The Truth of All Things

Tyson was asked to give a talk in Primary this last Sunday. His has been reading so well lately, I decided that he should read his talk all by himself. I stood next to him and held up the pictures.

I am so proud of him!

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There are lots of important things we need to know.
We need to know how to tie our shoes.

We need to know how to write our names.

There is one thing that is more important than anything else. Knowing our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, is the most important knowledge you will ever have. This knowledge is called a testimony.

When you need to know something like how to tie your shoes, your parents can help.
To have a testimony of sacred things, you can ask Heavenly Father. He usually uses the Holy Ghost to answer you.
The Holy Ghost bears witness of the Father and the Son.

Through His still, small voice, the Holy Ghost can help you know that Jesus is the Son of God.

He can witness to you that Joseph Smith restored the gospel

and that we have a prophet today.

Through the power of the Holy Ghost, we can know the truth of all things.
As you listen to the still, small voice, you can have a testimony. Your faith in Jesus Christ will grow when you listen to the Holy Ghost.
I know this is true. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Off and Running

(With my sisters after the race)

I ran my first 5K of the summer a couple weeks ago.

My original goal was to run the whole thing without walking.

My second goal was to finish in 30 - 35 minutes.

I am proud to say that with a time of 30:14 I successfully met both of my goals!

I felt really good about my race. I held a good strong pace until about the 2 mile mark, when I started to get tired. By the 3 mile mark (where they threw in a hill) I was struggling to keep going. As I approached the finish line I heard a guy yell "Only 30 more seconds!"

That, along with the sight and sound of hundreds of cheering people, motivated me to kick it up a notch and finish strong.

I was very proud of myself.

Unfortunately, about five minutes after finishing I started experiencing the visual symptoms of a migraine. I am now a little hesitant to race again. My theory is that racing is too much of a strain on my body while I am still nursing Nolan. I still want to run, but I really don't want another migraine. I was going to run another race this weekend, but I decided to sit this one out. I do plan to run another race in July.

Wish me luck.

My next goal is to break the 30 minute barrier.

Pitch Coach

Tyson played baseball this spring.

If you ask him, he will tell you he played "pitch coach."

His favorite thing about coach pitch was the uniform.

His second favorite thing was the treat at the end of the each game.

He was pretty good at batting.

And if points were given for socializing in the outfield, he'd be the champion.

Our spring weather was less than desirable this year, so sitting through his games twice a week was a labor of love.

Overall, Tyson enjoyed the season. But I doubt he will be playing next year.

Anytime is Cookie Time

Tyson invited his friend Abby over to play.

They usually get along great but this day they just couldn't seem to agree on an activity.

Tyson wanted to play Transformers.

Abby just wanted to hold Nolan.

I suggested they bake cookies.

They both thought that was a great idea. Their favorite part was decorating the cookies. It's not too hard to tell which cookies are Tyson's and which ones are Abbys.

Be The Match

I know of a two year old little boy named Preston.

He has a rare blood disease called, Aplastic Anemia.

He is in need of a bone marrow transplant.

.

What if this was my two year old little boy named Preston? I would do anything to save his life. If I was unable to donate my own bone marrow for him I would hope and pray that somewhere, some stranger would be willing to save my son.

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So in honor of this other little Preston I joined the Marrow Registry. It was simple. I just went to their website, filled in all my information and requested a test kit.

When the kit came in the mail I simply swabbed the inside of my cheek with four long Q-tip thingys, sealed them back into the envelope, and put them back in the mail.

They are currently processing my sample and adding me to the registry. It will take about five or six weeks to test my tissue type and add me to the registry.

Someday I may get a phone call or email saying that my bone marrow is someone's match. And if that day comes I will be honored to help someone in need.

Memorial Day

(Tyson and Preston visiting Grandpa Toone. Tyson remembers him and Preston is named after him.)

After celebrating Memorial Day this year, I have a new resolve to teach my sons about the great people they are named after. With a little help from my Grandma I've been learning more about these people. My goal is to create a book for each boy with pictures and stories from the lives of their namesakes.

Tyson Spencer is named after his Fourth Great Grandpa Spencer.

Preston Thomas is named after his Great Grandpa Toone.

Nolan Jacob is named after his Great-Great Grandma Howard.

Each of these people lived wonderful lives. But their great examples go unappreciated if we don't learn about them. I know they are still mindful of us, and want to know us. We just need to put in the effort to learn about them.

I want my boys to be proud of their names. I want them to live in a way that will make their namesakes proud. They have big shoes to fill.

Wordless Wednesday

Take Me Out To The Ballgame. . . .Or Not.

Dan got front row tickets to a recent Bees game. We sat right behind the dugout, next to first base.

We have three boys

Tyson's been playing baseball this spring.

You would think this is a good idea, right?

Nope

Despite the smiles in these pictures these boys were bored out of their minds. We only stayed for half of the game. And for nearly the entire time I was tortured with a constant

"I'm tired, I'm hungry, I need a drink, I need to go to the bathroom, I'm hungry, I'm cold, I'm hungry, I'm bored. I'm hungry."

and that was just from Tyson.

Preston kept trying to run away. He was convinced if he could just get away from us that somehow he would get some cotton candy.

They did have fun when the Bee (Bumble?) and the cheerleaders came right by us.

Unfortunately, we were a little too close to get a good picture.

Next time Dan and I are leaving the boys with a babysitter and going by ourselves.

Summer Goals

I've been dreading summer. But whether we like it or not summer is here and I'm going to make the best of it!

First I've revamped our chore lists. Tyson has more time on his hands and so I'm increasing his load of chores. Preston is also getting old enough to start doing chores so I've added him to the rotation. My goal is to teach them responsibility and life skills. A clean(er) house is just a benefit.

Secondly, I've scouted out several activities to help us fill our days, and keep boredom to a minimum. (It also helps to have motivation to get chores done in the morning).

Our elementary school library is open for a couple hours each week during the summer. We plan to take a walk to the school to check out books once a week.

Cinemark has a great Summer Movie deal going on. You can't beat 10 movies for $5! The boys are really excited about this, especially because several of our friends will be there too.

We have also decided to put Tyson in an all-boy gymnastics class, at least one session of swimming lessons, and a three day Cooking Camp.

I *think* all this should keep us busy and help the summer fly by. In addition to all these activities I have few goals for my family

I want Tyson to get rid of the training wheels on his bike. I am also determined to help him improve reading skills over the summer. His reading ability has skyrocketed in the last year. I attribute this to his awesome school teacher and family Book of Mormon reading. We will continue reading the BOM throughout the summer (maybe even finish Alma!). I also encourage Tyson to read at least one book everyday. He really likes reading to his little brothers.

Preston is ready for potty training, and I am determined to conquer it this summer. We made the move from diapers to pull-ups this week. Our biggest obstacle right now is his hesitation to poop in the toilet. If any of you veteran moms have any tips for overcoming this Please let me know!

Nolan is doing so well. He has life figured out. He's amazing (but I'll save that for another post). This summer we will be working on rolling over and sitting up. And by the end of the summer we will be working on eating baby food!

And for me: In addition to everything listed above I want to finish my 2009 Blog book and my 2009 Family Scrapbook. They are both nearly done, I just need to put the finishing touches on them. My biggest task will be organizing my office and my storage room. They are both in really bad shape, but I need Dan's help with both of them. I also want to run at least two 5Ks this summer.

Wish us luck! We are going to need it!

What are your goals for the summer?

Wordless Wednesday

Life Comes At You Fast