Pre-K, here we come...

So after all the positive feedback I got about Pre-K, I decided to sign Nathan up... for half-day. I think it's going to be great. He can go have fun for 2.5 hours at school and get ready for the full day kindergarten, and we still get to have him around in the afternoons. And I think it would be easier to push a single jogging stroller as opposed to the double... see, now I'm seeing all kinds of advantages. Thanks for helping me see the light... I still can't believe I'll be sending my baby off to school.

just some thoughts

I guess this is turning into my Sunday insights. I've actually been thinking about this more than today, but when I heard a talk today at church it just got me thinking even more. In the scriptures it talks about putting on the shield of faith to quench the "fiery darts of the wicked." In this talk today, the speaker pointed out that they are fiery darts. Why do they have to be "fiery?" She went on to answer this question. Fiery darts, as opposed to those not fiery, do more long-lasting damage. They don't just pierce you- they burn and damage. These fiery darts are what Satan is throwing at us. She went on to give an excellent talk about how to protect ourselves and our homes against these fiery darts of the adversary.
So I was thinking about what kinds of darts I was allowing to get past my shield of faith. I'm solid on chastity and good at not letting bad things come in through the TV or entertainment. But I think how Satan gets after me is through pride. I don't know about you, but one thing I'm constantly struggling with is my desire for worldly things- "stuff." I find myself wanting more, wishing I had this or that, comparing myself with others. And sometimes I lose focus of what's really important to me. How do we get out of this mindset of always wanting and trying to acquire more stuff?
Alex and I have really been struggling with this. We have chosen a career that makes significantly less money than he could be making. At any time, he could drop what he's doing now and take a job where his salary would be doubled. Our health insurance would be paid for, we'd have some flexibility financially, we could buy a new car, some nice things, etc. So why don't we do that? What's holding us back? I'm not sure, but we do feel like we're where we should be right now, the right place at the right time. We try to think about what's best for Nathan and Jared. But I can't help thinking that we could have more money, more stuff, that life could be more comfortable. I have to keep reminding myself that money doesn't make you happy. I'm trying now to pray that I will be content and grateful for the things we have.

geology banquet

We got to have a night out (sort-of). We went to a geology banquet. I was excited to get dressed up, to actually curl my hair (I should have taken a picture of the back), and sit down at a nice dinner that I didn't have to cook, without the kids. But I couldn't resist talking about our kids. I met another stay-at-home mom, with 2 little boys. It was refreshing to meet another mom who didn't want a job outside the home. There's nothing wrong with wanting or having a career, but it just seems like it's the "road less traveled" nowadays. I think I'm just lucky that I can stay at home.

Soccer!

Soccer season started this week! We had our first practice on Wednesday and our first game on Saturday. It was a hoot! I'm coaching Nathan's 3-4 year old team. There's 1o boys and 1 girl on our team, the "Dragonflies." The DragonFly Day Spa is the sponsor of our team, so we stuck with their name.

I thought I could handle 6 games. Now I'm wondering what I got myself into...

Really though, it's fun and I enjoy trying to teach them soccer and trying to get them to love it as much as I do. It's crazy trying to get them to line up, to get in position, to just listen in general. I figured out that you have to change drills every few minutes or they lose interest. It works pretty well to have them try to get the ball from me while I'm dribbling.

Nathan did score a goal in the first game...for the other team. But hey, we don't keep score in pee-wee soccer and he did make it in the goal. He was so excited; he couldn't stop talking about it. He was excited when anyone scored a goal. It didn't matter if it was our team or theirs. If someone made a goal, he cheered.


It was a little chilly at 9:00am, so they had their jackets and long pants on. Nathan has some little shinguards on underneath his pants. I'll have to take more pics later. This is Nathan and his best friend Garett. Garett wasn't going to play soccer this season, but when I decided I was coaching and Nathan was playing, he decided to play. I hope we make it worth it for Garett. I'm glad he's on my team, because his mom is my assistant coach. I need lots of help out there...

Pre-K dilemna

So we're struggling with whether or not to put Nathan in Pre-K in the fall...
What is this "Pre-K" anyway? Do we really need it? Kindergarten is the class to get ready for school. Now we need a class to get ready for kindergarten? I actually think it would be good for Nathan and is good for a lot of kids, but I don't know if I'm ready to give him up yet. Am I selfish to want to keep him home for another year? To want to be the main influence on him? I also love the relationship that Nathan and Jared are developing, and I would love to see them play together one more year.
But, I may be pulling my hair out by the time the fall comes around. I know alot of parents want to send the kids to school for the free daycare, and I understand that. But I don't know...
Anyone else having this dilemna or been through this??

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter!

The easter bunny came while we were at church. I guess he decided that since we had church at 9:00am, it would be best to wait until we got home... chocolate first thing in the morning and all over the nice church clothes... probably not.

I think next year the easter bunny might even come on Saturday. We usually don't let the boys play outside on Sunday and it's been a little tough since Nathan got a t-ball set to play with. We're trying to wait until tomorrow to play with it. They enjoyed the little egg hunt and chocolate though (Jared especially)... chocolate for lunch - yum!

This week I was trying to tell the boys the Easter story. Try teaching the concept of the atonement and resurrection to a 4 year old. I loved it though. It's neat to see a child's perspective and they are so teachable. We talked about how he prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, was taken and beaten, nailed to a cross, died, and then placed in a tomb. It was hard to explain why they did that. Nathan kept asking questions as we were looking at some pictures. He asked what was on his head - a crown of thorns.

"Why?"
"Because they were trying to hurt him."
"Why?"
"They didn't like what he was teaching."

Of course, he wanted to know why after everything I said. But my favorite part was telling him that he lived again or "came back to life." I could tell he was a little sad when we were talking about Jesus dying (even though he doesn't understand that concept yet). Right after I told him that he "came back to life" he got a big smile on his face, put his fist up in the air and shouted, "Yes!" (like "score!"). It was great. I was reminded of what a wonderful thing the resurrection is and thought that's how we should feel (even though we may not express it in the same way). I'm thankful for the atonement and resurrection of Jesus Christ, because that means that we will be able to be resurrected and have the opportunity to live with God again. "Yes!" That's something to be excited about.

One other thing that happened a little while back- we were watching a CES fireside and a video came on of President Hinckley speaking. We had talked to Nathan a few weeks before that about how President Hinckley had died, because he was sick (and old). When Nathan saw this video, he knew who he was and asked, "Is Hinckley better now?"

He doesn't understand death yet, but at least we knew he was listening.

March Madness

This is when I miss having TV the most...I think I'll still fill out a bracket. Anyone want to invite me over to watch TV??