We had the primary program this Sunday. We usually do it in October/November, but with the busyness of the holidays and Andy being MIA, I didn’t really want to have that extra stress during an already stressful time… so I just moved it during a different busy- sports season. It wasn’t too bad. We had a good time preparing with a Pirate themed “board game” that I made. Each landmark got them to the next song and when that was mastered we’d move on. They knew the songs pretty well so we weren’t going to use the flip charts I had for the actual program, but then in practices, I realized they didn’t know some of them as well as I thought they had, so I decided to use the flip charts for all. They did a good job, though I don’t feel like they sang as loud today as they normally do and I was wondering if it was from having them read the lyrics while singing. Next year we’ll get more time to prepare. I tried to utilize some of the things we’d learned in Primary. We sang “The Church of Jesus Christ” halfway in staccato. I used the ukulele to change things up for “I’m trying to be like Jesus” and then we did sign language for “Dare to do Right.” I loved listening to their testimonies as they got up to the podium. It is a really good reminder of why I do what I do. I absolutely love being the primary singing time leader.
Andy bought himself a monitor so it was easier for him to watch shows and stuff. His roommates hooked their laptop up to it and they watched “K-Pop Demon Hunters” 
Andy finally went off base with his buddies. They got some pizza that looks amazing. 
This is the Chaplain. Andy’s told me a lot about him; I think they’re pretty good friends. 
Andy sent a few pictures like this of murals throughout the town they visited. They’re very stunning.
Beverly is only in ballet this year. It just wouldn’t work with our schedule to do more than one dance class. She was pretty bummed at first, but she’s making the most of it. This week was show and tell week where the parents get to come and watch. They’re focusing a lot on technique this year. My good friend, Holly told me that as they get to be 10-11 they really start picking up the pace on dance skills. Bev’s doing pretty good compared to her peers though. She and her girl friends in the neighborhood make up a lot of dances together and have a cheer club at school, which apparently some other girls quit because they couldn’t be cheer captain. Oh the drama.
Mav has been improving so much this year in baseball. I’m a big fan of his coach because he focuses on skills a lot during practices and allows every kid an opportunity to try different positions. So far we’ve tied the first game and won the second 8-1. Mav has hit three, and made two runs. He’s doing great! He’s also very focused during the defense portion of the games and alerts his teammates to who’s on what plate. He’s always been good at being a team hype man and I love that about him.
Mav on the field, getting ready to hit. 
It was Mav’s turn for a Mom/kid date. He wanted to build a lego set with me. We had a good time selecting it and building it together. 
Bev and her friends doing a lemonade stand. 
This week was Lindsay’s birthday. Two things about Linds. 1) She’s always cold and 2) she loves Mountain Dew… so I had to get this for her when I found it on Amazon.
As far as for me, I’m just juggling all the things. Good and stressful. We celebrated Lindsay’s birthday with lunch on Wednesday and then I took her to a comedy show on Saturday. It was Sheng Wang. He was pretty funny, though his opener was not… It may have been his audience. They had a big auditorium and only about a quarter of it was filled. Also, Sheng Wang is pretty clean for a comedian and his opener wasn’t as clean, and you could tell the Sheng Wang fans were a little uncomfortable with his jokes. Plus… they really weren’t that funny. He did one joke and didn’t get many laughs so he went back and did it again. He got laughs the second time… but it felt like they were mostly sympathy laughs. Sheng Wang, however, didn’t have a hard time getting us laughing. At one point Lindsay was laughing so hard she was crying. The best joke… or maybe the one I related to the most was about berries. He shared a story about a friend coming over with their kid. He offered the kid some berries and the kid began to eat them by the handful. “You could tell by the way they were eating them, that they had no idea how expensive berries can be.” Oh man that rang true. Then he said he started matching their energy, grabbing berries by the fistful because “if they were going to be eaten, I had to get my share.” I grew up in a household where food was a prized commodity and it is hard not to be competitive in getting your “share” of something delicious, especially berries. My kids can eat a whole carton by themselves. Aside from having some fun with the kids and friends, I have been battling migraines almost daily. I have a doctor’s appointment this Thursday to see if they can do anything for me. But I’m sure it’s just from the stress of not having my husband around and dealing with all the emotions that have arisen from the kids from his absence. Prayers are always appreciated. I’m pushing through. I have to, but it is getting hard when I feel so tired, drained and in pain more than half the time. Love you all.