Bickmore Buzz April 9, 2017

Hi family!

We had a great week! I took off Thursday and Friday. Thursday, I went with Van and the rest of Kindergarten on their field trip. It was my first field trip as a parent chaperone. We went to the Vertuccio Farm in Mesa. There's a part of their farm where they grow pizza ingredients---tomatoes, wheat, onions, garlic, oregano, a cow and pigs. The first 30 min we listened to the farmer explain to us how those ingredients are used to make pizza. Then the kids played on all the fun equipment there, we ate pizza, and then came back to school. I'm glad I was able to get a substitute and chaperone because I was the only parent chaperone from Ms. Sanchez's class. I took Friday off as well and relaxed at home.

Saturday we helped our friends move and then came back and scrubbed our walls to get them ready for painting. The kitchen was a nightmare because the former owners painted right over the grease and grime on the ceiling. We did the best we could to scrub it. We finished the walls in the hallway and main living area. Next weekend we are going to do the bedrooms. It's going to look so pretty once the walls get painted.

Last night we went to the Stake Center for the Scout Chili Cook-Off. The boys had fun seeing and playing with their friends. They also had fun with Brother Sandeen's phone. He was showing them his photo editor app. They made lots of photos. Isaac and I enjoyed visiting with our friends. We both felt ill when we came home. Chili and hot dogs aren't the best combo when you get to your mid 30s.

Today at church, it was fast and testimony meeting. Van wanted to bear his testimony. He said, "Write this down. I want to bear my testimony, I know the church is true. I know the Book of Mormon is true. I know the scriptures are true. I am a child of God. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen." Then he asked me to come with him so I took him up to the podium and he read his testimony to the congregation. It was so sweet. Then I bore my testimony about the gift of the Holy Ghost. I expressed that back in January, Isaac and I were feeling really frustrated that we hadn't heard from any universities and were starting to panic. One night, I asked Heavenly Father to please help Isaac find a job. The words, "There is a job being prepared for your family," came to mind. I took comfort in those words and pressed on in faith feeling like there was hope and there will be a job for Isaac. Then a month later he flew to Missouri for a second interview and got the job! I then testified that the Holy Ghost can give us comfort in times of worry and concern and give us the assurance that things will work out. I've been reading interviews on mormonwomen.com. The women that they highlight have rich life experiences and I love reading about their contributions and lives.

Today I got to sub for Van's class in primary. The primary president asked the kids to share a story they heard during the general conference talks. Van shared the story about Meshach, Shadrach and Abed-nego. He told it in it's entirety without a flinch. He even shared the detail about how the furnace was so hot that the servants burned to death. Then William shared the story about the boy whose father felt prompted to pull him off a rock he was climbing during their hike. As they hiked further up, they noticed a giant rattlesnake on the rock the boy was climbing on. The father was grateful he responded to the prompting of the Holy Ghost to save his son from a potential rattlesnake bite.

I was so proud of the boys for recounting these stories in front of their peers. I love watching them grow--physically, emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually. I like to tell them what my own dad told me growing up, "I don't know what I did to deserve such wonderful children."

Isaac has 3 more weeks to go of his semester. His goal is to finish one of the major sections of his dissertation this week.

Overheard at our house:

Van loves my cell phone. He is learning how to text. He loves the emojis and has learned how to use voice activation to spell out what he wants to text. So if anyone gets a message from me and it seems kind of strange, it's probably because Van sent it. :) This morning, he was texting back and forth with Isaac while Isaac was at a church meeting.
Today the sister missionaries told me this story about Van. He came up to them and said, "You should come over to my house tomorrow and teach us a lesson about the Holy Ghost. Let me ask my mom and dad. If my dad says no, I'll ask my mom. If she says no, then you can't come."
William is so excited about moving to a new house. Yesterday he designed a home and made a blueprint. He is begging to have his own room. Van has really been getting on his nerves. I pointed out that I didn't have my own room until I was 19 years old at college. Isaac pointed out that he has never had his own room. Sorry Will! We'll just have to wait and see!

Pictures from the field trip