Catching UP!

I cannot believe how long it has been since I have blogged. Time seems to speed by leaving us in its wake at times, seems to sweep us along with it at times, and then there are those rare moments when it stands still long enough for us to take a mental picture and form an impression that we will never forget. Today I'll share some of those moments and even share some actual pictures so you can see why we need to catch up.

We have had 4 birthdays since the beginning of the year. All of which were low key and uneventful in nature, but special to those being honored. Bowen did turn 8 this year and was privileged to be baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by his big brother, Carston. It was a great experience for Carston to exercise his priesthood in a different ordinance. Landon and cousin, Collin Hall, sang "I Am a Child of God" with Landon taking the descant in the chorus. It was very nice. My brother, Kyle, and his family and my sister, Lani, and her family as well as Mom and Dad Work all attended. It made for a terrific day for Bowen.

You may notice that Bowen has started wearing glasses. Recently, Landon got contacts and feels free from the burden a piece of metal sitting on your nose can be. Landon also tried out and made it into the Amarillo Boys Preparatory Choir, which he has thoroughly enjoyed. He will start with the Amarillo Boys Concert Choir in the fall - a promotion made by the directors. We are so happy for him and love to see his love of music.

Lauren has been jumping and tumbling her way to medal after medal. Now, granted, they give all participants medals. :-) So, it may seem a little like it's not such a big deal. BUT, the majority of her medals have been 1st place medals, so I think they count. She was also recently awarded State Champion in the Double-mini trampoline, 5-6 yr olds, level 2 in the Panhandle area. I think that counts too. She has really had a great time going to the meets and learning some valuable lessons. At home she has recently started to reign in her mischievous, teaser, "push every button my brother has" side of herself. She has said to me, "I just always want to choose the wrong." and "I need to learn how to stop fighting." When she does well she is sure to point out that she's "choosing good things." and " doing what Jesus wants me to do." We love her for being so intuitive and so willing to try to better herself all on her own and at such a young age!!

Lastly, a little update on our beloved Dalon. He is still in Kwun Tong at this writing and enjoying every moment of his time. He bears testimony to us in so many of his letters and is just growing stronger and stronger in his conviction of the truthfulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ. He's been blessed to be part of a baptism already. A Bro. Lee was baptized and has led the missionaries to teach others through the sharing of his testimony. How important the members are to the furthering of the work of God. Dalon has been out for almost EIGHT months. I cannot believe he is more than a quarter of the way through. Remember what I said about time at the beginning of this post? I'm so grateful that I've been so busy so that I do not miss Dalon so much. We look forward to his emails every week and his pictures and his example for our other children. We have been so blessed by his service and work. I'm including a picture of Hong Kong at night. It's so beautiful and reminds me of the light that Dalon is sharing in that part of the world. Love to you all!!