Justice's Movie Marathon

Justice wanted to do the same thing his sister did when she was able to watch PG-13 movies--- a Movie Marathon with friends.

Boys are a little different so it was more like one movie & some cotton candy & BBall & cotton candy. LOL But they had a good time!

BBall Adventure in Boulder

This week got a little busy & then all of next week- Brett will be out of town. With my birthday on Sunday, we decided to make Brett's BBall Tournament our Family/Birthday Adventure.

After work, we headed down to Boulder for some pizza @ Joe's Pizza. A little Ma/Son Shop on Main street. They took forever but it was so fun to hang out with the family & visit with the owner. Their Italian Sodas are to die for!!!!!

We have seen signs several times for Boulder Hot Springs.

31 Hot Springs Road

Boulder, MT 59632

I made a few calls to get some more info. It turned that it worked out perfect for us to get in a swim before we headed to Brett's game. The old mansion is pretty run down but looks really cool.

The kids had a blast swimming!!! It started to rain but the water temp was perfect so it didn't put a damper on our night. They had the outdoor pool as well as hot tubs in both the dressing rooms. {except the indoor ones are clothes optional so you take a chance at a peep show if you go inside. LOL} Fun times!

Brett had a late game at the high school in Boulder, MT. They ROCKED it! Way to go, team!

Check out Liberty's cool hair color after the mineral pools. Awesome! It's like she's apart of the X-Men or something! ;)

Fun times with the family! XO

SRO 8th Grade Rep

Justice ran again for the 8th grade Representative. He wrote his own speech and did a great job! He won so we're way proud of him! Way to go, son!

Peter & the Wolf Orchestra

Victoria had the opportunity to go to the Orchestra with her class today. Fieldtrips at our school are pretty impressive.

Doctor Who????

Cosplay (コスプレ kosupure?), a contraction of the words costume play, is a performance art in which participants called cosplayers wear costumes and fashion accessories to represent a specific character.[1] Cosplayers often interact to create a subculture and a broader use of the term "cosplay" applies to any costumed role-playing in venues apart from the stage. Any entity that lends itself to dramatic interpretation may be taken up as a subject and it is not unusual to see genders switched. Favorite sources include manga and anime, comic books and cartoons, video games, and live-action films and television series

As of late, Liberty is a COSPLAY freak!!! She's into so many shows that it's hard to keep track of them all. ;) We have recently helped her find a couple costumes. She is so excited!!!

10th Doctor:

 Sonic Screwdriver:

 Cosmic Paper:

 Attack on Titan:

Fairytail:

BBC Merlin:

Supernatural:

Changes to our Ward Family

At Stake Conference, President Bingham announced the organization of a new Ward in our area. They are creating a Helena 6th Ward & reorganizing the boundaries. I'm excited for the opportunity that The Church has to grow in this area. But for today, I have a sadness in my heart for the loss of some of my best friends. I'm excited for their opportunity to embark on a new adventure. They will be such a benefit to their new Ward. I know that we can still do things and get together but there is something about seeing & serving with each other each Sunday. I will miss them dearly! Love you ladies!!

On top of these 2 dear friends I will miss--- our Ward also lost 7 of our 14 Primary Workers. Also of whom will be missed dearly!  Serving as the current Primary President, it has been a bit overwhelming. I have had my share of tears this week. I do know the Lord is in charge. It will all work out. But in the meantime- extra prayers & a little faith will be required. ;) Thank heavens Brett is my unofficial sub! He's pretty awesome like that. He can teach 5 classes & play the piano, right? LOL

PG-13, Here I come!!

Justice has been looking forward to this birthday for a very, very long time! His celebration started last night when he had the chance to go camping with his Boy Scout Troop. They did some fishing & Hobo Dinners and I imagine all the dumb Scout stuff boys do! ;) Brett went out early this morning to do a little fishing with him and bring him home early.

Back at home, he got all cleaned up & we ate some Subway together as a family.

Then it was present time!! He is one lucky kid. He got things like socks, rubik cubes, gaming headphones, avenger pants, gift cards, a movie  and a air soft gun. He's pretty happy! The girls made him some pretty sweet cards. They sure love their brother!

We got to watch some of our favorite shows with him for the 1st time! We're super proud of him for waiting to watch PG-13 movies until he was actually thirteen. He, of course, LOVED them! He wants us to watch them all with him. He had in his head that Liberty got to watch them all the first weekend. Silly boy!

We continued his birthday celebrations the next day. (the adult session of Stake Conference require that the girls had to make him a special breakfast for dinner while mom & dad were gone) We made him a special T-Bone dinner and all his favorite stuff.

Happy Birthday to you, Son! Cut the cake & say Hi-Yah!!!! We made his requested Birthday dessert of Monkey Bread in which we melted the wax of the candles into the dough. Gross!!! But really funny! Love you, kid! XO

12 Things to Remember

Important things happened when I was 12.

To name twelve...

* I received the Aaronic Priesthood
* I went to do Baptisms for the 1st time in the Billings Temple. I also got to do them in Hawaii and Payson UT where I pulled off the doorhandle. Oops!
* I shot my 1st Deer with my Dad & Brother Caldwell plus did some Elk Hunting with Bishop Staley
* I visited Hawaii & learned to surf
* I tried my 1st fresh Coconut- YUCK!
* I like to separate all the marshmellows in my Lucky Charms. I eat them last!
* I grew an Avocado Plant from the seed
* I attend my 1st Prisesthood Session at the Conference Center in SLC
* I went to the Regional Science Fair
* I was the MBU Chess Champion
* I played Football
* I love to fish with my Dad & eat what we catch

Justice- so glad you're part of our family. Love you, Bud! XO -Mom

Adopt-a-Species Contest Winner

The Adopt-a-Species program was developed to increase student awareness and understanding of Montana's wildlife and the need for habitat stewardship. Students have learned,through study of their own special Montana wildlife species, the value of wildlife and the importance of providing a healthy habitat- food, water, shelter and space.
This year, students were again requested to spend time researching their Adopt-s-Species, always with a focus on habitat. They are encouraged to participated in the yearly Adopt-a-Species art contest. The outreach for Adopt-a-Species is an insert in the Independent Record. 
I was able to take a picture of Victoria's animal in the newspaper. This is the 2nd year in a row that she has been a winner for this contest. Way to go, sis!

Here's Victoria's Drawing:

Glory entered it as well. She didn't outline it until after but oh man! She should have won! It's awesome!

Genealogy Work

"Do you young people want a sure way to eliminate the influence of the adversary in your life? Immerse yourself in searching for your ancestors, prepare their names for the sacred vicarious ordinances available in the temple, and then go to the temple to stand as proxy for them to receive the ordinances of baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost. As you grow older, you will be able to participate in receiving the other ordinances as well. I can think of no greater protection from the influence of the adversary in your life."- Richard G. Scott, Oct 2012

Our family had our Genealogy Specialist come to our home this evening to help us figure out how to search for names of our ancestors to take to the Temple to be baptized.
She walked us through the steps on the Church family search website.

Family Search.org- Official LDS church Website for Searching & Temple Work
Ancestry.com- Another website to help search for ancestors.

I love the blessings associated with doing Genealogy. I hope that we can participate as a family in this great work.

1st Court of Honor

Justice has always worked hard as a Scout. He has an amazing Dad that helps him figure it all out and motivates him to keep going. Since we moved into our new ward, Justice has never had the opportunity to go to a Court of Honor. (We seriously don't even have numbers on his uniform. LOL) Regardless of being recognized publicly, he has worked really hard and has made it all the way to a LIFE SCOUT. It was pretty awesome to see him get all (most at least- some didn't get ordered because of a miscommunication) his patches and awards. Way to go, kid! We're super  proud of you!!!! He is finishing up a few merit badges and then he's onto his Eagle Project.

For you non-Scouters {or let's be more specific- pretty much everyone} that isn't familiar with the Scout ranks- that means he's done A LOT of work!!! He finished up his Arrow of Light when he left Cub Scouts. He passed through the ranks of Scout, Tenderfoot, Second Class, First Class, Star and Life!!!

Scout was previously a joining badge, but is now considered the first rank, and is earned by completing certain requirements. As of January 2016, the Scout badge has a gold fleur-de-lis on a tan background. The badge is awarded when the boy demonstrates a rudimentary knowledge of the Scouting ideals such as tying a square knot and knowing the Scout oath, law, motto, and slogan.

Tenderfoot is the second rank. A Scout can work on the requirements for the Tenderfoot, Second Class, and First Class ranks at the same time, but each rank must be earned in sequence. The badge is awarded when the Scout completes requirements in the areas of Scoutcraft, physical fitness, citizenship, personal growth and Scout Spirit.[2]

Second Class is the rank above Tenderfoot and below First Class. A Scout can work on the requirements for the Tenderfoot, Second Class, and First Class ranks at the same time, but must be earned in sequence. The badge is awarded when the Scout completes requirements in the areas of Scoutcraft, physical fitness, citizenship, personal growth and Scout Spirit.

First Class is the rank above Second Class and below Star Scout. A Scout can work on the requirements for the Tenderfoot, Second Class, and First Class ranks at the same time, but must earn them in sequence. The badge is awarded when the Scout completes requirements in the areas of Scoutcraft, physical fitness, citizenship, personal growth and Scout Spirit. At this point, Scouts stop practicing the Scout skills, and start working on leadership.

Originally, First Class was the all around Scout and the final and highest rank. Later ranks were originally recognitions of earning merit badges beyond First Class, and not properly ranks. Now these additional ranks form a second tier where Scouts can further develop leadership skills and explore potential vocations and avocations through the merit badge program.

Although Eagle is the highest rank and one all Scouts should strive for, the number of Scouts achieving First Class within one year of joining is still one of the key measures of unit effectiveness. Studies[13] purportedly have shown that if a Scout achieves First Class within a year of joining, he typically stays in the Scout program for at least three years. Scouts who do so are purportedly more likely to retain Scout values as an adult and achieve the BSA primary mission of "producing useful citizens".

Star is the rank above First Class and below Life Scout. It is the third-highest rank. Star is awarded when the Scout serves actively in the troop, team or crew in a position of responsibility for at least 4 months; performs at least six hours of community service; and earns six merit badges (four of which must be required for Eagle Scout rank).

Life is second-highest rank attainable and ranks above Star Scout and below Eagle. Life is awarded when the Scout serves actively in the troop, team or crew, serves in a position of responsibility for six months, and performs six hours of community service. Another thing a Scout must do in order to achieve Life is earn an additional five merit badges (three of which are required for the rank of Eagle), to make a minimum total of eleven merit badges (including the six previously required for Star). Finally, the Scout must pass a Scoutmaster conference, and board of review.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranks_in_the_Boy_Scouts_of_America

Justice also earned quite a few Merit Badges. He's earned  First Aid, Swimming, Emergency Preparedness, Environmental science, Person Fitness, Citizenship in the World, Citizenship in the Nation, Citizenship in the Community, Personal Management, Chemistry, Fingerprinting, Chess, Indian Lore, Basketry, Leather work, and Geocaching. He's pretty close to finished 3 others as well. What a hard worker!!!

http://usscouts.org/advancementTOC.asp#boy

http://www.usscouts.org/advance/boyscout/bsranks.asp

http://www.scouting.org/Home/BoyScouts/AdvancementandAwards.aspx

Avocado Plant

When we moved from UT to North Dakota in 2004, I had a pretty awesome Avocado Plant that I had started from scratch. It was a foot or more tall. It was probably the 1st time, I'd ever been able to keep something alive that long (except for children. LOL). Unfortunately it met an untimely death due to some good ol' Dakota weather & being left in a car for the night. Oops!
For some reason, Justice has been interested in getting his own started lately. He tooth-picked and submerged his 1st avocado pit several months ago (like a lot of several months)!!!! And nothing happened. It almost got thrown away on a number of occasions. But he was patient and a few weeks ago, he was able to transfer it into a pot. And then the magic happened. It has been growing like crazy ever since. He's super excited! He even talked his 2 sisters into growing their own. We have our own little garden on our back window sill. They have grand plans of making their own home grown guacamole in a few years! LOL

High School Honor Roll

This Freshman year has been a tough one!!! Who knew that High School would bring so many challenges??? (Answer---All of you with older kiddos that choose not to share that important info with us?? Thanks a lot!! J/K  LOL- We probably wouldn't have listened anyways. ;)
Liberty has always been an excellent student; a hard worker; a self-motivator; a good friend; an honest kid; a student all the teachers want to clone. We've never had to keep an eye on her when it comes to school stuff. She hasn't even really had to do much studying for tests either- things come to her pretty naturally. She was super excited to sign up for several Honors classes this year and be with all her old friends from East Helena again.
But  best laid plans can change! The old gang never quite reunited; new people congregated (including one particular male) ; classes were harder; teachers were less helpful; studying was required; homework was extensive; things got overwhelming!!! And unfortunately- Liberty's parents (aka us) were still stuck in the old habit of not keeping an eye on her. Things spiraled without our knowledge. A close hangout friend dropped out; others weren't getting along; electronics have become "more than necessary" important; school concepts weren't soaking in; homework piled up; and she let a couple classes completely slip. To top it off- this is the 1st time that she choose to hide things from us! It was then that a teacher reached out through email to us as parents. They got us on their school website that allows us to check on grades. We were shocked at how behind things had got. They shared with us a homework website specifically for Freshman that Liberty claimed she didn't really know about.
We had a parent meeting a few months ago with all the core teachers. It was very beneficial (and I'm sure embarrassing as heck when we had Liberty join us and make an "apology- I'm turning over a new leaf" speech to them all) The funny thing is- she was doing excellent in most of her classes. Those teachers were surprised by our struggles. The teachers of the two classes that she was struggling in- have been more than helpful in getting her over this hurdle. They allowed her to get caught up and made the effort to give additional help where needed. Even though we (Brett & I) are super frustrated and embarrassed of how we could be such slacker-ish parents and miss all of this right under our noses- we are indeed grateful for their help and that we caught it before it was too late!
Liberty has still be fighting the system a little. She continues to miss things here & there and chooses not to share things with us. But I guess the teenage years are all about spreading your wings and figuring it out on your own a bit, right? It's allowed us to be more aware of her, set up rules, take away the electronics on occasion and definitely be able to show our love to her more. Sometimes she doesn't appreciate that kind of love and definitely lets us know her disdain for our concern. LOL We're all just doing our best to figure out these next few years together. Heaven help us!!!

So to leave on a high note----

Despite my lengthy explanation of our teenage struggles as of late--- I was volunteering at Montana City School this past week and on the Teacher Lounge table was this newspaper article. I had highlighted names of all the kids that have attended MCS in the past that made the Helena High Honor Roll. And look at who was among those students!!! {the long arrow is pointing to Liberty's name} Funny how things can seem so prefect on paper. ;) We are so grateful for her efforts to figure things out & to make things right. She is a fantastic kid and we're grateful that we get to figure it all out with her. Love you, Sis! XO Way to go on making the Honors Roll!

Snowy Day

Seriosuly???? It's mid-April. Oh for the love of Montana!!! ;)

Denver Temple

Brett spent the week in Denver for work. But he also got to take some time and go to the Denver Temple. I'm glad he can do those things when he travels. 

Sliver Porcupine

Glory came home looking like a porcupine today. After school, she was playing with her friends with some wood chips. When I picked her up she was super sad sitting by the front office with about 500 slivers in her two little hands. OUCH!!! It was quite the procedure to take care of this Sliver Porcupine at home! ;)

I Packed a Suitcase to UTAH

Victoria recently did a project for school.
She had to pack a suitcase to one of the Western states.
She choice UTAH.

It was fun to highlight some of the places that people could visit if they went there. And especially fun that we had actual things we got in UT. She had a fun time showing her class her suitcase.






She highlighted--

The Olympic Park:
She was able to take an Olympic logo hat that we actually got when we lived there during the 2002 Olympics. She took a picture of her older sister and Dad standing by State Street in Salt Lake watching the torch run by on it's way to light the flame. Plus she took her ski boots with her so she'd be prepared if they visited.

The Utah Olympic Park is a winter sports park built for the 2002 Winter Olympics, and is located 28 miles east of Salt Lake City near Park City, Utah. During the 2002 games the park hosted the bobsleigh, skeleton, luge, ski jumping, and Nordic combined events. It still serves a training center for Olympic and development level athletes. Other facilities in addition to the ski jumps and bobsled track located on site include a 2002 Winter Olympics and Ski Museum, day lodge, summer aerial training splash pool, zip lines, and a mountain coaster.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utah_Olympic_Park

Arches National Park:

For Arches, she took a quarter from her collection that highlights the Delicate Arch. She also took some hiking boots because you would need those.

Arches National Park is a US National Park in eastern Utah. The park is located on the Colorado River 4 miles of Moab, Utah. It is known for containing over 2,000 natural sandstone arches, including the very famous Delicate Arch, in addition to a variety of unique geological resources and formations. The park is located just outside Moab, Utah, and is 76,679 acres in area. Its highest elevation is 5,653 feet at Elephant Butte, and its lowest elevation is 4,085 feet at the visitor center. Forty-three arches are known to have collapsed since 1977. The park receives 10 inches of rain a year on average.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arches_National_Park

Mormon Tabernacle Choir:

Victoria was able to take a Christmas CD from the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and play a part of a song for her class. Plus she took the replica that we have of the doorknob from the Salt Lake Temple.

Called "America's Choir" by U.S. President Ronald Reagan,^[4] the Mormon Tabernacle Choir is made up of 360 men and women; Choir members are not paid for their participation or performances.

 The choir was founded in August 1847. Since July 15, 1929, the choir has performed a weekly radio broadcast called Music and the Spoken Word, which is one of the longest-running continuous radio network broadcasts in the world.^[5]  The show has been televised since the early 1960s and is now broadcast worldwide through approximately 1,500radio and television stations.

The Mormon Tabernacle Choir's sound is often said to be world-famous, and instantly recognizable. When recording, the choir is usually accompanied by the Orchestra at Temple Square, the Salt Lake Tabernacle's pipe organ, or both. With the completion of the church's Conference Center, a larger auditorium directly adjacent to Temple Square, the choir now has two halls available for performance.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mormon_Tabernacle_Choir

Plus she showed just a few other places they could visit after they listened to the Choir. Places like: Temple Square and the Capital Building.

Lots of fun places to see in UTAH!