The Continuous Circle We Call Life

The older I get, the realization hits me that my children are growing older too. I remember once talking to a friend about how close our children were in age. We were discussing the fact that because the are all about 2 years apart in age ( hers as well ) that they would all be teenagers at the same time and then off to college one after another, missions, marriage, and so on and so forth. Now that I've hit that stage of life I'm not quite sure how to handle it some days.
Tiffany is already married with a little family of her own. Ryan has been on his mission and is now living in Provo and going to school. He's dating a little too. Melissa has gone to school, come back home, goes to UVU and thinks she's found the love of her life. ( I think he's a pretty nice guy too) and Chad is having a great time as a senior with full intentions of going on his mission in about a year.
I guess what I'm getting at is how come nobody tells you that the worries don't get any easier as you get older. When your kids are little you worry about them running in the road, falling off their bike, or getting lost. As teens you worry about the friends they have, if they are eating right, the movies, music, or videos they watch. Then they hit the age of seriously dating with the intention of finding an eternal mate and suddenly you realize you can't make decisions for them anymore-they have to learn and grow and make their own choices for their future. And you pray that all the lessons you've tried to teach them in their short life so far, have sunk in somehow.
So here's to my four wonderful children-who are growing into wonderful young adults. May you always make wise choices and get through any trials that come your way. For life isn't life without trials. The circle of life is just that --one continuous circle of ups and downs. It's what we get out of life that counts the most. I love you all !! Life is Good !
PS-I don't even have a picture of the four of them together at the same time on my computer-I guess it's time for family pictures again-ha ha.

The August Rush Birthday Bash

Some of the August Birthdays

Alan Moody, Chad Johnson, Chad Healey, Austin Woodfield

Syd Landeen, Lindsay Matheson, Kim Huber

( not pictured Garrett Kirschbaum, Ether Tam, and Kaylee Day-they were somewhere on the dancefloor)

I was a bit skeptical when Chad asked if he could have a HUGE 18th birthday party. "What do you mean by HUGE" I asked. He wanted a big dance party with hundreds of friends. Now me being the mom and somewhat on the conservative and overprotective side, tried to talk him into something a little more low key. But a few days later he informed us that several friends, who also have August birthdays, were pooling their money and other resources to pull it off. For several weeks Chad planned , found a place to rent, lined up chaperones, etc. He did it all on his own. It was great to watch him put it all together ( not that some stress wasn't involved). They printed flyers to pass out at school, posted an invited on their facebook pages and more. ( I'm giving the condensed version)

Pay your money and Party On .......Good Times !!!

The big night was last night at the Apollo Dance Hall in A.F. Those having a birthday bought crowns to wear. They charged $2.00 per person to cover the building rental and a few other items. I think more than anything they just wanted to get their money back-or close to it. The chaperons included Todd and I,the Healeys, the Landeens, the Bests, and Ryan and TJ. At 8:30 the teenagers began to arrive. For more than an hour they just kept coming. We took their money, stamped their hands, and showed them onto the dance floor. They only way we could tell how many kids were there was by counting all the money. I think there ended up being about 250 teenagers. It was so fun to watch them just having a blast. They were such an awesome group. We never once had to worry about any of them. They were all very respectful and just enjoyed having good, clean, fun.

A big thank you to Ally's mom ( Sis. Best) for making 15 dozen cookies. Thanks to all the chaperons, to Tyler for providing the sound system and to countless others that I don't even know their names. Way to go Chad. It was an awesome night. Thanks for turning 18! Maybe we can do this for one of my birthdays --( haha) We love you! Happy Birthday !

Chad and Ally having fun!!