Life Gets Hard Sometimes...

and I don't know why it has to. Troy and Maggie have been having some problems that got pretty serious so I have the kids until they get things straightened out. While the ideal place for them is with their mother and daddy, this is not the time for them to be there. They are adjusting and I am adjusting. I love my grandbabies so much it makes my heart hurt and to think that there is anything amiss in their little lives just about does me in. I am so proud of my girls and the good mothers they are. They are both patient and kind and truly love their children.

I took Kamryn to church with me today because I had sharing time and I couldn't do it with both she and Trentin. Trentin stayed with his mama and daddy and when I went to pick him up he came willingly and I saw the hurt in Maggie's eyes and face. She is so worried that they won't want to come back home, but they will when they feel that it is back the way it should be. Kamryn went to Nursery for the first time ever and I thank Luke and April for being so patient with her. She tried so very hard to not cry, and didn't. She just clung to April everytime she had to take a child to the restroom.

In my calling in the Primary Presidency, I am over Nursery, Sunbeams and Scouts. I do want the Nursery People (Walkers and Eagars) to know I THANK them for what they do. The TWO most important callings in the whole ward are 1) Nursery and 2) Sunbeams. If children don't get that sense of security and stability in Nursery and then Sunbeams, they really struggle. My Sunbeam teachers are Jane Finch and Megan Hamblin. Once again, THANK YOU for being there every week.

I am thankful for my Scout people - Linda Eagar, Becky Crosby, Kathy Koin and Whitney LeSueur. I know absolutely zilch about scouting and thank goodness we have people willing to make it good for the boys. They are cute little guys and a couple of them really tug at my heartstrings. They have good Scout leaders and good Primary teachers to help them through.

We have a new Chorister in Primary, Brother Kyle Smith and the kids LOVE him! He has always wanted to be the Primary Chorister and by cracky we called him and he teaches the children so much about the gospel while teaching them their songs. Today he did a train whistle "toot, toot" followed by the "shhhhhhh" and had the kids totally quiet. They were so in to doing what he asked them to do and it was so much fun to watch. I had sharing time that bombed, because of my lack of spirit and almost lack of preparation. The thing I have found this week, is that you don't have two minutes to call your own. While I apologize for the bomb in Sharing Time, the most important calling I had this week, being Grandma to Kamryn and Trentin was never half-done. My rationalization is that I don't always bomb in Primary, but this week Kamryn and Trentin's needs over-rode every other thing I did or didn't do.

Yesterday I was in charge of our Primary Activity Day. We have had an Article of Faith challenge going since May. We challenged the Sunbeams to learn 3 Articles of Faith; the 5 - 8 year olds to learn 6 Articles of Faith and the 8 and Up to learn all 13. Little Skyler Willis, one of our cute Sunbeams has learned 2 and almost has his 3rd. He will have it by next week and I will still give him his award. He has earned it! Emily Willis and Daniel Pena both learned 6 Articles of Faith and then we had Makenli Haws, Janelle Pena, DJ Bigelow, Caleb Willis, Katie Bigelow, Chanelle Pena and Lauren Willis learn all 13! Leaders meeting the challenge were Amie Bigelow, Jodi Brown, Suzanne Willis, Becky Crosby, Denise Harris, and Stephen Pena. The reward...
an Ice Cream Sundae Party. Every person got a bowl with one scoop of ice cream. If you learned two articles of faith you got to put two more toppings on your ice cream and the kids had a ball. Lauren Willis got six scoops of ice cream and 7 toppings! I gave candy bars with Big 3 for the Sunbeams; Big 6 for the younger children and Big 13 for older children and leaders. The kids had a lot of fun. Today I took candy bars to all of the children to reward them for their efforts. I am so proud of them and have learned so much from them. I have loved being in Primary for the past 8 months. How did I do? 7...lack of effort on my part.

Life does get hard and we all have to have accountability for choices we make or don't make. Sometimes they bite us in the butt and sometimes we barely get by. I hope that I make a conscious effort to make better choices, because every choice I make affects someone else.

I love all of you and hope that you all have a good week.