NICU Survival Bags

 Spring did another round of NICU Survival Bags for Moms.  This time she was able to make almost 30 bags!  She asked people from the ward to donate, if they wanted, items for the bags and the response was absolutely overwhelming!  She learned that when a lot of people give a little the outcome is so much better than trying to do it all on our own!  What an amazing lesson to learn!

 She had a couple friends, Kyra and Sharvi, help her sew the burp rags that would be donated.  It was a fun night of them laughing and goofing off, intermixed with some work! :)

 When we delivered the kits this time to the NICU she was able to walk around the floor of the NICU and personally deliver them to the moms that were at the bedside of their baby.  Then she left the rest with the nurses to deliver as needed.  She really enjoyed being able to see the surprised, grateful smiles from the moms.  She said that was her favorite part of the project this time around!  She is planning to assemble kits again over Christmas vacation.

NICU Survival Bags

 Spring did another round of NICU Survival Bags for Moms.  This time she was able to make almost 30 bags!  She asked people from the ward to donate, if they wanted, items for the bags and the response was absolutely overwhelming!  She learned that when a lot of people give a little the outcome is so much better than trying to do it all on our own!  What an amazing lesson to learn!

 She had a couple friends, Kyra and Sharvi, help her sew the burp rags that would be donated.  It was a fun night of them laughing and goofing off, intermixed with some work! :)

 When we delivered the kits this time to the NICU she was able to walk around the floor of the NICU and personally deliver them to the moms that were at the bedside of their baby.  Then she left the rest with the nurses to deliver as needed.  She really enjoyed being able to see the surprised, grateful smiles from the moms.  She said that was her favorite part of the project this time around!  She is planning to assemble kits again over Christmas vacation.

Activity Days Camp

Spring decided to plan, organize, and run a day camp for the Activity Days girls.  She mentioned that as she was that age she saw her brothers head off to day camp each summer and wished there was something for the girls to do like that.  So, for her Good Works Value Project, she made this a reality for the girls of the ward.  

She planned activities about Family History, entertaining young children, learning how to grind wheat and bake bread. They completed a service project cleaning all the nursery toys.  They made bean bags to practice sewing skills and then they played lots of fun group games.  The girls had a wonderful time. 

I am so impressed with Spring's efforts. She contacted women in the ward to teach different mini-classes. She established the schedule of the day and sent the information to all the leaders.  She learned a great deal about all the behind the scenes planning that goes on for an activity like this.  She learned that she had planned more than they could accomplish in the time frame so she had to make decisions on what to leave out and what to keep.  

I am grateful for the Personal Progress program.  It gives these young women opportunities to develop talents and discover talents they didn't know they had.  It also allows them to push themselves beyond what they thought they were capable of doing.  This particular activity helped create a bond between the younger girls and Spring so as they move into the Young Women's Program they will already know and have a relationship with one of the older young women.

Trying to Catch My Breath

Father's Day

Wow...it has been crazy busy since school has been out but I am loving it.  I am exhausted by lunchtime yet the day is far from over so we just keep going and make it to dinner somehow and then fall into bed way too late each night to start again the next day!  It's so worth it though when the kids talk excitedly about the day, when we look at what was accomplished, and I hear the expressions of "thank you" and sticky kisses from the little ones.

10 Mile Bike Ride with the Deacons

The kids have been enjoying swimming lessons each morning.  I am shocked at the progress Sammy has made in just a few days of swim lessons.  He is really quite the athlete.  We always laugh though when he is in a swimsuit because he is nothing but skin and bones.  You see all his ribs and he flexes to to show us his "Muscle Bumps" (aka biceps) and the skin between his bones in his arms actually indents.  It is so funny...will have to get a picture sometime of it.  We also like to go back to the pool in the afternoon when there is time.  Sara is loving the water this year too and getting a little more adventurous and daring than I would like at times!  Thank goodness for older kids that help out with her.

Sammy being "extra safe" while running errands with Dad!

Thomas and Spring have been participating in Summer Band and Orchestra Camp at the High School each day as well.  Spring has also begun taken weekly private Cello lessons and Thomas was offered free percussion lessons each week from one of the Band Directors, Mr. Monroe.  I can make the trip between the high school and home in my sleep...hopefully I won't literally do it, but wouldn't be surprised if I did!

Thomas volunteered to build Sue Ann a deck this summer as well.  It is a 16' x 20' deck and I think he grossly underestimated the time and difficulty of the task.  He has never complained, however, and is loving the experience of the project.  It has become a family project, however, and we have spent the last 3 Saturdays working all day on it.  After the little ones go to bed Thomas, Spring, Joel, and I often head back over and work into the dark to get more finished on it.  Thomas also works on it for hours each day after his music camps and up till dinner.  The goal is to have it finished this week.  I am grateful for children that love to serve and love to help others.  Just trying to help them realize that just because you continue to offer to help other people and do all you can for others you don't get more hours in the day.  No matter what....there are only 24 hours in a day!  We are so tired by the end of a Saturday but it feels good as we fall into bed knowing our family worked all day on a project for someone else and everyone enjoyed it.   

Joyful Saturday

We had a full day on Saturday...a JOYful day.  In the morning Thomas and Joel changed the oil in all 3 of our vehicles.  Thomas is finishing his Automotive Maintenance Merit Badge and needed to change the oil for one of his remaining requirements.  He has helped before but never done it on his own.  He was up early and came into our room (while we were still trying to wake up for the day) to tell Joel he was headed out to check the fluid levels in the cars before the oil changes.  That was our cue to get up for the day.  He and Joel did the first vehicle together and then Thomas did the next one on his own.  I think they worked together on the last one.  

 Then Joel and I headed to Massillon to pick up a swing set Sue Ann had found on Craigslist.  She found a great deal on it and asked if we would be OK having it if she purchased it for the kiddos.  We didn't tell the kids about it, just told them we had to run out for a few hours.  When we got home we had them come out to help us unload it and the looks on their faces were PRICELESS!  Jaws dropped open and eyes were wide.  They were beyond excited.  We had it in our driveway and pressure washed it to clean it up nice.  Then came the almost impossible task of moving it to the backyard.  Boy was that thing HEAVY.  Joel, Thomas, Spring, and Sammy then worked on putting it all together.  The kids have had a great time with it and spend so much time out there.  I am sure there will be countless hours spent playing outside.

Joel and Thomas took a short break in assembling the swing set to help Sue Ann out.  She has a big tree in her backyard that has been dead for a couple years.  Joel volunteered to fell the tree for her, with Thomas' assistance.  Thomas asked Joel if he was properly trained to do that and Joel replied, "I'm going to get trained by YouTube."  They watched a short "how to" video and headed over.  Joel said it fell right where they wanted it to.  Thomas spent a few more hours Saturday chopping up firewood from the tree.  He still has lots of hours left to do that and plans to work on it a little each afternoon and on the weekend.

It was a very full and productive day.  There was work and all the kids helped in ways they could.  Mary did great keeping an eye on Sara as we were lifting and moving and assembling.  Joshie and Gideon were great gophers!  One of those days that you climb into bed at night exhausted, but with a wonderful feeling of joy and accomplishment.

Charity

Spring loves Activity Days and, like many girls, wishes it was each week.  For the last couple months, however, she was often the only girl to show up for the activity.  Living in this area where there are not a lot of members contributes to that but there are girls that age and she missed having them come.  Last month she told me she wanted to call the girls and remind them about Activity Days.  So, she called her leader and got all the phone numbers of the girls (there are 6 others) and set to work calling them the day of the activity.  It is so sweet to hear her talk to the girls or leave a message reminding them of Activity Days and telling them she had missed them coming and hoped they would be able to come that night.  She was very anxious the first night getting ready to leave for Activity Days. She kept saying that she hoped some of the girls would come and that they remembered. She even made homemade cream cheese brownies to take for the night.  I wanted so badly for the girls to come so Spring could see the fruits of her labors and be able to have those associations with the other girls.  I anxiously awaited her arrival home and was thrilled when she came running in the house telling me that all 6 girls came and they had SO much fun.  She had a hard time remembering what they had done at the activity because I think she was more excited that the other girls came and had fun.  That was about 6 weeks ago...

 

Fast forward to this week and she has continued to call each afternoon before Activity Days to remind the girls and they have all been coming each week.  It is so fun to see how happy it makes her.  This past Wednesday when she was calling she was talking to one of the girl's mom and I heard Spring quietly reply, "Oh, I'm so sorry about that.  Tell her we will miss her."  She got off the phone and was very somber so I asked what was wrong. She told me her friend had been sick and in and out of the hospital for a couple weeks so she wouldn't be able to come.  Then her eyes brightened up a bit and she said, "Maybe we can make her get well cards tonight!"  So she took off gathering card making supplies and stickers and odds and ends to take.  That evening she told her leaders about this girl and asked if they could make cards for her.  All the girls had fun doing this and Spring came home with a big pile of cards.  She put them in  a big envelope so we could mail them to her.  She thought her friend would enjoy getting a big package in the mail just for her!

 

How humbled and grateful I am for Spring's example of tenderness and true charity.  This is what compassionate service is all about...it's hearing of a need and acting on that need without being compelled in any way.  It makes me think of the scripture that teaches us to be "anxiously engaged in a good cause."  I continue to learn so much from our children.

Working Weekend

We had a wonderful weekend.  One of those weekends that go by so quickly you wonder where the days went but you also marvel at all you were able to accomplish.  Joel and I began the weekend with our monthly trip to the temple.  We have always loved our time and the opportunity we have to attend the temple and remember the covenants we have made.  I also love being able to enjoy the peaceful calm the temple brings.  We have time to ponder, pray, learn, and be reminded of where we are going in life and of any course corrections we need to make right now in order to be worthy to return to live with our Father in Heaven.  We love the almost 3 hour drive in each direction as it is uninterrupted time to talk and share with each other.  We can catch up on life, our children, our family, our concerns, our successes...whatever it may be.  I also love that we usually fill our drive home with conversation centered on how we can better bring the Spirit of the Lord into our lives, our children's lives, and our home. 

On Saturday morning we arose, bright and early, after getting home around 1:30 in the morning.  Our family was able to help in a Ward Service project at the City Center.  We pulled weeds, mulched, and did other basic landscaping.  The kids had a blast.  We had beautiful weather and wonderful company as we worked to beautify this part of our community.  The kids loved being able to wear the "Mormon Helping Hands" t-shirts and they worked so hard.  They were tired after but full of smiles.  I love opportunities to get out and serve together as a family.

We came home and decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather.  We cleared our yard of leaves, mowed the lawn (swamp may be a more accurate description), Joel changed the brakes on the van, we cut back bushes preparing for the winter, and cleaned out and organized the garage.  Our kids were such big helpers and troopers.  We were laughing and playing as we went and were shocked at how quickly the time went by.  Spring happened to see the time and asked us if we wanted her to prepare dinner and we gratefully accepted.  She made dinner while we finished up and then we enjoyed the evening together.  I love time to work together.

On this last temple trip we realized we need to be doing more to help our children learn how to search and study the scriptures.  We read from the Book of Mormon each evening as a family but we felt we needed to raise the bar and do more.  We have decided to spend each Sunday afternoon helping Thomas and Spring (and the others as they begin to read independently) become more familiar with the "Preach my Gospel" book.  We began this on Sunday giving them each their own copy of the book.  They thought they were so cool to have their very own.  We began at the beginning with them.  A question was posed in the book, "What is the gospel?"  Thomas and Spring struggled to answer this.  They said they knew what it was but it was "kinda hard to explain."  So, we asked them where we could look for the answer.  They suggested the Bible dictionary so we did just that.  After we read that and some additional scriptures they were so excited to be able to explain that the Gospel is the good news that Christ has atoned for our sins so we can all be resurrected and if we are righteous we can return to live with Him.  We loved this time with them and look forward to each Sunday to continue to study with them.  The coolest thing of all is that each day since Sunday I have found Thomas and Spring at different times with their "Preach my Gospel" book and their scriptures studying and taking notes on different principles of the gospel.  How grateful I am for promptings of the Spirit to help us know what we need to do to prepare our children to be profitable servants of our Father in Heaven.

Night at the Vineyard

(This was taken after we washed up at the vineyard! We were sure dirty!)

As soon as the kids came home from school yesterday we headed up to the Church's Welfare Vineyard near Fresno. It is grape harvest time again. This year our ward was responsible for 4 rows (1/4 mile each) to harvest all the grapes. We were able to complete all 4 rows and also complete an additional row to help a very small ward in the stake. The kids have been excited for the vineyard all week. Yesterday Sammy and Mary started asking me first thing in the morning if it was time to go to the vineyard. We all love our time working and serving together. Thomas and Spring were huge helpers this year dumping pans of grapes on the trays to dry. They even helped cut some of the grapes. Sammy's favorite part was helping to lay out the grapes so they weren't in huge piles on the trays. We were all dirty and tired by the end of the night. We asked the kids how they felt as we were driving away. They all replied with excitement, "Happy!" We headed to In-n-Out for dinner at 9:00 pm! There were about 7 families that inundated In-n-Out all at once. I am sure they were wondering where all these filthy people were coming from to eat so late at night! The kids thought it was fun to eat at the tables outside! When we finally got home last night we woke kids up and showered them (they were half asleep in the shower/bath) and put them to bed. I thought for a moment of not having them shower but I knew I would have to wash all their sheets and blankets in the morning if I didn't! How grateful I am for this opportunity to serve and work together as a family. Service really does bring joy to our hearts.

Build a Playground

Last Saturday we all went out to help with a "Build a Playground" project here in Lemoore. In 6 hours with the help of over 300 volunteers a brand new 4,500 square foot playground was begun and completed. It was awesome! It was so inspiring and exhilerating to see so many people united together for a common cause. The kids came with us and enjoyed the day as well. We are so grateful for opportunities to serve and work together as a family. We are also grateful that our children enjoy giving service to others as well.

Grape Harvest

We had our first experience with the grape harvest this afternoon/evening. The church owns a grape farm just north of Fresno, about an hour away. Each ward in the area is assigned 3 rows of grapes for which they are responsible. Each row is 1/4 mile long. We spent about 5 hours at the farm tonight but were blessed because it was only about 98 degrees where the farm was located. Last year it was 108 degrees, they say. Tonight we had to cut the grapes off the vines and drop them into buckets. The buckets were then picked up and dumped onto 'trays' to dry. The trays are just sheets of thick paper on the dirt for the grapes to dry in the sun. Once dumped they had to be spread out so they weren't too thick and the sun could dry them. In about a week they will be turned. Then later this month we will return to roll the trays and then transfer them to a truck/tractor.

We were told it was hard work and to expect to get really dirty. Well, we were told correctly. It is very physical work but it was very enjoyable as well. The kids loved getting out and helping. Thomas and Spring liked cutting the grapes but they were also willing to help dump them. Sammy loved to help dump the grapes and spread them out. The entire time Sammy would say, "Daddy, I help. Daddy, I help." So Joel would cut a bunch of grapes and hand it to him and he would drop it in the bucket. We had to keep him from eating the grapes. When we first got there and he saw all the grapes his eyes lit up. He thought he was in grape heaven. Mary was very content the entire evening. Joel and I took turns carrying her in the backpack. She never made a sound. Sometimes she would grab onto the wire that the vines grow along while we were cutting grapes. We wouldn't realize it until we tried to move. There were times her face would be right in the all the leaves as we would try to get to the grapes on the other side.

We were filthy, sweaty, and tired when we were done but it felt so good to look back down the rows and see all that was accomplished. I am grateful for the opportunity it gave us to serve and for our children to work hard in a service project as well. They all said they had a great time. We didn't get a chance to take any pictures until we were finished because we were working so hard the entire time. We just never stopped. When I was taking the pictures Spring was off with some of her friends and Mary was on my back, so we just took some pictures of the boys.