Back to School

We have been off to a great start these first couple of days of school. These pictures aren't the best the boys have ever taken. The last thing they wanted to do that morning was take a dumb picture!

The boys handled going back to school really well. The older ones just acted like it was another day, but I was really worried about Ashton because he would pray at night and he would pray for him to find friends and to not get lost and know where he was going on the first day of school (this was his prayers for the three days prior to starting!). I was praying for him, too! I didn't realize how scared he was to start in a new school (6th grade) and I just wanted it to go good for him. We walked the halls of the school for an hour and a half two days before it started. We went to his bus stop and mapped it out and how long it would take and just made sure he knew where he was going and what he was doing. He has to have it all mapped out and planned out so that there is no error, or little chance of error. I think he is afraid of failing or something. I think the thought of getting in the wrong class horrified him. Well, he was the first one to leave. He had to walk to the bus stop all by himself. He had his schedule and map at quick reference and he was off. I was waiting for him to get home and he bounds into the house and says "I had a GREAT day!". After that, I knew the others were good, too. Sure enough, they all had a great first day.

Dallen got a really good teacher and he was SO happy that one of his best friends is in his class this year. Dallen's teacher asked about Dallen (at the open house the night before) and I told him that Dallen was a talker and it usually got him in trouble. Instead of being concerned, he said, "I will think about how I can channel that quality". What teacher says that? Calvin had this teacher four years ago, when we first moved here, and Calvin loved his class and I loved helping in the class, too. It's exciting to see the people that are placed in their lives to help them become the young men they are to be!

Dallen is my only one left in Elementary school. That is really weird for me! He's in 4th Grade this year. He is still learning Spanish and the teacher he has is actually the teacher Scott and I took a Spanish class from. He is an excellent teacher!

Calvin (8th), Derrek (10th), Alec (9th) were trying to leave before I got their "first day" photo...they still got their way, though! You wouldn't know it, but Alec got his braces off this last week. Derrek didn't and he was upset. He even had a couple of tears squeak out at the Ortho because he was upset!

Ashton went into 6th grade...he's in the school all by himself. No brothers to help him through it! He has had help, though, from Derrek, Alec, and Calvin. They gave him some good (?) advice on teachers and the in's & out's of the school.

Other news this week...I still get to be in Young Womens! I am 1st counselor. I am so happy. I was really struggling with not being able to do anything with the Young Women. I also struggled with where I might go because I like to be in the "action". I love to serve and work hard in a calling. It's been hard to watch Scott be able to be in the thick of it and I have had to just sit back and watch and I couldn't help, other than "I'm here for you". So, I am glad to know what I will be doing for the next little while. I am more than happy to be the support and give the big worries to another sister!

Scott is doing good for his first week as Bishop. He has pretty much been gone all week. Today was nice to finally see and meet people that we are now in a ward with. There are a lot of great people. There is one couple that knew my parents when we lived in Brea, California. As soon as I saw her, I remembered her face. I don't think I ever connected her name to her face, but I remembered her face and I remember the name. Anyway, small world! I don't think she knew me that well when I was little, but I was only there from age 5 to 11. Scott has been on a spiritual high and he has great people all around him. Their first night they met, it was really late and so I decided to stay up and wait for him. At midnight I sent him a text and said "you know...I've heard the Holy Ghost goes to bed after midnight". He then said "We're done!". But, other than that, it hasn't been too bad. He has a sense of humor (as most of you know) that makes people feel at ease and I feel that was how it was today.

The Church is STILL true!

Well, it is official, and some of you have known, but Scott has just been called to be Bishop of a new ward. Our Stake took four wards and made five and we are in that new 5th ward, which actually is called the "5th Ward". It has been an interesting process. I had gotten a call, last Saturday, telling us that we had an appointment with someone in the Stake Presidency the next day. I thought Scott would be called as High Councilman or something like that because I know there were are few voids in those callings. I had gone to our Ward Council meeting that morning at 9:00 and then at 10:15, the counselor in the bishopric said that he had called my house and asked if the boys were coming to do Fast Offerings and he said they told him "no". So...I said, "they will be here soon" and jetted home and explained to them why we have them do Fast Offerings (I even pulled out the tears...they don't like to see me cry, but know how serious I am when I do!). I got them sent off, I am sure they were still grumbling under their breath, and went to see the Stake President. We were sitting there shooting the breeze and then he said, "I would like to read you a letter" and as he did, he started laughing. I said, "Why are you laughing..you are making me nervous", and he said, "Because I've been here where you are". Then he read a letter from the First Presidency calling Scott to be Bishop. Scott knew this was coming soon. He actually has had several experiences in the past six months that have been preparing him and so he knew something was coming...he just didn't know what. I realized then that I was no longer going to be able to be Young Women's president and I am really going to miss working with the girls. I hope I did what the Lord needed me to do...I guess I did because it's done! Anyway...so there you have it...Bishop Bowler!

On another note...here are pictures of Dallen and Ashton with a couple of their accomplishments this summer. Also, Calvin earned his Waterski Merit Badge and so the four of the five boys (the ones who are scouts) have all earned their Waterski Merit Badge and I consider that awesome...especially if they are in the Steurer family!

School starts on Thursday. We are all a little wound up around here. A lot of change at once, but we are good. Derrek starts high school, officially. In St. George they have two different schools for the "middle school". They have the intermediate, which is 6th and 7th grade. Ashton will be there this year. Calvin and Alec will be in the middle school in 8th and 9th grade. Dallen is going to be in 4th grade. We have FOUR different schools this year! I just keep thinking about parent/teacher conferences and how crazy that will be going to get all that done.

Anyway, just had to share the news. We are excited and scared and humbled at the same time. We know that we will be okay in all aspects. I just laugh because I think of how open we are and how open we are with our faults and our kids' stories of raising them. I just hope that all our trials that we have had can at least help one person.

Recouping!!!

Wow! We have had a busy summer...I am glad it is almost over. I am exhausted. We have been recovering from the Trek last week. I finally got the pictures back (as you can see). Today we have to dress up in our Pioneer clothes (I really never wanted to put them on again!) for Pioneer Day that was on Friday, July 24th. I am grateful, though, that the Pioneers packed up all their stuff and left their comforts so that we could have what we have today, especially as far as the Church goes.

This is a picture of the "womens' pull". We had to come from the bottom of the hill (this picture doesn't show how big the hill really was!). It was sandy, too, and really hard to do. I was breathing heavy! You can see me in the middle of the picture with my bonnet twisted around. It was a great experience because we heard many stories where the men were dying from giving their all and it was up to the women to get them to the valley. There were many strong and faithful women. My favorite story was of a woman whose husband had died and there was no food (in the Martin Comany) and she prayed to the Lord to ask for help because she couldn't go on like this. She remembered that she had two biscuits in her jacket from when they were on the ship. She got them out and put them in a pot with some water to soften them up. Then she went to check on something and when she came back, the pot was full with these biscuits and she was able to feed her children and others in the company. After being there...there is no doubt that this happened. It's a place where people came to know their God.

This is our "family". There were 10 kids and then me and Scott. We had the Stake YW secretary with us, also. She is from our ward and her oldest daughter was in our group and so she walked with us also. It was really fun to get to know her better. You can see Scott in his get-up!

This is Martin's Cove. This is the side that they camped and around the corner is where they would take their dead every morning. The missionaries said that in the journals, the people would take their dead over there because the ground was frozen and they couldn't dig graves and then they would hear the wolves come and take the bodies of their dead. It must have been so hard! I just kept trying to picture this all white with snow. I couldn't imagine having to be out here in the snow trying to survive. I hate the snow! I can't imagine having to do this.

This is "Oscar". There is a story about him in the Friend magazine this month. He's a lot bigger in real life. The pictures in the friend don't make him look as big as he really is!( http://www.lds.org/Static%20Files/PDF/Magazines/Friend/English/2009/FR_2009_07_13___04267_000_017.pdf)
It was cool to see him in real life. Read the story about him and you will see why we thought it was a priviledge. It was funny because when other groups were taking their group pictures, he would walk over and casually pose in the picture. It was like he had done it a million times before. It was fun. The kids all knew about him and they were really excited to see him. He's a celebrity!

This next week we are going to Heber, UT to my Aunt and Uncle's cabin (thanks!). We are excited to truly have a vacation to relax. It should be fun. We are actually the only family still in St. George. Everyone is already up there. But, we have boys that will be having to go back up to Scout Camp this week and so we didn't think it would be wise that they would have to do it all on their own. Calvin is going to the camp and Derrek has his last week on Staff there. He is about ready for it to be over. Especially when he has to miss out on the Steurer Reunion (we play a lot). I don't think he has gotten to go out on the boat this summer, and if he has...it has only been once or twice. Welcome to being an adult!

Alec decided he could take the week off and come with us to the reunion. He was only supposed to work three weeks out of the summer and he ended up doing at least twice that much. I think he liked the freedom of being away from home. On the weekends he would have a hard time adjusting to being home. He would just say "I just want to go back up there". It's tough being nice to your brothers and being expected to clean up after yourself! Anyway, I am glad he is going with us. I have actually missed him and Derrek this summer. It has been a very quite summer...too quiet!

Well...hope everyone has a great week!