"I will never loose a tooth!"

Miya is getting discouraged that she is the last one in all of her kindergarten class and primary class to loose a tooth. She has been working on a bottom tooth that she swears is loose, but I have yet to feel any movement. It might be another year before any teeth come out. Meanwhile the tooth fairy is busy visiting all of her friends multiple times. This really might be a good thing because it will give the tooth fairy a little time to get out of this recession.

Too Small

Anyone in need of a new suit this summer?

Happy Birthday Lyla

Happy 2nd Birthday to a beautiful baby girl. The first year was full of smiles, sleeping, moving and everything nice.

The second year has been full of climbing, dirt, demands and spunk. We love you dear Lyla and are so happy you are a part of our family. You are gaining so many words to your vocabulary and most of those word come out in the form of orders or demands for all the rest of us, "Miya eat!" "Mine!" You also say many of the sweetest things too, "Love you" "Miya at school" as you question where everyone is off to for the day while you get to hang out with just me for a few hours. You are very busy and yet can sit for almost a full hour if I sit and read books to you.

LOVE YOU!

Remembering...

Last night I was in a position that took me back to 1996, Freshman year at BYU. I was completing the little get to know you questionnaire for the Bishopric and I put on the form that I played the piano (I really wasn't thinking about all the people in the ward that actually could play the piano while people sang). I got called to be one of three people to play the piano and lead the music during sacrament meeting. YIKES!!! I learned growing up that you don't say "no" to callings, but I did hint at the fact that I really am not a good piano player (secretly wishing I wouldn't have skipped so many practices before heading to Mrs. Johnson's for piano lessons). Well, I got away with leading the music for the first few months of school and then the other two piano players (who were music majors and dating) were going out of town so I needed to play on Sunday. It was in December so I practiced some Christmas hymns all week down in the piano room in the basement of our dorms. I was getting more and more confidence in my abilities to play, bad idea.

The opening song my hands seemed to be paralyzed and the congregation sang a whole verse without the piano. I was mortified and still have a hard time thinking about that day. I never had to play the piano again in that ward. I think they didn't believe me until that day when I said I was not good at playing while people sing. I was not just being modest in my abilities and they finally got the message. I learned a few things from that calling, 1. There are some short coming that the Lord cannot make up for when you are serving 2. Never put down you can play the piano unless you really want to play

Last night I got to play the piano at a baptism and I just kept thinking, "sing louder everyone," but there were only a few people present so my music abilities again came shining through.

New Callings

You would think with all the time I have spent in the Young Women's I would totally feel like I am putting back on an old favorite well-fitting hat, but I have been totally crazy about this calling the last few weeks. I guess it is hard no matter what calling you get to jump in and feel totally comfortable. I am so excited to work with the girls in the ward and to get to know them better, but man nothing makes you feel less cool then trying too hard to be cool around a bunch of young women. Last night was funny because I just thought about things I was going to say before I said anything, which made it even harder to say anything at all.
I remember as a youth loving my leaders and thinking that everything they were doing for me came naturally to them and they didn't even have to work at it. Actually I am not sure I really knew how much they were doing for me. How much they were praying for me, how much they cared about my spiritual, emotional and physical well-being. I know that I have thought this before when I have been called to YW, but it is nice to be reminded about all the work and effort that has been made in my behalf by women who had LOTS of other things to do for their own families. I love those women and appreciate the sacrifice they made for me. They were fun, smart, loving, kind, charitable, talented, sweet and amazing Sisters.

I wonder if they ever tried too hard to be cool?