Leap Year

Angela's birthday is today. She was born on Feb. 29, 2000. Before Angela was born, I thought that Leap Year was every 4 years. I learned that there were two rules about leap day. We've used the Geogorian Calender since 1582. When's Angela's teacher told her that her birthday was on the 29th of February, Angela became upset because she thought it was the 28th. How do you explain to sweet Angela that her birthday is every four years? That's tough news to hear. We celebrate it every year, just not on the 29th. What if your birthday was Feb. 29, 2096? I know it's a stretch, but go with me. If your birthday was 2/29/2096, then your next birthday would be in 8 years, because 2100 will not be a leap year. You could get baptized on your first birthday. Anyway, something to think about. At least Angela doesn't have to wait 8 years for a birthday.

What is a leap year? A leap year is a year in which one extra day has been inserted, or intercalated, at the end of February. A leap year consists of 366 days, whereas other years, called common years, have 365 days.

Which years are leap years?

1. Most years that can be divided evenly by 4 are leap years.(For example, 2008 divided by 4 = 502: Leap year!)
2. Exception: Century years are NOT leap years UNLESS they can be evenly divided by 400. (For example, 1700, 1800, and 1900 were not leap years, but 1600 and 2000, which are divisible by 400, were.)

ASU

Jim received his acceptance letter from ASU today. He is getting excited about going back to school. We had Stake Conference this past weekend. There was a talk about getting a good education and going back to school. Jim felt really good about his decision to go back to school. I am excited for my kids to see their dad going back to college. I hope that this will encourage them to get an education. Both Jim and I graduated from ASU, so we are familiar with the school. We want to give them a tour this next year. Maybe Jim can get the family some tickets to some cool events. This next year will be hard for Jim, but it will worth the hard work.

GO ASU SUNDEVILS!

Snow Day

We went to play in the snow on Sunday. We bundle up the kids and left the valley. It was a lot of fun to be together as a family. We went up on the rim, just north of Pine and Strawberry. We pulled over and jumped in the snow. The snow bank was really deep, it went up to Jim's thighs. Everyone struggled to walk in the snow, except Emily. Emily was so light that she could walk right on the snow without falling in. Jim and Josh had their usual snowball fight. They jumped out of the car and immediately start the snowball fight. The kids love to throw snowballs at Jim, he loves it too. The kids made a small snowman. They don't have the patience to make a big one, they were too busy throwing snowballs. We spent about an 1 hr. in the snow. We drove 4 hrs. both ways to play 1 hr. in the snow. It was great to spend time together.

My Brother Steve

My brother Steve and his family came to visit. They came down from Utah for a wedding. Steve and his wife has two good boys. He's a great dad to his boys. It's fun to see that side of him. It was great fun hanging out with him. For two years, he has hosted our family reunions. We would go up to Utah and stay at his house. It was really fun to have him come home and spend some time with us. Rachel's dad lives in the valley too, so it was a great visit for the whole family. We love you Steve!

My Brother Steve and My Sister Lisa

My Brother, his wife and two cute boys

Court of Honor

Our ward had their Court of Honor on Sunday. Josh earned his Tenderfoot, Second Class, and the Citizenship in the Nation merit badge. He has been busy in scouts. He has great scout leaders. The 11 yr. old scouts went to Phoenix one day and earned the merit badge. Jim enjoys playing the role of "father of a scout" in Josh's scouting instead of being just a scoutmaster. At the Court of Honor, the scouts played a game to learn more about scouting. It worked because we all learned something new. Being a parent to a scout is different than being a spouse to a scout. Jim turned 39 on Sunday, we will celebrate it on another date.

Primary Softball

Josh started playing primary softball this week. They were scheduled to play on Tues, Wed, and Thurs. this week. The primary cancelled Tuesday game because of all the rain that fell on Monday. It always rains during primary softball for the boys. They always have to cancel at least one game. Josh played softball on Wednesday. He had a lot of fun, especially when the game became really exciting. I talked too much during the game and missed a few of Josh's plays. I turned to look at the field and Josh was on 2nd base. Lucky, Jim came that day and saw him hit the ball. Josh didn't play softball on Thurs. because of a scheduling conflict. They have two games next week and Josh will go those. My kids love primary softball. If they don't play on the field, they play on the playground. I am so glad that the stake offers this program to both the girls and the boys. It is a fun way to play ball without the competition.

Hannah Montana

On Thursday night, Dani and Angela did a Hannah Montana performance for us. A couple of girls took a dance class from a teenager in our ward. They went to class twice a week for 5 weeks. They practiced a lot at home. I've heard so much Hannah Montana these past 5 weeks to last me a lifetime. It was a neat experience to watch both my girls dance side by side. Today, Dani went with a friend to watch Hannah Montana in 3D. I'm so glad that she went with a friend, now I don't have to listen to the music for a while. I don't mind listening to Hannah Montana music, I just need a little break from it.

What a Night!

Roosevelt Elementary had a McDonald's night. The family went to McD's to have dinner. We spurlged because Roosevelt was receiving 15% of the profit made that night. The principal and teachers were there serving the costumers. The teachers were selling yummy cookies too. Angela loved seeing her teachers and recognized some of her classmates. It was great to support Roosevelt. We had to hurry and eat because we needed to head off to Porter. Josh was being recognized as a band member. When we started the truck, we couldn't get it out of gear. It was stuck in park and wouldn't budge no matter how hard we tried. Jim called his dad to come rescue us. He has a great dad who could come rescue us whenever we call. By the time we arrived at Porter, Josh had missed his band performance. The played a song using the drums, Josh did a imitation performance for us in the truck. The POP President did give him a certificate to Macaroni Grill that the band students received. Josh had a good spirit about it. He was cheering me up, what a great kid. I wanted to see and hear him play, but I saw him show great understanding. I have an awesome family.

New First Presidency

For Family Home Evening tonight, we watched the press conference announcing the First Presidency. It was such a neat experience to watch and discuss it with the family. I wanted them to know and remember these great men. President Hinckley was the prophet when all my children were born. He is the only prophet they have known until today. I wanted to reassure them that with the new prophet, the Church and programs will not change, primary in particular. When I saw President Monson at the Press Conference, I could knew that he was the Prophet. It was wonderful and sweet to see and know that they were chosen by God. It will be great to see them in action. It was a great Family Home Evening.

President Thomas S. Monson

President Henry B. Erying

President Deiter F. Uchtdorf

We Will Miss President Hinckley

I watched President Hinckley's funeral today. It was very touching and moving. I remember when he was sustained as a third counselor to Pres. Kimball. I was young, but that stuck in my mind. I think he has been in the First Presidency since then. I loved to hear him at General Conference. I loved to hear his sweet testimony. It was powerful because he was the prophet. I always made my children listen whenever he spoke. I was sad to hear about his death. He lived a good life and endured to the end. He was a great example to follow. I know that he was a Prophet of God. He will be missed.