Letter - School routine, Spencer Made the Team, Goblet of Gratitude

Sunday, August 10, 2014

School has resumed and we are in a comfortable routine again.  I get up at 6:10 (which is earlier than I’d like) to read my scriptures and make lunches.  Spencer’s jr. high starts at 7:25.  His carpool picks him up just after 7:00 so we now have family scriptures at 6:40.  I then have time to exercise before I fix Karalee’s hair and then drive the carpool to the elementary at 7:50.  Then I pick Spencer up from football practice around 4:00pm.  Speaking of Spencer playing football, we found out Thursday that Spencer made the 7th grade flag football team at his school!! This was his first time trying out for a team where there was a chance he might be cut. I was anxious most of the week and all day Thursday waiting to find out if he made it or if he got cut. As a mother, I've come to find that my kid’s joys are my joys. Their sorrows are my sorrows. I'm glad this ended up being a joyful moment for us. What makes it even better is that his cousin Porter made the team too and they'll get to play together.

Karalee loves her 2^nd grade teacher.  She has Miss Braidi.  Bryant also had her for 2^nd grade.  When Miss Braidi saw Karalee she commented that Karalee looks nothing like Bryant. A few days later she called to tell me that even though Karalee doesn’t look like Bryant she acts just like him.  That is a good thing because she loved Bryant!  I had forgotten that she calls her students’ parents when they’ve been doing a great job.  It is so nice.  Marlee loves school and I haven’t heard any bad reports so she must be doing great.  She, like her brothers and sister before her, has Mrs. McKinney.  She is happy to go to school and is happy when she comes home.  Bryant got the teacher he hoped for, Mrs. Nolan.  He seems to enjoy school so far.  Spencer loves jr. high but did not like the fact that he had a LOT of homework last week.  I hope as he gets used to the classes and what is expected of him in his assignments that they will become easier for him and not take him so long.

Spencer first day of Jr. High, 7th Grade

Bryant first day of 5th Grade, Mrs. Nolan

Karalee 1st day of 2nd Grade, Miss Braidi

Marlee first day of afternoon kindergarten, Mrs. McKinney

Bryant is in 5^th grade this year and has decided to join band.  At first he wanted to play the cello, then I talked him into playing the violin instead of the cello since I already have a violin, then he wanted to play the cello again, but when we found out how much cellos cost (we’re not fans of paying rent, and it’s costly to rent cellos too) we asked him if he’d consider a different instrument and he decided to join the band since his friend Ari is also going to join band.  Bryant has now decided to play the trumpet.  He’s very excited.  I’m glad too because I think it would be hard to stay motivated to play the cello since it’s so big to lug around.  Band starts on Wednesday.  Last Tuesday when I was taking Paige, one of my laurels, to Young Women’s I remembered that she used to play the trumpet and I asked her if she would be interested in selling her trumpet.  After speaking with her mother, who happens to have taught Bryant in primary for three years and loves him, they decided to just let us borrow the trumpet for now and then if Bryant sticks with it for a few years they will decide on a price and sell it to us.  I know practically nothing about band instruments but it seems like a pretty nice trumpet.  I feel kind of leery about borrowing it; I would prefer if they just sold it to us because I worry that we’ll break it or something.  I expressed that worry to Paige and Karin, Paige’s mother, but they said everything would be fine and not to worry about it.  It is nice that we are blessed to let Bryant tryout band for at least a year without having to pay for an instrument though!  We picked up the trumpet yesterday afternoon and Bryant and all the kids and I have enjoyed learning how to produce sound from the trumpet.  Even Marlee has learned how to do it.  I think Chad would have preferred a quieter instrument though.  J

On Tuesday last week Marlee and Tilly and I invited a few of our friends over for a mother daughter brunch.  Since Marlee doesn’t have to go to Kindergarten until noon it worked out nicely.  We used our Sunday dishes and I made muffins and bought some juice and one friend brought fruit, another friend brought veggies, and another friend brought scrambled eggs cooked in a mini muffin tin.  It was so much fun!!  I hope to do it again regularly.  

Bryant’s 10^th birthday is on Tuesday the 12^th.  He’s requested that we go camping for his birthday so we are pulling the kids out of school on Friday and we will leave Thursday night.  We are camping at the Tonto Creek Camp ground.  It should be fun!!

Karalee was asked who her hero was for a school project and she chose her Daddy!!  He's my hero too.  

We went to watch my niece Karsten play Little Red in Into the Woods.  She did great!!

Ashton was part of the stage crew so luckily we got to see her too.

I love this girl!!  I'm so glad she keeps me company while her brothers and sisters are away at school. 

My quote for today is from Elder Uchtdorf’s talk Grateful in Any Circumstances.  “It might sound contrary to the wisdom of the world to suggest that one who is burdened with sorrow should give thanks to God. But those who set aside the bottle of bitterness and lift instead the goblet of gratitude can find a purifying drink of healing, peace, and understanding.”  I know there are several members of mine and Chad’s extended families who are struggling to find peace, healing and understanding.  Chad and I included.  This quote really helped me this week because there have been times over the last few months where I have been quite discouraged as I try to build unity, love, peace and forgiveness.  I know those feelings of discouragement are not from the Lord and that when I have gratitude for the blessings I’ve been given and by looking for the good in others I will have the strength to keep from giving up.  Heavenly Father wants us to have peace and resolve unkind feelings.  I want to be an instrument in His hands in fostering that peace.

Love,

Mindy