THE PARK POST

 Last week Jackson performed with his school at the downtown Christmas parade and tree-lighting ceremony.  Their group performed dead last, so we stood through about 2 hours of other groups performing.  When he finally got up to perform he couldn't stop coughing.  It was painful to watch him try to not cough and we even tried to motion him off stage, but he was determined to stay and play his part on the   xylophone.  We took Sydney and him to Five Guys and Cherry Berry afterwards so that helped cheer up the night. On Saturday we took the kids to Annie at the Springer Opera House. Amazingly everyone liked it, although Jackson said he would deny he liked it if any of his friends asked.  After the play Mike and I dropped the kids at home with instructions to be out of sight and in bed when we came back and then we went for dessert by ourselves at 10:45 at night.  It made me feel young again to be out late and even bette...

      I am making calendars for our young women for Christmas and I have been reminded how amazing they all are.  My new favorite song is "I Am His Daughter" by Nicole Sheahan because it combines beautiful music with powerful lyrics. It really doesn't matter what age we are, we always need to remember these words:   The photos in the magazines Don't dictate who I'm supposed to be The world can't recognize, all that I am inside But I know in His eyes,  I am a part of, the bigger picture There's so much more to me He helps me see that I have so much to offer I am His daughter He loves me the way I am, He's my strength when I stand He is my King, and my Father, I am His daughter. The people on the TV screen, The leaders, rulers, and queens I watch them shape the world, And though I'm just a girl, I still know for sure, That I am a part of, the bigger picture   There's so much more to...

#1 Stress-Free Thanksgiving Meal.  Fresh Market provided the basics and we made a few favorite side dishes.  We miss our extended families on the holidays, but we have learned to be content and grateful that we have each other to celebrate with.  #2 McKell's tender side --Our neighbors, the Hansens, went away for Thanksgiving and asked McKell if she could watch their cat at our house.   I think all of the kids were in heaven for a few days with him around.  I learned that I must be getting a little soft in my old age to let a cat in my house, but actually it wasn't too bad other than the occasional jumping on my head and biting my feet at unexpected times.  I  was reminded of  McKell's softer side as I watched her take care of Toby.  Sometimes I forget about that when we are in the midst of her teenager angst.    #3 My husband--I love the way he loves me. Even though I am high maintenance sometimes he always se...

 Jackson and Sydney both decided to run in the Turkey Trot at school again this year.  They both had high expectations about coming near the top of the pack.  As they started off they were all smiles and excited to be running, but probably about half way through they remembered why they hate to run long distances and decided to walk some of the trail instead.  They admittedly get some of the distaste for long distance running from  us.  We both grew up being sprinters and our favorite distance was about 100 yds, but beyond that it was never our cup of tea.  So the question is do our kids get their attitudes about running long distances from us, or is it simply in the genes that we are not built to be marathon runners?  The important thing was they finished, even if they felt more like the tortoise instead of the hare.     Brooklyn, Braden and Brody Hills have both genes and environment working in their favo...

For Night of Excellence we borrowed the idea  "Got Values?" from my sis-in-law Christy (based off the got milk? ads) and I think it turned out great.  The girls loved their posters and we even photo-shopped rainbow milk moustaches on them to represent the colors of the values.  It was a lot of work, but I do think it was worth the effort.  The girls sang this beautiful song called "I Am His Daughter" and we had Brandon and Janice speak too. For refreshments we had milk and cookies that Khary, one of the young women, made and set out. These girls are all so amazing in their own way.  I'm so happy I get to work with them.

Jackson's team, the Chivas, ended up in 2nd place during the regular season.  Their coach really knows the game of soccer and has taught Jackson how to maneuver the ball, pass, be a team player, and how to speak a little spanish as well. ("Rapido" was a word he heard often.)  I like the fact that he doesn't scream and yell at the kids like some of the other coaches do.  Jackson scored the winning goal the day my mom and dad were in town, which made for a fun game to watch.  He was so excited! It's easy to be happy when you are winning and scoring. A few days later their team was playing in the tournament and got beat by 1 point which forced them out of the tournament.  Jackson wasn't quite as happy after that game.  We had a talk about learning to feel disappointment but not be a jerk about it.  It's not so much about winning or losing but how you play the game (and most importantly how you treat others after the game is over.)  Th...

After Sydney was baptized this past week, I've been thinking a lot about innocence and how refreshing it is, but also how fleeting it becomes as we grow up and mature.  We have to leave our innocence behind in order to understand concepts like agency, knowledge, and accountability.  And yet ultimately we are trying to  "become like a little child" again, like it says in the Book of Mormon, in the sense that we need to be humble, forgiving, patient and teachable and reject our natural inclination to sin. I was happy to see Sydney so excited for Halloween this year because the rest of the kids are kind of past that excitement.  She couldn't wait to go trick or treating with our friends' the Clays, and she couldn't have picked a better costume this year to be the poster child for innocence.  She often reminds me of how simple life can be and she always lives in the present.  Her goodbye ritual every morning goes something like, "I love you ...

Sydney was baptized last Sunday.  It was really a special event.  Everybody in the family participated.  Paige and Grandma spoke, Jackson and I said prayers,  McKell conducted the music, and Mike and Grandpa baptized and confirmed her.  Earlier that day Sydney had not been acting very well (probably somewhat due to lack of sleepor the devil :)) and when she went to try her on the white dress Katie had bought for her in Utah, it didn't fit.  Luckily Paige let her borrow the dress she used on her baptism day and Sydney's attitude improved as the day wore on.  I think it helped when she got new scriptures and a journal from us, and this scripture case/purse from Grandma O. She loves having her own set.  She told us that now everyone in the family is baptized she feels older and more a part of the group.

We were so lucky to have a BYU game in Atlanta this year.  We timed it with my parents coming to visit and Sydney's baptism.  It was a beautiful day and an awesome stadium in the heart of Atlanta, not to mention that we killed Georgia Tech. When we first walked into the stadium we had a few comments about "BYU Losers."  But after the game it was pretty silent walking past their fans.  My parents have just finished a 3 year assignment in a temple presidency where they have basically had a full time job.  They came here to celebrate and RELAX!  It's so fun to have them here.  We told them if they really wanted to relax they should head to Florida on their own, so they left for a few days.  Luckily the hurricane has passed by and it's warming up again.