Lake Trip

The YM / YW planned a trip to Saguaro Lake.  The YM had a campout and the girls joined them the next day for some fun on the lake.  I asked Josh and Danni to keep an eye on Angela.  I heard from the leaders the next day that Josh and Danni were so sweet to Angela and helped her out the whole trip.  Angela had a great time and loved being pulled by the boat.  I love that my kids had the opportunity to go on this trip.  Thanks to all those who helped my kids and those to took pics for me to see.

Fun at the Lake

Girls on the Lake

Memorable MondayKino

I took the girls to swim lessons today.  They are taking them at Kino with their cousins.  After the swim lessons, we head on over to the school where they offer free lunch.  As I walked on campus to the cafeteria, I was reminded of the year that I spent there as a student teacher and a substitute teacher.  

Kino Junior High

I student taught with Georgia Howardell, an amazing math teacher.  She taught me a great deal about teaching, more than I learned at ASU.  She always taught with music in the background which took some getting used to, but after awhile didn't bother me unless it was turned off.  She taught me that there are many different ways to teach math.  The kids loved Mrs. Howardell and so did I.  After a semester of student teaching, I graduated from ASU, got married, and returned to Kino to substitute teach for Mrs. Holmberg.  She was going to have a 3 month maternity leave and we arranged through the district that I would substitute for her during that time period.  Substitute Teaching is much different than Student Teaching since I was the teacher for those students.  When Mrs. Homberg returned to Kino, I substituted a couple more times for some other teachers.  I almost spent a whole year at Kino and the memories flooded in when I went there for lunch with my girls.

Memorable MondayTeaching RS

I taught Relief Society yesterday about "An Enthusiastic Desire to Share the Gospel".  I was really nervous and read the manual several times.  Istill never really felt prepared to teach the lesson, but the time came and I gave the lesson.  It was a powerful lesson and I really enjoyed studying what George Albert Smith taught.  In the lesson, he talked about how the restored gospel of Jesus Christ will be the only thing to bring peace to those living on the earth.   He said "Our brothers and sisters through out the world need the message of the restored gospel and it is our privilege to show it with them".  This was a powerful lesson on why we should do missionary work.

I remember when I was a YA in my home ward and I was called to be a Relief Society teacher.  I had to teach month after month to sisters who were older than I was.  I was nervous every time I had to give the lesson.  Once lesson was on the temple and I hadn't been through yet. Every sister that I taught in that room had been through the temple several times and I had to teach them the importance of attending the temple.  I didn't think that I was the best teacher for that lesson.  I was told several times that I was doing a great job, but it was an intimating calling.  That was one of the hardest callings that I ever had.

Father's Day

The kids really love their father and wanted to make his day special for him.  They gave him several wonderful and unique gifts.  Danni took some family photos on the day.  She knows how to use the self-timer and made it happen.  Jim is such a great day and loves to play with the kids. 

Mug for Dad

Family pic - a little blurry - smudge on camera

Card for Grandpa made by Danni

EFY

Danni went with some friends to EFY.  She had a blast while she was up there!!  Here are some pics!!!

She had fun with her old friends

She made new friends

Here are a couple of counselors up there.  I loved that Arielle was one of her counselors.

I came up to Flagstaff to bring the girls home.  We stopped at Sonic - an indoor one.  We had breakfast before heading home.

Coming Home

Jump Start

Angela just completed 2 weeks of a program called "Jump Start" designed to help make the transition from elementary school to junior high school easier.  They practice changing classes, review school rules, and have mini classes.  Her school teachers and I decided that it would be best for Angela to attend this program.  I was a little nervous for her to attend, but agreed that it would be the best thing for her.  

Angela didn't get her schedule with everyone else because there was a mix-up.  I wanted to stay and make sure that she would be OK, but no one else had their mom hanging around, so I decided to leave and hoped that Angela would be OK.  Well, the poor girl got lost and an aide helped her through her classes.  I was nervous and thought about working out her schedule to match one of her friends, but decided that Angela needs to figure out how to get around Taylor on her own. For the next two weeks, her friends helped Angela  while she was at Jump Start and ate lunch with her afterwards.  She has friends that she made at Porter, friends that she made at Girl's Camp, and friends that she made at Jump Start.  She never sat at a table all alone for lunch.  I'm so glad that Angela participated in the program and I feel a little better about sending Angela off to Taylor in the fall.

Memorable MondayWhen I was a Kid

Challenge -  How are things different now from when you were a kid?

Technology has changed so much since I was a kid.  When I was a kid, I often heard "Did I ever tell you that when I was a kid, we walked 5 miles to and from school in 3 feet of snow, up hill both ways?"   I hated that saying, but as I get older and try to tell my kids how spoiled they are with their gadgets I feel like I'm saying the same thing just with different works.  My kids have the internet, computers, cell phones, streaming TV, cordless video games, and so much more.  I want my kids to know of the technology that I used as a kid.  Maybe they will understand how lucky they are to have a cell phone with them.  

Whenever we wanted to talk to our friends, we had to call them on the phone.  The only phone that was available were the corded phones without neither caller id nor answering services.

Corded Telephone

We didn't have PC's when I was a kid, so if any needed to be typed, we used a typewriter.  I took a class and learned how to use this machine.  I learned how to type on a form with quick accuracy.  It was a tough class and I love that we can now use the computer compete with spell check  and grammar check.

Typewriter

When we wanted to watch a movie, we headed to the video store to rent a VCR and some movies.  We didn't do this very often, but when we did we would get several movies and have a movie marathon.  My kids use streaming TV and just pick a show to watch on Netflix.

VCR

When I was a kid, we listened to music through a boom box, if we were lucky.  The boom box had a tape deck as well as access to the radio.   Sometimes the audio tapes would get caught in the machine, so we used the radio more often.  

Boom Box

Since we didn't have computers, we used a card catalog to find books in the library.  We would look up the title of the book  in the card catalog and then use the Dewey Decimal system to find the book.  There are no card catalogs in the library today, but the Dewey Decimal system is still used.

Card Catalog

When we watched a film at school, we used use a film projector.  We would attend special classes to learn how to thread the film through the machine.  This was a fun machine to operate and I always felt important when I was asked to do it.

Film Projector

If we took pictures using a camera, we would have to wait to have the film developed.  There was no instant pictures except if you used the Polaroid camera.  The picture was printed on special film paper after the shot was taken.  The film for the Polaroid camera was expensive, so it wasn't used often.

Polaroid Camera

The only way to play video games was using the Atari.  Video games were a new idea and only a few homes at them.  My neighbors had one and once in a while, maybe 3 times a year, I would go over to play over with it.

Atari Video Game system

There have been a lot of technology changes since I was a kid.  It's so fun to look back on how much it has changed.  

Memorable MondaySummer School

Emily is taking summer school this year.  She is not thrilled to be taking it, but she could use the extra help.

Emily and Mrs. Verry

In the past, Josh took three years of summer school.  The first two years, he needed the extra help and the last year, he took it because there was an opening and Josh wanted something to do over the summer.  I love that Josh volunteered to take summer school.

Josh and Mrs. Barnes

Josh and Mrs. Fullerton

Mrs. Rogers

"Faith in God" Award

Angela received her "Faith in God" Award today.  She worked really hard to accomplish a lot through the program.  The stake held an ice-cream social for those who earned the award.  It was a great social and the Stake Primary Presidency gave her a handkerchief to take to the temple when the Gilbert Temple is dedicated.

Congratulations Angela!!!!

Girl's Camp 2012

I was able to go to girls camp this year with Danni and Angela.  We went to the ponds located in Show Low.  The scenery at girl's camp was different but the spirit was there.    I was a 1st year team mom with two other gals - Sis. Bury and Sis. Ellsworth. We started off girls camp by visiting the Snowflake Temple and getting some group pictures.

What a great way to start Girls' Camp!!

My girls and I - I loved going to camp with them!!!

This year the girls had some great exciting adventures. We slept in tents alongside the horses and one morning they stampeded around the tents.  They sniffed the tents and tore a hole in the stake YW leaders tent.  We were thrilled to see the horses being led off camp the next day - now what about the cows?

We didn't invite the horses!!

The girls were taught by President Jones how to shoot with paint guns and pellet guns.  Angela wasn't really sure that she wanted to try these guns out, but she tried each gun once.  I gave the guns a try too.  Our team made a great picture with the paint guns.

Shooting

The second day, we went climbing, hiking, and canoeing.  All the girls in my team climbed the side of the mountain and really enjoyed the canoeing.   Angela wasn't sure about climbing up the high, but she did it.  Danni climbed really high and I'm so glad that someone snapped some pictures of her.  The stake leaders rearranged the schedule and arranged for the girls to have more free time to play in the pond.  The girls loved that free time  Team 3 could have done without the hiking using the GPS.  It seemed we often got lost.. 

Can you see Angela up there?

Look how far Danni climbed!!

Team 3 before getting into the water.

Sam and Angela during canoe time - Angela couldn't reach the pedals, so she could off  and swam.

Danni, Jocelyn, and Lauren playing in the water during free time!

Team 3 was an amazing group of girls with 5 amazing YCL's.  It was so fun getting to know these girls better at camp.  I enjoyed watching the YCL's in action and they helped the girls out tremendously,  This was the first year that I've really seen what YCL's do and I was impressed with them.  I watched  the girls from team 3 become great friends while at camp.  These girls had a lot of fun together.

Team 3

Angela with her team moms and Ashley

Danni with her friends and cousins

Team 7 - Danni's Team 

I didn't get to see Danni much at camp, but I'm glad that she took some great pics so that I could see what she was up to.  It looked like she had a blast this year!!

Angela and Sam doing a service project - a football toss game

The theme of camp was Service - Temple Service, Missionary Service, and Christlike Service.  The girls were asked to memorize the scriptures that went with the theme that day.  We heard those particular scriptures all day and the girls tried to memorize them.  It was nice to hear the girls recite the scriptures.  It was great to hear the messages that the stake leaders planned for us and learn about service.

Missionary Service

D&C 4:2 - "Therefore, O ye that embark in the service of God, see that ye stand

 blameless before God at the last day."

Temple Service

D & C 88:119 - "Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing; and establish a house,

 even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God."

Christlike Service

Moroni 7:13 - "But behold, that which is of God inviteth and enticeth to do good continually' wherefore, every thing which inviteth and enticeth to do good, and to love God, and to serve him, is inspired of God."

 SWAT  - Service without a Trace 

 D & C 24:7 - "For thou shalt devote all they service in Zion; and in this thou shalt have strength"