"Don't Leave for Tomorrow What You Can Do Today"

With the passing of President Hinkley and a friend in our ward, I felt drawn to read an article in the Ensign. The article is titled "Don't Leave for Tomorrow What You Can Do Today" by Elder Claudio R. M. Costa from the October 2007 General Conference. It is a great article about making changes in your life today. There is a powerful poem written by Norma Cornett Marek that he included in his talk. There is a part of the poem that touched me. It says "Today might be your last chance to hold tight to the hand of the one you love and show all you feel. If you are waiting for tomorrow, why not do it today?" There is a lot to learn from this talk. I know I did. Both of these men have been great examples of service to our families. They will be missed.

Jim Passed His Exam

Jim studied really hard and passed his Microsoft Certification Exam. He is now a Microsoft Certified Professional. This is his first of three exams he plans to pass before going back to ASU in June for his master's degree. We are very proud of him. Jim is already studying for the next exam. The kids are really excited for him too!

Zoo with Cousins

After the MLK parade, we went to the zoo. The parking lot was full, so we parked by the A's stadium and shuttled to the zoo. The shuttle brought us right to the front gate. It is a great service provided by the zoo and my kids loved the shuttle ride. The shuttle took the old road to the zoo. It was a fun and bumpy ride and we could see part of the Zoo. We could even bring our wagon. We didn't have to waste time looking for a parking spot. Our family loves the zoo. We enjoyed a picnic lunch and saw the zoo animals. We especially enjoyed monkey village. Those monkeys are so much too watch. We went on the tram ride and saw the wild dog, cheetah, and the elephant eating grass. We rarely get to see those animals. We had a great time spending time with our cousins.

The cousins near Monkey Village.

The cousins all piled up on a tree stump. It was a big tree stump.

Dani and her cousins. They were inseparable.

Josh with his friend and cousin. He had a great time.

Angela and Emily on the tram. They loved the tram ride.

Emily and I on the tram ride. She is sooo cute!

MLK Parade

Monday, the kids and I went to the MLK Parade in Downtown Mesa. Josh brought along a good friend. I have a couple of nieces in the parade. We wanted to see and support them in the parade. Ashley plays the flute in the Taylor Band. We cheered her on by shouting her name. The kids loved seeing her in the parade. Cortney was in the parade supporting Mesa High. The kids cheered her on too. We took pictures and had a great time. Ashley and Cortney both saw us and tried not to look too embarrassed. I know that they loved the attention and support we gave them.The kids and I waiting for the parade to start.

Josh brought a friend with him at the parade. They had fun together.

Angela and Emily played their trumpets during the parade.

Ashley in the parade. I think she saw us.

Cortney marching in the parade with Mesa High.

Report Cards

My kids got their report cards last week. They all did very well in school. Josh earned all A's. He did such a great job this past semester. Last semester, he got 1 B in writing. He worked really hard and bumped that to an A. Dani earned 1B and the rest A's. She got her B in math. She doesn't like math. You would think that my kids would do well in math, since I have a math degree. Well, I've lost some math brain cells and find it very difficult to tutor my kids in math. They both should be on the honor roll. They worked really hard. Angela received a positive report card as well. She has some specific goals that she is graded on as well as a regular second grade report card. She has mastered a couple of her goals. I was thrilled. She has worked on these two goals for a couple of years. She is blossoming in her class. She is in a great Special Ed program with great teachers. They know and understand Angela and what will work with her. She will have the same teachers again next year. I was very pleased about my kids report cards this past semester.

Emily is a Sunbeam

On Sunday, Emily went to Primary. She is the youngest Sunbeam in her class. When we entered the Primary room, she recognized Angela and Emily right away. She cried and clung to me at first. I stayed with her for 10 minutes. I passed her off to a member of the Presidency and left the room. I saw her later through the window. She was sitting in a chair next to her teacher. It was so cute. I felt so blessed that she went to primary. I can't believe that she is old enough to go to primary. She says that she loves primary. I believe it next week. My four kids are in primary together for 8 months. I will cherish these next 8 months.

Happy New Years

Our family had a couple of New Year Eve parties. The kids had a party with their cousins. They went swimming, ate junk food, watched movies, stayed up past midnight, and slept over at their cousins house. What more could a kid want? Jim and I went out to dinner and then went to a friend's house to play games. We had a great evening. The year 2008 is going to be a big year for us. Angela is turning 8 this year, she's even having a birthday this year. We will be planning her baptism soon. We will let you know when. Josh is going to turn 12 this year. Josh is planning to read the Book of Mormon this year. The deacons are having a party for those who read the Book of Mormon in a year. They invited Josh to participate. I am working on setting some New Year Resolutions. We wish you have a great 2008.

A Merry Christmas

I love Christmas. We had a great Christmas Season this year. Jim and I gave sacrament talk about giving. A week earlier, I gave a talk in Relief Society about Joseph being a special witness to the Savior's birth. Our family did an advent candle this year. We burned a candle and read selected verses in the scriptures. This was an awesome experience for my family and myself. Christmas was very neat this year. We will continue the advent candle next year. I don't want to talk again, but I read real good stories. We had a lot of family parties on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. On Christmas Eve, we went to the Paces. We ate good food (Applebees). Who says you have to cook on Christmas Eve? The kids played volleyball, jumped on the trampoline, did art projects, and sampled goodies dipped in chocolate. The dipped pretzels, marshmallows, bananas in the chocolate fondue set. They loved it. They couldn't get enough of the machine. It was yummy. After the fun, Grandpa gave out cute teddy bears. The kids love it. We went home and opened up some presents. Every Christmas Eve, my kids get a set of PJ's. They know to expect it. They look adorable and ready to go to bed. The kids helped that evening get ready for Santa to visit. I wish they were always that ready to go to bed. Santa and his reindeer were will feed at our house. Christmas morning arrived about 7:00. That's early for our family. My parents came to see what the kids received for Christmas. Later, we went to my parents house to open gifts and have Christmas dinner. My mom loves Christmas. She loves to watch her grand kids open their presents. She gives each grandchild a stocking full of toys and candy. The grand kids love it also. We had a great Christmas.

Angela is getting her teddy bear from Grandpa Pace. She really loves it.

Josh using the Chocolate Fondue. He loved to dip the pretzels and marshmallows.

Emily is checking out the Nativity Scene. She is Admiring Baby Jesus.

My Kids in Their Christmas PJ's. They are so cute. They can't wait till Santa comes.

Pace kids on Christmas Day at my parents house. See how happy they are.