Yoda vs. Elder Packer

Last night The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints had a broadcast on the "Work of Salvation."  The boys paid semi attention until Elder Boyd K. Packer was on and then all eyes were on the computer. 

Levi: "He sounds like Yoda."

Daddy:  "He looks like Yoda."

Oh my goodness, it took me a long time to stop laughing at that!

I tried to find on youtube the video from the broadcast, but couldn't, so this one will have to do.  I thought it was kind of fitting considering he is talking about his age.

Tracy Cub Scout Day Camp

 June 18-20th was our Cub Scout Day Camp for the dens in Tracy, California.  The boys really enjoyed it, which was a relief considering how some of us have felt about past day camps.  The first one Levi was a part of was in Oklahoma and he didn't complain but I volunteered for 2 of the 3 days and it was m-i-s-e-r-a-b-l-e for me!  There was lots for the boys to do but it was so stinkin' hot and muggy and we had to use porta potties and, well, that and heat just doesn't mix.  By day number 3, I couldn't take it anymore and insisted on David taking them the last day.  Camp #2 was in Oklahoma again, still miserably hot, but I was able to get away with not going the first day because I got sick.   Poppy (Beck) stayed with them at camp that first day.  By the last day, even the boys couldn't handle the heat and BEGGED me not to take them back.  I was more than happy to oblige!  Last year, in Utah, the camp wouldn't let me go because I had Hyrum with me.  But the boys really liked that camp.  So this year when they asked me to help I have to admit, I wasn't all that excited.  But then I found out it was mostly inside.....heaven!!!!!  See, in Oklahoma, you were outside the whole time.  I'm telling you, being inside this time made all the difference and I can say that I finally made it all three days!  Yes, I am a wimp when it comes to heat but I was finally able to enjoy this time with the boys...even, if they had me mostly helping other boys who were not in my boy's groups.  It just felt good to be in the same building with them and knowing it wasn't miserable for them either.

Levi did say something cute, though, after our first day at camp.  I was asking him about what he enjoyed and he seemed to really like it.  But after a few minutes of thinking on it he said, "It was kinda lame.  I mean, it is camp but there are no tents.  There wasn't even smores!"  Ha!  I tried to get him to understand the difference between camping and day camp :)

(middle-Brigham)

I spent the most time with Brigham out of the 2 boys (because of where I was placed each day).  Brigham is such a defiant kid sometimes that we just really clash but I have to admit that after being around so many boys his age, I have to say that I felt that maybe I'm a little too strict with him.  Yes, he can be a stinker but really, he is such good kid compared to what I saw.  

I was real proud of him at the pool.  He passed off the deep end tests right away.  No need for re-testing with him.  He has always been my little swimmer.

(left-Levi)

The boys always love the archery and bee bee guns at camp.  This year was no different.  Levi and 2 other boys were the only ones in his group to get the bullseye.  He did that a few years ago at camp also.  It fit perfectly because Daddy calls him "Eagle Eye."  He gave him that nick name because when we are driving somewhere looking for something, he almost always finds it before the rest of us.

It's always a little hard for me to put Hyrum in any kind of setting where someone is watching him for a long period of time.  I guess because out of all my kids, he is the only one who has had a hard time when it comes to me or Daddy leaving him somewhere.  When we were in Oklahoma and that first year in Head Start; I didn't think we were ever going to get him used to us leaving him.  Almost EVERY morning he would cry as we were leaving.  But even now, at 5 years old, he is typically not real thrilled about being at new places without one of us.  So he was hesitant about the day care area at camp.  He even told me he was nervous on the second day but as you can see, they really entertained them well.  Every time I went to check on him, he was doing something different.  They were really clever at doing different things to keep them happy...which made Momma real happy.

Worn

After having a complete and total meltdown this evening, I have been humbled into remembering not to judge other mothers I see at some grocery or department store, yelling at their kids.  It really bothers me to hear them cursing at their children and while I didn't yell or curse at mine today, well, I sure wasn't nice.  I will say that Brigham and Levi were being very naughty and not listening to me but my actions were uncalled for, especially when they were directed towards Hyrum and later David.

So, I was in the shower trying to calm down from our outing when I thought of all those moms that I pass by at stores who aren't so kind to their kids.  A lot of times I will say little prayers for those children and if I hear a screaming baby I will say one for the mom.  But I can't say that I ever do it for the parents who are cursing and yelling at their kids.  I guess I am to busy judging them.

I love that saying, "Don't judge me because I sin differently than you do."

That came to my mind tonight.  So the next time I run into that crabby mom please remember that she might be suffering something you can't imagine.  I really hope I remember this.

David caught me hmmming the other day.  He said it was pretty and wanted to know what it was.  I didn't realize what song it was.  I had to really think about it.  When I realized what it was, it made me cry.

"My prayers are wearing thin
Yeah, I’m worn
Even before the day begins
Yeah, I’m worn
I’ve lost my will to fight
I’m worn
So, heaven come and flood my eye"

("Worn" by Tenth Avenue North)

I am blessed.  I know this.  But there are times when the trials of life just seem a bit to hard.  Just last night David and I were talking in bed about a friend of mine who is struggling that I have been worried about.  But I am also excited for what she is learning from this time in her life.  The life lessons she is going through right now are making her more compassionate towards those mothers who struggle to just get up in the morning.  

I pray for all the worn mothers tonight because I know that if they hold on, great compassion follows.  And because of that, I am actually very grateful for all that I have been through and experienced.  

Okies in Cali

Katie Lester and her family stayed with us 2 nights as they were traveling through on their summer vacation.  I grew up with Katie in the Grove Branch.  When I think of Katie (Webster, at the time) I always think of her being baptized in a horse trough and her sister Jenny.  The first, funny and the last, sad.  Both memorable.  I remember going to the Webster home to play with the girls.  But I will never forget sitting at Grandma and Grandpa's kitchen table having dinner when Grandpa got the phone call that Jenny had died, being hit by a semi.  Odd how some things never leave your memory.  I guess odd to me, because my childhood memory is horrible.  I just don't remember a lot but this I remember everything.  Even what I was eating at the time.  I had a roll in my hands, something I loved very much, and I couldn't finish it.  I left the table and went into the bedroom that me and my brother and sisters stayed in while Mom and Dad were at work.  I remember Grandma coming down and making sure I was ok.  I remember going to the Webster's house after Jenny died and crying in Rhonda's (Jenny's mom) arms.  Here I was, around 9 years old, and the mother who had just lost her child was consoling me.  Jenny was the first friend that I had lost to death.  Only a few months later, Katie/Jenny's Dad died.  That poor family.

Just before Katie left today, she was telling me the story of how her Mom and Dad met.  She was so cute as she went into detail...even down to the car that her mom and dad were driving, separately, when they met.  I wonder if that is what it is like when you lose someone or something important to you.  That you remember every detail, whether it be what you physically saw or what you were told.

 But Katie is grown now and has her own family and I was grateful they wanted to spend time with us on their vacation.

(Brigham, Levi, Hyrum, Micheal, and Mia)

First we took them to the Oakland temple.  It has a great view of San Fransisco there.  Next to the temple is a visitors center where this Christus was  inside.  It was a wonderful reminder, in everyday life, of what our Savior did for us.

(Katie with Mia, Alisa, Micheal, Levi, Hyrum, David, Brigham, and Mike)

Then we were off to cross the Golden Gate Bridge...which isn't golden at all.  Both David and I were thinking it, as we were passing over, but it was Brigham who verbally said, "It isn't very big."  We thought it would be bigger and longer but either way, it was fun to say we did it.

As we were leaving we went threw this tunnel.

Gay Pride.....Welcome to San Fransisco, baby!  David and I got a big kick out of that!

Then we took the Lester's to Muir Beach.  It is only 6 miles before Stinson Beach, which is where we went last time, yet the beaches were very different.  One of the things were these jelly looking things all around.  Levi picked one up and showed it to me.  I urgently told him to put it down in case it was a Jelly Fish!  I scared him but I didn' want to see tears that could soon follow if he messed with it for too long.

Sure enough, David and Mike put them in water and they were Jelly Fish!

Then, the boys were digging when Brigham found a sea centipede.  My pictures of it didn't turn out well so I found this one on the internet.  It looked just like this but a little more green in color.

Katie and I saw some dolphins swimming and we heard a guy passing say that he saw a sea otter.  This beach was FULL of new things to see!

PROUD OF MY KIDS

Ok, so I'm the typical Mom and proud of my kids and their accomplishments.  A few days before school ended, there was an assembly at school honoring students who were excelling academically.  Levi not only got the Academic Superstar but also the Principles Award.  The last is the most sought out one because it indicates that your grades were between a 3.5 and perfect 4.0.  It didn't surprise me one bit when he got that last award.  Levi has always really cared about his school work.  Brigham, on the other hand, really could care less.  But...he does make up for it with his talents outside of school.

Uncle Bubba would be so proud!  Brigham started guitar lessons on Wednesday with a teenager, Nate, in our ward.  I really like how laid back he is with Brigham.  He complimented him and just didn't pressure him at all.  That is how Brigham works best so I think these two will get along perfectly.

I don't get it as much as when Brigham was younger, but I am very much used to hearing how people who grew up around me and Ronald (Uncle Bubba) think that Brigham looks just like Ronald did.  Funny thing, when Ronald lived with us before his mission, you could tell that he favored Brigham too.  Then out of the blue, Brigham asked if he could have guitar lessons.  The guitar that Nate is using is Uncle Bubba's guitar that he left with us years ago.  Leave it to Brigham to be the one to finally pick it up....just like Uncle Bubba.

Mountain House Water Park

A lady in our ward set up a play-date for every Tuesday at the Mountain House Water Park while all our kids are out for summer break.  I would call it more of a splash pad but either way it was a great out for the boys...and mom!  I was talking to one of my friends, Becca, and we both said how we all know this is really about all us moms getting together with other moms!   It was funny because Levi had made a comment earlier, on the way to the park, that all I would be doing was "jibber jabbing."

 (Hyrum and Brigham) 

We stayed for about 3 hours but that proved to be too long as Brigham puked in our car on the way home!  Even with a 16 ounce water bottle and bottle of Gatorade, it still wasn't enough to keep him from getting dehydrated.  On the way home, both him and Hyrum (he got hurt on the playground area) complained that they didn't want to go back but I know they had fun!

(Hyrum and Levi)

That's Where I Am At

Just an update on my taking better care of my body.  Still have problems with the pop thing.  Those darn Sonic drinks!  I have put "Add Ins" in my Dr Pepper for years (Cherry and Vanilla, Chocolate and Vanilla, Chocolate and Cherry...even all three!).  So sad.  Funny thing is, when I was younger, I really hated pop.  I didn't like the fizzy feeling in my throat.  I though it kinda hurt.  I would only allow for the occasional sip of my Dad's Pepsi.  (To this day, I still think Dad's Pepsi tastes different than if I were to order one.)  I also didn't like drinking pop because of the whole caffeine thing.  That all changed after David, Levi, Brigham and I moved from Rexburg, Idaho to Colorado.  I was depressed and for some reason I started to resort to Sonic drinks.  I know, weird, but it was my drug of choice.

Then a few years back, Elton said something about having a drink from Sonic once that had cream in it.  Oh, how my life has changed!  Yeah, I have a problem!  Sonic drinks are NOT cheap so I finally got smart and just bought cans of Dr. Pepper and Creamer that you put in coffee.  Oh my goodness....HEAVEN!  Ok, maybe it wasn't so smart but it has helped the pocket book.

But I can say that I am doing really well on cutting back on my chocolate intake.  I also drink one-two smoothies a day that only consists of fruits, veggies, raw nuts, and coconut milk.  It's really nice to still have those samples of Stevia that NuNaturals sent me because they are great in those smoothies.

So all in all, other than my pops, I am doing real well.  Levi LOVES my smoothies so he has them with me, which makes me feel so good that I know he is getting plenty of nutrients from fresh fruits and veggies daily.

Last month, my gift to Heavenly Father was to focus on fasting.  I am terrible about fasting.  I always have been.  Even when I thin.  I have such a terrible time with the refraining from water part.  Don't get me wrong, I get crabby when I am hungry but it is doable.  The water part, however, really gets to me.  The medications I take give me dry mouth so I am constantly sipping water throughout the day.

While we were living in Utah, I read this book called the "W.O.W. Diet."  It isn't about a fad diet; far from it.  It is about changing the way you eat around the Words Of Wisdom of different religions.  Not only did I learn about the eating rituals of different religions but I also learned about fasting and how it is medically good for your body.  The lady who wrote the book spoke of how she struggled with fasting.  After reading what she did to prepare her body to finally have a successful fast, I though I could do it too.  So, I started with only missing 2 meals and just trying to stay away from water for as long as I could.  Once I thought I really had to have water, I allowed myself that.  Once I allowed myself to slowly get my body used to fasting, I did so much better.  Before, I felt that if I didn't do it perfectly then I should just stop.  Give up.  Now, I am not.  I am still not at a full fast, but I am getting there.

So, I bring the fasting thing up because last month I fasted that I would be able to take better care of my body.  I need to get the Lord's help with this.  To many times in life, I depend on David for help or turn to others for advice.  It is great to have that benifit of willing people to help, but I don't take advantage of a loving Father in Heaven who would gladly help, if I would just let Him.  

So yeah, that's where I am at.