"I Am a Child Of God"

On Sunday, our ward had their Primary Sacrament Presentation. This was first Primary Presentation for Emmy and the last one for Josh. All four of my kids were in the program this year, and I wanted to remember the feelings I felt that day. It was so sweet to just sit and watch my kids sing. The Primary Theme is "I Am A Child of God" and I really felt the spirit as the children of our ward spoke and sang to us.

Angela wore her special white baptism dress and represented the children in the pre-mortal existence. It was so beautiful to hear her words and watch her sing. She has a sweet spirit that radiates when she sings. It was very special to watch.

Dani had two lines, one of which was saying "I Am a Child of God" in Dutch. I have some ancestors from that area, so it was so sweet to hear Dani say those words. Dani has such great confidence and knows that she is a Daughter of God.

It was very memorable to watch Josh during the program. It was fun to remember the time he did his first Primary Program while I watched his last. He has such a great testimony and I could see it during the program.

Emmy was such a joy to watch during the program. She had one line and it ticked me pink that she was brave enough to say her line in front of so many people. It was neat to see her sit with her class and acting reverently, most of the time.

It was such a blessing to watch my four kids. Thanks for letting me share some of my thoughts with you. It's a day I want to remember for a long time.

Mormon Battalion

Josh is attending the Stake Camporee this weekend with his scout trio. Tthey are camping along the Mormon Battalion trail. There are some activities planned that relate to those who serve on the Battalion. Josh's great, great, great, great grandpa, James Pace, served as an officer in the Mormon Battalion. I looked up the information so Josh could share at the Camporee if he wanted. Jim's full name is James A. Pace. What a great heritage!

James Pace served as 1st Lt. in Company E . He left his family at Council Bluffs in 1846 to serve in the Battalion. His eldest son went along as a servant to the officers. It must have been nice for him to have some family with him on the trail. He kept a detail journal of his journey. It's a treasure to read about the daily routines and adventures they had. His journey as well as his autobiography are online and available to read. After his service in the Battalion in 1847, he returned to Council Bluff where his family had lived during his years of service. In 1850, he formed a company and moved his family out west. When he arrived in Salt Lake, President Young asked him to settle in a town now known as Payson (first spelled Pacen), UT. In 1852, he served a three year mission in England. When he returned to Payson, he married Ann Webb, his third wife. He spent the next 30 years farming in UT. In 1882, he moved to AZ with his wife, Ann and settled in Thatcher, AZ. He died 6 years later.

Fun Weekend

Our family had an amazing weekend. It's one that we will not forget soon.

Friday night, Jim and I attended "Time Out for Couples" while our kids spent the night with their cousins. Jim and I really enjoyed the speakers and musical talent that during "Time Out". It was so fun to take Jim and share that experience with him. It was great to hear talks on how to strengthen our marriage. While we were gone, Dani attended a local play "Cash on Delivery" and absolutely loved it. I love to have my kids exposed to plays and musicals.

On Saturday, we spent some quality time at the park as a family. We had a nice picnic, fed some ducks, rode some very expensive rides, and played on the playground. We had such a great time together. Jim had a week of off school, and we took advantage of it. The weather is so nice, we great to spend it outdoors.

Feeding the ducks

Riding the Train

A ride at the park

Angela at the playground

A quiet moment

Rolling down the hill

Scout Campout

A couple weekends ago, Josh went on his first official 12 yr. old camp out. He went to Scout Camp but he was still 11 years old. Josh went on several camp outs with the 11 year old scouts, so this was not the first time he went on a 12 yr. old camp out. He went with his scout troop on a hike near Four Peaks. His dad was unable to go with him on this camp out. He needed to hike everything in and everything out. I was a nervous mom the whole time he was away. I had faith that his leaders would take good care of him. Josh had a great time and took some pictures, he even had his own picture taken. What a great shot!

Kids Voting in 2008

This election year has been such a great learning experience for my children. They have participated in school by voting in the primary and general election. They chose their favorite candidate and stood by them. I heard conversions in the car about the candidate that they chose. My kids watched the results with us and were really trying to understand the electoral vote. I'm not sure they understand the concept yet. Their favorite candidate in the primary and general election didn't win, but they learned that elections don't always go the way we want. It was a great learning experience that they could never learn in books. I'm so glad to see the youth excited about the election process. I remember when I was in Jr. High and we had the opportunity to cast our vote. It was so exciting to see how the results would go. I imagine my kids are feeling the same way and that will help them become voters in just a few years. For our nightly prayers, my daughter prayed that will accept our new president. WOW! I remembered that I need to pray and accept the things I cannot change.

Emily turns 4

On Sunday, Emily turned 4 years old. She is growing up so fast. The day she was born was the last big presidential election. We voted early, so we didn't have to deal with voting. We were so thrilled to finally meet our little Emily. She captured every one's hearts when she was born. She has been such a great addition to our family.

Here is Emily on the day she was born. Her name is Emily Ruth, but she call her Emmy for short. She is so precious and loved spending those first few hours together.Here is Emmy on her Blessing day. My Aunt Marie made the beautiful white blanket and has been used whenever one of my kids have been blessed. My sisters also used this blanket when their babies were blessed. It has become a wonderful tradition. Emily looked so beautiful on her blessing day.

Emmy was such a sweet baby.

These past four years have gone by so fast. We are so blessed to have Emily in our family. Her brother and sisters absolutely adore her. Emily and I have develop such a tight bond, and I love her so much. She has blessed my life in so many ways.

We celebrated Emmy's birthday Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday , we went to the playground. She loves to play and go down the slide. The weather finally permits us to spend more time outdoors. Afterwards, we went to the movies as a family. It was great to spend the day together as a family. On Sunday, we celebrate with cake and presents as a family and then again at my parent's house. She had a great birthday and learned to share her new birthday toys. Happy Birthday Emily!

Emmy loved her birthday cake.

She loved opening presents too.