Our Ward Family

We've been attending our new ward for a month now. From the moment we walked into the church, we were welcomed and accepted as part of the "family". Most of the people in the Branham Ward are native Californians. The more we get to know the people here, the more I realize how small the world really is. After a few minutes of talking, we find out that they knew David or I when we were younger or they knew someone related to us.

Justin enjoys Young Mens. There are eight Deacons for him to hang out with. A few of the boys have already invited him over to their house. The weekly activities have also been a lot of fun for Justin. A few weeks ago the youth went boating and inner tubing. Today the boys are playing laser tag. Justin's leaders are doing a great job motivating the boys to work on their Duty to God. The boys are given a certain amount of points for each requirement that they complete. They can then take these points and exchange them for a reward. For example, 10 points gets you a candy bar and 30 gets you a journal. I know it's bribery, but it works. Justin is constantly going through his book making goals. Right now he is working on family history with his grandmother's help. Keep up the great work Justin!

James loves his primary class. The boys and girls are in separate classes. His Primary teachers are also his 11 year old scout leaders. Every Sunday, James' teachers challenge the class to memorize a scripture or Article of Faith by the next Sunday. James loves these challenges. The promise of a reward helps his enthusiasm. A couple of weeks ago, James went on a back packing hike through the redwoods. He said that it was the hardest thing he has ever done. The trail was rocky and there were many obstacles in the way. There were many times on the hike that he wanted to give up. But his Dad was there encouraging him every step of the way. I love the experiences that scouting gives to these boys.

Steven and Kirsten seem to be doing well in their primary class as well. Although Kirsten told me on Sunday that she misses her teacher, Sister Ruth, in Texas.

Age in the Eye of a Child

While watering our tomato plants, Steven and Kirsten began to list the fruit that they want to grow when they have a place of their own. Steven said that he is going to have a lot of land to grow apples, peaches, apricots, and cherries. Kirsten was satisfied with only one:

STRAWBERRIES!

I then asked Kirsten if she would share her strawberries with me. Her answer left me speechless.

She said, "No, Mom. I'm only going to share with my friends."
I asked, "Why can't I have some?"
Kirsten then said, "Because you'll be dead."

A Perfect Neighborhood?

Is there such thing as "the perfect neighborhood"? When the decision to move back to California was finalized, David and I promised the kids that we would find a neighborhood with lots of children. This was a top priority for us. I knew the move was going to be a hard adjustment on all, especially for our teenage son, Justin. He was mad at us for taking him away from his friends.
The next few months, while waiting on our Texas house to sale, we spent a lot of time on our knees in prayer asking our Father in Heaven for help in finding a house that would be best for our family.

We have been living in our new home for 3 weeks now. I know without a doubt that the Lord had a hand in us finding this house. The day we moved in, James and Steven excitedly ran up to me saying that the people three houses down had a hockey net. Any of you who know us must realize the importance of this discovery. All three of my boys have an obsession with roller hockey. The next day, the kids and I went for a walk around the block. When we approached the house with the hockey net, a lady came outside and introduced herself to us. She has two boys that are James' and Justin's age and they love to play hockey. She went on to tell us that there are usually eight neighborhood boys that get together almost daily to play the game. What do you think we did next? We went home and rummaged through our boxes until we found their roller hockey equipment.

Since then, I have been blessed to meet many of our neighbors. They are all very nice people. There are even two little girls close to Kirsten's age that live across the street. They race on their scooters or play Polly Pockets together in a pop-up tent outside. A boy that lives across the street is teaching Justin skateboarding tricks. He is an older brother that Justin has always wanted.

My neighbor, Bonny, shared a story with me that describes our neighborhood in a nutshell. A couple of years ago, the people of San Jose experienced a really hot, long summer. Hotter than anyone could remember having. As a result of the heat, there were rolling blackouts almost everyday. Apparently, because of the way the grid is laid out, only one side of the street was without power at a time. Bonny said she wished now that she had taken a picture of what happened next. Imagine in your mind extension cords running across the street from one house to the next. Each neighbor taking turns to give power to his neighbor across the street.
Is there "the perfect neighborhood"? I believe we found one very close to perfection. I have no doubt that there is a God who listens to our prayers and answers them. He knows each of our needs. Even ones that seem small and insignificant, like living on a block full of hockey players.

Change

I'm going to go back a few months to update all of you on the fun adventure we've been on. Towards the end of October of 2007, our family put our Houston, Texas house on the market. This was a time of mixed emotions. I was excited to go back to the bay area, as it is home for me. But, I was sad to leave family and friends. Keeping the house clean all the time with 4 children at home all day (I homeschool) proved to be stressful and draining. I began to see myself as uptight and angry. I'm sure my family noticed the same thing because I was always getting after them to keep things picked up. It was not a fun time for any of us.

March of 2008 came and our house still hadn't sold. David was having to go to California on business every other week for a week at a time. We needed a change. So David and I sat down and discussed different options. We agreed that it might be good for me to take the kids to the ranch in Helena, MT until the house sold. The kids have been wanting to play in the snow and now would be the perfect time. In fact, Steven and Kirsten had never even seen snow in person. Next thing we knew, we were on the airplane landing in Salt Lake City, Utah. From here, my Dad picked us up and drove us to Preston, Idaho, which is where my parents live. It began to snow as we entered Preston. The kids were so excited to see so much snow. The week we spent their was so much fun. We made a snowman, ice caves, forts, and had hundreds of snow ball fights. I don't think I ever saw Justin outside without a snowball in his hands. At the end of our visit, David met us in Preston and we rented a car, and drove to Helena.

We spent two months in Montana. During this time we made a lot of new friends at church and in the neighborhood and we even had family drop in to say hi. We saw lots of wildlife...elk, white tail and mule deer, a skunk, rabbits, and bald eagles. Peggy, the neighbor across the road, invited us to her ranch to help bottle feed some of her lambs. The kids looked forward to this activity all week. When they finished feeding the lambs, they would play with them and hold them. They're so soft!

I just want to say "thank you" to my in-laws for letting us stay at the ranch. Our experience there will never be forgotten.

The Peter Pan Syndrome

As a child, my sister and I spent many hours playing with snails that were easily found outside(we were really desperate for a pet). We had snail races and even made little houses for them out of scrap pieces of wood.

My children have either never seen a snail or have forgotten what they look like. In the 5 years that we lived in Houston, TX, we never saw a one. We are now back in the bay area and while visiting Grandma and Grandpa, the kids found a never ending supply of snails around their property. James, Steven, and Kirsten especially got a kick out of this new discovery. I have to admit that I felt like throwing up when I saw the pile of snails and slime that Kirsten had in her hands. I was surprised at my own reaction. Why did it bother me now? Snails were so much fun when I was a child. Sometimes it stinks being an adult. I think it would be nice to be like Peter Pan and never grow up.

How Well Do I Know Myself ?

These past few evenings, I've been reading the boys "Beowulf a New Telling" by Robert Nye before they go to bed. I want to share a few lines from the book that jumped out at me. Beowulf is speaking to Grendel's Mother who is referred to as the wife of Cain.

"Listen, She-evil, and I will tell You why this heart does not blush or blanch at the wicked worst You can do. It is because I, Beowulf, know myself. It is because I hold a Cain in me, but do not let him out. That man is truly brave who, feeling fear, yet puts his fear to use and plucks new courage from the fear itself. That man is truly good who knows his own dark places."

I love this quote. Beowulf knows who he is and what his weaknesses are. But he takes his weaknesses and turns them into strengths. He controls the little bit of evil that is in him, and as a result, is stronger. We all have a little bit of Cain in us. Do we let "Cain" out or do we control our weaknesses thus making ourselves a stronger, better person.