September Student of the Month

Nancy Cory Elementary has standards they encourage the students to live by.  The last two years Sam has received the Student of the Month award the last month of the school year. I'm happy for his recognition, but on the last go round I told him that maybe he ought to try and get the award earlier in the year. Well, lo and behold, this year he got it the first month of the school year. Hoorah for Sammy!

 Sammy and Dezmond

TRUSTWORTHY

"We must always be trustworthy. We must learn whom we can trust to help us make right choices. Perhaps the most important thing of all is that we must let Heavenly Father know that He can trust us—that He can trust us to do the things that are right, that He can trust us to keep His commandments to be loving and kind and obedient and honest and to set a good example for all those around us. Heavenly Father wants us to be trustworthy, and when we are, we will receive the wonderful blessings of peace and joy and happiness that He has to share with all His children."

From an interview with Elder Sheldon F. Child

by Kellene Ricks Adams

“Friend to Friend: Trust,” Friend, Jan 2001, 6

"Oh, What Do You Do In The Summertime?"

A lot happened this summer that I didn't cover on my blog in recent months.  It's still not everything, but I thought I'd give you a glimpse with some photos.

Janna went to North Carolina for a week.

Lots of sights and family to see.

Cousin Angie, Cousin Jessica, and Janna
on the North Carolina coast.

 Cousin Carson and Janna, NC

Janna and Cousin Amy in North Carolina

Sam went to Cub Camp as a Den Chief Leader.
Janna went to Girls Camp as a Stake Leader.

BEE SMART!

We gathered to Clovis, CA over the 4th of July weekend

and happily saw more family.

Cousin Emma visiting from Holladay, UT with Janna

Cousin Brent
One of many extended family members we saw.

Yvonne and new baby Peter.

We had a family reunion this summer (minus Elder Blair) when Rick and his family came through town with their move from Okinawa to Pensacola, FL.  Bill and his family joined from Mesa, AZ.  We were all together for about five days.  It was great having everyone here. 

 We saw Eddie for the first time, our youngest grandchild.

 Sam at Littlerock Dam with the fam.

Ryan and Bill watering Grandma's grass.

Tried to get a photo with all the grandkids together.
You can see how that went.

Singing around the campfire.
"Daddy Shark, do, do . . . ."

Will and Evelyn eating s'mores.

And, Tommy came home, as you know. 

We're so glad to have him back.

Janna, Becky, Tom, and JoJo.

"It was a splendid summer morning
and it seemed as if nothing could go wrong."
John Cheever

 I love it when life feels this way.

Back-to-School

Sam's last first day of elementary school.

Today Sam started back to school, but he was disappointed that he didn't get to go to junior high.  At the end of last school year they shutdown Park View Middle School.  By eliminating a school in the district they had to do some redistribution of students.  Sam was in one of the elementary schools that was assigned to add 6th grade, so instead of getting to move on to middle school he had to stay in elementary school another year.

This morning as we readied to leave, Sam had his back to me as he was walking out the door to the car.  I called out to him,  "Hey Sam, you want me to walk you to your class?"  From where I was standing I saw his whole body stiffen up.  His head quickly turned back and jerked as he pronounced an emphatic, "NO!!!"  He's growing up.  I knew he was already upset* about not getting to go to Endeavour Middle School like he anticipated, so me walking him to class was definitely not an option. In spite of all that, he had a great day. Hope his year continues to go well.

"Every age has its beautiful moments."

Albert Einstein

*Sam read this post and informed me that he wasn't upset about not going to middle school. I'm glad he's dealing with it. It's an even bigger indicator he's growing up.

Train Up a Child

Is my little grandnephew Peter the cutest studying his scriptures.  I'm all about Dave's and Yvonne's efforts to "train up a child in the way he should go." (Proverbs 22:6)  I got this picture off FACEBOOK and had to post it.  This picture made me think of a talk by James E. Faust.  Here's a quote from it:

A few years ago, Bishop Stanley Smoot was interviewed by President Spencer W. Kimball. President Kimball asked, “How often do you have family prayer?”

Bishop Smoot answered, “We try to have family prayer twice a day, but we average about once.”

President Kimball answered, “In the past, having family prayer once a day may have been all right. But in the future it will not be enough if we are going to save our families.”

I wonder if having casual and infrequent family home evening will be enough in the future to fortify our children with sufficient moral strength. In the future, infrequent family scripture study may be inadequate to arm our children with the virtue necessary to withstand the moral decay of the environment in which they will live. Where in the world will the children learn chastity, integrity, honesty, and basic human decency if not at home? These values will, of course, be reinforced at church, but parental teaching is more constant.

James E. Faust,
“The Greatest Challenge in the World—Good Parenting,”
Ensign, Nov 1990, 32

Another Way to Get to Know Me

I was tagged by DeeAnn at All the Doodah Day!

THE ABC'S OF ME

A - Available or married?------Married - 35 years next February.

B - Book? ----- I'm currently reading "Reaching Up" by  James E. Faust

C - Cake or Pie? ----- Pie - Pumpkin

D - Drink of Choice? ----- Water with lemon

E - Essential Item? ----- Kleenex, I've always gotta blow my nose.

F - Favorite Color? ----- Red

G - Game to play or watch?----- Play - Settlers of Catan or Dominion

H - Hometown? --- Lancaster, CA

I - Indulgence?----- Chocolate

J - Job? ----- Wife, mother, homemaker, substitute teacher, grandmother, caregiver to my father.

K - Kids and names?----- 7 - Ricky, Billy, Becky, Cassie, Tommy, Janna, and Sam

L - Life is incomplete without?----- the Savior

M - Music group or singer? ----- Currently, Alison Kraus

N - Number of siblings?-----1 sisters, 2 brothers

O - Oranges or apples?-----Apples, gotta be crisp

P - Phobias/Fears? ----- I'm a bit nervous about driving these days.

Q - Favorite Quote? ------ "No one can make you feel inferior, without your consent."--Eleanor Roosevelt

R - Reason to Smile?----- SAMMY

S - Season?----- Fall

T - Tattoos? ----- No!

U - Unknown fact about me?----- I was once an athlete of sorts.

V - Vegetable you love? ----- Asparagus

W - Worst habit? ---- Currently, I forget everything! I hope it's being on overload and not Alzheimer's.

X - X-cited about? ----- Tommy being home.

Y - Your favorite food? ----- Chile Relleno

Z - Zodiac? ----- Cancer