I never imagined Reading would become such a big part of my life! I haven't written on my blog for over a year. The last post was about me starting a job as the Star Tutor coordinator at our local elementary school. And wow, has my life chained. I am constantly looking at books for my students, reading books to learn more reading techniques, and in my spare time...reading just for fun! My life is blessed on a daily basis to share time with these wonderful children. Their smiles make each day a meaningful adventure. It is great to see the "light bulb turn on" when a child finally understands how reading works and wants to read everything in sight. And it is heart breaking to watch a child struggle time after time. That is when my brain has to kick in gear to figure out how to help this child. I have wonderful volunteers and helpers that also work with the kids and share their love of reading. I could never do it without all of them! I am amazed how much my life has been blessed by this wonderful job, and the great place that I get to work!

STAR

There are no photos for this post, because I have been spending most of my time indoors at my new job. I am officially the STAR Reading Tutor at Morgan elementary. I will be working with kids who need a little extra help with their reading skills. So far I love it! But I am adjusting to being indoors with no windows. There was a big rainstorm the other day, and I guess I missed all the excitement. :) 

I must say, that I feel very blessed to have this job. The people I work with are wonderful, the kids brighten my day, and it doesn't interfere with my family. What more could I ask for?

Life is good!

Mission Call

On July 27 Logan received his Mission call. Steve and Branson were at Scout Camp, and wanted to be there when he opened it. The original plan was to wait until Friday, when they came home, to open it. But Logan was too impatient So we took a drive up to camp to open it there.

Drum roll please.........

Logan will be going to the Dallas, Texas Mission!!! He will enter the MTC on November 2, 2011.

We are all so excited! He will be a great missionary!

There is so much to get ready. We have already been watching the weather reports, and know that they have had really high temperatures this summer. It will be a big change for him. His mission president is Devin G. Durrant. He used to be an NBA basketball player.

Logan is a little disappointed that they won't let him wear cowboy boots and his big foam cowboy hat!

Ha ha!

Elder Petty

                                                    

Parade fun with Popcorn

Yes...I have multiple personalities!! Actually, I just enjoy dressing up as Popcorn the Clown on occassion.

I am the one in the purple and pink outfit. I started to clown about 20 years ago.

I picked up some balloons and a pump, and haven't stopped twisting since.

It is one of my many strange hobbies that I love.

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to play in the Days of 47 Children's Parade. What fun to share that time with my clown friends. I even met Ronald McDonald! (He is in the back of the group.)

I love making people smile! We played with kids, both young and old, all along the parade route and back. I stopped to pose for a lot of pictures. (I wonder how many facebook pages I made it onto?)

I was so much fun! I can't wait for the Bountiful Handcart parade next week!

Freedoms

Red, white and blue! Could anything be better? I love waking up on the 4th of July, and seeing the flag waving that the local boy scouts have put up! Then of course there is the cannon being fired, the military honors in the parade, and the fireworks bursting in the evening.

This year the whole family participated in the 5k run. Steve and Logan both received medals for their age groups. And the rest of us were happy to finish well and not embarrass ourselves.

 As usual, the Kaysville parade was enjoyed by all. The crowds seemed larger, and at times we couldn't see the parade because of all the people. But there is always excitement and a sense of pride, as the flag proudly leads out the procession. I get a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes as the military veterans wave and shake hands with the spectators. How blessed I feel to be a part of such a great country, and a part of a great community.

That evening, our family had the privilege of going to the Oakley Rodeo. The new rodeo grounds are just a hop, skip and a jump away from the land my Grandpa used to own. Their little house and barn are still there, but there are a bunch of new homes built around it. The scene is much different than I see in my mind. But once again I am so grateful for the wonderful heritage that I have. My Grandparents helped give me a strong foundation for my life, that I don't ever want to let go of. 

How blessed I am to be Free! I'm proud to be an American! 

Take Time

It seems to have become a tradition, that each Summer, my sister and I take our kids to the zoo. It is something we look forward to each year. Yesterday was our grand adventure.

We started out early, and were lucky enough to have a few clouds to keep out the out the heat of the sun. Everyone helped out by taking turns being a buddy to a little one. One of the favorite sights were the elephants. There were 2 adults and 1 new baby. They seemed happy to perform tricks to get apples and dried bread. One liked to spray water, and the baby did a head stand in the water! What show-offs!

We also enjoyed the bird show, the giraffes, the monkeys, and the tigers.

There was a new attraction with animated dinosaurs. The little kids didn't like them very much, and stayed as far away as possible. The dinosaurs made loud roaring noises, and some even sprayed water. Branson was the only one willing to get close for me to take a picture.

 Lessons learned:

As our day came to an end, we made a final pass through the gift shop. As we were paying for our purchases, a thunderstorm began. At first we decided to wait for it to blow over before going to our cars. But then we decided to make a dash for it. We each grabbed a little one to run to the cars. I had Kyle's hand as we headed for the parking lot. When we reached the curb we spotted a puddle. I told him to jump. Being the 5 year old that he is...he jumped right in the puddle! I laughed out loud! Okay, so I didn't specifically tell him to jump OVER the puddle, so the bad instructions were my fault. Which made me laugh more. I wanted to jump in with him, but knew we needed to hurry on.

So here is my lesson learned: You probably think the lesson would be about giving better instructions, but it's not. Watching Kyle jump in the puddle, reminded me of all the times my kids would see a big rainstorm hit. Their eyes would widen as they squealed with excitement. Then all three of them would run outside and dance and jump in the rain puddles. I love to watch them as they giggle over their silliness, and I try to take memorable pictures. But I realized that I have never danced in the rain with them. I watched the fun, but I didn't join in.

So as I ponder the events of this zoo adventure, I never want to forget the moral to this story: Always take time to jump in the puddles! And even better...Share it with someone you love!

Simple Times

Tonight was a perfect evening out for Family Home Evening. We enjoyed some time together at Farmington pond. While Steve and Branson did a little fishing, Logan and I took a walk down the Lagoon trail. It was a beautiful night to soak in some fresh air, and share some togetherness. The only thing that would have made it better, would have been to have Erica with us. Maybe next time. These simple times really help me appreciate the beauties the God has created for us.

My Sweetie! So glad he's mine!