Celebration of the Inauguration, January 20, 2009

Today is an historical day, as all inaugural days are. I have pondered much about what is happening today-- the amount of money being spent, the state of our country, the promises that are being made-- and I have had conflicting feelings. Where will our country be in the next few years? As I studied my scriptures, reflecting on this land being preserved for a great purpose and being blessed as a Promised Land, I realized that I am probably not the only one who wonders, and ours is probably not the only generation that has wondered. Our country's history is peppered with ups and downs, conflict and crisis. I concluded that, while I may not agree with the man and many of his ideas, I will celebrate this inauguration and teach my children to do the same. I think it is important and necessary to help my children understand that it is the office of President that we celebrate and respect.
That while we may not agree with the office holder, the office of President is an office created by an inspired Constitution. Ours is a great country founded on true principles and we support that wholeheartedly. The Constitution was written by men who sought out the guidance of God and we can pray that our current leaders will continue to do the same. It is this same Constitution that allows us to disagree and still be united as one nation under God. And so, we celebrate this inaugural day with hope and joy, grateful to be blessed to live in this great country!

Does your mouthwash really work?!

Have you ever wondered if there is a difference in the brands of mouthwash you use? Is the generic brand as good as Listerine? Luke wondered that same thing and decided to put his query to the test in this years science fair. After acquiring some petri dishes, he went to work growing bacteria and testing mouthwash. He first swabbed his mouth and put the swab in sterile water, this created a bacteria solution. He poured the water into the petri dishes, poured off any excess, and then placed a disk that had been submerged in mouthwash in the center of the dish. After sealing the dishes, placing them in a warm place, and waiting a few days, he measured the "kill zone" of each mouthwash. As he peeled off the tape and opened the lids to measure the kill zone, I'm not ashamed to say that we both felt queasy and itchy as we examined the bacteria. I think we both took showers after we were finished. The results were very clear that Listerine does kill 99.9% of the germs (or at least 99.9% more than the other brands). For those of you who were wondering if the generic brand is just a effective. . . it's not! In this study it didn't kill any of the bacteria, in fact, there was a bacteria colony growing right on the disk. Keep in mind that this a fifth grade science project, so take it for what it's worth, but this family will be using Listerine from now on!

Luke really enjoyed working on this project and was very excited to participate in the fair. He woke up extra early the morning of the fair, got his project in order and put on his suit. I found out later he was the only boy who wore a suit but Luke's friends reported to me that all the judges were very complimentary on Luke's appearance. The results of the fair have yet to come in, but I was very proud of Luke and how hard he worked on his project.

Lindsey gets her ears pierced

Months ago, Lindsey began asking if she could get her ears pierced. According to her, she was the only one in her whole class who did not have pierced ears. After some thought and discussion, we came upon a plan. To show us that she responsible enough to have pierced ears, Lindsey had to act responsibly by doing a variety of things that we discussed. Lindsey worked hard for many months, proving that she was responsible. After some time, she approached me again and asked if I thought she was responsible. I reflected over the past few months and realized that she had been very responsible, but as a mother, I don't like to see my kids grow up-- and I also enjoy teasing them. I kept putting her off and telling her she had to keep working. Of course, she wasn't always happy about this and I again started hearing about the numerous girls her age who had pierced ears. I was fascinated by the fact that my daughter was the only girl in her whole school without pierced ears. I kept trying to convince her that it was good to be unique.

As Christmas arrived, however, I knew I was going to have to keep my end of the bargain and let her get her ears pierced. She had been very responsible, more than I expected her to be. I decided Christmas would be a great time to tell her she could join the ranks of those of us with pierced ears. I got her some lovely earrings with her birthstone, wrapped them up with a big bow, and put the gift on the tree. After the mayhem of Christmas morning had died down, I told her there was one last gift on the tree. She quickly found it and tore the paper open. Her first response was how pretty they were but she couldn't wear them because the earrings were for pierced ears. I informed her that her gift was to get her ears pierced. Needless to say, she was very excited.

Lindsey enlisted the moral support of her cousin Carissa who already had had the experience of getting her ears pierced. We decided to turn it into a girls day out so Lindsey, Heather, Savannah and I ventured down to Salt Lake, picked up Carissa and Sophie and headed to the mall. There was actually a line of people waiting to get their ears pierced so the girls mingled around the store picking out various jewelry items while we waited. When they called Lindsey's name I could tell she was a little nervous. All of our assurances that it didn't hurt didn't seem to be comforting her. Her fear was not greater than her desire, however,and she was determined to go through with it. I had to turn my head when the ladies approached her (there are some things a mother can't watch). They did both ears at the same time which was nice because Lindsey informed me later that it did hurt--a little bit--and if she had to sit for one ear at a time she may have jumped at the second one. Lindsey walked out of the shop with a big grin on her face, instructions and cleaner in her bag, and a little bit more grown up.

A New Year-- 2009

It is hard to believe that a new year is upon us. It seems that time goes so quickly and there is never enough of it. The holiday season brought a lot of joy and fun for our family. We were able to enjoy the hustle and bustle of holiday parties, music performances and family traditions. As the kids get older, they remember the traditions and sometimes have to remind me. I'm glad that the memories are being created and the time that we spend together means something to them.

With the various music performances we had (singing and violin) we were able to get down to temple square a few times this season and enjoy the lights and festivities there. Walking around the temple grounds always helps to bring the true spirit of Christmas into the season.


Of course with the new year comes goals and changes and we have had both. The biggest change we've had to start the new year off with is a new ward. Our ward was once again realigned. We have lived in the same home for six years and this will be our third ward. We have decided to look at it as an opportunity to make even more friends. With the new ward came new callings. James is now the bishop of our new ward. The call from our Stake President came on the eve of Christmas Eve. We have learned from past visits with the stake presidency, the calls come spur of the moment. After answering the phone, you are usually given about ten minutes to get down to the Stake President's office. (The first time this happened was the night I got home from the hospital after having Matthew.) This process gives new meaning to the scout motto: "Be Prepared."

Upon arriving at the Stake President's office, we were greeted and James was led into the office to chat. Then he came out and I was led into the office for a nice visit, afterwards, we were both brought in and the call was extended to James to be the bishop. We were both very surprised because we were not prepared for the ward to be realigned, let alone have a new calling. The meeting that transpired after the call was extended was full of emotions and a time I think we will never forget.

This last week the meetings were held, the wards were split, and announcements were made. When we finally told the kids what was happening they took it much better than I expected. Because such a small area of our old ward is being pulled out and put into this new ward, they are being split off from nearly all of their friends. I expected them to be upset but they truly surprised me with excitement for the opportunity to meet new friends. They have been very positive about still keeping their friends from our old ward and have been an example to me.