Family Update

This is an email I wrote to my brother, Mark, who is currently serving a church mission in California.  I thought that this letter summed up what our family has been up to.  Enjoy!

Mid November 2011

Our family has been really busy.  Brian has alot of homework for a 1st grader.  Every day he has to read for atleast 20 minutes and on school nights he also has math and more reading exercises to do.  We're really glad that Brian LOVES school and is a very motivated and conscientious student.  Did I tell you that I'm the Art Appreciation Volunteer for Brian's classroom?  It's fun for me.  The head art lady for the school (they don't have an art class) emails the volunteers an art lesson to teach the class once a month.  There's an art closet at the school where I pick up my art supplies and take to Brian's classroom.  Brian had no idea that I was coming to his classroom to teach, so it was fun for me to surprise him.  I think the kids had fun with the project we did last month.  I go in again tomorrow.

Let's see, what else is happening around here.  We had our Primary Program during Sacrament meeting today.  I teach the Sunbeam class so I got to sit up on the stand with the crazy little kids.  Tyler was a silly boy who kept taking off his shoes and holding them high up in the air for everyone to see.  He kept poking me for the entire 45 minute program too.  But guess what!?  Brian got up and read his part to the congregation!  This was his line, "Jesus was chosen to be our Savior.  Jesus Christ is my Savior and Redeemer."  This is huge for him!  Today was his first time being brave enough to sit up front, sing (his favorite song is "Scripture Power"), and say his part.  We are so proud of him!

Katie enters nursery the first week in December.  She's almost 18 months old.  She's so fun and babbles all the time.  My nickname for her, Little Miss Piggy, is still fitting for her due to her huge appetite.  She's not at all fat though.  Sam has had long hours at work for the past 3 months.  They're so busy at work.  He's usually out the door by 6:30am and gets home about 6:30pm.  Due to his crazy work schedule, it's been hard for us to get out on a date.  We finally went out to dinner over the weekend.  We went to Texas Roadhouse and ordered some big fat steaks.  Mmmmm!

And as for me, I'm so busy.  I'm teaching preschool at my house on Tuesday.  On Saturday, I'm helping run a baby shower for a lady in my ward who I use to be my visiting teaching partner.  Also on Saturday, I'm going to my friends new huge house for dinner and then to a movie.... a girls night out!  OH, and tonight I was invited to attend Young Women in Excellence at our ward building.  Grandma Hallstrom came with me.  There was a nice dinner and a program.  The reason I was invited was that I took some sweet pictures of the Young Women (group and individual shots) at the Logan Temple for them and they wanted to recognize me as the photographer!  They had some of my photos on display.  I got so many people coming up to me and complimenting me and my work.  The Bishop was there and told me that I'd have to do family pictures for him sometime.  And one of the Young Women wants me to take her Senior pictures next spring.  I'm excited for these opportunities.  There's one picture in particular that I want to submit to the Church.  It's a picture of the whole group of Young Women and leaders in a line with their backs turned to me and they are all looking up at the temple.  I got the whole backside of the temple in the picture with some blue sky in the background.  The angle of the shot makes the temple look really majestic and powerful.  In the sky of the picture, I have the words, "We are Daughters of our Heavenly Father."  I'm hoping the Church will love the picture and who knows, maybe they'll publish the picture in the Ensign and New Era magazines.  Okay, that's enough about me.

Love, Lisa