We had a sudden hailstorm today! So weird!
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Saturday, February 22, 2014
SNOW Blast!
Janika went to Snow College in Ephraim with her good friends, Mitch Seely, and Tori
Salerno yesterday and today for their SNOW blast. Friday they had
check-in and their opening session, a tour of campus, dinner, tickets to
go see the school musical, and a school stomp. They stayed overnight
in some of the dorms and then Saturday they had breakfast and closing
activities and games. Janika also had an audition for a vocal
scholarship. She said it was fun! Hopefully it gave her a little feel
for what college will be like!
Silent Weekend
Today was the "Wild West" Silent Weekend at Dixie High School. The committee went all out (as usual)! My job was to help with the lunch time games -- so thankfully that wasn't too overwhelming, ha ha!
Meanwhile Rick stayed home with the kids and they worked on cleaning the house and getting some yard work done. When Jared's friends were over last week they were goofing around and one of them broke the long stair rail on our basement stairs. Rick told Jared that he would have to pay for a replacement and Jared has been really worried about it. First they tried gluing it but that didn't work. So today they went and got a replacement at Home Depot and Rick put Jared to work painting it. It has been a hard lesson for Jared to give up his time and money to repair something his friends broke!
Thursday, February 20, 2014
Sweet "Thank You" Letter to the Carolers!
We got this sweet "thank you" letter in the mail today!
February 17,
2014
Dear Hands
in Harmony Carolers,
This letter
is late in coming to you, but rest assured that we are no less grateful today
as we were in December. We want to thank
you all for your great kindness towards our mother Adele Willden. You were so generous to come to her home and
perform a private concert. We would have paid you a million dollars if we had
known how much she loved that concert.
We would have paid lots of money but you would not have accepted it.
You have
such a wonderful talent and it touches everyone to know the story of how you
shared that talent and would not take any money for your time. A number of testimonies have been borne and
stories given in lessons in the last couple of months by our family members
about your great gift to our mother.
Adele passed
away on January 17th. Even
though she is no longer here with us on earth, we have a video of your
performance that has become a cherished remembrance of her last few days on
earth. Be sure that each and every
Christmas for many years to come, that video will come out and we will once
again be reminded that there is such lovely, kind and generous people still
here on earth today. What a good example
to our children you have been. We are
eternally grateful.
Love,
The Willden
Family
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Blue and Gold Banquet
Tonight was our Western-themed Blue and Gold Banquet. We had a great turn out and everything went smoothly. These are my cute BEAR "Bandits!"
Congratulations to Luke Olson for earning his Bear!
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
RS Dinner
Tonight I went to the RS Visiting Teaching Dinner/Program. They had a nice dinner (which was pretty much all off limits for me because almost everything had gluten in it -- sigh!). So I wasn't able to be physically fed but at least I was spiritually fed! The theme was "Mission Possible" instead of "Mission Impossible." The first things they did was have us find a "top secret" envelope with our name on it. Opened them later to find our visiting teaching route. The committee went all out and it turned out really nice. This is our awesome RS Presidency! (Tode Hafen, Cindy Frei, Martsi Strong, and Jamie Morris).
Long Weekend
Sat. 15: Rick had arranged for the carolers to all go do baptisms for the dead this morning at 6:00 a.m. He brought Janika, Jase, and Janika's friend, Tori and they met Kailee and Sunny Gooch there but none of the others showed up! Rick couldn't do the baptisms with his injured back and so someone else did them and he did the confirmations. When I got up all of the younger kids were gathered around the kitchen table coloring pictures. Shane and I fixed pancakes for everyone. The kids all played well together and had a lot of fun. They also loved playing with Calder and laughing at his cuteness. Calder loved climbing up on the kitchen chairs so that he could spin the lazy susan. Then we put him on it and spun it around and he just got the biggest smile on his face!
Shane and Alicia brought Adria and Rella and Janelle and Jaiden to go see The Lego movie in 3D. Calder stayed home but took a nap the whole time! Shane said the best part was watching Janelle's face seeing a 3D movie for the first time. :)
Then Rick's sister, Julie Yearsley stopped by with Abbee and Madee and Madee's fiance'. They brought treats for the kids from the Jensen Valentine Bingo party. Thanks for sending the treats down Grandma Jensen! Our kids couldn't wait to dig into them!
Shane and Alicia brought all of the kids to the park to play while Rick and I fixed dinner -- stuffed potatoes, vegies, and salad. The kids played and watched some TV before bed. They must have been tired because I didn't hear a peep from the basement as soon as they went down!
Sun. 16: We got everyone ready early so that Alicia could do a little photo shoot of our family before church. I hope they turn out okay -- I will be excited to see them! We did the photo shoot in a nice little area right next to the church and then stayed there for choir practice while Alicia went home to finish getting her girls' ready and they met us when church started at 1:00.
The ward choir sang today and Rick did the solo (Savior, Redeemer of my Soul). It is a beautiful song and he sounded so nice on it! I had so many people come and tell me how beautiful it was. Rick's back was still really bothering him (I gave him multiple back-rubs over the weekend!) and so he came home to lay down and then fixed dinner so that it was ready when we got back (barbequed chicken, rice, and vegies).
It was a gorgeous day and so after dinner everyone but Rick and Janika went to the park. It was fun to get outside and play soccer (I need to do that with the kids more often!)
We stayed until dark and then came home and had family home evening. Jenna and Rick had the lesson. They talked about the Brother of Jared's ship and how it was "tight like unto a dish" and how we need to be "tight unto a dish too." He gave everyone accountability partners for various things they needed help with (getting to bed on time, reading scriptures, studying, exercising and so forth). Everyone has been doing really with checking up on their partner (but of course it has only been a couple of days). Alicia made gluten free peanut butter cookies and they were a big hit! Rick just finished reading "Gregor the Overlander" to the kids and just picked up the second book ("Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane") and so they started it tonight.
Mon. 17: Happy President's Day! I got up this morning with a totally stiff neck and back. I told Rick -- it must be contagious! It is so weird that he would have this for several days and now I do too. It is a totally different location but really hurts! I can't bend down or turn my head very well. Luckily Rick's back was starting to feel better and so now it was his turn to give me back-rubs! Adria and Jaiden fixed cheesy eggs for everyone for breakfast -- about two dozen!
Jared and Josh had a dentist appointment this morning and so Rick took them. Jared had three teeth pulled and Josh had a couple of cavities filled. One of my scouts is turning 10 soon and needed to pass off one more requirement to get his Bear (making a bird feeder) and so I had him come over this morning and he and all of my kids and the cousins made bird feeders which they hung outside.
Shane and Alicia took all of their kids plus Janelle and Jaiden out to Kneaders for lunch. I am sure they loved it! They gathered up all of their things and headed back home. Thank you, Shane and Alicia, for coming -- and for taking the girls out to a movie and to lunch! It was so fun to see you all and the kids had a great time playing with their cousins!
Shane and Alicia brought all of the kids to the park to play while Rick and I fixed dinner -- stuffed potatoes, vegies, and salad. The kids played and watched some TV before bed. They must have been tired because I didn't hear a peep from the basement as soon as they went down!
Sun. 16: We got everyone ready early so that Alicia could do a little photo shoot of our family before church. I hope they turn out okay -- I will be excited to see them! We did the photo shoot in a nice little area right next to the church and then stayed there for choir practice while Alicia went home to finish getting her girls' ready and they met us when church started at 1:00.
The ward choir sang today and Rick did the solo (Savior, Redeemer of my Soul). It is a beautiful song and he sounded so nice on it! I had so many people come and tell me how beautiful it was. Rick's back was still really bothering him (I gave him multiple back-rubs over the weekend!) and so he came home to lay down and then fixed dinner so that it was ready when we got back (barbequed chicken, rice, and vegies).
It was a gorgeous day and so after dinner everyone but Rick and Janika went to the park. It was fun to get outside and play soccer (I need to do that with the kids more often!)
Jared and Josh had a dentist appointment this morning and so Rick took them. Jared had three teeth pulled and Josh had a couple of cavities filled. One of my scouts is turning 10 soon and needed to pass off one more requirement to get his Bear (making a bird feeder) and so I had him come over this morning and he and all of my kids and the cousins made bird feeders which they hung outside.
Happy Valentines Day!!
It was a GREAT day today!! Rick got up early and fixed his traditional Valentines breakfast for the kids. He made hashbrown, eggs, gluten free biscuits, pancakes, orange juice, and hot chocolate. He left sweet love notes on everyone's plates along with a bag of candy.
The kids' got ready and I curled Janelle's hair for her talent show today. Rick ended up taking work off today because he did something to his back yesterday and it was really hurting him all day. I also took off work so that I could go watch Janelle in her Geography Bee and Talent Show. It was nice having Rick home because he was able to fix breakfast and bring the kids to school and clean up all of the breakfast mess while I was gone. So he was a big help -- even with his hurt back. I dropped Jenna off at Williams and headed to the school while Rick rested his back.
They have the Geography Bee in the lunch room and the participants are on the bleachers and come up to the microphone one at a time to answer the question given to them. Meanwhile the whole fifth grade watches, so it can be pretty intimidating! There were only a few parents there -- you can usually tell who is going to win by which parents are in attendance -- ha ha! You can also tell right off which kids have studied and which kids haven't. Janelle told me that if they do the Geography Challenge then they don't have to do book report for that month -- or the Science Fair (unless they want to of course). So a lot of kids probably sign up just for that but then don't study, which doesn't work since they have to get to a certain level in order to get the benefits described above.
It is really a lot of work and a big time commitment to learn and memorize that much information! These are the levels:
Level 1: 150 Geography Questions
Level 2: Landforms and Geography Terms
Level 3: Political Maps (Her grade was U.S. States and Capitals)
This is as far as they got in this competition. There are two more levels which I am sure they will get to in the District Competition:
Level 4: U.S. Mountain Ranges, Rivers, Lakes, and Bodies of Water (for fifth grade)
Level 5: Championship Round of various Geography Questions.
I was relieved when they announced that it was double elimination. She studied for many many hours and was very prepared but it was still nerve-racking! She did great though and answered all of the questions correctly until level three. She had studied a little of the states and capitals but had mostly focused on level one and two. She ended up getting third place! And two of her good friends won also -- Layla Purdy got second place and Heidi Wakefield got fourth. Jacob Moody got first. Janelle was very happy about third place and so was I. I just wanted her to do her best and felt like she did!
Janelle's class talent show was right after the Geography Bee and so I stayed and watched her perform "First Time in Forever" from Frozen. She really sang out and was animated and did a great job! It was nice having Rick home when I got home so that we could have a little quality time together!
The girls went to activity days and made learned how to make fondant and decorated cupcakes. They turned out so cute -- I should have taken a picture. Rick and I went out to dinner for Valentines. We left early at 4:30 at beat the Valentines Day crowds. We went to 25 Main and there was no wait at all. We enjoyed a nice dinner and visit and then went grocery shopping to several stores. Rick offered to take me out to ice-cream but we decided to just pick a bunch up at the store instead so that everyone could have some. We got home about a half hour before my brother and sister-in-law, Shane and Alicia, and their kids arrived. They were coming for the long weekend and our kids were ecstatic! It took a while to get beds situated in the basement and get the kids calmed down enough to actually go to sleep. They went to bed at 11:00 and woke up bright and early the next morning before 7:30 a.m.!!
The kids' got ready and I curled Janelle's hair for her talent show today. Rick ended up taking work off today because he did something to his back yesterday and it was really hurting him all day. I also took off work so that I could go watch Janelle in her Geography Bee and Talent Show. It was nice having Rick home because he was able to fix breakfast and bring the kids to school and clean up all of the breakfast mess while I was gone. So he was a big help -- even with his hurt back. I dropped Jenna off at Williams and headed to the school while Rick rested his back.
They have the Geography Bee in the lunch room and the participants are on the bleachers and come up to the microphone one at a time to answer the question given to them. Meanwhile the whole fifth grade watches, so it can be pretty intimidating! There were only a few parents there -- you can usually tell who is going to win by which parents are in attendance -- ha ha! You can also tell right off which kids have studied and which kids haven't. Janelle told me that if they do the Geography Challenge then they don't have to do book report for that month -- or the Science Fair (unless they want to of course). So a lot of kids probably sign up just for that but then don't study, which doesn't work since they have to get to a certain level in order to get the benefits described above.
It is really a lot of work and a big time commitment to learn and memorize that much information! These are the levels:
Level 1: 150 Geography Questions
Level 2: Landforms and Geography Terms
Level 3: Political Maps (Her grade was U.S. States and Capitals)
This is as far as they got in this competition. There are two more levels which I am sure they will get to in the District Competition:
Level 4: U.S. Mountain Ranges, Rivers, Lakes, and Bodies of Water (for fifth grade)
Level 5: Championship Round of various Geography Questions.
I was relieved when they announced that it was double elimination. She studied for many many hours and was very prepared but it was still nerve-racking! She did great though and answered all of the questions correctly until level three. She had studied a little of the states and capitals but had mostly focused on level one and two. She ended up getting third place! And two of her good friends won also -- Layla Purdy got second place and Heidi Wakefield got fourth. Jacob Moody got first. Janelle was very happy about third place and so was I. I just wanted her to do her best and felt like she did!
Janelle's class talent show was right after the Geography Bee and so I stayed and watched her perform "First Time in Forever" from Frozen. She really sang out and was animated and did a great job! It was nice having Rick home when I got home so that we could have a little quality time together!
The girls went to activity days and made learned how to make fondant and decorated cupcakes. They turned out so cute -- I should have taken a picture. Rick and I went out to dinner for Valentines. We left early at 4:30 at beat the Valentines Day crowds. We went to 25 Main and there was no wait at all. We enjoyed a nice dinner and visit and then went grocery shopping to several stores. Rick offered to take me out to ice-cream but we decided to just pick a bunch up at the store instead so that everyone could have some. We got home about a half hour before my brother and sister-in-law, Shane and Alicia, and their kids arrived. They were coming for the long weekend and our kids were ecstatic! It took a while to get beds situated in the basement and get the kids calmed down enough to actually go to sleep. They went to bed at 11:00 and woke up bright and early the next morning before 7:30 a.m.!!
Thursday, February 13, 2014
Feb. 10-13
Mon. Feb. 10: Jenna didn't have pre-school today and the kids all got out of school early. So our house was filled with kids as soon as I got home from interpreting. I had a hair appointment for a color and cut. My discount card (Gecko Card) just expired, so right after interpreting I drove over to Lava Ridge to purchase a new one for the year in order to get the 20% discount. I use the card a lot and so it is totally worth the $10.00! She took over two hours but I like how it turned out.
Tues. Feb. 11: The kids went to school early for choir practice. I went to a Zumba Toning class at the Summit and really liked it. I brought Jenna to the child-care center there while I went and she enjoyed it. I was grateful for no appointments today in order to get caught up on some house-work. Tonight was my ASL class. I came home and helped Jaiden with her song for her class talent show. She was stressed out and very whiny and so Rick made her go to bed as soon as he got home.
Tuesdays have been difficult this semester because I leave for my class before the younger kids get home from school and then don't get home until around 6:30 or so -- and then there are often other things on Tuesday nights (Pack meetings, RS meetings and so forth). Usually Rick gets home shortly after the kids do and he is good to take everything over at home, but this semester he is interpreting a class on Tuesday nights and so he just stays at the Seminary building after work in order to work on his certification projects.
We have plenty of kids old enough to babysit but I don't like being absent when the kids get home from school and I don't like not being there to help with homework and to make sure that jobs are being done, piano is being practiced, dinner is being made, the house is getting clean, dishes are being done, and so on. Tonight I arrived home to a messy house and semi-fed, whiny kids. There are a ton of things going on at the school this week with the kids -- all which require parental help. It is getting harder and harder to teach my ASL class -- especially during this prime time.
I thought of changing my class from afternoon to morning, but hated to give up more of my precious morning hours, and then I would have to find and pay another babysitter, which eats up a lot of the money that I earn. I decided to go ahead and quit teaching after this semester and just interpret. The pay is about the same, but interpreting is a little more flexible and requires a lot less outside prep time than teaching does. I really enjoy learning new things in the classes that I interpret for. I have a great ASL class -- it is very small with cute, motivated students. But I feel like my family is suffering because of me being gone during that time and so it is time to call it quits!
Wed. Feb. 12: It was a full day with interpreting, piano lessons for three kids, dance lessons for Jaiden, young mens/womens and my Pack planning meeting. Jaiden had her class talent show today and said it went well. I went to the Dollar store and bought Valentines and Candy for the kids to pass out to their classes. I just pick whatever is cheapest and so I am glad that the kids are not too picky about whatever I bring home. I had them write their names on them all and get them ready for their parties.
Thurs. Feb. 13: I brought Jenna to playgroup and worked on cleaning the house. She had her pre-school Valentines party today and was excited to pass out her Valentines treats and get treats in return!! I had signed up for Rick and I to go the the Deaf Community Sweetheart's Challenge tonight but then cancelled because we just had too much to do. Janelle's Geography Challenge is tomorrow and so I have spent many many hours quizzing her the past few weeks. It is also her class talent show tomorrow and so she needed to practice for that as well. When I got home from class, everyone was sitting around the table eating a nice dinner that Rick had made and Janelle, Jaiden, and Josh all showed me the Valentines Boxes that their dad helped them make. They turned out cute! I don't mind teaching so much when Rick is home to take over things at home! I am very grateful for a husband who is such an awesome dad!
Tues. Feb. 11: The kids went to school early for choir practice. I went to a Zumba Toning class at the Summit and really liked it. I brought Jenna to the child-care center there while I went and she enjoyed it. I was grateful for no appointments today in order to get caught up on some house-work. Tonight was my ASL class. I came home and helped Jaiden with her song for her class talent show. She was stressed out and very whiny and so Rick made her go to bed as soon as he got home.
Tuesdays have been difficult this semester because I leave for my class before the younger kids get home from school and then don't get home until around 6:30 or so -- and then there are often other things on Tuesday nights (Pack meetings, RS meetings and so forth). Usually Rick gets home shortly after the kids do and he is good to take everything over at home, but this semester he is interpreting a class on Tuesday nights and so he just stays at the Seminary building after work in order to work on his certification projects.
We have plenty of kids old enough to babysit but I don't like being absent when the kids get home from school and I don't like not being there to help with homework and to make sure that jobs are being done, piano is being practiced, dinner is being made, the house is getting clean, dishes are being done, and so on. Tonight I arrived home to a messy house and semi-fed, whiny kids. There are a ton of things going on at the school this week with the kids -- all which require parental help. It is getting harder and harder to teach my ASL class -- especially during this prime time.
I thought of changing my class from afternoon to morning, but hated to give up more of my precious morning hours, and then I would have to find and pay another babysitter, which eats up a lot of the money that I earn. I decided to go ahead and quit teaching after this semester and just interpret. The pay is about the same, but interpreting is a little more flexible and requires a lot less outside prep time than teaching does. I really enjoy learning new things in the classes that I interpret for. I have a great ASL class -- it is very small with cute, motivated students. But I feel like my family is suffering because of me being gone during that time and so it is time to call it quits!
Wed. Feb. 12: It was a full day with interpreting, piano lessons for three kids, dance lessons for Jaiden, young mens/womens and my Pack planning meeting. Jaiden had her class talent show today and said it went well. I went to the Dollar store and bought Valentines and Candy for the kids to pass out to their classes. I just pick whatever is cheapest and so I am glad that the kids are not too picky about whatever I bring home. I had them write their names on them all and get them ready for their parties.
Thurs. Feb. 13: I brought Jenna to playgroup and worked on cleaning the house. She had her pre-school Valentines party today and was excited to pass out her Valentines treats and get treats in return!! I had signed up for Rick and I to go the the Deaf Community Sweetheart's Challenge tonight but then cancelled because we just had too much to do. Janelle's Geography Challenge is tomorrow and so I have spent many many hours quizzing her the past few weeks. It is also her class talent show tomorrow and so she needed to practice for that as well. When I got home from class, everyone was sitting around the table eating a nice dinner that Rick had made and Janelle, Jaiden, and Josh all showed me the Valentines Boxes that their dad helped them make. They turned out cute! I don't mind teaching so much when Rick is home to take over things at home! I am very grateful for a husband who is such an awesome dad!
Sunday, February 9, 2014
Feb. 3-9
Monday Feb. 3: I interpreted this morning at DSU and then had another interpreting appointment in town afterwards. Right after the kids got home from school I brought Jase, Jared, and Janelle to the dentist. Jase just had one little cavity that they fixed while he was there, Jared had two cavities and after x-rays they recommended getting five of his baby teeth pulled (molars) because they are just not coming out anytime soon and the permanent teeth are ready to come in, Janelle didn't have any cavities but they recommended her getting sealant on some of her teeth. So I set up more appointments for Jared, Janelle, and Josh.
Tuesday Feb. 4: I tended Clarissa and Audrey this morning and then taught my ASL class and then went straight to Jared's Parent Teacher Conferences. He got great comments from his teachers.
Wednesday Feb. 5: I went to "Mom's and Muffins" at the kids' elementary school at 8:15 and then headed to my interpreting job. I checked out Janelle, Jaiden, and Josh a half hour early from school so that they could go to Jase's Ceramics class for open studio time before all of their lessons started. They all got to make something out of ceramics.
Thurs. Feb. 6: Jenna went to playgroup this morning and I was able to deep clean the kitchen while she was gone. Tonight right after my ASL class I met Janika at the opening meeting for the upcoming Princess Pageant.
Fri. Feb. 7: I went to work and then we had combined scouts with the wolves and the bears at the church. It went fine but was pretty crazy with almost twenty boys! They made their "WANTED" posteds for the Blue and Gold Banquet and I took pictures of each of them in a cowboy hat and bandana to add to the posters later. They also played Softball in the gym to earn a beltloop. I felt really tense and stressed out after the den meeting. Rick and I went out to dinner at Kneaders and it was nice to go out.
Sat. Feb. 8: Jared had his Scout Pow-Wow again this morning and earned the Communications merit badge and the Citzenship in the Community Merit Badge. Jase took the ACT this morning and can't wait to get the results back. He is only a sophomore but kept bugging me to sign him up. He took several practice tests this week to prepare. I went to a Combat class at the Summit. She asked who was new to the class and I raised my hand and she said, "Okay, your goal for today is just to make it through the class. You will be really sore tomorrow!" I really liked the class and since I used to take a kick-boxing class I was familiar with a lot of the moves. But she was right -- I was SO sore for several days afterwards! We spent the day cleaning the house and I made some treats for Maddie's open house tomorrow.
Sun. Feb. 9: Our family went to the Deaf Branch today in order to go to Maddie Pemberton's mission farewell. She did a great job -- she will be such an awesome missionary! She is going on an ASL mission to Little Rock, Arkansas:
We went to an open house at Maddie's house this afternoon and there were LOTS of people there! Rick and I went to a Primary Inservice tonight. It was nice to see everyone who works for the Primary! Rick is in nursery and I am in Scouts so we don't see most of the other primary workers.
Tuesday Feb. 4: I tended Clarissa and Audrey this morning and then taught my ASL class and then went straight to Jared's Parent Teacher Conferences. He got great comments from his teachers.
Wednesday Feb. 5: I went to "Mom's and Muffins" at the kids' elementary school at 8:15 and then headed to my interpreting job. I checked out Janelle, Jaiden, and Josh a half hour early from school so that they could go to Jase's Ceramics class for open studio time before all of their lessons started. They all got to make something out of ceramics.
Fri. Feb. 7: I went to work and then we had combined scouts with the wolves and the bears at the church. It went fine but was pretty crazy with almost twenty boys! They made their "WANTED" posteds for the Blue and Gold Banquet and I took pictures of each of them in a cowboy hat and bandana to add to the posters later. They also played Softball in the gym to earn a beltloop. I felt really tense and stressed out after the den meeting. Rick and I went out to dinner at Kneaders and it was nice to go out.
Sat. Feb. 8: Jared had his Scout Pow-Wow again this morning and earned the Communications merit badge and the Citzenship in the Community Merit Badge. Jase took the ACT this morning and can't wait to get the results back. He is only a sophomore but kept bugging me to sign him up. He took several practice tests this week to prepare. I went to a Combat class at the Summit. She asked who was new to the class and I raised my hand and she said, "Okay, your goal for today is just to make it through the class. You will be really sore tomorrow!" I really liked the class and since I used to take a kick-boxing class I was familiar with a lot of the moves. But she was right -- I was SO sore for several days afterwards! We spent the day cleaning the house and I made some treats for Maddie's open house tomorrow.
Sun. Feb. 9: Our family went to the Deaf Branch today in order to go to Maddie Pemberton's mission farewell. She did a great job -- she will be such an awesome missionary! She is going on an ASL mission to Little Rock, Arkansas:
Friday, February 7, 2014
Winter Ball
Janika went to Tuacahn's Winter Ball with Christian and Tori went with Trent Saaralaine. Janika and Tori go to Tuacahn and Trent and Christian go to Desert Hills High School. Janika and Tori don't know a lot of guys from Tuacahn and there wasn't anyone there they would have wanted to go with and so they took matters into their own hands and asked dates from another school (even though it was a boys' choice dance). I thought it was great idea. So the girls planned the date. They came over to our house and each couple made chocolate chip cookies with no recipe to see who could make the best cookies. Janika is quite the little chef and so I am guessing that this was her idea. Her cookies won. They then watched a movie in our basement. They brought the guys back home and came back home to change and get ready and then picked them up and brought them here for pictures. Rick took the pictures close to our house and they turned out really cute. Then they went and picked up dinner from Costa Vida and ate it in our basement with a candle-light dinner. Jenna thought that sounded really fun and so we had our own candle-light dinner upstairs at the same time for our pizza dinner. They went to the dance and then came back here to watch a movie.
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Sunday, February 2, 2014
January 27-Feb 2
Monday 27: I brought Jaiden, Josh and Jenna to the dentist after school. Jaiden and Jenna didn't have any cavities (which is somewhat of a surprise because neither of them brush their teeth very well) but poor Josh had five cavities. Ugh!
Tuesday 28: This month Jaiden and Janelle started choir at their school. They meet at 7:45 on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. It works out well because Janika starts class at DSU (concurrent enrollement) on Tuesday and Thursday mornings at 8:00 a.m. and so she is able to drop them off at choir practice on her way. Tonight I went visiting teaching.
Wednesday 29: New Beginnings (see next post).
Thursday 30: Jenna went to her playgroup and then I went to an interpreting appointment for a couple of hours. It started raining today and rained all evening -- which is good, we need it. Tonight was my ASL class and then I picked up Allison and we went to the Stake Relief Society Conference at the Stake Center. The theme was "Becoming." They were expecting about 200 ladies and ended up with about 300! So they had to hurry and put up more tables, clear into the overflow area of the chapel. But just like the loaves and the fishes, there was enough food for everyone. Many times I go to things like this and end up being disappointed because I can't eat any of the food, so I was really happy that I could eat almost everything there. They had crock pots with several different kinds of soups and one of them was taco soup, which was safe for me to eat. They even had some separate gluten free desserts which was a welcome surprise!
The program was really nice. Christin Olson sang "His Hands" along with a slide show of pictures of Christ. She has an amazing voice and it was absolutely gorgeous. They also showed some video clips of sisters in our Stake who have gone through various trials and struggles. The main speaker was Sister Margaret Nadauld. She was the 11th General Young Women's President from 1997 to 2002 and her husband is currently the President of Dixie State University. I think it is ironic but wonderful that she is the mother of seven boys and no girls and yet she was President over all of the Young Women in the church! Julie B. Beck (General Relief Society President from 2007 to 2012) was also present at this meeting!
Fri. 31: A new gym opened up nearby called The Summit. There is a bigger one across town but this one is smaller and only about a mile away. I had been thinking about joining a gym again and my friend just joined this one and said that they had an opening discount which ended today and so I decided to grab the opportunity before the price went back up to their regular price. I am excited to start working out at a gym again!
My visiting teachers met with me at the Institute which works well since I work at Dixie and she works at the Institute. We had a nice visit. I went home and had lunch and then went to scouts. Rick sent me a text asking me if I wanted to go to the temple with him tonight. I thought that would be nice and so we went out to dinner at Kneaders and then went to the temple. We saw the new movie (the second new movie).
Sat. Feb. 1: Rick went and helped one of our new interpreters move in this morning. Jared went to his Scout pow-wow. I went to the gym and tried out a spin class. I have never done it before and HATED it! Later on I tried out their Zumba class and loved it. It was Janika's Winter Ball today. I will do a separate post for that with pictures.
Sun. Feb. 2: It was fast Sunday today. The meetings were really good and we had a nice yummy ham dinner when we got home. Janika wasn't feeling well and came home from church right after sacrament meeting. It was nice to have some time to relax today.
Tuesday 28: This month Jaiden and Janelle started choir at their school. They meet at 7:45 on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. It works out well because Janika starts class at DSU (concurrent enrollement) on Tuesday and Thursday mornings at 8:00 a.m. and so she is able to drop them off at choir practice on her way. Tonight I went visiting teaching.
Wednesday 29: New Beginnings (see next post).
Thursday 30: Jenna went to her playgroup and then I went to an interpreting appointment for a couple of hours. It started raining today and rained all evening -- which is good, we need it. Tonight was my ASL class and then I picked up Allison and we went to the Stake Relief Society Conference at the Stake Center. The theme was "Becoming." They were expecting about 200 ladies and ended up with about 300! So they had to hurry and put up more tables, clear into the overflow area of the chapel. But just like the loaves and the fishes, there was enough food for everyone. Many times I go to things like this and end up being disappointed because I can't eat any of the food, so I was really happy that I could eat almost everything there. They had crock pots with several different kinds of soups and one of them was taco soup, which was safe for me to eat. They even had some separate gluten free desserts which was a welcome surprise!
The program was really nice. Christin Olson sang "His Hands" along with a slide show of pictures of Christ. She has an amazing voice and it was absolutely gorgeous. They also showed some video clips of sisters in our Stake who have gone through various trials and struggles. The main speaker was Sister Margaret Nadauld. She was the 11th General Young Women's President from 1997 to 2002 and her husband is currently the President of Dixie State University. I think it is ironic but wonderful that she is the mother of seven boys and no girls and yet she was President over all of the Young Women in the church! Julie B. Beck (General Relief Society President from 2007 to 2012) was also present at this meeting!
Fri. 31: A new gym opened up nearby called The Summit. There is a bigger one across town but this one is smaller and only about a mile away. I had been thinking about joining a gym again and my friend just joined this one and said that they had an opening discount which ended today and so I decided to grab the opportunity before the price went back up to their regular price. I am excited to start working out at a gym again!
My visiting teachers met with me at the Institute which works well since I work at Dixie and she works at the Institute. We had a nice visit. I went home and had lunch and then went to scouts. Rick sent me a text asking me if I wanted to go to the temple with him tonight. I thought that would be nice and so we went out to dinner at Kneaders and then went to the temple. We saw the new movie (the second new movie).
Sat. Feb. 1: Rick went and helped one of our new interpreters move in this morning. Jared went to his Scout pow-wow. I went to the gym and tried out a spin class. I have never done it before and HATED it! Later on I tried out their Zumba class and loved it. It was Janika's Winter Ball today. I will do a separate post for that with pictures.
Sun. Feb. 2: It was fast Sunday today. The meetings were really good and we had a nice yummy ham dinner when we got home. Janika wasn't feeling well and came home from church right after sacrament meeting. It was nice to have some time to relax today.
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