Swimming at the Cody Rec Center

Our kids love going swimming. We have a great pool here in Powell and one in Cody. We are blessed that the Cody pool does free days or $5 family days once a month.  It is a great deal for our family so we try and go on those days.  We took the kids over to go swimming on March 10th.  Emma and Bethany stayed home for work and school work. The rest of us had a good time together. The kids love the slide. Aaron loved playing basketball in the pool. David would lift him up so he could make a basket. They did it over and over.  After swimming, we stopped at Albertson's and bought two cartons of ice cream.  We dished it up in the van and enjoyed a treat together.  It was a good time together.

Basketball 2018

Dallin has been playing basketball this winter. He is one of the younger kids on the team this year since it is 5th and 6th graders.  He has the hustle to get in there and play hard. His team doesn't do a lot of passing so he hasn't scored much.  He has gotten a lot of rebounds and jump ball calls.  Right now they have a couple of wins and a couple of losses with two more games to go. I think he has enjoyed playing.

Aaron has loved going to watch him play.  On Tuesday night while we were watching Aaron was playing with a ball. He was trying hard to dribble it and to jump. He decided he was ready to sub in and play with the team. He got really upset when we wouldn't let him go on the court.  It was cute.  Someday, Aaron, someday.

Wax Museum 2018

The third graders at Westside Elementary have the wonderful opportunity to participate in a wax museum. They study someone notable from history and then get to dress up like them and portray them in a wax museum.  We were blessed to have the wax museum just after Julia came home. Joshua was so excited that Julia, Grandpa, and Grandma could go with us to see him.  The kids had to stand still and frozen like a wax figure until someone pushed the button to turn them on. They would share what they had learned about the person they were being and then freeze again. It was a little hard to hear Tisquantum share his speech, but it was fun to support him.  Tisquantum is another name for Squanto. He helped the pilgrims through their long hard first winter. Joshua loved making his teepee and getting his indian costume all together. He was pretty particular about what his clothes should be like.  I thought it was a great project for the kids to do.

Lydia listening to Tisquantum doing his speech

Tisquantum frozen, waiting for someone to push his button

Calvin Opps as George Washington

Sister Waite (a second) is home

Sister Julia Waite came home from the Utah St. George mission on Wednesday, February 7th, 2018.  She flew in at 2:25 in the afternoon. In the morning there were pretty thick clouds and I was worried she might not be able to land in Cody. Prayers were heard and she was able to land. It was a bumpy descent into Cody, but they made it.

Brother Reynolds from our ward was working at the airport when Julia flew in.  He allowed me to go out and watch as the passengers got off.  I took a picture as Julia left the plane and was walking toward the airport. When Julia recognized it was me out there she ran over and gave me a wonderful hug. It was so good to have a Julia hug again.

I let her walk into the airport and see everyone else by herself. I followed behind. They were so excited to see her, especially Emma and Bethany.  It is so good to have the girls together again. They have talked about their missions and I have loved listening to them.

Julia did a great job reporting on her mission today. Grandpa and Grandma Sharp came up to see her and listen to her. Grandma Karan wanted to come, but there was a winter storm and Jim's health isn't too good.

Julia shared experiences of Josh who lived in The Village. He wasn't interested in listening, but he did soften to the sister missionaries. Rula, was someone that touched Julia's heart. She was born Muslim. She told Julia she would never convert, but she did want to learn more about the church. Eight months after Julia knocked on her door Rula was baptized.  She has a strong testimony of the Savior. Rylee was a young woman in Richfield who had to work at repentance to be baptized.  Julia also shared the temple openhouse was an experience of endurance. It was something Julia was looking forward to, but it also took enduring because it was harder than she expected. She saw tender mercies during the temple house, especially seeing Great Grandma Sharp.

Julia did a great job. She did so much growing and stretching on her mission. I love seeing the way our children grow as they serve the Lord.

We teach them young around here

Dallin has loved playing chess this year. Actually, he has probably loved it for much longer than that.  He has the perfect teacher for him in school this year. Mr. Graham is teaching them to play chess and uses it as a reward for good behavior.  Dallin won a chess set and board at Halloween time.  He loves having his own set.  He is quite frequently looking for someone, anyone, to play with him.  He will even settle for mom. I tell him that I only move pieces and don't have a plan.  Aaron has a great interest in the chess pieces. Dallin let him play with him one day and I couldn't resist taking a picture of them.  I guess we teach them young to play chess around here.

MaryAnne's 7th Grade Band Christmas Concert

MaryAnne did a great job with her Christmas concert.  I loved listening to her play.  After the 8th grade band played there was a combined band with all three grades. Unfortunately, MaryAnne got sick while waiting and wasn't able to perform again.

Thanksgiving 2017

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving on November 23, 2017. We did miss having Rebecca and Justin, Julia, and Matthew at home.  Neil, Bethany and I went to the temple in Billings on Wednesday. I usually do a lot of preparation for Thanksgiving on Wednesday so that was a little different this year. I came home after the temple and baked the rolls.  I planned to cook the turkey in the pressure cooker so that freed up the oven for Thursday.  We heard that Sister Cordes and her boys, Zane and Ryan, didn't have plans so we invited them over.  We had a fun day and a delicious meal.  The turkey was done in about an hour in the pressure cooker.  It was moist and delicious.  Sister Cordes brought pumpkin pie and a cranberry dish.  We also made dry jello salad, cookie salad, Chocolate cream pie, peanut butter pie, German Chocolate pie and Coconut Cream pie.  Bethany had to work at 4:00 so we ate at about 2:00.

Sister Cordes and her boys stayed around for few hours in the afternoon. We taught them how to play pool After David and the boys played a few games we decided to play the moms against the boys in a game of 8 ball.  David, Dallin, Zane and Ryan ended up beating Sister Cordes, Joshua and me.  We came close though.  We only had one ball left when they won.  It was a fun afternoon.

Neil started a project of painting the family room Thursday afternoon.  I have always thought the family room was painted too dark.  Even though I picked out the paint 8 years ago I never liked it.  I love the new color, it really isn't a new color, it matches the rest of the house now.  I am so grateful that Neil was willing to take his Thanksgiving weekend and paint for me.

The kids played Hearts in the evening. It was fun to listen to them play as we primed the walls and worked in the family room.  It was a fun day!