20 July 2025

Welcome to the 2025-26 school year!  Monday was the first day of school for both Arlo, who is now in 8th grade at Corona Foothills Middle School, and Jude, who started pre-school at Copper Ridge Elementary School.  They were both up early and enjoyed some first-day cinnamon rolls for breakfast.  Jude especially was VERY excited.  Although, I will say that he was also a little put off by my moving him purposefully through his morning.  He's used to getting up when he wants and grazing and poking around in the morning, so he was a little unsettled by having to get up, eat, get dressed, brush his teeth, etc. all in succession.  

Phil was also having a "first" on Monday.  He recently bid to a new truck at a new station on a new shift and it was his first day as captain on engine 154.  I sent him to work with a batch of cinnamon rolls...you know, so he could make a good first impression!

Felicity spent the day on Monday with friends/cousins at Pina Blanca Lake.  She had a great time, but did come home sunburned!  Phil's first day was eventful, if you ask him he'll tell you fought ten car fires and a house fire on Monday.  And he did...but it was all on the same property.  The neat part is he had a nephew doing a ride-along that day who got some good pictures and video of them fighting the fire in the Helmet Peak area.  

Unfortunately the home owner lost their home and the fire jumped to multiple vehicles on the property, but luckily it was contained before it spread to the surrounding dessert.

Helen didn't start school with the boys on Monday and so she had one more week (minus one day) of summer.  She went to a friend's house and painted jeans for her senior year.  I guess they wear them to assemblies and she knew they would have a back-to-school assembly on Monday.  Her pants turned out super cute!

I guess I've entered the stage in adulthood where I bird watch...sorta?  I don't know.  I've always had humming bird feeders because they're my favorite, but I've found myself taking pictures of all sorts of birds around the ranch, many I can watch from my office window.  In mid June we found that a mama quail had laid six eggs in one of the plants on our front porch.  We've been careful not to disturb her in anticipation of them hatching.  I heard her mate calling and pacing in the driveway all morning on Tuesday and figured it was finally the big day.  Sure enough, when I went out to peek she had four little chicks in the planter.  She pushed them out by late afternoon and then encouraged them to jump off the porch.  I watched as they each got brave enough to take the plunge and then watched mama, daddy, and four babies wobble off into the dessert.

Phil was home on Wednesday and in the evening went out teaching with the missionaries.  We enjoyed time together as a family when he got home.  The boys enjoyed their first several days of school.  Jude's teachers have said that he's been very well behaved and a good friend.  He brought home his first art project too, a "kissing hand".  

Phil worked an overtime shift on Thursday and so I had to take Jude to the dentist where he was scheduled to get a couple of fillings.  I was super nervous for him, but tried not to let on because I didn't want him to feel scared.  I shouldn't have worried because he handled it like a champ.  Not a single complaint.  The dentist did a great job and he didn't feel a thing.  Since he was holding so still and being so cooperative they decided to use a crown instead of a filling.  He was very proud of his "Ironman teeth"...I, however, am embarrassed he got cavities in the first place.  

Phil worked another overtime shift on Friday and Helen had her first day of senior year.  She sent me some fun pictures of her and her friends at their first pep assembly of the school year.  She is excited for her last year!

Phil worked his regular shift on Saturday and I was happy to have everyone else home.  The kids helped me with some chores, I wrote my Sunday School lesson, and in the afternoon I got to work on a couple of quilts.  I finished my fourth Christmas quilt, and it was a stinking pain!  Nothing lined up right, nothing wanted to lay flat and it was a simple pattern so it was frustrating.  Then after the kids went to bed I was able to finish a simple missionary panel quilt for Felicity to take with her to Indiana.  Unlike the other one, this one came together beautifully and with no stretching or problems, a dream!

Phil came home in the morning and we all went to church together.  Jude was being quite the pill and was fighting with Arlo and quite frankly anyone who did anything he didn't like.  He told me he was "angry".  Dad had to take him out of Sacrament meeting for a little bit of an attitude adjustment.  He was still grumpy when he came back in, but sat compliantly on my lap anyway.  There was a missionary farewell talk and Felicity was asked to sing "Because" between speakers.  It was beautiful, she did such a lovely job and it really invited the Sprit.  I love to see my kids do the things they love.  When she was done Jude looked up at me and said "Mama, I'm not angry anymore."  I love that the power of sacred music has the ability to do that.

I taught the adult Sunday School class second hour and most of my lesson was from Doctrine and Covenants Section 76 and I paired that with the October 2023 General Conference Talk "Think Celestial" by President Russell M. Nelson.  I think it went pretty well.  I even made vinyl stickers and magnets to hand out to my class (which was huge by the way, there were SO MANY people in Sunday school).  In the afternoon Phil and Arlo went to do their ministering assignment and then we took Helen back to church for Seminary kick-off.  She'll be starting seminary on Monday and we're excited that she'll get to be in Brother Smith's class, I think its going to be a great learning experience for her this year.  Everyone, except Felicity, is back at work and school tomorrow; Felicity will be studying for her state exam which is scheduled for the week after next.  It'll be nice finding our new groove for the school year.