Busy couple of weeks!

I just had to add this picture because it is so cute. Shep loves to carry around this lion stuffed animal and he'll play with it and then he will just lay on it like this. It's the only stuffed animal that he doesn't or hasn't torn up...yet. It's like it is his friend! Anyway...it was just cute!


Ashton and Dallen got to go to a fishing derby that the Lion's Club holds every year. Scott took them and they were catching fish with their hands. They caught four of them. We don't eat fish...they are more or less used for biology purposes! Dallen loves to fish, though. He has two fishing poles and a net and a little tackle box and they go down to this pond every now and then just to fish. He's pretty good at it too.

I got to go to Women's Conference (with Ruth, Scott's mom, Kathie and Heidi, Scott's sisters). It was really good and I didn't know how much I needed it. It is a serious spiritual high. If you have never been, you need to make the effort. It is worth it! Although, it is hard to come back because you feel like you can conquer the world but then come home to reality and then flip through your notes and realize that what they kept telling you is that you can't do it alone...the Lord is with you! Scott is so good to me to let me go (he practically pushes me out the door) because he knows how good it is for me.

Things I learned...

I was thinking about gifts that I need to find and there were some suggestions on how to get there. One is to ask yourself "what did I come here to do?" Then make a list of what you can and want to do and work toward doing or learning those things.

There are only two ways through this life...with Christ and without Christ.

To make weak things strong...ask what is your weakness and why have I been given these specific weaknesses? They are ours for a purpose...to become humble which makes us aware of our need to rely on the Lord. We can only change with His help.

I learned and saw that we women are quite a force to be reckoned with! They had service stations everywhere, but to see all the women in action was amazing and to be apart of that was incredible. I did cards, because I know how to do that. It was quite a production. Just imagine what we can do just in our own little areas of the world? It was amazing to see what just 20,000 or more women could do...I can't imagine what the whold Relief Society can do as a force. We women have such amazing gifts.

There is a lot more that I learned, but it would take too long to write it all. And, what I write is stuff that I needed personally...you know how that is! This is a clip of Hilary Weeks.

We saw her at a concert they had that evening. This was taken at a Women's Time Out conference, but it was the same. She had some other great ones that just had us laughing really hard. She also sings some amazing spiritual songs that help to lift us up. She was really fun to see.

Scott and I are also taking a parenting class. You would think that we wouldn't need one because our kids are so perfect :) JUST KIDDING! It is just a different type of parenting now...they don't need discipline...just guidance. This class helps us to use our words differently so that the kids feel more valued and they do things because they want to be proud of themselves and not do things to make us proud. Which, is how we want it for them. And the thing that stinks is that it starts with us. So the teacher has been having us look at ourselves and why we do the things we do. The first week, Scott and I came home all depressed because we knew we were the cause of our kids issues, but didn't want to face the facts! It's been good, though.

Then it was teacher appreciation week as soon as I got back. I had some help from others. They did the door decorations and they posted pictures of teachers when they were in grade school so the children could guess who they were. It was a fun little contest. Then I also was in charge of getting the kids to bring stuff to their teachers and we did it as a contest also. Then I had to do a teacher luncheon and that was nerve racking because I have to do things perfectly and stress out beyond what I need to do. I made these chocolate candy suckers in the shape of flowers and made them into table decorations (shown above). It was good. The luncheon was catered and so I didn't have to do much for that. So..the week went well, and I just hope the teachers enjoyed it. If not...they can fire me!

We went to see Brian Regan. He is so funny and the guy he brought with him (Kermit Apio sp?) was funny too. They are clean and it is so much fun to be able to take my kids to something like that because they are clean. The older three paid for their tickets and got to go. It was fun.

Other news...Derrek got the job at the Thunderridge Scout camp this summer. He will be gone every week and come home for one day to do laundry and whatever else and then go back up. That will be his summer. Alec got accepted as Counselor in Training program and it isn't paid, but he will do three weeks and with this experience, he will be hired on for more pay than Derrek is getting, next year. Calvin is going to Timberline and Scout camp. He's ready to get a lot of merit badges. Anyway, it is going to be weird having them gone most of the time. I am sure Dallen and Ashton will like it! For our Steurer reunion, the three oldest will be gone and we'll just be taking Dallen and Ashton. That will be weird. Our family will be just like my brothers and sisters...all the same age kids! Ashton will be the oldest one there!

Today for Mother's day, I got a necklace from Ashton, a bookmark and picture frame from Dallen, letters of love from all, Alec baked me a cake and offered to eat it for me (so much love!), Derrek made me breakfast that was going to be in bed, but I ruined it by walking down stairs. I got to sleep in until 9:00 this morning. Scott made me fluffy pancakes for dinner. It has just been a great day. There has been no fighting. What more could I ask for. Here is a picture of Derrek's breakfast to me. It was sweet.

This is the cake that Alec made for me (thanks to eggs and powdered sugar from our neighbor). They are also showing such love by eating it for me!

Oh, at Women's Conference I was lucky enough to run into friends that I had in Oklahoma. It's funny because as they mentioned, the only times we saw each other was at girl's camp and stake dances, but we yearned for that connection of being LDS with others because there weren't many of us in our schools. Anyway, it was Amy Bingham (now Jensen) and Natalie Johnson (now Hawks). We also talked about how we loved growing up in Oklahoma and even though we lived in different cities, we all had the same experiences and how hard it is to find that for our children in Utah. It took all of us moving away from Utah to remember what was important and what we wanted in our children's lives and now that we are all back in Utah, we are geared up to battle the complacency of those who are LDS and forget what that means. Anyway, it completed my Women's Conference experience to see my old friends.

Slacker!

Seriously, I try to blog, but I am really not good at writing constantly. I am a numbers girl, not a writing "papers" girl. All of us in the household are like that, so when it comes to doing reports, we ALL groan! It's not that we can't throw down a conversation or thoughts, because we have plenty of that, it's just laziness.

Anyway...well, we had a surprise visit from Heidi and her kids the day after Easter. I kept my kids out of school that Monday so they could play...all but Alec. See...he has been "struggling" with getting good grades. It's not that he can't do it...it's just that laziness again. So, because he had a D, he had to go to school. Calvin made it by the skin of his teeth...he had a C on the Friday before and Monday it was a B-. He was happy. But, we saved the fun stuff until Alec got home. It was Brad's birthday (my nephew, turned 15!), and that was fun to have everyone there to celebrate with him.

Other things that have been going on...
Derrek and Alec received their Life Scouting awards. That means that they are working on their Eagle Award next. Derrek is actually a couple badges and a project away from getting it. We have been blessed with really good Scout leaders and our neighbor who cares ALOT about the boys. Calvin is close to getting his Life award, also...maybe next Court of Honor. Do you realize I have four in Scouts now. Dallen is my only Cub Scout. That is really weird to me to see four boys in the brown shirt and only one in the blue. For so long it has been all blue. Anyway, I just had to point that out. I love a boy in uniform :).

Derrek has also applied for his first job. He is still 15 and so jobs for him are pretty much non-existant, but he has applied to work at Thunderidge Scout Camp this summer for 7 weeks. In the interview the man said that he would acutally offer Derrek more money because he has Timberline training, which he did last summer. We are praying that he gets it because we think it would be an amazing experience for him. It sounded like Derrek will probably get it, but it is never for sure until it's for sure. I am sure there are a lot of other boys in Derrek's same position. It's not tons of money, but it is more than he has and the training and being away from us to experience life away from us is priceless. Alec has signed up to do the Counselor in Training program for three weeks, but it isn't a paid position, but he doesn't care. Calvin is enrolled for Timberline this year.

We had a visit from the police the other day. Our first time since we have had our half-pipe. We have an older couple that lives behind our neighbors and his wife just had kidney surgery to remove a grapefruit size tumor from her kidney. She's not feeling good and she can't sleep at night and so she trys to get sleep during the day and um...that's when my kids play. We do have the whole neighborhood over and it does get loud. We have kids over that we don't even know. So, after the police man came and looked at it, he said that it isn't a problem, and we decided we needed to go talk to our neighbors and come to a compromise. They were nice about it and we decided that we wouldn't let just anyone in our backyard to help keep down the noise and then Scott and I are going to try an experiment and put insulation (waterproof, of course) under the half-pipe to see if that would help with the noise. It's worth a shot because our kids aren't going to stop using it, but we do need to be curtious to our neighbors...especially one who is so sick. I would want my neighbors to do that for me. Anyway, we'll let you know how it works out.

Ashton had his science fair project last week. He actually started it on time and so we weren't procratinating, like normal. It was actually an enjoyable experience, except that Ashton was sick! The day before it was due, he came home late from school and I asked "where have you been?". His reply..."puking in the gutter". I felt so bad because it literally had been like an hour after school got out and we live just down the street from the school. But, he had to get his project done because it was a huge chunk of his grade. So, we printed off the pictures that Derrek so kindly took for us and Ashton was literally putting on a picture, puking, putting on a picture, puking...you get the picture. It was pitiful, but I wasn't going to do it...I couldn't because I was gone and Scott stepped in and helped. Anyway, he got it done and I give him homework points when he does his homework and then when he fills up his "chart" we will go do something fun, and he got double for that night! We were proud of him. It didn't get any awards, but I think just finishing it was enough for him.

Well, that's all the excitement for this week. I get to go to Women's Conference at BYU this next week. I am really excited. I also am in charge of Teacher Appreciation week next week and am a little stressed. I have to put on a banquet and get a caterer and all that. I read in other papers from past people that I needed to get donations and so I was stressing because that is SO out of my comfort zone, so Scott had pity and has been doing some calls for me. Then I find out that there is enough money that I wouldn't need donations, but I figure what's the harm...especially if Scott is doing it for me!!! Well...have a great week!

Has it really been a month?

I realized this morning that I haven't blogged for quite some time...whoops! Our Sundays tend to be very busy, lately, and so I just haven't done anything because Sunday used to be the day I actually had time! This is what has gone on...

Derrek got a new camera. He seems to be able to get deals and frankly, it isn't fair! But, there is a photographer in our ward who bought a new camera and told Derrek he would sell him his old one. So Derrek got this amazing camera for $150. I have decided to stop taking pictures and just bring him along to everything and he can be my personal photographer!

Some picture Derrek took that he really likes. He is getting better every day. My dad is giving him tips and pointers and pretty soon, we'll have another pro!

Heidi and family came to visit during Spring Break (which was right after we went to the Draper Temple). We had fun. It never feels like there are eleven kids here when they visit. It is amazing. During their visit, I got a text at work that said "you have two new pets" and it was two snakes that Dallen had caught down at the river. One was really big and the other was small. They would catch frogs and feed them to the snakes. That's always fun to watch. Dallen just let them go this week because he is tired of taking care of them and the geckos. Plus, I think the whole fun of having them is actually the catching part. So, I am sure he will catch them again.

Some pictures Derrek took while Heidi's family was here. We went to a park where everything seems to spin. The kids had fun.

Picture of Dallen's bigger snake.

Calvin is my little thrifty child. He has wanted a mountain bike, but no money for a brand new one, so he went shopping at Deseret Industries and found a bike for $10. He then had enough money to buy tires and replace the tires completely and did all the work himself! Needless to say, he has a great bike for $60. There is still some tweeking that needs to be done, like the brakes, but it works good until then.

We had an Easter "weekend" with my family. We did family sealings at the temple with the adults in the family, then yesterday we had extended family join us for an Easter Egg hunt. We did it inside and outside my mom's house. That was fun. Today we are going to have a Dinner and we haven't done that for a long time.

Scott with Gabby and Conner, checking out the Easter hunt loot.


Dallen helped cook the hot dogs for lunch, after the hunting was done.

Well, things are continuing to go and Sunwest is still alive and we seriously have to owe that to the Lord because on paper, there is no way that we should be able to pay expenses, but we do and we know it is truly blessings from on High.

We are trying to finish the last SIX WEEKS of this school year. Then Derrek will officially be in High School and Ashton will be going to "middle school" and I will only have one left in Elementary! That is really weird to me.