Family Love

Stephanie's idea of stepping it up a notch in the table tennis tournament. If you got out she got to pick how much water she poured down your pants. She came up with the idea after she was already out. It is always fun hanging out at Pete and Sarah's house.

Family

Kids are such a blessing. I just got home from a trip to Florida with Phil and was so excited to get the kids out of bed this morning so we could talk before they went off to school. This Plan is so amazing; that we get to be part of creating families and have these sweet people to raise and learn from. Miya turns 12 this year and will be out of primary. Where does the time go? How can she already be in junior high and how can my littlest one be getting baptized in January? What a great happiness they are and such an awesome responsibility.

Volunteer

Last year I was able to be in all the kids classrooms each week. I love helping out and getting to know all the students my kids go to school with. I was also able to help teach 7 students in 2nd grade from a new math curriculum. They were super fun to work with and I was a pretty strict teacher. I brought a treat each lesson and they had to follow my 3 simple rules in order to get it:
1. Respect your teacher (do not talk when I am speaking)
2. Respect Others (some 2nd grade girls can be pretty mean to each other)
3. Try your best
For the last one they had to answer a question at the end of the lessons all by themselves which was really hard for some of them. By the end they all were able to do it and get the answer right. I gave them a treat for trying not for getting it right. I did have to keep treats from a few of the girls on occasion because they either would not stop talking or they were rude to each other. At the end of school one of the girls brought me this sweet bracelet she had made for me. I had to stretch the bands a little to make it fit, but I thought it was so cute. They all loved that I chewed gum and my breath smelled like mint instead of cigarettes. Life can be hard for some of these kids, but I love to be with them and see them around.

Primary

Serving in Primary is awesome and amazing, but I come home from church each Sunday sweaty and exhausted. I might be one of the most strict and scary leader ever to serve in there, but I really do love these kids. Today for Sharing Time I taught about keeping the Sabbath Day holy and I loved that for the primary kids it gave a suggestion that we can ask ourselves this question in order to see if things are Sabbath Day appropriate:

Does this (activity) help me remember Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ?

I love when things seem super simple and serving in Primary has helped me remember to look to the basics and make sure I am doing the simple things I need to be doing everyday. I also really love to work with my kids and get a chance to know all the other children in the Ward.

Daddy Daughters Date 2014

Phil took the girls on a stay over date around Seattle and Bellevue. They did so many things and stayed up so super late. The girls came home talking non-stop about all the fun things they did and saw and then went to bed early. All the kids really love time spent with dad.

 Pike's Place Market because Miya really loves the cheese shop down there.

 It was Comi-con downtown Seattle and they saw a ton of people dresses up and walking around.

 Gameworks Downtown

 They stopped by the temple and walked around the grounds outside the gate since they were there so late.

 The hotel in Bellevue

Swimming in the pool for a few minutes before they had to check out.