March started out great. I got to have an over nighter at the Mission Inn with Megan, Jenny, and Savanna. We attended "Time out For Women" and were uplifted by the incredible messages and beautiful music.
The thing I'm most proud of this month is something Porter did. At school he was asked to do a report and presentation on someone in history who has been influential to the world. As we discussed who he should write about I started listing people like Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr, Malala, etc. As I looked up these names Porter said, "Mom I want to write about Jesus." My heart instantly filled with love for this sweet, innocent boy. I went to bed disappointed in myself for not listing the Savior among those names in the first place. There has literally been no one in the world more influential than Him. I'm so glad Porter was in tune with the spirit enough to think of Him immediately.
Porter wrote about Jesus' life and ministry, and shared his tender testimony about the Savior's love for all men. He did this without hesitation in front of his entire class.
A few days later when I was at a school function, another mom came up to me and asked if my son was the one who presented about Jesus. I told her he was and she said that her son came home and told her about Porter's presentation. He said that when Porter was speaking it made his heart feel happy and that he wished he chose Jesus to write about as well. I couldn't hide my tears as the mom shared this story with me. I'm so grateful that my son loves his Savior, and that he unapologetically wants to share the gospel with the world.
Speaking of school...
I got to take these cute boys to "Mother/Son night". We ate pizza, made slime, and danced. Well, I danced, and Porter was humiliated.
They also had "Open House" this month. They were so proud to show us all their hard work.
We love Mrs. Ayloush...
and Mrs. Diaz
Kennedy and Dallin both got their first hair cuts! They did so well, and looked adorable before and after.
I also want to post about every day things we do, like the park,
playing in the backyard,
and the sweet sibling moments.
We lost our sweet Amber girl this month. We knew the time was coming because she was struggling so much with her arthritis. We woke up one morning and she was unable to walk. Scott had to pick her up when she wanted to eat or go to the bathroom. We took her to the vet and they gave her some anti-inflammatory pills to see if that would help. After 2 days there was no change so they told us there was nothing else they could do and that the right thing to do would be to put her down so she wouldn't suffer anymore. It was such a devastating day for us. I had the kids give her lots of hugs and tell her bye. Porter had the hardest time with it. He was emotional and worried about her. Kennedy talked about her for weeks after. I couldn't stop crying for weeks. The day after she passed the vet called me to give his condolences. He told me that he never sees 12 year old St. Bernards because their life expectancy is usually 8-10 years. He said for her to make it to 12 years was a testament to how well she was cared for. I found comfort in those words because I had a lot of guilt for not giving her enough attention when the kids came in the picture. I hope she knows how much we loved and appreciated her. She's a member of our family and I hope she's running around with Duke in heaven.
The Ethington's came down for Spring Break and we joined them at Knott's Berry Farm. The kids loved it, but really, they'd be happy anywhere with their cousins.
More cousin love...
For our Spring Break, we decided to hop in the motor home and take a loooong drive to Arches National Park and Canyonlands.
It was one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen.
The last place we went before we headed home was this dinosaur park and museum. It was a hit!
