commiserate. Within an hour she called back with the offer of $250 to go buy a dryer to add to our laundry room. Until you are a mom yourself, you have no idea how valuable a washer and dryer can be! :)

• A few years later when I struggled with multiple miscarriages and spent many months on the verge of despair and depression, my mom rallied again and became my biggest strength. With empathy only a mom can provide, she talked with many friends who had been through similar situations to find the best way to support me in my struggles. I remember being so touched when I found out that she had taken the time to find out how I must be feeling. It didn't matter what she said or did, but it did matter that she had cared enough to try to help me.

• Through the years, Mom has been a listening ear and someone to bounce child-raising ideas off of. She has been there for me when I needed to cry and then lifted me back up by voicing her confidence in me and my abilities to handle whatever challenges I was facing. I would be lost without her guidance in my life and I count myself blessed to be one of her children.

I love you Mom! Happy Mother's Day!