Easter

I am the WORST blogger ever...oh well.

Easter was lovely. We got to attend the Easter Pageant at the Mesa Temple. It's been a few years since I've been. Basically, it's about Christ's life through acting, dance and singing.

I LOVE IT.

When it started, Landon was absolutely glued. He asked a million questions a minute and that made it that much more interesting to watch.

Before the show and after chicken :)

Went with Aaron and Amber. Mom showed up after work.

"Mommy, he has a sword!"

As soon as Jesus walked on stage, Landon said, "I want to go give Him a hug, take me to hug Him!!"
So after the show, we walked quickly backstage to find him. Right as we walked up, Jesus came out of the gate and Landon was able to meet him. He hugged him like there was no tomorrow. It was very touching.

That look made us all cry

Hugging Jesus

I love Jesus Christ and I know that because He lived and died for me, I can be resurrected and be clean from my sins. I am so lucky to understand that. I feel His love in little, and sometimes big, ways every day.

Love,

Emily

Gilbert Temple Open House

I got to attend the Gilbert Temple Open House on January 20th with Landon, my mom, my friend Anna Sweet and her daughter, and a few other friends. 

The temple was so beautiful inside and out. The feeling was so peaceful inside and Landon was very respectful.

Landon's eyebrow!

Trying to open the snap dragon's "mouth"

In front of the gorgeous water fountain

With grandma

I think one of my favorite parts inside was the baptismal font. The tiles were a shimmering emerald color and the room was so inviting.

Next, I loved the tall staircase. The stone was white and the staircase was wooden flowers and leaves. It was breathtaking to see.

The chandelier in the celestial room was made of lovely crystal. The stained glass windows let in gentle sunlight that made the room glow.

I'm grateful not only for the beauty of the temples but the promises and covenants that are made there. I'm grateful for the priesthood power that has been restored to the earth and can seal families together. When I looked at my little redhead in the temple, I was reminded that he is mine forever.

Thanks for reading,

Emily

Blog Remodel + Birthday

I decided to change the name of my blog and update the heading a little bit. I use the blog mostly to tell about Landon anyway, so I chose to make it all about him. He's my favorite little ginger :)

Life has been so good to us. We had wonderful Christmas together and got to go to the zoo and the park frequently. Landon has learned how to write his name at preschool and he absolutely loves going to school. He's picked up some unsavory phrases there from some classmates, which is unfortunate. But the other day he told me, "My brain told me not to use yucky words anymore." I love how he described a spiritual prompting. D&C 8:2 says, "Yea, behold, I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost, which shall come upon you and which shall dwell in your heart." Seeing Landon learn about how the Spirit works is so enjoyable for me.

Landon turned FOUR! We went bowling, to the zoo, and brought treats for his class.

Funny moves

Birthday cupcake (he only ate the frosting)

Feeding the giraffes with Taylor

Lizard lover

I love how the giraffe is checking out Taylor

Bacon for breakfast!

Snacks at school: clementines and fruit rope

He had a happy birthday and we loved celebrating with him!

Growing

Landon started Preschool! He loves it. I love that he loves it. He's making friends and has a posse of girls that love him that he calls "my girls". He comes home exhausted and falls asleep usually on the way home on the bus. This is his first day of school picture:

Blurry pic from a crappy phone camera. Notice the tippy toes.

First school painting. I entitled it "Mustard and Ketchup".

First time on the bus (the bottom left pic). The finger in his mouth shows a bit of anxiety. But getting home from school (bottom right) shows he got it down!

He's such a little man. Someone told me they liked his Halloween costume. "You meant to dress him as Dr. Who, right?" Riiiight. Although, he is a perfect likeness.

Got to put his big boy bed together with Uncle Aaron. Most nights he loves it, some nights, he says
 he loves Mommy's bed more because it's "tumfier" (comfier) so he invades my bed.

I thought as a big boy, he would leave behind his mess-making tendencies.  "But Mommy, I had to do this so that I could look like Batman!"

Good point.

"Mommy, I'm makin' pancakes. Want some?"

And then, there's the relationship he has with Uncle Aaron:

He's so lucky to have lots of family to love him! 

Each day, Landon brightens my day with something hilarious he says or does or something sweet. Sometimes both. I'm grateful for him!

Emily

What I Thought I Was

This post is about what I thought I was, and learned I wasn't.

Hello, my name is Emily, and I'm a perfectionist.

I learned this about myself yesterday...but I think my subconscious has known about it for a lot longer than that.

I've had it in my head for many years that "being perfect" meant not admitting my mistakes, which meant ~    I was not admitting my humanity.

My reason for sharing this is not to draw attention to myself. I hope to pass along joy to those who may be struggling with this. 

I do enough, I try enough, I am enough. Sometimes enough isn't perfect. And that's where grace comes in.

My goal for today was to strive for mediocrity. 

Do I need to spell every word right?? No. Does my house need to be sparkling clean 100% of the time? No! Does my makeup need to be just right, my clothes nicely matched, and every hair in it's place? NO!

Honestly, after striving all day for mediocrity, I felt guilty. REALLY guilty. Guilty that I hadn't checked much off my to-do list. Guilty I didn't want to vacuum when I should have. Guilty I didn't do a whole endless array of things. But that's what they are, THINGS. 

What matters most is my interactions with people. And I excelled at that today.

This scripture appears to be a COMMANDMENT:

"Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect"(Matthew 5:48)

I lived by this scripture for years and used it as my excuse to act the way I did. At times I acted like a "holier than thou" type of person. 

Perhaps being on this earth and putting forth effort IS becoming perfect, even as Heavenly Father is. 

This life is a time to prepare to meet God, and that preparation changes me if I let it. But I can't allow the change if I already think I'm perfect and don't need anymore refining. 

Hooray, I'm human and I make mistakes!!

On a sidenote, this little guy comes pretty close to perfection, don't you think???

Life is good,

Emily

Life with Landon

Warning: Landon will be in every picture I post...and rightly so! He's my favorite little person around and I'm lucky to call him my son. 

Mother's Day was a blast.

I wasn't expecting anything from Landon this year because...well... he's three. But I need to give the kid more credit. That morning, he got the vacuum out and used the attachment to clean under the couch cushions. And he did a thorough job and looked like he enjoyed every second. 

Later, he hugged me tight around the neck (to the point that I was struggling to breathe) and said, "You're the best, mommy!". I still don't know where he picked that line up, but I like it.

We had a very uplifting meeting at church where people shared gems their mothers taught them.

We had friends over afterwards for a big dinner and a beautiful strawberry cake. Yum.

One night, I was attempting to get Landon to help me clean out some empty water bottle out of the car. 

He was having trouble holding on to them so I ended up stuffing them in to his shirt, calling them muscles. He took that to a new level, shouting, "I'm the HULK" and running through the house.

And here he is, pretending to be a walrus with his gelato spoons. What an imagination!

Landon is the happiest when he is at the temple and asks to go often. I like that he can feel what an important place it is at such a young age.

If you ever want to make a child's day, take them to a splash pad. Especially when it's a hot summer day in Arizona.

I took Landon to his first Pinewood Derby and he was enthralled. We rented a car from one of the Boy Scouts (he picked) and the lights turned on. Plus it was a winner in a few heats at 190 mph!

Landon brings such joy to my life!

~Emily

My First Grown-Up Job

Back in August I began my first grown-up job. I've been teaching private lessons for 12 years, but teaching music at a school is a completely different world. For example:

The most students I've had at one time in my private studio is around 25. At school, I've got over 850 kids.

Teaching one on one in a private studio makes getting a recital prepared easier because I can work on problem spots with the student. With at least 25 kids to a class at school, not everyone is on the same level at the same time. So there is a lot more repetition.

Rainbow  Ribbon Sticks Game

I haven't done many festivals or competitions with my private students. But at school I've gotten to take my choir (I love teaching choir!) to a festival, which they raved about for weeks. They learned so much; that there are other people that share their love for music and choral singing, rhythm, focus, musical excellence, stage presence, etc. We were invited to a festival put on my the Phoenix Children's Chorus. PCC is an incredible organization with an audition-only entrance and teaches students music theory, proper vocal techniques, choreography and more. Learn more here: http://www.pcchorus.org/

Phoenix Children's Chorus Festival

PCC Festival - Drumming Class

PCC - Ready for the Concert

This is my first year conducting a choir. These dedicated students stayed after school 

for an extra hour to practice and sing to prepare for our Christmas and Spring concerts. 

Choir Music Awards

Right before a Music Showcase in front of the school to get other students excited about choir.

The T-Shirt that one of my choir students designed for our choir t-shirt

Preparing for a concert with 25 students is much different than preparing for one with 850+. Our spring concert was based on an amazing script written by one of the school's 2nd grade teachers. I arranged music according to the theme, which was "The Music of America - Let It Play!" about how music has lifted America out of difficult times, like wars, the Great Depression, and 9/11. 

The 2nd-6th Grade Spring Concert:

The Music of America - Let It Play!

May 17th, 2013

With the cast backstage right before the show started

My mom, son, sister-in-law, brother, and dad watching the concert

Flowers that my son brought on stage after the show was over

Vintage dress I wore to the concert that my sister purchased for me at a thrift store in Oregon and shipped to me. Thanks Becky!

Teaching is a difficult job some days, but most days are fulfilling and rewarding. I'm happy to say I have succeeded at my first year in my grown-up job :)

~"Ms. Smith"
Music Teacher