Grow They Must

I love it when my children have cute little sayings based on what they hear us say and it always makes me sad when they start to say things correctly.

On my refrigerator we have a Family Home Evening chart and last week Emily wanted to change the names assigned to various responsibilities. She took the chart down and stared at it for a long time. It's because she's always called it Hamily Oh NeeNeen. Now that she is beginning to read, she could tell that something was wrong. She turned to me and asked, "Where is the neeneen?" I hated to help her sound out the words and see the light come on in her eyes. She will never say it incorrectly again.

I'm not going to correct everything she says -
She calls sunscreen - "sun scream" - isn't that perfect
Hair conditioner is "air conditioner"
Recently she called pocket change - diamonds, quarters and pickles - I'm still laughing over that one

Book Review: Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This was a tender book, a fictionalized story of the Japanese internment camps. This part of our American history is troubling and yet I think understandable today given our experiences with terrorism. It's something I think about as I consider how "race" is treated and discussed in our society. I've also enjoyed the books, When the Emperor was Divine, The Bracelet and the Journey to Topaz series. I wonder why so much of our history is never taught in school. I think we would understand ourselves and our country better is we were brought up more aware of all of our history.



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Book Review: Never Let Me Go

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Haunting. While I found this a compelling story for many reasons, I almost put it down for good at one point. There is a small section of the book that turns questionable and the story loses it momentum. I was afraid the book would turn to dwelling on inappropriate and trivial relationships and the intrigue and mystery would be lost. A girlfriend recommended finishing it and luckily the story returned to its' opening obscurity which made me want to find out the ending.



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In Search of a Giants Girlfriend

So, not one of my brothers called this week to congratulate us on "our Giants" winning the World Series.......hmmmmm, sore losers? Rockies fans? football fans? watching Project Runway?

I honestly couldn't bring myself to blog about the Giants, I was truly afraid I would jinx them. I'm not supersticious, just a little sticious. But we are now so excited to be fans of the GIANTS. It was really fun to cheer them on as a family. Our whole room erupted with yelling and jumping (even on the couch) when they got the final out and WON!

So, the next day I wore my National League Champions t-shirt all day and I did not get one comment from a woman. A couple of guys who were wearing jerseys, said "Go Giants!" and that's it. I was totally disappointed. Then Matt went to lunch with his brothers, etc. to celebrate and that sounded like so much fun. That's why I've decided I need a Giants girlfriend. I mean how awkward would it be for me to go to lunch with a bunch of guys right?

But, I have to be totally up front. I have become somewhat of a baseball snob. I don't want to go to lunch after winning the World Series and discuss the color of nail polish on my toes or heaven forbid my children. Therefore, I will tell you a few things I know about baseball and if you know these things too, then you can be my friend.

I know

• what a walk-off double is
• why Renteria should open his stance (at least that's what Jon Miller says, but don't do it, I like the way Renteria hits)
• what the following are: 4-seam fastball, 2-seam fastball, sinker, slider, curve ball, splitter, knuckle ball and change-up.
• what a 6-4-3 double play is and that it's the most common double play
• who is known as Smiles
• who is the Freak
• whose beard to fear
• Buster's real name (I'm still naming my next dog Buster)
• who hit 4 doubles in the playoffs
• that you don't swing on a 3-0
• why stealing home is such a great play and that the runner has to carefully decide whether to risk letting the hitter know he is going to try to steal or risk getting hit with the bat
• that you can steal first base on a 3rd strike
• the game has returned to a pitchers game after the steroid era
• who on the Giants team played together in college
  

Pretty cool, huh. That's what you get for 27 months of pregnancy, 3 labor and deliveries and one marriage. So, I don't know if there are any women out there as lucky and as smart as me, but I'll be waiting for your call. Meet me on the diamond?

I Almost Made It

Just over a year ago, after reading The Book Whisperer, I set a goal to read 40 books within one year. I made it to 37 and feel very proud because my year included having five children at 5 different schools and a wedding. However, I have been putting off this blog post because I feel obligated to write a book review on the last few books I read but haven't yet written about. Nevermind the book review - there are plenty of professional ones out there. I usually feel rushed anyway and write far less than what I actually feel or think about a book. Here are my very short summaries on the last four books that I read.

My Antonia by Willa Cather - I love, love this author and so enjoyed this book. I actually had read it over twenty years ago when mom gave it to me in college and I don't remember enjoying it then as much as I did this time. I do think that having some "life experiences" can help you appreciate so much more the message of an author and can help you relate to or feel compassion for the characters in the story. I felt as if Antonia were my own friend, I'm sure the word "My" in the title is put there just for that reason; not only does Antonia belong to Jim but also to every reader. This book definitely gives you a nostalgic feeling for childhood - not for your own but for the one that Jim and Antonia lived. I also loved the ending. I know why Jim stayed away from Antonia for so many years, it is the same for all of us, when we remember friends from our childhood we remember them the way we want to and when we sometimes renew a friendship years later it is never the same and somehow the tender childhood feelings are lost. So, I loved that Jim finally did return to his hometown to visit her and that things didn't change so much. And best of all, even with all that was hard in life, Antonia found happiness.

To a God Unknown by John Steinbeck
Steinbeck is one of my most favorite authors. This book haunted me and left me with such a feeling that I couldn't pick up anything else to read for a few days. It seems obvious that it is one of his early books, especially if you've read any of his later work. It is rough around the edges and heavy on the emotions.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
OK, this one is interesting to anyone who has ever taken a biology class or worked in a lab. An incredible amount of time and research went into this book. But it took a LONG time to tell the story.

Dance Hall of the Dead by Tony Hillerman
I always try to tell myself this stuff isn't real but stories about spirits and underworlds and kachina's who signal your death always creep me out.



So what did I learn about trying to read 40 books in a year?

Well, first I learned that it's a choice. If you want to do it, you can find ways to fit reading into your day. I remember mom telling me the following experience. A number of years ago, she fell and injured her knee. After surgery she went to physical therapy and became friends with the therapist Dave Rakita. Dave was into marathon running and during their sessions she learned about his running regimen and races and he learned about how much mom likes to read. She said that years later after physical therapy was finished she happened to run into him in the grocery store and she asked him about his running and then made a comment about how much she would like to run. He then learned looked at her and said, "Karen, I haven't read a book in years."
So basically we all have choices and yes choosing to do something usually means you have to give up doing something else. I remember after I read the book The Book Whisperer, I thought about how the teacher had her students reading everywhere they went and during every spare minute of the day. And I thought, if I were a PE teacher I would want them to be doing something physical or if I were a school counselor I would want them to be socially interacting. My only point is, that reading is great but there are lots of other wonderful things to do as well.

I learned that if I do this again, I'll count pages instead of books. I had a couple of books I wanted to read this year and I avoided them completely because they were so long and would take up so much time and would keep me from reaching my goal of 40 books. I'd rather read what I want and not worry about how many books I check off the list. I think reading 10,000 to 12,000 pages would be the same as 40 books.

I also learned how easy it is to forget what you have read. It seems like I can only remember some of the details on most of the books I've read through the years. Perhaps if I took the time to write a good book review, it would help me remember each book. But so many books are only mediocre and I don't want to spend a lot of time with them. CS Lewis said, "The sure mark of an unliterary man is that he considers"I've read it already" to be a conclusive argument against reading a work...Those who read great works, on the other hand , will read the same work ten, twenty or thirty times during the course of their life". I think I agree with that and so I have my own list of "must read again books".

It is very satisfying to get lost in a book. Unfortunately the emotions usually stay with me. Matt has often asked me why I am mad at him, or why I am so happy or so down. He has figured it out - it has nothing to do with him, it's all about the book I'm reading. I have heard people say that they don't read because once they start, they can't put the book down. I found that when I read consistently everyday, I can put most books down just because I know it won't be too long before I find out what happens.

Finally, I love carrying a book with me. I spend a lot of time waiting for kids, watching games, and standing in lines and it's great to have a book to read everywhere I go.

Book Review: Honor Lost

Honor Lost : Love and Death in Modern Day Jordan by Norma Khouri

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


This book is not a pleasant read, having to do with honor killings of women if they do anything to disgrace a family. The story takes place in Jordan and claims to be true but I have no basis for accepting it as fact. However, whether the actual story is true or not, honor killings are one the most deplorable acts allowed in the world today. I was most disappointed that this occurred in Jordan, a country I imagine as more progressive and democratic than all the other middle eastern countries.

The book is short, under 200 pages and an quick read.

It is not as well written as Stolen Lives by Malika Oufkir
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I'm Going to Scream

I've had it!!! All together my kids have brought home 10 fundraisers. Yes 10!! And while the Federal Government suggests raising our taxes, our State Government continues to cut education funding. HELP!!

Here is the list:

1. Discount cards for local businesses - $10 each and must sell 10 for the sports teams at the high school. Scott and Doug.
2. English Dart Bingo Tickets - $5 each and must sell $20 for the band to travel for competition. Scott and Doug.
3. Chicken Dinner Tickets - $8 each and must sell 10 for the band to travel. Scott and Doug.
4. Raffle Tickets - $2 each and must sell 20 for the soccer team - I don't know what for.... Thomas and Emily.
5. School fundraiser - all those catalogs where you can purchase lovely candles, gorgeous jewelry and delicious chocolates or gift wrap. Thomas and Emily.

Seriously?

I made the high school boys go out and sell to everyone they know. I bought the soccer tickets - how many more friends can I bug or rebug, right? I said "no" to the school fundraiser and Emily's been in tears every day over it this week. Kindergartners believe it's up to them to build the next playground. UGH!

And did you hear Alan Greenspan today? He now thinks it's a good idea to raise taxes. I'm glad the dems are losing the Primaries around the country. (Not that I think any Repbulican is brilliant right now).

OK , calm down, just venting......

My First Little Dress for Africa

I love reading the Bible. I love the story in Exodus chapters 35 and 36. During this time the children of Israel were building and furnishing the tabernacle. The Lord commands Moses to take from the people "whosoever is of a willing heart let him bring it" and "every wise hearted among you shall come and make all that the Lord hath commanded".

"And they came, every one whose heart stirred him up, and every one whom his spirit made willing"

And all the people brought their jewels, linens, skins, silver, brass, gold and wood for the Lord's offering.

"And all the women that were wise hearted did spin with their hands"

The people brought in abundance and made so much that they soon had more than enough.

"And Moses gave commandment, and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp, saying, Let neither man nor woman make any more work for the offering of the sanctuary. So the people were restrained from bringing. For the stuff they had was sufficient for all the work to make it, and too much."

I'd like to be a wise hearted woman with a spirit made willing. I know what it feels like, to have that burning desire to help others. I choose to keep that desire even though I am surrounded by wise hearted women who give so much and sometimes feel that what small things I can contribute are not needed. I know I want to be in the group that does too much rather than in the group that does nothing.

I've been looking for a small service project that I can do and that fits my personal desires and interests. I won't be traveling to any third world contries in the near future so that's out of the question. Of course there are plenty of service opportunites in my own back yard and I would love to be involved in a literacy project in my community but that takes me out of the home away from my family. I find it hard to commit to activites that take me away from home simply because I follow the schedules of my children and husband which sometimes requires a lot of flexibility. Unfortunately that makes me less reliable to outside commitments. So my project had to:
1 . include my children, especially Emily

2. fit into my schedule, which means it can be done any day and any hour

3. include a sewing machine (I guess I want to spin like the women in Exodus)

4. be simple, but have the potential to make a difference

This summer my mom introduced me to a project called Little Dresses for Africa and I think it may be the perfect fit.

"Little Dresses for Africa is a non-profit, Christian based organization which provides relief to the children of Africa. Simple dresses are made out of pillow cases and distributed through the orphanages in Central Africa to plant in the hearts of little girls that they are worthy".

"Knowing the history of the girls in Africa, and the difficult road that lay ahead, a small group of ladies returning from a short term mission trip to Malawi began to sew these simple dresses. It continues to grow as groups spring up across America. Dresses and donations have been received from all 50 states and over 65,000 dresses have been distributed in 14 countries of Africa".

As you can see the number of dresses being sent is tremendous. I don't know how many I will be able to make but I'm going to do with the hope that even one dress helps.

With Emily as my model and personal assistant we made our first dress. It's quite simple and took only a few minutes. Emily sat on my lap at the sewing machine and then pulled the thread as we sewed on a cute button. As I explained to her what I was doing she had lots of questions like, "Where does this girl live?", "When we will give her the dress?", What is her name?". It was a pretty cute conversation to have with her. I read of one woman who sent in 500 dresses and also some dolls. It reminded me of some dolls that I made with Karin when she was young. The body is an old-fashioned clothes pin, and fabric scraps and embroidery floss combine to make clothing and hair. We drew on little faces with permanent marker and the dolls were all the colors of the rainbow. I think that one doll would fit perfectly in a small pocket on the dress. I'll add a pocket to the next dress.

Somehow I hope my little dresses and dolls will make a difference for a girl and that the project will make a difference in me and my children.

The slogan on the web site of this project reads: "We're not just sending dresses, we're sending HOPE."

That message reminds me of a story I read and have never,ever forgotten in the November 2006 New Era. I can never read the story of Mariama Kallon and the meaning of a humanitarian kit in her life without crying.

http://lds.org/churchmagazines/NE_2006_1100_Nov_Complete_26951_eng.pdf

Book Review: Mockingjay

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


So, I actually loved reading this series of books but I have to stick with my 3 star rating simply because while the story was a page turner, the writing was not outstanding. I know that if I were to go back and read the books again, I probably would not enjoy them as much. But it's great to have a book to read purely for enjoyment one time through.

Now, enjoy may not be the right word. The premise of the book is pretty horrific. It certainly makes the reader think about what they would do if put in the same circumstances. Unfortunately, those circumstances have occurred in modern civilization - think Roman Coliseum, and you are right in the arena of this book. I do think the author is making some statements about our current society but the plot overshadows the few ideas made.

These books weren't as emotionally disturbing as Lord of the Flies. In that classic book the desire to kill comes from within the children. In this story survival by death is thrust upon the children and I think every reader cheers for the good of human nature to survive. Ultimately, after much death, carnage and intrigue it does survive which makes for a good ending.

Did I like the ending for Katniss? No, call me after you read the book and I'll tell you why.........
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The Rock

This summer Thomas and I read two books by Gennifer Choldenko, Al Capone Does My Shirts and Al Capone Shines My Shoes. (Thanks for the suggestion Peggy). Great little books, we both enjoyed them a lot. In the past I have paid more attention to the stories of the famous prisoners of Alcatraz than I have to the guards, wardens and their families who also lived on the island. These books peaked my interest in the civilian community on the island and their day to day lives there. It had been 20 years since Matt & I visited Alcatraz and so it was fun to take the kids and go for a day.

It does seem weird to put on sweatshirts in August, but the City almost always has fog in the summer. It actually feels good to cool off.

I believe Doug has the TransAmerica building in the palm his hand.

Inside Building 64 where the families of employees lived in apartments. I cannot imagine how cold and wet it must have been.

Al Capone lived here.

I wonder if humiliation meant anything to these criminals. No privacy - ever. Well, except in solitary confinement.

In the bookstore, visiting with a former guard of Alcatraz.

The recreation yard.

The warden's home, destroyed by fire in the 70's.

We also celebrated our anniversary - 24 years.

10,000 Hours

Recently, I was visiting with a girlfriend about the book Outliers which we both read this year. I appreciated some insight she shared with me.

A brief synopsis:
One of the things the book discusses is whether there is such a thing as innate talent or is success determined by work. One of the studies considered was conducted at Berlin's Academy of Music. Students were divided into three groups.
I - students with the potential to become world-class soloists
II - students that were good
III - students who were unlikely to ever play professionally and who intended to be teachers in the public school system

Students from all three groups began playing at about the same age - 5years old. In the first few years they practiced about the same amount - 2 to 3 hours per week. But differences began to appear around the age of 8. Students who would end up in the top group (I) began to practice more than the others - about 6 hours a week, by age 12 - 8 hours, by age 14 - 16 hours. By the age of 20 they were practicing 30 or more hours per week. In fact, by the age of 20 the top group had logged in over 10,000 hours of practicing, group II had 8,000 hours and group III had just 4,000 hours.

Outliers gives others examples of this 10,000 hours of work for other success stories from the Beatles to Bill Joy and Bill Gates.

Then my girlfriend reflected on a time when her daughter was in the symphony band and they had attended a workshop that involved playing for a series of judges and then one of the judges working with the band to improve their playing. The woman sat in on the workshop and the judge said to the students that they had played every note correctly and had played every rhythm correctly. He then asked the students what the difference was between them and a professional orchestra. He then said, "It's the quality of the tone." My girlfriend realizes now that it translated to the 10,000 hours. These high school students had not put in 10,000 and thus they did not have the "quality of tone" that professional musicians have.

Here's the idea that has stayed with me:
She then talked about our most recent Stake Conference where a visiting General Authority, Elder Pearson, spoke. She questioned, "What was it about his talk that touched us?" He did not teach us anything new. Every messgae he gave we had heard before and yet we were very touched by him. She concluded that is was the "quality of his tone." Or in other words he had spent 10,000 hours with the Spirit.

I have continued to ponder her thoughts since our discussion. It has made me think almost daily about what I am doing that either allows the Spirit to be in my life or keeps it away. I love the thought of Sister M. Catherine Thomas who describes how easily we will give up the opportunity to live in Zion by, "trying to impose one's will on others, or by criticism, anger, irritability, selfishness, failure to forgive, failure to revere another's agency, retaliation, moodiness, fear, worry, or simply forgetting to have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ." (Spiritual Lightening, pg 79) These are the things that allow me to either live with or without the Spirit. I've thought about what daily habits I want in both tangible things I do and the attitude I want to have. It requires that I let many of the things I "want" to do - go, because I don't have time to do everything. That's hard.

I've thought about Elder Eyring's talk in the most recent General Conference concerning doing our duty with all diligence. I cannot imagine how hard this man works, and two of his comments struck me - first he said, "When I find myself drawn away from my priesthood duties by other interests and when my body begs for rest, I give to myself this rallying cry: 'Remember Him'." His second comment was, " Whenever we remember Him, it becomes easier to resist temptation to want a rest from our priesthod labors." I wonder how at his age and with all he must do, how does he keep doing his labors? And, how can I change my heart to be like his? How do I "remember" correctly? It seems like remembering Christ is easy, but the work of doing our duty is what makes us tired. How do I reconcile those? I think that it must require the Spirit. I know that I've never worked as hard as an apostle, but I do know what it feels like to be both physically and emotionally exhausted and yet my heart has such a desire to continue to serve and do my duty. But there have also been times when I have felt almost rebellious. I've wanted to go on vacation to get away from duties and remain on vacation even when I physically return home.

I guess I hope that searching for the answers to my questions will help my heart change and make it soft and more receptive to the Spirt. I think I want 10,000 hours with the Spirit.

First Day of School and Goodbye to Summer

I can't believe how quickly this summer has passed. I think the kids were ready and excited to return to school; but I enjoy being with them so much, that I really miss them today. My home is much too quiet. Yesterday, we measured everyone as we do at the beginning of each school year. Emily has grown 3 inches since last August. She is wearing a new backpack and didn't even want me to walk her to the door. I have felt sad the last couple of weeks, knowing that my little companion would go off to school without me. It's a stage of motherhood I don't get to repeat and that makes me cry. I stood in line Saturday evening at a wedding reception and visited with a lady in front of me. Even though I don't know this lady well, when I told her my youngest was beginning school, she immediately knew how I was feeling and the tears welled up in my eyes as she verbalized the tenderness in my heart. I was grateful to know I'm not the only woman who enjoys being a mother and being with her children. I look for the promise of eternal increase in the future.

Thomas grew 3 inches as well since last August. We mark all of these measurements on a wall in our garage. I had to laugh when I saw that my sister had added her height and name to the wall when she was here in June for Karin's wedding. Every time Kelly is with me or in my home or in my car, she leave little traces of herself. I love these little surprises. My favorite thing is when my kids say, "You sound just like Aunt Kelly". Kelly did not grow at all last year.

Doug grew 4 inches in a year and started high school this morning. Scott grew 1/2 inch and wished he had grown more. If only he would eat his vegetables. I know my heart is also tender because Scott will not be here next year. I will miss talking to him. We have a lot fun discussing books, history, music and philosophy. The boys were very helpful in preparing me for the RUSH concert (I'm not a follower of RUSH), they made play lists and printed lyrics for me. They are good boys.

For our end-of-summer party, the kids had friends over and we did a BBQ and built a campfire and roasted marshmallows. Here is Thomas and his friend watching for falling starts (Perseid shower). They are too funny.

I love this view from the back patio, across the fountain to the yard.
What can I say? Except that at 2 am I rolled up in a blanket in the backyard to watch the Perseid shower and couldn't go to sleep until the teenagers were home from tping somewhere. It was much later than 2 am when they finally returned.

Emily with cousin Davis.

This summer I have loved watching the boys and their friends play ping pong on the patio outside my kitchen window. This is Matt's good friend, Tristan and some of his family. We love them.

I loved sleeping in the tent.

Tom loved Cub Scout Day Camp.

Almost everyday I think about Ben & Karin's wedding. It was such a perfect event. I'm just so glad that everything was so peaceful and happy. We love the Myer's family and think the world of Ben. It is so fun to read their weekly blog. So Much Joy.

I was so glad my parents could come to the Temple to be with us. It was a long journey for them, but we will always remember it. My father and father-in-law always have so much to talk about. I loved watching them. I was grateful to receive a father's blessing while we had some time together.

The end of the story:

At the end of the 1st day of school I picked up Emily. She seemed perfectly fine until she spotted me among the other parents - then she burst into sobs and cried and cried her little heart out. She gave me a big hug and said, "I love you". It made me cry but it also made my day.

Book Review: Travels with Charley

Travels with Charley: In Search of America by John Steinbeck

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Definitely a lighter book than his most famous ones, yet many of the same themes revisited.

Interesting to see so many of his predictions come true about how America was changing in 1960 and what it would do to us as a people both collectively and indiviually.

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Book Review: Dandelion Wine

Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


First of all, I can't believe that it took me so long to get around to reading this book. A young girlfriend recommended it to me years ago and I resisted because I'm not a science fiction reader. I remembered reading Bradbury in junior high and I didn't like it then and I almost never read it now. This, however, is not a science fiction book but a delightful semi-autobiographical novel of Bradbury's own childhood. I loved this book and think it is the perfect summer read. In fact, I think it should only be read in the summer. I love the themes of being alive, happiness, magic, and change. I love the idea of bottling dandelion wine and then in the winter opening a bottle and reliving a summer day.

This book made me laugh and cry and gave me a good scare.


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What I'm Really Dreading About School

Yes, of course I'll be crying next Monday when all my little children march out the door to school. But today, what I'm really not looking forward to, is making school lunches. I am so tired of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and I don't even have to eat them.

Any good ideas out there?

Here are my two dilemmas:

For Thomas and Emily - I don't want to fill their lunches with fishy crackers and fruit snacks - I need some new ideas for truly nutritional foods - something beyond carrots and apple slices.

For Scott and Doug - some ideas for things that don't need to be refrigerated. They will not carry a lunch box, only a paper bag. They leave the house at 6:00 am and lunch is at 12:30. It makes me nervous to put lunch meat in their sandwiches. They will not carry an icepack. Yes, I can freeze their drinks - but does anyone have any new ideas?

Help!

Best FHE Ever

At least that is what Scott said.
Napping on the way to the concert.
My boys happy and excited to see RUSH.
Lousy picture but it proves we were there.

Getting Ready for School

With only one week until the beginning of school, all necessary appointments took place this week.

• Doctor check-up



• Dental exam and cleaning



• Backpack shopping



• Shoes, socks and underwear reviewed and replaced

And of course haircuts. Emily LOVES to go to the salon for a haircut, something she's only done a couple of times in her life. So before we went we talked about how short to cut her hair and she was so excited. We took this picture before going so we could compare how cute her new haircut would look afterwards. Then I took her and Tom to the shop. Later in the day Scott and Doug went for their haircuts, which usually means you can't even tell that they got a haircut. So imagine my surprise when they walked in the house. This is the shortest that Scott's hair has been since 6th grade. I can actually see his eyes AND eyebrows. I wish I had taken a "before" picture of them.

My Daily Life

I feel pressure to have something new, different or exciting to post on my blog. However, my life is really a circle of seasons and I find our family repeating the same activites each year. It's a great daily life though and I love the things we do - especially spending time together. I think the activities are different for me because the kids are growing and changing each year. In July, we were back at Girls Camp.

We began the week with Matt featured on a talk radio show as an expert in Endodontics, which has nothing to do with Girls Camp. Doesn't he look like a relaxed expert?

We went on a new 3-mile hike at Harmony Headlands State Park. It is very dry this time of year but still beautiful. I can't wait to hike it in the spring when everything is green and the flowers are blooming. We pulled up and saw this No Parking sign. Emily saw it differently, she said, "Nobody with the letter 'P' in their name can go on this hike."

It is fun to race your big brother and win. It's also nice that he gives you a ride after you win.

I'm not a great photographer, but I just loved these limpets clustered together on the rock. Below them, is pictured an owl limpet, larger and more colorful than I've seen.

Thomas found this six-legged sea star, called a Brooding Star. Yes, they usually come with five legs. This one is also different because it protects its' young on it's underside for a couple of months before leaving them. Most sea stars broadcast thousands of young into the ocean without providing any protection. So it was exciting for us to see both a large (momma) and small(baby) star on the same rock.

I love watching the waves come in and crash on the rocks.

On the return trip, we turned a corner in time to see a dozen rabbits hopping back and forth across the road and feeding in the bushes. Click on the picture and look on the left side of the road to see 3 bunnies resting. Emily was very excited by this and no wonder, she keeps Beatrix Potters' Peter Rabbit on her nightstand.

Prior to teaching his marine biology class, Matt does a lot of prep work at home and then spends several hours for a few days ahead of time collecting kelp, invertebrates, crabs and whatever else he can find. This year the low tide was at 6:00am, so here he is in the early morning hours looking for creatures. (This is my own Doc Ricketts).

This is my favorite picture of the trip. There is only one child of mine who will get up on his own this early to join his dad in a hunting expedition. He is following in his footsteps, and this has so many meanings to me. I am so grateful to have married a wonderful man who is a wonderful father.

This is a chiton I had never seen before. The ones I always see are gray or black. This one gets its' color from the algae it feeds on in the tide pools.

There was a minus tide this year which makes for especially good tide pooling. We were able to get far out on the rocks where lots of interesting things can be found.

Matt taught over 100 girls, leaders and Priesthood support this year. I think it's rewarding to him that he can be the first to share his love of the ocean and God's creations with some girls that have never been to the ocean. It's also satisfying to see that the girls really do learn and retain many of the things he has taught them over the years. Girls that have been to camp several times, remember how tides, the moon and gravity work. They also remember interesting facts about his collections and seem to continue to enjoy searching the tide pools.

It makes me smile to see that Emily placed herself among the Young Women.

It also makes me smile to see that on the morning when the girls were coming to the beach, Scott was also happy to get up early and help out. See him in the background with his baseball cap on?

This a picture of our wonderful Stake Young Women's President, Erin, on the left and her able assistant, Lisa.