MY BIRTHDAY

Happy birthday to me! I decided to conduct my own birthday interview. Here it goes...Q: How old are you?
A: Today I am celebrating my last birthday in my 30's. Yes, I'm 39 years old today and darn proud of it!
Q: How do you feel about getting older?
A: I love it! It sure beats the alternative option. Seriously, I am thrilled to add another number, and feel very blessed to have been given the gift of 39 years in this life.
Q: What did you do?
A: We attended the baby blessing of my adorable neice Kylie, then went to my brother Bryan's house afterwards for lunch and visiting. Later we came home for cake and presents.
Q: What was your favorite gift?
A: Kent gave me a package of 90 pink and purple tulip bulbs along with a bulb planter tool. I love planting bulbs in the fall! These will be gorgeous.
Q: Who made your birthday cake?
A: My two beautiful daughters baked and decorated a red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting. Yummmm!
Q: Did you blow out all your candles?
A: Yes, but actually I cheated. We only had twelve candles in the house, so Stefanie arranged them in the shape of a 3 and a 9.
Q: Did you make a wish?
A: Of course, but I never reveal my wish until after it comes true.
Q: What is your most memorable birthday?
A: In 2001 we went to Disneyland, I ate my birthday dinner at "Goofy's Kitchen" with all the Disney characters.
Q: What is the best thing about having a birthday?
A: Well, hopefully I'm another year closer to finally growing up!

MUSIC TEACHER

I have such a fun job, here is just a sampling of who I get to hang out with, and what I get to do each day...Aren't they cute! I love them all! This is my third year of being an elementary school music specialist, and I'm pretty sure this job was custom made for me. I earned my El. Ed. degree from BYU when I was expecting my first baby, but at that time I had no interest in pursuing a teaching career, I wanted and needed to be home with my baby. So I became a stay-at-home mom and put my teaching aspirations on the shelf. A few years later my teaching certificate expired, I didn't care. At that point I had three little ones, and other than a few piano students, my teaching career was the last thing on my mind. I was completely contented and fulfilled being at home. But twelve years passed, and suddenly all my babies were in school full time. Stefanie started 1st grade, and that's when I began thinking again about teaching. I took a load of classes to get my teaching certificate updated, and then I prayed that Heavenly Father would lead me to something that would be challenging and rewarding for me, but wouldn't take time away from my family. And that is when this opportunity pretty much fell into my lap. I'm so grateful.
Top ten reasons why I love my job...
10) I love kids! They are open and sincere and have such a sweetness about them.
9) They love me! Every day from the moment I arrive at school I get multitudes of hugs and compliments.
8) I've got my own adorable classroom that I've decorated with every musical thing you can imagine.
7) I get to create my own lesson plans based around state curriculum. What freedom!
6) I enjoy the challenge of coming up with ideas that (hopefully) my students will respond to.
5) I like associating with other professional educators. I truly admire these dedicated classroom teachers.
4) I teach eight 30-minute classes each day, and every three weeks I get a new group of students.
3) I'm developing and strengthening skills of teaching, technology, organization, preparation, public speaking, patience, cooperation, leadership, responsibility, classroom management, etc....
2) I have lots of stories to tell each day about all the funny things my students do and say.
1) My own children hardly know they have a working mom...I leave for work after they leave for school, and get home when they do. Plus, I have holidays and summers off. It couldn't work out better and has been an incredible blessing for me and my family.

SOCCER GIRL

Stefanie is my little soccer star! This is her third season, she loves it and is really very good! This was her second game of the season, she was so excited when she kicked in a goal!

With about 2 minutes left in the game, she took a a hard elbow to her nose and came running to the sideline with blood pouring down her face. I'd come to the game totally unprepared for that, I didn't even have a tissue in my purse! So several fellow soccer moms came to our rescue with diapers, burp cloths and baby wipes and helped us get her cleaned up.

Notice the blood stains down her shirt. Through this whole ordeal, she didn't cry or complain. Stefanie is one tough little soccer chick!

RUN RACHEL RUN!

Look at the concentration and determination on her face! Rachel has joined the Lehi High School cross country team and is doing great. This was yesterday at Murray city park, LHS was one of 33 high schools at this meet. Rachel usually runs somewhere in the middle of the pack, yesterday she ran her best time of 27:58.

After watching her dad coach cross country at his high school (CHHS) for the past four years, she's been counting down the years until she could be a runner herself. We're so proud of her.

Good job Rachel!

GRAPEVINES

Four summers ago Kent and I decided to buy an arbor for our back yard and put in a couple of concord grapevine plants to grow up and over it. We found a lovely ornate cast-iron arbor, 7 feet tall.

That first summer we weren't sure if either of the grapevines would make it, and we didn't see even one grape. The next summer was about the same.

Then last summer it did a little better, grew to to the top of the arbor and gave us a few grapes.

And now look at it! It is so bushy, we've had to trim it regularly so we could walk under it. We've got so many bunches of grapes, I guess I'll have to buy a juicer and learn how to bottle grape juice.

The grapes are sweet and juicy, and we all love picking a few every time we pass by.

I guess we shouldn't have bought such a fancy arbor, you can barely see any of it!

PUMPKIN PATCH

Check out the size of these pumpkins! Our pumpkin patch has really taken off in the last few weeks, in fact it has pretty much taken over the garden. There are five pumpkins growing--one for each of us.

We'll have fun carving jack-o-lanterns in a few weeks!