The last letter from the MTC for our missionary! He leaves June 11th! Hi Guys, Sorry, i only have about 10 minutes to email today, so this won't be very long. So another Elder (Elder Hobsen) and I auditioned last Thursday to be in one of the special musical numbers and we were lucky enough to get picked and were able to perform today for the incoming devotional for the new missionaries. We played the Marshall Mcdonald and Steven Sharp Nelson version of "If you could Hie to Kolob" (sorry Ben, i took your song). It went fairly well, and i was very grateful to have the oppurtunity to play and Elder Hobsen is an amazing piano player, so i felt really blessed to have the oppurtunity to play with him. We also got our travel plans this week! I will be leaving the MTC Tuesday June 11 at 6 AM, so i will be calling home between 7 and 9 AM that morning. If you can (or want to) talk to me, it would be great if you could pick up the first time i call sense i only have enough minutes to call twice and talk for 15 minutes (it docks 150 minutes from my phone card every time i call). And Mom and Dad, if you can or if you have time, could you make sure i have at least $700 in my checking account since i have to pay for luggage before i leave. Also, if at all possible, could you send me an MP3 with "Missionary Appropriate" Music and a small speaker before i leave on Tuesday? It would be much appreciated, but if it is too much of a hassel, don't worry about it. One last thing, if you could, Gradmother and Papa Joe had a really cool book that talked about "Ancient Temple Ordinances" or something like that. If you could let me know what the tittle of the book is called, that would be much appreciated. Thanks again for all you do and have done for me throughout the years. I love each of you very much and i want you to know that i have testimony of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I have recently been studying the Atonement in my personal study and have learned both a great deal of the Atonement, and have come to further come to understand that Jesus Christ is indeed our reedeemer and the Savior of the Entire world. One Chapter in the Scriptures that has really stood out to me lately is Isaiah 53. Verse 4-6 really explain that Jesus did indeed suffer for our sins i love in verse 5 how it says, "...the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed." Also in verse 6 it says this, "All we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned every one to his own way, and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all." Every time i read that scripture, i can't help but get emotional knowing that Jesus Christ did indeed suffer for each of our sins, and understand our sorrows and pains. I feel aweful knowing that i added pain to the Savior that he should not have had to go through. I know that he is indeed the Son of God and that he loves each of us with a love that we cannot understand. He is the sohn Gottes. He was once our brother, but know he is our savior. I am so grateful for his courage and character that when the father asked us in the Pre-Existance, "who should i send?" that Jesus being the Great intelligence he was stepped forward and said, "send me, but the glory be to you father." I truly beleive that each of us rejoiced that day in Heaven when he stepped foward (knowing fully well what he was commiting to) because we knew that he was the best candidate for Savior, and that he had the character and attributes to be able to do all that the father would ask of him. I know he loves us and as it says in the Living Christ, "God be thanked for the matchless gift of his divine son." I am indeed thankful for his matchless gift and his matchless love, because without it i know none of us could be saved, and without that i could not live with you guys for eternity. May we always remember in our lives the "condescention of Christ" is my prayer and testimony in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. Take care guys, i love and miss you! Elder Seamons

Another great post from our amazing missionary! He's leaving for Germany June 11!!!!! Hey Guys, First off, thanks for the packages and letters this week, i don't think you know how much they mean to me (there one of the things that keeps me going day to day). I think Grandmother sent me a package of cookies that were delicious, (im not sure if they were from her because the return address was blotted out) thank you so much. This week has been very difficult, but i have learned so much im not even sure where to begin, i guess ill start where i let off. We have started teaching 2 investigators a day about 2-4 days out of the week and the other days we are still teaching one investigator per day. The two investigators we have now (i don't know if i mentioned this before) names are Markus and Sabastian. Both have had really hard family backgrounds and both have divorced parents. Markus is a plumber who has a Lutheren background, but hasn't gone to church since he was very little. He is just kind of going through the motions of life and is trying to find purpose. Sabastian has no religious background, no job, and his wife left him. He has no idea who God is and constantly feels alone. My heart goes out to him every time i see him. However, in the past week, we have commited Sabastian to Baptism and we are getting Markus to be more open about our message. The lessons Elder Woolsey and I have had with these two individuals have been some of the sweetest spiritual experiences i have felt here in the MTC, let me just briefly share with you one experiences we had yesterday with one of them. Yesterday we were only planning on teaching one lesson, but found out about when our teachers got there that we would be teaching two lessons that day, and that we had 20 minutes before we had to teach our first lesson (to Sabastian). So, as if we weren't stressed enough over the one lesson we had to teach latter that day, we had twenty minutes to prepare for a lesson and we had no idea what to teach. So, we said a quick prayer, decided to talk more about who God is and why he loves us. We prepared briefly, then went to teach. Honestly going into the lesson, i thought it was going to be aweful, but Elder Woolsey and i said another quick prayer to have the spirit with us and we went in and taught. It turned out to be one of the best lessons we have taught to that point, it wasn't very long (only about 15-20 minutes), the spirit was there the whole time. Sabastian at the beggining of the lesson expressed concern about not receiveing answers to his prayers. We explained as best we could in German that sometimes God does not answer our prayers right away, but he will if we continue to pray and read the scriptures we also further discussed that because we are God's children and he loves us very much. We challenged him to pray later and ask God if he was there and if he did indeed love him. Then, when we were about to say the closing prayer, we asked him to say the closing prayer and Elder Woolsey challenged him to ask in his prayer if God did indeed love him, and he did just that. The prayer was amazing, and i knew everyone in the room could feel the love of our Heavenly Father. After he was done praying, i asked him if he felt anything at all and he said he felt warm inside. I testified to him that what he was feeling was the Holy Ghost and that was God's way of letting him know that he loved him very much. I don't know if this experience made much sense at all, or if you guys realize how powerful the experience was to me, but i want each of you to know that i know that God is indeed our literal and loving Heavenly Father. That he loves us and wants to pour out his love on us, all we have to do is ask. As simple as this truth sounds, i know there are so many people in this world who don't understand it. They don't understand that no matter how alone they feel, or how hard their life seems that there is someone out there who loves and cares for them and wants to share that love he has for them if they will but ask. The scripture "ask and ye shall receive, knock and it shall be open unto to you" has everything to do with this idea of asking God to feel his love. Along that line, i also know that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ has this fatherly love that God posseses. Elder Woolsey and i were privelaged to be able to teach about the Atonement this past Sunday, and in it we shared a clip from Elder Holland April 2009 Conference talk about the Savior and his atonement. In this clip Elder Holland said something like this, "because Jesus our Lord Savior walked the lone and dreary path alone we do not have to." I know that this is die Wahrheit, Jesus Christ went through more that we can possibly imagine so that we do not have to walk alone. Through his great and everlasting atonement, we can both see and feel his love for us, and one day, if we are righteous and use the atonement, we will be able to live with him and Our Father in Heaven again. Well, that turned out a lot longer then i had anticipated. I have to go soon, but i hope you all know how much i love you guys. You are in my prayers everyday, and i know i am in yours. I am so thankful for you Mom and Dad, for the things you have taught me taught me in my Youth, for the perserverence you both had in dealing with me no matter how much of a "jerk" i was. One thing in particular that i am extremely grateful for is for the time and resources you gave up when i was little to teach me the stories in the scriptures and how to pray. You guys were with me every night when i was little kneeling down with me helping me say my prayers. Though it might seem like this was just a little thing, i know that it is one of the biggest things that got me on the path to being a missionary today. Also, those living scripture movies, i cannot tell you how much those helped me when i was little, and how much they still help me today. Those movies, though as simple as they may seem, are the stories i know can convert people. It worked for me, and i challenge each of you guys to watch one each family home evening, they will help bring peace and spirit into the house, and they will help each of you develope an even stronger testimony. I love each of you guys so much. I miss you everyday, but i know this is where is need to be. Take care and remember that you guys mean everything to me. With Love, Elder Seamons PS: Ya, that $75 does need to be paid for tithing, i did the math before i left. I am leaving June 11th, but i do not know what time i will be calling yet. I will let you know when i get my travel plans. PSS: Pipe sounds like fun! I miss it, work hard! PSSS: When Jonathan says, "You BIG JERK!", he actually means "I love you, please tickle me"

Here's another letter from our amazing missionary, Joseph...... Hey Guys, Thank you for sending the package and letters this week, it was great to hear from you guys and my district and i really enjoyed the chocholate that was sent. Tell Grandmother thanks for the Card and the email, they meant a lot to me. This week has been great, we got to do service last Thursday which i enjoyed and it sounds like we will get to do it every Thursday morning. Last night we had a fantastic devotional in which Elder Russelll M. Nelson and his wife spoke. They talked a lot about family history and how we can use it to help others feel that Spirit of Elijah and have a desire to join the church. It was really profound, Elder Nelson and his wife also talked about how we can call upon Angels by name and by characteristic as we seek for help in our lives. That really struck me, because i had always known that we could ask our Heavenly Father for help, but i never really thought we could specifically ask for help from a certain angel or a certain angel with a certain characteristic. There's you some food for thought! Throughout that whole meeting though, i reflected on how greatful i am for the oppurtunity we have to draw closer to our ancestors by doing family history work. Ever since i have been able to go to the Temple and do endowment and inititiatories for my deceased ancestors, i have began to feel that Spirit of Elijah it talks about in Malachi and am very grateful for the oppurtunity i have to help those who have come before me. Concerning my German speaking abilities, well....lets just say that im better then i was last week. I am understanding a lot more in both class and my appointments so thats way good and i am also beggining to being able to have somewhat of a Gospal discussion with my investigators. This week will be better though, i know it! Just briefly i would like to share an experience i had teaching the other day. We were teaching our investigator last Friday about The Book of Mormon and the Holy Ghost. I had written out, word for word as usual, everything i was going to say and like usual, i was sitting there just reading my paper to him. I could tell our investigator was bored out of his mind, (seriously this guy looked like he was pain for how bored he was) as i went to read him the last little bit that i had written down, i had the feeling that i should just bare my testimony on the Book of Mormon and leave it at that. I did just that and the spirit immediately came into the room. It was incredible and am greatful the Lord cared enough about me, my companion, and my investigator to pour out his spirit upon us. I shared this in class later that day and my meine Lehrer Bruder Liddle said something that has really stuck with me. He said something like this, "Nobody can speak every language on this earth, but the spirit can speak to all the hearts of men." To me, that statement was simply amazing. To me it means that dispite the fact that i can speak little German and even a smaller amount that my investigators can actually understand i know that the Lord can speak unto the hearts of men, and in reality, that is all that matters. It doesn't matter how much or how little German i can speak as long as the Lord can tell our investigators through the Holy Ghost what is true and what they need to know. I miss you guys alot and hope you will let me know what is going on in each of your lives. Take care and know that you are all in my prayers. Love, Elder Seamons PS: Did you guys get my letter from a week and half ago? PSS: HAPPY MOTHERS DAY ON SUNDAY MOM!!!!! I hope you had a wonderful day, sorry i couldn't call you, but the MTC said i can call you before i leave to Germany! Grandmother also said you were feeling a little under the weather. Im sorry to hear that and i hope you get feeling better. Love you Mom! PSSS: If you have time, read Helaman 10 it is amazing what Nephi receives!

Good bye Summer!

We have had a wonderful summer....sad to see it go. Here are some of our memories from the summer:
*Grandmother and Papa Joe moved to Mink Creek---lots of game nights, fishing trips and fun around the farm! We're so glad they moved here!
*Scout trips---Canoeing for Samuel and Ben and Dad, Rapelling in Zion for Joseph
*4-H---David took a Rocketry Class and made a Rocket and earned a blue ribbon at the fair!
*Cousins visiting Grandmother and Papa Joe and Grandma and Grandpa---cousins are the best! We went swimming, floated the river, had picnics, played games and had a lot of fun with our cousins! Nick and Ryan came and stayed with Grandmother and Papa Joe and Aunt Catharine's family and Aunt Brenda's family came to stay this summer along with Aunt Dawnya's family and Aunt Becky's family. We discovered that we all have musical talents to share. Aunt Catharine's girls played the piano and sang and Robert played the piano and Bill and Scott played the guitar---we even got to jam with them!
*EFY for Samuel with cousins Daniel, Olivia and TJ---secretly, we know he loved it!
*Soccer Camp for Joseph at BYU---found out he really likes BYU!
*Trek for Samuel, Joseph and Benjamin--what a great experience!
*Sun Valley Youth Symphony for Joseph in Sun Valley---he stayed with a wonderful host family and learned alot! Plus Grandmother and Mom got to go and see him perform!
Trips to Riverdale to swim, a trip with Grandmother and Papa Joe to Lava Hot Springs (we love Lava!) and a trip to Lagoon with our family and Scott, Olivia, Camille and Josh! 'Better'n Disneyland David and Jonathan declared! Jacob didn't care too much for it, but loved the wagon!
*Bear lake with David, Jonathan and Jacob and then with our ward, game nights and pack meetings at the Ball Park
*Hauling Hay with Grandma's yummy food, playing violin at the Farmer's Market with Papa Joe for David, mowing grass, cleaning ditches, moving pipe for Joseph, Samuel and Benjamin--hey, even Ryan loved it!
*Late afternoon picnics with family, summer thunderstorms, walks and hikes and rides in the forest, July 4th with family----party in the park and running the river, picnic and fireworks! Grandfather and Uncle Greg even came!
*Gardening, watering, chasing Jacob off the driveway and road, soccer practices, football camp, soccer camp for David
Good bye, Summer, we'll miss you!

Back to school!

Wow! Where did the summer go? It feels like a thief quickly stole it away, I'm feeling a little robbed this morning----but truthfully, probably unprepared!

My cute boys hurriedly posing for me before they run off to school made me realize how fast the time has gone! This is the last 'back to school' picture I will take of Joseph---(unless, of course, I follow him around when he goes to College!) I can still see that cute little kindergartner with the round face and the slicked back hair picking flowers out of my garden to take to his teacher the first day of school in our little red brick house on 300 West in Cedar City. He seemed so little and I was so worried about how he would do at school, if he would have good friends, if his teacher would realize what a treasure she was getting, if the school would do it's job, etc. And here he is, a Senior, taking subjects that I can't fathom....Calculus, Physics, Economics, Government, Symphony, Acapella, AcaDeca, Honors English, Statistics....excelling in sports---lighting up the soccer field, wrestling mat, track.....working hard---moving pipe with his brothers, lifeguarding, hauling hay, cleaning ditches.....serving the Lord----1st Assistant in his Priest Quorum, Stake Youth Council, Seminary....taking care of his brothers----being good buddies with Samuel and Benjamin, mentoring David in Soccer, taking Jonathan and his cousin, Nick, swimming, picking up Jacob when he stretches out his arms to him---helping his old mom out---moving her piano around impossible corners, hanging blinds, putting up trim, hanging drapes, moving impossibly large couches, mowing lawns, etc. He is so much more then I ever imagined that cute little kindergartner with the wilting flowers would ever be. Maybe that's a good thing or I would have probably been scared to death to be his mom! What an amazing young man he is. I know I'll have to let him go soon, that's the way it should be, but sometimes, I'd just like to hold him close again in my arms and snuggle that wiggly, determined little boy once more, before he runs away from me and grows up---way, way too soon.

I look at my other handsome boys and hope this will be a wonderful year for them. Samuel, so tall and strong and amazed that he's overtaking his older brother in stature. When I hear his deep voice sometimes I can't believe this tall, handsome young man was that very busy little boy that was constantly running away from me---keeping my heart rate constantly on high! He still has those startling blue eyes and happy smile---although sometimes it gets hidden behind the teenage grumbly look. So kind to his little brothers----Jonathan loves him to pieces and he's so gentle and kind with Jacob. Now, Benjamin and David share the love/hate relationship with him----can't get along with him or without him---I'm sure it's all tangled up in that 'brotherly love' thing! So fun to see him and Joseph actually friends----Samuel idolizes him! An amazing athlete, musician and thinker....Can't believe this tall, amazing boy is mine!

Benjamin, the cute little imp that my Grandmother was sure I stole from some Indians! His first year in Junior High----I can still see that little 1 year old strolling down the drive way in his diaper--out of his clothes again, riding the lawn mower, giggling hysterically and following Samuel around everywhere. I wonder if Samuel will ever realize the debt he owes Benjamin----that little tiny brother of his that pushed and pushed him forward and was his bestest friend! Benjamin, who comes in 4 or 5 times to tell us goodnight and steal another hug or kiss and then turns around and punches his brothers.....gotta have both sides, I guess. I know he will do well in Junior High---confident and kind, very 'cool'' and handsome with that dark skin, eyes and hair. Such a spiritual young man and crazy too!

David...., from the minute he was born, I was smitten with his amazing dark, long eyelashes that framed those beautiful, big brown eyes. David, whom you never know if he will love you or hate you....though you know it's all love just the same, it just comes out differently. I'm sure he wonders where he was dropped off at with all the chaos in our house and his careful, neat, organized, studious ways....I'm sure all the noise and messiness is hard on him sometimes. He is so grown up! A 4th grader! I remember 4th grade---it was my very favorite year in school. Mrs. Hepworth was my teacher and she was my idol! I hope this year will be a wonderful one for my studious, careful, kind and thoughtful boy! I just know you are going to go to great places---the Moon, uncharted planets and galaxies! You stretch my mind with your thirst for knowledge!

Jonathan, my cute little man, who can throw an amazing fit with hair raising shrieks one minute and then remind me that ""If you just pray about it, it will all work out, because Jesus is listening!"" Yes, it will! or "Are you going to pray on that sprinkler or try to figure it out yourself?" Your cute dimples, infectious laugh and funny comments disarm me with your charm. I love your little 'southern/western drawl'! I hope your kindergarten teacher can see the bright, wonderful, amazing boy that you are! I love you, you handsome little boy ('my baby')!

Jacob's going to Preschool too, but not yet, thank heavens. Otherwise, I'd be left behind and then I'd really be responsible for the mess at home! I need some excuse as to why I can't get everything in order!

So glad to see my boys turning into wonderful young men....yet it's so bittersweet to realize how fast they're changing. I was playing the game of "I wish I'd done......." the other night when I couldn't sleep. I should have taken you on more walks, taking you swimming every night, (like we used to), I should have made more time for just you and me, I should have listened to you better, when I was so 'busy', I should have read you more stories, I should have made sure things were in better order so you could find your shoes, socks, pants, etc., I should have fixed you more good food, we should have had more fun together, we should have gone camping more, I shouldn't have yelled, I should have hugged and kissed you more and told you how amazing I think you are....but the time goes, the stress happens, the busy schedule goes on....I just hope I remember to REALLY look at you every time I'm near you and REALLY listen to all of your wonderful ideas and REALLY be there for all the wonderful things you do, if I'm not, please know that I want to be there and I want you to know that you are the most amazing thing that has ever happened to me----thanks for letting me share your wonderful life!

Here's some pics of my cute little boys on their first day of school: Joseph--a senior, Samuel---an 8th grader, Benjamin---a 6th grader, David----a 4th grader, Jonathan---a Kindergartner! The 3 pipe-moving/soccer/football boys driving to school in style (via the Geo)! Jonathan and David left earlier on the bus!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Blue Skies, new snow, a district medal for our wrestler!

The snow was nearly melted this week until Wednesday when a blustery storm blew in a covered us all up with a beautiful new blanket of glistening snow! Admittedly, it is a stunning sight against the beautiful blue skies and the lustrous rising full moon last night, but still, I'm yearning for Spring! It's always an amazing miracle to watch the snow melt, the grass appear and begin to turn green, the daffodils begin pushing up their beautiful heads.....it does give one hope, doesn't it? That in the midst of a frozen, dead world, there is the hope and dream that it will be green and living again? That keeps us going through the Spring 'tease' of winter/spring/winter/spring weather! This Spring I vow to pull every weed and get my flower beds in order quickly. It's unbelievable that at the end of summer I was so ready to be done watering and weeding and harvesting, now it seems like a special gift that I can't wait to open. I hope by August, I'm still singing the same song!
Enough of that Spring pining!





Today we got to watch Joseph take 1st place at the District Wrestling Tournament! Wow, he pinned his guy in 22 seconds flat! The fastest pin we saw all day! The best thing about it was watching him jump up and hold his thumb up in the air to his Dad after he pinned his opponent! He was pretty proud----and his Dad, well his chest did seem as if it was swelling a bit! His brothers huddled around him, in awe, so excited that they were related to someone who had done such an amazing thing! Jacob gave him high 5's and 'knuckles'. What a fun day! Well, here we go....on to state!




This week we have spent taking our turns being sick----that really yucky throw-uppy sick that makes you want to melt into the ground to gain relief! Jacob started it last Friday night. Jeff and I were going to the Temple on Saturday and staying overnight to 'get away'. So when Jacob was throwing up all night, I assumed our plans would have to change. But Jacob rallied a bit and we left later in the day. Jacob still had some rough times, but his brothers took good care of him and Jeff and I had a good time unwinding! Joseph even took his brothers to Stake Conference---amazingly they all got dressed on their own and made it there together (except for Samuel and Jacob). That does do a mother's heart good to know that her children can and will do some 'good' things on their own!

Sunday night took me and Jonathan down and soon to follow were Ben and Samuel on Valentine's day---not a very festive day! But Jonathan and I did enjoy making some Valentine coupons for everyone. I received some beautiful flowers and everyone went to bed early---wow, that was amazing! Because everyone spent Tuesday home (except for Jeff and Joseph), we decided to get busy and make our video auditions for the ISSI this summer. You'd think recording a 2 minute song wouldn't take very long, but it was amazing how it took our whole day, and night and the next day! I guess you should always just go with the first recording, because after you try for a 'better' one it just seems to get progressively worse until you wonder if anyone is going to be able to get through their piece at all! They did finally get done, submitted and applications sent off. Here is the 'fruit' of our recording sessions:

Benjamin playing "Scherzo" by Webster



David playing "Waltz" by Brahms



Jonathan playing "Twinkle Variation A" (aka 'Mississippi Hot Dog')



Samuel playing "Moon over a ruined castle" and "March in G"---Samuel auditioned for and received 3rd chair in the Bridgerland Honor Orchestra in Logan. He will perform in March with students in the 7-9th grades from the Cache Valley area! Congrats, Samuel!



And Joseph playing the 1st mvmnt. of the Bruch Concerto




Jacob started preschool and doesn't seem bothered by it at all! We've been a little inconsistent because of illness, but he seems to love all the social interaction and the kids seem to love him, too! Jonathan loves taking his little brother to "Miss Judy's" preschool on Mondays and Thursdays and "Sister Greene's" preschool on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Jacobs getting a little frustrated with his inability to communicate his wants and desires as quickly as he'd like to---or else frustrated with his parent apparent lack of being able to pick up his 'signs' or 'clues'! He still loves to dazzle us with his walking skills when we kneel down for prayer, but declines pretty vehemently to walk when asked. Hmmm....wonder where he got that stubborn streak from?

Here's Jacob and Sister Greene at Joseph's wrestling match----


Well, Spring will be here before we know it---lots happening in March---String Festivals, District Solo Competitions, Swim Meets, Basketball games (still!), Church Ball (going for the Stake Championship!) Track, and of course, school! Grateful for a 'loving' February---cute boys, fun times watching them at games, tournaments, scout events, etc. We are so blessed!

Where did January go?

So where has January gone? I was hoping this month would go fast, but it's gone faster then I anticipated! A quick run down of our month would be:

From Family pix

* Wrestling every weekend for Joseph-----A different tournament all over Idaho/Utah---He's doing great. Last week he pinned his man in 44 seconds, which I thought was pretty fast! If I could remember to get my camera out quick enough, I might even be able to post a pic! Joseph is also working on the Bruch g minor violin concerto. Since we have heard this nearly every day since last May, his teacher has kindly added in a Bach Partita and Meditation from Thais by Massenet. His teacher is so cute---in an effort to find a better Skype connection she now goes to a small practice room on campus and sits on the floor with her computer in her lap and violin in hand. Gotta love the wonders of technology! Joseph also has a 3.95 GPA from last semester with Chemistry 2, Physics, Calculus, Honors English and Concurrent US History. Wow, I'm impressed---can't believe he's my child, glad he got Jeff's brains!

From Family pix

*Samuel is playing a lot of basketball---everywhere--Malad, Ogden, Preston, Logan. Thankfully, his coach has been in Mexico for a week, so we've had a little break. He and Joseph also play on the church ball team and are 2-1 so far----going for that Stake Championship! Samuel got to have the first 'live' Bass lesson with his teacher, Anthony Willey, who lives in Provo. The first thing we noticed was that Samuel's Bass looked miniscule compared to Anthony's----guess you can only see part of a Bass on Skype. Samuel is learning the wonders of paying attention to details and drilling very small details over and over again----hard lessons for a 7th grader sometimes! But this week he practiced faithfully with the metronome and amazed his teacher---the rosin on his bow could have helped also, since he's been without for a couple of weeks----nevertheless----an accomplishment! Samuel continues to plow through the 7th grade curriculum----7th grade is sooo hard in our school district----at least science and math, but only one more trimester to go---wahoo!

From Family pix

*Benjamin has had a hard time staying well this year! We finally took him to the Nurse Practitioner, since he hadn't been able to talk for 2 weeks to just see what the heck was the matter with this kid! She couldn't find anything wrong either, but agreed that 2 week without a voice and seal barking was not good, so she put him on an inhaler and that seems to have helped a bit. He was quite impressed that he had an inhaler, just like his Grandmother---kinda makes you feel important! Ben added Rec basketball to his busy swimming, dancing, orchestra schedule last week and they won their first game by 1 point! Wahoo! Benjamin also finished the Book of Mormon last week. He set a goal last year to finish it and has faithfully read every night. Now, he's tackling the Old Testament----I told him, good luck! He has some interesting questions for me now, maybe he should be reading the Pearl of Great Price in tandem, and Old Testament scholar, I'm not! Anyway, Benjamin was a little concerned about his grades because of all the school he's missed, but seems to be getting back into the groove.

From Family pix

*David also began Rec Basketball last week and has his first game this week. He was amazed that he wasn't half bad at his first practice---he said: "Wow, Sam, Ben and Joseph keep telling me how bad I am at basketball, and I'm really not!" Gotta love the brotherly humility treatment! David is working his way through the Harry Potter books and doing a great job! He is enjoying orchestra and wants to finish his last piece in his Suzuki Book 1 book so he can give his recital and get his trophy! He, Ben and Jonathan are also doing lessons via Skype with our wonderful Cedar City teacher--Sara Penny. Although Joseph is a great teacher----the 'brotherly' element was getting in the way a bit. We've loved getting back on track with Sara and remembering all those great things she taught Joseph.

From Family pix

*Jonathan is almost finished learning his Twinkles and is learning "Mary had a little lamb"---fiddle style for the String Festival in March. He also got his first 10-day 'perk' (an ice cream sundae!) on his 100 days of practice, and thinks that's a pretty cool deal! Jonathan is loving preschool and can never get enough of it! He enjoys 'Miss Judy's Preschool' and 'Sister Greene's' Preschool. He's a little concerned about his baby brother joining him at the 'big boy' Preschool next week, but I'm sure he'll show Jacob all the ropes of Preschool! Jonathan is getting so tall and his hair is turning dark. We all went to a Jon Schmidt piano recital on Saturday night and Jonathan entertained us today by trying to play the piano upside down with his hands crossed----kinda hard to do, especially if you don't even know much about playing the piano!

From Family pix

*Jacob is loving the freedom that learning to walk brings! He especially loves the applause and cheers from his brothers and family. When we gather to say family prayer, he's pretty sure that we're just there to applaud and cheer him on in his walking antics---and of course, we are! He is getting so big and will be 3 this week! I can't believe it, wow, where has the time gone? He's accomplished so much this year and is loving going to 'Sis. Greene's Preschool.' I still believe he's a special love note from Heavenly Father just to me. When things go wrong or there's too much boy energy in our house his sweet little arms give me lots of love and his laughter and cute little personality can pull me out of the darkest of moments! We're so lucky to have him!

From 2011-01 (Jan)

Jacob loves giving his brother a ride!


*Jeff is feeling lucky to still have his job, at the moment, since 5 of his fellow workers have just been laid off. We're crossing our fingers and feeling grateful to still be employed. Hopefully, things will pick up sooner!

*I'm still doing laundry, washing dishes, washing floors and driving endlessly! I have several really talented students this year and have really enjoyed working with them. I've also enjoyed working with the ladies in the Mountain Aire choir. Although our group is getting a little smaller, we have some great music that we're working on---"This is the Christ", "Behold the wounds,", "My Heavenly Father loves me" and a 60's medley---since one of the ladies pointed out that that's our 'old people' music now! Anyway, grateful to have music and family filling up my life! So, so lucky to have what I have and be where I am. Wish I was a little better at getting my projects finished----but that gives me something to look forward to, I guess!

Goodbye, January---Bring it on, February!

Our California Adventure!

We had an amazing Christmas Vacation this year! Although, by the time it came around for us to go, I wasn't sure if I wanted to anymore....right before Christmas! But it turned out to be some of the funnest times we've had together! Be it:
* driving all night to get to Grandmother's,
* finding Redboxes along the way to check out movies,
* quizzing each other on '4th grade facts',
* arriving in California in the middle of the wettest week they've ever had (1 1/2 inches per hour!),
* discovering Crystal Cove and the Pacific Coast Highway's charm---and basically having it to ourselves (who else would have been out in this storm!),
* finding tide pools, newly formed rivers and waterfalls, starfish, mussels, amazingly beautiful beaches,
* warming up in the car after we'd been soaked on the beach,
* finding laundromats to dry our drenched clothes and shoes,
* finding more Redboxes to get more movies,
* wondering if the Marriott we stayed in near Fullerton College housed the entire football team during an intense workout----because it certainly smelled like they'd been there!,
* walking on to all the rides at Disneyland---wondering if there was more water in the log on Splash Mountain then through the entire ride,
* taking Jonathan on Buzz Lightyear----how many times?!?,
* taking Jonathan on all the 'thriller' rides....poor child didn't get to hang out on the little kid rides---when he exclaimed that the 'monster' on the Matterhorn was really pretty scary---we just said---oh, you'll be fine!,
* smelling wet, smelly shoes in the hotel room----ummm, nice combination now----
* finding another laundromat to get those shoes dried and smelling better!,
* LOOSING our tickets to Disneyland in a Dollar store while buying more rain ponchos and flip flops (ditching those stinky shoes!),
* FINDING our tickets---soaked and thrashed under some cars in the parking lot----wow, our own personal miracle--THANK YOU JOSEPH!,
* watching the amazing Disneyland fireworks----and laughing at my kids as they scoffed at the manufactured 'snow'---yeah, not really the same thing!,
* Space Mountain----how many times?---how many different poses?----it's all about the pose!,
* riding the train,
* eating chocolate,
* falling into bed at 2:00 a.m.,
* one perfectly beautiful day at the picturesque Crystal Cove,
* so fun to watch Jonathan and his 'stick',
* David in heaven finding one sea creature after another,
* Ben taking it all in and saying 'this is the most perfect trip ever!',
* Samuel trying to outdo Joseph in the water,
* Joseph trying to make sure Samuel doesn't out do him in the water,
* watching my boys run hand and hand laughing into the ocean---does it get any better then that?!, it was worth every minute for that spellbound moment of brothers hand in hand---silhouetted against the setting sun---one timeless, perfect picture to remember.

Yes, it was a 'perfect' Christmas! Thank you, Santa!

Spring Vacation---Hole in the Rock Trip

Here are some photos of our fantastic (and a little cold!) trip to Hole in the Rock--but not one mosquito.



We started out on Monday stopping in Cedar City and enjoying a night of pampering from Grandmother and Papa Joe--and being 'blown away' by the wind! Then we headed out the next morning to head across Cedar Mountain to Red Rock Canyon (Butch Cassidy country) and through Bryce Canyon (where we stopped to admire the various ATV vehicles that looked SOOOO comfortable compared to our 'stuffed to the brim' suburban!) to Escalante---and did we mention the wind?!

We were a little panicked to get to a camping spot on the Hole in the Rock Trail before it was dark. We took the first one we could find at Sooner Wash (about 2 hours into the trail). It was a very fun campsite----lots of fun climbing rocks. That night was beautiful---the moon was full it was warm (about 71) and calm....and then we woke up to....yeah....wind and some menacing clouds! But it wasn't too bad so we decided to get on our way. We headed down the trail and were determined to make it as far as we could in our '4 wheelin'vehicle'...yeah, the Suburban! We did pretty well over slickrock surfaces, gulches, rock slides, but finally had to admit defeat when we came to a 'staircase' of rock steps up a steep rock cliff. We were sure we were pretty close to the end of the trail, so we hopped out of the car, took no supplies and started walking (what smart hikers we are).

About a mile and a half into the hike, Jonathan and Jacob were not doing so well, and not sure how much further we had to go, I took them and headed back and fortunately, someone picked us up and drove us down to our car---I was very grateful! But the rest of the boys kept on going with Jeff and had a great time exploring the Hole in the Rock and being amazed at those pioneers that made such an amazing ride down a steep cliff. (Joseph had been saying the whole time, "I don't see what the big deal is, the trail isn't that bad." But when he came back, he said, "Okay, now I'm amazed!")



On the way back we enjoyed exploring the arches and caves we had seen driving along the trail. Then we headed back to camp, ate and dropped in bed....and listened to the wind and rain all night! The next morning was....well.....windy! But we headed to Dance Hall Rock and had fun exploring more rock formations and climbing everywhere possible. The storm finally chased us out and we made it back to camp just in time to get hailed on while we tried to break camp! True to form, as soon as we were packed up and soaked through, the sun came out! We wished we could have stayed longer, but dropping temperatures and sick kids helped us decide to head home via a 'new' route---through the Calf Creek area and over Boulder Mountain.....wow such amazing places....we were stunned by the awesome vastness of this area....we need a month to explore it! We finally made it home about 3:00 a.m.

It was a fast and furious trip, but one that we will always remember and be grateful for the opportunity we had to share a bit of amazing history of our forefathers! We are the better for it!

Resolutions.....hmmm....

Well, it's almost the end of January, and I still have procrastinated writing down my New Year's resolutions....yes, I am a little frustrated with myself and my ability to procrastinate! So, I will get right on that.....tomorrow! Until then, I keep thinking of the words to a song we are singing in "Mountain Aire" choir from "Counting my blessings." It goes like this...."When my bankroll is gettin' small, I think of when I had none at all, and I fall asleep, counting my blessings." Now, I'm not sure why I keep thinking of this line.....because I don't really have a bankroll big or small---probably, like most, a little non-existent! But, lately I've seen that my greatest blessings have little to do with the non-existent bankroll----and they are many! So I thought I would share a few of them, 'lest I forget!'



The first of many blessings would be our lovely and sweet Jacob and his ability to bring out the best in all of us. And for the person Jacob prefers above all.....his Dad. Love him so much!



The second would be sweet moments like this with my 16 year old teaching my 8 year old. A wrestler with 2 black eyes teaching the delicate technique of playing the violin to his little brother. Sweet!!



The third would be hilarious moments like this when my 4 year old is so excited to get the mail that he runs out into the snow, dinosaur mask on--shoes off, too excited to put the mail down so he can pull his pants up-- as they slowly fall to a heap at his feet. I think I laughed until I cried, he was so excited and oblivious to his falling pants! Unexpected humor in the day!

There are so many other wonderful 'mommy' moments that I've experienced these past weeks that have brought me to the startling reality that my babies are growing up.

* Ballroom dance performances by Sam and Ben with grace and poise I didn't know they posessed

* Ben and Sam playing basketball---and looking huge out there on their teams!

* David taking care of his 'little brothers'---so big brotherish and protective!

* Jonathan getting on the bus with his brothers to go to preschool in the morning.....seeing all 5 of the brothers lined up in a heighth line to get on the bus....."when did they grow to be so tall?"

* Listening to my oldest son bear his testimony to his brothers about 'honoring your parents' and being grateful for your family.....yes, I think you could have tipped us all over with a feather...total silence in FHE! What an amazing experience!

* Leaving for the evening and knowing that, with a little help from Grandma (okay, a lot!), the boys will take care of each other and be in bed when we get home...totally amazing that they all survived!

Okay, and for some other wonderful moments.....

........going to the SLC temple during Christmas time with Jeff, realizing that I've been married to him almost as long as I lived in my parents home---hopefully, we're melding together a bit better these days!

........frustrated with the never-ending battle against the gray in my hair, yet amazed at how each new gray hair and wrinkle on my husband just makes him that much more handsome.

.......friendship with good women who meet each week, despite the snow and cold, to sing and chat and 'bear each other up'....so lucky to have that in my life!

.......good food, warm house, kind words, caring people, unexpected friendships, the scriptures, family, teaching, work to do to help us get by, cold star-filled skies, beautiful white snow...

Life is good, we are blessed......so, so much!