JAYBIRD, OUR GENIUS

We haven't actually tested Jase for his IQ, but I'm pretty sure he is genius material. Three Peaks Elementary just hosted a Math-A-Thon for all the grades, K to 6th. All the students collected pledges for the amount of questions they scored correctly during the Math-A-Thon. I sent his package with him to school and picked him up at day's end. As usual, he jumps in the van and goes through his backpack, but on that day he informed me that he won the Math-A-Thon.

Well (trying to be a good and fair mother), I gently reminded him that there probably wasn't a winner and told him I was sure he did an awesome job. A few days later, he shows up in the van with a free pass to the aquatic center. I asked him if they had a drawing or something. I mean, why would Three Peaks give my child a free swim pass. It certainly wasn't for winning the Math-A-Thon?

My readers are probably assuming about now that my genius of a boy did not gain his intellect from his mother as I should have clearly listened to the handsome and excited boy that jumped in my van a week ago to tell me that he won the Math-A-Thon.

Oh, but not me. I filled out the paperwork for the free pass, and sent it back to Kindergarten. We certainly weren't turning it down. I just assumed that Jase won it from some sort of raffle. He is our lucky duck, you know.

Another week passes, and we get our monthly newsletter from the school. I look through the events and notice the name Jase W. in the Math-A-Thon section. I looked at it, looked at it some more, and finally realized that all this time my Jaybird was right. He did win the Math-A-Thon. And he didn't just win his Kindergarten class but every Kindergarten class in Three Peaks Elementary :)

I ran into his teacher a little later and told her the story. She informed me that I should probably listen to Jase. After all, he is usually always right.

BREAST CANCER BUNCOS

So, I'm spreading the word to as many people as I know. Don't miss the Kristen Branin Bunco Tournament and help her fight breast cancer! The prizes are amazing, the food is delicious, and the conversation will be fabulous :) Get a car of your favorite gals or guys together and head on over to Milford.

Saturday, April 2, 2011
Milford High School Small Gym
We roll the dice @ 1:30pm
Ages 16 & Older (leave the kiddos and germs at home)
$20 per ticket

We are talking Lagoon tickets, Tuacahn tickets, jewelry, purses, Rada cutlery, Scentsy, gift cards to Pastry Pub, Sizzler, Applebees, the Timberline, handmade quilts, photography sessions, and much, much more!

We also have four amazing raffle packages. Check out Kristen's blog for her story and more information @ http://www.breastcancerbuncos.blogspot.com/

THE VALENTINES BOX

When Jase brought his note home from Kindergarten asking that we send a Valentine's box any time from the 9th to the 14th, I felt chills of excitement run up and down my spine :) I absolutely loved that time of year in elementary school, and my mom was pretty much the bomb at making the best boxes. We're talking TVs, barbie cars, robots...whatever we could dream up! So, yes, I had big shoes to fill, but when Jase asked for a monster, I grabbed an old shoe box in the closet, and we got straight to work.

He was so excited as we pulled out our supplies and so nervous when he realized we were down to our last hot glue stick at the end of the project. And when I pulled out two wooden kitchen utensils to use for the monster's arms, his mouth practically dropped. He couldn't believe I had made such a sacrifice for "the box." I'm pretty sure it brought a tear to his eye :) Okay, that could have been an exaggeration, but the box turned out fantastic, and my Jaybird deemed it the best box in his class. The best part, though, was the perma-smile as we drove to Kindergarten, and the way he puffed out his chest a little as he walked into the classroom with his Valentine's LOVE monster.

Oh, but don't tell him I called it the love monster. That's officially embarassing to a five year old!

Christmas Card 2010

Retro Snowflake Bursts Christmas

Personalize your Christmas cards at Shutterfly.

View the entire collection of cards.

Oh, Mrs. Ludlow :)

Praying to the Bunco Gods???
Eating, again!

Laughing at my jokes (I'm sure)

Have you ever known someone that is ALWAYS behind the camera, but is never really in any pictures. Okay, so we all know someone like that. But is that person as gorgeous as Mrs. Ludlow (AKA Blogger Police). So when Bunco was at my house (last March), I took it upon myself to get as many snapshots of Nat without being annoying. Well, I could have come across a little annoying ;) Anyway, blogging world, here ya go. Some beautiful pictures of the ever-evasive, Natalie Dawn Ludlow! You can thank me in your comments...he, he

PS--Some of you may be wondering why I didn't blog this in March. Come on now, haven't we already established my serious lack of blogging commitment?

JUST THINKING...

So today I was sitting at the computer thinking about things in my life. I have been truly blessed. I cannot argue or deny that the Lord's hand has been in my life, even as a young child. Yet, I still question why my prayers aren't answered immediately. I still struggle with the small trials that I am asked to bear. I still struggle.

Funny how even when I'm questioning why my Father in Heaven hasn't answered my prayers that He is still willing to direct me, to help me find peace. So there I was, sitting at the computer when the Spirit guides me to these words.

But eventually I learned that God's promises are not always fulfilled as quickly or in the way we might hope. Patience means staying with something until the end. It means delaying immediate gratification for future blessings. The work of patience boils down to this--Keep the commandments, trust in God our Heavenly Father, serve Him with meekness and Christ-like love, exercise faith and hope in the Savior, and NEVER GIVE UP!

(President Dieter F. Uchtdorf)