Where did April go?!?

Catching up...again, I was able to go to BYU Women's Conference about a week and a half ago.  I really love going to Women's Conference.  I call it the EFY for women.  I always learn things about myself, life and others that I didn't know before.  This year I went with Laurel ( a friend of ours, but mostly a friend of Kathie's), Heidi, Wendy, Amy (1), and Rachel.  

Kathie was supposed to come, but at the last minute got the flu really bad.  She was really missed.  I am glad, though, that Laurel came with us still.  She is really fun to be around.  Things I learned this year...

• I can be an influence to my family and others when I am armed with God's power (living up to my spiritual potential)...arming myself with prayer, scripture reading, serving others, and that my children want a strong mother (no pressure :).
• How to fortify our homes against Satan and that we need to be willing to receive the revelation of where our homes are weak and be willing to strengthen those areas so that we will be strengthened against the battle outside the home.
• How to be a better "leader" (I have always wanted to know the secrets of those who speak in Conference and don't blubber and cry when they get up there...I just can't do that and I'm in awe that they can!)
• A Righteous Woman is a powerful influence for good (one of my favorite classes!), talked about KEEPING OUR COVENANTS + TRUSTING THE LORD = SOMETHING EXTRAORDINARY.  Beautiful! We also all have "orbits" which our light touches.  We learn from others in our life as they learn from us...what is being learned?!?
• The principles of God never change, and it is something that we can always hold on to. (one of those "good reminders").
• I learned that I am doing ok with the rules I have set up for "hanging out" and "dating" in our home.  I did learn, though, to teach my boys to date now (encourage them to ask girls out), because if they decide to go on a mission, when they get back, the girls will be a couple years ahead of them in this area and they won't be able to compete.  It will be awkward for them.  
• I learned that we are on the right track with helping our boys deal with the stresses of life.  This year has been really stressful and I just wanted to make sure we weren't damaging our children :).  One point I loved was in turning to the Lord...he has made promises and never breaks his promise.  He has given us the promise of peace and has told us how to get it.  Peace breaks any stress!  Good class!
• Elder Anderson came and spoke to us.  We are in a battle that will only be getting worse.  The battle between the doctrine of Christ and the world.  He gave us instruction on how to combat this and that we "need not fear".  

I was able to meet up with one of my good friends from growing up in Oklahoma.  We usually try to get together as a group, but this year the others weren't able to come, so it was just me and Amy (Bingham) Jensen.  People wonder why I get so excited about Girl's Camp and I realized that this is why.  I have a group of friends that for four years or so, I was able to bond with for a week, doing really hard things (Sister Drummond was not easy on us!).  But, after all these years (20+), we are able to still connect and share a bond that is forever.  I love seeing these women every year.  It is a piece of home for me.  I love them all dearly. 

We also did the service station for a little while and the sharing stations.  You can get on the Women's Conference website and see all the different sharing stations.  Great ideas for everything.  We went to a concert put on by Deseret Book.  This year it was a little more serious, but for me, very touching.  I really am amazed by Relief Society.  At the concert, a woman depicted Eliza R. Snow (2nd General Relief Society President), and showed how there were 20 women at the time it started and how there were now 6,000,000!  There were 15,000 at Women's Conference, so the thought of 6 million was just unimaginable to me.  Just the thought of all the good that those 6 million women are trying to do.  I know it isn't just our church, either, that is trying to do good, but 6 million of LDS women around the world are.  It's incredible.

So, that was Women's Conference.  On the way home, I got to see Derrek.  He was nice enough to come sit and visit with me, Rachel, and Laurel while we ate lunch (he had already eaten).  Do you like the beard he's sportin'?!?  He didn't have it all twisted like this...this is the picture he sent to me this week.  I didn't know he could grow a beard.  I still think of him as a little kid!  I really need to move on!  He's a young MAN.  Anyway, it was good to see him.  

He is doing well.  I think he has decided to stay in St. George for a few more months and then a couple months before he leaves on his mission, he will come live with us.  It's hard to know what to do.  He knows he wants to go on a mission, so, we'll just go in that direction :).  We are excited for him and proud of him.  He is amazing.

Scott receiving Honors from Dr. Taggart (his professor)

Scott is graduating this week.  Last week they had a program ceremony for those graduating with Honors and receiving scholarships and such.  Scott was one of four in his class who is graduating with Honors!!!  The lowest grade he has received this semester is a 98%!  He has just done amazing and I tell him all the time.  After this week, he will no longer be able to work downstairs with the bodies because he is not a student.  He has to get his "intern license" in order to do anything.  So, hopefully he will be able to take the boards this month ($400!), and then he will intern as an embalmer for a year, but able to do other things now that he wasn't able to do before, such as arranging funerals and working with the families.  That's the part he loves the most.  I'm so happy he has found something he loves and is happy to go to work and so happy all around.    

Our allowance thing is still going good.  It drives Scott a little nuts, though because a couple of kids have chosen not to do their chores and he gets mad that they feel they don't have to contribute, but that's part of the process.  I think they were just testing us this week, which for me is just fine.  It really isn't much different than before we started all this, just there are consequences now attached to it and at the end of the week, it makes a difference.  I think it is going good. 

Again...time gets away...

I just saw that's it's been since March 11th that I've written!  I knew it's been a couple weeks, but over a month!  I guess this will be a lengthy one, or short because I can't remember everything for a month!  After Spring Break, my parents came for a visit.  It was good to see them.  We hadn't seen them since last July.  They spoiled us, of course, and we got to do some fun things.  We went to a baseball game (my mom's favorite pastime).  Had some Gelato, of course!  We went bowling (our new favorite pastime).  It was conference weekend and so ALL the boys got to go this year to that.  It was Dallen's first time to go to the Priesthood session, and Grandpa was there.  We were sad that Derrek didn't get to be there, but he was there in spirit watching it in St. George.  My mom and I got to go shopping, especially since they are planning on serving a mission this year and we have some great shopping here in Phoenix!  It was a lot of fun and we are so grateful that they would take the time and spend (too much) money on us.

Texas Rangers vs. Colorado Rockies.  Dad, Mom, Amy, Calvin, Ashton, cousin Jeremy, & Dallen (Alec had 2 dates that night, so he stayed home and Jeremy got to come in his place!)

Easter came the next weekend.  It was different having older kids.  They really aren't into egg hunts and I'm not really into doing it for them!  So, I got to make Easter baskets instead and that was fun.  Sent packages to Derrek and Jose.  Hope they got them!  Calvin really wanted a Turkey dinner, which was weird to me because I don't remember my family ever eating Turkey at Thanksgiving and so I never make it.  So, I made it and it turned out to be one of the best I have ever done!

Derrek went to Senior Prom with Lexi. I thought this picture was cute.  Lexi sent it to me.  I am pretty sure they had fun, but I don't get many details (it's a boy thing).  Maybe I'll call Lexi next time and get all the details!

The boys have been loving the weather lately.  Dallen has been climbing in the tree in our backyard constantly and swimming like a fish!  He loves to be outdoors.  They all have.  They recently found some great bird nests and one of the nests had two old eggs in it.  One had a chick in it :(.  It was pretty gross, but interesting to see (I won't show you the pictures...if you want to see them, email me and I'll send them :).  They also had fun trimming the trees and making their own bows and arrows and the darn things worked!  A couple of them have broke, but at least they know they could survive if they ever needed to try and make one!

Dallen gave his first talk in Sacrament meeting last Sunday.  He was asked to do it last month, but instead of letting me help him with it, he freaked out and behind my back, called the Bishop and told him that he couldn't give the talk!  So, he knew that it was coming...they were going to ask him to do it again.  So, the counselor asked me if it would be okay that they ask Dallen to give a talk.  I relayed to him what Dallen had done the month before and gave my permission to help Dallen understand about conquering fears and lessons we can learn from giving a talk.  It's interesting how the Lord works.  So, the subject Dallen was given was "Prayer" and it is one that is very dear to my heart and so I was excited to help him with this assignment.  I would just say to Dallen "when you want, let me know and we can work on your talk"...then it came to be Saturday.  He started freaking out again with fear and throwing the biggest fit (I thought we were through with fits!).  Anyway, he told me he didn't believe in prayer and so we talked about that.  You have to understand that of all our children at this age, Dallen's prayers are the most thoughtful for a 12 year old.  I don't think he has ever had the same prayer twice.  They are always heart-felt and sincere and for him to say that he doesn't believe in prayer, I just knew he was saying that because he was mad that he was asked to give a talk.  I reminded him of his prayers and how I felt that he truly knows he is talking to Heavenly Father.  I suggested that when he is ready, that he go say a prayer and ask for help with this and that I knew Heavenly Father would help.  So, he stormed off.  About a 1/2 hour later, he came back and he literally took the keyboard and started typing.  I helped him find some quotes and together we found some scriptures, but he put it all together.  I pointed out to him how fast it had gone with Heavenly Father's help.  We had a great little conversation about his experience and he gained another piece of his testimony of prayer from this experience.  The next day, he gave the talk perfectly.  He said he wasn't nervous until the end when he looked up and saw all the people and then he said he was glad he didn't look up sooner.  Very cute!  I love those moments as a mom.  Being able to teach my children about Heavenly Father and being able to share my testimony of the things I have found to be true in my own life, like the power of prayer and a Heavenly Father that loves me enough to help and guide me constantly.  It's amazing!

We started a new allowance thing at our house.  I am hoping this one works.  We were on the right track with Derrek, Alec and Calvin, but there was just something that needed some tweeking, and I read "The Entitlement Trap" by Richard and Linda Eyer and they had the tweeking we needed.  Anyway, it's been a week and for the most part, it has been good.  I have really enjoyed not having to ask about homework, chores, brushing their teeth, etc.  They come to me and let me know when they are done with these things.  They found out that doing all their chores is important because if you one do half, you don't get credit for doing any.  Anyway, it's been good for our family.  It was a fun read, too, because they give an example in there of Dallen's friend (their grandson) and it was fun to read a story about Ashton Loosli.

My Ashton attended "Best of EFY" yesterday.  Here they do it a little different than they do in St. George.  Maybe it's because they have 10 times the amount of kids in St. George than here.  Anyway, it is an all day event.  It's for 14 and older.  Alec and Calvin didn't want to go (surprise, surprise), but a couple weeks ago, Ashton came home from Young Men's and said he wanted to go.  It was with our stake as well as two other stakes.  That is still a lot of kids.  They had two speakers, games, lunch, dinner, and a dance.  Ashton was so cute.  This was his first official dance as a 14-year-old and he came home and was almost in tears.  I asked him what was wrong and he said that his legs hurt and I said "why?" and he said "from dancing side to side".  That was such a funny answer to me.  He told me later that he danced with two 16-year-olds.  One asked him and he asked the other!  He is so not like my older three!  I couldn't get them to go to a dance for anything.  I keep saying it is their opportunity to "legally" fraternize with the opposite sex and "touch" them!  I am kind of glad Alec and Calvin didn't go.  They seem to have very strong opinions, and that is fine, but I was glad that Ashton was able to have his own experience without that to contend with.  He was able to go with kids from our ward that he knew and I was glad he found them!  He also told me that he didn't get as sweaty as everyone else because he just danced the slow songs!  Like father, like son!  Very cute!

I get to go to BYU Women's Conference this week with Scott's sisters and sister-in-laws.  It will, again, be so fun.  I really love going.  I have found that each year I go, it helps me on my next part of this journey in life.  Last year the one thing that stood out was a picture that was presented there at the art exhibit of one of the 10-Virgins.  I was having a hard time accepting that I can't be perfect and was being really hard on myself.  I realized though, from looking at that picture, that I was that person.  I am constantly filling my lamp with the things the Lord asks of us and I realized that it was enough and I am grateful for that.    

This is that picture.  I just love it.  I hung it by my bed so that when I wake in the morning, I am reminded of who I am and who I want to be.  So, I look forward to seeing what I will gain from this year's conference.  The boys and Scott like when I go.  They get good "boy time" and I come back happier!

I forgot...

I realized this week that I have forgotten how to budget my time when I had a job. I was able to work this last week, and that has been nice. It is a temporary job and we have the kinks (I hope) worked out. I still have to bill him, and we'll see how that goes :). Anyway, it's been challenging learning a new program and trying to remember after 8 months where things should go, but for the most part, it's like riding a bike. Except, all other areas of my life have seem to have fallen by the wayside! I feel like I have just been putting out fires, and dealing with stuff as they come along. Mostly with the kids, but also with my callings, and other responsibilities. School has been put on the back burner this weeks, as well as food shopping and planning meals and getting things done like cleaning the bathrooms and laundry, date night and going to the temple.

These things are just always there and so if they aren't screaming for my attention, they don't get it. I don't remember how I did it all before! Anyway, it has been a good reminder to have balance in life. There are always things that will take our time, but choosing the best out of the pile is what is important.

We had my cousin, Kristy and her daughter Makayla (sp?) here with us. It has been nice to see them. I don't know them very well, but I am glad that they would call and ask to stay here. Kristy and her family are planning on moving here to the Phoenix area to continue with schooling. Makayla graduates this year (a year early) and wants to attend ASU. Kristy has gone back to school to be a court reporter. Alec and Makayla went river rafting yesterday...and yes it is FREEZING COLD still! But, once Alec has an idea, he can't get it out of his head. So, they didn't make it to where the kids usually float down to because Alec was so cold. It was a nice day, though. Calvin and Ashton have been having a lot of fun bonding over bowling. Calvin is really enjoying this bowling class, and he takes Ashton with him when he bowls.

Dallen hiked a hike called "Flat Iron". Supposedly Alec and Calvin didn't go all the way up to the top and the leaders have been giving them a hard time because Dallen did go to the top. Anyway, Dallen is a great little hiker and loves being outdoors. He came home and collapsed for three hours (he was so tired he couldn't even take off his shoes. He was in tears almost just thinking of having to move!). We then took him out for his birthday dinner (yah...it was a month ago!). He chose Olive Garden. He was nice to let us take our friends visiting from Las Vegas with us (Dave McElvany, Lars, and Shawn). It was a fun time.

Derrek went to Preference the Saturday before Spring Break. We wanted him to come down that day, but he wanted to keep his commitment and go to Preference with Kyle Thayer. She has been friends with Derrek and Alec for awhile. I know Alec really liked hanging out with her. Fun girl.

I guess Preference went well. Derrek didn't tell me much about it.

Derrek and Lexi came down the following Monday during Spring Break. We were so happy that they had the same Spring Break as we did. Talk about "tender mercies". It was fun meeting Lexi. She held her own with this group and seriously, they can make or break you. She was initiated into the boys' world (which I am just used to) and she was great. We really loved having them here.

We went bowling a couple of times. Calvin was determined to get his class done this week, so it seemed like we did a lot of bowling. It was fun, though, and Scott got to go with us one of the times.

It was Dallen's, well...second time and cousin, Jeremy's first time to do Baptisms at the Mesa Temple (Dallen had gone with our youth group two nights before. That was his first time). I thought it would be awesome to do it all together as a family. Heidi and her kids that could go, came with us. So, in this picture it is Alec, Charity, Derrek, Lexi, Calvin, Jeremy, Zac, Dallen, and Ashton in front of the Mesa Temple. It was fun and I just love the temple.

After the temple, we just HAD to go to Bahama Bucks for some shaved ice. It was delicious and always a treat. We also went to the Phoenix Zoo with Heidi and her kids the day before. It was fun, but really warm. A lot warmer than I thought it would be. We were there for about 5 hours and it was perfect. It was nice having older kids. They all got to go their way and Heidi and I had a great time with Matt and Sam, so no pictures of the Zoo.

This week we were back to life, except for the XBox being gone for two weeks. It's been really nice, but you would have thought I cut off Calvin's legs or something! He is "so bored" and there is just "nothing to do". So, we have had a few discussions. They got it taken away because he got an "F" and Alec got a "D" in their last quarter classes, so they have to get their grades up and turn everything in and prove that they can have it back. And...they have been doing much better! We'll see...it's a constant battle.

I finished my contract job. I am so grateful for the experience. It taught me a lot. I'm glad, though, that I can also be home. Scott is still doing great with work and school. Only a few more weeks until he graduates! He's done amazing.