It's really weird to get back on and see it's been six months since I've posted. I'm trying to do better. We as a family are doing well. I'm back to serving in the primary as the chorister, so I thought one of the fun things I would do is when I come up with an excellent idea, I would post it on my blog.

My most recent is for the song Jesus is My True Light. This song is from the December 2009 Friend. It is a gorgeous song and goes well with the 2010 Primary theme.

Anyway, I took pictures from the Gospel art Kits and Friend Magazines and made a flip chart for it. Of course, I'm not the smartest and couldn't figure out how to get it into one PDF, so there are five different documents.

This is the page in the flipchart. If you would like the rest of the flipchart let me know and I will send it to you.

I love teaching primary. It brings such joy to me. I love the kids and the songs. I can't wait until I teach this song in February. Please leave messages and let me know what you think.

Abby

Loving kids

Having the back problems I've had with the car accident has been hard on the kids. It has not been easy for them to not be able to sit on my lap. They have tried to be really sweet about it and help me when I need it.
Anyway, today I was helping out in Primary and they were talking about Family Prayer. They played a game like hot potato, but when the ball stopped on them, they had to say one thing they pray for.
Both my kids warmed my heart and made me feel so good. They both told everyone that they prayed for their mommy's back and leg to get feeling better. It made me feel so good.

Summer Fun

School let out about a week-and-a-half ago. In that time the kids have been busy. They have spent a lot of time playing with the neighbor boys and the other neighborhood kids. Joanie still gets in a tiff because a lot of times she's still the only girl.
A week ago they spent three days and two nights at Granny and Grandpa's house (my parents). They had a blast. Hunter helped Grandpa in the garden, becoming I'm sure really dirty. This was a rough couple of days and nights for me. The second day they were gone I was so bored. I thought I was going to go crazy. Although I was bored it was nice to be able to rest without worrying about the kids. It was also nice to be able to spend some alone-time with Ryan. With a five and six year old we don't get that much time to ourselves.
Hunter had his last two soccer games last week. He scored in one of the games. He had a good time. We need to work on building his stamina. Of course, most of the kids don't have that long of stamina's.
Joanie had a violin lesson on Saturday. She is doing extremely well. Her violin is in the shop right now so she doesn't have to practice that, but she still has to practice her piano (as does Hunter).
Joanie also gave a talk in Primary on Sunday. This is a huge improvement because when we first moved into this ward she refused to give a talk. She wouldn't even talk to her teachers. Of course, with her love of music she sang "Jesus Said Love Everyone" in her talk. It was awesome.
Last Friday I was laying in bed watching a movie with Hunter. Joanie was supposed to be getting in the shower. I kept hearing a buzzing sound, but Ryan was outside mowing the lawn, so I just assumed it was him. Then the lawn mower stopped and I continued hearing the sound. I went into the bathroom to check on Joanie and she has used my clippers on her hair. It didn't look too bad, but I told her it was getting chopped. The results are below.

Although, it's really short, I think it's adorable. She absolutely loves it. And it's really easy maintenance. The great thing is when she wears her helmet for riding her bike she doesn't have to worry about her hair flying in her face.
Joanie has also had a loose tooth for about a month now. Ryan has continued to play with it and try and get it out. I refuse to touch her teeth (I think teeth are disgusting). Anyway, the same day as her haircut she was showing one of our friends her loose tooth and it popped out. She was so excited. Again, below is a picture of her without her tooth.
We had to bribe her to get her to go to sleep that night. She really didn't want to. When she woke up the next morning the tooth fairy had brought her six quarters. She was really excited and we had to run out to Wal-Mart to let Ryan know.
Last night we received a free ticket to go to the Drive-In out here and watch "Monsters Versus Aliens" and "Hotel for Dogs". The kids had a blast. We didn't get home until 1 a.m. and they were both still awake. I was putting Hunter into bed after we got home and he said, "Mom, what about reading scriptures?" I had to explain to him that we would read tonight. We were so exhausted and Ryan had to be to work at 7 this morning. Though we were pretty squished in the front of our car we had a great time.
Our summer has been busy so far, and I expect it to remain busy over the next few weeks. We meet with the director of Excelsior-Academy June 18. He will visit with us and the kids. This is the charter school the kids will be attending this fall. I'm really excited for them.

8's Meme

8's Meme

Jen tagged me for the Crazy 8's Meme. Jen and I belong to a group of mommies in Tooele. Although we've only met a time or two she's an amazing woman and I love her ideas.


Here be Da Rules:
1. Mention the person who tagged you.
2. Complete the list of 8's.
3. Tag 8 other bloggers.
4. Tell them they have been tagged.

Eight Things I Look Forward To:

1. Being able to sit for more than 30 minutes.
2. Going to Australia
3. My children learning how to play the piano.
4. My 10-year anniversary.
5. Going camping for the first time this year.
6. Eating fresh fruits and veggies from the garden.
7. Taking more photographs of weddings.
8. Stopping biting my nails.

Eight Things I Did Yesterday

1. Had an MRI done.
2. Helped Joanie practice her violin.
3. Helped Hunter practice his piano.
4. Had my mom drive me home from her house.
5. Gave my kids hugs and kisses.
6. Ate Shepherds Pie
7. Worked on a crochet project.
8. Napped

Eight Things I Wish I Could Do

1. Be more patient
2. Exercise on a regular basis
3. Go away with my husband.
4. Wear attractive clothes
5. Freelance from home.
6. Not be in pain
7. Go to Australia
8. Or New Jersey/Massachusetts

Eight Shows I Watch

1. NCIS
2. Everybody loves Raymond
3. King of Queens
4. Reba
5. News
6. According to Jim
7. Hannah Montana
8. Phineas and Ferb

Eight Friends I Am Tagging:
Tia, friends from a mommy network.

MRI + Abby = no fun

Yesterday I had to have my MRI done on my back. Now for those who don't know, I'm terribly claustrophobic. Therefore, I had to take medicine to even get into the machine. Unfortunately, Ryan had to work, but fortunately my mom was able to take me to the MRI.
Hunter and I went up to my parents Monday night (the MRI was done in Layton) and spent the night. Tuesday morning I had to wake up early to have take the medicine for me to relax. My appointment was at 7:45 so mom and I left about 7:25 to get to the clinic.
When we arrived they took me right back. Now, this is where I start trying not to flip out. I know having the MRI is the only way to find out what's going on with my back and why I can't sit for long periods.
They get me into the MRI and I try not to scream for them to pull me out. I continue praying and then the thought comes to me, "sing primary songs."
I've been in primary for so many years that I know the majority of the songs, so that's what I start doing. With my eyes tightly shut I start singing primary songs.
I did make it through without having any major problems, no I just have to wait for the results. I'm working on getting into a specialist for back pain. Hopefully, I can return to my normal duties soon.

Life as it happens

Today was Joanie's end of the year barbecue at the school she attends. The kids were able to have their cheeks painted. Joanie choose a palm tree because it's "granny's favorite thing". Hunter had a shark. However, he had scratched it off before I could get a picture of it. He had a funny day today though. I took him shopping at Wal-Mart and he kept telling me that he knew "everything." "I'm a smart boy, mommy," he kept saying. He had the clerks laughing. When Ryan has taken Hunter to work with him they call Hunter "Little Ryan". I have to agree with them. He is the spitting image of his father.
Not much else is going on with us. I'm still probably about a month away from returning to work. Hopefully sooner, but we'll find out more Friday. I go back to the doctor for my checkup. Ryan is staying busy with the garden and the kids and me.

Hunter's graduation and the Garden

We've had some busy weeks. We were in a car accident the end of April. Luckily it wasn't too serious, but I was injured. I haven't worked since. I'm hoping to return to work soon though. I've been in physical therapy and working through it. I'm finally starting to feel better. Ryan finished putting in our garden tonight. It's about 6-8 feet wide by 48 feet long. He planted onions, tomatoes, corn, peas, cucumbers, watermelon, Cantaloupe, peppers and hot peppers. I'm really excited and can't wait for the produce to come in.
Of course, he had a lot of "help". Between our two children and our neighbors two boys he had tons of help. :) The little boy in the yellow shirt is our neighbor, his name is Hunter too. The kids all had a lot of fun. They can't wait for the watermelon to come in.The Garden
Ryan in the garden
Christopher (standing on the swing), Joanie (sitting on the swing), Hunter in orange shirt.


Hunter Rhea helping in the garden


Hunter graduated from the Tooele High School preschool -- as a Baby Buff -- May 11. He was voted the most likely to be the next millionaire because of his imagination. If anyone knows Hunter, they'll agree with this. He had a good year and has learned a lot. He's excited to be starting Kindergarten this fall.



Overall things are going pretty good for us. We are having a ton of fun and are excited for this summer.
Joanie is doing wonderful on her violin. Unfortunately we had to buy a new string. It was loose and I tried to fix it. Yea, I won't be doing that again. She's learning rhythm now and has gotten pretty good at it. She also wanted to start piano lessons again, so I'm putting on my patience and teaching her. She's doing pretty good.
The kids keep us entertained and we have a good time as a family.