Back to school

The kids started back to school this week! They are all very excited about their new teachers. I am excited to have a set schedule again! For FHE, we had priesthood blessings to begin a new year. I am so thankful to have the priesthood in our home. 

Anna is beginning 9th grade - my baby is in high school. How did that happen? She is homeschooled again this year and will be learning through the BYU high school online program. She is taking three classes this fall (French 1, English, and Algebra 1) and then will take three more classes in the spring. Anna also began seminary and has adjusted to the early morning schedule with ease. 

Keith is in 6th grade this year - that's right, he's now in middle school! He's growing up! Keith is most excited about riding the bus again. He loves going to school and seems to be enjoying it thus far. Keith is in an L2 class.

Iryna is also in 6th grade. She's in an L1 class and attends the same middle school as Keith. It's so nice to have them both in the same school! Iryna is still quite nervous about going to school. Her teacher called me and said that she wants to work with Iryna on her head bobbing habit. She has been bobbing her head like that for some time. We shall see how it goes!

Calvin is now in 3rd grade. I have no doubt that his earned title of "model student" from his teacher last year will continue into this year. Calvin loves to work hard at school. He says he is enjoying the library visits the most right now. 

Silas is emotional when it comes to school and he flips from loving it to dreading it, sometimes within a five minute period. He is learning to read in 1st grade and seems to like his teacher. He has some fellow classmates that he knows from last year. Apparently, his teacher moved up with her kindergarten class from last year - Silas wasn't in her class last year. Some of the kids moved away and she specifically asked to teach Silas in 1st grade. She has her work cut out for her! Ha ha. Silas is a dear boy and has so many wonderful qualities, but he's quite a handful. I hope he enjoys 1st grade.

This has been me the last week. I went in for my MRI results for my knee and had both good and bad news. The good news is that there are no fractures and no tears = no surgery! The bad news is that I have three bad bruises and it will take up to a month for them to heal. The doctor put in a referral for me to attend physical therapy. I have an appointment, but it's not until the very end of September. :( I am trying to relax and keep my leg elevated as much as possible. I'm going on two weeks of being down for the count. My sweet family has been so kind and Tyler has been very attentive. On Friday, I was watching a talk by Sheri Dew and I remembered something that my good friend, Valerie, has taught me. She said that during a recent trial, she was praying about it. The spirit told her that her trial was a gift from God to help her learn and grow. During the talk, I remembered this idea and I have been trying to view this trial as a gift. I can think of some reasons why it is a gift. When Tyler was deployed, I was stressed and I had to handle everything. It was hard and stressful, but I did it. As the time went by that he was gone, the stress began to mount. When he returned from the Middle East, I thought that all of my stress would melt away...but it didn't. I couldn't understand why I still felt so overwhelmed. I felt like I had to handle everything, even though I knew that Tyler was here to help - and he kept reminding me that he wanted to help. Now that I am having to sit with my leg up for most of the day, I have to be reliant upon my family and friends to help me. Even though I want to be up and doing things, it's also nice to slow down. I think this IS a gift for me, to help me ponder and reflect more upon what is important. I am feeling very blessed and I am thankful for God's plan for me.

Here is one of the many ways that my sweet husband blesses me. We converted the office downstairs into our master bedroom. This way, I don't have to climb any stairs. It has been so nice to sleep in a bed after a week of sleeping on the couch and in the recliner. Tyler is so good to me. <3

Tyler and Anna and I like to play the iPad version of Settlers of Catan. It's much easier and can be played from the convenience of my recliner. 

Barkley is such a big sweetheart. He snuggles up to me and lets me love on him. He's become a member of the family and everyone loves him so much.