Walking in Your Shoes

 Lonetta loves, loves, loves walking around the house in her siblings' shoes. She stumbles and falls a lot doing so, but this doesn't take away from the fun.

While Loni is literally walking in people's shoes, Dave-o is metaphorically walking in James' shoes. The other day, Dave-o asked David and I if he could change his name to "James". He idolizes his big brother. He is the first to stand up for James if any of us are giving him a hard time and he loves going on errands with James. I don't know how Dave-o will cope when his best friend leaves on his mission. 

Reflection

My teaching style is different with Kirsten. I've found creative ways to accommodate her learning disabilities. Dyslexia and an auditory processing disorder, makes memory and retention difficult for her. Over time, I have learned that hands-on activities help Kirsten retain information. It's a lot of extra work, but rewarding when I see the joy on her face as she understands the concept being taught. 

In science, Kirsten just learned about the color of light. Sunlight appears to be colorless-it is called white light-but it is really a mixture of many colors, or wavelengths, of light. We can see some of these colors in a rainbow or a soap bubble. As sunlight is reflected through raindrops it is bent (refracted). Light with long wavelengths, like red, is bent more than the color violet, which has a short wavelength. This science lesson took on a religious meaning to me. Just as sunlight is reflected through raindrops, our Savior's love should be reflected through our countenance. We don't want to look like every one else. As Christians and Latter-day Saints, we should stand out in a crowd. When people meet us for the first time, they should be seeing love and kindness.

An interesting experience happened to Steven a couple of weeks ago while volunteering at Kaiser. He was working at the administration desk when a lady he had never met approached him to ask if he was a Mormon. Steven of course said yes, surprised at her guess. She went on to tell him that as she sat watching him, she knew immediately the he was LDS. Life experience with Mormon friends taught this woman what our religion looked like; and she is impressed. 

I'm Hunting Wabbits

Kirsten isn't a hunter, yet she fell in love with the style. Her latest sewing project was this adorable hunting cap. It will make a great accessory for girls camp.

Free Candy

 As a child, I loved visiting the See's Candy Store. Being handed a piece of candy as you enter the store was a treat, but my favorite part was buying the butterscotch sucker for 10 cents. A couple of days ago, I took some of the kids with me to See's to buy Mom and Dad Easter eggs. I of course bought each of the kids a sucker (which is now 85 cents). Steven noticed a Now Hiring sign on the window and filled out an application. He was told that the position was only seasonal (the week before Easter) and if interested, to attend a group interview the next day. Steven was the only applicant to show up for the interview. Yeah! He got the job! The District Manager, who interviewed him, was impressed with Steven's volunteer experience at Kaiser. She expressed an interest in him working on a permanent level. However, when Steven went in for his training today, the store manager told him it would be for the week. In any case, this will be a great learning experience for Steven. The interview process is a learning experience as well as the job itself. Plus, he'll be able to add this to his later applications. But the best part is the free candy.

A Juxtaposition

Lonetta loves dirt. She doesn't care if it's dry or wet; just as long as she's covered in it.

However, for as much as this little girl enjoys a mess, she just might love getting clean more. Bath times are a highlight for Loni. She also likes walking around our neighborhood looking for cats, dogs and flowers.

Planting Time

Our garden is in.

Kirsten and Dave-o helped me plant tomatoes, lettuce, peas, and beans. I'm excited to see how our enclosure works.

Steven's Week

This is quite the exciting week for Steven. On Wednesday, he passed his behind the wheel driver's test. Yes! Now I have three drivers.

This morning, after seminary, he asked Emilie to LDS Prom. And she said yes! Steven found a clever way of asking her using a card trick. Notice that he's wearing a hoodie? Steven is typically a t-shirt and shorts kind of guy (no matter the weather). But this morning he said that he was so nervous to ask Emily, that his hands were shaking and purple. I have never heard Steven say that he was nervous for anything. 

But he's not done yet. Tomorrow he'll be taking the CHSPE test (California High School Proficiency Exam). We are praying that Steven passes it his first time because there are rumors that the state is changing the test. Most likely to accommodate the Common Core curriculum (which I despise).

St. Patrick's Day

Lonetta woke on the wrong side of the bed. She wanted to be held at all times, and only by me. Her cranky mood rubbed off on me. When Dave-o reminded me that I had promised to make slime for St. Patrick's Day, I groaned inwardly and almost said no. Making slime was the last thing I wanted to do while holding Lonetta. However, I pushed my mood aside and loaded the two little ones in the wagon and walked to Michael's to buy the necessary ingredients for the slime. Kirsten wanted to make glittery gold slime so we bought gold glue. I love how it turned out. Dave-o however made blue slime; breaking away from the green festive day. 

Thankfully, Loni woke from her nap in a good mood. 

This was helpful as I was busy making two large pots of chicken noodle soup and a double batch of rolls. Then, some leprechauns took the food and delivered them to a few friends who are struggling with health problems. It ended up being a great day, full of many blessings.  

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

3.1415

While James and Steven were at an all day Youth Conference, David and I took the little ones to Fort Funston. If I hadn't looked at the calendar this morning, Mother Nature would have tricked me into thinking it was summer already. In San Jose the temperature was in the low 90's and at the beach mid 70's. The clouds were GORGEOUS! The coloring and light diffusing through the clouds made it feel dream-like.

Loni of course loved the water, sand, and the dogs. She was in heaven.

David took her for a walk and returned with a very dirty, but happy little girl. He told me that Loni would grab handfuls of wet sand and rub it all over her tummy. The other beach-goers got a laugh from her antics. One person said to David, "That baby must be a boy." He was surprised to learn otherwise. 

Kirsten and Dave-o played in the water and built sand castles. Then they had a war and tried knocking the other's castle down by throwing sand.

When we got home, the pumpkin pie and mixed berry pie was cooled and ready to enjoy.

Happy Pi Day!

Practicing Basketball

After watching his older brothers and father play stake basketball this past week, Dave-o has set a personal goal to be able to shoot and dribble. We spent a fun hour practicing in the church gym today. Dave-o was getting discouraged at not being able to throw the basketball hard enough, but we assured him that with practice his arms will get stronger. 

Don't Freak Out, Mom

"Mom! You can't look at me until you promise not to freak out."

Why would James think I'd freak out. I've only been guilty of doing that one time; and that was when he came home from a camp out with a tick burrowing itself in his back. I had to assist in getting it out and was not quiet about it. Picturing the little legs of the parasite wiggling around still gives me the creeps thinking about it.

Anyways, I promised not to freak out. James stepped into the light and my first thought was that he had gotten punched in the eye. But this is out of character for my pacifist son.

James would only say that a flaming, molten marshmallow flew onto his eye. The hows and whats were kept under tight lips. It was late, so I cut an aloe leaf from the backyard and he attended to his injury.

The next morning, James called Kaiser and spoke to a nurse. She was able to get him in to an after hours medical office in Santa Clara. I eavesdropped on the conversation knowing he would have to tell the tale to the nurse. Here's the scoop. Saturday night James and a bunch of friends drove to Santa Cruz for a birthday party. While roasting marshmallows, one of James' caught on fire. Blowing on it didn't extinguish the flames. So, James thought waving it around in the air was a better idea. The flaming marshmallow then flew off the stick and hit him in the eye. 

The doctor said it was a superficial burn and gave James some ointment to put on twice a day. He's not in a lot of pain. However his eye is very swollen.

Many of the young women in our ward have been stopping by our home with goodies and cards for James. It's funny to see him get all of this attention, because he's uncomfortable with being in the spotlight. I think it's cute.

A Full Friday

The calendar on my phone is easily the most used feature. I type out everything that is happening each day and a reminder goes off half an hour before the scheduled event. 

My calendar for today looks like this:

Delona's birthday - all day

March birthday breakfast at Scramblez - 9am

Kirsten sewing class- 10am -12pm

Steven volunteer at Kaiser - 12pm-4pm

Dave-o play with Jacob - 1pm

Meet Gretchen at park - 3pm

Group dinner (pick Kristie up) - 6:30

Loni and I ended up going to the park by ourselves (Gretchen's baby ended up taking a late nap). I was tempted to skip the park because I still needed to pick up groceries to make an appetizer for the group dinner and was feeling stressed about not having enough time for everything. However, I'm glad that I stayed and let Loni play; even if it was for only forty-five minutes. She has three favorite activities at Parma Park. The sand, the teeter-totter, and the slide. Like every other toddler, Loni spends only a minute in each area of interest. Back and forth we went. It was a nice switch in pace from my already busy day.

Loni and I left the park and drove directly to Kaiser to pick up Steven. I love listening to him share his volunteering experiences. As you can imagine, every day is different when working in a hospital. Today a lady approached Steven and asked if he was a Mormon. As she watched him work at the administration desk she immediately knew he was. The lady told Steven that she has Mormon friends and is impressed with them. What a wonderful testimony of the importance of living your standards. We do stand out. Even when wearing the same volunteer uniform as 600 others. 

Dum Dums are Yum Yum

 Having Dum Dums on hand is another trick to homeschooling with a toddler. When she becomes cranky (and I say "when" because it is inevitable that she will), I give her a sucker. This buys me another half an hour of school time.

Levi Stadium

I have loved watching the new 49er stadium being built in Santa Clara. Growing up outside of San Francisco during the 80's was magical. The Forty-Niners were a powerhouse. There was Joe, Montana, Jerry Rice, Ronnie Lott, Tom Ratchman, Roger Craig, Dwight Clark (who I had a crush on), Steve Young, and many others with coaches Bill Walsh and George Seifert. They won FOUR Super Bowls during the 80's. During one of these Super Bowls, I was visiting our stake's Patriarch's home in San Francisco to get my patriarchal blessing. I remember hearing and seeing the streets in the city come alive in celebratory fan fare.  

Today, I got to take Steven and Kirsten to Levi Stadium for a tour of the facility. I knew that this would probably be the only opportunity I would have to be in the stadium. The tour was 1 1/2 hours. Steven's favorite part was the Hall of Fame area located in the museum. Kirsten loved the artwork. I agree with Kirsten. The walls were filled with paintings from local artists along with hundreds of black and white photos of my 1980's team. 

 The field was a mess because Levi Stadium hosted the San Jose Sharks hockey team. I couldn't believe that it was possible to transform the field into an ice skating rink.

We got to sit in the cushy seats.
With this being the Silicon Valley, it's no surprise that the Levi Stadium has cutting edge technology. You can get an app that will show you where to park and show you step by step how to get to your seat. There is a wireless access point hidden under every 100 seat. You can order food from your phone and have it delivered to you. 

 This is the United Club Room. Notice that it is fashioned after an airport. United donated a lot of money towards the stadium

The ceilings are designed to represent the famous San Francisco fog.

 The rooftop is home to sixteen CA native plants. The number sixteen is symbolic of Joe Montana's number.

We are sitting in the Press Area. During a game, no one is allowed to cheer, boo, or speak in the area. If they do, they are given a tap on the shoulder as a warning. But the second offense is the boot.

 Steven and Kirsten at field level.

The cheerleaders locker room and the visiting team locker room.

Me standing with Ronnie Lott and Steven with Steve Young in the Hall of Fame.

The museum has a lot of interactive areas for children.