Grateful Sunday

Kids at the Science Fair, with the Creepy Critter guy. And his critters.

This week was kind of crazy, I had a lot to do for school and church. I was happy when Sunday night rolled around and I could take a deep breath and let that all go. Today, I'm grateful for:

• helpful friends. We needed a lot of help putting on the Science Fair on Friday, and many friends and strangers came through to volunteer their time. I'm especially grateful for Colleen, my good buddy, who gave up a few hours to do some busy work with me. She is always there when I need her, thank you, Colleen!! Also thanks to Amy and Michelle for taking pictures of my kids, who were on their own to enjoy the fair while I worked and recruited Neal to be a judge.
• the kids getting their hands dirty on Saturday and pulling weeds for a nominal fee. They did a great job, our yard is constantly in the back of my mind, it's nice when we all pitch in.
• health and safety. Though our lives seem busy at times and sometimes I just want to crawl in bed and disappear for a while, I am grateful that we have health and all that we need here at home. Life would be so much more challenging if we had those worries.
• a quick visit from my parents on Friday. We look forward to their return next Monday.

Lately

Miles loves babies so much. It is really sweet, he has always been very tender and loving toward anybody young and cute! He was so excited to meet Baby Nelson last weekend. He looks at pictures of him on my phone all the time just for a little fix.

Below is Miles at his class Valentine's Party the other day. I am so grateful for moms who have it together and can pull off beautiful, yet simple class parties (while people like me just show up and take pictures).

After months of waiting, it was finally Miles' turn to be Star Student in his class. Below is the poster we all made to celebrate the awesomeness that is Miles Jefferson H.

Our Scouts held their Blue and Gold Banquet last week. It was a great success, and a luau! We have a Tongan ward in our stake, and one of their ward members came and taught our scouts a traditional war dance. It was awesome. Parker isn't all that visible in the video, but you can spot his Cub Scout baseball cap on the left every so often.

A Very Audrey weekend

We had a fun weekend; Audrey got some one-on-one time with her delightful parents. What a lucky girl. On Friday night, she attended a Sock Hop with her daddy for Activity Days. We have such wonderful leaders, and the girls helped plan a super fun night, filled with dancing, games and silliness. Yay for Daddy Daughter Dates!

On Saturday night, Parker went to a birthday party, Miles went out for sushi with Neal, and Audrey and I went to the Dallas Symphony. We treated ourselves to dinner before the performance, and were surprised to see where our seats were once we entered the Meyerson Center! We sat behind the orchestra, in the Choral Terrace! We had a great view of the musicians, especially the percussionists, and a direct line of sight to the master pianist's hands. Wow. We were blown away by his talent! What a fun evening.

Grateful Sunday

Sweet little baby Nelson, who arrived on Valentine's Day. His daddy is Neal's brother, Jeff, and we are so grateful that he will grow up so close to us!

This has been a nice week, we've had lots of time together and lots of rain. All happy things. Today, I'm grateful for:

• the safe and timely arrival of this little dude, above. We are so grateful that Patience and Nelson are healthy and sound and resting at home. There is nothing more awe-inpsiring and peaceful than holding a new little person in your arms. I am grateful for that miracle, and that my kids were able to be with Nelson on the 5th day of his life! And that Caroline gets to be a big sister!
• all the gems I learn in my religion class on Thursdays. I really liked this quote from Keith B. McMullin in 1999: "Have faith in Christ, trust Him, come unto Him, follow Him. Make a mental list of those things you know you ought not to be doing. Stop doing today at least one such thing, and replace it with what you ought to do. Pray to Heavenly Father for forgiveness and for the strength to complete this journey. As you overcome one obstacle and move on to another, I promise that step by step the way will unfold before you until, as the wearied traveler, you are back where you belong." Baby steps.
• no mosquitoes. We have a few moths around, but I am always grateful when it's too cold for mosquitoes. They will be back soon enough.
• my partners in the Primary. They are just right on the money all the time, and I appreciate that we all receive our own bits of revelation when it comes to the kids in our ward. I am so grateful for their input and efforts.

Regional DI Tournament

You may recall all of the fun times Audrey had with her DI team in 2011. They took first in the region and second in Texas so that they were able to compete at the Global Competition in Tennessee last May. This year, her team lost and gained a few members, and Parker joined a team as well. He had participated in DI in first grade, but now that he is in third grade, his team competes rather than just performs. My friends, Tiffany and Sandi, gave up hours of their lives to coach these two teams, and we had a blast on Saturday in Colleyville, where it all culminated in their performance/presentation of their solution and their instant challenge! Here is Parker's team competing, below. They earned sixth place in the Elementary Division for their challenge, called Hold It! Their challenge was to

• Design, build and test a Structure made entirely out of wood and glue to hold weight and contain Tournament-provided golf balls.
• Design and build a Delivery Device that will deposit the golf balls, one at a time, into the Structure.
• Create and present an original Story about a “Captivator.”
• Integrate the Weight Placement and Golf Ball Delivery into the Story.

Their structure held nearly (or maybe over) 100 pounds. Their story had to do with an artist, an art dealer, the Eiffel Tower, and a girl going down a tub drain. DI challenges must be solved completely without adult assistance. The teams work so hard to find a solution and present it in a creative way. We were so proud of this team!

The team discussing their scores and meeting with their coach.

Audrey and Parker at the awards ceremony.

Parker and his teammates (and buddies), Reed and Tyler!

Audrey's team of fifth graders came into the season on a high from their awesome experience at Globals. They chose a really difficult scientific challenge, and knocked it out of the park! I don't have any photos of their performance because part of the requirement was that they perform in complete darkness! Their challenge was to:

• Create and present a theatrical performance that tells a story about the use of solar energy.
• Integrate research about past and/or current uses of solar energy.
• Design and create a Solar Energy Prototype that demonstrates a new way to collect, capture and use solar energy.
• Design and provide Theatrical Lighting to illuminate the Presentation and to create special theatrical effects.

Each team also competes in an "Instant Challenge," which is entirely secret on the day of the competition. They are not allowed to discuss the challenge until June, when all teams have competed at every level.

From the website: "At a Tournament, a team will receive an Instant Challenge and the materials with which to solve it. The team members must think on their feet by applying appropriate skills to produce a solution in a period of just five to eight minutes. While Team Challenges build long-term problem solving and teamwork skills, Instant Challenges provide an exciting, impromptu creative experience for competing teams. Instant Challenges help students increase their improvisational skills and train their minds to work quickly!"

Audrey's team won FIRST PLACE and will now compete at the State Competition in Corpus Christi in April. Woohoo! We are so proud of these smart kiddos!

Grateful Sunday

Jeff and Patience have this awesome treehouse in their backyard. I love the contemporary style, and we were so happy to be there to play on a chilly Sunday evening!

I have so much to be grateful for today. Life is so full of blessings and this week was full of them. I am grateful for:

• time in the temple. I have had time open up in my schedule (which is usually so very full of "important" things, I know!) to attend the temple three times in the past 10 days. My life has been better because of the time I have spent there, and I was able to get so much work done for departed ancestors. I only wish Neal had more time so that he could come with me. At this season in my life, I am there solo a lot. But nothing brings peace to my soul like a quiet morning in the temple.
• a wonderful Stake Conference yesterday and today. Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles was visiting our Stake, and we were treated to some Auxiliary Training before our adult session on Saturday. I am thankful that I was able to attend both meetings with Neal, and that our kids were in good hands while we were away. I'm grateful for the inspiration I received regarding my family and our primary. I recorded Elder Cook's talks on Saturday evening and Sunday morning. If anyone would like to listen, let me know and I'll email you the audio file.
• the evening I got to spend helping the Young Women learn about FamilySearch. I have never worked with the YW before, so it was new territory to me. But lots of fun. (I think I'll stick with Primary for now!)
• our great kids! Audrey and Parker competed in the Regional Destination Imagination Tournament on Saturday. Audrey's team won first place in their division and Parker's team took sixth! We were so proud of them. Photos to come.
• the safe arrival of our grand-niece, Carmen, who was born on Sunday. (Her daddy, Ryan, is our nephew.) Patience is in labor today with a little H boy, and we are so excited to meet him. Yay for babies!

interests

Audrey spends a lot of time outside. Trooper is her best doggie pal, and he just goes crazy when she runs out to play with him. He tries to sit on her lap and lays all over her, it's so funny. When she's outside, she loves to explore, observe the birds and squirrels, or just pick weeds. It's always nice when people decide out of their own free will to pick weeds, I think (as principal weed-picker).

A funny quote from the other night. As you may or may not know, Neal gets a hankering for some pretty interesting hobbies every once in a while. I love that about him. He'll go from researching poison frogs and bee-keeping supplies, to contacting parrotlet breeders and perusing real estate in the English Countryside (thanks, Downton Abbey!). The other night, I peeked over at his phone and noticed that he was looking at sheep online.

"You're looking at sheep?" I said, incredulously.

"Well, what if we got sheep instead of goats?" he answered.

Parker turned around and said, "Since when are we getting GOATS?!"

(They're for the weeds.)

Natalie Day!

I am so lucky to have my dearest Natalie as my best friend. Today is her birthday, and so I shall gush a bit. :)

Natalie and I met in the mother's room of our church building just over eight years ago, when we both had little chubby boys on our laps and were trying to get the hang of motherhood. Me, with my second, and her with her first. From the moment we discovered our mutual love of all things England and our penchant for good books and the finer things in life, we have been the best of friends.

Natalie inspires me in so many ways. That girl is living the life she has always wanted, and I love that about her. She has a happy, organized family. She creates beautiful things and follows through on all her plans. (Oh to be so thorough and organized!) She understands her children better than any mom and I know, and is able to cater to their little personalities and provide experiences and memories for them that are individual and thoughtful. She teaches them about art, culture, film and music, just as she always wanted to do. She is a beautiful writer: her film and book reviews she posts on her blog are amazing (not to mention her spot-on descriptions of horrors such as the Super Bowl). She pours herself into every calling she receives, and does an incredible job. She is, undoubtedly, the most thoughtful gift-giver I know. (Remember my 30th birthday box of letters?) I have no doubt that her children will one day count themselves very blessed that Natalie has been their mother. She fits them to a tee. That is perhaps what I admire most about Natalie. Her ability to make others feel as though they are the most important thing to her.

I had so much fun visiting Natalie in Virginia last year, it was such a treat to be in her home and to have so many special things planned just for me. She is coming to see me in Texas in April, and my list of places to go and things to see has already begun! I can't wait to show her my life here.

Happiest of Birthdays, Natalie, dear! I hope your day is perfect!

Grateful Sunday

I snapped this photo at the temple on Wednesday. I was there again Friday and am going tomorrow. I'm kind of hooked and my schedule is allowing for lots of trips over there, so there I will be.

Today, I'm grateful for:

• that Dallas Temple. It's not the most luxurious of facilities; it's quite utilitarian, in fact, but I am always drawn by the spirit that is there and the experiences I get to have doing work for my ancestors. Special thanks to Elliott for always coming through with names for me. Neal and I were able to go together on Friday. It's always a wonderful place for a date.
• special people at church today who made me feel at once grateful, inspired, and at peace. I am thankful for the influence of others' testimonies and experiences.
• Downton Abbey. Oh how we love that show! We are taking season 2 week by glorious week. Loving every minute!
• my sweet family. We had a pretty relaxing Saturday and enjoyed just being together. I love those people.
• my crock pot. Makes cooking Fast Sunday dinners so much easier. The kids and I weren't home until six today and Neal spent a good twelve straight hours at church. From 9:30 am-9:00 pm. Extra blessings for Brother Horn.
• Mitt's victories in Florida and Nevada! I can't believe he is really on this path after so long, it's so fun to watch (and also fun to see Mom and Dad on TV every so often)!