6th grade Promotion

Bryce was up early getting ready for the day....I think he was excited.

Stephen couldnt attend the promotion because he had finals, so he said,"lets do a photo shoot"!

  

Goof Balls!

                                    

Here is Bryce and his Teacher Ms. Bardon

This is Bryce's 2nd grade buddy "Donovan"

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Some of Bryce's buddies in his class.

A few of the girls in his class.

Us!  

7th grade here we come!!

Dreams

So, Mike tells me all the time that I need to write down my dreams.  I have had some interesting dreams in my lifetime.  I am a firm believer in dreams because I have had so many that have been either direct revelation in my life, answers to my prayers or just a huge comfort to me.  Although most of them dont make a lot of sense just by themselves, I always seem to be able to understand what they are trying to tell me because they always have to do with what is happening in my life at the time.

So, today I was talking with a good friend who was sharing with me some hardships that are happening in her life and I thought about how it seems that so many of us are experiencing these tough times right now and it is so difficult to keep our faith strong and to have hope at times like these.  Then I remembered a dream I had right about the same time that Mike lost his job a couple of years ago.

I dreamed that I was driving down the freeway in my old plymouth voyager mini van and I was listening to some good lds music and just feeling so safe and calm and close to the spirit.  Then suddenly I saw a head of me that there was a big truck that stopped and caused an accident and then it began to ripple and  the cars all around me were crashing into eachother and I knew I was next.  I braced myself for the blow by grasping firmly onto my steering wheel but, it never happened.  In fact I sat there in my car in the middle of the freeway and just watched out my windows as all of these cars smashed into eachother.  I just sat there still feeling calm and safe and close to the spirit.  It was the strangest and yet most interesting thing.  Then I woke up. 

 I immediately started to wonder what this dream meant.  As I thought more on it I realized that this was a warning and a message to me.  I knew from this dream that even though scary things might be about to happen and even though all around me things may seem frightening and hopeless,  if I kept the right perspective and stayed close to my Heavenly Father I would be okay through it all.  This was just the very beginning of so many trials we have had since Mike lost his job but this dream has kept me going so often over the past 2 years.  I am thankful for these dreams that I am occassionaly blessed with that help me in my life and remind me that my Heavenly Father knows me personally, is aware of me and is always there for me.  Dreams are a wonderful thing.

Weekend Chores

Finally a Saturday without baseball games!  Mike worked out of town about 4 days this week so the boys and I decided to get some work done around the house.  Stephen and I did some weed pulling in the front yard close to the house and Bryce did all the lawn mowing and he did a pretty good job too.  We also cleaned the garage out and I found Michael's Australian flag there waiting to be hung again so we did. It was so nice having the whole day to work beside my boys and talk about school and friends and things.  

lovin those purple bushes in the front and back yards....and I love a freshly cut green lawn!
Can't wait to plant our garden.  Life is slowing down a bit as we are completing the last week of school. Bryce promotes from 6th grade on Wednesday and then we are off to Idaho for a Nelson Family Reunion.  Looking forward to seeing the cousins again.  Summer here we come!

Contagious!

Stephen made some good plays this baseball season

playing for the Freshman Eagles team at Pleasant Grove H.S.

 Bryce enjoyed his first season of baseball and had a great time playing

 for Elk Grove's Cal Ripken Major Minor League on the Diamond Backs team.

and I couldnt help it but catch the fever!

and I have no idea what Stephen is laughing so hard about...

Baseball...It's contagious!

Mosiah 2:41

This morning before Stephen left for Seminary he said to me "Mosiah 2:41".  I said "what does it say" and he said, "look it up".  So, I did.  It's a good one!  I love that kid!

Have a glorious day!

Stripling Warriors

Yesterday I had to speak in church and can I just say...."whew, I'm glad that's over!"  It is always a stresser for me to have a speaking assignment.  However, I have to say how honored I felt to be speaking on such an important subject.  "The Priesthood."

I spoke a little about Heleman's 2000 Stripling Warriors and I have found myself reflecting more than ever before about that story.  When I think about the faith of the mother's of those young boys it just astounds me.  I wonder how they must have felt when their sons came to them and said,"hey Mom, I'm going to go fight for Dad in Helaman's army!"  I mean really what ages were these boys?  I am thinking the average age must have been like 15, 16?  I am sure their hearts dropped, yet what did they say to their sons?  Well, I guess we all know how the story goes.  And we all know how those young boys rehearsed to Helaman, "We dont doubt, our mother's knew it".  Wow!  What faith!  I want to be that kind of mother and I want my boys to have that kind of faith.  Today our youth are fighting a different kind of war a different kind of battle, but it requires just as much faith to win today.  The war against sin and the battle for righteousness.

Then I think about my own mother.  She raised 8 children of which I am the 7th.  She and my dad divorced when I was 14.  Unfortunately my dad fell away from the church yet my mother stayed firm.  Was it easy for her?  Absolutely not!  Yet I know that she hung on to her testimony with everything she had and stayed faithful no matter how hard it was for her at times.  I believe it was because of her faith that my oldest brother who had been less active came back into the church and went on a mission at 21 and then my next brother followed.  Today, my mother has seen 3 of her children serve missions and 6 sealed in the temple.  I love my mother and I am so thankful for her great example in my life.

I think about Helaman.  It must have been an extremely humbling experience for him to lead these young boys.  I wonder if he went to their mother's and asked, "are you sure about this?"  I bet he led them with great courage and boldness and then I bet he prayed his heart out for them the entire time.

I think about Bryce and how he is getting ready to fight this battle that young teenage boys fight as he is about to enter middle school.  And I am so thankful that he has his father and his brothers to look up to.  But I have my work to do help him see his potential to be a valiant warrior in this fight.

And then I think about how these young boys were actually converted Lamanites  fighting Lamanites.  And I think they probably looked very much like my Stephen.  And you know what?  I can see Stephen having the kind of courage that these boys did.( scarey) He is just that kind of passionate determined young man.

I think about Michael and how anxious he was to serve his mission.  He was so excited and so ready that he practically jumped out of the car when we dropped him off at the MTC.  I think about Mission Presidents and how humbling it must be for them. They are like Heleman.  They arm those young men with courage and strength and then pray for them like crazy.  Their job so often is to turn these young boys into men.

Thinking about all of these things make me realize how thankful I am for the scriptures and the gospel in my life.  That I have somewhere to go to find the answers to my questions and the tools that I need to be a mother and teach my children in such a way that they too can be valiant warriors of our Heavenly Father and find true happiness in this life as they fight for truth and righteousness.

 And then I think WOW,  I have my own little band of Stripling Warriors!

THIS and THAT

THIS is one from the set of 2 tablecloths I bought at a yard sale last weekend when I was in Utah for .50 each.  I really love them.  They match my colors and they are soft and sturdy. What a deal!

THAT is the laundry pile that I've been working on all week since I came home.  I am working on the last couple of loads now.  Does laundry ever really end?

Have a great weekend!