"Cotton-eyed Joe" and the "Virgina Reel" were the 2nd grade songs.
The sixth grade boys danced to "I'll be Your Everything" and then combined with girls for the "Ho Down Throw Down."
Parker with Mrs. Hoyt
And with Mr. Finch
Sunday, May 30, 2010
End of Days
Really I must be getting old because it seems absolutely impossible to consider we have completed yet another school year. We've made it through early morning seminary and three different school schedules and taking three hours each day to launch all the children.
Cambry has had her final choir and band concerts. She's attended her honor society banquet. She danced at all the dances available to her. She has graced through the transition into high school. She has met her goal of staying boyfriend-free this year, two more to go. She's progressing as a bassoonist and has a wonderful group of friends; what would we ever do without Brittney? She has her typical 4.0 almost all year long. She stands out and is appreciated.
Riley has completed some fun projects in Mr. Aston's class including video game programming and a beautiful wood encased pen he made me for Mother's Day. He also had a wonderful time making a compound machine using milk boxes from Costco, steelies, motors, and a wood car that finally popped a balloon. He played his final concert of the year as a wonderful first trumpet. Oh yes, and let's not forget that he finally met his goal for the year of a 4.0 (at least we're pretty sure that's the final score).
Parker is making it. Two weeks ago he was completely failing all of his subjects except one. But he has worked, most independently complete and turn in his assignments. Within 12 days he brought all those grades up to passing. When he was writing his talk for Mother's day, Dave had him list women who have influenced him for good. His current teacher, Mrs. Hoyt, was on the list. He has learned some important lessons, worked through some relationship troubles, taken responsibility, and learned a thing or two about reading, writing, and 'rithmetic on the way.
Elise has made it through a wonderful second grade year. It seems funny from this point to remember that she was not happy with the class selection she'd gotten. Today she loves Mrs. Hutchinson and all of her friends. She has developed quite a discipline with her school work. She is looking forward already to next year.
Spring Fling
For spring fling, a girl's choice dance, Tiffany, Britney, and Cambry took dates Steve, Chris, and James. Cambry knew James from early morning seminary and she was his first date.
The group got together Saturday to decorate their t-shirts and take pictures. Some of the group then walked down to the river bottoms and colors the walks with chalk. For dinner the girls served lasagna, rolls (which Cambry made solo for the first time, go girl!), and salad over at Brittney's. They had a nice time. Sunday, May 23, 2010
Mother’s day
I'm getting better at this Mother's Day thing. It used to be that I didn't want any fuss put up for me. This year, I basked in the gifts of the day.
While we were in visiting Grandma and Grandpa, the kids played hide and seek. Riley, nicely attired in his Sunday best, found the best hiding place and enlisted Eric for diversion.
I got a yummy bagel and cream cheese breakfast with yogurt and fresh fruit. Cambry made a dessert for a big family gathering up in Layton. I soaked in a yummy bath with sandelwood and rose oil. I fixed a dress I've had but only worn a few times. Dave helped Parker prepare a talk. I got to speak in deacon's quorum for a few minutes.
My mom and dad have brought Grandma and Grandpa Bramwell into their home for a few weeks while Grandpa receives treatment for a serious blood infection. After a nice dinner at Ben and Nanette's with family, we got to go visit with them. It was marvelous to get to talk to them. Grandma requested that we tell her the story of the prom dress again, though she'd already heard it.
While we were in visiting Grandma and Grandpa, the kids played hide and seek. Riley, nicely attired in his Sunday best, found the best hiding place and enlisted Eric for diversion. It was a wonderful Mother's day and I sincerely appreciate my dear Dave for his insistence that my Mother's day feel queenly.
Pure doctrine
Sincerely seeking for answers, I opened my fast this month praying for direct revelation for how to handle the problems in our home. The only answer that came was, "teach pure doctrine." Don't we do that every day in our home?
I had to ponder for a while on this, but Sunday morning I called everyone down to a discussion. I labeled the problem I saw in our home: children were accustomed to obeying if they felt like it or at least if they didn't want to pay the price for disobedience. For the most part, this approach will serve them in life. But God has given children a commandment to honor and obey their parents. We talked about why this made sense: parents really want what is best for their children, now and in the future.
So pure doctrine taught, I established a plan for establishing change. I walk into their presence when I have a request for them to accomplish. I ask them to do it and come find me when they are done. The attitudes in our home improved and I had the opportunity to thank and praise my children for even the smallest of things.
This was especially powerful for Parker because of his defiance. First of all, it narrowed the behavior down to one simple thing. If he misbehaved, we asked him to do a service like making a bed for the person he was mistreating. We tracked his obedience with a behavior modification chart. At the next taekwondo practice, if there were more marks in the yes column than in the no, he could go. If not, we start a new chart and hope for the next practice. It was exhausting. But cooperation has increased and he even started doing things he knew were expected because I marked two yeses for indirect obedience.
Direct revelation, pure doctrine, happy home.
I had to ponder for a while on this, but Sunday morning I called everyone down to a discussion. I labeled the problem I saw in our home: children were accustomed to obeying if they felt like it or at least if they didn't want to pay the price for disobedience. For the most part, this approach will serve them in life. But God has given children a commandment to honor and obey their parents. We talked about why this made sense: parents really want what is best for their children, now and in the future.
So pure doctrine taught, I established a plan for establishing change. I walk into their presence when I have a request for them to accomplish. I ask them to do it and come find me when they are done. The attitudes in our home improved and I had the opportunity to thank and praise my children for even the smallest of things.
This was especially powerful for Parker because of his defiance. First of all, it narrowed the behavior down to one simple thing. If he misbehaved, we asked him to do a service like making a bed for the person he was mistreating. We tracked his obedience with a behavior modification chart. At the next taekwondo practice, if there were more marks in the yes column than in the no, he could go. If not, we start a new chart and hope for the next practice. It was exhausting. But cooperation has increased and he even started doing things he knew were expected because I marked two yeses for indirect obedience.
Direct revelation, pure doctrine, happy home.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Crouching tiger, or hidden dragon
So after a spiritual feast at women's conference and a very short night's sleep, I woke early Saturday morning to take Parker up to his first taekwondo tournament. For the second day in a row, Dave was running things at home. It was a crazy event and pretty much the entire time I was wondering if I was really cut out for tournament life. After waiting for hours, Parker was able perform well at board breaking. He did a complicated kick series, but his first board didn't break the first contact. Splinters were flying as his other boards broke and he divided the first board when he came back to it. It was only he and a teammate in that division and Parker got second place in that category.
Then we realized we needed an athletic cup for the sparring competition. I hate driving in Salt Lake. I always get turned the wrong way and want to turn left when it is not allowed and go east on a westbound one-way street. I left Parker at the tournament and got on with the business of getting nowhere. After a few crazy turn-arounds, I got into a huge supermarket. I was able to find the sports section, but they didn't have an athletic cup. Darn. They pointed me to the Dick's sporting goods down in the Gateway. Well that miss had only burned up 45 minutes: I could have driven home in that amount of time!!!! So assuming the next leg of my journey had to run smoother, I trekked out in pursuit of the cup.
Turning south to avoid an unwanted entry onto the freeway, I kept going south to avoid going the wrong way on a one-way. Then I had to stay southbound to avoid another freeway entrance. Augh!! Finally, 30 minutes more into the journey, I made it to the gateway, but I had absolutely no idea where Dick's was. Navigating as well as a blind-deaf mariner, I turned again to try to find my way back through the maze. I stopped at a stop sign and verbalized a prayer: "You know where Dick's sporting goods is. Can't you help me get there? I have a little boy alone at his first tournament, anxious to compete." I rounded the corner and without the angelic chord that easily could have accompanied the vision, I saw the long-pursued goal. I still had to make a few wrong turns and get turned around, but the goal was in sight. I got the cup. But I forgot the mouth guard.
Flustered and rushed, I started the journey back. I got lost again. Who designed the streets around the U? Insanity. But I did arrive, a full 2 hours from the time I'd left, before Parker was called up to fight. But then I realized the mouth guard mistake. His match was delayed as I went out again. But this time, I am happy to report, I didn't have any trouble. You see, I knew all the wrong turns not to make. Round trip only took 30 minutes!
Here's where it all turned worth it. I waited another hour or so for Parker to be called up. He went out onto that mat and revealed the tiger inside. He was smart and aggressive and effective. He lost a point for accidental head contact, but he had it to give. He won the match 9 to 2. To see what I saw in him for those three minutes, I can definitely be a tournament mom.
By the way, I really missed my camera!!!!
The demo team has been invited to Nationals in Florida at the end of June. Parker is standing in the back with his head down.
Here is the first board.
There was a bit of power in that break. He's winding up for the final break.
The sparring match. Sorry, I was too caugh up in the match to capture it.
Final score, 9:2
First place.
Shouldering the burden
Having to go into the office everyday to accomplish in batch what I used to do from home in bits and pieces has been very taxing. Added to, and perhaps even exacerbated by my burgeoning responsibility, Parker started falling apart all the time. I was at my whit's end. I spoke to my mom who told Lestelle who reiterated her invitation to come to women's conference with her. I just really couldn't see how I could steal away an entire day when I was hardly getting sleep or regular meals.
That Friday was not only payroll, but the filing deadline for quarterlies. Everything was more complicated because we had to change all of our work accounts as well as our personal. By the time I left work Thursday the quarterlies were filed. Dave had to go back at night and I went with him to complete payroll. When I left that night, the week's work was done enough. I was too tired to plan Friday's list of things to do, so I just went to bed. As I was saying my prayers, I pleaded with the Lord to help me shoulder these burdens. I simply was not capable of doing it alone.
Friday morning I got up and made breakfast, started bread, and was dressed in my workout clothes deciding to get moving when the phone rang. It was Lestelle and she just wanted to make sure I couldn't meet her for Women's Conference. It was 8:10 and I would need to leave in 35 minutes if I were to make it. Dave heard me talking and offered to take Aleah for the day. And so as quick as that, I was getting ready and leaving for BYU.
When I met up with Lestelle at the Marriott Center for the opening session, I told her I didn't even know what I wasn't doing today!
The entire day was power-packed with just what I needed. I cried in every class as the Spirit confirmed the truths that had been prepared for me to receive that day. It wasn't until probably 1:30 that I remembered that I had started bread dough in the bread machine and it was going to be all over. That was a good joke. But I was gathering spiritual food.
I was going to leave before the closing session because Cambry had a YW camp fundraiser dinner. But when I called home to see how things were, Dave's report was that Parker was being terrible and I didn't want to leave the Garden of Eden just yet, so I sent notice that I was staying through the end of the conference.
Once again, Elder Oaks shared something just for me. Women's Conference was an answer to my prayer the night before. I came home fortified, and in time for Cambry's dinner. I cried as I shared some of the things I'd learned with Dave. I felt that Dave and I knew that raising Parker would be a challenge but that together we could do it. I could almost hear Dave saying, "It'll be fun. Beauty, we'll do it together. Come on, it will be fine." I was ready to slay dragons again. Which is a good thing because here there be dragons.
Good from bad
It would seem reasonable to call the circumstances of being burglarized bad. David asked me to voice family prayer the night of the burglary. I asked God that we would be able to see the greater good that could be worked through this experience.
A few days later as we were reading the New Testiment as a family, we read the following in Mark 10:29 "And Jesus answered and said, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, (I added as I read, or laptops, or cameras) for my sake and the gospel's (or to go to church), But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life." I cried as I read that aloud and knew that the law of compensation would cover our loss.
Later that afternoon as I was ironing seams on the lining bodice of Cambry's prom dress, I had a question pop into my head with force: Were you dispitefully used and abused. Of course the answer was a solid, Yes! Then came the council: pray for them. There have been people with whom I have shared this story who think I exhibit a grand degree of character in my response. But this did not come of me, it would not be in any person's nature as we of ourselves are not capable of good.
But as I have considered these events, I can see that my response to the burglary will live with me longer than it will the burglar. Being able to pray for them made their capture a sweet experience, an answer to prayer. I hope they can make a change. I don't wish them ill, I wish them better.
Amy Gibb was arrested April 23 outside of Park's sportsman, 12 days after she burglarized our house. She had only that day's burglarized property on her. She is a 36 year old meth addict. She was part of an identity theft ring. Police arrested others in the following weeks. She was responsible for a number of daytime home invasions and vehicle burglaries in parking lots. She was linked to the burglary of the Thomases five houses down and a few days after ours. She had been seen at both locations at the times of the burglaries. She has a lot of charges against her and will be put away for a long time already. Police hope to continue expanding charges. We may not have our property returned, they may not even be able to solidly link her to our burglary and charge her for it. But she has a chance now. Of course, she's been there before and it yielded her new contacts for her crime life. But if God can prompt me to pray for her, He must not have given up yet. There is yet potential for good from bad.
Another compensation was that I changed all my passwords in a fit of addrenaline that Sunday night. I got into quickbooks at work later that week, but as the stress accelerated, I completely forgot the new password and the automatic reset wouldn't work. So I had a long conversation with a nice tech guy as we went through some technical hoops. As we were talking I learned that the 2007 version we've been using would no longer support some of the services I use. Plus a new laptop will likely run window 7 and the only Quickbooks compatible with that operating system is the 2010 version. Bad. That's a big upgrade for the entire company. A funny aside, as soon as I was off the phone, I went to log in and remembered the password I'd not been able to recollect for days. Within a few days, I got an email blast announcing a one-day-only half off sale on QB 2010. So you see, I was going to have to upgrade anyway, but may not have paid attention to the offer without that conversation. The savings covered the cost of my new laptop. Bad to good.
My dad got me set up and secure. I felt his love and protection. Bad to good.
And don't forget that I sewed a prom dress in A1 Vacuum and Sewing with help from Anna and Karen. Bad to good.
There is no power on this earth greater than the atonement of Jesus Christ. His atonement makes compensation possible to those who will turn to Him in all circumstances. Good from bad. There is hope for all of us.
A few days later as we were reading the New Testiment as a family, we read the following in Mark 10:29 "And Jesus answered and said, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, (I added as I read, or laptops, or cameras) for my sake and the gospel's (or to go to church), But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life." I cried as I read that aloud and knew that the law of compensation would cover our loss.
Later that afternoon as I was ironing seams on the lining bodice of Cambry's prom dress, I had a question pop into my head with force: Were you dispitefully used and abused. Of course the answer was a solid, Yes! Then came the council: pray for them. There have been people with whom I have shared this story who think I exhibit a grand degree of character in my response. But this did not come of me, it would not be in any person's nature as we of ourselves are not capable of good.
But as I have considered these events, I can see that my response to the burglary will live with me longer than it will the burglar. Being able to pray for them made their capture a sweet experience, an answer to prayer. I hope they can make a change. I don't wish them ill, I wish them better.
Amy Gibb was arrested April 23 outside of Park's sportsman, 12 days after she burglarized our house. She had only that day's burglarized property on her. She is a 36 year old meth addict. She was part of an identity theft ring. Police arrested others in the following weeks. She was responsible for a number of daytime home invasions and vehicle burglaries in parking lots. She was linked to the burglary of the Thomases five houses down and a few days after ours. She had been seen at both locations at the times of the burglaries. She has a lot of charges against her and will be put away for a long time already. Police hope to continue expanding charges. We may not have our property returned, they may not even be able to solidly link her to our burglary and charge her for it. But she has a chance now. Of course, she's been there before and it yielded her new contacts for her crime life. But if God can prompt me to pray for her, He must not have given up yet. There is yet potential for good from bad.
Another compensation was that I changed all my passwords in a fit of addrenaline that Sunday night. I got into quickbooks at work later that week, but as the stress accelerated, I completely forgot the new password and the automatic reset wouldn't work. So I had a long conversation with a nice tech guy as we went through some technical hoops. As we were talking I learned that the 2007 version we've been using would no longer support some of the services I use. Plus a new laptop will likely run window 7 and the only Quickbooks compatible with that operating system is the 2010 version. Bad. That's a big upgrade for the entire company. A funny aside, as soon as I was off the phone, I went to log in and remembered the password I'd not been able to recollect for days. Within a few days, I got an email blast announcing a one-day-only half off sale on QB 2010. So you see, I was going to have to upgrade anyway, but may not have paid attention to the offer without that conversation. The savings covered the cost of my new laptop. Bad to good.
My dad got me set up and secure. I felt his love and protection. Bad to good.
And don't forget that I sewed a prom dress in A1 Vacuum and Sewing with help from Anna and Karen. Bad to good.
There is no power on this earth greater than the atonement of Jesus Christ. His atonement makes compensation possible to those who will turn to Him in all circumstances. Good from bad. There is hope for all of us.