Skills . . .

Brooke's new do.

You know, as Mom's we have opportunities to develop all kinds of skills. This week, I am most proud of my hair cutting skills!

I've been cutting Austin's hair for a long time and it's actually not so bad anymore. (the process or the results) I cut Cameron's hair a few weeks ago, but it's just baby hair and there wasn't much to it. Although, the squirming baby did add an extra dose of trickiness! The boys look cute though and I guess that was enough to give me the confidence to tackle girl hair.

Brooke was starting to look pretty scraggly lately, and we'd both decided it was time for a cut, but I decided I could probably manage it. After all, I get my hair cut often enough, it looks pretty straightforward. I asked myself, "How hard can it be?"

Well, it's a little harder than it looks to get a nice cut on a wiggly little girl! OK, it's A LOT harder than it looks! A little bit of know-how and some experience would have come in pretty handy actually. In the end, it's a little shorter than was originally intended, because I couldn't seem to cut a straight line. (something to do with the tilting head, perhaps?)

It turned out really cute though! She is very happy with it, and honestly, so am I! (It's no small feat for me to be completely happy with something I did, since I tend to be overly critical of almost everything.)

Anyway, the moral of the story is, I'm so glad I'm a Mom and have the chance to develop all kinds of new talents by experimenting on my kids! It's great having skills. :-)

Cheyenne Mt. Zoo

All the years I lived in Coloraado and all the years that we've been visiting my family there, we've never been to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in CO Springs. We've heard that it was wonderful and decided to check it out this past August when we were there. We loved it! It was the nicest zoo we've been to, we all had a great time. The bears were fun to watch, because they were playing in the water and wrestling with each other in front of the window. The wild chipmunks eating out of the kids hands were fun, and the birds that came and sat on our shoulders were cool. We even got to pet a baby wallaby from TX, named Odessa. But, far and away, the giraffes were the highlight of the visit.

The kids had a great time feeding the giraffes and admiring them so closely. It was neat to pet them and admire their babies. The giraffe's were worth the whole day, but ended up just being the icing on the cake. It was a fun day at the zoo!

Colorado trip

After the group thinned and most of the other visitors went home after our family reunion, John and I stayed in Colorado and visited with my Mom for a few more days. We all had a very nice time and the kids especially enjoyed Grandma's company. In Pueblo, they have a great little kiddie park that's open in the summer. We loved the carousel and Cameron did too! He thought it was so s amazing. It was cute.
Every time the kids went by, Cameron would squeal in excitement and follow them around with his eyes. The other kids did encourage it a little too, I'll admit that.
We had lots of fun there.

Brooke had a great day collecting green beans with Grandma, from her garden.
They got quite a stash of greens!
This was the kids roller coaster that Austin and Brooke rode on.

They thought it was great. . . . raised hands and all!
Austin was so proud of the fact that he was TOO TALL to ride so many the rides at the park. Proof that he's growing up!!

Grandma

My Grandma Jan fell today and broke her hip. :-( She's in the hospital and will have surgery tomorrow to try to make some repairs and begin the healing process. She won't be able to walk for a while, and will probably move in at my Mom's house to be taken care of while she gets better. It is sad to watch as hard things happen to people we love. I am so glad she was able to get to the hospital quickly and that she is resting comfortably. We'll be thinking of and praying for her quick recovery.

Austin's Baptism

I can't believe it has already come and gone . . .

my baby is 8 and now he's been baptized.

I couldn't be more proud of Austin.

He told us after his baptism that he had prayed that he would feel the spirit and that "IT HAD WORKED!" (He said . . . excitedly.)

We knew that Austin was really intent on listening and soaking in the moments. He was taking his decision to be baptized very seriously. When Uncle Greg got up and talked to Austin, Austin's eyes actually filled with tears and he put his head down. I could tell he was touched. He told John a few minutes later that they were happy tears and that he was feeling the spirit. He experienced the same thing several more times in the next few minutes. There's nothing I could want more for my son on his baptism day than that.

In all my efforts to make this day special for him, it really just came down to him feeling the spirit and having that desire to do what he knows is right.

What more could I ask for?

I tried to prepare things for Austin's baptism day. We planned a nice program and Austin learned a baptism song on the piano.

We had lots of friends and family come to support him and we had some delicious refreshments. I put together a cute slide show of his life and we even ended up having some pretty flowers . . .

(despite a late start and a bit of a frazzled, frustrated me.)

These things were all nice, but the real preparations for Austin's baptism day have been happening for years. They have been happening at home as we talk to and teach our children. They have happened at church as he attends primary and hears the lessons and songs. They have happened as we've prayed and we read our scriptures as a family. And most importantly, they happened when Austin prayed that he would feel the spirit.

Austin's baptism went beautifully. It went beautifully because he was ready and happy to be there. He understood the importance of what he was doing and was spiritually prepared. If no one else was in attendance, if we didn't have a slide show or refreshments or a single flower on the table, Austin's baptism would have gone just as beautifully. It was beautiful because of the ordinance that it is, the spirit that attended and the path that he is choosing for his life.

I am blessed with a wonderful son and I am so proud of him!