Stax of Wax

Sari was able to participate in her 9th grade drama class production, "Stax of Wax". She played Calamity Jane. It's basically "Night at the Museum" about wax figures that come to life when no one is around. Very cute, she had a ton of fun and was able to share her incredible acting talents with the world! Well, the school, at least!!

Christmas 2010

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2011!!!!

Santa brought you a what???

You'd better not pout...

You'd better not cry....

Who let the cat in? (Who. Who. Who.)

condensing: Christmas/Halloween

Our Darlings sporting new matching PJ's with a reminder of our family theme for the year:
Be True 2 U!

back to school...

Shawnie is adjusting remarkably well to her new school. She loves her teachers and has made some pretty incredible friends already. She is excited to participate and interacts with her peers really well. She is even completing her school work quickly so that she won't have so much homework!! Her school is getting to know her and her positive attitude has already affected many.


Sari. My sweet FRESHMAN Sari. She flew into this school year so gracefully, I just watched in awe. I can't believe the maturity that she possesses at this point in her life. She is going above and beyond in her classes at school, she is always looking for ways to make things more creative and out-of-the-ordinary, school assignments included. She is friendly and thoughtful to everyone, so naturally she has lots of friends, girls and guys alike. She went to her first high school football game the other night! Her memories of the night included falling on the bleachers (right in front of the seniors...) and not watching a moment of the game because she was socializing. I am so excited for her to be able to have the experiences that come with these next few years of life.

yellowstone

From Sari: I had the opportunity in May to go on a school field trip to Yellowstone for three days. I went with my friend Elli (who happens to be blind). We had a ton of fun! Here is the video I made of my trip.

piano recital

This is Sari's spring piano recital in May. Shawnie and I actually missed it because she was diagnosed with strep throat that morning. Thank heavens for video cameras. Sari is getting really skilled on the piano and one of my favorite things in the world is to hear her practice her lessons. I'm very grateful that she has stuck it out all these years. (I can't believe I've stuck it out through all the battles...) I know she won't ever regret the time she's put into it. Way to go, sis!

happy 14th, Sari!

OK, so I'm a little late with this one, about a month and a half to be exact... But on April 20, 2010 our Sari turned freaking out fourteen! (Sometimes it's me freaking out about it, sometimes it's her freaking out because of it...) I think we're going to make it, though. She is an incredible kid, and even though it seems sometimes like she likes and appreciates us less every day, I can't help but see the most wonderful characteristics in her! I still feel forever strong that she is going places in this world. She is smart and funny and outgoing and she knows what is important. She is not afraid to be different and she does what she knows is right. She is compassionate and talkative and (usually) easy to be around. I love to talk with her and hang out with her and borrow clothes from her... I am grateful that she is our first child, she is as patient with us learning to be parents on her as we are with her learning to be a teenager.
I love you Sari! You will always be my special gal.

P.S. Being the braniac that she is, she figured out how to put captions on the photos. Did I mention she's amazing?

Personal Progress

From Sari-
This week I have been working on my Personal Progress book. They recently redid the system, books, and values. There is a new value, Virtue, and the books are now pink. Anyway, I was looking through the book and I chose to do Divine Nature experience 7. This experience is about learning and practicing how to be a peacemaker. For three weeks my family and I tried to be a peacemaker. From doing this I learned that you watch what you say and do more and you also try harder to do good. Being a peacemaker is part of our divine role because when you are being a peacemaker in your home you are treating your family like you would treat your heavenly family. I bear my testimony today that I know that our Heavenly Father lives and that if we can be peacemakers we will grow closer not only to him, but to our earthly families as well.

proud parent moment

http://www.ccsdut.org/NorthCacheCenter.cfm?subpage=2049

Check out my Sari. Student of the month last month in a school with an awful lot of kids attending. She really is one WOW kid. Love you sis.

goodbye silver smile

Congratulations Sari!
After two and a half (long) years of braces, what a beautiful end result. Sari, you are one gorgeous girl. Remember to wear your retainer. (That smile was expensive- Keith still remorsefully calls it his 4-wheeler.)

example of the believers

from Sari:

This week I was having a hard time with my friends because they were making me feel like junk.  I was then reading this scripture and it really hit me how true this is:

1 Timothy 4:12

“Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.  Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.  Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands...  Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly unto them; that thy profiting may appear to all.  Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thee, and them that hear thee.”

I want to tell how true I know that this is that if we follow these instructions we will not only change our lives for the better but those around us. 

                                   

enduring it well

We had a bit of a rough day on Thursday. Shawnie had an appointment with the orthopedic doctor in Salt Lake to check the plates in her knees to see if they were ready to come out yet. (they're not...) We've been having some problems getting her to sit up straight for a while, so we asked them to do an x ray of her spine. Well, she has always had mild scoliosis, but her curve has shot up to 80% which basically means her ribs on one side are touching her pelvis. They were able to stretch her out and reduce it to 40% which means it's still flexible but the only solution the doctor could give us was fusing her spine and putting in metal rods. She flew out of the room sobbing, and I had a hard time holding it together as well. Her bones are still growing so his recommendation is a 3 month upper body cast called a risser cast this winter. It may take multiple castings, but he's hoping to hold her off of surgery until she's 13 or so. She's had a hard time coming to terms with it and was pretty weepy even through yesterday morning. (I've been weepy as recent as last night...ok, make that this morning...) The cast will mean light anesthesia, a couple of days in the hospital, no showers for 3 months, and a whole new wardrobe. But she's so tough! She knows what she needs, she deals with the frustration, and moves on to the next step.
I am not being so tough. So I took Shawnie's advice and went to the temple yesterday. It's amazing how fast the spirit in the temple can fill you up and calm you down. I got there just in time to have a few minutes to ponder and pray in the waiting room before the session went up. I was feeling absolutely drained, so instead of pulling out the scriptures to read, I just prayed. When I looked up, the man sitting in the row in front of me was reading the scriptures and it was open to Doc. & Cov. 121. My eyes went straight to v.7 and I read down.

7 My (daughters), peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment;

8 And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes.

9 Thy friends do stand by thee, and they shall hail thee again with warm hearts and friendly hands.

10 Thou art not yet as Job; thy friends do not contend against thee, neither charge thee with transgression, as they did Job.

I had a hard time getting in control after that beautiful reminder from the Lord. I got the overwhelming impression that was confirmed multiple times during the session that this life is such a small moment, and if I can just help both of my girls to endure it well, they will be exalted and triumph over all these challenges. I felt a little chastized as I read verse 10, because I need to always remember the love and support that we are blessed with from so many people. I know that Heavenly Father has placed each individual in our life to bless our family in different ways and I know we'd never be able to be exalted in the end without these interactions.

So with the support of family and friends, we'll all endure it well, and triumph over this foe.

Girls Camp 09

A few weeks ago I was privileged to go to girls camp for the second time. We went to Heber Valley and had a wonderful time. We were each assigned a yurt to sleep in and then we picked a bunk. We then went on a five mile hike that turned out to be seven and that was all up hill!

The next day we did the boating. We picked a canoe and went out. After a while of being on the water they blew a horn signaling silence, no one spoke, paddled or made noise as we all saw God's creations. His peace was there as well as the spirit, after two minutes we began to boat again.

On Wednesday we did the Challenge Course, we walked across a tight rope 50 feet in the air and we did a trust fall. It was hard for our minds, hearts, and bodies.

On Thursday we did the service project. We spread bark on the challenge course so falls wouldn’t hurt. We would load the wheel barrows and haul them up the mountain to the stations. It was hard, hot, and fun. I was privileged to be able to do two sessions of the project. I loved it. When the session was done, they would talk about how we were helping others and that we would never see the products, but others would be thankful. They then talked about how Heavenly Father knew each of us personally. I had heard that many times but before that it never clicked. He knew me. He loved me. I knew that up on that mountain and I know it now.

On Friday we went home, a long and trying bus ride! It was fun though; we played games and sang songs. I slept through part of the ride, another part I laughed at the water fight behind me. We had so much fun. We also learned as our theme to STAND.

-Sari

Sari is 13!

This is my belated Happy Birthday to Sari. What fun it's been to look back through the year and remember all of the wonderful memories that she's made for us. My favorite of them all is the photo of her with the pan of brownies that she made one day while I was out visiting. There was this cool recipe on the box for "Grandstand Brownies" or something, with popcorn and peanuts on top. Well, she thought it would be fun to try, and she followed the recipe precisely except for one small thing: she thought it called for "unpopped" popcorn instead of "popped" popcorn... She kept watching in the door of the oven waiting for the kernels to pop. They never did and they were the best break-your-teeth brownies we've ever had! We were spitting kernels all over the place! It was one of those laugh until you cry moments that keeps life happy. I sure do love you, sis, you are such an important part of our family.

Are they really a new kid?

By Sari:
Last night when I was at mutual we talked about how we need to pray for a missionary moment. Our beehive president told us a story about a boy at a school whose name was Tim. Tim was not popular. At school he was a loner, an invisible person, no one cared about him. He was not a jock, he was kind of a nerd, he wasn't handsome, and he really didn't mind. He had been alone for so long he didn't know what it was like to have a friend. One day when Tim when to school he saw that there was a new kid. He had a crooked nose and elephant ears. What was startling though was that he was talking to Jenny, the head school cheerleader. He was leaned next to locker talking to her like it was no big deal and that they had known each other forever. The bell then rang and her forgot all about it. That was until lunch though. Tim sat down at his table with no one else and opened his lunch sack and took out his sandwich, when he looked up he saw that the new kid was standing behind Jenny where he was sitting and that she was making room for him. The new kid shook his head though and walked over to Tim's table, and he asked Tim
"May I sit with you?"
Tim looked around and saw that the new kid was talking to him. He had asked Tim as though the whole school had been wanting to sit with him.
"Sure," Tim answered. From that day on, Tim and the new kid, named Mark, were best friends. About a year later Tim and Mark went to sit down at lunch Tim asked a question that had been on his mind for a while, "Why did you sit with me that first day?"
"Because you looked like you needed it, you looked lonely and scared."
Tim was shocked he had never thought that he was scared, but now that he looked back he realized he had been. He looked at Mark and he saw that behind the weird nose and big ears there was something else, a kind true character and Tim realized that he was seeing Mark for the first time.

***

The day before I heard this we got a new girl in school and on that mutual I decided that I was going to befriend her because she wasn't new. She was a daughter of God and we should love others as He does.

my incredible kid...

I'm so thankful for Sari. The last thing I said to her this morning as she left was "I'll be here when you get home!" because she has been feeling a lot like a latch key kid these days. At about 9:45 in the morning, I got a call from our R.S. President wondering how I would feel about a spontaneous trip to Salt Lake for the R.S. training with the General Presidency. It was starting at noon. We had talked about going a couple of weeks ago, but the weather was supposed to be really yucky today, so we had decided not to. Anyway, I've really been feeling like it would do us good, so I quickly arranged for Keith to pick up Shawnie from school. I didn't have time to get a hold of Sari, so I had to leave her a note, explaining what happened and that she was in charge until I got back around 5:00. When I got home, she had everything under control, had taken care of Shawnie to perfection and even made a pan of brownies. She didn't even hate me for not being home like I said I would be. How did I ever get blessed with such an incredibly wonderful kid? She is definitely not normal, and I don't know what I'd do without her.
The meeting was everything I'd needed it to be. I can't remember the last time I took so many notes in so little time...