Thursday, November 18, 2010

Gratitude for my kids, Jay...and you!

November 18, 2010

Dear family,

We are doing great!  I hope you are too.  I love this time of year when we focus more on the blessings of life.  I have many.  At our Stake Conference on Sunday one of the speakers said that thankfulness is in our words and gratitude is shown in our actions.  I loved that difference!  I have been grateful for the gratitude shown me by my family lately.  I hope my actions show all of you how grateful I am for you! 

Taralynn and Kory—will stay in Idaho for Thanksgiving.  Kory has to work Wednesday through Saturday of Thanksgiving week.  Crazy.  Thankfully, Taralynn will be surrounded by the fun and wonderful Sibbett family while he’s at work.  We will miss them!  Taralynn showed gratitude by calling me this month, thinking of me and wanting to help.  I love that about Taralynn! She does think of others often.  I love when she tells me about what she is up to and the fun things she and Kory are doing.  She shows me gratitude by her kind e-mails and updated blog.  She shows her gratitude to Kory by putting the toilet paper on the roller!  (see her blog—
http://tk-sibbett.blogspot.com/)  Kory shows gratitude by keeping Taralynn happy always.

Amy is doing great and will be home in less than a week!  She has been getting everything in order to come home for good in December and finish her last semester at home!  She shows her gratitude by calling me everyday.  I love when I hear her ring tone!  I know these daily calls won’t last forever, but I do enjoy them now. We look forward to her being home for a week!  Many of you will get to see her, I’m sure.

Scott and his friends had a day off school and began a new project!  Along side the skateboard half pipe (which is now complete with a landing, couch and speakers!) we have the beginnings of a snowboard ramp!  How proud they are of this project!  The barn is a haven for boys who love projects!  Everything they need is right at their fingertips!  We are grateful to Mel for sharing his treasures!  Scott showed me his gratitude on Sunday, doing something that in some ways was out of character for him, but made my day and I will never forget it!  He has also said thank you more, it seems; one time being for the pizza brought out to him and his friends Friday night out at the ramp.

Jason has basketball everyday.  He comes home hungry, tired and happy.  He uses his time wisely.  Jason showed his gratitude by thanking me and Jay (without any prompts!) for taking him to the Suns game for Family Home Evening.  Jay had a client give him two tickets for row three behind the basket.  Jay showed gratitude by giving those tickets to Scott and Jason…and then Jay found a deal—two tickets for $28.00—for me and him!  When we got to the top (our seats) the man I sat next to said he was going to get a nose bleed!  We sat with a fun group of people and enjoyed a great Suns win!

Jay is the best!  He doesn’t know how to NOT show gratitude.  He has straightened the house, made the bed, gone to work, went dancing with me and the list is never ending.  I love him!  We went out for German food and enjoyed the temple, Leadership Training and Stake Conference together this week.  He is a terrific Dad and loves his kids and would do anything (and everything) for their happiness!  He teaches me Christ like love.

The temple continues to be one of my favorite places on earth.  Jay and I did sealings this week for Stake Temple Day and when I walked into the sealing room it was more brilliantly light than normal!  I immediately noticed the new chandelier!  Oh it is beautiful and so bright!  The sealer told us that the temple had recently replaced the chandeliers in all the sealing rooms—and they are hand-me-downs—from the Hawaii temple that has just recently been renovated and rededicated.  He said when he was told they were getting “hand-me-downs” he felt a little cheated…until he SAW the hand-me-downs!  They make the sealing rooms sparkle even more then they did before!  New walls, new carpet, new kneeling padding for the alter, new chandeliers…and new chairs coming soon!  Look for them—they aren’t even hand-me-downs!  As a total side note from this—I bought me a lamp for my bedroom!  I love the new light it brings—peaceful and inviting.  It was not a hand-me-down, but I was proud of the great deal I got!  New light sometimes gives me a new perspective.

At this Thanksgiving time I realize that maybe one of my greatest blessings is my life’s experiences.  They are unique and personal to me. Yours are unique and personal to you.  Life allows us to interact and help each other; to learn from each other, to help and serve one another and to grow closer to God because of it. I should take time to tell each of you why your influence specifically blesses me, but hopefully my actions show my gratitude.   Heavenly Father is in charge.  He knows what we need, when we need it, and who can help us.  The Savior made life and eternity possible.  I am grateful for this knowledge and hope my actions reflect it.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving week! I hope to see many of you!

with love always,

Lori

Monday, November 15, 2010

Poston Basketball Schedule!

Many of you have been so supportive of Jason trying out and MAKING the Poston Basketball team and have asked about his games.  Here's the schedule!

POSTON BASKETBALL GAMES

Tuesday November 30 @Poston vs. Stapley   
Friday December 1                   @Poston vs. Shepard  
Tuesday December 7                @ Perry                      
Thursday December 9              @Poston vs. Maryvale
Monday December 13              @Freemont                 
Thursday December 16            @ Stapley                   
Thursday January 6                   @Skyline                    
Friday January 7                       @ Highland                 
Tuesday January 11                  @ Poston vs. Taylor    
Thursday January 13                 @ Mesa High              
Tuesday January 18                  @Shephard                 
Friday January 21                     @ Dobson                  
Tuesday January 25                  @ Poston vs. Corona  
Friday January 28                     @ Poston vs. Fremont 
Thursday February 3                @ Poston vs. Dobson  
Friday February 4                     @ Gilbert                    

I am so proud of Jason and excited to go watch him play!  He worked hard to prepare and be ready to try out, worked hard the week of tryouts and continues to be diligent and work hard now that practices have begun!  It's not an easy adventure, but so worth it when you put in effort and see progress.  I have seen growth in Jason not only as a basketball player but in all areas of his life as he has dedicated himself to this goal.  I hope it is a fun season for him and his team! 

I love my kids and am so proud of each one!

Friday, November 12, 2010

Halloween Pics...

These are the pictures that wouldn't download from my camera to my computer. Weird, I know.  But I finally got them printed and scanned and thought some family members might like seeing them.  Great tradition even though we are all getting older!  Grandma Webb loved being there this year!

Can you guess who did which pumpkin?? 

The cousins with their pumpkins...and an extra cousin just for fun!
Here's who showed up that night!  We missed some, but had a great time with those who came.

Okay so not the greatest picture but Grandma doesn't come to town very often so I needed one!

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Great Week for ALL in the Allen family!

November 8, 2010

Dear family,

It has been a great week at our house. 

JASON is an Eagle Scout!  Yes, on Halloween day, Jason had his Board of Review and passed with flying colors.  I was able to sit (without participating) in on the Board of Review.  For Scott’s I had to sit in another room and strain to hear as much as I could!  Brother Smith must have known that my hearing isn’t quite as good now!  Jason did great and proved that he lived the Scout Law and learned in scouting things that would help him succeed and serve throughout his life.  I was and am a very proud Mom. 

In the Board of Review his scout master commented that he didn’t know that Jason wanted to be an architect and that he was a straight A student.  So, just  for the record, if you didn’t know, ALL MY KIDS ARE A students!  Yes, there are a few Bs scattered here and there to keep them balanced and remind their Mom that they are not perfect…yet!  But they are great students and I am proud of them.

JASON made the POSTON JR. HIGH BASKETBALL TEAM!  Try-outs were last week—everyday early morning; cuts on Wednesday and again on Friday.  He was nervous and we were all relieved when Friday afternoon finally came!  I was proud of Jason as he dedicated himself to making the team.  He worked very hard, disciplined himself, was obedient and succeeded.  Unfortunately, with the making of the team come more early morning practices!  But Jason and I are getting good at seeing the clock read and appreciate mornings, like today, when we can sleep in until !  Life is good.  The first game is the end of November and the season goes until February.  We are excited for it.

To celebrate Jason making the team, Jay got tickets to the Suns game for Scott and Jason.  It turned out to be quite a game!  Double overtime and a win!  We love when our Suns do good!  The boys had a great time.

SCOTT FLEW SOLO TO TUCSON!  Yep!  He is doing great and I am a proud Mom!  I love the flying aspect in Scott’s life as it is one of the few things he takes seriously!  And he does take it seriously.  He prepares well and I love when he leaves, ready and prepared, and arrives home, safe and happy.  He is so good at texting me when he lands safely and that is a blessing to me.  People are always impressed that Scott flies.  It is an amazing thing to say that my son, at 17 years old, is flying alone!  The next flight will be a cross country at night, with his instructor.

Scott got asked to Winter Formal yesterday!  A good friend—since birth!  Complete with Hershey kisses, hugs and Sparkling Cider, the note read, “I’m not looking for kisses, I’m not asking for hugs, just a sparkling night with an old bud!”  There was the cutest picture of the two of them when they were (I would guess) 9 months old!  It was a perfect way to ask. Now, we are trying to think of the perfect way to answer!  It should be a fun time for them.

AMY COMES HOME in two weeks for Thanksgiving!  We are excited to have her here for a week.  She has been busy with school and continues to stress and then do fantastic.  She is so like Jay was in school.  I love talking to her everyday.  I am so excited for her to be home to stay!  I miss my girls.  She continues to meet new people and has fun stories to tell about college life.  I am proud of her.

TARALYNN and KORY WENT TO BOISE for a BOISE STATE GAME!  They have been looking forward to this trip for a while.  They are dedicated fans—as are most people from Idaho, I’m learning.  Taralynn even mentioned yesterday that someday when they finish their basement their theatre room will be decorated Boise-style, complete with blue turf!  (that made me laugh)  Unfortunately, Taralynn got sick. Bummer.  She said she spent the first half of the game in the car and then tried to enjoy the second half.  I was sad for both of them.  But, knowing them, they made the best of it and enjoyed their time together.  Kory got sick the day after they got home.  I think they are both feeling better now—just in time for the first snow of the season! Taralynn and Kory are happy and good to each other.  I am a proud Mom!  Their next trip, I believe, is to ARIZONA for Christmas and a little sunshine! 

Jay and I had our first dancing lesson!  Yes, I said dancing!  A couple months ago I got an e-mail from a friend informing me that some couples were going to take some dancing lessons, just for fun.  I called Jay, knowing that he would decline the invitation, and HE SAID YES!  I guess I learned that if I ever really want Jay to say yes to something, I just need to ask a friend to suggest it!  ha!  So, for the next three Friday nights our date nights will be our dance lessons!  It's fun, with lots of fun friends.  And, yes, Christiansens, I wore my stretchy pants!

Halloween illusion

We had the annual ward Halloween chili dinner in the yard. It was so fun!  The neighborhood came together for good food, including loads of candy, games for the kids, costume judging and parade and this year the Garry family set up an illusion that was spectacular!  It was very cool and everyone had fun trying to figure it out.  I always love my friends more on Halloween when I see how clever they are, something that I never am good at!

GRANDMA WEBB is 92!  We had a wonderful family party to celebrate.  I love when she comes to Arizona to visit!  She seems to be doing great.  She announced that she has one more year—that Grandpa Webb told her she would live to be 93 and twice as ornery!  I know she longs to be with Grandpa again.  I don’t know many who have been separated as many years as they have been, but what a blessing Grandma is in the life of her family.  We didn’t get to know Grandpa Webb in person, but Grandma has kept him alive to us and has kept her family connected by her goodness and love.  It was good to be with her and my family on her birthday.

So, there you have it!  I have enjoyed e-mails from family telling the good times in their lives--band competitions, plays, swim meets, grandbabies, wedding plans etc.  Thanks for them all!  I love my family very much! 

love to you always,
Lori