My Little Brother's Mission Call

My little brother Scott got his mission call today. My mom called us all this morning and said we should plan on getting together tonight at Scott's apartment here in Ephraim to open the call. (But first we had to go to Roy's for some pizza and fat sticks).

Anyway- he is going to the Philadelphia Pennsylvania mission and he leaves Dec. 30th. I am so proud of my little brother!

School Pictures and other happenings

First and foremost- Steve had school pictures- and here it is:

The teachers at his school get a free packet of pictures, so if any one out there is interested in an 8x10, 5x7, large or small wallet size picture- let us know! He'll even sign the back and say something like "stay cool" or "Have a cool summer!" :)

In other news- after a few weeks of battling my very rowdy primary class by myself (Steve and I were initially called as a couple to teach because a couple boys in the class require... additional supervision...) I had a breakdown. It was really hard for me, because I felt like I was weak and unable to fulfill my calling- so I didn't want to say anything about the struggles I was having. But I finally told the primary presidency that while I loved the class, I felt like it wasn't fair to them to have only one teacher in there- since most of the time is spent trying to keep one or two boys under control. Anyway- through the understanding of the primary presidency, and the fact that one of the primary pianists is now in the Elder's Quorum Presidency with Steve, I am now a primary pianist. I was relieved when I met with the bishopric member today. He seemed to know my concerns about my class though, because he made sure to tell me that I wasn't quitting on them- that the ward needed a pianist, and that it is much easier to find a primary teacher than teach someone to play the piano!

Steve is busy with Elder's Quorum. Apparently our ward has low home-teaching numbers, and I think Steve is going to make it a personal crusade to bring the numbers up. He is such a great example- always has 100% home teaching. And his companions, once we move or they switch companions, tell him that now they are 100% home teachers too. Speaking of which- I should probably get on top of visiting teaching...

Josh is getting so big! He is walking up and down stairs without help now- although if it is more than 4 or 5 he would rather hold your hand. He can open doors too (oh goody!). He says all kinds of things- his favorite words being "car" and "truck". He loves to dance to music with mommy, play with balls and cars, and wrestle on the floor. He is also very interested in how everything works and is constantly opening and closing doors, taking lids of things, and (don't know exactly where he picked up on this) putting the plunger in the toilet! What a cutie!

A Day in the Life of Josh and Tender Mercies

So, Josh starts off most days by watching the movie Cars on the computer while I get ready, make breakfast, and do some cleaning up. He LOVES that movie. He'll sit and the computer and watch the whole thing.

Then he always ends up wanting to go outside to "check the mail". This usually happens when he notices the mail key, or the basket where we keep the mail key, and he will not rest until we go to the mailboxes. On this particular day, we were going to play in the sprinkler when we got back- hence the swim diaper.

We end up spending at least 10 minutes at the mail box each time we visit- regardless of if there is mail or not. Most days we make multiple trips- and most of the visit is spent watching Josh try to fit the key into every single key hole he can reach.

One thing I will miss when the hot temperatures go away is being able to just put Josh in the front yard with the hose and watch him help water the lawn. He LOVES the water (not sprinklers though, just out of the hose, in the tub, or at the swimming pool... or out of the faucet...)

Our neighbors have a dog named Princess that loves Josh. He loves her too and will often stop by (after we have checked the mail, of course) to give her kisses and loves.

Josh is growing so fast and surprises us every day with the things he learns to do and say.

And now for the "Tender Mercies" part. I just wanted to testify about the importance of tithing. With a house payment, our budget has been pretty strict lately. But we keep paying our tithing- no questions asked. And now this month we already have gotten a free pool table/ping pong table from the family Steve home teaches.

Then a couple days ago I was washing some laundry and the washing machine just gave up. I was looking online to see if we could fix it ourselves, and I decided to check out Craigslist.com. I did, and someone in Provo was selling a 1-year-old washer and gas dryer for $65 total. They worked fine, the person just really needed to sell them ASAP.

I contacted the seller and told them we could be there by 5:oo. The seller told me someone was coming to look at the washer before then, so it might be sold. My heart sank. I just waited to hear back from the seller. Then, a couple minutes later, I got another email saying the other person had to reschedule, so we loaded up in the car, stopped in Fairview to borrow a trailer, and were on our way!

Now, I know $65 isn't a lot of money for most folks, but it is for us. We just kept trying to be positive- thinking "At least we didn't have to buy a brand new washer" and then today, in the mail, came our refund from our deposit for the phone line we had in our old apartment. It covers the cost of the washer and dryer, and the cost of gas we used picking it up. When I opened the envelope, I wanted to cry- I was so grateful. I told Josh that Jesus and Heavenly Father love us so much and that it is so important to pay tithing! We are SO blessed!
In other news- I got called to be a primary teacher (again) and Steve got put in the Elders Quorum Presidency. Steve is working hard on his master's degree, and we are all doing well!