Summer, Sleeping in, and Swimming

So summer is supposed to be all about sleeping in and swimming. Well we have been doing alot of the later. Not much sleeping in. The girls are on a swim team and diving team in mesa. Here is the kicker it is at 5:30 in the morning. This means we have to get up at 4:50am to roll out to mesa a 1/2 hour away. My mom and Wayne (my kids best defense team against the nazi mom) think I am crazy for "making" them do this. I have a wise aunt who says "Hard is good...it will build your character. I once knew someone who died from doing that." Aunt Candy
Well they have not died and surpisingly they often wake me up to go. There is nothing like getting up and doing something productive. You know how I feel about idleness. (got that from mom)
So here is my christmas in July letter.

Jessica has got 2 1st place in backstroke and freestyle. We call her 2nd place in backstroke 1st because it was against a boy team.

Jancy has got a couple 1st place in dive and 2nd and 1st in swim. They all run together all I know is I am still scared of the high dive.

Tana has a beautiful front tuck flip dive (is that the name) I am still learning the lingo. She is very inspiring with her perserverance. Some things take a lot of practice. She has really improved



Taryn has learned a lot of new dives as well for her young age. She has only slapped twice off the boards. Once of the 3meter. She only cried for 5 minutes loudly. Management thought something horrible happened. She is the youngest for a reason. She seems to have fun and like it.

p.s speaking of practice I need some sports photograpy practice , and a new lens :)
its for the kids.

Yesterday at church I had an epiphany. A good place to have one wouldn’t you think. Anyhow this last year and a half I have been the primary ctr 5 teacher. It has been the hardest calling I have ever had. I was plucked from young women’s were I was privileged to teach insightful lessons and connect with the girls. Which I loved.. I am pretty sure I went through the grieving steps. Anger , denial , bargaining , and whatever else comes with it . So my first week in primary I try to give an insightful and spiritual lesson to 10 of the hardest 4 and 5 years old children in the ward. It didn’t go well. One of my students (the one in the window sill) went home and said teacher cried. I told him it was a good cry. You know the spirit touched me crying. I was lying of course. The next week I had a new game plan I would stand on my head and teach the lesson. I had their attention but I don’t think anything was taught. As the year progressed I relearned how to teach little children. (Mine are all over the age of 5) I would tell stories as if they were from a video game. You know Ammon used a sword not a lightsaver. Play games and use big eyes when talking. This is all obvious stuff. But my heart was still with my girls in Young Women’s. I finally have my 3 girls in there and I get released.

Any how yesterday in primary as I was holding 2 of the 10 kids on my lap while trying to block the way with my foot for the other 3 escape artists of the class , we were singing I know my redeemer lives, and it was the sweetest thing. I thought to my self while struggling to keep my class in there seats and quiet there was a certain beauty, I dare say true religion about the moment. This is what is about , feeling the true spirit in its simplest form from a song with the innocence of the children . Its not about my great gospel insights or any other young women teacher. As I look back on my experiences as a youth I remember the songs not the lessons. So as my girls are growing up and going through the cinematic moments in young women’s I want them to remember it is not that complicated . The savior loves us and we should live to feel his love. Pure and Simple.

Satellite Elk

Wayne here.... and filling in for my everloving wife. I hope each of you will forgive her for having me intrude on you personal, time consuming, word conveying, time of blogging space. Here we go....
Chea recently left me (and not for what most you think she should leave me for:) to go visit Wendy in the beautiful mountains of Flagstaff. Anyway, after work I found myself in an empty house with no girls (girls camp), no wife, and of-course no meal. The later being the only constant:) I then began to search for a manly video to help pass the time while I soaked up the last portion of my gravy coated chicken from El Pollo Fatto. I soon realized that I've seen every video twenty times and the evening entertainment was turning rather bleak.

But then it happened! Over in the corner of my bedroom, in the midst of my overused DVD's of Barney Fife, I found a gift from a full time hunter/brother-in-law. It was an unwrapped DVD of his killings.... I mean hunting expeditons. Mind you, I've never really been a man... I just try to pretend and play the part. But as this story goes.... I spent the next hour watching, learning, and realizing how skilled some of our relatives our. Do each of you realize that the satellite elk are not the ones your supposed to blast? Satellite elk way are too small! NO, YOU MUST SLOWING AND QUIETLY WORK YOUR WAY PAST THEM. It is then and there (if you are lucky) that you will find bull elk that are bigger than houses. If you are so skilled and your hunting trip is successful.... then you too will have these magnificent creatures mounted and growing out of your walls. This should be everyone's goal.
I share this with you not only to bore you, but to tease and help you realize that we have a pretty good guy up North, who is part of a very special family. I hope he realizes that I not only write this to make him laugh, but to also thank him for everything they do for family. Privately and Publicly. Smile my friends.... life is too short not to laugh, give, and in my case... watch a video that makes me feel like Mr. Burns (The Simpsons) without his shirt on. Thanks for pretending to care. I'm sure I'll never write again..... Love and stuff,

Wayne

tough questions

Taryn finally lost her front tooth last sunday and her other front tooth wednesday. She is almost 8. So naturally she had some questions for me. Is the tooth fairy a man? How come Abbi got 5 dollars? Is there more than one tooth fairy? Does the tooth fairy come when you are older? Like all good mothers I told her to ask her Dad.

The more important thing is I had a reason for a photo shoot. Toothless grins are the best.

New Arrivals

Last monday I met my new niece Paige Catalina Murphy. Catalina for the beautiful mountain range in Tucson. She is beautiful.
Tommorow I expect another new arrival. Chan is moving to Queen Creek while Lee trains. I am so excited. But I will miss the quirky oddball places she has lived which have given me something interesting to shoot. So its fairwell to New Mexico and my Georgia O'Keaffe moments. For those of you who are artilliterate she is a famous artist who resided in New Mexico.
The only thing that would make this richer is Wendy moving home. I guess I will have to explore Flagstaff for quicky places to shoot. It shouldnt be hard as it is granola town. Not that its a bad thing?

The last arrival I expect is the arrival of my 3 girls home from girls camp or as we refer to it drama camp. I cant wait for the report. I am sure I will have great material to share.

In the beginning...

Here it goes. I have failed at writing in words the events of my life and my childrens life since Wayne and I started our signifigant relationship some 16 years ago. It was as if I documented it, it would some how make it like all the other angst that is in my teenage journal and end this fairy tale I am in. (it is true, I live a charmed life) The perfect husband , beautiful children, nice home, great neighbors, family nearby the list goes on. My theme song is I must have born a Lucky guy So I have documented through pictures instead of words. Way better proof in my opinion. So once again here goes. I will try not to give TMI. I cant garuantee anything though.