Family

Well we have just finished week five of our seven week long school summer holiday break. Buzz had to get his car fixed this week so he decided to take a bit of a break from work at the same time. It has been nice to have him home and to get out and so some fun things as a family.

We started the week by heading down to Victor Harbour. Grandma and Poppy joined us and we headed off for the long drive. As we got up into the hills it got really foggy. The kids thought that it looked like we were driving through an enchanted forest!

When we got down to the coast we headed across to Hindmarsh island to see where the Murray river goes into the sea. When we got out of the car it was really cold. Luckily I had bought jumpers for all of us. We didn't stay very long because the wind was blowing and it was fairly cold. We got back into the car and headed down to Port Elliot to go on the rocks and watch the waves crash. It wasn't quite as cold here as we were more sheltered from the wind. The water was very choppy so there weren't many big waves coming in. We did see a couple of guys trying to boggie board. One of them couldn't even make it past the waves.

It started raining a bit but we just grabbed the umbrella's and headed down the main street to look at some shops and grab some lunch.

After lunch we headed off to Victor Harbour. The weather cleared up a bit and the kids were able to play at the playground for a little while before they went on a little ride each at the carnival on the foreshore. After doing a bit more window shopping and getting an ice cream we called it a day and headed home.

This week I am grateful for my husband and my children and the time that we get to spend together having fun and enjoying one another's company.

Gratitude

Over the last month or so I have been thinking a lot about Gratitude and being Thankful. We all have trials in our life and wish that things were different. It helps to remember all of the things that my Heavenly Father has blessed me with. Just like the song says, "Count your many blessings, name them one by one. And it will surprise you what the Lord has done."

This year I hope you be able to keep a record of all the things that I am grateful for. It's kind of like a New Year's Resolution but it's more just something that I want to do for myself so that when life gets hard and can easily be reminded of the many things I have been blessed with.

To start with I am so grateful for my calling in Primary as the Primary music leader. I've been in the calling for about a year now and though it can be tiring and frustrating it can also be really fun and uplifting. This year the theme is 'I know the scriptures are true.' All the children have been challenged to read their scriptures everyday so far our family is not doing very good at this but I am hoping to get better and to be able to encourage my children to join the challenge.

The songs for the year are beautiful and I'm looking forward to teaching them to the children. I have learnt so much through this calling. I am much more confident in many things like singing, teaching and working with others. It really is a fun calling. I get to have lots of fun with the kids but I also get to teach them beautiful, spiritual songs that they will remember all their lives. It is one of the things that you remember from all your years in Primary.

I hope that this year I can teach with the spirit and help the children to start growing their testimonies and their joy of singing!