Week in Review...

It was a series of mishaps this week with Ashlyns car key breaking off in the ignition to me running over a curb in Ricks new car. Ugh! Life is like that sometimes and we just have to roll with it. Rick was able to get the key out and we were able to have a mobile locksmith give us a set of 2 new keys for cheaper than we thought. The damage I did to Ricks car is too expensive to fix right away, so that will have to wait a bit. 

Ashlyn had her first winter guard performance this week and they got 2nd place! Way to go!!

Rusty got a groom and he looks like a poodle. So cute!

He's a cute puppy!

Some memories from past sugar cookie making....

 I spent all day at Zaharis on Saturday for a literacy conference. I was dreading having to spend the day at work when I could be with my family, but I left feeling renewed and refreshed and excited about my job. The commeraderie that we have as a staff is so amazing, and I feel so support and loved by everyone who works there. Ashlyn gave the lesson in young womens about resisting temptations and she did great. She also went to the dr yesterday and they gave her a med to take when she feels a headache coming on, they're hoping that it helps but if it doesn't then we will get her into the neurologist. They also took her blood to check for any abnormalities, we await those results....

Week in review...

 Valentine's Day was crazy! Lot's going on but Rick got me some beautiful flowers. So blessed!

Rick was fixing something in the backyard and the kids wanted to go up on the porch roof with him, which scared me so of course they loved it....

Taking pictures of our torn up back yard, but at least my flowers are thriving with all of the rain that we've gotten...rusty loves the trampoline...

Abby got this cute straw from her Special ed teacher, so cute! Abby forgot her valentines at home, so I gave her the chocolates that I was going to give to my students. She's lucky I'm so nice!

Abby did an arizona passion project on Valentines Day, because it just happens to be Arizona's birthday too! She presented on the ringtail cat, she was soooo nervous but she did great! Here she is after school, happy to be done!

Full of nerves to be presenting to parents, but she did great!

We decorated sugar cookies at the weidmans again, abby loaded hers up...

The kids Christmas gift finally came in! It's a bracelet and if you look at it really closely there's a family picture inside! Pretty cool!

We are trying to figure out why Ashlyn has such bad headaches everyday, we are trying different things and different oils and meds. Haven't figured it out yet, it's hard to get to the drs but i'm hoping we can get her in soon. She hardly goes a day without a headache and she's in so much pain. Hoping we can figure it out. 

Week in Review...

I bought this adorable apple bowl at an antique store down the street. I love going to the antique store, they have the coolest things!

Abby left me this note on my board one morning, it says I love you as my mom Miss Johnson and a rollerblades friend. I hope you mom have good day. To Mom.

So cute!

Abby had a superbowl party on Wednesday in her class, she had so much fun! We also had her IEP meeting this week, she has made so much progress this year! She's reading on grade level now, which is huge! Last year she was reading at a 1st grade level. She's finally interested in reading books with me at home and she's starting to advocate for herself in the classroom. Amazing progress!

Abby made this board game from some recycled materials we had at home, so creative!

Emily Schwantes designed these for me! They're so cute! I gave one to each of the kids for their walls!

Rick got an award at work, it's so pretty! He's loved having the challenge of creating an inside sales team for Eco Shield and look how much money they made in their first year!

Ashlyn created this mushroom cookie jar, she's excited to paint it when it's done baking. She's making some fun things in ceramics!

She also made this cute dinosaur! I love it!

Here she is with her dinosaur!

It was a good week, no one was seriously sick this week! Phew! Rick gave a talk in church today and he did a great job! He wasn't left with much time, but he took what time he had and made it impactful. Ironically he talked about how we can do all things through Him. That theme just keeps coming up huh. He talked about how when he went on his mission and he was in the MTC, crazy bad things kept happening. About 8 weeks into his MTC experience he got a call from his family (back then a phone call meant bad news) his dad's dental office had burned down. Then he got a call about 2 weeks later that his brother had been hit head on by a semi-truck and they weren't sure he would make it. He said that it wasn't until several weeks later that he finally heard through a letter that his brother had made it, but he was now filled with titanium plates and screws. He said that he questioned why all of these bad things were happening when he was out serving the lord, where were all of the blessings? He said that bad things happen to good people all of the time, because no one can control everything (people have their free agency) their office neighbor chose to light a candle that burned down the office, the semi-truck driver chose to drive through a stop sign, etc. but it's these challenges and trials that help us to grow stronger and relying on Christ is the only way that we can make it through. He said that he relied on Christ throughout his mission and he could feel his strength and support the whole time. He did a great job!
 

Week in Review...

 

Jacob made home made pizza last night, he did a great job!

Ashlyn loves going to Target with her friend Sara, they're too cute!

Rusty

Ashlyn loves doing digital art when she's babysitting...

Abby got to go on a hike yesterday with friends, they mined for really cool rocks. She had fun and came home exhausted!

Today Ricks parents gave us a virtual tour of the Kirtland historic sites, they were wonderful tour guides. It's an awesome tour, anyone can sign up. This was the last stop showing a little model of the Kirtland Temple...

In front of the tavern...

Inside the sawmill which is actually a working sawmill..this sawmill was built for the church solely to help build the temple...

Inside the Ashery, which was where all of the money that was profited was given to the church to build the temple. 

Inside the back of the N.K. Whitney store where Joseph Smith and Emma lived for 14 months...this was the winter kitchen...

This was upstairs where they slept...

There was an attic where the Whitney family slept...

Visitors Center...it was so cool to learn all of the things that happened in Kirtland, it was a sacred place for the saints at the beginning of the restoration.

Abby was so tired after her hike, she took a shower and went straight to bed...

Jacob got to do service with JROTC to get ready for the Mesa marathon..

The Historic Kirtland Mission President left this last week, so they'll be getting a new mission president...

It's been a crazy week! Monday I woke up feeling super achy, went to work and just wanted to go home all day long. I was feeling miserable. I got home and went straight to the bath, but I couldn't warm up. I put the water on the highest temperature and couldn't warm up. I crawled to bed and piled 10 blankets on top of me and couldn't warm up. Rick said I needed to go to the dr but I didn't feel good enough to get out of bed. I couldn't sleep all night, because I kept waking up sweating but I was still cold and I couldn't swallow. I called in sick and went to the dr and they thought it was the flu but I asked to be tested for strep. Flu came back negative but I was positive for strep, started meds and finally turned the corner on Wednesday afternoon. I went back to work on Thursday. Rick had an exciting week at work where he was presenting to hundreds of people at a convention, he said it was fun. The kids were locked down at the high school on Thursday right before dismissal. A boy came to school with a gun and the resource officer saw him, chased him to the park and arrested him. Ashlyn was really shook up about that because they had to move their bookshelf in front of the door. Then they were finally released and I gave them huge hugs! Then I took Abby to the dentist and she had zero cavities! yay! Friday the kids went into lockdown again because some kid stole 4 golf carts, leading the police on a wild goose chase and then punched a cop. Hopefully next week is very mild and quiet at school! Ashlyn and Rick bore their testimonies in church today. Ashlyn bore her testimony on the atonement, and it was so sweet. I was so proud of her because I know how scared she is to do these things.