Sariah's Seven

I'm really perplexed why all of a sudden I can't upload photos from my ipod.  I've got some fun pictures of Sariah and her birthday celebrations.

We were headed to hike Badger Mountain on Friday---a tradition we started on her 4th birthday.  The boys were farmed out and I was looking forward to our long talk up and down the mountain.  It was cold and windy when we got there.  My usual way of doing things---tough it out, build character---was what I thought I would instill in my growing daughter on this day.  A few hundred feet up the hill Sariah had her hands clutched at her hood holding it tight to her face and was saying she wished she had some gloves.  All of a sudden, I had the thought, "This is her birthday, she needs to enjoy it. Besides, I surely don't want to make it so she never wants to do it again."  I knelt down beside her and told her if this wasn't fun, we could do something else for her birthday.  She said she wanted to do something else.  So, we ate at Sonic with the sun roof open. She had a corndog, her favorite.  We walked around the Far West Boutique and looked at fancy, modest dresses.  And her favorite part, we got some window paint from JoAnn's and went to the seminary building to write on James's windows.  She was giddy the whole time.  She wrote, "Frum yor favrt gurlfrnds" and drew a lot of hearts.  She was so giggly and excited.  It was real fun.

Bryant bore a special testimony in sacrament meeting today.  Basically, he said that when he had watched conference last week he felt like he needed to bear his testimony.  He then said, "I need to get three things clear."  Then he bore his testimony of the prophet, the church, and prayer.  I was so proud of him because he really didn't want to, but he knew he had felt the Spirit and His promptings. 

He and Talmage did a great job fasting today.  It is not easy for them, but they do it.  It makes me happy.

We had our best sacrament meeting since Rex and Lyle were born.  For a short while, they just sat on our laps and snacked.  Dad said not to get our hopes up, it was just one Sunday.  Perhaps true, but it was so nice.