Young Women Conference - Sunday

Almost There!

Sister Johnson got tickets for us to attend with her
and her friend from England.
From left, Vanessa C.-YW President, Clarissa, Sister Johnson
and Jenny[ her friend]

Sister Johnson insisted on me being in a picture...
The Young Women Flags are in the background.

Waiting for it to begin.
I love the way they put the flames for every value.

A GAME:
If you think you know the values for Young Women
[including the NEW value - color GOLD]
comment them all,
don't peak at others answers until
you have done your OWN.


I am curious.
And I am making this a game,
because I would have to go to Clarissa's room
to cheat myself to get them all in order.
Or I could just check the chapstick Sister Johnson
gave us before we went in.
She is so darling and so very sweet.

Elder Johnson and Clarissa.
He was such a gentleman.
...and a funny English driver...:)

Check out the orb on Clarissa's coat, angels among us!

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!!!

In answer to [my sister] Suzie's Spring has Sprung...
and Take a Hike posts,
I thought that sharing the FREEZING WEATHER
we have would be just delightful.

Oh yes, a bit o sarcasm, to go with it.
You get the lovely warm, wear shorts, take hikes, weather
We get put on your snow boots, do you have your mittens,
freeze some irrelevant material weather.

Happy Monday Everyone!

He's Not Heavy, He's My Brother!

He's Not Heavy, He's My Brother

We were in Yellowstone for a vacation
a few summers ago.
Son #3, the baby, at 4 years old
got SO tired he couldn't walk
any further.

His brother, age 6, Son #2
carried him the rest of the way...

Thanks for being my blogger friends!!!,
and carrying me through the tough times.
I love your laughs, your smiles, your friendship!

Sometimes we come upon a situation or a person who needs to be lifted up and carried for a bit. It may be a family member, a loved one, a friend, or it might even be a stranger. But, whoever it is, somewhere deep down in our heart and soul we know we want to reach out to them. At the same time, our minds may be telling us it is not our problem; they created their own problem, and there will be no gratitude or reward . . . but our hearts continue to reach out.

It is during these situations that we have to go with our hearts. We don't know if our reaching out will create a permanent solution for them, nor do we know how they will handle the outcome. We just have to reach out, lift up and share their load. In doing this we will gain the extra strength we need. The load will not be heavy, and if we can give them comfort or make even the slightest difference in their life, that alone should be our reward.

He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother
by Neil Diamond
click here to listen to the song and read the lyrics

toothless TUESDAY...on monday's memories :)

First TOOTH...


A quickly written...ha ha...note to ask
the tooth fairy if he could KEEP his
tooth and still get the money.
toothfairy,
this is the bed where my tooth is
leave the money and my tooth...

OR ELSE, [jk, i added that part]

love samuel
[click on the picture to see it big]
OF COURSE, who can say no to this sweet boy...
Last nights events....telling all
about how he ripped them out.

YES, I said RIPPED.


True to Sam's comment
[my new little blogger]
he DID NOT stay up to 10 pm wiggling
his tooth out...he ripped it out
around 7:30....and to SAVE the
tooth fairy a trip back tomorrow,
he ripped out the other one...

Two teeth in two hours...
[well, less than two hours].

Happy with his NEW LOOK!

He did hop out of bed to remind
me that he is TEN years old,
and this was his 10th tooth lost...

Jeremy is SEVEN, he says,
and he has lost 7 teeth.

Who would have thought?

Well, Sam would have, ...and he did...

thanks Sam....but you didn't
have to get back up...you could
have just left me
a comment later...
love you buddy...

hope the TOOTH FAIRY
was good to you...

I hope you got some tissues
for all the bleeding you are doing...

If one is up...they all get up,
except for Gavin,
he is REALLY sick.

[maybe pneumonia...
the x-ray was borderline today...
thanks for prayers,
all will be well...]

Be not afraid: for a friend...hugs ♥

I love how the Dream Weavers surround the boy,

and then protect him from FEAR.

I have so much fear in my life...

...fear that I will fail.

...fear that I am not good enough.

...fear that I will screw up my kids lifes.

...fear that I am going to lose my precious ones,

...that I wont be a good enough mother to them...

FEAR...is an awful thing...for my Grandfathers birthday

I gave him the Family Hymn Book for our faith,

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints...

The first Hymn in the book has something written

from Martin Luther King that says

Satan can not be present where there is a Hymn.

[loosly quoted].

So Hum your favorite Hymn...everytime that you feel afraid...sing right out loud, and fear can not be present...for fear is the absense of Faith. Have Faith...all will be well, in His time...not ours.

We are all His...my children are His first...and if I replace fear with FAITH, I can not FAIL. And neither will I fail my children. They will go and do, and always be His, and be mine...if I don't lack in Faith because of my human fears.

I think of the Dream Weavers in my kids play almost as angels. And it gives me some peace to think that of course Heavenly Father would not leave our childrens' lives to chance. They have angels to watch over them always. He wants ALL of us back, and he will not leave our lives to chance.

My clarissa gave me a footprints key chain...it was the first time she had read it, and knowing that I have been troubled lately she sweetly gave it too me, as if it was my first time to read it. I read it as if it is. Oh, how I needed the reminder:

Footprints in the Sand


One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord.
Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.
In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand.
Sometimes there were two sets of footprints,
other times there were one set of footprints.

This bothered me because I noticed
that during the low periods of my life,
when I was suffering from
anguish, sorrow or defeat,
I could see only one set of footprints.

So I said to the Lord,
"You promised me Lord,
that if I followed you,
you would walk with me always.
But I have noticed that during
the most trying periods of my life
there have only been one
set of footprints in the sand.
Why, when I needed you most,
you have not been there for me?"

The Lord replied,
"The times when you have
seen only one set of footprints in the sand,
is when I carried you."
Mary Stevenson

This rambling is for a special friend.

May God be with you.

Love and Hugs,

and thanks for being there for me,

many many times.

Toothless Tuesday!

I love toothless babies...okay, he is not my baby, but I am in the STOP GROWING stage. Doing my best to stunt his growth. Last night at 10pm one of the bottom ones fell out. Now we are at 7 lost teeth and COUNTING. When I can get the picture to upload I will post it. So cute.

All I want for chrisssssmuss is to loose my TEETH!!! Well, it is finally happening, and the leprechauns must have had something to do with the gold coins that the toothfairy left last Tuesday night!!! So exciting!!!

He said to me: I was wiggling it and
I heard the springs break,
and then it just fell out.

Well, what else is there to be doing at TEN O'CLOCK AT NIGHT...

...when you are only SEVEN.
Come on, WHERE IS YOUR MIND!!!

Hugs,
and Happy TOOTHLESS TUESDAY!

and HAPPY ST. PATRICKS DAY!!!

st. PatriCks dAy...

in case I forget to TELL you...Happy St. Patricks Day...

We love this holiday!!!

...the milk is dyed green by the leprechauns [thanks to Wendy...]

...the kids get to eat Lucky Charms...

We have Corned Beef and Cabbage, with Green Jello, Green Koolaid, Green Beans, Green Grapes, Kiwis, Pistachio Pudding...

Anything Green goes..

And it is all Brian's fault...for making St. Patrick's Day such a big deal when we were dating. He got permission to decorate my room. With about one hundred green and white balloon clouds, the rainbow and the pot o gold...with chocolate gold coins, of course...

He wrote a card that said, You'll never forget St. Patricks Day again...



and I haven't.

The kids have been officially brainwashed to think of this holiday up there with Christmas, and their birthdays...

SO, HAPPY ST. PATRICKS DAY... Hope yours is fun.

I would love any suggestions on how you celebrate...for next year. Thanks...

this is for me...Grace through Hope

"We should have great hope in knowing, however unworthy we may feel or weak we may be, that if we will do all we can, He will come to our aid and provide for us whatever we may lack. (See 2 Cor. 12:9.)

That statement, to some degree, defines grace."

- Gene R. Cook, "Receiving Divine Assistance through the Grace of the Lord," Ensign (CR), May 1993, p.79

********************
If you have something to do that is
worthwhile doing, don't talk about it,
but do it. After you have done it,
your friends and enemies will talk
about it. - George W. Blount

What do you imagine?

ALERT: NEW VIDEOS POSTED...wHAtEVer YOU iMAgINE

...THE FINALE SONG

...POSTED BELOW, OR CLICK HERE

Waiting to see the show!

Jeremy...dressed himself today! at least he's happy about missing class for the play...

Here he is standing by the ...over the fence...theme this year at Wasatch the theme is Whatever you Imagine...over the fence!

Samuel, [jer-bear] Clarissa, and Alyssa [below]

in Wasatch Elementary's Producation of

Whatever you Imagine...Is Possible RIGHT HERE!

WHAT is so powerful as to make kids cry SOOOO hard?
Alyssa and Clarissa, above, because
this is Clarissa's last production at Wasatch
with Gary and Terry,
and Alyssa, because she has to do the play
next year without Clarissa.

No more tears...Gary says...
but who can't cry after you see what follows.

Nervous, and ready, for the FINAL show!!! Clarissa, near center Alyssa, above her and left Sam, front right corner!

THIS POST IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION: I will continue to post videos...as I have moments to let them upload...thanks for the appreciation...it is taking time, but worth it to be able to share with those who want to see them...LOVE, me.


Why does it take so long to UPLOAD videos....arrrggggghhhh?



Friday night:
Over the course of the evening I will be posting parts of the play...for now I have to go play VIDEO GAMES with Gavin. He said he would blog 15 minutes with me for every 15 minutes I play with him. I think it is a deal...so...here is just a taste of the big event...

Gary Stoddard, Writer and Director

...make sure you notice
the LOOK Sam gives to Gary [at second 20...] in the video below,

it is subtle if you aren't looking for it.


Gary PROMISED that he would make sure Sam's microphone was on right away, and didn't get it as immediately as Sam began the play...Sam had to give him a LOOK, this is drama, isn't it?

I talked to Gary after the play...
he and I laughed at Sam's irritation.
becoming a professional actor that he is
he expects perfection by the third performance.
so funny!

For another video of Sam
from the parent performance
the night before,
CLICK HERE,
or scroll down to Sam...
The parent performance one is great,
keep in mind,
I had given him a spoonful of brown sugar
to ward off any fret about the show,
and to make it fun for him.
He thought that was the greatest thing!



This next video's are actually
before Sam's part above.
Gary is the writer and director,
he explains a bit about the show
to the audience.

Then Gary ran over to his post,
...to turn on Sam's microphone,
but didn't get there quick enough.
Sam, gave the look,
and then forgave...and had a great show!

this video [above] is from Fridays day performance

and below was from the TH night parent show:



then Sam... followed by the announcer
bringing on the stars...

I am a Star....
I am a Star in my life...
I play an active part in my life...
I choose the leading role!

click on the song above
to take you to the video...
or scroll down the ...I am a Star....
to watch the kids sing and dance


The announcer comes out and he says to the audience:

talking about his wings: Oh, the wings. It's part of the imagination process. Part of getting above it and letting yourself fly...they just show up, especially when I begin to dream and believe in myself. then: What if...what if your options were endless...lets say you had no limits...no boundaries and you truly believed in the part of you that says I CAN and you could freely let go of that little voice that says I CAN'T. Then...what could you imagine....just a thought.

The Dream Weavers

and the boy... boy: Everyone else seems to be cool, have a dream...and idea...a goal...and a path to get there all figured out. They seem...ok, with who they are and don't seem to worry about what the other kids think of them. Then there's me.....

[The Dream Weavers come down to help the boy while he is sleeping to dream to believe in himself.]



"You know our motto...Anything can happen in your dreams!"


Then the Dream Weavers say: Well, I think anything can happen when you dream and believe in yourself...But he seems so lost...so unsure....Hey!, ...Don't you think we could help a little this time?

Then they say together the Dream Weaver Code. That is except for the littlest Dream Weaver, who wants to help the boy...and do something more...she pretends to put her hand over her heart and does the whole yada yada thing during the entire code: "As an official Dream Weaver, I will never interfere with the dream creations of the dreamer. I may only assist in making the experience more believable in Oscar winning cinematography."

When the little dream weaver asks if they can fudge a little, the other two say:

UNACCEPTABLE
UNPRECEDENTED
UNTHINKABLE
UNCONSTITUTIONAL

The little dream weaver ways are pointed out to her: You never do things by the book, you always have to find a new way, a better way to do it...we have our code, our pledge....the same ways we have always done it...

Then...the little boy is off to bed...his mother says good night:

Boy: GOOD night...I don't know what is so good about it. I mean, here I am, end of another day, still too small to do much more than put on my pajamas and brush my teeth. I'm just too insignificant to make any kind of difference in this world. ....there are over 6 billion people on the planet...What difference could I possibly make. I'm just one voice...How could I possibly matter.


Then two little girls enter the stage and begin to sing a song, One Voice....just a bit of it...which is sung in full near the end.



The boy gets into bed...and the dream weavers enter the stage again, and head over the dream bridge to the boys bed...they say as they enter the realm of the world...it's so heavy on this side...so many worries, so many fears...so many doubts.



They talk about how the boy doesn't believe in himself, or see his own value...his possibility, his POTENTIAL.


Then they little dream weaver puts a cowboy hat on the boys sleeping head, and spreads wand dust...[video and pictures to come] and the boy has a dream about being small...but having potential...riding the open range. Cute country song and dance.


Moving on...The boy learns that he is small, but he has GOT POTENTIAL.


Then he says: I have value and potential and possibility. Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell, even Bill Gates were kids once. They had a dream, an idea, and if they hadn't of believed in themselves we wouldn't have telephone, electric lights, computer games...

BUT... BUT...but, how do I do it. How do I accomplish anything at all. It would be much easier to not step out, just don't think about it.

Just be small and stay in a safe harbor. I don't know what to do. I just don't know. I just want to sleep.


The Dream Weavers talk about how the boy used the word BUT....an escape word, an excuse word. Smells like FEAR...

Do you think they'll ever learn that what they imagine CAN become their reality.

They just have to put their ship on the ocean....and sail.


WHAT DO YOU IMAGINE?



Phases and Changes...

CLARISSA SOLO, CLICK HERE

...or scroll down to further post to see!

Sam...in phases and changes

Boy: That was great!!! The wind in my face, the open sea, endless possibilities! And it's all up to me...I decide if I stay in the safe harbor or set my course for...well, ANYTHING and EVERYTHING. I am the captain of my future. I choose where I go and what I become in life. then he stops, and becomes doubtful again... But...what if I don't see myself as captain of my own ship. What if I don't see myself as great and able? When I look in the mirror all I see is a ....kid....small....not special...just a kid. [and he is back to bed] The dream weavers are talking...they say...He doesn't see himself as what he already is or wishes to become. He sees...so much ....less. He needs to know he is great and able. Well...let's just reflect on this a minute.. hum.....reflection....go with me on this girls.... What do you imagine? (singing)

The above pictures go with the reflection part of the singing. The song is called the Mirror. What do you see....when the mirror reflects back to me. Each of the kids in the picture are looking at what their potential is to be....an artist, a basketball player, a guitarist, a ballerina. [another great VIDEO goes here, someday...]

boy: So, as I see myself in the mirror, is what I have created from what I believe about myself. True or untrue, it's my own beliefs of how other people see me. It all begins with how I see myself.

What image I have decided is real. But, how do it get there?

To that place, where I like who I see in the reflection and to that place where I want to end up? Do I just hang back and see what happens? Do I just leave it up to chance? Or do I get to have a part in creating it all? There are so many questions and I have no answers. I don't know. I just don't know.



The Dream Weavers...

This is the time in his life where he gets to plant the seeds of what he wants to become. He can't see it yet, because he hasn't planted the seeds.

Good seeds...bad seeds...They're all out there.

Yes, but it's up to everyone to choose the seeds they want to grow.

What you plant...is what you become....


THEN, the next song is a Rapp song..."Good Seed!!"


Boy: It's the seed....so basically...good stuff in, good stuff out. Bad stuff in, bad stuff out. Well, I can control that. I just have to pay attention everyday to what seeds I am letting in and then, I can grow or become what ever I want.

Seem's easy enough....but....there's so much out there...pressure, decisions, friends, expectations...things I'm afraid of...things that scare me...I don't think I can do this!!!! I don't think it's possible at all.

DreamWeavers: Red ALERT...RED ALert...We have a situation here...unexpected breach...Emergency protocol...quickly, wands to full power...FEAR IS ON THE PREMISES, I REPEAT, FEAR IS ON THE PREMISES...

Sam and Clarissa, together, below
portraying FEAR
I loved this part of the play...just creepy and scary...really FEAR,
then the Dream Weavers surround the boy, and banish the FEAR away.

They swoop in and protect him. Just like angels.

And the fear dissappears.

And then comes the part about LOVE, and taking care of each other, kids taking care of kids, parents taking care of kids, parents taking care of parents. And then the really fun part of the play...the reggae... And how we are all part of a big river, flowing into DA ocean.... Live is a river...love is the giver.... Anyhow...GREAT video to come...it's coming, it's coming...

Then, the Dream Weavers kind of put it all together.
We all have potential,
We all have to know that ANYTHING
can happen and that
Everything will happen
if we believe in ourselves,
and in others.
To have love,
not fear,
and faith to believe in me.


They say...People don't start problems and wars. Fear does. Fear of not having enough or being enough makes people misunderstand each other and assume. And when we assume, problems start.

Then the boy discovers that HE BELIEVES IN HIMSELF: I can see the possibility for change. A new world, a new outlook that I create by the choices I make starting today...starting right now!!!
I can do this. I know I can.

DreamWeavers: Dream Weaver Central...This is Dream Weaver one. Mission accomplished. We have success. The eagle has landed. I repeat...the eagle has landed.

Here is the next FAVORITE part,
where Clarissa and Sam both
sing and perform.
VIDEO COMING: I believe in myself!



Then the Dream Weavers come out alone.

They talk about how they have changed.
The littlest Dream Weaver comes out with the biggest wings...
and shows her new outfit, she designed...

They say...Mostly I'm glad we came to see eye to eye.
And that everyone here is just doing the best they can with what
they see in their own mirror.

And now, I see there is more than just one "Point of View" and I need
to always try to remember that.


We have to have diversity, and appreciation
for our differences,
and really love each other.

They sing a song about Point of View...

...then a few kids come out and sing One Voice.
CLICK ON PICTURES TO GO TO VIDEO OR SCROLL DOWN

Then the Dream Weavers say...You know...there may come a time
when they won't need us any more...

The Dreamers...

Only when they forget how wonderful they truly are.



Then...We'll come visit them in their dreams.

But, THIS is a new world.
A new season, coming into view,
A new scene, starring me and you,

A new canvas, on which to do ANYTHING...ANYTHING!


Then the whole group comes out and sings wHAT Do yOu iMAgINe together....


Announcer: So...What if...What if you options were endless...lets say, you had no limits...no boundaries...and you TRULY believed in the part of you that says "I CAN" and you freely let go of that little voice that says
"I CANT" Then...WHAT COULD YOU IMAGINE?

Hmmmm, just a thought.

Oh, and by the way,
Have you noticed you own wings yet?






The End!!!


oh wait...what is a performance without congrats...and flowers...
or chocolate...if you are Sam, his daddy gave him a bar
of the DARKEST chocolate...yum!...and on to next year...