Things to Remember 9-17-17

BOUNDARY MEETING
Nate and I went to the High School Boundary meeting at Davis High on Monday.  That was pretty nuts.  I personally have come to the conclusion that either school will be just fine.  I actually can think of a lot of great things about the new school and only location about Davis.  I still went out and got signatures and signed the petition myself, but I'm kind of okay with things right now.  Although, it was kind of fun to listen to everyone's concerns and see everyone trying to work together for a common goal.  Kind of cool if you ask me.  The meeting was very civil.  Minus a few sarcastic claps, and remarks, but overall.  I thought it was so sad how the Whisperwood community treated the rest of the Shadowbrook ward.  If I was on the boundary committee, I'd keep them at FHS just because they were being jerks.  And then, how cool it was that people from the Northern half of our stake were fighting to keep our half at Davis, coming to the meeting, and signing their own petition.  Kinda cool really.  It didn't feel like they were going to change the boundary, to me, but others felt otherwise.  I guess we'll see.  I'm really fine with whatever.  I will miss having my kids come home for lunch, but I think we could always go pick them up and go to lunch right there at Station Park :).  9-18-17

CLAIRE
Monday night, for FHE, Claire came over!  We had pizza, salad, her "homemade cookies, okay really not homemade" (HA!) and played Hucklebucklebeanstock until everyone had had enough :).  She's so fun.  We are so lucky to have Claire for a friend and that she will still take time out of her busy life to come over and play.  I love talking to her.  She has an awesome perspective and always seems to open my eyes.  It's so nice to have her for a friend.  I am looking forward to the Sojo bike race in October with her!  Should be awesome!  9-18-17

PRODUCE
I am really loving doing Produce in my own garage.  I cleaned the whole thing out on Saturday, in preparation and it looks awesome.  Should be easy to keep it nice with produce happening in there once a month :).  Whether I like to admit it or not, it's good to have a reason to clean something.  9-19-17

CIRCLE
I got a new toy this week- Circle from Disney.  It's a cool new way to keep track of everyone's wifi usage.  I have been SO IMPRESSED with how well everyone has done with getting off their phones when they get circled.  So cool.  It's really keeping things under control if you ask me.  And as much as I hate to admit it, it's even helped me!  I haven't been on social media NEAR as much!!  So that's been great!  9-19-17

T-SHIRTS
These dang school shirts have eaten up my life.  I don't know how else to describe it.  Between finding sponsors (which ended up being the hugest waste ever!) to getting the sign up sheets from flaky teachers, it's been a little bit of a nightmare.  Then you add in the design, the sponsor logos, the colors and sizes... it's just nuts!!  My week was drowning in t-shirt drama this week.  I had wanted to call in the order on Monday.  Then I noticed I was missing half a class- so I had to track down that teacher, explain to her that the shirts were free, and get the rest of the sizes from her.  Then I started talking with the t-shirt people and found out they DO have sample sizes I can look at, so I went to West Jordan and got those, and then found out that the sizes are HUGE!!!  This was one of the hugest let downs I've had in a long time- easy life, I know- but still!  So then I debated about whether or not to go resize everyone.  I got Jami's kids to try them on and she insisted that I not worry about it, so I'm taking her recommendation and decided to carry on.  THEN the coolest thing EVER happened on Thursday morning!  I got a call that looked like it was going to be a stupid sales/IRS/Grants department/etc. call and almost ignored it, but instead answered.  It just so happened to be a call from MERCEDES-BENZ of FARMINGTON!!!  They had FINALLY gotten my messages and wanted to be part of our cause.  They were more than happy to donate the $500 and have their logo on the back of our shirts!!!  I was THRILLED!!!  To say the least :).  They even added, "Thanks for reaching out to us, we really love to be part of the community and help out!"  WAHOO!!!  I seriously couldn't have been happier!!  I got off the phone and couldn't help but dance around the house like a nerd chanting that "we got Mercedes Benz! we got Mercedes Benz!..."  Cute little Molly couldn't help but follow me around with the cutest cheesy grin herself, wanting to be part of the celebration :).  So cute!  (I realized I'm not visibly happy enough- she was way too weirded out for me being happy to be a normal thing to her... gotta work on that.)  So anyway- things were looking up!  This was the last $500 that we needed for our shirts.  Miraculously, the Lord had laid them in my lap, just has he had told me he would do so many times as I stressed and prayed during the whole process.  I was glad I had listened (most of the time) and let things happen in His time.  Sure was last minute though :).  Glad I hadn't placed the order yet!  So now, I have emailed the order, along with the logos and design, and we are just waiting to hear back from the t-shirt company.  They are SO SLOW!  But definitely cheaper than the other company I almost went with.  So anyway.  Hopefully this can all pan out and end up okay.  Otherwise, I don't think I'll ever volunteer for something like it again.  9-20-17

FIRST LACROSSE GAME
Kelly had her first Lacrosse game this Thursday!  So much fun!!  It was freezing cold and she only got to play for a few minutes on attack, but SO MUCH FUN!!  I love watching her play!!  Our team is pretty good!  They were getting beat pretty bad during the first half and then just pulled out of it to only two points behind by the end of the game!  And the team they played was pretty amazing, so I think we lucked out :).  It was fun to watch it with Steve as well- so fun of him to come!  We don't get to see him enough.  We grabbed some pizza on the way home- slightly too convenient there, passing LC on our way home!  Good times.  Here's to a fun Fall season of Lacrosse! 9-20-17

CHRISTA AND EMILY'S DAY OF FUN EXTRAVAGANZA
Emily and I finally got to hang out!!  It was awesome!  A whole day of it!  We went to Bennion Craft for our Jack Skellington painting class and stressed ourselves out to the max painting Jack.  I wish I could go back and redo my mouth on my Jack!!  And the shading really.  It's not my best work.  But we had fun and got to laugh and chat again.  The kids were really generous with their compliments when I got home with it, so that felt good :).  They're so nice to me.  Then we hurried off to the Women's Conference with all our girls, down at the conference center.  I couldn't believe we made it there in time!  We struggled to find parking and then walked a mile to the Conference Center.  In the rain no less.  But we got in, got our seats and still had a few minutes to spare and take selfies :).  I LOVED this year's conference.  It was just what I needed to hear!  I loved Sis. Eubank's talk the most.  As well as President Uchtdorf's.  It was all very perfect though.  Very real, and stripped down.  I love that.  We stopped at Dairy Queen on our way home (well, actually we missed the one on our way home and went up to the Layton one instead :)), got some dinner and ice cream.  I was pretty proud of myself for not getting ice cream even though everyone else did.  It helps that my teeth are all broken and overly sensitive to the cold, but also, I am learning better self-control, so that is awesome :).  It was a lot of fun.  9-23-17

Jack's First Day of Kindergarten!

JACK'S FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!!!
Jack got to go to school by himself for the first time today!  What a huge deal that was!!  He was so excited, got ready so fast, had his backpack on long before we needed to go :).  It was adorable!  He was just so content and ready to go.  We dropped Charity off at her school, ran home to get the camera, and then parked to walk Jack up to the door.  Everyone hugged him goodbye and then we waited :).  Waiting to go to school was hard for Jack!  He was so anxious!  I snapped a couple of pictures before my camera died, then tried to get a video of him walking in, but completely missed it!!  He didn't even look back- he was so ready!!  I was sad that I missed it, but glad that he was happy to go.  When I picked him up he was so happy!  Got to hold the door open for everyone.  Then came over and wanted to show me and Molly his gingerbread man he had colored and cut out.  It was cute to watch him unzip his backpack and be all big-kid-like.  He sure felt awesome.  He was trying to remember the song that they sing to get ready to listen, but we both couldn't remember it.  We'll have to work on that :).  I think he had a successful first day.  On the way home I asked him if he made any friends and he said just the girl who had laughed at his funny joke :).  I asked him if she was cute and he paused before saying a quick, "yes".  HA!  Love it!  I just can't believe my baby boy is a school kid!!  I was in a funk all day.  Hopefully Molly and I get used to this.  And hopefully Jack continues to enjoy school as much as he liked his first day.  8-29-17

Things to Remember Week of 9-10-17

SHARING TIME
I felt REALLY good about Sharing time this week.  Once in a while they go really well :).  We learned about the first four commandments.  I think people learned stuff :).  So that was good.  9-10-17

AWKWARD
We have THE MOST awkward Cub Committee meetings!!  It's so weird!!  I wish I knew what to do to make it less awkward.  I wish I wasn't getting so much pressure from the Stake and from Barbara to have things go perfectly in scouts.  I wish the den leaders were carrying things out in a more organized way.  I guess it's really just the bears... but anyway.  So awkward really.  9-10-17

FAMILY MEETING
Things went long Sunday evening with getting the dumb boundary petition signed- thankfully Kelly came with me to keep me company- so we were late getting home for dinner (thank you Charity for fixing it!) and we were REALLY late leaving for the family meeting.  We left like an hour later than we should have but still got there just after the opening prayer!  So that was a relief.  The kids do really well listening and participating- even Jack.  But Molly makes it really difficult to relax and enjoy the evening there.  I so wish some of it could be geared toward or at least short enough for little kids' attention spans.  I miss that about the old days.  But it was okay!  Molly finally got comfortable and we had a nice time.  It's always hard without Nate there, but I enjoy being there these days.  9-10-17

MONDAY MADNESS
I spent most of the day running around picking up prizes for Fun Run.  I was so weirded out by the fact that the Museum of Natural History had something to give us?  Kinda funny.  But $75 value seemed too good to pass up :).  And Dartside!  Very cool.  I got to go to the assembly with the Para-olympian gold medalist- that was awesome!  What a cool experience for these kids and what a motivating assembly that was.  In the words of Luke, "They didn't say one thing about the Fun Run, but it was really cool!" :).  9-11-17

LUNCH WITH HEATHER
I finally got to go to lunch with Heather again! I think it's been almost a year.  Poor Kenni didn't make it and had to miss out.  But Heather and I were able to catch up.  It's been a while.  Her life has not gotten any better- with Paul needing a heart transplant now... I just don't know how she continues!  This life sure is a harder test for some people more so than others if you ask me.  I loved Plates and Palates, but I wish it hadn't been the day before my weigh day.  9-12-17

BRADLEY BOOSTER SHOTS
Took Brad to get his booster shots on Tuesday.  He was not happy about this.  I felt so bad.  But he handled them like a champ!!  Frostys after :).  9-12-17

ERIKA FIELD TRIP TO FARMER'S MARKET
I overbooked myself on Wednesday and had to send Nate in my place.  Which of course bummed me out.  They had a good time though.  Thanks to my mom for tending Molly.  9-13-17

PTA COUNCIL MEETING
Jami and I went to our first council meeting.  Boy was that the hugest waste of time ever!!  I swear if I have to go to another pointless meeting any time soon- it's not going to be pretty.  I hate when they hand me papers (or email me papers in this case) and then proceed to read them to me at a meeting.  Like I can't look at them myself.  BLAH!!!  Hopefully they're not all this pointless.  9-13-17

DISGRUNTLED PARENT
We had an unhappy parent this week, about how we were doing the fund raising for Fun Run.  She didn't love the rewarding the kids for bringing in a certain amount of money thing.  I agree with her, but I also think we need to do what we can to get the most money.  With all the extra stuff we're doing this year, I just felt like money was kind of important.  It was interesting being on this side of the phone call this year.  Trying to explain why PTA needs so much money and at that cost.  She was nice, but I could tell she wasn't happy.  I invited her to our next board meeting and I offered her a position on the board :).  We'll see how that pans out.  9-13-17

MONEY
I don't love counting money for PTA.  Hours and hours and hours this week.  So many hours I will never get back!  I can't believe how long it takes to have three people count money.  Good grief.  9-13-17

ANOTHER MEETING
I went to my first Community Council meeting on Wednesday.  I think I kind of liked this one.  I got all excited thinking I might be able to play a role is positive changes and improvements at the school and in the community.  Kinda cool really.  It wasn't like all the other mindless meetings I've been attending lately.  Felt refreshing.  9-13-17

AND ANOTHER ONE
We finally had another Primary Presidency Meeting this week.  That was a much needed reminder of my calling.  I have let scouts sit on the back burner and haven't done much about it all summer.  I needed a little shake.  I wish I didn't feel like I have to babysit people, but if that's my job, I guess I'll do it.  Hopefully we can get things under control now.  9-13-17

FUN RUN
The day finally came!!  This weighed heavily on my mind for the past month or so!  So glad it's over.  And SO glad it turned out so well!!  I really don't think we could have asked for a better Fun Run!  So many parents came, the route worked out great, all the aid stations showed up, SO much fun!!  I think the kids enjoyed going off campus, the teachers all had great things to say about it, we had enough PTA representation!  I thought it went REALLY well!!  Almost no kinks whatsoever!  For next year, I would probably just do a full 5K route not loop it twice.  But that's about it.  So glad Jen took that on and pulled it off so well!!  My kids loved it!  I loved watching them!  I cheered Luke and Noah on during their first lap and then ran the last lap way behind them, missing them coming through the finish line because I had to bring up the rear.  That was a bummer, but I don't think they cared too much.  Luke came in fourth out of the sixth graders, just missing a prize, but SO GOOD!!  I'm so proud of him!  And Noah came in FIRST PLACE in fourth grade!  What a cool thing!  He got $15!!  Way to go Noah!!  So proud.  Then the K-2 race, I ran with Jack the whole time (except stopping at the aid stations :) ), Erika was a speed demon and stayed in the front for most of the race.  She said it wasn't until they were coming down the hill when she got a stomach ache and thought she was going to throw up, that she slowed down a little.  But according to Jami and Jared she was a tough competitor!  Totally blasted through it, and kept bursting up in front of the people in front of her.  She's pretty awesome like that.  She made me so proud!!  I wish I could have seen her come through the finish line too.  She came in 2nd out of the 2nd grade girls!  Pretty sweet!  She won $10.  And her best friend Kate was 1st so she got to be excited for her as well.  She was so sick after.  I felt bad that I hadn't been right there for that as well.  But I did get to hang with Jackie.  I was so impressed with how well he did!  Running most of the way!  I didn't know he had that in him.  Pretty fun stuff.  We cleaned up, thanked everyone, and then counted more money for THREE HOURS!!!!  UGH!!!  So crazy.  9-14-17

READING WITH JACK'S CLASS
Nate went and read with Jack's class with me while I was doing the Fun Run which was so nice of him considering this was his second mid shift in two days!  He told me that Molly had gone in and sat on the rug with the class, basically made herself at home.  Mrs. Piper had told him that she could stay and when he came back in she was up at the table with Jack, coloring just like all the other kids!  HA!  Totally fit right in.  It was hilarious sounding.  I wish I could have see her :).  9-14-17

ROUNDTABLE
I had already been to too many meetings this week and as much as I enjoy Roundtable, I had promised myself I would go this month, so I knew I needed to go!  It's been about six months I think, since I went.  So the guilt was really starting to build up.  Plus I needed a little bit of a recharge with scouts.  It was just as painful as I remember it, but I got some information to pass on to our cub commissioner and all was well.  I did get to sit with Liesl and that was nice.  It's just not my favorite place I guess.  Need to work on that.  9-14-17

SCOUT CAMP/FOLLOW THAT BIRD AND WIZARD OF OZ
Nate and Brad went camping on Friday night with the scouts, up at Crystal Hot Springs.  Sounded like they had fun and didn't get rained on like us, so that was good!  Brad forgot his sleeping bag, and Nate paid the consequences.  They both seemed so tired when they got home.
We had fun while they were gone (Even though!) Everyone wanted to watch a movie, but nobody cared which one, so I got to pick :).  We watched Follow that Bird!  Haven't seen that in ages!  I think the girls saw it a few times when they were little, when we had VHS :).  But everyone else it was a first time.  Jack was the only one who seemed really into it, Erika and Noah tolerated it.  Luke and Charity were less than impressed.  Kelly was at a friend's house so she totally missed out.  But I LOVED it!!  We had to turn on Wizard of Oz after to which everyone fell asleep- except Jack.  Good times.  9-15-17

CHILI COOK OFF
It was the annual Chili Cook Off on Saturday.  Turned out to be a lot of fun even though I was feeling like crap.  My cramps now days are like death.  I wish I knew what to do about it, but my usual Ibu/Tylenol combo is not even touching it right now, so I think I might kill something soon.  But anyway- I made a turkey chili that Nate spiced up and everyone seemed to like it- or it was at the front of the table so everyone just took some because it was there :).  I liked it!  And I was glad I didn't have to break the calorie bank to eat it :).  That's always good.  Course I ate too much corn bread anyway.  But oh well.  I finally got to talk with Emily!  That was much needed!  It's been forever!  Feels like it anyway.  The kids had a blast playing with all their friends.  We got a kick out of Brad and Molly playing football together :).  It was funny to think about how this activity last year was the first thing we did together as a new ward.  It was much more awkward then!  Glad we've all learned to love each other :).  9-16-17

Things to Remember Week of 9-3-17

FIRST BOARD MEETING

I think our first PTA Board Meeting was a success.  There were a few little kinks, but overall.  I feel like things are going pretty smoothly and everyone is doing their part!  Which makes me happy.  Jen Hughs is going ALL out on our Fun Run, which I am SO excited about!  I think it's going to be awesome.  We had the tarts that Kneaders didn't give us the week before, so that made me happy :).  I wish Mr. Denhalter had been there, but whatever.  We're happy to have Mrs. Everton this year, she's new too, so that is a good thing :).  Felt really good to get that out of the way as well.  9-5-17

MOLLY'S SPOTS

This dumb molluscum has been plaguing Molly for quite a while, so I finally took her in to have them taken care of.  She was SO GOOD!! I can't believe she just lets him put the stuff on every single spot without wiggling or anything!  So impressive.  Glad it doesn't hurt when he's doing it.  They all blistered up pretty good and then didn't go away, so we had to go back and do another treatment, hopefully they eventually go away.  This is the weirdest thing and even weirder that NONE of my kids have ever had this problem!! Molly is the first.  You'd think you would have seen everything after 7 kids.  9-6-17

FIRST GAME

Kelly had her first game with her team this week!  Kind of just a scrimmage to give the refs some practice, but it was a lot of fun to watch!  I love watching her play.  9-7-17

DEEP CLEAN
I got the kids to help me deep clean the kitchen this Saturday!  It was pretty productive.  I guess I can't say we did the ENTIRE kitchen, but we got so much done!  I scrubbed all the cupboards and drawers, emptying out everything and cleaning it all out- that was refreshing- minus that the cupboard doors' paint is all peeling off and looking dumb.  Not to mention how tacky they felt after I scrubbed them... I so wish we could paint them... someday.  But it was nice to get that done.  Everyone helped too!  9-9-17

Things to Remeber Week of 8-27-17

TIRED
This Sunday was so hard!  I could barely stay awake the whole time.  I'm not sure if it was the lack of food and water or what, but it was a tough one.  I took a nap in the afternoon, thankfully the kids let me, but I still feel really exhausted.  Probably the sugar I've been eating but shouldn't be.  8-27-17

FHE
We decided to go to Becky's house for FHE this week.  She had wanted a Priesthood blessing and this seemed like a fun thing to do while we were there.  We had to grab some pizzas on our way since we were busy cleaning the church during dinner time.  It felt a little like an invasion when we piled ourselves into her living room.  She's always so welcoming though.  Charity gave our lesson while we ate.  It was funny to see the kids all shy and acting differently because we were at Becky's :).  Charity's lesson was about baptism and bearing one another's burdens.  Pretty cool.  We played button button who's got the button- that was fun and then we had Rootbeer Floats for Brad's treat.  I hope Becky was okay that we were all there for her blessing.  I loved the Spirit that was there.  8-28-17

PTA
Just when I think I'm getting the hang of things and know what I'm doing, I get a call or text from someone telling me that I don't.  This job is very humbling.  And by humbling I mean, I'm going to have no friends and everyone in the school is going to hate me by the time the year is over.  I wish I knew what to do about all my screw ups and my lack of know-how.  I knew this was going to be hard and a lot of work, but I had no idea how emotionally draining it would be.  I keep telling myself, okay, as soon as this is done I'll be able to relax, but there's always another thing.  The shirts mostly I guess, right now, are what's weighing on me.  I wish I was having more luck with getting sponsors.  I hate the thought of the PTA having to fork out a bunch of money.  But I've decided I just need to be patient and have faith.  I know Heavenly Father has given me miracles in my favor- I don't think he'll stop now.  I'm trying to be patient.  All the drama with the two printing companies had me down today.  So many dumb decisions to make.  I'm not sure what to do with it all.  I think my biggest complaint right now is how difficult it is to get in touch with the teachers!!!  Who woulda thought.  I think my biggest blessing right now is Krista Johnson.  She has been such a good friend, offering to help, coming up with solutions and keeping things up beat with her fun ideas.  I really don't know what I would do without her right now.  She has swooped in SO MANY times and been the answer to so many prayers.  I feel so grateful to have her as a friend.  I hope she doesn't get sick of me :).  8-29-17

NOAH AND JACK MOVIE
For Birthdays this year, I told the kids to DO something with each other rather than buy something.  Most of them have come up with fun ideas and gone on fun dates together, but a lot have forgotten or not even thought about it.  Which is okay.  It's a lot of dates (7 a month) if they all follow through :).  Kelly has done the most.  I wish I had been doing better at documenting things right now, but oh well.  I am documenting this one :).  Noah wanted to take Jack to a movie for his birthday.  I wasn't comfortable with just the two of them going alone, so I cashed in on my free "guest pass" card that I got a million years ago when I was stuck out in the hall with Molly- so nice of Cinemark to offer that!  I went with them.  We went to the Emoji movie.  It was pretty cute.  Kinda lame, but I loved hearing Jack chuckle at all the funny parts.  And I LOVED seeing Noah in the big brother/host role.  He was so fun for Jack.  Down to letting him hold the popcorn.  Fun stuff.  It was also a much needed break from my life at the moment.  8-29-17

KRISPY KREME WITH ERIKA AND JACK
For Jack's birthday, Erika wanted to take him to Krispy Kreme.  I went with them of course :).  And Molly.  We had the best time!  I think we watched the donuts for at least 20 minutes before our 10 minute decision making at the counter, only to end in getting plain ol' glazed donuts :).  So funny.  And so yummy too!  Who doesn't love Krispy Kreme donuts :).  We usually grab our donuts and go, so it was fun to sit there and talk and just enjoy each other's company for a few minutes that day.  I was getting pretty anxious for the PTA breakfast in the morning, so it was nice to have a calm in the storm.  8-30-17

DAVIS GIRLS LACROSSE PARENT MEETING
I had to go to the Parent Meeting without Kelly, felt like a dork, but I LOVED that meeting!  It got me so excited for her to be part of the Lacrosse team!  She's going to love it!  I wish I could express how awesome the coaches and girls are- she's going to have a blast!  8-31-17

PTA BREAKFAST
What a whirlwind that breakfast was!  Too much stress went into it though, for what it was.  I wish I could not let that happen.  The actual breakfast went really well.  I was glad.  All our hard work and preparation paid off.  It was fun to have everyone together and getting anxious and planning for the new year.  I think it's going to be good.  We have a good group of women who I am hoping will get things done so that I don't have to :).  We had Kneaders french toast which ended up being awesome!  I was relieved about the food when I picked it up and loved that it went so well (minus the strawberries... have to remember that if I ever do that again).  But then of course, that evening, I got the message that they'd forgotten to give me the 3 dozen tarts I ordered!!!  SUCH A BUMMER!!  Really bummed me out, but oh well.  That meeting felt really good until it was over.  I don't know if I want to remember how it felt after.  We did get the chance to work out some pent up feelings the next day, Jami and I, but that didn't feel all that good either.  I can't help but regret my decision to do all this PTA stuff with friends.  I hope my friendships are strong enough to withstand the PTA.  I thought they were, but that Thursday made me wonder.  Very humbling.  8-31-17

FREE TRIP
I wasn't in the right mood when we went to this presentation, still rehashing the days events, but it ended up being better than I had expected.  Plus, we got a free trip out of it.  If we can ever schedule it and find sitters and bla bla bla, then we'll actually go on that trip just Nate and I, together.  Should be fantastic :).  8-31-17

JACK'S SPOTLIGHT
So this has happened another time too- where one of the kids did their class spotlight on a sibling's birthday :).  So we just went along with it when Jack was assigned Molly's birthday to celebrate HIS birthday in his classroom.  Putting together his pictures, on the folder was... well... less than enjoyable.  Jack was COMPLETELY disinterested.  Looking back, I don't think I really explained to him what it was for and how it will go... I feel bad I didn't help him understand it better, but getting him to care about that thing was like pulling teeth!!  He was NOT INTERESTED!  Eventually we had put things off so long that I just glued them all on and wrote everything myself.  The few minutes before we went to get him.  Kind of a bummer, but that's okay!  Jack is his own self, that's for sure!  I loved going to his class and telling them about Jack.  He was SO brave, wore the microphone and talked about his pictures with almost no fear!  I think this could be a result of his now fearless testimony bearing, that he was able to get up there and talk without being nervous at all.  He seemed to almost enjoy the spotlight :).  He got to hand out his Air Head treats and then Mrs. Piper let him pick out some fun little toys from her birthday bucket and put them in his birthday bag.  Pretty cool stuff!  This always makes my kids feel so special.  I love it.  9-1-17

CLEANING THE CHURCH
So I think having us clean the church with the Caldwells that morning was pure inspiration.  It was hard to go and hard to be there and really awkward for Jami and I after the week's events, but SO GOOD for us.  I think it really helped in the healing process.  I REALLY think it was orchestrated like that on purpose and was really grateful for it in the end.  Cleaning the church always feels so pointless.  Glad we were able to help though, and fun for the family to work together to accomplish something for Heavenly Father.  9-2-17

STATE FAIR ENTRIES/WILD GOOSE CHASE
So my navigation on my phone REALLY made taking the kids' entries to the state fair an adventure.  And not that I would have called it that in the process- I actually wanted to kill something, even though I was REALLY trying to be patient and not let the frustration of wrong directions and crazy old ladies get me down.  So first we forgot Brad's picture.  We went all the way to Centerville for whatever it was (can't remember) and then had to go all the way back home to get his.  Then my phone lead us to the wrong place.  Luckily it wasn't too far out of the way- I should have known, I just assumed it was a quicker route than I knew. When we got their the crazy old ladies in their stressed out way told us that one of our frames wouldn't work and that we needed wire for the ones that did.  We were a half hour away from closing time, so we were a little under the gun.  And the crazy ladies made sure to point that out.  Which ended up being even more annoying later.  Then my phone lead us to the wrong place while looking for a craft store!  Luckily I knew where the Walmart was and we were able to go there (I think this was a blessing in disguise because Walmart ended up being cheap enough).  We ran frantically through the store, looking for the picture wire and a frame that would work.  Got up to the check out counter and the dumb card I had wasn't working for some reason!  It was SO ANNOYING AND SO STRESSFUL!!  And I'd already had trouble with it earlier in the day, so this was even more annoying.  The nice man behind me offered to pay for our stuff, but I just couldn't let him knowing there was money on the account, just the card wasn't working.  So I tried the other one and surprisingly that worked.  It was SO EMBARRASSING and very frustrating considering the ti me crunch.  Then we raced back to the fair grounds (which we missed the entrance and had to turn around...)  Then got there and remembered I didn't have the $15 to enter the dang drawings!!!  So I had to run over to the administration building and pay that, crossing my fingers that the card would work!  Which it did, and that was a relief.  Then head back over to the fine arts building and pay and get all the kinks with the frames worked out... it was a MESS!!!  Those old ladies take their jobs very seriously to say the least.  The really annoying part came when all these last minute-ers came in while we were there (and we'd gotten back in time, but been there at least five or ten minutes past the time since the ladies were taking a while to get everything processed) but they were STILL letting people come and sending them off to get wire and such WAY AFTER the closing time!!  So we'd rushed around like crazy people for no reason basically.  And that irritated me a little.  I know it shouldn't, but it did.  But we got the entries turned in and all was well.  Such a relief.  I was really happy that the kids wanted to participate again and so relieved that we'd made it happen.  9-2-17