Order in the Court

Most of you know my husband is amazing, but now the entire state of Idaho gets to witness my husband's greatness!! This is the case he will be spending the rest of the year working on. (If you want to watch this video be sure to pause my music player at the bottom of this blog!)

Locks of Love

Every morning poor Maddie's head is traumatized as we try to brush through it. Her gorgeous curly red hair is a blessing and a curse that needed to be dealt with! We had heard about Locks of Love through some friends (thanks Andrea!) and decided that since it was for a good cause we would go shorter than planned by cutting off the required 10 inches. She looks adorable, as usual, and is so excited that someone else will get to have beautiful red hair like hers.

Before: (Just to show you how long it was last week)

After: (we have since styled it really curly and will post pictures later)

The Value of Service

Today I took my children to Grace Assisted Living. We have become very close with the residents there and they look forward to us coming. I had a permanent lump in my throat all afternoon as I watched my kids interact with all of the amazing people who live there. Zach is full of hugs no matter who the person is. Jackson is my entertainer and "boogied" upon request, and Maddie is all smiles, and easily chit-chats with everyone. We passed out crossword puzzles (large print, of course) and Sudoku booklets to any resident who came buy and offered them cookies and lemonade. After 10 minutes we had over half of the residents sitting around the tables chatting about the "good old days." My kids were fascinated! It was a great summer activity that got my kids out of the house away from TV and video games! Teaching my kids the value of service ROCKS!!

Great News!

Magic Prayers

Monday, after Jack's baseball game I realized my keys were not in my camera bag. I had been taking pictures most of the game and remembered putting my keys in a little pocket of the camera bag. It was 7:00pm and my kids and my mom were waiting dinner for us. Dan began searching the vast baseball field looking for my keys. Jackson and I went to the lost and found but still no luck. After 25 minutes I began to think it was a lost cause. I called home telling my mom the situation and instructed her to feed my kids. She asked me if I had prayed for help. . . which I had, but at that moment we both thought to ask Maddie to say her own prayer--for some reason Maddie has such huge faith that everything she asks for she gets. Within 30 seconds I saw a little sparkle in the grass and without hesitation knew it was my keys.

When we got home, both Maddie and Zach were happy that their prayers were answered so quickly. Once again their testimonies in prayer were strengthened, as well as mine.

Surgery, Red Sox, Busy Husband, and Manifests

Yikes!! It has been a crazy month and a lot happening, so let me catch you up on the latest adventures of our lives!!

Maddie had surgery Monday, May 17 th. The doctor cut her femur just under the hip and twisted it 30 degrees. She has always had a funny walk, with one foot twisting inward causing lots of trips and falls. The surgery took 2 hours and the doctor put her in a body cast (leaving an open area for her to use the bathroom). The surgery seemed to be a success, and Maddie has had very little pain. She has been absolutely amazing with very little complaint!! She is in a wheelchair for six weeks with extensive physical therapy for another six weeks. It may be a long and boring summer for Maddie, but she seems to have a really positive attitude about the entire thing.

Jackson and Zach's baseball season is officially underway. They were excited to see that both of them were assigned to play as the Boston Red Sox. Zachary has really improved over last year and Jackson seems to really enjoy getting some of his own attention this year for baseball. Dan is an assistant coach for both teams and enjoys helping his boys develop an appreciation for the sport. We don't expect champion athletes, but we are proud of the progress they are making.

I don't often write about Dan and his adventures at work. As many of you know he is busy preparing for his murder case which is expected to be in court some time in October. It will be a busy summer as he preps for the "biggest case of the decade" (according to one of his bosses). I am hoping to post local news stories of Dan once the case takes off later in the fall and will keep you posted on the trial.

As for Me I am officially licensed as an Idaho certified teacher!!! I do not have a job yet, and my future is uncertain as to if I will be a working woman next year, but I was just told last week that my name is now on the Meridian School District's teacher manifest for possible teacher applicants. . .which basically means that if there is an opening for a history teacher, I might get some job interviews in the next few months. I am really excited, because I thought I thoroughly messed up during the interview process and would be rejected.

It has been a very busy month, but we are so glad the worst is over. Thanks again for all of your prayers and concern. So many of you have sent cards and gifts for Maddie helping her feel loved!

Handicapped Parking

People who don't think this sign applies to them really, really annoy me!!!

I will update my blog about this past week in the next few days, but Maddie is doing great!!!