First Day of School

Ahh, it is that time of year already for children to go back to school. Joe surprised me by taking Monday, Thursday and Friday off work this week so I could attend Education Week at BYU. (I have never been before). (What a sweet man he is!) In guilty appreciation, I left this morning and Joe got the little ones breakfast and off on bikes to school before loading up Jonathan and Susie and taking them to the hardware store to buy sprinkler parts. Joe took pictures of the children with the digital photo on the video machine...missing our digital camera already! My classes began with an Organizing Home class in which the presenter encouraged us to get rid of HALF of all we own...donate, share, trow away, recycle. "Less is always more!" At home, we enjoyed a great dinner (spaghetti maranara, green salad, corn on the cob, steamed zucchini...and Aunt Beth's famous chocolate chip pecan cookies!) For Family Night we learned D & C 1:37-38 and passed around a love box (crystal recycled chocolate box with a bow on it so children could see nothing but "love" inside it).. We played, "I love you because..." until it had gone around everyone. Miss H and Miss R fought over spatula and Miss H will have stitches or glue by her right eye tomorrow...Jonathan was trying to fix a book and stapled through his thumb tonight...Oh well! Long day for everyone! Susie is tired...More tomorrow!

Found our camera?

Joe came in from the bike stroller with a silver object in his hand. "I found our camera." Apparently so had Susie and our sprinklers...in the stroller for a few days. The lens was telescoped out and the screen had moisture on it. When a sim card has rust on it--it is not a good sign! It may be DEAD! We will mourn it's passing. I am already missing it and wondering which photos I will probably never recover from the rusty sim card.

BBQ and Baseball

Tonight was the annual IHC employee dinner at the new UVU (Utah Valley University) upper field and Owlz baseball game. We enjoyed a great dinner (chicken patty sandwiches, hot dogs, pulled pork, chips, cookies, sodas, and waters) and entertainment from a local band. The children were excited to get very artistic face painting (wish I had my camera--it is missing currently, children!). Miss H had a sunset/palm tree scene, Miss R had a very cute guinea pig face, Jonathan had a clever spider man face and Susie had a flower painted on her arm. The children enjoyed a blown up jumping dragon hut and a blow up Olympic double path obstacle course. Along with free Owlz tickets, we got five dollars each to spend at concessions and the children were delighted with the jumbo box of candy they got to choose from Skittles, Mike and Ikes, Red Vines, Starbursts, etc. We discussed American baseball and how it is played so the children would understand what was going on. Unfortunately, a summer storm blew up and the game kept getting stalled by rain. Interestingly, each time, they would roll out plastic and cover the pitchers mound, then home plate, and some patch of clay off the right side of the field. Owlz played the Helena Brewers and fireworks following the game were scheduled to celebrate the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games in Beijing. (We did not stay to the end...we went to Wal-mart to get Miss R a bike and helmet--she earned the helmet and lock and to Shopko to get some things for the home and clothes that Miss H picked out for herself for school with money she had earned.) A fun time had by all. No one was lost or ran off this year--hooray!

Dad Clayton's Example

Joe and I both come from wonderful parents. On Sunday, he had me read a quote Madison Galland gave in his Elder's Quorum lesson he wrote down in his Blackberry: “Most Human Beings have a good heart and they are trying to do right. If we are frustrated with someone it is often because they haven’t made the same progress we have. We need to look at them and say that they are doing the best they know.” Madison mentioned that this was a particularly important (life-changing) moment to him when Dr. Clayton told him this. Also, a visitor to the quorum pulled me (Joe) aside afterward, and told me he knew Dr. Clayton and what a wonderful man he was.

Reflections on Rebekah's Baptism

Rebekah is a new member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints! She was baptized and confirmed by her father, Joseph H. Campbell. Sister Hannah gave a talk on baptism, Aunt Beth spoke on the Holy Ghost and Aunt Hyea Won spoke of her conversion and baptism in Korea. Great Grandma Edith Jex Clayton came down from Salt Lake. Both of her grandmothers gave prayers. Her grandfathers stood as witnesses. A beautiful day! She was quite nervous about bearing her testimony (talking about her feelings) today in church and went up with mom. She spoke about how wonderful she felt at her baptism and how great it is to have a dad hold the priesthood. In our own family testimony meeting following church today, Jonathan stood and spoke about his feelings, "I love my family. I know the church is true. I know the temple is true." Susie stood tall by her older brother and said, "I know..." Wish I had had the camera ready! It was a good example of how much she loves and looks up to her brother. We have a tradition that started when Rebekah's sister Hannah was baptized of getting a new white dress and getting a picture in front of the LDS temple. Inside the walls of the temple, Joe and I made sacred promises to love and cherish one another. It is there that families begin and may be sealed for "time and all eternity" to live together as a family after death with a loving Heavenly Father. This is our hope for Rebekah to look forward to in the coming years. (Hannah shared her baptism day with her cousin, Jackson Anthony Perri in June 2006. This photo was used to invite family to their baptism. She wore an all white dress on her baptism day). My Three White Dresses

My mom bought me a white dress, Not red or pink or blue. She said it was a special dress Like very other few, There has been just one before, A dress now put away, That I wore some time ago Upon my blessing day. As a little baby clothed In my first white dress, My dad held me in his arms, There to name and bless. So pure and clean was I just then, With time to grow and learn About the Father's plan for me. My glory I must earn. Now I've reached the age to judge The wrong road from the right, And I am here to be baptized In this dress of white. So once again I'm free from sin. The path is clear to me. I'll grasp the rod and hold on tight, I vow with certainty. Just as mud would stain my dress, Sin would stain my soul. The key is to repent or bleach, For whiteness is my goal. And if I try my very best, Then richly blessed I'll be, Wearing inside God's holy house White dress number three, So today I make this pledge: I'll strive to choose the right, Through this sacred baptism ordinance In my second dress of white. (Linda Gay Perry Nelson, 1993)