GRATEFUL

after the friday i just had i didn't think saturday would ever come.

k and a's school had their cinco de mayo celebrations yesterday complete with pinatas and dancing. each grade sang a song in spanish and learned a dance. it was so cute. k had to dance with a boy and just thought that was not right. i am sure she really liked it...maybe not the boy she had to dance with but the idea of it all. since i am incharge of the end of year dvd for the school i was able to go and take pictures. i was so mad when my video camera started flashing the battery sign...or was it the tape sign. now that i think about it...oh i'll have to check it...anyway... i couldn't video it because i think it was the battery running out even though i charged it over night. so another mom video-ed and i took pictures. you should have seen the faces on the boys and girls in the upper grades who had to dance with each other. too funny. a's class did the mexican hat dance. he stood in the middle of a cirlce of girls and twirls and danced his dance for them. it was so cute. all the grades did really good.

then it was off to piano and violin lessons. m had her lesson first. she practiced standing and waving her violin at herself and where to put the violin once she's ready to play it. she learned today the their is a chin rest for a purpose and she was told to just pretend that she was going to sleep and rest her chin on it. so cute. then she learned to hang her fingers on her bow like wet laundry hangs on the towel rack. heavy and limp. this was a little challenging for her because she didn't really understand that wet laundry is heavy and what limp meant. we get to practice this technique 3 time a day for a week and she will eventually get use to it. she got to play her twinkles for grandma and that always is a treat. she did really well.

while a and k were taking their lessons i got m ready for her dance pictures. we curled her hair, much to her dismay, and used TONS of hairspray. we put her make-up and costume on and she looked so cute! i love her hair curled. it takes a long time but it is so pretty. after the kids were finished with their lessons we went straight to the jazz studio. her little dance group was so cute posing for the camera. there was a mom there that brought in her own camera to take pics of the girls and mine was in the car and i should've brought it in but didn't even think about it. darn it. we order pics and she took her individual photos and mrs. stephanie posed her. i love mrs. stephanie. she really does such a great job with the girls. i love it. and m just soaks it all up...she is such a girly girl. after dance pics were over we went straight home to get her changed for their primary missionary activity!

we got a and m ready in their church clothes...because missionaries don't wear shorts and t-shirts. then it was off to the 'mtc'. m was called to serve in the philippeans mission and a and k would be serving in russia. they were so excited to become missionaries. but before k could enter the 'mtc' she had to take her dance pics. so off to the jazz studio we went.

k had her hair done all cute and i told her not to dance around or play with f while we were there but she was so excited she just couldn't stand still. so we ended up pulling her hair up right before her pictures. it was still really cute. there are about 7 girls in her class but only 3 were there for the pictures. mrs. stephanie posed them so cute and the girls were really excited because they got to wear their dance costumes and make-up. they looked so G L A M O R O U S!

and the fact that they were giddy made this a happy experience for the moms. this time i brought in my camera to take some candids and glad i did. those girls were so cute. i can't believe how fast they grow up. after k's individuals were done she changed into her missionary clothes and we were headed to the 'mtc'.

on the door of our church building there was a sign that read...welcome to the mtc. i go goose bumps and my eyes started to water. we were a little late but we got k her missionary name tag and found her group. the 'missionaries' were divided up into missions...france, guatamala, philippeans, russia, brazil, and poland. as a district they went to many rooms to learn about different things like how to sew a button, how different parts of our bodies help us in our missions...like how our stomach can help us eat strange foods! loved that comment by nikki beckstrand. they learned that they would have a 'p day' and that they could have fun and exercise on that day. the kids were so cute...they learned that they needed to have a savings for their mission...and that they can and are encouraged to write letters home. it was so fun to take pictures of them learning how to be good missionaries. just before their return home they went to their missions. (elder hellewell taught about brazil, sis. marroquin taught about guatamala, sis. thatcher taught about poland, elder crockett taught about the philippeans, elder adams taught about france, and elder henrickson taught about russia.) they showed some of the things that the missionaries would see and hear while on their missions. i just got the best feeling listening to these elders and sisters shared their testimonies of their service to the people in these countries. it was amazing. then it was time for our missionaries to come home. all the parents waited at the airport with 'welcome home' signs and 'we love you' sign. we had balloons and...we were excited to see our little missionaries and hear all about their experiences. it was so emotional when the doors opened and those missionaries from france came running in. looking for their parents and running to them filled with excitement. all the parents were clapping as each mission took their turns in coming through the doors. i started to cry when m came through the doors and thought this is what it will be like when she comes home from her mission...if she chooses to go on one. i think k was the first one to walk in and f immediately saw her and ran to her like he hadn't seen her in a long time. i started crying. i was so emotional and scooped up all my missionaries and asked them if they had good missions and told them i loved them. they must have thought i had lost it. it was such a good activity and the kids had so much fun. but not only did they have a good time but they learned something. they learned about all the things missionaries do and how they can prepare to serve a mission. our primary presidency did such an awesome job! the kids had doughnuts and lemonaide for refreshments to end their activity. then it was time to go home.

m's missionary, peyton fox

missionary homecoming!

k spent the night with jess...and corbin came over the spend the night with a. we had panda express at 9:30 pm and watched sharkboy and lavagirl in 3D. b and i ate in our room and watched a bit of narnia...then went to bed. what a day. there are so many things i am thankful for and i love days like this that help me remember that i have so many blessings in my life. i love my children and my husband most of all. they are my treasures and if i only had them in my life...i would be the richest woman. the fact the i have so much more is a bonus.