Graduation Begins

It is hard to believe but Luke graduated from seminary yesterday.  It is the beginning of the end of his high school career.  There has been so many activities, deadlines, meetings, etc to get to this point.  I was starting to feel like it wouldn't come.  But, now it has started and I'm not sure how I feel.

In my mind, he will always be my little boy.  My little friend that came racing home from kindergarten with puppy dog ears and a black nose stuck to his face.  I could not be prouder of the young man he is becoming.  Some of those teenage edges are starting to soften as he looks toward his future.  I truly have been blessed to be his mother.

Luke spoke at his seminary graduation.  He did a fabulous job sharing his testimony and lessons he learned in seminary.  He shared thoughts about taking personal responsibility for growth in the gospel.  

Prom Week

Prom week was a fun time for our family.  Luke and Lindsey were both headed to prom this year.  Prom at Clearfield High also involves a prom assembly that both kids were involved in.  This meant early morning practices and preparations.

Because it was Lindsey's first prom, we had the opportunity to go dress shopping.  As a mom, I was looking forward to the experience.  We had a lot of fun.  We found a dress shop that assigns a dress specialist to each girl.  The specialist sat down with Lindsey and walked her through what style, color, and type of dress she wanted.  She then pulls all the dresses that fit the description and Lindsey tries them on.  All of this is done while the mom, me, gets to sit on a couch and drink hot chocolate.  It was fabulous!  Lindsey found a dress that she loved.

The highlight of prom week was when Lindsey was crowned as attendant in the prom royalty.  I know she was very excited to be nominated and even more excited to win.

Luke took his long time friend to prom, Lexi.  They have been through many experiences together in school and church.  It was fitting that they got to attend their last prom together.

Lindsey went with her friend Matthew.  They had a great time together.

Student body Officer and Cheerleader

Lindsey decided to push outside her comfort zone and fulfill her desire to be an student body officer.  This is quite an uncommon thing at her school.  She had to actually ask permission to run for office and cheerleader because it hasn't been done in, at least that anyone could remember.  She ran for Spirit Officer on the platform that she could be a great liaison between the cheerleaders and the officers and student body.  I always feel nervous when my kids put themselves out there to be judged by their peers.  The morning she was supposed to find out was nerve-racking and exciting.  When they came to get her it was a big relief.

A couple of weeks later it was on to cheer tryouts.  There was some concern as there seemed to be a little back and forth going on between the coaches in regards to Lindsey.  We weren't sure if they were going to be on board with her doing both.  Lindsey finally talked to them and they were glad she did.  Lindsey was supposed to be captain of the cheer squad and they weren't sure how to tell her that the principal had told them she couldn't be captain and an officer.  Lindsey was happy they wanted her to be captain but understood the reasons why she couldn't do both.  In the end, the best news came when we found out their faculty advisor was quitting!  It has been a stressful year working with her and everyone is ready for a change.   The results came in and Lindsey made cheerleader.  She will have a very busy and eventful year next year-- her senior year.

Heather is 15

It's hard to believe, but Heather is officially fifteen years old.  We celebrated her birthday this week with the traditional breakfast in bed followed by presents.  We tried for family dinner that night but had to try again the next night in order to get everyone there.  I have to say, that was probably the best family dinner we have had.  The four teenagers sat at the end of the table and really talked with each other.  No one fought and everyone got a long so well.  My heart swelled with love as I caught a glimpse of their eternal friendship that has been developing for ages.  They are such great kids and so supportive of one another.

I was in the temple earlier that day and I was thinking of Heather.  I was struck by how much I admire Heather.  She is an incredible example of peace.  She generally finds peace within herself and is genuinely happy.  She also likes to create peace in the family and will often make sacrifices to encourage peacefulness.  I know that I don't naturally do that and Heather's example has inspired me to do better.  I realize that each child has their own gifts and talents to help everyone in the family grow.  What a blessing Heather has been in my life and those around her.

Spring Break

(Pictures for all posts will be forthcoming)
It was that time of year when winter fades away.  Easter came at the end of March--which always seems too soon.  We had the tradition egg hunts and family dinners coupled with Easter dresses and bunny visits.  This year, however, I tried to focus a little bit more on the sacrifice of my Savior.  James gave a great talk in Sacrament meeting illustrating the final days of Jesus.  I felt a little sad when I thought about how much time we think about Christ's birth and participate in traditions symbolizing said birth at Christmastime, but we do very little at Easter time when we consider his sacrifice and celebrate his resurrection.  I hope to do better next year.

After Easter Sunday, we boarded a plane for California for Spring Break.  We decided to visit Disneyland and give Ashlyn the opportunity to experience the fantasy land.  We have taken our kids when a sibling is around four years old because that seems to be a magical time for them.  Ashlyn did not respond as our other children had.  She woke up the first morning throwing up, that probably set the wrong mood.  She didn't seem too interested in meeting any princesses or participating in any of the make-believe.  It was a little disappointing.  The rest of the kids had a great time until a few days later they woke up to throwing up.

I believe everyone would agree that the best day was our last day.  We opted to skip Disneyland and spend the day at the beach.  Ashlyn and Matthew loved playing in the water and sand.  The other girls and I hung out reading and relaxing.  It was probably the most stress free part of the vacation.  Later that evening, we went to Mideival Times experience for dinner.  I had flashbacks of when I was a high school senior and my grandma took us to the same thing in Florida.  It was so unimpressive that it was comical.  The kids made the most of it and we came away with a funny memory.  Of course, that is what family vacations are all about-- making memories.

Phillipines!!!!

March 12, 2016, that's the day Luke's mission call came!  We had stake conference adult session that evening so the time was set for 9:15 pm.  As we rounded the corner to our home, James and I noticed there were cars lined up all along both sides of our street.  When we walked into our home, it was overwhelming to see all the support of family, neighbors, and friends.  The house was full of people.

Luke, sitting on the bar, tore the envelope open and began to read.  "... you have been called to serve in the Laoag, Phillipines, mission.... you will preach the gospel in Tagolog."  There was an amazing spirit as he read those words.  As a parent, I was unprepared for the emotions I would feel.  Having served a mission and been where Luke was reading the call, I knew how that felt.  I remember feeling a strong confirmation that was where I was supposed to go, I also felt relief that a time was finally set and the process was moving forward.  I felt gratitude and love for my Savior and all those supporting me.  I imagine Luke felt many of those same feelings.  However, as a parent, this was a new experience.  I felt a deep love for my son.  Memories of him growing up by my side flashed through my mind and I realized he was now becoming a man.  There was a little bit of sadness in my heart as I realized things were going to change, our roles would be different.  I know change is necessary and growth is good but sometimes I just want to slow things down and savor the moment a little longer.  The one feeling that was similar was the deep sense of gratitude and love I felt for my Savior, who loves my son and blesses him, and for the support of so many family and friends.  The gospel is a beautiful thing that brings people together and blesses so many lives.

I am grateful for a son who is also my friend.  I feel privileged to be his mom and to have watched him grow into the man he has become and the one he is striving to be.  I am grateful to have been a part of his successes and his trials because I have learned from watching him in both arenas.  I understand more and more that these are not my children but are God's.  He loves them, watches over them, and blesses me to help them.

Sweetheart Dance

It was the annual Sweetheart Dance at Clearfield High the week of Valentine's.  It's a girl's preference dance and this was Lindsey's first year to attend.  She had a great time with her cheer squad and their dates.  The cheer squad decided to all go together as one group.  It required some extensive planning and some hurt feelings along the way but Lindsey said it was the most fun date she has had so far.  At the end of the evening the group came to our house for ice cream and a movie.

Luke also went to the dance but I wasn't able to get pictures of both of them (I wish they could make arrangements to meet up at the same park.)  Luke had fun designing and decorating cakes as the "day date" then eating the cakes after the dance.  I thought that was a pretty clever idea.

The rest of us celebrated Valentine's Day pretty low-key.  It landed on a Sunday this year so we didn't have our traditional dinner/feast because we (mostly I) didn't want to work so hard on the Sabbath.  We did have fun sharing reasons why we love each other and shared a few gifts and candy.

Ashlyn Turns 4!

It's hard to believe, but Ashlyn is now 4 years old!  She is old enough to realize that her birthday was coming and she was looking forward to it for a long time.  Once we got the Valentine's Day decorations out she started getting excited because she knew her birthday was before Valentine's Day.

She started the day off with breakfast in bed, waffles made with the Princess waffle maker.  She followed breakfast up with present opening.  Savannah had a lot of fun ordering and wrapping Ashlyn's presents this year.  She is off track from school so she took great pleasure in preparing Ashlyn's birthday.  I was grateful for the help and enjoyed watching her get so excited for Ashlyn's birthday.

Later that day, I drove down to pick up Brigham and Peter, Ashlyn's cousins.  Ashlyn loves playing with them and wanted to share her birthday with her cousins.  I know the picture down't look like they are happy, but they had a great time together (the picture was at the end of a six hour playdate and Brigs was ready for cake!)

Savannah also helped design and make the cake.  Ashlyn was upset at first that the entire cake wasn't pink (emotions that also stemmed from a long day) but she came around and was very excited.  Grandma and Grandpa Anderson came over, along with Brigs family, to help sing "Happy Birthday" and celebrate with her!

Targhee Time

For the past ten years, we have tried to make an annual ski trip to Targhee in Wyoming.  We haven't always been successful because of scheduling or pregnancy, but we have made it most years.  This year we realized would be our last one before Luke heads on a mission and then Lindsey and then college starts.  It seems kind of surreal!  We started taking the kids to ensure that when they went on their 4th grade ski trip they would know how to ski.  Now all the kids, except Ashlyn, have moved out of ski school and we get to enjoy the whole day with them on the slopes.  This was one of the most enjoyable trips we have had.

Ashlyn did great skiing with her instructors.  She progressed enough to go up the lifts to some of the harder runs.  I am always amazed that the little kids seem to have no fear.  I get a kick out of watching them ski with no poles and zip in and out of the trees.  Ashlyn got to also hang out at the Kids Club for parts of the day.  Last year, we couldn't get her to stay there and this year we couldn't get her to leave!  She loved everything about the trip and continually asks me when we are going back.

The other kids would spend most of their time skiing together.  Luke would often go on his own for a while then meet up later with everyone.  Lindsey got caught in powder one day that she claims went up to her neck!  We all laughed when she would tell us the story and exclaim that she thought that was the way she was going to die, with snow up to her neck.  Heather was the watchdog who made sure she always knew where everyone was and would wait for someone if they got behind.  I convinced her to go on the big lift up to the higher runs.  She was not happy when we unloaded but she did great.   Savannah was always cold and refused to pull her hair back.  It would often become frozen and stick to her face.  This was her first year without lessons and she did great.  Matt also had his first year on his own and he loved it.  His favorite thing was to lead everyone into the trees, including his Dad.

That leads to the downside of the trip-- James got hurt and ended up on crutches.  He was trying to keep up with Matthew and he ended up going down backwards (not sure how it happened).  He put a lot of pressure onto his calf muscle and tore it.  He was out for the rest of the trip.  He continues to recover from the injury but it won't stop us from going again next year!

Another New Year!

I read on another friend's blog about her failure to post for two years and then the realization she experienced while reading her scriptures that a family was willing to sacrifice their lives to retrieve a record of their family.  This realization inspired her to begin keeping a record of her family.  Her discovery, and willingness to pick up where she left off, has inspired me to begin anew.  And so I will begin.

What have we done over the past two years, there is too much to tell... we have traveled, laughed, cried and grown together.  James was released as bishop and we were realigned into a different ward.  Both of these changes has brought challenges and opportunities for our family.  Luke and Lindsey are navigating the seas of high school while Heather is finishing up junior high.  Savannah is at the top of the totem pole at the elementary school and Matt is in the middle (3rd grade).  Ashlyn and I get to spend a lot of time together at home which we love.  She definitely keeps all of us smiling as we watch her discover the wonders of life that most of us take for granted.

And so... 2016!  There is a lot to look forward to this year.  Luke is preparing to submit mission papers at the present time.  His college applications have been submitted, some approved and others we are waiting to hear.  Lindsey continues to push herself in all areas of life-- academics, cheer, work, driving, friends, etc.  Heather will finish up junior high and move onto high school.  She is involved with many service groups and performing groups.  She has a beautiful voice and strives to develop that talent.  Savannah will move to junior high where she will continue to excel.  She has developed excellent study habits which will serve her well.  She also works to develop her talents, especially piano.  Matthew stays busy like the rest of us but mostly with things at home.  He loves to read and create and play with Ashlyn.  Ashlyn, however, doesn't always like to play with her brother.  She "only likes girls" a lot of the time.  She is also obsessed with pink and thinks red is "hideous."  That could be because she has been trained with an aversion to the University of Utah.  Her vocabulary increases exponentially every week because she is surrounded by people so much older than she.  James is working towards an MBA from Harvard.  He was accepted into their program this year and has completed the first course.  He has two more summers to spend in Boston before he is finished.  I was elected to the city council and begin my term this year.  It has already been an opportunity full of learning experiences and personal growth.  I don't doubt this is only the beginning.

Whatever faces us in this new year, I pray we will continue to focus on the most important things and work together towards our goals.