Hometeaching companion

I received my hometeaching assignment this month in our new ward in Houston.  Usually hometeachers get paired together as companions, however, I did not get one, so last night I took Ava with me.  A couple of years ago, I was counseled to take my children with me on my priesthood assignments so they could witness priesthood service in action.  It was difficult at the time because they were itty bitties (the oldest was 4) and I traveled on assignment to attend meetings and speak to other congregations.

But now they have some experience and know what to expect, and we went to visit a family with children her age.  I enjoyed have that one-on-one time with her, especially in perceiving her genuine interest in the lesson we would teach together and how she could best do her part.  I look forward to future experiences with my children seeing and being touched by service.

Entering Kindergarten

I think what made it tough for me sending Ava off to school for the first time was that for the first 5 years of her life, either Lindsey or I have been with her nearly 24/7, with exceptions being sitters (family members or close friends).  Now that Ava is in kindergarten, she is spending 8 hours every school day with people I only met a couple of days ago.  I guess I’m feeling like I have given up a little bit of control in her life.

But I guess that is part of life.

Pictures from today

Lucy Christine the night before. Lucy's first smile captured at 3 minutes old!Taking a bubble bath for the first time.
*YAWN* I'm beat!
"I get the goofy faces I make from my daddy."
Love at first sight.

Sisters = Best Friends!

To all the naughty children...

The girls are old enough now to understand many of our Christmas traditions. One of our favorite traditions includes all the great music and songs written for Christmas. (We started listening to Christmas music before Thanksgiving.) The girls favorite song is Santa Clause Is Coming To Town. They are praying for all the children on the naughty list that they can get on to the good list soon.

Great Feeling

Tonight I read a few verses out of the Book of Mormon to the girls when they got into bed. I had such a peaceful feeling reading about baptism and the desire to do good. After finishing, Ava said she felt really good and I realized she was feeling the Spirit too. I made sure to teach her the significance of that feeling because that is how my dad taught me to recognize the influence of the Holy Ghost when I was little.

Going to a show

A couple of weeks ago we took the girls to see a children's musical of Peter and the Wolf with some friends. Just like last year, we enjoyed watching the girls get immersed in the story, the music, and the characters. Nearly every day since they play with their pretend friends Duck, Cat, Bird and get chased around by Wolf (usually played by the dog). They still like to tell us what happened to the characters in the story.

Taking them to the theater has been one of the most amazing experiences I have had with them. Check out your local theater for your kids and grandkids to see what is playing for them. You will love it.

Prodigal Blogger

It has been a long time since my last post here. It was originally intended to be a surprise for my wife describing my thoughts on the first year of parenthood, which is why I never told anyone about it. Then life came at us (hurricane, quit my job, moved, pregnant again, living with friends for 4 months, mortgage + rent) and I dropped this blog. But that is not a good reason to have stopped, rather, it was all the more reason to continue. Probably the best reason to have continued this blog was to capture the bond between Ava and her Uncle Jim and Aunt Melanie (and a short time later Sydnee too). She did after all learn to walk in their front room. And now that we will have a 3rd little girl joining us soon, I look forward again to sharing what's on my mind.