Hopspital Photo Ops

When Sarah was in the hospital in September and October, we tried to find things that would brighten her room and bring a little joy and light to her life. Here are some of the things we enjoyed most while "trapped" in our "sterile" boredom...

 

Sarah and I painted her windows to improve the view and brighten her room. (Housekeeping didn't really like this, so we only did it during our first stay. It was so cute though, and did make her smile!)

Sarah listened to music... and slept... a lot.

We put together puzzles and played games from the playroom. We dragged a few of our favorite games from home, too, when we realized we might be there a while.

Sarah and I added a Cricut to our list of wants... Sarah's Aunt Susie and her cousin Toni took the day off work and came to play with paper and they made darling decorations for her window! The time passed so quickly and she had a wonderful time!

We cuddled...

... and smiled, as often as possible. When it didn't seem possible at the moment, then we looked for specific reasons to smile.

Facebook, Skype, texting and the telephone were lifelines to the "outside" world. (I think she was actually ordering her dinner or lunch in this picture, but we did spend a lot of time talking to people who love her!)

A Hawaiian Luau, complete with grass skirt and flower lei....

Upon hearing that she wouldn't be heading home (yet again), a few of her wonderful aunts in Utah threw together a luau in her honor. 4 Aunts, 1 Uncle, and a handful of cousins surprised her with a little tropical get away in the 3rd floor conference room.

...And a surprise visit from her best friend, Autumn.

Reading, listening to music, and watching the "smileys" do their tricks. Sarah got one of these little guys on her breakfast tray every morning holding a card with a silly little joke on it. They became a highlight, as she would share her jokes with the phlebotomists that came to draw her blood every morning at the crack of dawn. Her brothers loved hearing them each time we talked too. Steve was entertained for a moment each day by adding another little "smiley" to her collection. They got pretty tricky by the time we went home!

Had to do just one more puzzle with Mom before heading home. (It does take more than a few hours to finally leave once they give the word!) Doesn't she look great? That's a real smile, now!

2010: Our Year in Review

If I was into sending out Christmas letters with our postcards, I would have sent a letter that was way too long, bragged way too much about my wonderful family, and still wouldn't have even touched on the enormous amount of gratitude we feel  for all we've been blessed with this year.

I do know, however, how much I love reading about all of my treasured friends and loved ones' families, so for those who took the time to search out my blog to see what we've been up to, here's our year in review (and what you would have read, had I sent out a Christmas letter this year)....

The two most exciting things we can share from 2010 is our family vaction this summer and our move this fall. We spent the first half of the year saving our pennies and in June, we packed up our Suburban to the very top (not kidding) and drove to Alaska. We spent almost a month traveling through Canada and Alaska. We drove about 8,000 miles in our car, rode to the top of the Space Needle, hiked a glacier, saw the ocean and lots of wildlife, caught our “first fish”,  rode a ferry, dug up clams, played with cousins, swam in a hot spring, camped in the rain, and had many other grand adventures. We had a wonderful time together and have so many happy memories! In August, a wonderful opportunity and blessing was dropped in our lap, and we took it and moved forward with faith! We moved moved into a new pre-loved house that is just perfect for us! It has lots of room inside and out, and is absolutely beautiful! We really like our new ward, and love that we have so many new friends already. We've all adjusted pretty quickly, which helped our new house feel like "home" almost from the very first day. It's just where we're supposed to be!

Steve (our Daddy) still works for U.S. Congressman Mike Simpson. He loves his job, and also had an opportunity to help his boss get re-elected by working part-time at night and on weekends on the primary campaign. By June, he wasn't quite busy enough, so he accepted the Mayor's appointment to fill a vacant seat on the Pocatello City Council. It's been an eye-opening experience, and as much as he loves working with the other members of the board, he's really had to make some tough decisions and then stand behind what he feels is right and best for Pocatello. We're so proud of him. As entrepreneurs do, he's also found time to pad the family income with his direct mail business which helped out a lot during the campaign season (and our move) with 65,000 pieces of mail we designed, had printed, labeled, and sent out for several candidates. He has also been crazy busy this year getting our old house ready to rent, working out the little kinks in our new house, serving on a couple of other community and state boards, spending incredible quality time with his family, and tinkering in a couple of other business ventures. He was also recently called as the Cub Master in our new ward. He really likes having the opportunity to be the "funnest" 10 year-old in the ward!

Julia (Me, the Mommy) still loves being a stay-at-home mom. My kids are my life and I love that I have the opportunity to be totally involved in their activities and schools. This was also a year of change and growth for me as I discovered and learned much about myself and developed many new physical and spiritual strengths. I end the year much healthier and happier than I started it, and much more the person I want to be. I spent  a few months preparing for our trip and then a few more preparing to move. It's been a crazy year, but so many blessings have been thrown our way, I know that the Lord has watched over and blessed me to be able to keep up and be the kind of mother and wife I want to be. On our 3rd Sunday in our new ward, I was called to serve as the 2nd Counselor in the Relief Society Presidency. In the short time I have served there (almost 2 months now), my heart has been changed, and I've seen the Lord's plan for our family start to unfold. As you can guess, I haven't had a lot of spare time for hobbies this year, but I still love baking, blogging, and reading, and playing with my family the most.

Sarah (17) has had a pretty good year. It's been a healthy one (heart-wise) with relatively little action in that department. She found out this year that she has a pretty severe case of Scoliosis, which has caused much more heartache and many more challenges, but takes it all in stride and remains her sweet little self. She is a senior in High school, and is beginning the new year with college and scholarship applications dancing in her head. Besides our family trip and moving, the highlight of her year was attending EFY at BYU-Idaho. It was such an amazing experience for her and she came back a changed teenager! She loves to spend time with our family, and all of her extra time with friends (live or on Facebook).

Rachel (14) has become the best traveled member of our family. In March, she went on the American Heritage Tour with other 8th Graders in the community. Her favorite things were spending time in New York City, and seeing "Wicked" on Broadway, and making so many new friends! She earned all $3,000 herself (with help from her terrific parents) and had a wonderful experience. She also started high school this year and absolutely loves it! Being in a "real school" now, she can wear make-up, "real clothes" and make many new friends. She stays busy with piano lessons (taking and teaching) and friends, and thoroughly enjoys having her own room!

Bryson (11) is in 5th Grade now and still loves school. He was recently released from his occupational therapy and had grown and matured in such amazing ways. We hardly ever see evidence of his Asperger's anymore, and his confidence is apparent in his constant smile. His drawing talent has continued to blossom as he draws everything from the most detailed dragons you've ever seen to cartoon mice with goofy grins. He absolutely loves scouts, and earned his Arrow of Light just before we moved. His new scout leaders are amazing and he is looking forward to camping and many other adventures in the spring with his new troop. With our move came a whole handful of friends just down the street, a few he already knew from school. Having so many friends to play with all the time is a new thing in his life, but just one more blessing that came with our new house.

Joshua (7) is in 2nd grade and has discovered the joy of reading. He loves non-fiction the best, and any information he can gather about space, electricity and mysteries of the natural world are the best. He still loves to take apart and build things, but has discovered a new love for science experiments. He loves to draw, too, but his drawings are usually of mechanical or body systems, or data charts from his experiments. He also loves to play the wii, run around the yard, and play with his brothers and friends.

Nathan (5) is spending his last year at home with Mom. He is such a fun boy. He spent the first part of the year being a pirate, and the last part of it being a scarecrow. He often changes several times a day, and mom has to be careful to keep up. He also loves to draw and shows much promise of following in his big brother's footsteps. He started sounding out words this fall and has recently "published" his first book, "The Wizrd of Pos." He also loves running errands with Mommy, reading books, visiting Great-Grandma Mangum, and following his brothers around and playing legos with them.

Our family has been blessed beyond measure this year, and knowing that our Heavenly Father loves and watches over us is among our greatest treasures. We are so grateful for our forever family and all the amazing things that have happened this year to help seal our bonds of love and friendship. We pray that you, our family and friends near and far, have also felt the love and blessings of God rest upon you this year. We love you and hope you all have a merry Christmas and an amazing new year!

Job Security

In January, Steve accepted an offer for a part-time job working on U.S. Congressman Mike Simpson's re-election campaign. I call it job security, because that's who he works for in his full-time job. Since he started there in January of 2009, they learned that he was a hard worker, has a lot of connections in Southeast Idaho and obviously had a vested interest in the cause. Steve knew the extra money would be a blessing to help us reach our goal of getting out of debt, buy a few things that we needed (like a new refrigerator), and give him the opportunity to make even more connections in the political world. Besides believing his boss is by far the best man for the job, we kind of need to stay employed. So, after much talk of what that would require of me as the mommy suddenly losing much my incredible husband's help, and pledging my support in this endeavor, he took the job.

The past 3 months have been a little tumultuous in the campaign, as the lies began to fly early from the others running in the primary election against Mike. But after attending several events and a debate, Steve is feeling a little more comfortable with the chances of his boss winning the primary. He is enjoying his associations with the others involved, and is working hard to fulfill his commitments. On the home-front, my life has been crazy busy and it's been hard for me to not accept my husband's gentle kindness as he uncomplainingly takes over to let me fulfil my responsibilities. I realized one day as I looked at his tired, haggled, burdened expression that in recent weeks as he had been helping me with the family, he had not been able to give the campaign the attention that he should have been. I made him promise to be a little more selfish and let me know when work needed to be done so I could make other arrangements or skip some of my things to take care of the kids. So, we are now working together a little better with the arrangement of not having him so available to me. I'm working harder on asking others for help, learning to say no sometimes, and my life has slowed down a little. So, I think we will survive this.

On the upside, with our beginning bonus and tax return, we've payed off all our credit cards, and our only debt is now the house! We've bought a new refrigerator (and a treadmill), and are saving the rest of the the extra money for our trip to Alaska and to build up our food storage. We have prayed rather fervently for a long time to be blessed with ways to pay off our debts. I know the Lord answers the prayers of those who are trying to be obedient. Sometimes He doesn't make it very easy, but it's always there, and available to those who are willing to pay the price! ...And we are so grateful!

Christmas 2009

As we reflected on the past year, we realized, with much gratitude and joy, the great blessings Heavenly Father has granted us. We are employed, healthy, and happy. What more
could we want? We have enjoyed many special moments together and marvel at the blessings and miracles we are granted daily. Through our successes and struggles, we are more aware and grateful for what we have: a most amazing family.

Steve just finished his 2nd year working for the U.S. House of Representatives for Congressman Mike Simpson. He runs the office here and represents Mike at meetings and ceremonies. It has been a great experience for him as he's able to set his own schedule, work with wonderful people, and make connections with people all over southeast Idaho. He also serves on two community economic development boards, one as the chairman. He took somewhat of a "break" from local politics this year, determining to spend more time with our family. It's been marvelous for us. However, politics is "in his blood", and he still meets regularly with local Republicans. He currently serves on the Stake High Council, and we joke about dad "going to his church", but he usually takes at least one week a month to come sit by us at ours. His entrepreneurial spirit is still alive and well. He spent much of the year taking courses on internet marketing, looking at some avenues for a business that "runs itself". Through success we had in some direct mail pieces we created and sent out for a couple of friends, a new idea was born, and he's most currently working on a direct mail business. He's a wonderful daddy and husband, patient, funny and so supportive. We love him more than we can express!

I spent the year being the mom. Running kids wherever, volunteering many hours at the school as the PTO secretary and in classrooms, helping my boys with their homework, doing 323 loads of laundry, making 1,089 meals, and cleaning up the house too many times to count. I really love being a stay at home mom. I serve as the Stake Young Women President, which comes with the perks of working with awesome youth leaders (and their adult leaders) on things like youth conference and girls camp. The summers are pretty crazy, but I get to attend those stake activities with my girls and love the special testimony-building moments we have together there. When I make time for me, I love reading, blogging, card making, baking and spending time with my kids and sweetheart.

Sarah has had a great year this year. With a low-fat diet and handfuls of medicine, her health has improved dramatically. She feels so much better most of the time which has greatly increased her spirits, too. She is a Junior at Century High School this year, only missing a handful of days so far. She turned 16 and attended her first big dance this fall. She has a great group of friends now, and spends her time doing what teenagers do (whew...finally!). She likes to be with her friends, a good book, her mp3 player, Facebook, and the guy she attended the dance with (not necessarily in that order). She's recently found a new hidden talent in the choir at school and loves to help in the kitchen. She's in the Laurel class presidency at church and is a great example of faith and goodness.

Rachel has spent her year fulfilling her dream of going on the American Heritage Tour with the 8th graders in the community next spring. She decided last spring that she really wanted to go, and after Steve told her we couldn't afford it (over $2500), she moped for a couple of hours. He let her, then talked to her about ways that SHE could afford it. She put her mind to doing just that. Within a week, she had 6 children lined up for piano lessons, several babysitting jobs in the wings, a yard sale scheduled, and plans for a hand-delivered coupon packet (daddy's specialty) during the summer. She worked really hard, and by the time school started in the fall, she had earned $2100 of her money. She turned 13 this summer, traded her glasses in for contacts, started wearing make-up, and turned into a beautiful young woman overnight. She also serves in her Beehive class presidency. She loves to play the piano, read, write on her blog, and be with her friends. She's pretty excited to be at a public high school next year and wear "normal clothes" to school again. With all her drive and self-discipline, it's been so fun to watch her grow and mature.

Bryson had a pretty life-altering year this year. After so many struggles with school and some hard times at home, we finally found out that he has Asperger's Syndrome, one of the high-functioning autism spectrum disorders. So since summer, we spend our days in rigid routines, going to psycho and occupational therapy, encouraging social and physical experiences, and loving and enjoying our sweet boy with new eyes and hearts. He has responded well, and with his new accommodations at school and home, is thriving. He is still an incredible artist and loves to draw. He recently discovered that he kind of likes to read, too. He loves prehistoric creatures, ancient civilizations, and any animal that's ever existed (and some that haven't). He also loves cub scouts and just beams with pride when he earns his awards. Bryson is my special buddy, loving and sweet, tender and quiet, and good all the way through.

Joshua has decided this year that he prefers to be called Josh. (I think it's because it's faster to write.) But, he's still the same sweet, cute, cuddly kid he's always been. His darling little smile has saved his life on many occasions, as he's still our busiest, most inquisitive child. He builds traps, tears things apart, wrestles with his dad, and comes up with the most amazing things most of us couldn't even fathom. It is fun to watch his face light up when he finishes reading a book, or gets his spelling words right. He's excited to be in school all day, but is still practicing just paying attention and sitting still. He's a cuddle, a laugh, and a wildly vibrating ray of sunshine.

Nathan is such a fun little boy. He's very intrigued with letters and numbers and also loves to draw. He and Mom spend a lot more time together alone and we've become such good friends. He loves to go run errands with mom, play on the computer, read stories, watch movies, do puzzles, and make play dough "cookies". He is usually very loving and sweet, but has practiced his different moods and independent thinking a lot more this year. He's really grown up a lot, and has become quite a strong-willed little boy. He makes us smile all the time with his funny little antics, and has decided lately that he's either a pirate (aargghh!) or Santa Claus (ho ho ho!), complete with costume. We're so grateful he's in our family, too.

We have been so abundantly blessed this year, but among our greatest treasures is our wonderful family and the incredible blessing that we can be together forever. We couldn't stand it any other way.

Family Pictures 2009

We haven't had our family pictures taken since Joshua was about 6 months old. Yeah, six years ago. Well, we wanted a bunch of fun pictures and didn't want to spend our life savings, so David spent the good part of a Saturday in October taking our family pictures. He has a new hobby in photography and is really very good. This was his first "Family Portrait" shoot, except for his own, so we all learned some things. We had four locations in mind, but we started out pretty cold, and then the sun came up pretty fast and made things a little more complicated with the shadows and light. He took about 260 shots, and we hoped a few of them turned out okay. With that many people, you always have somebody blinking, not looking, talking, or crying. Well, he got many more than a few good ones, and I am so happy with what we ended up with. Actually, there are too many to choose. I might just make a collage for the wall instead. There are just so many that are so fun! I love my brother and am so grateful for his willingness to do this for us!!

Hours in Line for H1N1 Flu Shots

Sarah's cardiologist confirmed what the pediatrician told us...that she really had to have an H1N1 (Swine Flu) Shot. Originally, we weren't planning on getting one for any of us. Something to do with a government-infused scare tactics, not enough testing, more problems with the vaccine than the flu...yadda, yadda, yadda. Anyway, we figured we'd be careful, sanitize, and be fine. Well, with both doctors telling us she needed one, we figured Bryson should probably have one, too. And because they're both high risk (with Sarah's compromised immune system because of her heart problems, no spleen, and PLE, and Bryson's asthma), the other kids should probably get them too. We've always had our kids immunized, and never been crazies who refuse shots that could protect our kids, so we figured we better just do it.

The health department was having H1N1 flu shot clinics in Pocatello a couple of weeks ago. They had to cancel one because their shipment of vaccine was less than they expected. So, at the only clinic in October (and the only place the vaccine was available) people started lining up 6 hours before the clinic began. We were beginning to get a little paranoid about how to make sure we got Sarah's shot, until my mom called earlier in the day to say that if we brought her by the school (it was happening at the school where she works) at a certain time, that she could get in line to get one with her. Steve went and checked her out of school, sent her in to meet Grandma and then got in line to save the rest of us a place. We were in line, all the way around the church across the street, by 3:15, and worked on homework on the sidewalk, whined about being bored, and tried to calm the ones that had just figured out why we were there. It was fun.... okay, not really. We stood in line for 3 1/2 hours before we were able to get the kids their shots.

We did have a little excitement, though. Some wonderful Domino's Pizza owner had his drivers come around 5:00 with a whole bunch of pizzas that he was passing out to different sections of the line. I couldn't believe how generous and thoughtful that was. There were so many tired and hungry kids and pregnant mommies, it was very appreciated. About 15 minutes 'til the front of the line, the news station asked to inteview me, and I had yet another 5 seconds of fame. (Couldn't find a clip this time, though.) When we got to the front of the line, the nurse confirmed that the kids would all have to get shots since they had so recently had their seasonal flu vaccines, and Josh fell apart on me. He thought he was getting the nasal spray again. They all did fine, though, and we stopped at K&B and let them each choose a candy bar for their reward. Poor kids. We're such mean parents. I really hope it was a good thing to get the vaccines and it really will protect my kids from harm. We're still really going through the soap and sanitizer, though!!

Happy Anniversary, Sweetheart!

We celebrated our 18th wedding anniversary this month on August 9th. Actually, we celebrated together on the 7th and 8th, and with the kids on the 9th. Lacking any funds for a traditional romantic weekend getaway, we got a little more creative this year. Steve and I have never ever been camping alone. So, we thought we'd give it a shot, since it's a pretty cheap place to go. We packed up some yummy things to cook an anniversary dinner over the fire (ginger sesame pork and shrimp, red new potatoes and salad, complete with sparkling juice and frozen mint pies), sleeping bags and pillows and a few other camping essentials. We had such a wonderful time!! It was kind of weird not having all the kids there, but so nice to just sit together and talk, stare at the fire, watch an old movie in bed (in the back of the Suburban...not as comfy as we'd imagined) and spend some much needed private time together. We slept in (til our old bladders forced us out of bed) and cleaned up camp in the rain. What's camping without rain, anyway. It was a beautiful weekend.

As I reflect on the last 18 years, I am truly humbled as I realize how much the Lord has blessed me. I can't imagine how my life would be without the incredible man I've married beside me. I can't even describe the depths of love I have for him and the gratitude I feel. We've been through so much in the last 18 years, health problems, work issues, financial problems, the unknown in so many struggles... and through it all, we cling to each other and work through it with the Lord's help. We always seem to know what the other needs. Steve has made me a believer in Soul Mates, and I'm so grateful he found me, and knew I was his. He's everything to me. I love you, sweetheart.

Pioneer Day Celebration

Pioneer children sang as they walked, and walked, and walked....
Sarah and Rachel walked with the float in the Pioneer Day Parade and held signs with some of the other young women in our ward. They were wearing cute little blow-up alligator swimming floaties around their waists. Of course, Sarah thought they were cute and funny, and Rachel was embarrassed to death. We brought the quick shade and lawn chairs and found a pretty non-populated spot on Center Street with friendly and polite neighbors. It was really fun this year. After the parade, we did our usual run up to the fairgrounds to fight the crowds and heat and stood in line to get our traditional Pioneer Day lunch: hamburgers or hot dogs and corn on the cob, watermelon, and snowcones. Yum! That's what summer's all about. It was really hot that day, and I opted to hold everything while Steve took the boys into the petting zoo. When they were done, we made a bee-line to the car before they noticed anything else to do or eat.

We got home and Steve was watering the plants in the front yard. Rachel opened her water bottle and dumped it down his shirt. Pretty soon, there was an all-out waterfight going on in the front yard, and my poor husband was without his hose. A few minutes later, I heard footsteps on the roof and Steve opened fire with the backyard hose. Rachel didn't stand a chance.

Sarah and I were hiding and laughing on the porch, using picture-taking as my excuse so I could stay dry. Before I knew it, he bent the hose around the roof and squirted me and Sarah down. So, of course we joined the fun. Afterall, we had to get him back! We all had a great time, except Josh, who loved being the hose guy and squirting everyone when they came to fill up their buckets and pitchers, but cried everytime somebody dumped it over his head. We finally got smart and gave him an umbrella as a shield and had him sit on the sandbox and watch.

After an hour of drowning each other, we called a truce so we could all clean up and dry off. Of course, we did have to stop and pose for a picture first. What a fun, fun day! Spontaneous moments are usually the the stuff great memories are made of!

Dixon Family Camp 2009

Our Dixon Family Camp was held at the Eight Mile Guard Station, about 11 miles southwest of Soda Springs. It was a really nice facility. It had lots of grass for pitching tents, a cabin with a kitchen, two bedrooms and a bathroom with a flush toilet and shower.

Shaunna and Eric planned the reunion this year and the theme was pioneers. We all arrived throughout the day on Thursday, pitched tents, roasted hot dogs for dinner and visited and played.

Friday was pioneer day and we were scheduled to go to Paris, Idaho for a little handcart trek and a program with dancing, singing, and pioneer stories. We woke up that morning to rain and worry. Steve woke up with severe pain in his lower back on the left side and was pretty sure it was a kidney stone. He's never had one before, but it was the worst pain he'd ever had, and hurt so bad he couldn't hold still. Dad and David gave him a priesthood blessing, and I took him to the hospital in Soda Springs. The doctor said that being the "worst pain on God's green earth", it would definitely be a kidney stone. They took his vitals, put in an IV, and got him some medicine to help with the pain. They took him back for a CT scan to make sure that's what was going on, and then gave him some heavier drugs. After a while, he was resting. It was such a relief. I hated seeing him like that, and felt so helpless knowing I couldn't do anything to take away the pain.

I sat there watching him rest and thinking about how grateful I was. Grateful that we were only 11 miles away from a hospital, grateful that the storm wasn't too bad for travel, grateful for modern medicine, grateful that my brother and dad could give him a blessing, grateful for a family that would just take over and comfort my worried children, grateful for a Father in Heaven that I knew was listening to my silent prayers, and grateful to have Steve in my life.

Through the scan, they discovered that he did have a kidney stone, but that it had already passed from his kidney into the ureter and the worst pain was over. After three bags of IV fluid, he went to the bathroom and they sent us back to camp with three prescriptions and orders to drink lots of Gatorade and rest. By 5:00, we were back at camp (at Steve's insistence). Everyone was so glad to see him, most especially the kids. They told us all about their pioneer program and that the trek had been canceled, so they went to the ice caves instead. (I'll post some pictures later, when I get them from my sister.) Sounds like they had a fun day. Later that evening we learned how to make homemade rope, and played jump rope together. I laughed like a child again. It's been a very long time since I've done that! We also had a stick pull, and I discovered (but wasn't very surprised) that my little sister is stronger than me.

Steve was pretty wiped out the whole weekend, but insisted that he was okay and not about to "ruin" the rest of our trip. So, Saturday we headed to Bear Lake to play in the sand and water. That's one of the kids' favorite places to go. We all had a ball. We had a picnic lunch, collected shells, built a great sand castle, took a nap, read, played in very cold water, and made lots of great memories.


Sunday we stayed in camp for the day. The children played some pioneer games and made a pioneer yo-yo. I taught a little "Primary" lesson to the children and we shared stories of their own ancestors. We talked about how they can be modern-day pioneers by leading the way for others to follow through their courage, good decisions and example. With the adults, Valarie shared the story of the Martin Handcart company's rescue and David talked about how we wouldn't have the pioneers' stories if they hadn't written them down. He then asked us to share stories from our own life history. It was great to hear others' thoughts and nice to remember that our stories of faith and courage strengthened us in our own lives.

Steve was gone part of the day, traveling to Soda Springs and then to Pocatello to get parts for a trailer we borrowed from some friends for our trip. The bearings went out on the wheels on our way there. He had planned to get it fixed Friday, but his kidney had other plans for him that day. So, Sunday he went up to Soda to see if anyone could direct him to a place to leave the axle with a note and plans to return Monday morning to pick it up. The lady he asked in the gas station said her son was a mechanic and she called him. He said he'd be happy to help and that if Steve could go pick up the parts from his friend in Pocatello, he could get it fixed for us before we left Monday morning. On his way back, Steve felt like he needed to give the guy a call, and he told him to just come by his house right then and he'd fix it for him. Through the process, Steve found out that this guy was a father of young children, living at his mom's, back in school, and very low on money. It's always amazing to me to see how God works things out to benefit all of His children. As Steve said, it was a weekend full of "tender mercies". I also thought it was a weekend of reflection and gratitude.

It was sad to have to pack up and come home on Monday. Our annual Dixon Family Camp weekends always seem to go way too fast. But, we're still glad to be back home, clean, and rested. Mostly though, we're grateful that our daddy's feeling better.

Happy Sweet Sixteen, Princess!

My first child has turned sixteen. Can this beautiful young woman be the very baby I held in my arms for the first time sixteen years ago? I think not. It's just not possible.

Because her birthday happened to be the day before youth conference, and I was running around crazy, she got all dolled up and went out on her very first date with her daddy to celebrate. I think we'll make that a tradition and we'll let the boys take me out! Rachel helped her spiral curl her hair, and after a few pictures, they were off to dinner at Remo's.

They had a wonderful time together, and Sarah came home "stuffed" and holding a beautiful piece of complimentary birthday cheesecake. She's always been her daddy's little girl, so it was just so great for them to spend some alone time together on her special day.

Somehow, she managed to drag her "Sweet Sixteen" out for a whole week. Thursday night, Daddy took her out to dinner, Sunday we had a family birthday party to celebrate with dutch oven cobbler (yum!) and the next Thursday night she had a party with about 16 of her friends. During that week, she was often heard using the excuse, "but it's my birthday" and at least once a day, she told Nathan to give her a "birthday kiss", and he always obeyed.

She had a great time at her birthday party. We reserved the church (not enough room in our living room) and they ate snacks, listened to music (a special playlist created by Rachel just for Sarah), played games, watched a movie, and just hung out. A couple of friends from out of town were able to be there, and some of her favorite boys came, too. (O0o0-la-laaa!) She must have had a really good time because she hugged and thanked me and Steve for days afterward, saying it was just perfect. After all the joy and love she's brought us over the last sixteen years, I guess it was worth throwing a party and hanging out in the kitchen at the church for a few hours for our little princess!

Taking the Oath

This morning, Rachel stood with several of her fellow students, and took the "Oath of Office" for a student officer of The Academy at Roosevelt Center. She was elected Student Body Vice-President for the 2009-10 school year (her last and 8th grade year). She's ecstatic. This year's officers seem to be a pretty strong group of kids and their teacher adviser is really excited to see what they can accomplish next year. Ms. Phelps was Rachel's 6th grade teacher... loved and greatly respected by all. Great thing is, she feels the same way about my kid. It makes a mom pretty proud of her beautiful little girl!

Rachel receiving her official binder of procedures and duties

Taking the Oath

With the approval of his daughter, Steve has volunteered to be the parent adviser to the Student Council and work with Ms. Phelps and two other teachers to help these kids be successful leaders of their peers. I think he'll really enjoy it. He already made a hit with the kids at the school. He made "really cool" status when he high-fived all the kids on the way up to receive his adviser binder.

Rachel said her friends are really excited to work with him. It shouldn't make him much busier (he'll probably have early morning or lunch meetings), so I think he'll like being able to volunteer at the school and do something he enjoys. You never know, "Kiddie Politics & Government" might be his new calling in life!