REXBURG TEMPLE CELEBRATION

As you know, I have had the marvelous opportunity and blessing to have been apart of the Rexburg Temple Celebration choir. It was a momentous night that took place on Saturday, February 9th. I get full of emotion remembering the hard work, the fun, the laughs, the pride for my community and where it has come from, and most importantly the spiritual moments I had in preparing for and participating in this grand event celebrating our beautiful Temple. I miss the spiritual high I received while there, but am so grateful for the testimony received and embedded in my heart forever from the experience.
Again, my camera was not working to take pictures of me and some of the incredible friends I met while there, but I did happen to fall upon some video clips people recorded during rehearsals on YouTube. They are about 6-7 minutes each, so I hope you find a time to catch a glimpse of what we accomplished. The first clip is a fun pioneer dance. The second clip is the grand finale. To help capture the grandeur of the mass of numbers involved, I would have to estimate the total number of youth (including dance numbers, choir, fiddlers, orchestra, etc) at around 2000. It was incredible and I hope you can gather that from these early rehearsal videos. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2QKuIu5G-g&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xvmR9wrmY4&feature=related

CUPID'S ARROW

I woke up yesterday morning to a woderful Valentine's Day surprise in my backyard from Aces.




We finished the day off family style with dinner at Winger's followed by an awesome game of bowling. The best gift came at the bowling alley where we enjoyed a complete hour of my boys being kind, encouraging, loving, and having an all-around great time together. I couldn't have asked for anything more! (Except to have remembered the camera!)

MY MOO

A couple of beautiful dresses and a girl with a bit of attitude. She may refuse to look at me and smile for a picture, but I can't help but stare at her. How I love her!!!

TEMPLE TRIP

Well, I have failed to acknowledge the most wonderful thing that we did last week. My parents and my sister Hedda came up last weekend for a visit to the Rexburg Temple open house. We went last Monday the 14th. I was completely overwhelmed with feelings of love and peace and joy at stepping into that magnificent building with my children. There is nothing that compares to that! It was spectacular to look through the mirrors with my husband and my kids and to envision eternity with them. It was such a boost to my testimony that families really are forever. I am so grateful to know without a shadow of doubt that our Heavenly Father's church was restored to the earth along with the sealing powers of the temple. Heaven wouldn't be heaven without my family by my side. I am so thankful that I was sealed to my dear husband in the temple. I am so thankful to know that I can be with him and our family if we can always strive to do what is right. I am so thankful for the visual reminder that I will have every day of that testimony and that eternal goal.

The kids loved the temple too. One guess at what their favorite part was......Did you guess? You were right if you said the baptistry. They were hoping that they could go swimming there someday. I had a bit of explaining to do, and I think they now understand. Pal did wonder, however, if the dead people come alive when you get baptized for them. Yet again, a bit of explaining solved his curiosity. Chunkabear was a bit overly aware of the booties that we had to put on our feet to keep the carpets clean. He kept asking me, "Mom, why can't you take these stupid things off my feet?!" They were truly awkward for tiny toes to keep on so I understand his frustration. Perhaps they wouldn't have bothered him so bad if his pants would have stayed up as well. We couldn't find his belt so he had to keep hiking those up too. I wonder how much of the temple he got to see with how focused he was on his lower half!

Overall it was a glorious day. I am so glad that we got to share it with my parents and sister. I hope that my kids felt the spirit there so they can have a testimony of their own of the temple and it's importance. I wish we could have shared this open house experience with so many more of our family members and friends. Perhaps you can join us when the Twin Falls Idaho temple is ready. We'll keep you posted on that.

NO SCHOOL

Aces was premature on the "brrrr" factor. The top number shows the reading of our outside thermometer at 7:30 this morning. The bottom lets you all have comfort in knowing that we are toasty warm inside. Thank you walls and insulation! So what does that mean? No school. Needless to say, Pal was ecstatic to hear that he gets yet another day off from school. I am ecstatic with the thought that my kids are all home with the whole day to CLEAN THEIR ROOMS!!!

BRRRRRR!

Well I was just getting ready for bed and watching the news when I saw the thermometer!! Whoah! as you can that is -15 not including the windchill factor which according to the news puts us at approximately -28 YIKES!!

SCOUT WORTHY

Aces has had the opportunity to be a scout leader with the explorer scouts hosted by the Sheriff's office for the past 3 years and has been instrumental in the programs growth over that time. It has launched from 2 kids to 17...boys and girls alike. It has been hard for him to delegate a lot of time to the program lately, and so about 6 months ago, he got an assistant leader who has also been fantastic. Because of the hard work he and Corbin have put in, they each received a District Award of Merit last night at our annual district scout banquet. This is the first time this award has ever been received by a member of law enforcement in our area. That is a BIG deal!
The explorer scout program is a lot of fun. It is for kids 14-18 who want to have fun and learn a little about law enforcement. They get to learn all sorts of thing such as 10 codes, arrest techniques, security techniques(they worked security at the scout jamborall last year which was a complete success), building searches, and ride alongs....basically anything it would take to be an officer!!! The hope is to get them excited about law enforcement with hopes that they will join the reserves when they are of age and later become an officer. That isn't always the case, but it is a great activity for kids to be involved in. Aces strongly believes in getting kids active in productive and worth while activities so they stay out of trouble, make great memories, and become productive members of society. I am so proud of all of his efforts with this program and hope that it continues to move up. Way to go! You are our every day hero!