School Year ending

After returning home from our trip it didn't take long for Athena to start saying she wants to go on a road trip again! During most of the trip the kids were ready to come home. But road trips are so much fun because we go swimming/stay in hotels, eat "out" and eat junk food.
Plus, the kids love visiting Grandmas and Grandpas and family.

The children were so excited to get home to receive their Easter baskets from the Easter bunny.
Athena's:

 Ty's:

 Luke:

Girl's night out

Athena, Onita (Jen's daughter) and Julia (Laura's daughter)

 Laura

 My girls!

Jen, me and Laura

 Sterling let me drag him to a stake dance once again. It was beautiful! 

Hiking:

 On the trip the kids received these amazingly fun pets. They have zipper mouths to store stuff in, a zipper in their back, magnets in their feet and leashes/collars.

 It snowed again.

 While I was at a baptism Madison (neighbor) came over and Ster helped them build a snowman.

We all went back to our busy lives. I ended up teaching Bears in cubs both weeks because Sterling was at work and the other bear leader could not make it. I taught them about marbles and how to play. And how to make obstacle courses, mazes and race tracks.
As primary president cub scouts was the one thing I wished I didn't have to take part in but I ended up having to be there and participate and lead almost every Wednesday evening. I hoped Sterling would be able to help me out in that but it did not work out that way...nor did he wish it to.

The cubs also had their earth cleanup in April. We went to the park downtown and cleaned up under the bridges and near the river. After that service Ster and I took our children to eat dinner at Miller's Family Restaurant. Ty had a free meal from being a good student at the elementary school.

As the Preschool year drew closer to an end I became excited for the summer break. I love teaching preschool but it will be nice to have a open schedule to do family activities all summer.
The down side to having the summer off...I won't have that extra income. I will have to tighten my financial belt once again.


Last Sunday I was released from being primary president. The Bishop had invited me to his office the week prior to discuss my being moved. He wanted to run it by me and see how I felt about the new calling he would be giving me. He didn't have a name for the new calling. And technically I have not been called yet. But I am preparing now.

I am very excited to be released because it frees up my schedule for the summer.
Sterling hates when I am "too busy." So I try not to get "too busy" but sometimes it happens.

My entire school year was very busy. I did A LOT as a primary president. More than I should have had to do. And I learned some things that I think will help me. I learned that family is more important than meetings. There were times when the Bishopric asked us to do meetings before church every single Sunday. And Ster was left to get the kids ready by himself each week. Luckily Bishop realized too that family is more important and he cut those meetings down.

I learned that when you are doing a full time calling you cannot do a much ministering on top of that. The ministering started being pushed through the Bishopric last year and I couldn't handle it. They wanted me to check up on 5 families every single month and report! I was allowed to pass that assignment on to someone else in my presidency. But I still felt it was too much.

I now fully understand that having a job, family, life, and maybe a church calling  means the new ministering program will be doable at times and not so much at other times. The same as visiting teaching and home teaching were.
The main difference between the old program and the new is that the priority is now being emphasized and focused on. It use to not be. The concept was real and existed but not everyone visited that way. Not everyone tried to love, serve and reach out to all they were able (especially those on our list).

Even though my school year was very busy I continued inviting families to dinners at my house and Family Nights at my house. There is a convert family and an investigating woman who live near me that love coming for spiritual edification and social interaction.
It was very hard to make time for that though. NOW, I have time.

I am very excited to go to Relief Society again! I went from a year in nursery to a year in primary.
My two best friends (Jen Christensen and Laura Elliott) have been in Relief Society without me. Now, I can attend with them! Although, Laura spends most of that hour in the mother's room feeding her baby. And Jenn avoids Relief Society because she is so social and is bored in RS. So she walks the halls socializing. My goal is to get her to enjoy RS and attend with me! (Fingers crossed)


Another way I have changed during my presidency time is that I use to avoid going to baptisms because they bore me. Now I plan on attending the baptisms of our primary children even though I no longer have to. I love being there to support them. It was enjoyable to me to attend and present them with a special gift each time.

I bought a couple new halloween costumes. Sterling practiced his photography.

For Halloween I will be dressed more modestly (and warm). It's usually very cold here on Halloween! 

We went to a playground one afternoon as a family. I took these photos. Then Sterling and I went on a walk together around the park, around and around. Luke was pushing Athena on the swing and being a great big brother. But she fell off and was bleeding all over the place. She had a huge top lip and was cut on the inside of her mouth and the outside of her face. 

Here she is a couple days later. The swelling has gone down and she doesn't look too bad any more.

 (Air and Space Museum)

 My last bulletin board at the end of my reign as Primary President. 

 Tamara Lora came back to Rapid at the end of her pregnancy. Her and Christian are having their first child. I went to the girl's night/baby shower on base.