Our Primary Presidency

When presidencies in the Church function effectively, we see the fruition of the Lord’s counsel to “organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing” (D&C 88:119).

It is so humbling being the Primary President and knowing that so much is ultimately upon your shoulders. Thankfully I have 2 amazing counselors and 1 fantastic secretary. This week I have been feeling immense gratitude for the fact that I don't have to do it all on my own. Some days the weight seems so heavy on my shoulders, but I know that our presidency is right there along with me to share the load. I came across a great article The Principle of Presidency by Elder Joe J. Christensen. Here are some of the excerpts:

There must be a special significance about the concept of presidency, the idea of an administrator with two counselors and the number three. In the Godhead there are three personages. There are three in the First Presidency, the Area Presidency, the stake presidency, the bishopric, the leadership of the priesthood quorums, and the presidencies of the auxiliaries. There is something consistent and compelling about the idea that an executive in whatever organization in the Church has two counselors. There seems to be an underlying principle of presidency.

In a training session…I have invited someone to come to the stand and construct a one-legged stool. I have a little round wooden top with a hole partially bored in the center into which a little leg can be inserted. The individual easily inserts the leg into the central hole, and in seconds a one-legged stool is ready to demonstrate. As I balance it on the side of the pulpit where it can be seen, I ask the audience to comment about the nature of the design. Immediately they mention that the structure is unstable. The slightest touch makes it unbalanced, and it falls over.
Then I ask the individual to remove the one leg and with the two others make a three-legged stool by inserting the legs in three holes located around the outside edge of the top. Quickly a three-legged stool is ready for demonstration. Its structure is solid. It can bear weight and does not readily topple to one side. With three legs there is steadiness, while with just one there is great instability.

I have even more to be grateful for- because in our presidency we have a "four legged stool" with our secretary sharing the load right along with us. I cannot express my love and gratitude in words. Thank you seems insufficient, but here goes- Thank you Laura, Cathy and Leslie. May your lives be blessed for the love and dedication that you put into your calling to serve in our Primary Presidency! I know that I, as well as the children, have been blessed by all of your efforts. You are truly remarkable women!

Perseverance

Tonight Alyssa & Alexander graduated from their blue-orange belts to their blue-green belts in karate. This will be their last three months in the beginner Karate kids class next step will be Karate kids advanced. The have been taking karate for a year and a half now.

The kids were a bit sad because this is the first time that Paul has not been able to attend their graduation, but we had a bonus because Grandma Sandy was able to make it in time on her way home from a day at the temple.

Prior to the start of the ceremony Master McCoy had the kids literally jumping through hoops! They had fun trying not to touch the hula hoop while tucking and rolling on the way out. Glad I didn't have to do that! I am sure I would have been sore for days! Oh to be young...

It was interesting the statistics about kids and karate and those who actually receive their black belts. I believe he said that 90% of people drop out within the first 6 months and only about 10% actually go on to earn their black belts. This is due to lack of drive and perseverance. Alyssa and Alexander are among the 40% right now. At times, I am tempted to give up. I really tried to convince the kids to take a break for a bit. Hoping then we would just fade out, but A & A, especially Alexander, wanted no part of that! When I get to karate and see how well they do and how hard they try I then have a renewed commitment to help the kids achieve their goal. I do not want to be the lazy one who keeps them from moving forward and stepping up to the challenge! This month's theme was "When things get hard dig a little deeper! PERSEVERANCE!" As a parent it is my job to help them persevere in all areas of their life and to support them in attaining their goals!

Silence? AND Serenity!

After getting off the phone with a friend this afternoon I figure I had better check on the kids. I don't hear them playing or arguing. Uh oh! Something must be up! So I call out, "Guys where are you?" "Out here mom!" I look out the kitchen window and they have their camp chairs set up in the fort area of the swing set and are reading quietly! No arguments, talking or problems. Just a peaceful place to read outside on a not so sunny summer day! Great idea guys! I run to get my camera and Xander says "Oh no mom! You're not going to put this in your blog are you?" You betcha! I have to preserve these great ideas (and moments of silence and serenity) for forever!

That's MY GUY!

Now it is my guy's turn for a page dedicated to his year in first grade.

Alexander:

• He really made an effort to go by Xander. When people call him Alex I think WHO? It didn't help that his Kindergarten teacher told him that Xander was a nonsense word! He first got the nickname "Xa" because Alyssa couldn't say Alexander when she was little. That is still her special name for him. He calls her "Ah" as in Alyss"Ah." As parents we call him Xander and Alexander equally, but never Alex that just isn't him.


• He made it to "21" miles in the mileage club. Towards the end of the year he had 15 miles and said that he wanted to challenge himself and make it to 20. He exceeded his goal by one mile. Way to GO! That is one thing about Xander when he sets his mind to it he does it!


• He had his first experience with holding a girls hand other than his mom. His teacher told me about it when I came in to volunteer. Later I asked him how he felt about this? He said, "It made me feel uncomfortable!" Brianna is an older woman by one whole year and I know the instigator! Alexander is very cautious about his affection! When you are in the very inner circle he is very cuddly and loving, but that is basically Paul and I. Even his sister doesn't get hugs or kisses. And I really must tell you I was jealous! That is MY GUY! Thankfully the little infatuation was over (on his part) within a few days. She kept calling and wanting to go on Webkinz and he would want no part of it. Few! Dodged that bullet for a few more years!


• On every single spelling test he got at least 100%. On Thursday afternoon I would be worried after the pretest, but he always came through! His teacher gave at least 3 bonus words each week and they were tough words sometimes- caterpillar, electricity, surprise. He usually got 15/12. Way to GO!


• His favorite day was Wednesday because he had GYM! He would be mad if we had a delay, cancellation or field trip on that day and he had to miss it! It was his favorite special! With his new longer "do" he would come out of gym looking like Jack Jack from the incredibles! I had heard about this and one day I was in school after gym and got to experience the look first hand. After being hot and sweaty he would run his hands through his hair and make it feather out and up. Really I wish I had a picture of the Jack Jack do!


• He learned how to stand up for himself more to a boy who was a bit of a bully. Xander is more serious in school (which is far from norm at home)! There was a boy who would tease him about his scar on his lower lip or say mean things and he took these things personally. I think it was more of just obnoxious joking rather than outright malice, but it hurt his feelings. It was tough sometimes because what Paul wanted him to say back was definitely NOT ALLOWED! Mind you, he didn't tell Alexander these things. In the end it all worked out fine.


• He took a great liking to studying Outer space and turtles! At the moment we have a shortcut to turtles.com on our computer. He tends to be a bit obsessive sometimes. I wonder who he gets that from?

3 Things that I love about Alexander:

1. He is so loving. Others don't get to see much of this side, but his favorite part of the day is snuggling in bed with us in the morning.

2. He is a deep thinker! He goes beyond the surface and likes to question things. Not to be annoying, but because he really wants to learn.

3. Alexander is a dog lover! (He says when he gets older he wants to have 10 dogs, live in California and he isn't going to get married.) He takes such good care of Thurston! He scratches him, lets him out, gives him food and lets him sleep on his bed ticks and all!

4. Okay one more...He is loyal to his friends. He would never say anything unkind about his friends much less someone who is not his friend. That's MY GUY!

My sweet little girl

The other night I was thinking about how much the kids have changed in the past year in first grade. Here are a few things that come to mind about my sweet little girl.

Alyssa:

• She finally learned how to tie her shoes! This truly is my fault. I found it much easier to do it myself when we were running out the door in the morning five minutes late. If she did it I would just have to re do it! What a poor attitude I know, but now she can do it and my guilt is gone.


• Her choppy reading really improved. In kindergarten she was always so interested in the pictures that she would stop-mid-sentence and look over the page. I think it is the artist in her! It took forever to get through a page and now we breeze through and look at the pictures AFTER!


• She received her first marriage proposal! A few days prior she received a cute silver bracelet with her name on it from Matt Fors. She comes home from school a few days later and says, "MOM I don't want to marry Matt Fors! I like him and all, but I DON'T WANT TO MARRY HIM!" (This is going to be the story of her life throughout high school! The boys that you really like- don't like you and those that you don't- love you!) So I told her to tell Matt that she'll be his friend but she really is too young to get married!


• She loves art and really soared in this area. The way she creates a picture-the depth, dimension and creativity are way beyond her years!


• First accidental swear. Oops! Of course she learned this on the good ol' bus! She comes home one day and says, "Mom Collin says sNit is a swear word." I partially listening say, "No sNit is not a swear word." Then out pops the real thing! That's the word mom. I, trying very hard not to laugh, in my most serious face say, "that is definitely a swear word and one we don't ever use!" She bursts out in tear and says, "Mom that doesn't count because I didn't know that it was bad! Please take it back!" I tell her it's okay as long as she doesn't say it again!


• She was strongly attracted to one of the boys in her class who didn't always make the best choices. He was silly, mean to others on occasion and had this magnetism that just drew her, as well as others, to him. I tried to get across that sometimes when we associate with those who make bad choices people think that is what we too believe. What a hard concept for a seven year old! I think we may still be working on this...until about 20 or so!

• She LOST a tooth! I kept teasing her that she would go to college with all of her baby teeth! Now I'll have to find something else to tease her about!

My 3 favorite things about Alyssa:

1. She is kind and considerate. She never wants to hurt any ones feelings.

2. She is a wonderful artist. Drawing something almost everyday it has to be a part of her life!

3. She has a great love for animals. She has never been one to play with dolls. Animals are first and foremost on her list.

4. Okay just one more...She has great Faith! She is such a great example to me!

Stay tuned for Xander's post tomorrow!

Serendipity

Serendipity is the effect by which one accidentally discovers something fortunate, especially while looking for something else entirely.

I am so behind in my postings! We had my sister in law, 2 nieces and my mom staying with us for several days. The kids got out of school on Monday, but it really didn't feel like it until Thursday since we were so busy.
One of those busy days was, Tuesday, when we went to the Boston Children's Museum. We were supposed to go to Davis Farmland but changed plans due to lots of rain on Monday. We didn't want to walk around in "poop soup" at the farm. So off we went to the museum. We had a really nice morning there and just before we were about to call it a day we decided to walk down to North End and the Faneuil Market area. It was really hard coming up with things to do with kids ranging from 17 to 20 months. My oldest niece, Melanie 17, really wanted to see some sights. So off we go over the bridge and through the buildings. I knew it was somewhere over in the direction we were going! As we walked and enjoyed the sights we stumbled onto the best parts of our day. Our first stop was the circular fountains which Alyssa and Alexander begged to run into. At first I said just around the edges and then I figured "WHY NOT?" Take your shoes off and run through! They had the best time running around and getting completely soaked! It was so much fun to see them enjoy their freedom. Even when Xander collided with another kid the pain was short lived.
Our next happening upon was Christopher Columbus park with a beautiful rose garden, and arbors that led us down to the harbor and yes, more fountains! We all had fun taking pictures, stopping and smelling the roses literally, watching the clouds roll by in the beautiful blue sky and rocking on the chain ropes in front of the harbor. My mom said this is a Serendipitous day! We couldn't have planned the day better! And if we did we would have missed out on so much!
Next we walked our way over to the North End for pastries. En route to Faneuil Hall we were caught in a summer rain. Even that couldn't dampen our spirits! After a quick bite we went over to watch the street performers. We saw break dancers, acrobats and drummers. (The drummers even inspired A & A to put on a show later in the week for us. They even charged us a dollar each!)
After that we walked a bit of the Freedom trail and saw some of the sites. One of which was the holocaust memorial. I explained a bit of it to the kids and they kept asking WHY? Why would someone do that? Why would they be so mean and think they were better? Big questions from such little people.
Finally, we walked the 15 minute walk back to the museum, but not before going by the harbor where in an open rotunda they had a humongous (if I had to guess I'd say at least 20 foot) American Flag. The enormity of the flag made us feel so small. It was beautiful! It made us all feel so proud to be Americans where we can have all this freedom and wonderful experiences.
We made it back to the car at 6:30pm. We got to Boston at 10:30 in the morning! What a wonderful, jam packed and serendipitous day!

A FEW not so stellar moments!

I have to admit that yesterday afternoon was not one of my most stellar moments! We went to pick out flowers for Alyssa & Xander's teachers for their end of the year gifts. When we got back I put the flowers in the basement for safe keeping until school the next morning. Then I went back to the garage to close the garage door. As the door is descending and Alyssa's eye are getting LARGER and LARGER I knew something must be wrong! Then I heard the CRunCH and hit the garage door button right away. Unfortunately I was a bit too late and the garage door was stuck on my REAR HATCH! AHHHH! As I walk over to survey the damage I ask Alyssa why she just watched and didn't yell for me to open the door again? I say this calmly not mad whatsoever, at least not at her! She apologizes profusely. I tell her not to worry it is definitely NOT her fault, but next time she could help me out by telling me the hatch is open. I pull the cord to unlatch the garage door which is now nicely wedged onto the bottom of my hatch. Okay not too bad. Just a little scratch underneath and a little bend to the inside handle of the garage door. WheW! Maybe I can get through this without too much damage. I leave the garage door open and figure I'll leave it that way until Paul gets back from his trip later that night. Well...after talking with him on the phone (oh ya he isn't too impressed) we decide that after I pull the car out to just close the garage just to make sure it doesn't trap my car inside. Okay good idea. So about a half an hour before we have to leave for soccer I go down and attempt to back my car out and CrUnCH AGAIN! Another not so stellar moment! I forgot that when I released the garage door it prevented it from going all the way back up! SO now I have caught my luggage rack on the garage door and BENT the garage door a bit and pulled two of the spinny things off the track! Yes, spinny things is the technical term! At this point I am fuming at my stupidity! The kids run down to survey the damage and Alyssa to apologize again. I say not to worry and send them up stairs afraid of what I might say in my moment of fury! As I begin to access the situation I figure out that I need something to push the door all the way UP (ya, that thought would have been helpful earlier!) so that I can get the car out without damaging it anymore! I try various brooms, sticks etc... that I see around the garage all falling short of the needed height. I rest my head against the garage and say a quick prayer. Then I proceed to take a chunk out of my knee with the corners of above wedged items! Thump, thump, thump, kids back down the stairs for more accessing and commenting. They were especially alarmed after I screamed about hurting my knee. I send them back up, but Alyssa stays. "Mom you just gotta have FAITH." "I know Alyssa your right, but sometimes things just don't work out. But I will keep trying" Now I am thinking great my neighbors not home to help, I have snack for tonight's soccer game, I have the gift cards for the coaches and it is Alyssa's last game! No pressure really! I finally get the step ladder which is about a foot and a half too short and then I wedge a kids step stool long ways up. It stays long enough for me to get my hopes up and then pops out! So I wedge it again. Get in my car and POP out again, but thankfully before I am exiting the garage! By now the kids are down again. I have Alexander help my out by watching FROM THE LAWN, no closer letting me know if it pops out again. SLOWLY I back out...I tell you if I could have closed my eyes I would have, but I didn't want to ruin anything else! WOOHOO! I make it out. Take a look at the slightly bent garage door. Shut the garage and off to soccer we go! We even made it a few minutes early!

Thankfully Paul comes home, bangs the door around, puts the spinny things back in, hammers out the bend an there you go! It works just as good as before!

Today I was thinking about what Alyssa said and wondering if we let reality blind our faith. How often do I let the circumstance control my thinking rather than allow my faith and belief to dictate how things will work out? Yes, I said a prayer (amidst my anger and frustration) and yes I half heartedly knew that things would work out. But I truly believe that I let reality cloud my faith. It took my sweet seven year old to remind me that I just needed to let go and have faith! It was so simple for her! What a precious reminder from someone who truly does have Faith. She is such a great example to me!
Yes, Alyssa I do need to JUST HAVE FAITH!