Football Camp

 Jacob was so excited to go to football camp this week.  I'm thrilled that he chose to stay at his current school so I wouldn't have to deal with his transportation needs. He has grown a lot lately and according to Daniel (who wishes he could catch up to him in height, he "looks like a man"

Voices From the Dust

As I was growing up I loved how my dad would post inspirational quotes on the basement door and all around his office.  He is an example to me who is always striving to improve, to overcome weaknesses and seek daily inspiration.  When I was young, he shared with me stories and experiences of many of our ancestors who overcame incredible hardship, blessed others through their generosity and expressed their faithful convictions even in the most dire of circumstances.

For Father's Day I decided to compile the words of some of our ancestors into a quotebook for him using these images I designed on picmonkey.  It was so inspiring to read through letters, histories and talks they had given to pick out these words of wisdom and encouragement that speak to my heart.

by Amanda Melvina Higbee (McEwan)

 

x

House of Happiness

This weekend while my generous husband allowed me to have a "mom vacation" I found inspiration in the words of my great grandmother regarding the sometimes seemingly elusive "house of happiness" I strive to create. While he took most of the family on vacation, I have been able to stay home (my favorite place) and recharge by doing some of my favorite things... family history, temple work, piano playing and turning clutter and chaos into a home of order. It has also been a pleasure to spend some fun one on one time with Emily redeeming all of her free restaurant coupons that she got for being nominated "Student of the Year."  And I ate way too many of the scrumptious cookies that she made:)

Today I stumbled upon

Chugging Worms is more important than Washing Dishes

Today I feel so grateful to have been blessed with close friends who inspire me to be a better person, to focus on the important things and who lift me in the hard times even when they live miles away.

Yesterday after church I was so grateful to stumble upon my good friend Angela's blog post with a video that seemed to uncannily resemble the condition of my house after a busy weekend of football, shopping, prom, work projects, church commitments.  I was joking with my kids that it looked like someone came and took a picture of our kitchen (same layout, cabinets and colors!!) couch and bedrooms. I love these lyrics from Hilary Weeks song "Who You Are"

"I know you wonder
If you'll ever have a day
Where the kids stay calm, the laundry's done
And the dishes are put away

And sometimes you feel like
Your days are spent and gone
And the question running through your mind
Is what have I gotten done
And when you finally have a moment to slow down
At the end of your day I know Father would say

Believe in what you're doing
Believe in who you are
And hold tight to the truth that you're a daughter of God
Believe in who you're becoming, believe in who you are"

I think the last time I remember feeling "on top of things" (as Angela mentioned) happened back when I was a teenager and was only responsible for myself. And I only have 6 kids... not 10!

At times when the undone housework weighs me down, I just need to remind myself that when I'm eighty I'll remember the family memories we've made a lot more than the messes they created.  And I will get to greet a lot of angels in heaven because of my family history addiction :).

Becca  & Josh heading to ice block and
mountain bike for their prom "day date.

 We had  great time celebrating Cinco de Mayo with the Keller's and Campbells as we ate delicious Mexican food, had gummy worm chugging, pepper eating contests, roasted smores and smashed a pinata.

 They younger kids decided to have an impromptu "dance party" on the neighbors back patio and made "Don't be Shy, Just Dance" signs.

 Jacob and I went shopping.  He's such an easy kid to shop with because, he's so patient when I try things on and is so excited and grateful when I buy him anything. Then we headed to watch Daniel's football game.

 Alyssa was so excited to celebrate the warm weather jumping on the tramp with sprinklers with her friends.

Joshua's First Recital & Temple Trip

Joshua performed on his tone bells for his first music recital.  I enrolled him in Let's Play Music and have enjoyed going to classes with him and teaching him playfully, but he hasn't always shared that love.  He'd much rather just stay at home and do this all day then have to work hard at learning new songs on his xylophone.

 It took him a lot of work to memorize the song as he is the youngest kid in his class.  I love hearing him sing "Goodbye Old Paint" with his western drawl and seeing him make new discoveries like when he spotted some beetles  ("eighth notes") in the hymn book.
The other night after sitting on my lap and giving me a hug and a kiss on the cheek he asked me "Mom, Am I your sweetest boy?"  He definitely is a sweet little boy to have around and with him going to kindergarten next year I want to make the most of these moments I have home with him.  After his kindergarten screening, he said "Can we stay here longer so I can do more school things?"  He's ready to move on to the next step!
This week he was so excited to inside the temple for the very first time.  As I sang "I Love to See the Temple" to him one night (the song he always requests) he said, "Mom, do you know why I like the temple song best?  Because I am so excited to go to temple someday when I am older."  So he was elated when I told him that he would get to go to the Idaho Falls Open House in just a few days.  I was sad to have to stay behind because Alyssa had strep throat, but one of our friends captured this picture of him reaching toward the Christus statue in the visitor's center.

What Really Matters?

This morning when I heard the knock on my bedroom door at 6:20 a.m. I wanted to ignore it.  I wasn't ready to get up and dive into how to divide negative exponents to help Jacob who needed help preparing for yet another math test, learning concepts that 99% of the population will actually never need to use in real life. But I pushed through the fatigue and helped him.  After an hour I had relearned all of the concepts for his test, but could see that it was still not sticking for him. As he left feeling a bit discouraged, I reassured him that it would be okay.  The driver's ed concepts that he had gotten up at 5 to review were going to matter much more and be more applicable to his life than this algebra ever would.

After the rush of  everyone getting out the door I contemplated, a principle from a talk I recently listened to by Elder Quentin Cook.  In The Gospel and the Good Life, he contrasted resume virtues vs. eulogy virtues.

"The résumé virtues are the skills you bring to the marketplace. The eulogy virtues are the ones that are talked about at your funeral."  He contrasted two friend's funerals he attended who he named, "Rich" and "Faithful" I loved his description of "Faithful." "Though he faced trials, including the death of a son in World War II, he achieved satisfaction and joy throughout his life because of the purpose and meaning provided by his family and the gospel of Jesus Christ."  It made me think of my "faithful" dad and my son.

Traditional school tests and retaining a multiple of math formulas does not come easy to Jacob.  So his "resume" may not have the highest GPA and his math skills are probably not going to make him a rich millionaire.  But I love his persistent determination to keep trying, his optimism and faith and his unique ability to face stress and pressure with a positive attitude. These past few weeks have been incredibly busy for him.  Attending physical therapy has cut into his homework time.  The week his online driver's ed course began.  The site had technical difficulties the first 2 days and he also has his Eagle Scout Blood Drive which he spent almost 3 hours each night calling to find recruits and coordinating with the Red Cross.  As a result he fell behind in Driver's Ed and his teacher recommended he drop it and take the summer course.  But instead he has pushed through staying up late and getting up early to do double the workload for this week to catch up in an already fast-paced course.

So although my fears of having to pay for another course have abated, that's not what really matters.  What really matters is not whether or not he passes math or driver's ed.  What really matters is the eulogy virtues that he is forging through facing difficulty.  When I sat at the check-in table at his blood drive and listened to him confidently calling donors to remind them of appointments and "training" other scouts on what he needed to them to do, my mind did a flashback to his kindergarten years and I had one of those parenting paybacks as I saw how my sweet shy tow-headed little guy has grown into a competent young man who now inspires me to face life with more faith.

First Day of Kindergarten

"In the worst of circumstances, when everything else crumbles, family and the gospel of Jesus Christ are the essentials."

It's Okay Not To Be Perfect!

I glanced down while blogging and spotted this message doodled on Rebecca's study notebook.   It's the same message my mission president had for me 20 years ago. During my first visit with him he handed me the talk "On Being Worthy -Perfection is a Process" by Marvin J. Ashton.

"Somehow we need to bridge the gap between continually striving to improve and yet not feeling defeated when our actions aren’t perfect all the time."

I think I was born with that "continually striving" element.  I'm an idealist.  I love making lists and setting goals for improvement.  But the "not feeling defeated" part just keeps creeping back over and over to haunt me. I want to be better at keeping that positive outlook with my own challenges and sometimes its a struggle.  I recently changed church callings and it has not been easy for me.  Instead of being a family history consultant which I completely love, feel passionate about and feel very competent in my abilities, I am now the first counselor in the Primary Presidency which is more of a challenge for me, even though I've served in this capacity twice before.  As I prepared my first Sharing Time Lesson I felt at peace reflecting on the simple gospel messages that the Savior taught. This simple verse concluding the Sermon on the Mount really stood out to me.
"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."
I was impressed by the simple thought that if I continually seek God and keep striving to emulate his virtues I will be happier,  I will feel more peace and I will accomplish the purpose that I was sent to earth to learn.  I want to be better at setting aside the worldly cares and stresses that at times consume and stress me and focus more consistently on this. The simple saying "Choose the Right" is vital to happiness.  Choose kindness over criticism.  Choose scriptures over facebook. Choose gratitude over ungrateful comparison. I gathered pictures and stories to relate these messages to the children on their level.  I tried to embrace this new calling and think of how it may help me be closer to my children and more engaged in teaching them gospel truths.
Hunger and thirst after righteousness
Let your light so shine
Love Your Enemies
Pray to Heavenly Father
But when I got up to teach these messages to a large group of younger children my mind felt frazzled by distractions, I couldn't find my picture props, I forgot the time I should end, left out my stories and finished my message early.  As I sat down my emotions were swirling and my self-critical voice was shouting loudly in my mind.  Inside I wished I were back in my easier comfort zone leading a gospel discussion with reverent adults or teaching someone one on one how to find their ancestors.  But personal growth doesn't come easily with ease, and I think the Lord wants me to stretch so I can grow.
I love how this concept of facing the "frontiers" in our life was expressed in this BYU-I devotional given by Clark Gilbert.
"The second characteristic required to preserve the pioneer's heart is a faith and optimism for the unknown that comes on the frontier.  Again, President Henry B. Eyring has taught that "[t]he purpose of the gospel of Jesus Christ is to change you so that you're not trying to resist change."[4]  Change can be frightening, but facing such fear with faith and optimism is what the Lord expects of His pioneers.  In fact, Elder Kim B. Clark has taught that "[i]f you want to know the Savior, go to the frontier because that is where you will see Him in action.  It is at the frontier where He does His work."
 Each of you will have opportunities to go to your own spiritual frontiers.  Remember, the Lord's pioneers go to the frontier.  They are not satisfied to stay where they are or to stay who they are.  The Lord's pioneers change, they repent, and they go to the hard places the Lord needs them to go."