Toothless...

Amberly lost her second tooth in the front and now all she wants for Christmas is her "two front teeth".  She looks darling with her teeth missing and talks just as cute.  Yesterday when she walked in from school she looked like Nanny McPhee but way cuter!  I started laughing so hard!  It was disgustingly funny (as Carol put it).  Just like Nanny McPhee says, "Things are going to get ugly...it really did.  Rylan video taped her from my phone and we watched Amberly tug and twist that tooth for way too long.  She went down to a friends house and Eliza grabbed it, twisted it and out it came.  Amberly was so excited!!!  

Being crazy...
I love days like this when everyone gets along and is happy!  This day we were all being so goofy and everytime someone did something or said something we would all start laughing (even when it really wasn't funny at all)!  I loved it! 

Student of the Week...
Amberly was the student of the week!  She had to get up in front of her 1st grade class and tell all about her poster.  Her teacher said she did such a fabulous job and it made her cry when Amberly started talking about her little sister Paige who died and lives in Heaven but we will see her again!  What a sweet testimony Amberly has about the Plan of Salvation.  I wish I would've been there a little earlier that morning to hear it.  Amberly loves going to school and learning but her favorite is seeing ALL her friends at recess.  She is my little social butterfly.  It is so much fun to go help out every Friday to do ART but I leave sometimes wanting to scream.  The teachers have a lot of patience and that is exactly why they are school teachers! 

Book of Mormon...
Last night was our ward RS Meeting.  The theme was "Book of Mormon Olympics".  Before the games began the sisters were asked to share a favorite scripture or something about the Book of Mormon (i was taking care of the nursery at the time so don't know exactly what was asked).  I don't do very well when I am put on the spot but I mummble and jumbled my way through it.  When I got home I was pondering on the Book of Mormon and all the things that were said last night I grabbed mine off of my nightstand by my bed and started looking at all the scriptures I had marked through the years.  A couple scriptures really hit me.  "And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children.'  -Isaiah 54:13.  We try and read the scriptures and pray as a family every day.  Sometimes for a "short" scripture study.  I loved what one sister said last night after she attended a conference...she was taught to read 15 SECONDS a day.  I couldn't help but think about a scripture "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."  2 Timothy 1:7.  Each one of us are trying our very best and we cannot fear.  We need to just keep starting over and over again as another sister said and it's ok to do that.  I know in my own life it hasn't been a habit to read anything because I hate to sit down and relax.  It has been a lot easier in my life now with my kids in school to have my personal scripture study and read for 15-30 minutes a day.  I know when I do read the scriptures a feeling of peace comes over me that the Book of Mormon is true.  I know that the peace I experienced at the time of Paige's passing was because of a scripture "...concerning the state of the soul between death and the resurrection...the spirits of all men, as soon as they are departed from this mortal body...are taken home to that God who gave them life."-Alma 40:11.  My faith and knowledge of Jesus Christ and his role in my life has blessed me.  I know he lives.  I know there is no greater peace or joy in this life than the blessings made possible by Jesus Christ.

Back to school...
Shaylee, Rylan & Amberly started back to school on Wednesday morning.  It was so hard to imagine starting school at the beginning of AUGUST the HEAT is awful but they went with good attitudes and smiles.  Rylan had a couple tears but after a saying a prayer and our little angels up above helping out, smiles began to show and nervous stomachs started to go away.  They all had a great 1st day of school!  So excited and looking forward to another year!

A year has come and gone...
It's been a year and we sure miss Paige a whole lot!  The kids and I traveled home from Utah that day so we shared stories, laughed and cried of course.  It was special to go to the cemetery the next day in the rain and reflect.  We are so thankful to be an ETERNAL FAMILY.

WHY?

Joseph Smith said:

"I have meditated upon the subject, and asked the question, why is it that infants, innocent children, are taken away from us, especially those that seem to be the most intelligent and interesting. the strongest reasons that present themselves to my mind are these.....The Lord takes many away, even in infancy that they may escape the envy of man, and the sorrows and evils of this present world; they were too pure, too lovely to live on earth; therefore, if rightly considered, instead of mourning we have reason to rejoice as they are delivered from evil, and we shall soon have them again....The only difference between the old and the young dying is, one lives longer in heaven and eternal light and glory then the other, and is freed a little sooner from this miserable, wicked world. Not withstanding all this glory we for a moment lose sight of it, and mourn the loss, but we do not mourn as those without hope."

Jesalee is here and perfect in every way...

Friday morning at 2:40 am Jesalee was born 6 lbs. 15 oz. 21 1/2" long to Janalee and Craig.  She is perfect and Janalee did an amazing job!!!  I took Mikayla to the hospital at 9:30 am to see her new baby sister.  As I looked at this brand new baby I couldn't help but think about the beautiful place she had just come from and the amazing farewell which was held in her behalf.  I am sure that my two sweet precious girls were there giving hugs.  As I held her I wept!  I told myself I can do this, I can hold and kiss her and tell her how much I love her.  I know my two little girls were there comforting me and crying with me.  I am so proud of my sister for having the strength and courage to have a big family.  I am so grateful she got her little girl.  Her dream did come true and I am so happy for her!   Jesalee... welcome to this beautiful world!