This Week!

The Gilbert temple on President's Day

Hola, Elder Keppy-Face!!!

:-D

We are so, so sad we missed you last week. :-( But we hope you got our package, as a consolation for no letter. (Did you get it? Huh???)

This has been a busy week at Das Keppnerhaus. Last Sunday evening, we had Daddy's Keppner cousin and her family over for dinner. They live in San Tan Valley, and have three boys. The oldest is seventeen, the middle on is 14 (I think?), and their ten year old little guy is autistic, like Morganne and Gavin. It was crazy and fun, and it was wonderful to reconnect a bit. Who knew we had Keppner cousins in AZ?!

Early Monday morning, Avalon and I went to the dentist's office so she could get a tooth pulled, a spacer put in, and several teeth filled. After we got there, they weighed her and then gave her some special medicine to make her sleepy. She and I waited in a dark room where she laid down on a special little bed and watched a movie. When the medicine kicked in (She was so funny!), they led us in to a room where Avalon could sit in the dentist's special chair to get her work done. She was so good! She help still and hardly remembered a thing.

Avalon getting sleepy...

When we went home with her, she was so good about eating only soft things, and slept pretty much the entire rest of the day. We are so glad her owie tooth is better and that she was such a brave girl. (See the picture of her getting sleepy below.)

Tuesday afternoon, I took everyone but Gavin, Ronan, and Davy to see the E-- boys performing in "Seussical the Musical!" (Gavin and Ronan said they didn't want to see it, but they really missed out!) It was PHENOMENAL!!! Those musicals [high school] puts on are awesome, and we were so glad we got to see it. Sister E-- emailed me that their cast was performing the show at --- for FREE for some public school students, and that we could attend. There were plenty of seats available, so we got good ones and had a blast!

Morganne, Lliam, Bonny, and Dierdre were all raving as much as I did. You would have loved it, too. EVERYONE in the show was amazing-- it was just soooo good! One of the G-- boys played Jojo in the show, and did a great job.

Wednesday had the usual craziness, with mutual, scouts, and all. Ronan helped with the flag ceremony for the Blue and Gold banquet, so he was the only one who attended. Can you believe that we have NO Cub Scouts in our family right now? Weird...

Friday we had our TJLA classes. During my English Literature class in the afternoon, we had a really special experience. We are studying the early Victorian Era and were going over Tennyson's poetry specifically that day. In a flash of heavenly inspiration, I walked my class over to the basketball park, and I read them the poem "Crossing the Bar" out loud on the green rolling hills. Picture the cloudy sky above, with birds chirping in the background:

Crossing the Bar

Sunset and evening star,
And one clear call for me!
And may there be no moaning of the bar,
When I put out to sea.

But such a tide as moving seems asleep,
Too full for sound and foam,
When that which drew from out the boundless deep
Turns again home.

Twilight and evening bell,
And after that the dark!
And may there be no sadness of farewell,
When I embark;

For tho' from out our bourne of Time and Place
The flood may bear me far,
I hope to see my Pilot face to face
When I have crossed the bar.

We then had a great, GREAT discussion on our life's callings, and what the future holds for us. I had then eat go off alone in the park, somewhere quiet, and had them write a list of FIVE things they want to do OR be before they "cross the bar." And by "crossing the bar," it could either mean before they die, or before they leave home, or...?

I did the exercise, too, and it totally made me cry and realize what is MOST important to me.

After gathering back together at the end of our debriefing discussion, I suddenly felt prompted by the Spirit to share how important Grandma Nielsen's living testimony has been to me in my life. I totally cried and bore my own testimony.

I don't know if the class helped the students that day, but I know it helped ME. Heavenly Father is so good to give what we need, right when we need it!

Saturday was full of housework and lazing about, too. Then, that evening, we went to a play done by another new homeschool group. The play was actually written and directed by D--, who also starred in the main role. It was fun and cute, though they had some itty bitty ones in their cast! (9 and 10 years old) It was a moralist story with a defined message, but also was done in Shakespearean-esque language, though not in iambic pentameter. I guess K-- and S-- helped write it, and S-- was also in it. We had a fun time, and I thought they did a great job. :-)


Yesterday was really great, with a wonderfully inspiring ward conference. (President D-- and Bishop W-- are so great!) Daddy and I both took several notes, and have some new goals. GOOD STUFF!

Just waiting...

This morning.... (drumroll please...) Lliam did something major!!!

He...


passed...


his...


driver's test!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

He OFFICIALLY has a real Arizona driver's license.

WOW!!!

It's so exciting!!!! :-)

We love you, we miss you, and we know the work you are doing is the Lord's. We're so proud of you for your devotion to Jesus Christ and His work. Stay True and Faithful always. We love you!!!


Carry on,

Mama Rachel