Guilty - no... I refuse to fall into that trap!

Okay, so it has been a while since I have written. Understatement of the century... especially with all of the changes that have happened to our Watts party of 5. Emily has lost her 2nd tooth, (bottom left) and the front tooth (top left) is now loose. She is thrilled! More money from the tooth fairy, although, she found a bag of foil glitter shapes in my craft bin that look dangerously close to the "fairy dust" that the tooth fairy always leaves behind with the loot... OOPS! This year for Easter she insisted that the Easter Bunny IS NOT real, it's just Daddy, who always conveniently disappears right before it's time to hunt for eggs. I think that the Easter Bunny has been found out, but she was very convincing to the other two kids and insisted that they still believe in EB or there would be "NO EGGS FOR YOU!" Emily is getting so smart - growing up fast - and I am thinking we are going to have to sit her down pretty soon and have "the talk". Oh boy - the birds and the bees are soooo interesting...

Lindsey LOVES school. She's in Kindergarten - but boy! Kindergarten is sooo different, even from the time that Emily was in it (and that was only 2 years ago). There is NO free play time in class. I know - I help out in the classroom every Wednesday. Every spare second is used in work or testing! Luckily, Lindsey is very studious and enjoys every minute of it. She even loves coming home and doing her 3 to 5 pages of homework everyday. (HOMEWORK???? in Kindergarten? Oh, yes...) Don't get me started. It is enough to make me start giving serious thought to homeschooling... (shiver...) Recess is about 15 minutes and lunch is an even bigger joke. They rush those kids through - I think they may get all of about 5 minutes to really eat, then they push the next group through to eat. Lindsey cannot be rushed into anything. She is deliberate and thorough. She comes home crabby because she felt overwhelmed at lunch and couldn't eat all of her food. I guess they have to learn sometime how to manage themselves, eh? Did we have to learn all that at the age of 6? Hummmm....

Tanner is starting T-ball and OOOOH boy, you should see him go! OOOOH you should see his Daddy, living the dream all over again thru his boy! Tanner is just thrilled to have Daddy playing so much with him and teaching him all sorts of cool stuff. Tanner seems to have a good little arm and really likes to run the bases of course! His first "game" is this Saturday. He is having a good time. Pre-school is fun for him, and he has a lot of little friends. Tanner sometimes seems to get a little frustrated at how to "manage" playing with all of his friends. He wants to play with everyone, but sometimes these little 4 year olds have a hard time sharing their friends' attention. Again, I guess we all had to learn how to socialize appropriately at one time or another. Tanner is just so full of energy - and goes non-stop until he crashes at about 7:30 every night. If I have him in the car at about 2 or 3pm, driving for longer than 20 minutes, he sacks out. He refuses to take a nap at home though. I think it's like admitting defeat for him...

Spring Break - we had every intention of making the most of it this year and take a long road trip - out to Montana to visit some friends there and do a bunch of outdoor "stuff" (Jared's hobbies - fly fishing, scouting deer, quad riding, cattle driving...), I just tag along for the ride. Then, life happened.
Jared abruptly changed employment at the beginning of February, that is to say, employment and his business partnership were abruptly dissolved - it was a much needed change and, as we are finally both seeing things from an eternal perspective, it was Heavenly Father's way of "saving" us from making more trouble for ourselves. Jared has been so unhappy for the past 2 to 3 years with his business partner, this was such a great blessing. Much worry and messy legal issues continue to plague Jared, as well as some hurt feelings that must be worked through and forgiveness given and received, but when is that not a part of all of our everyday lives?

I wondered why, 2 years ago, I felt this undeniable urge to get our house in order and to "prepare", especially with regards to food storage and emergency preparedness. Well, these past few months, what a comfort it has been for us to know that we have food to eat, some money saved to pay our bills for several months, and thankful hearts to offer up in prayer to our Father in Heaven for His guidance!

Jared and his dad are working together along with another friend to form a new partnership and start up work in the next month or so. We are confident that things will work out and that the Lord will continue to guide our thoughts and actions as we strive to align our will with His.

I am grateful for all the things that I am taught daily. I am grateful for the Spirit in my life. I got a call from my mother on Easter Sunday, that my grandmother passed away. The same day, my sister was celebrating the 1 year anniversary of her firstborn son's birth. Birth, death - all on the day that we rejoice over the gift our Savior gave each of us with His triumph over sin and death as He rose and lives again!

"Oh sweet! The joy this sentence gives, I KNOW that my Redeemer lives!"

We all shall live again - this I know to be true.
May love and peace abide with you.