faith

(mustard seeds)

remember...faith begins like a tiny little mustard seed and then grows into a huge tree

i ran across this quote from Elder Richard G. Scott, one of the twelve apostles, while preparing a talk for a baptism tonite. it really made an impression on me and thought i'd share.

"No matter what occurs, no matter how topsy-turvy the world becomes, you can always have the sustaining power of faith. That will never change. The perfect love of your Father in Heaven will never change."

what can ryan do? he can do anything!

ryan has many, many hidden talents that no one knows about... he can make hats from yarn
he plays basketball pretty well (you might know this one)

he can make little dried up flecks from a bag, grow!

he can host homemade sail boat races

he can entertain children

he can do all sorts of things around the house, like hang beautiful new shelves

my ry is one amazing boy.

happy st patricks day, buffalo style

buffalo is all about st. patrick's day. every year i hear more and more about all the festivities. there are at least 2 big parades, lots of irish dancing, lots of guinness (and i'm not talkin' about the world record book), a lot of irish and catholic folks, and lots of celebrating at school.

this week, ella's pre-k class has been celebrating. they've been planning to trap a leprachaun, and yesterday a leprachaun was blowing kisses in their hair. we had to watch for our hair to move, because that was probably a leprachaun blowing our hair. it has gotten to the point of ella being a little bit nervous about leprachauns. but not to worry, she assured me that leprachauns are so tiny, like a little "germ" that you can't even keep them in a trap. they are "super-fast". apparently the leprachaun came to her classroom today while they were visiting another class, and the leprachaun left a huge mess consisting of gold coins, lettuce leaves and toys scattered everywhere.

i was cracking up when i dropped the girls off at pre-k this morning and overhead the teacher attempting to explain all the leprachaun madness to a mother of one of the children, who happens to be from india. i can only imagine what she's thinking of all this.

afton would like to add that her classroom toilet has been turned green by the leprachauns.

hope you are having a fun st. patty's day!

a few pictures

are these the cutest drawings? afton drew the main high school musical characters and now has them posted on her bedroom wall. there's taylor, troy and gabriella (above)

now ryan, sharpay, chad and the rest of the gang

and the girls just figured out how to do piggy-back rides... the girls also had a great time peeling carrots last night for dinner. so now i'm thinking that maybe we're spoiling them rotten, because they are enjoying the simple things in life (like peeling carrots).

building confidence

ella's pre-k teacher told me this morning, the following...

ella: "mrs. sue, don't you think i'm the best colorer at my table?"

mrs. sue said to me, "what could i say, with those big brown eyes looking at me and asked so sweetly and politely?"

we're all about building confidence around here. maybe we should start working on humility.

something fun

http://www.vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=2539741

oooh, i get by with a little help from my friends...

today i was thinking about how i have been so blessed to have such amazing friends. i have friends from almost every place i've lived. i have friends from new york to alaska. really!

i have friends that are so wonderful and stay in touch with me, which is great because i am really and truly the worst when it comes to making phone calls and making an effort to keep in contact. thank you friends!

i have friends who teach me yoga. i have friends that share their yummy food. i have friends that are so funny it hurts. i have friends that encourage me. i have friends that push me and challenge me to do better and be better.

i have friends that know just when i need extra care. i have friends who give and give. i have friends who are amazing examples. i have friends who think nothing of keeping my girls for hours at a time.

a friend from jr high and high school days recently passed away. i had not seen her for years and years. i found out that she had been struggling with depression and other sad things. i wish so badly that i had taken the time to search her out and tell her that she is loved. i wish i could have sat with her and told her that she was not alone in her struggles. everyone has difficulties to endure. i wish i could have told her that i know exactly how she feels when she can't get out of bed and everything feels so dark and hopeless. i wish i could have told her that there is hope.

i love all of my friends, near and far. i am so grateful for your love and encouragement. i wish i had room to post all of your faces here.

please know how very much you are loved by me.