Week in Review

This was a great week!  That probably stands without saying, because I'm not likely to be posting about it if it wasn't, right?  Anyway, this was our second week "back to school" since C. Bear was born, and things really went pretty smoothly considering.  We finished our family read-aloud, Just David, this week and the kids loved it.  I read this book on my own a couple of years ago and posted a review about it here.  I was excited to share it with the kids and was glad that they enjoyed it as much as I did.  We were all sad when it was done.  It was one of those books where we felt like we were saying good-bye to a good friend when it was over.

For our character training this year we have been reading from the book Created for Work during our "School Opener" and we read a couple of great chapters from it this week.  You never know how much your children retain from things like this, but it is good to see them making connections with great ideals and you hope that through repeated exposure they will eventually incorporate them into their lives.

We purchased a new camera this week so that H. Man could be Doug's  "Campaign Photographer".  In addition to his regular studies H. Man has spent the week learning everything he can about photography.  He read the entire camera manual in two days and has taken hundreds of pictures.  He really is showing a lot of talent, and I am now constantly asking him how to do "this" or "that" on the camera.  Here are some of his candid shots of our school week. I hesitated to post them, because I don't like seeing pictures of me, but they give a good taste of our school week, so here they are:

(Writing time.  In my defense, this was our transition from snack time to writing time.)

We did spelling every day this week, which is a real accomplishment since we have had the tendency to skip it on hectic days.  We have loved The Writing Road to Reading this year.  Not only has the boy's spelling improved a lot this year, but I-Mac's reading ability has really flourished as well.  For those of you who don't know,  I-Mac is dyslexic and we have tried so many different things to help him learn to read proficiently.  This program is the first that has really seemed to click with him.

We are reading about The Renaissance and The Reformation in history right now.  The kids loved the chapter about Michelangelo and DaVinci in A Child's History of the World.  We spent some time after reading, looking up various works by each artist and we all hope we can get to Italy some day to see them in person.

G. Diddy did a great job of sitting still and paying attention during our reading times this week, which is a huge achievement, because he's our child that I'm sure would have been labeled with ADHD and been medicated, if we had put him in the Public School system.  

I. Mac on the other hand gets tired of listening to Mom lecturing. ; )  Actually, I think this was exasperation because H. Man was taking his 50th photo of him for the day. 

In addition to school work, we spent lots of time outdoors in the beautiful spring weather, working in the gardens and just having fun.

We even fit in a field trip to the park this week.

H. Man also got to take a "field trip" with his dad this week to Fillmore, Utah to hear him speak at the Millard County Constitution Party Convention.  

H. Man got his first experience as Campaign Photographer,

and they met some wonderful people.

Granted, our house could be cleaner, and the laundry is piling up, but we accomplished a lot this week. With a new baby I find the need to take joy in the things I am able to do, and try not to worry about the ones I'm not.  That could be a good formula with, or without a baby.  I just hope this next week can be as productive.

Tribute to an Amazing Friend

I had been lamenting the fact that I was not likely to have a garden this year because despite all of my wonderful plans, life with baby was not shaping up to allow me to do the work that needed to be done to get things weeded and planted.  I made the mistake of mentioning this to a friend of mine last week, and being the amazing person she is, she snuck into my backyard while we were gone for the afternoon and weeded 5 of our 6 garden boxes.  She tried to do it anonymously, but it wasn't hard to figure out who did it.  How many people do you know who would willingly weed 5 garden boxes that looked like this?

Pretty scary huh? Now, thanks to this amazing friend, we have 5 boxes that look like this,

and are full of all sorts of wonderful spring vegetable seeds, just waiting to sprout and bring joy to our table for the next several months.  

I can't say enough words of praise for this friend.  She is constantly looking for ways to serve others and doing it.  She is an amazing example to me.  After she did this for us I came across this quote from Marjorie Pay Hinkley that summarizes the kind of woman I think she is and the kind of woman that I want to be. “I don’t want to drive up to the pearly gates in a shiny sports car, wearing beautifully, tailored clothes, my hair expertly coiffed, and with long, perfectly manicured fingernails. I want to drive up in a station wagon that has mud on the wheels from taking kids to scout camp. I want to be there with grass stains on my shoes from mowing Sister Schenk’s lawn. I want to be there with a smudge of peanut butter on my shirt from making sandwiches for a sick neighbor’s children. I want to be there with a little dirt under my fingernails from helping to weed someone’s garden. I want to be there with children’s sticky kisses on my cheeks and the tears of a friend on my shoulder. I want the Lord to know I was really here and that I really lived.” Marjorie Pay Hinckley

Wordless Wednesday

He Lives All Blessings to Impart

I Know That My Redeemer Lives

Text: Samuel Medley

 I know that my Redeemer lives.

What comfort this sweet sentence gives!

He lives, he lives, who once was dead.

He lives, my ever-living Head.

He lives to bless me with his love.

He lives to plead for me above.

He lives my hungry soul to feed.

He lives to bless in time of need.

He lives to grant me rich supply.

He lives to guide me with his eye.

He lives to comfort me when faint.

He lives to hear my soul’s complaint.

He lives to silence all my fears.

He lives to wipe away my tears.

He lives to calm my troubled heart.

He lives all blessings to impart.

He lives, my kind, wise heav’nly Friend.

He lives and loves me to the end.

He lives, and while he lives, I’ll sing.

He lives, my Prophet, Priest, and King.

He lives and grants me daily breath.

He lives, and I shall conquer death.

He lives my mansion to prepare.

He lives to bring me safely there.

He lives! All glory to his name!

He lives, my Savior, still the same.

Oh, sweet the joy this sentence gives:

“I know that my Redeemer lives!”

He lives! All glory to his name!

He lives, my Savior, still the same.

Oh, sweet the joy this sentence gives:

“I know that my Redeemer lives!”

I love this song! Today was my first day back to church since C. Bear was born, and we sang this for our closing Hymn.  I couldn't keep the tears from flowing as I contemplated the truth of these words. All Jesus has ever done, and ever will do, He does to bless me and each one of us.  So often I get caught up in the things that are going wrong in my life, and wonder why He is withholding His blessings from me, but "He lives to bless in time of need".  If I am experiencing challenges in my life it is because of one of two things, either I do not have the faith to receive the blessings He is so ready to give to me, or this thing that seems like such a trial is really here to bless my life.  Either way, it takes an increase of faith to go through the storms of life, trusting that the Lord will provide all that we need.  I am so grateful for my knowledge of a living Savior who is there to hear and answer my prayers whether I am complaining, or praising; who grants me not only my daily breath, but grants me patience and peace and even all the little things I ask Him for; who has not only provided a plan for me to return to Him again, but who will help me daily along the path as I try to follow that plan; who is not only my greatest friend, but who loves me to the end, even though he knows me perfectly, including all of my many faults and imperfections.  I know that He lives to bless me with His love.  I hope that I can always remember that and have the faith to do as He pleads with us to do in Doctrine and Covenants 6:36 “Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not.” 

Oh, sweet the joy this sentence gives:

“I know that my Redeemer lives!”