In the Air

Jack was asked to give a talk on The Holy Ghost during Primary on Sunday.  We had a conversation about The Holy Ghost and His role in our lives, and between the things Ben and I wanted to help Jack understand and the things that he already knew, I put together this talk for Jack to deliver (which he did very well):

The First Article of Faith says, “We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.”

The Holy Ghost speaks to us in a still, small voice.  He helps us to know the truth, He warns us about danger, and He can give us comfort.

One day a few weeks ago I was riding my bike alone near my house.  I fell off my bike and got hurt.  I was a little scared, but I knew everything was going to be okay.  Soon, my sister came and found me.  The Holy Ghost was giving me comfort at a time when I was feeling scared.

In Doctrine and Covenants section 88 verse 3, Jesus said, “I now send upon you another Comforter, even upon you my friends, that it may abide in your hearts, even the Holy Spirit of promise.”

I know that the Holy Ghost is a blessing for us because He helps us to have comfort in our lives.

I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Tonight when we were putting the kids to bed, someone mentioned The Holy Ghost and Ben asked Jack what he knows about The Holy Ghost and Jack immediately responded that He speaks to us in a still, small voice.

Eliza then added that The Holy Ghost is in the air.  Therefore, "there's a lot of the Holy Ghost."

Yes, Eliza.  I think that's an accurate statement.

I love to see the temple, I'll go inside today.

It's such a treat to be able to take kids through new temples during the open house.  I took The Bigs to the Payson Temple open house a few weeks ago, leaving Luke taking a nap under a babysitter's supervision one afternoon.  It was a great experience, and the temple was just gorgeous.

The temple was really beautiful, and overall the kids behaved pretty well.  My favorite part came toward the end of the tour.  When we walked into a sealing room, we were the only visitors there, so I took a minute to talk to them about how special it is to be able to be sealed to your sweetheart for eternity.  One of the guides even let the kids touch the alter, which was so nice.

When we were finished, I asked the kids to tell me their favorite parts.  Eliza was smitten with the beautiful chandeliers and she kept talking about all of the rainbows.  Jack said he liked the baptismal font the best.  Cat just told me that she likes all the "rooms."

Cat and the End of the School Year

Toward the end of April, I received the following email from Cat's teacher:

Cat has been nominated as the Noble Knight this week! She is a second-time winner. She has written positive notes to everyone in the class, been partners with people who didn't have partners and just generally been such a great example. Thanks so much for sharing her with us!

So Cat was honored for the second time this year as a Noble Knight.  So excited for her.  What's funny is that after the morning meeting that Friday where Cat received her certificate, I asked her if she was surprised and she said no - she'd seen her teacher's email on my phone.  I just laughed.  Of course she saw it.  She's on my phone so much now - mostly for the metronome & ear training apps I have on it for her piano practice - that there's no way to keep a secret from her if it's in my phone.  Haha - oh well.

She was invited to share her favorite Studio C quote that day.  A fun perk.

Below Cat is showing off her second diorama of the year.  We're going to be experts soon.

Cat's class loves Studio C so much that over Spring Break, their teacher redecorated their room with a Studio C theme.  There is even a board that outlines the writing process in terms of how to write a Studio C sketch.  There is a board in the hallway that shows a quote each student wrote from Studio C.  Do you see Cat?

Cat's end of the year project in social studies was to give a report on the Feudal System.  She'd planned on turning in a written report, but shortly before the report was due (which she hadn't started writing yet) her teacher asked if she'd like to give an oral report instead.  She decided to give an oral report then and there - and based on what she told me in the car on the way home, she did a bang-up job.  Way to go. 

Toward the end of the year there was also a Reflections-type art contest, and Cat wrote a cool poem that she submitted.  She ended up winning 2nd place in the literary category for her age group and got a medal!  As you can imagine, by the time all of the winners in all of the categories and all of the age groups got on the stage, there were quite a few kids up there.  Cat's somewhere in the middle-ish area.

Through a Different Door

by Cat

The Mountains are brown,

The snow on its ground.

The sky, so blue,

With clouds to fill in too.

The world as I see it!

It’s filled with nature,

By every living creature.

The trees, the dogs, the birds!

There are so many wonderful words

That describe my awesome world,

Getting better with every unfurl

Of life climbing on its surface.

You just need to know its purpose.

You can understand it better

When it is not wetter

Than my eyes when I cry.

It’s easier to see it by

A different perspective or door

I need not tell you more.

The world as I see it!

It will never end

My long love and

Truth to try and look through that door.

Field Day was the day before school got out.  Now, the month of May was much cooler than normal and very, very rainy.  We were all wondering if Field Day would even take place because we'd had so much rain.  But the skies were clear, so Field Day Went On, even though it was a bit overcast and not hot.  I helped out with one of the games and many of the kids kind of groaned because it involved water.  Normally, this would have been a hit, but it just wan't hot enough this year.  They had a good time though and I was glad I could be a part of it.  I even had Eliza and Luke with me, and they cooperated really well, which was great.

After the Field Day festivation was over, the Family Picnic started.  I hurried to Little Caesar's from the park where the older grade levels had been gaming it up so that I could make it back to the school in time for lunch.  We enjoyed some high quality pizza while visiting with friends.  I even got to meet The Legenday Brian's parents, and would you guess that they actually don't own a cheetah?  Or any of the other pets Brian told Jack about.  Whattaya know.

Last day of school.  Let summer begin!

At the beginning of the summer, we finally received Cat's book from NaNoWriMo (because I waited for forever to order it) and Cat was so so so excited to see her story in print.  She's a published author.  Not a bad way to start the summer, eh?

Eliza's Music Class

This year my good friend Sarah, who is also Cat's piano teacher, invited Eliza to join her music class for 3 and 4-year-olds.  Luke and I ended up joining Sarah's toddler/mommy class halfway through the year, too, and we all loved our classes.

In April, Eliza's class had a Sharing Day where the parents were invited to watch the class.  It was great to see the things they've been doing and learning, and finally hear the songs in their entirety.

This is one of Eliza's favorite songs from music class.

I love that Sarah used the class to teach a lot more than music.  She taught the proper way to play a variety of percussion instruments, as well as melodies and instruments, but there's a lot more to it.  She taught impulse control, turn-taking, improvisation and creativity, dance movement and yoga, the importance of following directions, among other concepts.  It reminded me a bit of my music therapy days...