Like mother, like son

When my Dad read the post about Zach building a city in the sand while we were on vacation - and that I have fond memories of doing the same thing, he sent me this photo!  It's really amazing that for some reason he had it in Brazil!

I love this picture and the funny thing is that I can remember it so clearly.  My guess is that I am even Zach's age in this picture...like mother, like son! 

Youth Conference 2012

Our youth conference was this past weekend.  Normally this is a summer activity, but because of the opportunity to go to Williams and Hall in the boundary waters, we decided to hold it when they had space for us to come for free!  It is quite an amazing facility and people come from all over the world to stay there and be outfitted before heading out on the boundary waters.  This is the group that another leader and I were in charge of during our stay...the wonderful red group!

Here they are making survival bracelets out of cord...

Lee Johnson teaching a class on being immovable and steadfast...

Trying our hand at immovability and steadfastness!

On crates!!

Later in the day we were trust falling...

And having a great time...

I didn't take my camera with me when we went canoeing and out on the lake for the classes on the islands.  I knew there was too great of a chance for some tipping!!  I wanted to keep my camera, so you'll just have to imagine that we canoed on this (through the rain some of the time) to islands and had classes out there too!

Here we are working on listening to what we are being told to do...

And then he we are after winning our challenge (against the other half of the red team) of getting through the course and putting our puzzle together!    

Another group shot...

And another look at the boundary waters...

And the sunset!

I love this picture of our Stake President.  He's really great and we are blessed to have someone who puts so much emphasis on the youth program. 

Here are some of the kids in the lodge area during the dance...

And saying goodbye at the end of the conference!

These kinds of activities are always so interesting.  There is a tremendous amount of planning and work that go into bringing this many people anywhere for anything.  Then you add on the hope that it will be fun and mostly that you will be able to teach the kids something that will be worthwhile and faith building, and you really have a task on your hands.  I do believe that we are guided and blessed as we try to do this for the youth.  As leaders we have many faults, but these activities always seem to work out and be what you hope they will.  I know the work is necessary to make it a success, but I also know that the prayer that it will really all come together is necessary too.  It did come together and we were blessed.  It was a wonderful conference and while we were there we picked out the names of the next youth conference committee and submitted them to the Stake Presidency.  They will be called this month and then the planning begins for next summer! 

The first of its kind - 1st day of school

The kids started school on Friday and it was Ava's first day of kindergarten.  The first time all of my kids have had a 1st day together and the 1st time that I won't have a child home most of the time in almost 11 years.  I don't think it has really sunk in quite yet (youth conference on the 1st day of school has a way of consuming any of your soon to be realized free time), so it will be interesting to see how things change for me.

This is the only year that all 3 kids will be in the same school.  I guess there is always a possibility that this could happen again in college...but it will be a few years if it ever happens!

 

Andrew - my 5th grader...

Zach - my 3rd grader...

And Ava - my kindergartner!

Off to school they walk!

Out in front with Andrew's friend, Finn.

I had to take a picture of Ava's hair...we are such girls!

This little girl in the pink was really crying hard while her mom was trying to drop her off.  Ava's teacher asked her if she wanted to come up and be a friend to her and Ava got right up and grabbed her by the hand and walked off with her.  That's how I left Ava at her 1st day of kindergarten...plenty big and ready to be there.

Here is Ava with her teacher, Mrs. Forbort.  I am really excited for this year and look forward to many days in the classrooms and in the school too!

Back to school night

As promised, here are some pictures of the signs in the school.  This was right before all the people started to come for back to school night.  This is the kindergarten and part of 1st grade hall (kindergarten is red and first grade is blue) and you can also see the office sign and a kid's working sign.  

This is coming up one of the sets of stairs to the 2nd grade hall.  During back to school night we had "officers" who were helping to direct traffic on our Congdon city streets! 

Here is Andrew with Mrs. Lofstuen (his teacher), Luisa and Peyton...keeping the "streets of Congdon" free from riff-raff and moving swiftly!

It's kind of dark, but you can see all of the signs lining down this HUGE hallway...

And here is the view looking toward the main doors of the school.  The tree I painted is on the left and there is lettering on the right that says, "Welcome to Our Congdon Community".  This week each child will put their handprint on that wall and so it will fill in all the white you can see!
 

Changing hats for a moment...from PTA Sandy to Foundation Sandy...this is the poster I made for the Foundation for back to school night.

And here is a picture of the completed tree with the directions and apples that the teachers have put up with their requests.  I am super pleased with how all of my projects turned out and with how back to school night went!  Mission completed! 

Ruttgers from my view

I had to make a second post about the Ruttgers trip.  This was Ruttgers completely from my point of view - the little things I did without the family...or just things that were through my eyes!  Speaking of eyes, look at these three cross-eyed crazies!  I wanted to do a puzzle and they had some on the shelf and so Marisa and I started this!  Cortney and Jodi came to help and then I wouldn't let these ladies leave until we finished...through literally the MOST bugs I have EVER seen (they were dropping from the ceiling fan and the window screens were completely covered...completely covered...disgusting!!).  They started begging to leave at about 11:00 and I kept saying, "we're almost done", "you can't quit", "DO NOT LEAVE" and stuff like that...we finally finished those crazy trees at 1 a.m.  These girls crossed their eyes and posed with our masterpiece! 

Here's our beautiful work!

We also went into town and had a great time at the little shops.  We found some wonderful treasures at the antique shop...Marisa looks good in these glasses!  We took lots of other pictures too, but this one is my favorite! 

(Again, with these pictures that won't turn!  I'm going to figure it out some time!)  We went into this great flower shop that had the most wonderful displays.  I just loved how they used the furniture...so fun and cute. 

Then...the best part of the trip...Marisa and I found this little, little food truck (that is down a private, dirt driveway type road) that had the best food!

Look at this lunch...yummy!

It was so good that we went back for breakfast the next morning.  These are fried eggs with chorizo and beans...

A fresh corn cake...fresh - like we watched him take the corn off the cob and blend it...with fresh berries and maple whipped cream...

And these were our eggs with fresh tomatoes and cheese!  So yummy! 

This was my view of Bemidji most of the time.  It really is nice...

And finally one of my favorite moments...watching Andrew climb the iceberg.  It is really hard to get up and get started and it took him quite a long time.  He got really frustrated, but just kept trying.  Eventually he made his way up and I got teary eyed...

He made it!  One of my most favorite views of the entire trip!