Catching up...again!

Life is getting way ahead of my efforts!

Some of what we've been up to:

We found out that one kid is failing nearly all of his core classes...still not putting in the effort to discover what he is supposed to be turning it, then doing it. It was a very emotional time, and I won't go into it all. Suffice it to say that I am learning again for myself that the Lord gives us our specific kids, not because we are the best possible parent for them, but because we are the right parent for them, and they are the right kids for us. It's not easy, in fact the difficulty is part of the plan. But His picture is SO much bigger than ours, and somehow more RIGHT. Now we just have to overcome all our weaknesses and pull the rabbit out of the hat, if it's meant to be.

Samuel had crazy birthday last week. We were at school all day, then off to get glasses fixed (took FOREVER), quick dinner then off to his & Kimberly's choir winter concert, and back home again for his family birthday party, complete with Jello Cherry CHEESECAKE - his chose that over the traditional cake - and presents, and staying up late watching his birthday present, Prince Caspian, on DVD. It was a bit nuts, but he enjoyed it. Thanks, Grandmother, for joining us! (I took pictures of all this, but I can't figure out how to get them off my phone after the initial offering? Gotta call t-mobile...)

I had a long, wonderful weekend with Nels. We had a meeting with the school counselor in Lindon on Friday, we went together to lunch, then to Nels' benefits meeting in Provo, some errands on the way home to pick up the kids, then we went to the Messiah Sing-In at the AF Tabernacle. We got to sit on the VERY front row, right behind the director. IT was amazing, sitting in the MIDDLE of the whole musical experience. The four head violinists and cellists played the WHOLE time! Miriam and a neighbor, Angi Cummings, were sitting right behind us. As it turns out, Nels' former bishop, his wife and some other members of the ward he grew up in were in the row next to us! What fun. Nels and I also had tickets Saturday night to Ryan Shupe and the Rubber Band, a local modern bluegrass group that is very entertaining, very fun. So our date-weekend went on and on. It gives me a taste of what retirement may be like having him around all the time - I like it!

Other stuff included helping the Cubscouts with their food drive Saturday morning, working on end-of-the-year Primary stuff, (I'm the 5 1/2 year veteran secretary for that organization), working a bit extra at the library since some volunteers aren't showing up (time to reorganize that), and on top of it all, the KIDS ARE NUTS, just weeks from Christmas. Lots of work.

Part of that "nuts" is the non-stop bickering/yelling/fighting between them! (The teachers at school tell me that all the kids are going through that. What happened to "You better not pout..."?) Part of my brain power this week has been coming up with a plan for gift exchange for Christmas for kids. This does not come naturally for me, so I much appreciated an Ensign article this month from which we got some of our plan. (Don't tell the kids, but they were assigned their person based on what we as parents recognized as needed.)

But I don't have time enough to describe all that. I'm supposed to be at a Primary Presidency meeting to finish preparations for our Ward Christmas breakfast this weekend.

God bless us, every one!