Ballet and Basketball

Tai Lynn started her first dance class! A jazz/ballet/tumbling combo and it's adorable. She was nervous that she doesn't know anyone in her class, but she is coming around.

-I had no idea that Tai can read so well. She has been reading books to us like a boss! I'm so pleasantly surprised, go Tai!! And Thank you Upstart. We got a My First Reading Library for Christmas and Kasen reads my parts while Tai reads his parts.

-She has recently let us know, quite enthusiastically, that, "Sugar is Liiiiife!" while eating it off the counter while I bake. Haha

-We have been playing lots of Spot It and when Tai spotted, "mystery mouseketool" I found out that that is what she thinks question marks are called!

-The other day I told her that I needed some space and to get out of my bubble, which worked for a few minutes before she came back to tell me she popped the bubble and using sound effects, trapped us both inside the bubble together.

-She keeps asking if it's still Christmas because there is still some snow outside. I keep explaining that it's going to be winter for a while longer, but Christmas is over.

-She also still loves artisting. She loves her art kit and her paint by numbers.

And this is the difference between boys and girls. Kasen made a book of every scary monster, called his Book of Scare, while Tai made a book of rainbows; "Why are rainbows so special? Is it because of their colors?"

KASEN

Kasen started his Jr. Jazz basketball season! 

And their games are so entertaining. Both Knox and Camden are on his team and during their first game Kasen stood in the middle of the court and watched the kids run for a couple minutes. Then he was all about trying to get the ball from anyone and everyone to try to shoot it. He says he doesn't like playing because he doesn't know how to dribble the ball, but he seemed to be having lots of fun. Unfortunately he ended up missing his second game because as soon as he finished practicing he went to the bathroom and threw up a few times so we had to go home.

-He told his team his favorite thing to do is play pretend video games. Like when he pretended to download a snowboarding game, push play and then snowboard.

-He also loves playing a game he made up called Statue Heroes downstairs in the fort he and Tai made.

-And something a little less politically correct is when Kasen asked me to tell him what those people are called that have heads too big for their bodies, like on the movie Elf. I answered dwarfs and cross my fingers that that was the correct response! lol

Over MLK weekend the school notified us of an additional 2 at home learning days because of the apparent increase in COVID cases. Including Great Grandpa Forsyth, Grandma Forsyth and Great Grandma Peterson. (all vaccinated btw) The kids have been so good to pray for all of them and they all seem to be mostly recovered. Oh and our date to see Hamilton was postponed because of Covid too. Ugh! Anyway, we had extra time for more science experiments. Including growing crystals and exploding volcanoes.

One of the days I told the kids it was time to turn the TV off, which led Kasen to then ask me to duel Pokemon with him. Luckily he pretty much played for me cause I have no idea how dueling works. He was so sweet and told me that he was going to help me win cause he loves me and I don't really know how to play.

That week Kasen gave another talk in primary and this time it was about Adam and Eve and choices. I love the picture he drew for his talk and that the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil is pink because that's what color it was in a video he saw. During the week he had been asking me questions that I never would have thought a 6 year old would perceive. Like, "How was it part of God’s plan for them to eat the fruit if he commanded them not to eat the fruit? That’s an opposite that happened at the same time.

Was He like kidding when he told them not to? Or did they forgot that God said it was a commandment cause he told them in heaven? They ate the fruit cause God tricked them and because it probably looked so delicious."

So we had lots of good conversations that week about how we get to make our own choices and God's plan.

Every year I make a goal to share my testimony in Church at least once. This year I got it done early. Tai wanted to come up with me, but was still too shy to actually talk.

Anyway, I'd been thinking about how my favorite Christmas movie is the Santa Clause. I love the line that says, "Seeing isn't believing, believing is seeing." You don't have to see something to know that it's real.

And it reminded me of another quote I read recently about how miracles are easily explained away by non-believers, but are completely life changing for those who believe.

And how I want to be the kind of person that believes in and recognizes God's miracles. I believe that they happen far more than what I recognize, but I believe in a God that wants nothing more than to bless us. I believe that God is a God of miracles. Experiences with God are how any of us even gain a personal testimony of His reality. And I know that when I live the gospel of Christ I more easily facilitate experiences with Him in my life. And I become the kind of person I want to be. More loving, understanding and more like my Savior.