8 is Great

Favorite memory of the day--When Lauren came up out of the water, the first thing she said was, "Boy, that was quick." I was kinda feeling the same way. All that time planning, preparing, coordinating, etc. for that one single moment. It did seem like it was over pretty "quick."

2nd Grade Americana Musical

Lauren's big musical show was this past week. The 2nd grade classes of her school have been practicing about 8 songs to perform for the night. Unlike my other girls, Lauren didn't sing her songs at home at all. It was a complete surprise for us. I didn't even know she knew 8 songs. There were actions and everything. She was just thrilled to be standing on a big stage. They got to use the high school's auditorium, so it felt like a really nice evening performance. We love Lauren!

Adler Planetarium

Last week we took the girls to the Adler Planetarium. It is one of the museums that has reciprocity with our Exploritorium membership, so we decided to take advantage of it. We enjoyed looking at all the cool exhibits and looking out over the lake. Favorite quote of the day came from Nicolas Copernicus.
"The strongest affection and utmost zeal should, I think, promote the studies concerned with the most beautiful objects. This is the discipline that deals with the universe's divine revolutions, the stars' motions, sizes, distances, risings and settings. . .for what is more beautiful than heaven?"

Articles of Faith

I'm so proud of my Emma. At the beginning of the year our primary gave all of the children the challenge to memorize the Articles of Faith. This is something we've worked on here and there throughout the years as a family and Emma is VERY good at memorizing stuff. So, it was not very surprising when she had them all memorized around the second week of January. But I was very pleased with her desire and ability nonetheless. Then she had to pass them off to the Bishop in order to receive her reward, which I believe was recognition and a certificate.
We had ward conference yesterday and the Bishop spoke. And truly, he based his talk around the Articles of Faith because he had been so impressed with Emma's accomplishment. Although he didn't mention her name in the talk, he did retell the experience he had had with "this young primary girl" and how it had really made an impact on him. He realized that he wouldn't have been able to do it and it inspired him to put new focus on the Articles of Faith and rememorize them himself. His talk was powerful and the Spirit was present there and touched many hearts (perhaps especially mine). It was a testimony to me that the postive actions of one child can turn into something that can strengthen the testimonies of many.
Lauren has been working on this goal also. She's taking it much slower. Memorization is a much more difficult task for her. But I'm so proud of her desire and that she continues to work on it when it is obviously a struggle. I just love my kids.

Happy Birthday Lauren

My little Lauren is 8!
It's family party year this year, so here's a recap.
She wanted to go Laser tagging. Maddie was the only one who'd ever done this before. So it was a new experience for our family. We ended up having a pretty good time. Richard, Ellie and Emma were on a team and the rest of us were on the other team. Their team smoked us. It wasn't even close. When we got the results Richard came in first place and Emma, my quiet, ballet dancing, novel reading, shy and reserved girl came in second. Turn's out she's kind of a stealthy little sharp-shooter. I was kinda surprised. Then we went to Culvers because Lauren wanted chicken, fries and mashed potatoes. That was the closest place I could think of that had all of those things on the menu. She was happy. Then it was home for cake--monkey cake! That was her choice for cake. For the record, she did change her mind and want a Wonder Woman cake, but I didn't think my decorating skills were up to that task, so we settled for the monkey. Phew!
Her choice of gifts was a little out of my comfort zone. I'm a whiz at coming up with any Polly Pocket, Barbie, Littlest Pet Shop, doll or stuffed animal, but when she said, "Bakugan" I had no idea what she was talking about. But with a little research I found the Bakugan and the baseball Strike Zone game. (What the hay?) Who is this child and why is she disrupting my little "girly" family routine? Ever seeking for individuality, that girl.
Next up, the big dunkin'. Stay tuned for that.

My new niece

This is Eden Marie. Look how cute she is. She came into the world at a whopping 9 lbs. 6 oz and was 23 1/2 inches long. How nice that she's nearly grown. And I'm so glad my sister doesn't have to endure that pregnancy any longer--it seems it was plenty long. Congratulations Joni and Daren. Another Haws is born.

Sledding

We went sledding a few days ago. It was great. There is this sled hill that was planned and built into a nearby subdivision. In the summer it's just a big grassy hill, but in the winter it is this perfect sled hill. Kids are even skiing and snowboarding down it. And they really have to because there are no other options. Come to think of it, this hill is the biggest hill I've seen since we got here. There just isn't much in the way of mountains or even hills. It's so pathetic to watch the little skiers and snowboarders zooming down the sled hill. Oh, now I'm getting sad. JK--it's perfect for us and we had a blast.