New School Year

Peter & Libby at the bus stop

The 2012-13 school year has officially begun!  Peter and Libby were complete opposites about the clothes the night before.  Libby had to model every single shirt with every single skirt/pair of parts that she had, and I had to rate the outfit on a scale from 1 to 5.  Only the 4's and 5's were selected to go on to the finals, and from there she chose what outfits she would wear the first week of school.  I tried to get in some peeks on Pinterest between outfit changes.  Peter, on the other hand, figured out what he was wearing about five minutes ahead of time.  Except for the shoes.  He had those planned out way ahead of time, because they were the boots he got for his birthday!  It took all his powers of discipline to not wear the spurs with the boots.  I wouldn't put it past him to try it one of these days, when he gets comfortable at school.  I'll have to keep an eye on that...

Mary on the first day of school

Mary is in FX Show Choir this year, along with Madrigals. She also tried out for a Ballroom Dance team, and is looking forward to practicing and performing with them.  She also came out of her Freshman year with a 4.0.  Way to go Mary!

Jesse on the first day of school

Jesse is a Senior this year!  She is the only returning alto in Madrigals this year, and was elected the Section head.  Besides Madrigals, she is pouring all her extra time into maintaining her 4.0 and practicing the piano.  She will audition for the BYU Piano Performance Major in January.  Very exciting!  Her claim to fame this week was that she started her Senior year in high school as a 16 year old.

Jesse and Grandma W on Jesse's 17th birthday

But it didn't last for long, because the next day she turned 17.  I told Jesse it was almost a disappointment to have her turn 17, because now I can no longer say, "She's only 16...!.  She accomplished so much when she was 15 and 16, that I was constantly saying that when people asked how old she was.  Grandma W came over with the "art-deco" birthday cake.  I told Grandma that she was creative with a capital C!  We had a good laugh about it, but I thought it looked awesome.

Joseph and Libby at the Street Dance

I love this picture so much I could eat it for desert.  This is Joseph dancing with Libby at the Family Street Dance.  He didn't have many other people to dance with - he was an oldie - but Libby sure was glad to dance with him!  Our Street Dance was so fun, as it always is.  Our numbers were fewer, because there was a football game that night, but we had fun anyway.

Joseph on Stormy

Here's the posture Joseph has been in almost constantly for the past few weeks - riding a horse!  He and Bruce worked together to break Stormy.  This was a big accomplishment, because the first time they attempted it, Bruce got some bruised ribs and a bucking horse show to go with it.  There was some question as to whether Stormy was going to be broken at all.  But, at the insistence of Joseph, they went out and tried again.  It was wild, from what I hear, but they got a saddle on him and Joseph rode him.  They've since been on him several times, and it's working out!  My hats off to them - I would have given up a long time ago!  Yesterday, Bruce took Mary, Peter and Libby out riding, and they had a great time.

Joseph is enjoying his time here, because he is soon off to Rexburg and BYU-I!  Wow - I can't believe the time has come for him to go off to college.  I'll have to admit that it's been hard - thinking of him leaving, especially because we've been through it now, and we know what it's like!  The college part's not so hard, but knowing that the mission is coming up straight after that, well, that's a different story.  Man, we're gonna miss Joseph!

But he's so excited and happy that it's easy to be happy with him!

By the way, I have to add one more thing.  On my other blog, oilslorena.com, I wrote about Joseph getting thrown off Stormy while they were breaking him, and falling on his hip.  That happened on the day of our Street Dance.  So, when this picture was taken above, of Joseph and Libby dancing, Joseph was in real pain, holding Libby like that for that dance.  He told me later that it hurt pretty badly, but during that whole dance, even limping and all, he was a really good sport and danced and made a lot of girls feel happy.  Thank you, Joseph, for your kindness and cheerfulness, even through pain.

Ha ha - after writing that, it kind of looks like he's grimacing in the picture instead of smiling!  :)

Oh, the Lovely Color of Green

Lovely, lovely green. Our pastures are the first thing that we notice in the spring. Several in the family commented on them today. Bruce put the llamas out on them temporarily, because the dry pasture was a mucky, muddy mess. I love seeing the llamas graze on pasture.

The other farm news is that we traded Gussie for Millie. My Mom's gonna be sad about that because she thought Gussie was so cute, and she actually named her. I'll miss Gussie too (as much as I miss animals, which is actually not very much). Gussie was a black/red angus mix. We traded her to someone on craigslist who had a seven-month old jersey heifer. This is a really good trade for us, because we've been wanting another jersey cow for milking. We still have Buttercup, but we need another one to trade off with when they dry up and calve. I named her Millie, and the name stuck.

Bruce also bought two new calves that he named Toodles and Toodleloo. Toodles

Toodleloo

We are bottle-feeding them right now. He bought them for $25 each, and in a few months, we'll be able to sell them for about $200 each. Since we get the milk from Buttercup, it's no cost to us, except for the time it takes to milk her (which we do anyway) and the time it takes to feed the calves (10 min max) . When we spread it out between 8 of us, it's not so bad.
Libby got put on the milking schedule for the first time. She now has a turn with Joseph and me.
She also gets to feed Toodles and Toodleloo.Mary had a choir concert, and she did a great job. See if you can pick her out in this crowd of brightly colored 7th graders!
Bruce and Peter had to round up our horses for Libby's birthday party. This is a great shot of father and son on the horses. Peter is getting really good at riding. He is the one that most asks to ride out of all the kids.Libby turned eight years old in March!We had a fun birthday party for her. The night before she asked me if I would wake her up right when she was born, which was 2:00 am. I said no. Even then, at 6:00 am when we sang Las Mananitas to her, she was wide awake. Happy Birthday Libby!

Josh was in the first musical that Middleton High School has ever done. He was the evil dentist in Little Shop of Horrors. If you don't recognize him from this picture, join the crowd. Even close friends here didn't know who he was at the beginning of the play! Josh said they kept telling him, "You've got to be more mean!" He had to be cruel to one of the female characters. Afterward, he told me that he didn't like how that felt, and didn't want to ever do that again (not the acting - but the being cruel to a female part).

One evening in March we went over to our friends' work, which is a warehouse where they package nutritional supplements, and played hiding go seek. This is Joseph and Jesse hanging out with one of their best friends, Erica.This is Libby and Elysia.It was fun because Craig came to stay with us for two nights. He came to the warehouse with us, and got the nickname of "Mountain Man".

Jesse posted this on her Facebook profile.She spends every spare second with this piano.

For Spring Break, we went to Island Park to a condo. Bruce had to stay home and work, which was a bummer, but the rest of us went for five days. We had a most relaxing time, not being hurried by anything. On our way home, we went by Hebegon Lake, which was totally frozen over. The kids got these pictures:
On March 27th, Libby got baptized!She chose Joseph to perform the ordinance. She was SO excited for her baptism. She counted the weeks and days down, and absolutely loved the whole occasion. I was asked to give the prayer at the baptism, and as I sat on the stand and looked down at Joseph and Libby sitting on the front row dressed in white, it was one of the moments of pure joy in life that make all the others worth it. Grandma and Grandpa from Idaho came,as well as Grandma and Grandpa from Colorado, as well as Bruce's brothers - Gary and Stephen, and families. Thank you to everyone who attended!

Peter came in 4th on the Pinewood Derby. He had the green car below. (That is John Deere green, by the way).Mary had a Beehive activity where they carved ice cream. She has wonderful Beehive leaders.
Coming soon: Pictures of Josh's prom date!

We made it!

We made it through the long, cold winter! I don't like winter. I don't like anything about it, except that it makes you appreciate the other seasons more. I love to see January and February go! I must say though, that we've had very mild weather in Jan and Feb, and quite a bit of sun, so I haven't had the "winter blues" as much as I've had in the past. I also think that essential oils have helped a lot too.

So much has been happening. I'm so glad I have a few minutes on this Sunday to write.

Joshua sang with the MAD Boys last week at a youth missionary fireside for the Stake. They sang an arrangement of "Be Still My Soul". It was stunning, it was so beautiful. At midnight on the night before, they practiced it a few last times at our house. So I got to sit in the piano room and listen to these six boys (Josh, Jancen, Connor C, Braiden, Sterling and Connor O) sing this beautiful hymn. Listening to music live is different than hearing it on a recording, or even through a microphone. There is a different feel, a different energy. Having learned more about energy and frequency since starting with essential oils, I understand more about why it's so different. I told Josh after his friends had left, "I'm the luckiest Mom in the world!"

Tomorrow he is singing with Jancen, Connor and Sterling for a Solo and Ensemble Festival at the High School. They are singing Prayer of the Children by Kurt Bestor. They are going to rehearse tonight, so I get a personal concert again tonight!

Joseph and Jesse got their patriarchal blessings recently. What a treat that was for them and for Bruce and I. There was no doubt that each blessing was exactly tailored for each one individually. I was so grateful for the Lord's revelation to our Patriarch.

Today in Church, Libby bore her testimony. She does this every testimony meeting, and it's just wonderful. Today I followed her, and then a little later, Jesse went up and bore her testimony about prayer. She said that no matter how hard her day has been, she can kneel down and pray when she gets home, and she is able to communicate with Heavenly Father and feel His love for her. Soon after that, Joseph got up and bore his testimony. He said that he has a picture in his room of the Savior with the sheep around Him, and one His shoulder. Joseph said that he often feels like he is the lamb on the Savior's shoulders, and that he is being carried and supported by the Savior. He also thanked Jesse for her example. Soon after that, Mary got up and bore her testimony too, also thanking Jesse for her great example. Jesse next to me was shaking, she was crying so hard. I was about to loose it - you know when you're crying so hard that you're going to embarrass yourself by making a loud noise - well, that was me.

Nothing makes me happier than to hear my children bear their testimony. They could win state in soccer, they could win the finest piano competition, they could get a 36 on the ACT and have 4.0's, but it would not make me happier than to hear their genuine testimonies shared. Thank you for doing that today!

Joseph turned 16 in January! He has yet to go on a date... Maybe he could use some good ribbing from his cousins to get him to go on one!

Josh went on a date with Hailey to the Tip-Off Dance at the High School.

They gathered at our neighbors house for pictures.
Afterwards, we got a shot of the Moms, and Joseph!
After that, they blindfolded the girls and told them they were taking them out to eat. The destination was two wall tents that were set up in the front yard of some friends.


It was decorated beautifully, with a fountain, plants, and a gorgeous table setting.

Josh and Hailey had a good time, and the dinner made for a memorable night!

May is the Month!

First of all, I added some pictures to the last blog about the Father & Son's Outing, so go here to see some fun pictures of that.

Memorial Day found us working hard in the morning at home and then having a picnic lunch in the backyard with a rousing game of soccer. I found that it is scary to try to defend Joseph when he's coming at me full bore. I gained empathy for my players. Ha ha

Later in the evening, we drove out to "The Farm" to bring in the hay. It was tough, as bringing in the hay always is. Josh had to practice with The Mad Boys (his acappella group), so we had Jose Roberto come with us instead. Jose is in the Spanish Branch that we served in, and was one of our stalwart youth. We sure appreciated his help. The bale lifter broke about 3 rows into it, so Bruce, Jose and Joseph had to be the lifters instead. Jose was so tired by the end that he couldn't open up the Popsicle wrapper, and Joseph and Bruce were about the same. This is why young men that grow up on farms are good missionaries. After bringing in hay, there's nothing on a mission that is going to compare in difficulty! Ha ha

On Tuesday, Bruce & I went into town and watched The Mad Boys record a CD! It was so fun to be there to see this dream of theirs unfold. The audio technician doing the recording said that they did very technical work in a short time. At school they would practice in the mornings before class started, during lunch and then again after school sometimes. So they had put in the hours of practice to make it sound good! After the recording, they went and had a professional photographer take pictures. She also designed a CD cover, and this is the result!
Bruce was able to print them out at work on the publishing presses that he writes software for, and the boys started selling CD's last night!! If anyone wants to buy one, they are $7 and well worth the price, if a biased mother can say so!

Congratulations Josh!!

Wednesday found us back out at the farm, finishing up the hay. Josh and Joseph helped for a short time before they had to go to Mutual, and then Bruce had to do it all himself, with Peter helping out on the trailer and me driving.Thursday was Crazy Hair Day at Libby's school! Thank goodness for older sisters on days like this.Peter shows off his art creation from school.Friday dawned bright and early with Las Mañanitas sung by my parents over the phone. Thank you Mom & Dad! This woke everyone else up and I got a second round of Las Mañanitas sung by the family. And a fun phone call from my sister, Jeana!My birthday was also Peter & Libby's last day of school, so we had a swimming party with some of their friends in the afternoon. We spent a pleasant afternoon sitting around and talking. It was perfect weather. I LOVE my May birthday. Mary, Ashley, Brooklyn, Bailey and Briton enjoy the pool.
After swimming, the kids always go over and get warm on the trampoline, and then play on the playset.This is Peter's best friend from school, Rachel. They reportedly had to be separated in class because when they sat by each other in class they talked too much.

Saturday was a WORK day! We finally got a Saturday at home to get the house back into a semblance of order. It felt GOOD. In the afternoon we were out at the Farm again laying pipe, but it was short because Jesse, Mary, Peter and Libby had already done a lot of it while we were bringing in the hay. We got back just in time to greet Mary's friends for her 12th birthday party!
A report on the garden. The peas are doing well, and the green beans are starting to come up. We've been eating lettuce, green onions and spinach out of our garden.
Sunday night we had the great pleasure of going with Josh to get his Patriarchal Blessing. I have been looking forward to this for a long time, and it was indeed a wonderful experience. It seemed to address all the things Josh needs directly at this time in his life to prepare for education, a mission, and a future family. It talked extensively about his education and his being a father. If Josh lives worthily, he will be a wonderful father. He certainly has an outstanding example to follow in his own father.

It was fun to have Peter and Libby home during the day yesterday! We went out to swim in the pool and layed on the trampoline to get warm in the sun. Heavenly!!

Last night for Family Home Evening we went over to the Middle School to hear Jesse perform in three different numbers! She did a clogging routine with her competition clogging team, accompanied on the piano two friends who sang "Beautiful Disaster", and she performed her original composition, "Waiting". It was beautiful! She said later that a lot of people told her they almost cried during her song.

Check out Joseph and his soccer juggling trick!




Thank you all for your birthday wishes!! I had a great day, including a fun date with Bruce that night. Anything with Bruce makes it a great day.