Angel

As I was helping Michelle get dressed for school today she said, "Mom check my back."

I replied "Nothings wrong with your back."

She said, "Check again."

I said, "What am I looking for?"

She replied, "Are my angel's wings growing yet? I ate angel food cake last night."

She sure is an angel - wonder what she'll say when I give her the news that angels don't have wings...

But if they did I am sure hers would have grown to full size by now!

Pencil Me In

That's what I'm gonna have to start saying to this boy. He's in almost nightly rehearsals and full Saturday rehearsals for Singin' in the Rain (opens April 10 and runs til April 26 -weekends only). He's in thrice a week afternoon rehearsals for Dance Concert (runs May 9-11).

Just got an email announcing the play Okinawa (the one that they are taking to Scotland) previews on May 12 then has another 2 week preview June 12-21 - so expect an intense rehearsal schedule for that one!

He enjoys it though - but he gotta keep up the grades - and I gotta keep the fridge stocked 'cause when he's in rehearsals he eats like there's no tomorrow!

Do You Have A Dog?

Well I had a meeting (IEP) last week for Michelle. We inserted a goal about how to appropriately greet people and carry on a conversation.

With Michelle things usually go like this...

Mom/or other Adult: "Michelle this is Ms. So and So - say hello ot her."

Michelle: "Do you have a dog?"

Ms. So and So: "No"

Michelle: "Do you have a cat?"

Ms. So and So: "No."

Michelle: "Do you have any pets?"

Ms. So and So: "No."

Michelle: "Do you have a baby?"

Ms. So and So: "No."

With those answers Michelle will then become totally uninterested in you UNLESS you are fat - then she will ask you when your baby is coming out.

If you give one "YES" answer her follow up remark will be "Can I come to your house?" and she will stick to you like opihi to rock and will repeat the "Can I come to your house?" refrain until you are ready to scream.

She is very predictable - dogs, cats, pets and babies. And one more thing - pizza.

Fat Pizza Delivery Guy with a dog, cat or baby - BEWARE!

Its Always Fun When Grandma Comes

Grandma Sharon is here for a week! We are so excited to have her here. She is staying in a vacation rental in Kaneohe overlooking the bay - about 10 minutes away.

She brought gifts! The girls got some adorable crocheted purses. Here they are with her.

We went to dinner at Kin Wah with the Frost family. We ordered way too much food - but it was ONO! I meant to take a picture of the food before we ate - but forgot - so here is the aftermath...

Notice Hannah is still eating.

I Walk the Line

So for about 3 months or so I've been walking the mall for some exercise. Usually at 8:00 each weekday morning - 3 times around the top = 1 mile. I started walking with my friend Missy and her friend Lisa. They are great girls. They are both young mothers so usually have kids in tow or sometimes can't make it cause of sick kids etc. I have enjoyed their company.

There are other regular walkers - my age or older - as well as a whole group who do Chinese exercise (not tai chi). Most of us walk in one direction (as if there is a sign prohibiting counter direction walking!). On rainy days all of us old people get out of our cars and walk cautiously over the wet asphalt (I'm sure all of us are repeating the same mantra "Please don't let me fall and break my hip").

Last week my friend Rochelle started walking too. She is more like my age. But she is a speed demon walker - I have a hard time keeping up - which is good.

How does it go? "Let your reach exceed your grasp else what's a heaven for"

Just What the Doctor Ordered

Got parenting ails?
Kids acting up?
Teens got attitude?

The prescription's in - Dr. John Rosemond!

Gene and I went to hear Dr. Rosemond (nationally syndicated columnist) when he was on a speaking tour here during the past 2 weeks. We enjoyed him tremendously. He spoke TRUTH!

He talked about parenting old style - like how our grandparents did - as opposed to parenting styles of today which rely on experts who espouse theory over time-proven practice.

So it's back to "Because I said so..." at the Wright household.

One of the things that made so much sense to me was when he talked about self esteem. he said we have been led to believe that we should value and instill self esteem in our children as if possession of self esteem is the key to living happily and successfully (after all, that's what most parenting experts have been saying). As a culture we have bought into it.

Dr. Rosemond says that what we should instill in children is Respect for Others over so called self esteem. Feelings of good worth come from doing good things for others/being of service to others. That is exactly what the gospel teaches!

He says that prisons are full of people with high self esteem - people who think they can get away with breaking the law cause they are above the law!

He also said that when you think about it the opposite of self esteem is humility. I want my children to be humble - because when when people are humble they are teachable and open to the things of God.

Read John's books and if he's ever in your area - go see him! It'll change your life! (www.rosemond.com)

Note - I am usually not a self-help-book-fan but I unabashedly, unapologetically, untypically HIGHLY recommend these books!

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Reading Aloud

Those of you who know our Hannah know that she talks to herself - alot. Usually when she talks to herself she relates the events of her day - repeating what people have said. So one day she is sitting by the front door near her backpack and I think she's talking to herself - she's saying "hannah did not have a very good day today. It started at breakfast when she would not listen. Later she refused to do her work..."

I looked over at her and realized she was reading a note that the teacher had written to me!

Gene and I were both amazed and happy that she has improved so much academically. At one point we thought she would never learn to read!

Here's a goofy picture of her

Nikita

One of my favorite Elton John song's is Nikita. He sings "Oh Nikita is it cold - in your little corner of the world?"

Well we will soon find out...

Gene and I go to Washington D.C. on April 23 for my ACEC Spring Convention - usually I go to Women's Conference in Utah right after. Not this year though...we're headed to -

MOSCOW (and not the one in Idaho)

I saw an unbelievable fare out of D.C. - $64 on American each way - with tax it was $213! We couldn't pass it up! So we leave D.C. on 28 April, arrive Moscow 29 April and stay until 3 May.

Gene has wanted to go there for awhile now and I am so glad this opportunity came up.

Cynthia and Nadine are joining us so we should have a GREAT time!

We are a little cautious though - the Visa process alone is daunting! Russian Visa requires that you list ALL the colleges you ever attended (no matter how long ago); your last 2 jobs (even if you've worked at the current jobs for decades); your parents names (no matter how long ago they died), every country you've visted in the last 10 years (complete with dates) and tons more info about your life. It took Cynthia literally 2 hours to complete the form!

I have read that once you're in the country be prepared to carry your papers with you at all times cause the police will stop and ask to see them and the police are notorious for giving minorities a hard time unless you pay the a bribe!

Fortunately we have hired a private guide who will be with us from the moment we arrive to the moment we leave.

We are staying at Maxima Zarya Hotel which is out a bit from the city center. Didn't know that Moscow is the most expensive city in the world! Fortunately our hotel is reasonable (about $155 per night and that includes breakfast and dinner for 2) and new,

Will post when we return for sure - but till we leave we are sure filled with excitement and trepidation.

Oh - one more thing I've read about Moscow - bring your own roll of toilet paper - those torn up pieces of newspaper neatly stacked in a box next to the toilet are not for reading!

A Young Man Prepared (or Preparing)

(He says he's smiling in this picture - and I don't know what's up with the Alfalfa hair)

Jacob is preparing to serve a mission. It is quite a feat - to think that a young man at age 19 would sacrifice his time to serve anywhere he is sent for 2 years - and pay for it on top of that! And to think that same young man has kept himself morally clean thus making himself worthy to serve! He is an awesome guy!

He has completed all the paperwork and just has the interviews left to do. We expect those will happen within the next 2 weeks or so - so we anticipate that within maybe 6 weeks he'll know where he is being sent and when he'll go. (We think he'll probably leave in June)

He has been reading the Book of Mormon in earnest (he made a goal to read it once before his birthday - April 8th - and one more time before he departs). He's been attending Scripture Study class and the Missionary Correlation Meetings and has been going out with the missionaries about once a week.

He is also trying to get in as much video game time as he can - going cold turkey will be hard!

We Had Twins!

If you haven't heard of or seen a Kindle - put it at the top of your "gotta do" list. This gadget is amazing. So amazing we bought a his and hers.

It is a neat, sleek ebook reader by Amazon. See how thin and small?

It can hold about 1500 books from Amazon's 250,000 Kindle bookstore. They download instantly (and free) anywhere you can catch a cell phone signal (no need to hook up to a computer!) There are buttons to press to turn pages, search text, etc. It can even read aloud to you!

Kindle books ordered through Amazon run from 99 cents to $9.99 for best sellers. You can get all the Standard Works of the Church for $4.00!!

The device also allows you to type in notes as you read.

Overall it is a great tool! It should prove to be a fantastic addition to our travel gadgets and take POUNDS off Gene's luggage weight - he's been known to travel with HARD BACK books that take up the majority of his luggage weight allowance.

A Kindle 2 will set you back about $350 - but well worth it if you're an avid reader (especially an avid on-the-go reader). Oh one more thing that makes it a good buy - FREE SHIPPING!

(Note - I do NOT work for Kindle or Amazon)

Gabey Baby No Longer

Gabe celebrated his 15th birthday on March 1. We were hot off our trip home from Germany - still on European time for sure but managed to take him and 2 friends to stay at the Embassy Suites in Waikiki.

The guys had a good time swimming, walking around Waikiki and eating. And eating. And eating.

Gabe is taller than me by many inches! He is a good looking kid with loads of talent and a kind heart. Always singing or playing the piano...in fact we usually have to tell him to stop singing.

He got a bunch of cash for his birthday and quickly went out and bought an iTouch.

Two performances are in his near future - Singing in the Rain (weekends in April) and Dance Concert (2nd weekend in May).

15 years old already - wow - where'd the time go?

He thinks he's getting his driver's license and a car when he is 15 1/2. Hahahahahahahahaha!

Post Christmas Trip

Went to Las Vegas on New Years Eve - my cousin Mellene's son Manu Boy (I mean Manu Man) got married in the Las Vegas Temple on Jan. 3. I went up early and spent a few days with my awesome cousin Stephanie. We had a great time chatting and relaxing.

The wedding was wonderful. Manu man and his lovely wife Ashley are not just a wonderful couple - they are wonderful people. The food was ono and it was fun to see the next generation coming into adulthood with such grace and optimism for the future.

One other bonus of this trip is that I got to go to the Liberace Museum - it as fascinating! Don;t miss it on your next trip to LV.

Does She or Doesn't She?

This is my sister Alo. I googled her to get a picture... This is a test to see if she reads this blog. How long will it take her to say "Hey get my picture off your blog!"