First Day of School

School started this week. It was bittersweet! We had a great summer, filled with lots of fun times. We got used to staying up late, sleeping in, and having no schedule. Lots of carefree days - after chores of course! -- and weekend adventures. Now it's back to schedules, routine, homework, sports practices, piano, guitar, etc. Why does summer go by so fast?

Kayden joined the ranks of junior high - no more elementary for him! He was very excited, and a little nervous. It was hard to watch him go. I asked if I could follow him and make sure he got to his classes, and figured out the lunch thing, and just generally was okay. It was a very resounding "No!" He wouldn't even let me follow him to the bus stop for pictures. So embarrassing, you know. I'm lucky he let me take this one in front of the house. As soon as I snapped it, he turned and started running and I got a big lump in my throat. He did turn around and wave once, with a big grin on his face. He was ready - but I was not. Time goes by so quickly.

Doesn't Kennedy look so grown up? She's going to be a heartbreaker, that's for sure. She is now in the 4th grade. She could hardly wait and was counting down the days and hours until school started. She loves her teacher and has a few buddies in her class. She says she's happy that she's the only one in our family at the elementary school, but secretly I think she wishes her brother was still there. Me too! Someone needs to be there to watch out for her, don't you think?

Savanna is in 9th grade, which is still in the junior high. (So she can be there to take care of Kayden!) She's a beautiful young lady. We appreciate her so much in our family. She's responsible, giving, hard-working and takes care of her siblings.

So, another summer come and gone and a new beginning in each of the children's lives. I hope they remember who they are and "stand for something." The jr. high can be a place where bad language can be found, and inappropriate behavior. Hopefully they can be an example of good. Here's to a great school year!

Lehi Volleyball - Passion, Pride, Tradition

Savanna made the high school volleyball team! We are so excited for her. She is a great player and we love to watch her. She's intense - she has fun - she's a team player. She's on the front line mostly, and even though she's not as tall as some of the other girls, she can jump! Playing volleyball is a sacrifice -- and it's hard work. Most days she comes home exhausted. She has to miss out on some fun things because she's practicing. We appreciate her example of hard work, perseverance and patience. She has stuck with it and made herself into a better player. She's so enthusiastic on the court and is always happy for her teammates when they do well.We love you, Savanna, and can't wait to cheer you on in our purple as the Lehi Pioneers take the court this fall. You'll be great!

Faith in Every Footstep

There are lessons for us in every footstep they took—lessons of love, courage, commitment, devotion, endurance, and, most of all, faith.

Savanna was recently able to go on Trek with the youth and leaders from our ward. Their theme was "Nothing to fear . . ." based on a talk by Russell M. Ballard: "If you will be faithful, you have nothing to fear from the journey." This was a 3-day journey to Martin's Cove in Wyoming. They were teamed up as "families" and got to dress in pioneer clothing and re-enact some of the events the Saints faced while traveling west to Utah. They had to help push and pull a handcart and experience some of the same trials as those who had gone before many years before -- in the heat and wind and sand they journeyed on. One of the days, they walked 11 miles. It was hard! The youth were able to get a tiny taste of what it would have been like to be a pioneer then. Savanna came back with wonderful stories of faith and hardship and perseverance. She came back a better person, with a greater apprecation of what it would have been like to be a part of that group of Saints. What pain and suffering they all went through. Many of them didn't make it and many buried loved ones along the trail. One pioneer recorded in their journal:

We came to know God through our trials.

I think this is true in all of our lives today--I know it is in mine. God never leaves our side--but it seems like I seek him out more when I am struggling. I come to know him more through better scripture study and fervent prayer. He can literally take the weight off our shoulders, if we let Him.Savanna and the group also got to cross the Sweetwater River. When the original pioneer company crossed this river, a few of the men took it upon themselves to carry the rest of the group across - one by one. It was winter and the water was icy cold. These men later lost their lives to the effects of that day. I think of this quote when I think of their sacrifice. President Thomas S. Monson stated: "I believe the Savior is telling us that unless we lose ourselves in service to others, there is little purpose to our own lives. Those who live only for themselves eventually shrivel up and figuratively lose their lives, while those who lose themselves in service to others grow and flourish--and in effect save their lives."

I am grateful that Savanna got this opportunity and am so thankful to great leaders who lead by example and sacrifice and service so these youth could walk on this sacred ground. Elder Ballard says, "Is there a lesson in the pioneer experience for us today? I believe there is. The faith that motivated the pioneers of 1847 as well as pioneers in other lands was a simple faith centered in the basic doctrines of the restored gospel, which they knew to be true. That’s all that mattered to them, and I believe that is all that should matter to us. Our faith needs to be focused on the fundamental truths that God lives, that we are His children, and that Jesus Christ is His Only Begotten Son and He is our Savior."