School Pictures

I just took my own picture of this guy since he doesn't get school pictures just yet. I love him. He is so crazy and busy. He keeps me on my toes. He is full of questions about the world around him. And he loves to be outside all the time. I love his smile. He is a ray of sunshine and such a treasure!

How did she get to 5th Grade?! Anna is turning into such a beautiful young woman. She is growing up and becoming more aware of the feelings of those around her. She is a great help and has a big heart, always looking out for the underdogs. She has a strong sense of what is right. She is a doll!

I love my crazy hyper Jimmy. Somehow he is in 1st grade. Despite the fact that I don't think he can sit still, he has learned an amazing amount of Mandarin in the Dual-Immersion program. He is so proud of his new language skills and enjoys showing them to everyone. He wears his "heart on his sleeve" and can be very tender at times. I love my cute snuggle guy.

Rachel never ceases to amaze me. Now that she is in 3rd grade she has started choir, even getting her big sister to join her. Rachel is so tender. She gives me hugs when she can tell I am stressed. She looks out for our cats and gives them lots of love. She loves to make friends. She is a beautiful girl with a great sense of humor. I love my sweet Rachel.

Post Election: There is Always Hope

I know a lot of people are upset over the Presidential Election. It was a huge surprise to us all. Watching the numbers come in was like seeing a horrible accident about to occur. You knew what was coming, but you couldn't believe it and felt powerless to stop it. And yet you couldn't rip yourself away from it either.

Last night while reading scriptures, we read 2 Nephi 7 and the phrase, "Where is the bill of your mother's divorcement?" hit me hard. It was a reminder to me that the Lord has not forgotten us. He has not cut Himself off from those who are righteous. Though some think there is no hope, there really still is. The Lord goes on to say that it is because of the people's iniquities, not any action on His part, that He is separated from His people. Yes, there is a lot of sin in the world today, obvious from the results of the election, but there is always hope and peace for the righteous. As long as we stay close to the Lord, He will not "divorce" us. We will be okay.

I also think of the plaque I have hanging in my kitchen, a famous quote from Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin, "Come what may and love it." The election is over and there isn't much we can do about the results. It's done with. And so we need to move on. But we can still learn to love the life we have. We can't give up hope. We have to have faith in our Father's plan and take comfort from it. Being angry or fearful will keep us from feeling the Spirit. We can be wise, but not afraid. Fear is the antithesis of faith and comes from the Devil. Fear hinders us from progressing. Instead, we need to look for the good and stand fast in our beliefs.

The world is not ending yet. The Gospel is going forth. There is ALWAYS hope.

Picture Review

This is a picture blog to let all you non-Facebookers know what we have been up too. Plus I am tired and don't want to write tons and pictures always tell it better. How on earth did get it to be November?!

Our cat pumpkin. Surprising that the kids picked to do a cat since we only have 3 of them. Ha!

Mama Witch all dressed up for the ward Halloween Carnival

Angry Bird Man. Isn't he so cute?!

Anna the banshee, Rachel the fruit ninja, Jimmy the dinosaur, and Jacob the fruit ninja. Fruit Ninja is an app for those of you who don't know. My kids love the game.

Cute 3 year old Jacob

Studly 1st Grader Jimmy

Sweet 3rd Grader Rachel

Adorable 5th Grader Anna

And this is to show just how confident I am. I am posting a picture of me without make-up, people. I did the "Save a Sister" 5k this past month for Breast Cancer. It was my first time doing it and it was a blast. Plus I shaved 2 minutes off of my last 5k from a month ago. Of course, I had to go out all pink.

Keeping Busy

I haven't been writing much as life has been a tad crazy. But here is what we have been up to:

- Marshall is keeping super busy taking a CES (Church Education System) training class Tuesday nights, teaching a law class at the local college Wednesday nights, and teaching an Institute class Thursday nights, along with his regular job and bishoping. Not to mention periodically teaching an early morning Seminary class at a local high school.
- I keep busy being Super Mom during it all and working my little job at the school. I really do enjoy recess duty. I get to see my kids and know the staff at school, not to mention see what goes on at the school during recess. I also keep busy with little projects and running/ biking. I ran a 5K last month and am doing the "Save A Sister" 5K in a few weeks. One day I'd still like to do a marathon.
- Anna loves 5th grade and her teacher. She is enjoying doing book reports and learning history. My kind of girl! She is continuing on with piano lessons as well.
-Rachel likes 3rd grade and math. Both girls are doing choir together this year and love it. Rachel started taking piano lessons and is liking it, but is very shy. We are not allowed to watch her practice, which is a total Rachel thing to demand. Hey, at least she is willing to play with his able to listen.
-Jimmy is amazing me with how well he is picking up Mandarin. The Dual Immersion program is wonderful. He is learning quickly and loves to show off how he can count to 100 in Mandarin and so forth. It gives him great confidence. I wish someone taught me a language when I was that age! Hopefully he can go on a mission to China because he will have the language down with this program.
-Jacob loves preschool and I love having some free time during the week. He is always so excited to go.  He enjoys learning about science, like dinosaurs and insects. I love how happy preschool makes him. He feels like one of the big kids. And he pretty much lives on his bike.

And that is what we have been doing. Hopefully I can put two thoughts together and write more often, but don't count on it.