School's Out For Summer!

Another school year has come and gone. This year has been a really awesome year for the kids and it was so fun seeing them learning so many new things. My kids loved their teachers (for the most part- 6th grade teachers are not as loving as 2nd grade teachers apparently) and Soren in particular was sad to leave Mrs. Hunter's class. During the last week of school, they had a graduation and awards ceremony for the 6th graders. Stryder didn't earn any extra awards for grades or such but he completed 6th grade and that is a really big accomplishment for him. And he did it with A's and B's and one C. I'm so proud of that kid for all the hard work he put in this year.

I'm pretty sure these two handsome fellas were just babies yesterday. How can they possibly be headed off to Junior High in the fall?!

And these are my favorite pictures every year. I love seeing how they changed over the course of the school year. Soren has more teeth, hair, and a tan at the end of the year. He was learning cursive at the end of the year and was getting really good at it. He's made so many friends this year and went to his first friend birthday party. I wish the picture better showed how tall he got this year. He's such a smart obedient boy that I sure do love.

This kid is too cool for school. He really developed his own sense of style this past year and has become very opinionated. He's full of sass and attitude too but I kind expect some of that with him being almost a teenager. He is quick to apologize though and still has such a tender heart. At the beginning of the school year he changed teachers hoping some of his friends from other classes would follow suit. Unfortunately that didn't happen. And then he had some problems with girls he was friends with. But by the end of the year, he had made several new friends and got invited by some boys from the neighborhood to have a marshmallow gun war. He's such a hard working, tender hearted kid.

Well if she isn't all grown up?! I can't believe her transformation this year. She's like 5'3 and all legs. She has become so goofy and makes up weird things with her friends but she's also so kind and helpful. She was a bit of a teacher's pet and finished out the year with only A's on her report card for all three semesters. She's so talented musically as well and has been writing her own music using apps she finds on her ipod. She still loves animals and has great aspirations to own and recuse wild animals one day. Oh gosh she's such a beauty.

Hooray for no schedules and sleeping in for a little while. But Boo to fights over the xbox and feeding these growing kids all day. Oh summer, I'm glad you are here.

The Payson Temple

I love to see the temple, I'm going there someday. To feel the Holy Spirit, to listen and to pray. For the temple is a house of God, a place of love and beauty. I'll prepare myself while I am young, this is my sacred duty.

Utah is the land of temples and yet they still continue to build more. I'm so grateful for temples and for the chance we had to walk through the Payson temple before it was dedicated. It was such a long line and we were sick of standing. My back hurt from packing Sam around and it was hot going up and down the stairs but I wouldn't have missed that feeling with my kids for anything. The Spirit was so strong there even having not been set apart as a house of the Lord yet.

The kids were loving the flowers and getting the chance to use my good camera to take pictures of them. I'm not sure which kid took which picture but it wasn't me.

The symbolism inside temples fascinates me and I just want to know more and find more. So the whole time we walked around I kept pointing out all the apple blossom flowers and stars and the dark wood versus light wood and so on and so on. I hope my kids found it interesting instead of boring. I hope and pray that they felt the Spirit like I did and they have a desire to return to the temple some day.

This little bug was so good and hardly fussed at all. I can't even express in words how grateful I am that I received personal revelation while in the temple to find joy and enjoy my children and to let the Lord work in my life instead of force the work on the Lord. He's done marvelous things with my family and I'm so grateful for that.

Life is far from perfect and I sometime forget to continually count my blessings instead of hardships but I'm grateful for the Gospel in my life and for my knowledge and testimony of eternal families and temples. I get to be with this family for all of eternity and that's pretty awesome.

Samuel Teddy Bear ~ 4 months

On May 20th, Samuel turned 4 months old. I can't believe how fast time is flying by but I'm so grateful for every second I get to spend with my little baby boy. He's just starting to try to roll over and has been successful at it from his belly to back. He LOVES to chew and suck on his fingers. In fact the skin on his hands was peeling because it was always wet. Sam is easy to get to smile and is so ticklish. His giggles are my favorite thing right now and he loves his big siblings. I'm so grateful for them and all they do to help out with Samuel. I'm sure glad he's a part of our family.