Random Fall Rememberances

A couple of things I want to remember:

-I was released from my calling as a Beehive Advisor in the young women program. I was ready to be released. I was in that calling for over three years. I love the girls and will miss them! It was hard to attend all of the Tuesday night activities, especially when Mitch was out of town. Honestly, if it weren't for that, I would have no reservations about that calling. But that was difficult to manage at times. I hope that I helped some of the girls, at least in some small way, as I know their incredible examples and strong testimonies helped me.

I was called as a Service Coordinator. I am on a committee with Kathy Lifferth (whom I don't really know yet) and Liz Whitesides (one of my best friends). We are in charge of setting up any service in our ward. For example, if someone needs a dinner brought in for a birth, surgery, death, etc. then we coordinate that. We also set up any help people might need, like lawn care during illness, etc. It's an incredibly easy calling, so I have also been volunteering to substitute teach in Primary when needed.

Today I was able to teach Layla's age group and it was fun to be in her class. I honestly love being in the Primary and seeing those sweet kids sing the songs that taught me the Gospel and listen to their pure testimonies of Jesus. Such sweet kids, and hilarious too!

Back to my new calling ... it's funny because I seem to follow Liz around in all of her church callings. When she was released as Relief Society teacher, I took her place. She was put in Young Womens and after I taught Relief Society for only 6 months, I was called to be a Beehive advisor with Liz. We served together in that calling for about 2 years until she was called to be in the Young Women Presidency. Because I was still an advisor in Young Womens, we still worked together often. We were both released from Young Womens at the same time and put into our new Service Coordinator callings at the same time. We were pretty much destined to be friends and I just love her. We hang out most Fridays, during what we call, "Fizz with Liz" because we originally spent our Friday free-time getting sodas from Fizz and doing whatever fun thing came to mind. Lately we spend a couple of hours eating lunch, getting a delicious cookie from a little shop called Sips, doing a random act of kindness for a neighbor we think could use a pick-me-up, or going shopping. We laugh a lot and I look forward my Friday time with Liz every week!

I do miss the wonderful women I served with in Young Womens! Natalie Hackett is amazing, Christy Webster has become a good friend of mine and is so wise in her parenting, Jessie Molyneaux is hilarious and such a fun person to be with, Jennifer Hobley is THE sweetest and I hope she and her husband stay in our ward for a while (young married couples don't seem to stay long), Becky Packard has been a long-time friend of mine and someone I have learned so much from about parenting and being an example of Christ. They are ALL amazing and I learned something from each of them. I feel honored that I was able to serve with such a Christlike group of women.

-It is now November. I usually pull my light lamp out the end of September or first of October. This year I'm feeling a lot better. Not sad or mad at all, just tired with the shorter amount of sunlight. I just pulled my light lamp out last week. I usually spend 30 to 45 minutes a day, usually around 2:00 pm with my light lamp, Diet Mountain Dew, and a book. It's a great way to have a little "me time."

-I also want to remember some of the hilarious things Marcus has said lately:
           He was upset with his sister for interrupting him, but was confused and said, "LAYLA! You
           sisterrupted me!"

           The kids slept over at my parents' house and my mom was kissing and rubbing his soft cheeks
            and lips. He didn't seem to mind until he said, in a very nice voice, "Keep your hands and
            feet to yourself, Mammy."

             Marcus and his BFF, Mason. These two are going to be lady killers when they grow up!

Marcus still doesn't have a very good concept of time, which is normal for his age. For

            some reason, instead of saying "tomorrow" he says, "the day after this day." It still makes
             me laugh.

            Marcus is not a fan of drawing, coloring, or writing. He is improving at these things, but he
            still hates doing them. He has to write his name four times nicely before he can go out to
            recess at preschool. This drives him nuts and he will usually whine (a lot) before preschool
            because he doesn't want to go and write his name. We picked Layla up from school recently
             and she was talking on and on about all the cool things she did at school that day. Marcus
             asked, "So, Waywuh (Layla), do you have to write your name at your school?" Oh man,
             I could see the wheels turning in his head, thinking she gets to do so many cool things at her
             school and maybe she doesn't have to write her name. She said she did and he said, "Oh
             man!" I know he will eventually get over this, but it sure is frustrating to fight with him
            about going to preschool in the mean time! We've tried talking about it and explaining how
            important it is that he learns to write his name, how learning is his "job", etc. but at the end of
             the day he's still a four year old boy who calls tomorrow "the day after this day" and I love
            him for that!

-Our Layla is thriving in the gifted program this year. Most of the math and reading she is doing is on the 3rd grade level and her scores are incredible. I was as proud as a peacock after parent teacher conferences. The change in her confidence level is amazing and I am so happy that she is loving school this year! She is so intelligent and I hope she uses that gift for good!

-Mitch is still working on his Ph,D. His professor is pretty certain he will be done December of 2018. Finally there is an end in sight! We are planning to take the kids to his graduation in Alabama and then surprise them with a trip to Disney World. I can't wait, but I'm sure no one is more excited about it than Mitch! I am amazed at his hard work and grit!

Halloween 2017

We started the Halloween festivities by carving pumpkins. This is totally Mitch's department. I'm starting to realize that besides the kids costumes and passing out Halloween candy, Mitch does most of Halloween at our house!

 Hello Kitty and a Transformer pumpkin.

I love putting my kids in coordinating Halloween costumes and I was worried it wouldn't happen this year. They couldn't agree on anything. Layla wanted to be Moana and Marcus wanted to be a Ninja Turtle. I don't recall what finally convinced Marcus to be Maui, but he finally agreed. Wahoo! I bought the most of their costumes, made Marcus's leaf skirt and Layla's red sash, and my mom bought the hook and necklace. Oh, and the best purchase were the $6 wigs from Wal-mart. Made the whole thing!

We attended our ward Halloween dinner/carnival. Fun as always. They got fake tattoos, went "fishing" for a candy bar, ate doughnuts off a string, and went on a rope course while holding binoculars backwards to make it look far away, glow stick toss, etc.
 
Both of the kids had parties at school and Layla's school did the traditional Halloween parade where all the kids walk around the school in their costumes. I was incredibly disappointed that I couldn't go ... Marcus ended up getting croup that week and was very sick. I was also supposed to help with her class party and had to skip that too. Marcus always gets sick over holidays and his birthday, poor guy! The good news is that he was mostly better for Halloween day, so he didn't miss out on too much.

Sick Marcus fell asleep in the car on the way to
my parents' Halloween dinner.

Layla got her face painted at her class party and whoever did it, did an amazing job! Mitch took her to her school Halloween carnival that night. Marcus and I stayed home since he was sick.
 

Mitch took the kids trick-or-treating that night after our traditional pizza dinner. This year we had the Botts over for dinner since we did miss their traditional Sunday-before-Halloween dinner due to Marcus being sick. They left right after dinner and Mitch and the kids headed out to get candy. They had a great time. We have the best neighbors and the Woods had a fire going in their driveway, roasted hotdogs, and hot chocolate for anyone who needed to warm up while trick-or-treating. Mitch said it was fun seeing the neighbors out and about that night. We didn't get nearly as many trick-or-treaters this year! I bought too much candy and had a lot left over. The kids didn't get as much this year, which is really nice, so I let them keep all they had (last year we gave some to the dentist and gave the kids money to buy a new toy).

My favorite part was seeing our nieces and nephew in their costumes. What a bunch of cuties!



I gotta say that Racoon Carson was my favorite!!!


We had a very Happy Halloween! Most of all, I'm happy Marcus is feeling better! Mitch was out of town when Marcus came down with croup, and I have never had our kids be as sick as Marcus was. I was honestly scared because he couldn't breathe. We spent time sitting outside in the cold night air trying to open up his lungs. It was an exhausting, emotional week, but we made it through. And no one else got sick, so that's the main thing. I'm pretty amazed because the pediatrician said Marcus had croup, bronchitis, and a separate virus that was giving him diarrhea. Poor guy! At least it didn't spread! Hoping he won't be sick for Thanksgiving or especially Christmas!

Fall Break 2017

Last year we went to Goblin Valley with the Mudrows for fall break. We had a great time! This year we went to Tetonia and rented a five bedroom cabin. We had five families: us, the Mudrows, Packards, Whitesides, and Molyneauxs. It was a par-tay! 27 people total in the cabin. It was always loud, and sometimes I had to step outside to avoid getting a migraine from the noise, but it was truly a great time!

The weather was great the day we got there- 70 degrees and beautiful. The next day it was overcast and bitter cold. It snowed 8 inches that night! We went on a hike before it started snowing. It was raining and so cold and we all got dirty from the mud, but it was a fun time I won't forget. The next day we checked out a beautiful waterfall and ate lunch at a restaurant famous for their HUGE hamburgers. The kids got in the hot tub one night while it was snowing. My kids are still talking about how much fun that was!

Missing the Molyneauxs who went to visit Jessie's sister for the day.

I loved seeing the beautiful snow-flocked pine trees surrounding the cabin! Almost as much as I loved staying up late with the adults playing card games and laughing so hard my cheeks hurt while telling each other our "How We Met Our Spouse" stories! But my most favorite part was being reminded that I have some amazing friends. Those 4 couples are as Christlike as they come. Every single one of those women have been an example to me of kindness, friendship, selfless service, and righteousness. I need their examples in my life more than I realize and I look to them often for advice and encouragement. I feel blessed to know them and call them my friends. Can't wait for next year and the possible "adults only" trip we're trying to plan!

Marcus and Mason. Best friends. They are always on the same wavelength.

The Molyneauxs: Garin, Jessie, Sammy (7), June (6), Taysom (4), and MaKenzie (18 months)

The Whitesides: Curt, Liz, Brandon (13), Casey (11), Cameron (8), and McCall (6)

The Packards: Kelly, Becky, Mallory (13), Lillia (11), Landon (7), and Meg (6).

The Mudrows: Zak, Kellee, Kate (6), Mason (4), and Brody (18 months)

  

Piano

I had to record the latest ongoings with Layla's piano lessons ... in case she asks about it when she's older. My hope is that she will be a talented pianist when she grows up, but if she decides to quit, and regrets it when she's an adult, then this is to let her know that I tried EVERYTHING to get her to stick with it! ;) But this note I found in her school notebook, which I don't think she intended for me to find, is what led us to the decision we made.


Layla started playing the piano the same month she turned five years old. She has been taking Suzuki piano with Tamra (Tami) Baker ever since. And she has always hated it. We practice for 45 minutes a day, four or five days a week. I would say at least half of the time she ends up in tears. I have tried games, sticker charts, rewards, surprises, and everything else I could think of to make it more enjoyable for her. We've talked about grit, about sticking with it, about hard work paying off, and all to no avail. She just simply has not enjoyed playing the piano. And I was finally, after 2.5 years, done fighting with her. I felt like she was very happy and we had a great relationship ... except for the piano.

While Tami is strict, she is a kind person.
Layla asked for a pic with her at her last recital.
September 2017

After a couple of months of talking it over with Mitch, we finally decided to let Layla quit piano. Or at least the Suzuki part of it. It is very rigid, and focuses primarily on classical music pieces. I love it. It produces incredible pianists and the method makes a lot of sense to me. Buuuut, I understand how it does not appeal to young children. So, we decided to have her finish out this year in Suzuki and then switch her to traditional next year. She was very happy when we told her our decision. (Actually, when we first brought piano lessons up to her, she immediately teared up and tried to explain why she doesn't like piano. See? She couldn't even discuss piano lessons without crying!) More than anything, I don't want her to grow up and never touch an instrument again because she hated it so much as a child. It's supposed to be enjoyable, not torture! Of course it will be hard, but if it can be somewhat fun too, then the hard parts will be bearable.

Layla graduated Suzuki Level 2 in September 2017
after playing for 2.5 years.

Anyways, we went to piano that night and I knew I had to tell her teacher. I had been putting this off for weeks. To be honest, Tami is a very nice person, but she is strict and intimidating. I knew she would not be happy when I told her. And I was right. She was upset. In the end, we decided to finish out this year as a traditional student, then see how we feel and if we want to do another semester as traditional or Suzuki.

Right now, Layla is happier than she's ever been with the piano. She is practicing all by herself, with very little complaining and not one tear shed. And she is doing so well! I feel like she has learned more in the last few weeks than she has in the last several months. She even is playing on her own when she doesn't need to practice. She is finally playing for fun, just to play, because she actually enjoys it! Who knew?! I am grateful and hopeful about this!

Layla invited Ella Bott, aka "Sissy", to her last piano recital.

I don't know yet if we'll stay with Tami and do traditional or Suzuki, or switch teachers and do traditional with someone else. I'm taking it one day at a time. But I will have to decide in the next few weeks when it comes time to pay Tami for next semester. Part of my decision hinges on what to do with Marcus when he starts piano. I always thought I'd start him at five years old too, but I don't think he'll be ready then. I need to give that all some more thought, but for now Layla is happy, so I'm happy. I hope she will continue to grow her love for the piano and beautiful music!

2nd Grade and Preschool

I can't believe Layla is already in 2nd grade. How does it go so fast?! I was very nervous for Layla to start at a new school where she didn't know anyone. But she wasn't nervous! I should have just trusted her instincts on that, because she has been just fine. More than fine, actually! She is really happy!

I am truly amazed by the PAL (primary advanced learners) program. And I can't rave enough about Layla's teacher, Ms. Moulton. She has been teaching gifted students for 15 years and she is amazing. The curriculum includes books written specifically for gifted learners, at their grade level, as well as math curriculum that they access on class ipads, laptops, and at home through the school website. Ms. Moulton's classroom is vibrant and exciting. The desks are arranged in different shapes and groupings, some with regular chairs and some with fun wobbly stools. The students can pick where they want to sit, but they spend most of their time on the rug and sitting around the room in various places. It is a very fun learning environment complete with two pet turtles in a tank.

While it is not my favorite thing to drive Layla to and from school each day, it is SO worth it! She is already happier, more mature, more positive, more responsible and kinder and it's only been a few weeks! I think she is able to be a better version of her already awesome self because she is finally in the type of environment that she thrives in. It makes my heart so happy!

Her new school is also focusing on a "growth mindset" this school year. They are focusing on having an attitude of growth, positivity, and learning with phrases such as "I can't do it ... yet" and "I haven't practiced enough" and "I will keep trying!" etc. It has helped Layla have less frustration over piano practice and be more patient with herself and others overall. I even find myself repeating some of the mantras to myself!

The one big downside to moving Layla from our local school is that we lost Chinese Immersion. While I am no longer sad about that for Layla, because the PAL program is exactly what she needed, I am sad for Marcus. When Layla was in Chinese, Marcus was automatically in the program when he starts kindergarten thanks to the grandfather rule. Since we pulled Layla out of Chinese, Marcus will not automatically be in the program and he will enter the lottery with the rest of the kids who want in. Unfortunately there are only 2 classes for Chinese so most of the spots go to younger siblings who are grandfathered in. There are only a handful of slots left for other students, so chances are that Marcus will not get into the Chinese program. I started a petition with my friend, Lara Lifferth, who is the Immersion Parent Coordinator at the local school, and we asked parents to sign if they would like to see a third class added to each grade level to allow for more students to participate. We didn't get as many signatures as we'd hoped, and we ended up meeting with the superintendent of the school district who told us a third class cannot be added. I was very upset, mad, sad, and annoyed, but I have finally made peace with it.

Maybe Marcus will get in to Chinese Immersion, and maybe he won't, but either way I will be fine with it. I don't know if he'll end up in the gifted program like Layla, it's hard to say. He is very smart, but I don't know that he'll have the same level of interest in learning as Layla does. Time will tell. As long as he's happy and learning what he needs to, I will be happy with regular school, Chinese, or gifted. I think the next year or two will be really telling for him. He has been doing the same online preschool that Layla did at his age and he is loving it. He is doing so well at it and it makes me so proud! He is truly a smart boy!

Marcus is SO excited to be in preschool at Miss Tiffany's! Layla also went to Miss Tiffany and we love her. Marcus has preschool Tuesdays through Thursdays from 9 to 11 am. He is growing up so fast and I can't believe he'll be in kindergarten next year! It really breaks my heart because I will miss him immensely! But I am proud of the people my kids are becoming and I'm happy that they get to go to good schools.