Seal Sagas

Happy Anniversary!

2013-07-30T23:01:00.000-04:00

16 years with Jonathan Seal
July 31st, 1997- Married in the Salt Lake Temple after just 2 weeks of dating and a 6 month engagement. Our first apartment at married student housing at the University of Utah was just 400 square feet.

1998- We were both working full time, going to school full time and serving in the married student ward. Little did we know that life wouldn't slow down. I was an optician and you worked for Marriott. We traveled all over the western US in style to San Diego, San Francisco, and Vegas!

1999 – Became Relief Society President in the student ward after I was released from my volunteer work at Primary Children’s Hospital. We told our families we were pregnant with Nate after walking around the lights at temple square in December. We served them ice cream and pickles and our sisters squealed with excitement.

2000- Threw a HUGE “Relief from Society” party at your grandparent’s cabin and I had Nate just 2 weeks later. You started your first real teaching job in Rose Park, Utah. We were poor and more in love than ever.

2001- Decided to move to Salinas, CA so you could teach math and chemistry in Hollister. We loved going to the beach almost every weekend and the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Our little condo had lots of family visitors that year.

2002- We spent your birthday in San Francisco that year and your family came out to surprise you. Later that month we loaded up a UHAUL and spent our 5th anniversary driving to Connecticut. I started working at the library that fall. You started E.O. Smith and lived with Larry Stone until our house closed the day before Halloween. We lived in a room in a teacher’s basement for a month together waiting for our truck of things to arrive. We loved owning our first home! It seemed so big back then with just a 2-year-old running around!

2003- You lost your front tooth. We had lots of family visitors and traveled all around D.C., New York, and New England. We bought a second car because I had a bad case of cabin fever.

2004- Annalynn was born. She learned to wink at 9 months. Life was pretty perfect with our two smart and beautiful redheaded babies.

2005- We pulled up the orange, green and purple carpet in our 150 year old Victorian. The floors built in 1850 were sanded down by you. Two full weeks of 12 hour days you sanded and I kept the kids out of the house. We celebrated the fact that our marriage survived by going to Myrtle Beach, VA for a week that summer. You started your first Master’s Degree at UCONN.

2006- Spent a few days in New York City with the Burns. Fell in love with Broadway shows, replaced our green shower, and entertained the Shupe cousins for a week at our house.

2007- Flew out to see my dad after his bypass surgery in California. I had Evan 6 weeks later. I was on bed rest for 3 months afterwards for my blood pressure. Ashford ward was our family.

2008-Jenika was born. Nate was baptized and Evan got glasses at just 15 months old. Our family was officially complete.

2009- Went to California for a Hunt family reunion. Played at Lake Tahoe with all the cousins. Your parents spent Christmas with us in Connecticut.

2010- Drove across the country with all four of our kiddos. Spent 20 days in the car seeing all the church history sites and Mount Rushmore, the Arch, and Niagara Falls. Becca’s wedding in October was a quick trip with just the two of us! You finished your SECOND Master’s Degree at UCONN.

2011- Met the General Relief Society Presidency. Threw more parties this year than ever…New Year’s Eve, Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Dinner, Easter Dinner, 4th of July, birthday parties, Thanksgiving and Christmas is always full of friends at our house. We have been so blessed to meet amazing people in our marriage who will be our friends for life.

2012- Trek, Myrtle Beach with grandma and grandpa Seal, Nate was ordained to the Priesthood, Annalynn was baptized, Evan started Kindergarten and Jenika started preschool. You were put in the Stake Presidency after serving in a bishopric for the last eight years. We got to meet and have lunch with Elaine Dalton! We used our passports again and went to Quebec and Montreal, Canada for our 15th anniversary.
2013- Left our Ashford family and became Bishop of Norwich! Scout camp, Girl’s Camp, and so many more adventures this year like taking our kids to the Hartford Temple Groundbreaking! My love for you in the past three weeks has grown more than I could ever imagine. I know more than ever that sometimes plans don’t work out because Heavenly Father has even better ones. You are the best husband and father I could ever want. Here’s to making more friends, enjoying all the little moments, and ending and starting each day with I LOVE YOU. Happy 16th babe – you are the best.

Seal Year (2012) in Review

2013-01-01T20:20:00.000-05:00

Jonathan began his second year as the math and science Department Head at Vinal Technical High School in Middletown, Connecticut. After 13 years of teaching, he decided to take on the challenge and “flip” his classroom. He now has his students watch instructional videos at home to learn the lessons, and in class he helps them with their homework. The students love it and he’s seeing a lot of success with their tests. He’s done several professional development workshops all over the state to show other administrators and educators all the different technology he uses in his classroom. He also keeps busy with his calling in the Providence, Rhode Island Stake Presidency. He drove down with members of our stake to do hurricane Sandy clean-up service with Mormon Helping Hands for two days in New York. He was a Pa on a pioneer trek with the youth of our stake. He survived being Mr. Mom for 10 days this summer while Afton was at Girl’s Camp and Young Women Youth Conference. He once again clenched the title of Best Husband of the Year Award by getting Afton a brand new 8 passenger van for Mother’s Day and roses on last day of school. A favorite highlight of his summer was taking the family to the Washington D.C. Temple to tour the Visitor’s Center.

Afton still enjoys being the director of the South Windham library after 10 years. She went to California to visit her Dad, Suzie, Dan, Janay, and their kiddos. Becca and Nate drove out with Lexi and Lincoln from Utah to join the party. Becca and Nate took Afton to Alcatraz and spent a beautiful day in San Francisco. Afton threw many parties this year including a Filipino Luau ward party and a Skype shower for an Australian bride. She also enjoyed being a docent at the library for the Willimantic Victorian Home Tour. She is an expert when it comes to entertaining kids without power for 5 days after Hurricane Sandy. She loved having family visits from her mom, brother Sterling, sister Sarah and cousins Matthew, Jessica, and Toa Hyde. A highlight of the summer was taking the kids to Crayola World in Pennsylvania. She slept under the stars for the first time for two nights on Trek as a Ma with 10 children. She and Jonathan loved using their passports this summer in Montreal and Quebec Canada for their 15^th anniversary!

Nate (12) is a 7^th grader on the honor roll at Odyssey Community Charter School. He is an incredibly helpful big brother, scout and was ordained a Deacon the same day as Annalynn’s baptism. Later that evening he answered questions about our church with friends who came to congratulate him. It’s not hard to picture him being a missionary in just 6 more years! He’s a member of the Odyssey of Mind Team for his school. It’s a creative problem solving competition sponsored by NASA. He’s hoping to make it to the world finals at Iowa State University in May. He was the youngest person at Trek this summer and loved it! The highlights of his year were winning the Baseball Championship with his team, and shaking hands with the General YW President, Sister Elaine Dalton, and Elder Eyring at a special Youth Stake Conference.

Annalynn (8) is a 3^rd grader at Odyssey with her 2 brothers. She was baptized by dad and confirmed by Grandpa Seal on General Conference Sunday. She had fun with her grandparents and Auntie Sarah at corn maze and pumpkin farm hay ride while they were here visiting. She received the “Best Hair and Accessories” and “Most Enthusiastic Learner” awards at school by her classmates and teacher. She takes after her mom because she can usually be found with her nose in a book or singing around the house. She even started a Song Club at school during recess. She loves to try and play along to Taylor Swift songs on her new guitar. Whenever someone needs a love note you can find her with colored markers making a sweet card.

Evan (5) can usually be found building a fleet of pirate ships with Legos or outside playing the Principal in “school” with the neighbor kids. His teacher stated at parent teacher conferences that he is the funniest Kindergartner she’s ever met. He is patiently trying to teach Jenika to read when he gets home from school. He loves all things nature and this year he rescued a baby bird that fell from a nest on our roof with our neighbor, Norm. He helped feed it every 20 minutes with a dropper until dad got home to drive him to a bird sanctuary shelter. He proclaimed our Myrtle Beach summer vacation with Grandma and Grandpa Seal to be the “BEST EVER!” Our condo had a river with turtles in the backyard and a lazy river that we swam in every day. We had an amazing time celebrating grandma’s and daddy’s birthday that week by going on a pirate voyage, Fort Sumter, Fisher Point Aquarium, Alligator Adventure, helicopter rides, a ferry ride, Nascar go karts, the Skywheel, shopping at the Piggly Wiggly, and 4^th of July fireworks on the beach! His dream job is to be a police officer in California so he can be close to Lego Land.

Jenika (4) is enjoying her first year of pre-school. She is a great artist and makes little picture books to share with her big siblings. We’ve noticed that her imaginary friend, Avery, is usually to blame for any kind of mischief. Avery is also 4 and always wears fancy dresses with jewelry and belts. Jenika loves to give “homemade” hugs and kisses to everyone, including the neighbor dogs, Eli and Gracie. She hopes to be a dog walker when she grows up. Her favorite places to visit this year were Bob and Gwen’s pond, the sunflower farm, and Buell’s Orchard where she loves to pick strawberries, blueberries and raspberries.

We are so blessed to have our faith in Jesus Christ, beautiful children who amaze us and bring us so much happiness, our health, and great friends and family. We love you all and hope that 2013 is a year of much love and peace.

New Van!

2012-04-27T22:25:00.001-04:00

So excited for our new ride! We are all happy with the recent addition to the family.

Happy Hearts Day

2012-02-14T12:45:00.005-05:00

I love you because…

1. The first words I hear every morning are “I love you gorgeous”

2. You always shower first so I can sleep in until the even minute

3. You never leave the house without our prayers and a kiss

4. You fix pancakes every Saturday morning – I love that the kids don’t even think I know how to make them!

5. You don’t mind doing everyone’s hair – even the girls

6. You don’t complain about leaving for church at 7AM and getting home at 3PM. Your 8 hour Sundays are just as long as your work days!

7. You are willing to iron as much as me

8. You don’t mind when I sing Broadway show tunes all day long

9. You help with the kids everyday so I can go to work

10. Our kids adore you

11. You make me laugh every single day

12. You play “Sorry” with the kids a lot more than I do

13. You have learned how to fix a zillion things in this old, beautiful house of ours

14. You mow and shovel and let me just make the lemonade and cocoa

15. You tell me I’m beautiful – especially after I’ve had a bad haircut

16. You love being with my family

17. You’ve always supported me in my “mom” jobs of optician, reading teacher and now librarian

18. You empty your pockets before you put your clothes in the laundry

19. You love living in New England as much as I do

20. You take me to the temple every month. Whether we do a session or just drive up and walk around outside with the kids

21. You wink at me across a crowded room

22. You still give me boomdiddees

23. You let me dream and play “What If” or “Would you rather” until my little heart’s content

24. You leave me cards around the house

25. You know I absolutely adore surprises

26. You’re my rock on those days when I feel like I won’t make it

27. You still rock our babies to sleep when you are just as tired as I am

28. We still dance in the kitchen together

29. Every time I smell a campfire it reminds me of that night I made you propose at the cabin again

30. Your voice gets really loud when you are excited to tell me about the latest random fact you learned from all those podcasts you listen to

31. Your eyes still sparkle when you look at me

32. You always help me get ready for all the parties I love to throw

33. You still let me give you a “Honey Do List” every Saturday while I’m at work

34. You’ll drive me across state lines just so I can take the kids to a penny candy store

35. Your faith reminds me that it always somehow works out in the end

36. You’ll stay up late watching a chick flick with me

37. You’ll clean behind the fridge when family comes to town

38. You bought me a GPS so I don’t have to panic when I get lost in the Connecticut woods

39. You love hearing my mission stories as much as I love telling them

40. Your family loves me

41. You are the hardest working man I know

42. We managed to make it through two Master’s degrees while you worked full time, served in the Bishopric, AND had three babies!

43. Reading books on the couch together counts as a Friday night date for you too

44. You gave me four beautiful, incredible, and funny redheads

45. You keep making all my dreams come true

46. You wake me up to watch a meteor shower at 3AM

47. You bring me home a candy bar from your gas station run

48. You’ll take a day off to go on a field trip to the zoo with the kids

49. You say sorry first even if it’s my fault

50. You are my best friend

51. You bring me flowers “just because”

52. You speak computer and I don’t

53. You can fix anything and our kids know it

54. You’ll check out the scary noise even if you know it’s just a radiator acting up

55. You call me every day before you go to lunch to see how my day is going

56. You’ll return things at the store because I’m too chicken

57. You let me plan all the summer vacations

58. You warm up my side of the bed on those crazy cold nights

59. You’ve brought me breakfast in bed on my birthday and Mother’s Day for the past 14 years

60. You’ve supported me in every single church calling big and small

61. You clean out the car even when I’m the one who gave them those big boxes of goldfish and popsicles

62. You know all that girlfriend time keeps me sane and happy

63. You go to school potluck dinners even if I have to work

64. You drive over 2 hours a day for your job and never complain

65. You always offer to take me when I have to give blood

66. You’ll leave the house at midnight to give someone a blessing, firewood, medicine, or t.p.

67. You go caroling every Christmas even though you think you can’t sing

68. You eat my sauerkraut every holiday I make it

69. You help us have family home evening every week

70. You love to snuggle and read to the kids

71. You spend countless hours tutoring family with math even when it’s 9PM there and 11PM here

72. You don’t mind all those “laundry parties” on a Saturday afternoon

73. We’ve driven across the country together 3 times and did all our hardwood floors and our marriage survived

74. When you “Kiss On It” I know it’s a promise you won’t break

75. You love me and I know it because you show it

Seal Family 2011 Year in Review

2012-01-21T15:37:00.001-05:00

Jonathan started a new job as the Department Head at Vinal Technical School in Middletown, CT. His commute is over an hour which means he leaves the house at 5:45 AM every morning. He is still serving in the Bishopric of our ward and we know the sacrifices he makes to help other people show us how much he loves us and the Savior. He was the winner of the pie eating contest this summer at our ward Pioneer Day celebration. He also continues to be the Yearbook Advisor, Professional Development Coordinator, and SAT prep teacher at his school. We are so thankful for a hard working daddy!

Afton is happy to announce that her time in the car this year has been cut in half! Nate’s buddy, Ace, started Odyssey school this fall, and so his mom does the morning commute. Afton loves having two hours back to her day so she can devote more time to all the other things she does like being the RIF chairperson, a counselor in the Young Women’s presidency, and our town’s library director. She’s also had some pretty incredible re-activation experiences with visiting teaching this year and her testimony continues to grow from witnessing some amazing miracles. Mom and the kids thought it was time to get a dog. But after dog sitting for the weekend, we discovered it was a lot of work and decided that having a dog is like having another child in the family. We are now content to just dog sit for our friends once a month.

Nate (11) continues to have great experiences with his Charter school as a 6^th grader. This year they took two field trips to New York City where they went on a ferry around the Statue of Liberty and toured Ellis Island. He also went to the Boston Science Museum. He was nominated by his homeroom teacher to represent his school in the National Young Leaders State Conference to attend the Congressional Youth Leadership Council in Washington D.C. He was also chosen for the math team that will compete for the middle school state championship for MathCounts! in Hartford this February. He was on the honor role every trimester and still managed to find time to earn Cub Scout’s highest award – the Arrow of Light. He works very hard and is a wonderful big brother to his siblings.

Annalynn (7) joined Nate at Odyssey Charter School this year as a 2^nd grader. She is also an amazing student and is top of her class in reading, math and science. She loves to write poetry, make up her own songs, and write little love notes to her family and friends. She took a flower arranging class this summer with Evan at a local farm where we also went blueberry, strawberry and raspberry picking. She has followed her mother’s footsteps and can be found in bed reading or writing lists. She is a great big sister and plays endless games of School or Puppy with Evan and Jenika. She loves to give hugs to everyone and enjoys being the only girl in her primary class.

Evan (4) decided that pre-school was not for him. He is now at home where he enjoys playing math games on the computer or taking care of his tadpoles and fish. He loves to be outside exploring for treasure. He is totally patient with his little sister who follows him wherever he goes. He is starting to read already and has a wonderful sense of humor. He’s a smart boy who keeps us on our toes every day.

Jenika (3) is the most snuggly child we’ve ever had. She loves to spontaneously hug and kiss her family throughout the day. She carries her little golden retriever, Gracie, with her everywhere. She survived having a broken leg this year and didn’t let her hot pink cast slow her down at all.

Some other exciting things that happened this year:

Weather Records broken in 2011 –

Most snowfall in a 24 hour period: 22.5 inches on January 12, 2011

Hottest day on record: 113 degrees on July 22, 2011

Hurricane Irene hits CT: August 29, 2011 – we have 8 days without power and running water. We are now experts in Urban Camping. You can make a lot of yummy meals on a camp stove!

Most snowfall in October: October 29, 2011 received 6 inches from Nor'easter Alfred - only 30 hours without power and water

Jonathan and I totaled up all the days we were without power in 2011 and came up with 21 days. We lost power just after Thanksgiving in November again for two days. Black Friday now has a whole meaning to us! Needless to say, our 72 hour kit is fabulous and when FEMA came to do a presentation to our town, they asked our family to share our 72 hour kit.

On St. Patrick’s Day the leprechauns played a trick on our family and switched all our furniture around. We loved how they rearranged everything and decided to keep the changes. It’s been fun to have our TV and dining room swapped after 10 years of having it the same way!

Some notable visitors to CT in 2011 include:

A pregnant Becca, Nate and Lexi came and while they were in town, Brian’s fiancé, Jessica visited too! We all went to Newport, Rhode Island and had lunch, visited the huge mansions of the Vanderbilts and Astors, and did the famous Cliff Walk along the picture perfect ocean. We love when family comes to visit and always promise fabulous food like French toast with REAL maple syrup or Baked Potato Pizza, a chocolate on your pillow every night, a car, and free babysitting! We are currently taking reservations for 2012 and are happy that Sterling and Michelle have booked a week in June!

We had a lot of fun trips again this year to various awesome places like…

The National Dr. Seuss museum in Springfield, MA

The Eric Carle museum in Amherst, MA (we also drove past the beautiful estate of Emily Dickenson while in Amherst)

We went to see where Cake Boss is filmed in New Jersey and we all enjoyed cupcakes from Carlo’s Bakery with auntie Becca and Lexi during their visit.

Jonathan and Afton got to be the chaperones at the Stake Youth Conference on Cape Cod. Heaven on earth!

Afton went to Girl’s Camp on the beautiful Lake Onway in New Hampshire for a week. While Afton was at camp the power was out again at home due to a tornado, but Jonathan kept the kids busy with all sorts of fun like paper airplane throwing contests out our second story bedroom window!

Our whole family participated in the annual Boom Box Parade on the 4^th of July to represent the library. The Boom Box Parade is the longest running parade in the country without a band. We’ve seen lots of famous people like Ned Lamont, Joe Lieberman and the UCONN national champs march in the parade.

This summer we got to fly out for the wedding of Brian and Jessica, Jonathan’s youngest brother. It was a beautiful wedding in the Salt Lake Temple and we are so glad we got to be there and celebrate such a great couple. While we were there we went down and visited Grandma Bette in St. George and got to attend the baby blessing of Lincoln. Little Lincoln is the second baby of Becca, Afton’s sister. We got family pictures on both sides since everyone was able to come to Utah this summer. We loved making so many wonderful memories this summer. We even got to drive around in a big suburban van that Jonathan’s aunt Carol let us borrow while we were there. Everyone was so generous with letting us stay in their homes, eat their food, and drive their cars! We are incredibly blessed to have such supportive families.

It was another super year full of blessings for our family. We are so thankful to have fantastic friends and family who help make our lives full of love.

Happy New Year to everyone! May the New Year bring you peace, hope and joy!

Love,

The Seal Family

2011-10-13T05:55:00.001-04:00

Riding Freedom by Pam Muñoz Ryan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I totally loved this book! I didn't discover it was a true story until the final chapter. I thought a lot about how I admire those who can train horses without fear. They are smart animals, but they are huge! The final few chapters were set in Watsonville, CA - Jonathan and I lived there at the beginning of our marriage. It is so pretty there (and home to the world's largest grower of strawberries!) The author did a great job describing the land's beauty. It's the story of the first woman who voted. She was an orphan back east and ran away. She disguised herself as a boy so she could continue working as a stagecoach driver. She eventually lost the sight of one eye due to an accident, but continued to take people all over California during the gold rush. Nobody discovered her true identity as a woman until she passed away. She was only able to vote because people thought she was man. She had a lot of courage, but had to do what she needed in order to survive in a man's world.

View all my reviews

Testimonies of the Seal children

2011-09-17T23:11:00.000-04:00

Parents, please ask your children some of these questions during Family Home Evening or other times in the next 2 weeks. We plan to use the answers we receive to help us with our upcoming primary program. You can email answers from your children to Sister Huff, Sister Adams, or Sister Anderson. Thank you for your help and support!

2011 Primary Sharing Time Sunday October 23rd

I Know the Scriptures Are True

Nate in RED. Annalynn in PURPLE. Evan in BLUE. Jenika in GREEN.

? I know the scriptures are true because or testimony of the scriptures....
They are about gospel stuff. They help you because I’ve had blessings when I’ve read them and I hear lots of good things at church about them and you’ve taught me!
? Reading the scriptures makes me feel...
Happy. Happy and loving. Good!
? Reading the scriptures has helped me learn...
Scripture stories. The gospel. If you be mean you need to say sorry so they’ll forgive you. To be happy.
? When have the scriptures helped tell you what to do?
To follow Jesus’ plan.
? What can we do to invite the Spirit to testify that the scriptures are true?
Focus on listening to the still, small voice. Get baptized. Pray to have good feelings.
? How does reading the scriptures make you feel?
Curious. Happy.
? How do you read the scriptures at home?
Quietly. I read in my head. We read as a family and take turns.
? What is your testimony of the scriptures?
Talking about the gospel brings the spirit.
? Who am I?
Evan I’m a temple.
? Where did I come from?
My mom. Jesus. Connecticut.
? Why am I here?
Because God called me down at this time. To be alive. Because Jesus made my body. Because Jesus loves me.
? What will happen to me after I die?
I won’t breathe. I’ll live with Jesus. I’ll go to heaven and be resurrected.
? Testimony of family
They help me through thick and thin. I’m happy when our family prays together. I love them and I don’t ever want to be away from them.
?How do you follow God’s plan?
I read the scriptures so I can learn His plan. You listen! You do what’s right and choose what’s right every day.
? How will keeping the commandments lead to happiness?
The commandments tell us to be kind. It’s important to do the commandments. They can help you be happy.
? Who are the servants who speak for Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ?
The prophets.
? I will follow the living prophet by...
Listening and doing what he says. Following Jesus and Heavenly Father. You do what he says and keep the Sabbath day holy.
? Who presented a plan to everyone in heaven before we came to earth?
Two people – Lucifer and Heavenly Father Jesus and Heavenly Father. Heavenly Father.
? Who said ‘Father send me and the glory be thine?

? What did Jesus conquer by following the Father’s plan?
Mortal Life Death.
? Why is Jesus the best example for me?
He is perfect. Because he talks about true things in his stories. Because he helps me be nice to my brothers and sister.
? How can I follow His example?
Try to be perfect like Him. Listen to Him. Playing nice with friends and sharing the gospel with others.
? How has the restoration affected your life?
I got baptized and it washed away all my sins.
? How does reading the Book of Mormon make you feel?
It makes me have a lot of questions. Happy Good.
? How has the Priesthood blessed you?
I’ve got a lot of blessings from my dad. When I’ve been sick or have a big test or a new school year.
?What happened to the seeds we gave you to plant? Ethan here?
They growed.
?How do you help make someone’s burden lighter? Examples
I help rake leaves, do my chores and comfort others. Help my family and friends to be happy.
?When or how has the Holy Ghost helped you?
It helps me know the right way to go with my choices. It’s like a blanket that doesn’t come off. When I’m afraid at school he helps me.
?Why does God command us to build temples?
So we can do baptisms for the dead and it helps us feel the spirit because they are beautiful. Because He likes them and they are part of the gospel. He wants everyone to learn the gospel and be nice to people.
?What can you do to prepare to go to the temple someday?
Get a temple recommend. Pray and listen to God’s plan. Dress nice, brush my teeth, and comb my hair.
?How do you feel when you visit the temple grounds?
It is so pretty there. Happy. Excited.
?How have you been blessed because of the temple and sealing ordinances?
My parents are sealed so I am part of a family forever.
?What can you do now to prepare to go to the temple?
Pray.
?How can you treat your body like a temple?
Be nice to your heart. Dress modestly like a missionary.
?What do you do to live the Word of Wisdom? How has it blessed you?
Obeying the word of wisdom lets me have more choices in life.
?How does listening to good music make you feel? Why?
Good when I sing sacred music. Happy. Good.
?How has missionary work blessed your family?
It has given my parents fun stories to tell me. We bring friends to church and that makes me feel good.
?How can you prepare now to go on a mission?
Dress modestly. Be clean and modest. Listen at church and read the scriptures every night.
?What can you do now to be a missionary?
Invite people to church. Dress modestly. Make sure your clothes cover you, but not your face. Help my neighbors.
?Have you had a missionary experience you would like to share? If so, please write it down.

?How do we talk to Heavenly Father?
Prayers and songs. We pray. Fold our arms, bow our head, and close our eyes.
?What are some different ways we can pray?
Out loud and in our hearts and minds. Pray in our heart and out loud. Pray in your heart.
?How do you feel when you pray?
Relaxed. Happy. Happy but sometimes I cry too because dad does such a good job on the prayer.
Share an experience of how Heavenly Father has answered your prayer.

We found the keys after we prayed! When I was doing a practice CMT test and He helped me with the answers.

?How can you show reverence?

Pay attention in class. Sitting quietly. Sit down and try to be quiet and fold my arms and don’t fight.

Fire Engine Redheads

2011-09-08T22:17:00.003-04:00

Providence Zoo, Fire Engines and Father's Day Too!

2011-09-08T21:50:00.002-04:00

Annalynn with her first grade girlfriends.

It was a super hot day!

Strike a pose. There's nothing to it. Vogue.

Best teacher on the planet - Miss Baratz. Annalynn was lucky enough to have her for Kindergarten and 1st grade. Nate had her as a teacher too. She is creative, kind, and has lots of energy for all these little people in her life!

Don't be sad Miss Jenika!

The Elliotts came for a visit and we celebrated with ice cream!

A couple of days before Father's Day it was discovered that we didn't have anything to give the men in our ward. So the Metcalfs came over and we did hugs and kisses in a bag to all the great guys!

Daddy was happy with his knife sharpener for Father's Day. Now we just need some decent knives to sharpen...

Miss Baratz on the last day of school wearing her dragonfly earrings that we gave her.

The Wu family on their last day in CT on the couch they gave us! This is a great family. They are both returned missionaries. Their oldest daughter, Eva, is a total sweetheart. She really watches out for her little brother. He was born without a nose and ears but is a total trooper. He's had many, many surgeries. He's a good boy. He and Evan are the same age and were in nursery and Sunbeams together. She was the Sunbeam teacher for a while too and was sweet with all the kids.

She asked me to help organize Eva's baptism and it was wonderful to get to know them. They came to our house for Christmas Eve dinner last year and New Year's. Annie, the mom, is amazing. Her husband has been in school and when he finally got a job in brain research, he had to be away from his family for awhile. She packed everything up all the while continuing taking Ken to doctor appointments. He has to wear special contacts for his eyes too. We were able to help them find an ophthalmologist when they first moved here. That helped us bond right away because Evan has to see a specialist for his eyes too. Evan has worn glasses since he was 14 months old. I'll miss them and wish them well.

I'm happy!

Daddy had some boo-boos and he humored Jenika by wearing Dora band aids. Apparently Dora band aids are the best.

On our way home one night in a rain storm we were headed up the hill to our house and this tree fell right in front of our van. It was terrifying to hear the crash and see the sparks flying from the downed electrical lines. If we had even been going just a little faster, that tree would have landed right on top of our car. We turned around and called 911 and then went to the bottom of the hill to warn drivers. CT doesn't have any street lights, so any car headed up the hill would have run right into the tree. Our poor neighbors were without power for two days too.

Future Firefighters of South Windham! Our local fire department had an open house and of course we had to go check it out!

Jam Packed June

2011-09-08T15:48:00.001-04:00

America

2011-09-07T22:28:00.001-04:00

Perfect Partners

2011-09-07T22:25:00.001-04:00

Providence Children's Museum

2011-09-07T22:21:00.002-04:00

My other favorite Newport

2011-09-07T22:16:00.001-04:00

Cupcakes, Cast, and a Cutie Pie

2011-09-07T22:11:00.001-04:00

Cake Boss

2011-09-07T22:07:00.001-04:00

Rub a Dub

2011-09-07T22:05:00.001-04:00

On a cold, cold wet day

2011-09-07T22:01:00.001-04:00

The Great Seal Hunt

2011-09-07T21:58:00.001-04:00

Easter Lambs

2011-09-07T21:55:00.001-04:00

Some bunny like you

2011-09-07T21:53:00.002-04:00

Big girl

2011-06-06T14:43:00.002-04:00

Miss jenika is growing up!

Ortinez Shower

2011-05-30T10:18:00.000-04:00

Carlos Bakery

2011-05-22T10:13:00.000-04:00

Becca and Nate Part II

2011-05-21T10:08:00.000-04:00