Homework First! Blah!

"Is Anybody Home?" I called out about 20 times! "Is Anybody home?" But... there was not a sound. No one said anything. Zippo!

"IS Anybody Home?" I yelled louder: three more times. Then I started to get worried a bit...because I couldn't find anybody. I looked everywhere. Nobody. Right then, I got worried a lot. Where was everybody?

After school, I always, always, give my mom a hug, and tell her about my day. I put my books down, and hang up my coat, and go to the backporch to pet Scruffy, who is NOW an OUTSIDE Dog. She chewed up one too many things to be an INSIDE Dog! But in the winter, I can keep her on the backporch because it's warmer than out-out!

"Scruffy, where is everybody?" She just wagged her tail. I had to look for hints. There had to be signs about where everybody went. The towels were folded by the washer...so mom had been there. My brother's bookbag was by the frontdoor, so he had been there. There were some carrot peelings in the sink, and the crockpot was full of stew...so mom had been there. Ok, so my dad is at work. Check. My big brother is in Brasil on a mission. Check. But what about Markus and Mom? Maybe Markus was still at basketball. His ball wasn't in his room. Check. But where is Mom?

I thought I heard a sound...but it was only Scruffy moving her dish.

When I was little, I thought monsters were real...they seemed like real. But now, I am old enough to know about shadows and stuff. Thinking about all of that made me need to call my grandma right then! But just when I picked up the phone to dial her number, I saw a note on the table.

'Honey, I hope you remembered that I am taking Markus to the dentist after school. There is some fruit in the fridge. Be back soon. Love, Mom.' OH, Yeah, that's when I remembered that Mom was going to take Markus to the dentist after school...and she'd be back soon, so I was all alone in our home. Maybe I heard another sound. I tried not to think about the bad stuff about being alone. I tried to think of the good stuff. But, I needed to get my 2 dolls first. I am big, but I have two very special dolls, Lena and Zana... that I will probably keep forever. I used to talk to them alot. Sometimes, I still do... just so they don't feel bad. McKenzie helped me name my dolls. She thinks of good names I think. And I wish she were here right now to play house with me. McKenzie is such a fun and kind cousin.

I put Lena and Zana in my arms and marched into the family room. I was in charge! I could pretty much do anything that I wanted! Mostly, I wanted to go back outside and sit on the porch and wait so that I wasn't alone in our home...but I sure didn't want Markus to think I was afraid...BECAUSE I WASN'T...that's why! And it was very very COLD out on that porch after a few minutes anyway. And PLUS, my dolls were cold too. SO...I just got brave. And I am brave...but there are sounds and stuff. So, I took my dolls with me and we turned on every light in the entire house! BE Brave, Be Brave, Be Brave.

Anyway, I had lots of homework to think about. My mom always says: "Honey, get your homework done first." But she wasn't there...and that TV was! If I turned it on, it might have something to watch right then. At First, I thought: Okay, Hadley, you know what to do, you should get your homework done. Then I thought: I know that I know what to do...but I also know what I want to do, and I'm in charge and I can do whatever I want! So I made up my mind!

I put my dolls on the couch and told them that we could watch TV together. The TV remote was high up on the shelf...but I could reach it on my tippy toes. I looked over at my homework...then at the TV...then at my homework...then at the TV. Hmmmm! My dolls just looked at me. OK! OK! I was in charge...that's kinda like I was like the mom... and I knew what to do. I put the TV remote back up on that very high shelf and picked up my books and my dolls. I spread my homework out on the kitchen table and put my dolls on two chairs right next to mine. I was the teacher and Lena and Zana were the students... I read my library book aloud to them, since mom wasn't there. They listened to every word! Then I taught them how to spell all the words on my list. Only 4 math problems and my homework would be all done! They sat so quietly.
Just when I finished my very last problem in math...I heard a knock on the front door. Oh MY! My heart about stopped! Be Brave. Be Brave. Be Brave. Should I answer the door or not? Was it a stranger or not? I grabbed my dolls, hurried into the front room, crawled across the floor, and tried to peek through the window curtains. It couldn't be a purple monster. There is no such thing as a real purple monster. It couldn't be a polka dotted ghost. There is no such thing as a polka dotted ghost. I just hoped that knock would go away. Would it be someone short or someone tall? Knock. Knock, Knock. Would they want to come in? I better go get my guard dog, Scruffy, I thought. The knocking got louder. Oh my! I crawled back across the frontroom and then ran across the kitchen and to the back door to get Scruffy. My mom would want Scruffy to save me! She would let her come in...JUST this once...I just know it! "Come on Scruffy, Come on." I loud-whispered. Somebody wants in our house!

Scruffy was so happy to see me that she jumped up on me, and then she ran into the house. "SHHHH, Scruffy!" Then the doorbell started to ring. OH MY! Somebody really wanted in! Be Brave. Be Brave. Be Brave. I finally got Scruffy all calm, and I crawled back across the frontroom floor. Scruffy followed me, just wagging her tail. Then Scruffy saw my dolls and she ran over and picked up Zana in her mouth! "Scru-f-f-y!" I sorta needed her to growl and bark so the person on the porch would run away, not eat my best dolls...but Scruffy just wagged her tail some more. The doorbell rang again right when I took Zana out of Scruffy's mouth. I ran to the backporch and pulled the little gate thingy shut. "STAY SCRUFFY!" She might not be a guard dog after-all...but that was a sad emergency time to find out! BE BRAVE. Be Brave. Be Brave. Brave was not enough. I said a quick prayer because Faith is even better than Brave! I tiptoed over to the window again, and pulled back the curtain very... very... s-l-o-w-l-y...just an eensy weensy teensy bit...and tried to see who was out there. AND oh my! WAS I EVER SURPRISED!

I started to breathe and a little safe giggle came out. Its good that Scruffy was on the back porch so she couldn't jump up and knock our visitor down. Then I ran back to the entry, unlocked and opened the front door. "GRANDMA! I'm so glad its you!" I put my arms arms around her and held on real tight. "Hadley K, where have you been? I've been knocking for a long long time!" My grandma shook some snow off of her shoes and took off her scarf. She had tried and tried to call me, but I had left the phone off the hook when I saw mom's note. "Hadley, I told your mother that I was getting my keys and would be on my way. She took your brother to the dentist. I was supposed to be here before you got home. But, my car wouldn't start and so I had to get Mr. Franley to help me. I am so sorry honey." I told her that sometimes things happen like that. I didn't really want her to worry about all the sounds, now that I was safe and stuff. Besides, I am big. Plus, I make good decisions...plus: I am very very brave...Plus, (mostly):the prayer...so I was just fine the whole time.

We followed that yummy stew smell into the kitchen, and grandma stirred it a bit. She saw my books on the table. "Maybe you should get started on your homework Hadley K and then when you're through, we can bake some cookies if we have time." "I only have one more thing to do!" I smiled. Then Lena and Zana and I went to the storage room to get some chocolate chips...and on the way back...we turned off all the lights!

My Best VALENTINE

The best feeling in the universe and beyond is when somebody actually likes you and remembers to tell you! AND Valentine's is a fine kind time to do it!

So I took all of my Valentine cards to school for my whole class. I chose the best of the best super best cards to McKenzie, Alexa, Mallory, Ashley, Audrey, Laura, Caitlyn, Hailey, Heidi, Aubrey, Jonathan, Nathaniel, Jase, Samuel, Ethan, Daniel, Brandt, and Asher. Then I chose sorta good ones for Cassandra and Margaret and Neil and Martha and Jacob. Then I almost didn't want to give one to Regge because he looked on my spelling paper, but I have to get over that, because maybe he will never EVER do it again...okay, fine, I gave an owl valentine for him. Oh no!  Next I ran out of valentine cards. Oh well, there was only one name left and it was Seneca. She doesn't talk very much and so that means she is SHY. It's okay, she won't even notice probably.

Today was super doo-per good! I got loads of Valentines! But the best of the best was the one from mom and dad. All of our breakfast plates were turned upside down and my mom said, "Don't turn them over until after the blessing!"   It was hard to keep my eyes closed during the prayer because I was so excited. I tried to concentrate... which means to think about what we were doing... because prayers are very important, and because everything we have is a gift from Heaven,  so I listened the best I could, and then when Jayden said, "Amen", we hurried and turned our plates over and there was my best Valentine ever! It was a giant Pink Bear and it was holding a Zagnut candy bar and that is my very very favorite candy of all times! I couldn't wait to show it to Luci! And when I did, she said it was the best valentine that she had ever seen too!

At school, we had to do some Math, and some spelling, and some reading, and THEN Ms. Clay finally announced that it was time to put our Valentine boxes on our desks and then we got to go around the room putting Valentines in each others' boxes. We had copied all of the names on the Valentine envelopes so we knew which Valentine to give to everybody. She said we learned alot about how to write and how to spell that way. Mostly, last night, I learned how to get tired from writing everybody's names, but now it was today and so it all works out!

I got tons of Valentine cards! Some of them were funny, and some were very nice, and some had hearts and some had cute cartoon animals on them. A couple of my friends even wrote messages on the back...and that was amazing...because my hand was so done after just writing names on the envelopes and the: 'from Hadley K' part on the back of every single card. It was my favorite day of February 14th school!

Ms. Clay let us go early to recess too! WOW! Everyone was super happy about that and so we had to STOP! RIGHT WHERE WE WERE AT! and think about being quiet in the hallway for a minute, before we could go. I was right by Seneca's desk and so I stood right there for a whole minute. The lid was off of her box and I could see that she didn't have many valentines in her box. Maybe everybody else ran out of valentines too. She looked very sad.

Luci and I were on the swings and I kept thinking about Seneca. If my valentine box were almost empty...then I would be sad too. Something inside me was drooping down for a minute. And then I got a great idea. "Luci, come quick," I jumped off the swing and hurried into the school with Luci following right behind me. "What are we doing Hadley?" she wondered when I stopped at our classroom door. "Luci, you need to stand here and guard the door so that no one and I mean NO ONE will come into the class room!" I hope she didn't roll her eyes, but I couldn't wait to see. I had to do something important and really really quick.

"Ok Luci, thanks for being my smarty hardy guard-y! Let's go back out on the swings." Luci demanded to know about our adventure, but just then the hall monitor boy came around the corner: "You can't be in the school until the bell rings, ya know." And we did know, and Luci said, "Let's GO!" and so we headed out the door as fast as we could without running...because running is also against school rules. Then, just as we got outside the doors, the bell did ring, and it was LOUD right there by that door! It was so funny, because everybody came running, sorta like when you put food in a dog's bowl...just get out of the way!

When we got back into our classroom, Luci passed me a note: "Ok Hadley K, what did you do? Why did we come into the class during recess and risk getting a ticket from the hall monitor boy?" She was worried. What did she think I was doing? Eating all of the candy by myself? Putting the teacher's desk upside down? Coloring on the walls? OF COURSE NOT! But still, I should tell her because she is my very very best friend. But... if you tell people when you do something nice then something about it goes away. Hmmm.

"Seneca!" somebody was excited. "That is awesome!" "Wow, where did you get that?" Lots of kids were around Seneca's desk right then and everybody was telling her that they liked her special valentine. I saw a big smile on Seneca's face. She was holding a giant pink bear valentine and it had a Zagnut candy bar on it! Luci looked over at me with wide eyes that said, 'oh'.

Ms. Clay went over to see what everyone was ahhhhh-ing about, "Someone must think that you are very special Seneca"...but Seneca could not even talk. She just smiled and held her valentine and looked at it over and over. "Ok, everybody...back to your seats", Ms. Clay said and then she let us choose: we could read, or draw, or play quiet games, (like dot to dot or hangman and stuff) until it was time to clean up and go home. We had so much fun and I kept peeking over at Seneca (and yup!), she just smiled and smiled and smiled...even when she was reading a book...she still held her special Valentine! Out of the corner of my eye, I could see other kids sneaking valentines into Seneca's box. One by one, the valentines piled up until her box was full to the tip top!

When the last bell rang, Luci and I gathered up all of our books and our valentine boxes and started for home. "That was nice Hadley K. I think it made Seneca a little different. She smiled the whole half hour left of school. Maybe she doesn't have to be so shy now. That was really nice. But what about your special valentine Hadley K? That was your best one!"

I was quiet for a while and we could hear the snow crunching of our boots, because Luci was right. It was my best one. Plus, it was from my mom and dad. Plus, it had a Zagnut candy bar right on it. Plus, that is my very favorite candy in the galaxy. I sorta felt a little tear coming but I knew that part of it was sad water and part of it was happy water. Because, when I think about how happy Seneca was, and how nice everybody was to her, then it all works out. So I raised my eyebrows really tall and my tear melted back.

"I think that Seneca's smile was my very best valentine Luci." And when I heard those words out of my mouth, then, something inside me smiled too!

The LIBRARY

If I didn't know to be really quiet...and I mean REALLY Q-U-I-E-T, then I would have stood up on a table and yelled: "THANK YOU MS. CLAY, FOR A PERFECT FIELDTRIP DAY! (Only because we went to the best place in our whole town and probably in the whole world!) We all got in the buses for our fieldtrip and after the other teacher warned us to be extra extra good and not bad at all...and after Ms. Clay told us we were going to have a nice day, then "we all put our sack lunches in a safe place next to us or in our laps without looking in them", and then we looked out the bus windows. I heard a paper noise and I saw a boy from the other class take a cookie out of his lunch and sneak pieces in his mouth. He'll be sad when we get to our picnic and his cookie is all gone. Some kids just have to 'learn by doing I guess, because they won't learn by listening'. Very sad...v-e-r-y sad. There are consequences you know! That means that we choose stuff and then something happens after that.

Caitlyn and Audrey are sitting in front of us and they are planning Audrey's birthday party for February 4th! They said that they will invite Luci and me! I love Birthday parties! We passed Mr. Lee's variety store where I get to buy gum sometimes, and where I got my glass piggy bank, and where I buy candy hearts that he scoops from the bin with his scooper ...oh! and where I like to look at all of the coloring books and stuff. I'll probably get a coloring book and markers for Audrey's Birthday! We drove past Christiansen's furniture store where they have the farm set in the very back and it even has the fences for the horses and two wagons for the tractors. Luci and I looked out the window alot so we could see where our surprise fieldtrip was going to be!

A boy in the back took somebody's backpack and started passing it around. Luci just rolled her eyes. Sometimes, people need too much attention we think. Our bus went right past the post office and then we turned left and almost went to the swimming pool where I got water up my nose when I took swimming lessons last summer, but then we turned back and I could hardly believe my eyes! The bus was stopping.  OUR FIELDTRIP WAS TO THE EPHRAIM CITY LIBRARY! My mom will not believe this! Maybe they think it is MY Birthday or something.     I absolutely LOVE GOING TO THE LIBRARY!

Ms. Clay said that if we were REALLY and I mean...REALLY QUIET...then we could check out two books each! I looked around at everybody in the whole two classes and tried to spy out who might not be quiet so I could beg them to hold it down so we could each take two books home, but when the huge wooden doors opened...I forgot all about anyone else and wandered into what I call: wonderful!

"Come on Luci," I whispered. "I know the best place for us!" I grabbed her hand and hurried so we could sit by the big red beanbag by the childrens' books. There are fifty-three million books probably. I love to see the illustrations.  (Merriam and Webster): That means the pictures...but it makes people feel extra special to say they illustrate stuff instead of just draw pictures I think. And instead of saying they wrote a book, big people say that they authored a book.  I like big words, so that all works for me. Now when I think about that, maybe I will be an author and an illustrator when I grow up...well, or I might be a mailman lady...because they get to drive on the other side and take packages and surprise people or maybe I will...I don't know...
I'll plan it out on Saturday probably!

Luci is my best friend and so we decided to choose four books together and then trade around when we get home. FOUR BOOKS! That is so hard to choose. I wish we could choose 42 books! I like books about horses, and I like chapter books about mysteries and 'Where the Sidewalk Ends' sort of books. Oh! and books about Brasil because that's where my brother is, and maybe I should get a craft book for my mom because she is making a shelf for my room!

Two of the kids from the other class were laughing and talking outloud by the water-fountain, so we came really really close to packing it all up...but finally Ms. Clay talked to the teacher with the big clipboard and so the that teacher took her board and very sharp pencil and those talky laughy loud boys out to the bus by themselves. That's a consequence for ya!  They should have listened and obeyed.  SAD for them.  NO BOOKS for them. Maybe next time they will get it.

I like books about: space, zoo animals, how to draw, biographies (that's just books about people) and AUTO-biograhies are about somebody who wrote about their own self, because they auto-matically know what to say... since it is them)! There are books that show all the colors, and books about going to other countries and it even shows what they wear and what they like to eat in those places. I found a book about weather and it's all about how the rain drops down after the clouds bump into the mountain and stuff like that. I almost decided to get a book about my favorite movie, but then I saw a book about going to grandma's house and I think I will get that one for sure! Luci found a book about making your own necklace, one about popcorn, one about twins, and three storybooks that we have never ever heard of! We took each book out and turned a couple of pages and then put it carefully back or put it on our giant 'maybe' stack.

It seemed like we were only at the library for 2 minutes when Ms. Clay announced that it was time to choose our final books and take them to the front desk because it was already lunch time. "Oh no Luci!" I whispered. "We have to hurry and choose! That couldn't have been a whole hour Luci." Luci just started putting books back on the shelf except the Pollyanna book and one about poems and stuff. "But what if the very very VERY best books are still on the shelf and we haven't even seen them yet?" I panicked, "HURRY!" Ms. Clay warned us. So, I closed my eyes and picked two books from my best pile...and then very carefully put the other 7 'almost' books back for later! I got a book about Butterflies and a storybook named: A Wagon full of Surprises! and I quick talked Luci out of her poems book because we have to have the book about Going to Grandmas! and we took them to the front desk.

When we left the library in two straight lines, we marched across the hall to a large pretty much empty conference room and then we could finally open our lunches. "Luci, I was so excited for my lunch and special treat, but I would rather go back to the Library and look at books!" She was smack-dab in the middle of a bite of her peanut butter and honey sandwich so she didn't say a word. "When I think about it, Luci!" I smiled, "Eating is like feeding YOU and reading is like feeding your ideas. And I like being hungry for both!"

The Big Fieldtrip!

My heart is smiling alot because my class is going on a super duper moo-per looper fieldtrip! I am so excited!
That means that Ms. Clay gave us an important paper to not bend, or write on, or lose, or get dirty, or forget about. We MUST have our mom and dad read it and get all excited for us and then they can tear off the bottom and sign their names to tell our teacher that we will be very very nice because: YES, we can go! Then we take the bottom part and put it as quick as a winky dink into our backpacks and tape the top part on our fridges so we won't forget! But believe me...I WILL NOT FORGET! This is my big time to ride a bus and to take a special sack lunch (with dessert in it)!

I like field trips! Ms. Clay said, "Be sure to get to school very early on Tuesday." And I will. She said, "The fieldtrip is a "complete surprise"! That means that they still need to figure it all out I think. I hope we go to the zoo! I love to see all the animals and stuff. Maybe we will go visit a farm. There are lots of animals there too and they aren't so wild and so maybe we can pet them or milk a cow or make butter or something.

Oh! Good one Hadley, great idea: maybe we will go to the bakery! Marcus said his class did that once and he said they gave everyone a free cookie after they looked at all of the ovens and dough machines and stuff. Once he got to go to a giangantic park and they played on the swings and slides and ate their lunches on picnic tables. Oh! I just can't hardly wait!

Jayden was teaching me all about fieldtrips so I would be very prepared for morning. He was kinda telling my mom, but I listened real close. This is exactly what will happen: First thing, we will get on the buses. One of the teachers will climb onto the bus with a clipboard and a commission (that probably means she has a big job to do). While the bus driver is finishing his donut outside, that teacher will squint at us with her eyes and tell us all to mind our manners as she checks off her list with a sharp, very sharp, pencil. She will tell us that we better not litter, or yell, or wander off, or throw things around in the bus. (Whoa lady...don't give everyone ideas, I thought). Then Markus said that Everyone will be very quiet and she will tell us again that we better behave or there will be a big fat huge test for those who are not courteous. And that test will be during recess on the very next day. Then she will say: "Don't even think about opening your sack lunches on the bus." And then she will say: "Your parents pay alot of taxes for you to get to do these things and so you better mind your p's and q's or you won't deserve to go on this fieldtrip or any others in the future. I asked Jayden what p's and q's meant and he just sorta rolled his eyes and went on. I looked at my mom. Then I figured it out, all by myself! It means be 'polite' and don't get quilty! All the kids are like statues he said. They just want to get off the bus and go home. That part worried me about fieldtrips. But the next part is the good part!
Next, Jayden said that the teachers trade buses and start over giving their speeches about our day. You can't go until they do it, so just smile and nod and wait. He said that the other teacher gets on the bus with a giant smile. She just looks at everyone and tells all the parents who are going with us about how well-behaved these students are and how much fun we are going to have. She has been looking forward to it for a long time! Then everyone breathes again, Markus said. My mom giggled just a little bit. I hope I can hold my breath long enough to do it the right way in the morning.

Isn't that just life for ya? Everywhere I go, some people are happy and some people are grumpy. It isn't just kids, I guess. Maybe even big grown-up people decide to be nice or not. Anyway, I sure hope we get the smiling teacher on our bus! If not, then we will all sit and shake, Jayden said. I'm going to be a kind kind of person when I grow up! And I am growing up right now when I think about it.

Well, I guess I better go take a bath and wash my hair and set my clothes out and hug my mom and dad and say my prayers and go to sleep so I will be ready for my FIELDTRIP as soon as I wake up!!!

Maybe we will go to the chicken hatchery (OH! I hope so! Maybe they will give us a new little baby chick!), or maybe to the children's museum...oh that would be so great because you can hunt for dinosaur bones in the sand or play with the old kind of telephones about when they were invented, or climb way up on a fire engine! My cousin Mallory got to drive a real fire engine once! Oh! and McKenzie got to go see some Bees on a TV thingy in a storage room place or something like that! Maybe we will go up the canyon to collect leaves and see what plants not to touch like the poison ivy scratchy itchy stuff. (No...that's not it, because its all snowy right now, so that's not it!) Maybe we will visit an aquarium! That's where you get to look through the glass and try to name twenty thousand kinds of fish when they swim quickity slippidy past you. Or Maybe, we could go to the newspaper place! If we go there I can see how to make a newspaper, and that would be great because it is kinda like making a book...and when I grow up, I am going to write a book. Well, maybe I will write lots of books.
Ok, Hadley K, time to quit thinking and just OBEY!
take a bath,
wash my hair,
set my clothes out,
remind mom about my special lunch,
hug mom and dad,
say my prayers, (maybe I can ask if its okay if the kind teacher is on my bus).
and GO TO SLEEP so I will be ready for my big surprise FIELDTRIP! Where or where will we go? I can't hardly wait to know!

The Scripture Store!

So, we were having a yucky stucky time getting together for Family Home Evenings. And sometimes Markus just rolled his eyes at the very thought. He'll be okay when he grows up I think, but for now, he can't sit still very much sometimes. But, the best thing just happened today! My parents thought up the most excellent idea ever!

It's called the SCRIPTURE STORE! And we get to spend our scripture script (that's kind of like our own home-made money thingys). If we read our scriptures just a bit every day (even if its only a verse or a chapter or a story) then we get to have a student script on Sunday. And that is very good because I love to read about the stories in the scriptures. Like Daniel who was not even afraid of the Lions because Heavenly Father would make those lions into pets just like Scruffy, so they wouldn't hurt him at all, and they didn't. And Heavenly Father helped Esther too, only I can't remember the name of the bad guy in that story right now...but all I remember is that if I have faith like Esther then the bad guys will just go away.

If we write 2 paragraphs in our journals a week (which: if I think about it: I am already doing it right now!!!) then on Sunday I will get a scribe script. Maybe I will write about some of my favorite scripture stories sometimes.

And if I can tell my parents something that somebody did that was super kind during the week then I get a steward script...and steward just means that you took care of watching for good things and tried to do kind things for other people. It's not that hard. Sometimes it could just be a smile even. But, sometimes you have to do dishes or vacuum or take bread to the neighbor and stuff.

But, here's the best part! We get to buy real things with the script and then we can start all over with it again. We can save our script and buy something very big, like a coloring book, or new crayons, or even a new pair of shoes when we need them, and stuff like that. My parents even made a little store in the storage room. The deal is: they have the key. And the other thing is: we can only get the script things, IF we have Family Home Evening. AND something else: the store is only open for 20 minutes after Family Home Evening once a week! 
                                   
I DON'T WANT TO MISS EVEN ONE!                                                                   
So, I have to plan it all out and think ahead. This week I am definitely going for the Zagnut candy bar...because I really really like Zagnut candy bars. They are the best ever! It will cost 2 scripts...so I can't forget to write a note to remember to be nice and to read my scriptures. Even Jayden thinks this is a great idea. He saw a football key chain in that store and it cost 3 scripts so he has to be pretty kind all week long.  Oh Yeah!

I am so excited about this whole brand spanking new idea! We can't even wait for everyone to be home for family night now. Plus, inside of me feels like a giant smile. I think it's because our Prophet said to always have a night just for our family to talk and learn and play games together. He said we can invite other people to be with us sometimes too. I think Luci would like this script thing too! I'll ask mom if she can get another Zagnut candy bar in there for Luci.
Well, that's my "two paragraphs or more" in my journal for this week. It's one of my very best weeks ever in the world cuz' now we have a real scripture store! That is a very very important idea that my parents thought of. Way to go Mom and Dad!

C-H-E-A-T-I-N-G

CHEATING! That's exactly what Regge was doing. I was sad to the middle of me and back. At first, I thought, maybe he looked at my paper by accident. Maybe he was stretching and looked by mistake or something. I think everybody is trying to do their very best. Why not? It is sorta why we came to earth. Who would even try to do something wrong on purpose and get their book all messed up...because when I think about it, our books (up there) tell us what we get and where we go forever and ever and ever and ever and never quits. That is way past and beyond me!

But, Regge looked at my paper twice and then again and that does it! He was CHEATING on purpose. SAD, SAD, SAD. "Regge, quit looking on my paper," I whispered sharp. He just laughed at me while I squinted at him. And just then Ms. Clay said the last word for us to spell and so I hurried and piled all of my books and my dictionary and my backpack and my pencil holder in front of my spelling words and covered my paper really really good and scooted my chair way-away from him so that the angels don't write anything about that cheaty thing in my book! All day long, I worried about Regge.

Our teacher has a pretty rock collection in the back of our room. I bet it was Regge who showed Ricky and Karen the fool's gold rock and promised them that it was real gold. At recess, I saw Regge cut in line to kick the ball ahead of Justin. OH MY! His book must be stuffed with yuck. How disgusting. I don't even want my desk to be next to his desk.

There are some really cute boys in my class. I wish my desk was by theirs. Like Jonathan, he is fun and includes everybody and he would never ever in a zillion years cheat on a test. Nathaniel is kind and shares with everybody and would never cheat or crowd in line. Samuel is a good sport, everybody likes him too, and he wouldn't cheat either. Now those boys are my kind of people... they are smart, and nice, and handsome to the max! I was thinking to tell Luci about how yucky Regge is. Maybe I should warn everybody.

At recess, I said: "Luci, I have to tell you something about Regge." Just as I was about to tell Luci every little dreadful detail about the boy, a little thought came to my mind about my special Christmas gift, which is really a promise, which is also my New Year's Resolution thingy because it all works out that way... and so just then, I remembered to think about the good instead of the bad things. So I stopped right there. "What about Regge?" Luci asked. "What did you want to tell me?"

"A..well...I wanted to tell you that...a well...I think that Regge is sad." "What?" Luci blinked like a frog who didn't even believe my words. "Well...I think that maybe we should ask Ms. Clay to help him with his spelling. "What, are you kidding me, Hadley K, he got all but the very last word right on his spelling test! That was better than me, I missed two, what about asking teacher to help me!" "Oh, yeah." I mumbled. "Come on, no one's on 4-square," and I started to run.

After recess, I wrote a little note to Ms. Clay and I told her that Regge probably needed some help on spelling, but maybe he was too shy to ask. I didn't think she would know who wrote the note, but after school she asked me to stay and visit with her. Oh yeah, I had written the note with my blue pencil and she knows that is my most favorite color. Plus, I had a smiley face at the bottom and she knows about my smiley faces. "Well, I think Regge is sad because he tried to copy my words to feel better about his paper, and so maybe you could help him learn to spell by himself and then he would be happy." That was all I could think of to say. She thanked me for telling her and said that she would try to help him more.

It still bothered me all day about the Cheating thing. Mostly, because I don't even want to be anywhere near Regge or his cheaty desk. But, then I thought about my part. I was judging him and mad at him and that is bad too. Maybe nobody would want to sit by me either if they could see my mind all mad and judging. But cheating is way bad. But judging is way bad too. But cheating is way way bad. I was mad at him because judging is in my book now, because of the cheating in his! I'm not sure how to fix that.

And then something important happened. Margaret accidentally knocked Ms. Clay's vase off her desk when she was handing in her late library book. The vase went crash-bang-into a million pieces and Margaret started to cry. "Oh, Ms. Clay, I am so sorry." And you know what my teacher said? She just gave Margaret a little hug and said, "I am sad about the vase, but not about you Margaret. I am not mad at you. Come help me sweep up the pieces if you would."
That is very very important what Ms. Clay said...and it fixed my problem too.          I wasn't mad at Regge. I was mad at the cheaty thing.   And cheating is something to be mad about. Wow! I felt much better! So I jumped right up from my desk and helped Margaret clean up Ms. Clay's flowers from the floor while Ms. Clay swept the bazillion pieces of vase. And then I marched back to my desk which is right next to Reginald G's desk and put away my books and dictionary and pencil case and waited for the bell to ring.

Her name is Scruffy!

My puppy has a name! Nobody even helped me. It is a great name, and I thought it all up myself. My puppy is (da da!):

Kaisa K Scruffy Shay! That is a terrific name! Maybe people will want me to help them name their dogs now...so I chose the very best one first because she is the very best dog in the whole world! We just call her Scruffy.
When I say: "Come on, Scruffy!", she wags her tail 100 miles an hour and so I know she likes her name alot.

But sometimes I think other people think that they have the very best dog in the world, even if they don't, and so it all works out. Its good that everybody see things a little different. Because Mrs. Merzolot two streets over has the real most ugliest dog I have ever seen...and I mean E-V-E-R seen, but she thinks it is just as cute as a button. I have never seen a giant bulldog button before, but I am happy for her, I really am. When I look at Mrs. Merzolot's dog, I see a big fat bulldog with drooling and grumpy and bowl-legging stuff...but she sees her best dog in the world. Maybe all the people with blue eyes see things different than all the people with brown eyes and green eyes. I will have to figure out, about that, on Saturday. All I know is that I am sooooo glad that I have green eyes and that my dog is the best in the whole wide country world!

The last two weeks have been the best! But in two days school will start again. I am sorta ready and sorta not. Life is like that. I want to tell my friends and my teacher about Scruffy...but I don't want to leave her home. I wish I could take her to school and let her sit right by my desk. But, She might eat the principal's shoes and chew up my best crayons and jump up on the lunch table and eat everybody's lunches in the whole school. And then she would be the biggest fattest dog in the universe and everybody would look at me like: 'You know that you can't bring a dog to school Hadley K and now it ate all of our lunches, including our dessert!' and I would just look down at my shoelaces because they are right, I do know that dogs can't come to school. But if I train her to be really nice and to stay and to sit and to crawl and to shake and ESPECIALLY: to go outside when she needs to be outside (if you know what I mean)...then it will all work out.

Today is the day, that I clean up all the bits of color from my bedroom floor. I know today is the day because when we were having our oatmeal this morning, my mom said, "Hadley K, today is the DAY!" and I knew EXACTLY what she meant. It will take about 3 years to clean my room and then tonight, I will train Scruffy to be nice. My mom thinks I should train me first...and when I thought about that...it is a really really great idea that she said. I really can learn to obey fast if Scruffy can, because when I think about it...I am a person and Scruffy is a dog and so if a dog can learn to obey first off...then I can too. I like that alot. At first, the thought of obeying about my messy room made me sad...but then I remembered my gift about choosing to be HAPPY...so I figured out to make a cleaning game. Yeah, okay, pick up all the red papers and red socks and red shirts or pencils or anything red in my room and put it all away before I count to 24! Then I think I will put away everything that has pink on it next! HEY! maybe...I should call Luci! She will think my game is like a genuis game!

Well....OR NOT. I guess it is mine to do all alone. Drats! OK. Here I go, just smile and nod, just smile and nod, just smile and nod. READY...SET...GO! Pick up everything with POLKA DOTS ON IT FIRST. Then STRIPES! Then every paper that measures under 1 and 1/2 inches long...YEAH! And while I am in the garage getting the measurer thingy... I will pet the best dog in the world: SCRUFFY!

FOR REALS? A PUPPY!!!

I am so excited that my pen is not even sure what to write!
We had the best Christmas in the whole world!!!       I cannot even think or believe what I actually got for Christmas!!!                       I just have to write every single part down to remember it FOR-E-V-E-R. OH MY!

The thing about writing in my journal is that I am saying stuff that I already know. But I am writing it down anyway, because of the family history...thing. It's really MY JOURNAL, but I already know about me, so I think its like I am writing it for my little children so they will know about these days. Only they are not even born yet and so I don't know their names or else I would write this to their names. But whoever you are going to be, (hmmm..maybe you are twins! Yeah, I think maybe two sets of twins, and then a boy and then a girl and then a boy and then another girl...and...well, wait! Maybe the girl first and then...hmmm...I sorta want 9 children but sometimes 7. I'll have to figure it all out on Saturday or something. I think everybody's names could start with K). Anyway: you kids be nice and share. Maybe you could tear this page out and make copies so everyone can have one because you are not going to believe what I got for Christmas!!!

First, on Christmas Eve, after dad read what Luke said about the real Christmas then I got to open the package that mom (winked about over and over). "Oh my! Thank you! I love these new pajamas!" (But don't even think thats the best surprise yet!) Because the best gift is next!

On Christmas morning, we sat on the stairs while Dad figured out about his new camera. He had us smile at least twelve times before the flash finally worked right, and Mom was smiling the whole time and telling us that it was already daytime in Brasil and so our brother was probably going to call us in an one hour and 22 and 1/2 minutes from now! I was smiling a straight cheeser because I know that's the best way to get the camera part done, (I sorta wished that dad had read his new instructions book another time too), but I was co-operating big time while we all waited for Jayden who really didn't get it about waking up at 5:00 in the morning. But later, when he saw that violet gecko bursting across his new blue and orange snowboard then he was wide awake. I heard a little noise down there. I really did. Okay, so we took the pictures quick and when the grandfather clock donged then we ran down the stairs and looked by the tree. And there under that tree was the best present in the whole country and beyond. There was the barky noise again and the cutest puppy that I ever saw in my whole life! And the puppy had a bright red bow on it and a tag that said: For Hadley K! I jumped up and down and yelled: Is this really my very own puppy for keeps? Momma, is this really my very own puppy? Look at my puppy!!! My very own puppy! Can we really keep this puppy? I felt a little tear come out because Dad said that we could keep it and that it was my Christmas present for reals and I was so happy. I didn't even know that I could have a real puppy for Christmas.

She is so soft and she is golden, the golden kind of retriever that's golden.. She licked my face because she likes me so much and I giggled about that. It feels so tickeleee. Then Jayden wanted to open his other present, but I forgot that there were other presents. So Dad opened his pencil holder and my Mom opened her Koo-pawns and Jayden opened his candy bar and pencil with the football eraser and the whole world was so happy about their gifts. I was the happiest of all! Oh My! Oh My!!!

We talked to my brother in Brasil, he kind of speaks our language still... and I told him all about my present. And he said, "what is your puppy's name?" and I said: "I don't know!" And he said, "You better choose a good name for her and then you can write a letter and tell me what it is!" And then he told me that he loves me. And then it was Jayden's turn to talk. I need a NAME for my new puppy. I need lots and lots of good ideas.

OH NO! Gotta go... my puppy just found another shoe. She is sooooo smart. Probably the smartest dog in the universe. She already knows all about what a shoe is, that's pretty smart for a little puppy and she can find them anywhere! Oops, that one belongs to my dad! Better go....

The GIFT

I'm not sure why I started to giggle...but I did. And then I couldn't stop no matter what! And it was not good because I was smack dab in the middle of my school program with my new ruffly Christmas dress on. There were about 20 million people looking at us and the lights were pointy right at us, and we had to stand very still and keep our hands at our sides and I had an itch. And grandpas were flashing their cameras, and grandmas were wiping away little happy tears, and little kids were standing on their parents' laps so they could see us lots better than the upset people behind them. And my teacher was hurrying to one side of the gym and then to the other trying to get the lights just right...and then the principal announced all about us and stuff and then it got real quiet. And all of a sudden, I started to giggle. It was so embarrassing! And the more I thought about that, the more I giggled. Maybe because my hair was pulled too tight up there and then my bow popped right off and onto Jacob's head who was right on the row in front of me. He turned around and the look on his face could have started everything, or maybe because I was the third row up and right on the end of the bleachers and I was just trying not to fall off the program. It was all a very special special evening, like my teacher said, and I tried to cover my mouth, but a great giant ha, ha, ha, came out! Oops!
Anyway, I sneaked a peek at my mom and she was trying to tell me to quit laughing NOW! She put her finger over her lips like: Shhhhh! And my father was tilting his head with his eyebrows up high and his arms folded like: Why, Hadley K, Why? and sorta like there might be no more presents with my number on them when we get back home. They had to dress all nice to come and I think they came to hear me and 49 other kids sing and this laughing stuff was not appropri-up or some word like that. But when I saw them staring with their eyes all talking to me...and when I tried to stop, I started to laugh even more. Did they think I was doing it on purpose? Well, I wasn't! I ducked down behind Jacob just a bit so that my teacher wouldn't squint at me and so I wouldn't ruin the whole Christmas song, and I pinched my arm really hard so I would quit. Oh My...HA...HA...HA! Anyway, we had a very quiet ride home. But there are lots of good things that happened this week too! That's how life is, I think. There are always good things and there are always bad things. A good thing is that our family got our coats on and we went to all our neighbors and sang Christmas songs on their porches. A bad thing was: I accidentally tore a little piece of the wrapping off one of the gifts that I was rearranging. The good thing was: It was a present for my brother and I found some tape really really fast and fixed it before any problems. A bad thing was: my snowman melted his head off. A good thing was: My teacher made a little sleigh for everybody in my class with two candy canes for the slider things! A bad thing was: I giggled during my special program. That made me sad. But a very very good thing is: This week, right now...is Christmas week.

I got a coloring book and markers for Luci. She will be sooooo excited for that. I put a little pink dot by the pages that she should save for me to color. I really like that book.

I made a pencil holder for my dad. We did it at school. All you need is a soup can. My teacher probably had chicken noodle soup for a year because she saved all of those cans in a big box. (I am happy for her that she can have potatoes and hamburger and salad now that it is all done.) Anyway, we just glopped glue all over the can and then you smear it all around...and then this is the part where we go fast. You just take a yarn that has whatever color you want...or whatever color is left if Brad got the color you wanted...and then just wind it around and around and around the can getting higher and higher to the top and then you are done. Well, you still have to wash your hands so you don't stick to your desk. Anyway, my dad will be so excited!

I am giving my mom some little cards. They are called: Coupons...like: Koo-pawns. You just draw a picture of what you will do to help. Like one has dishes on it and when she gives it back to me, then I will help with the dishes. One has a broom on it, so I will sweep the floor. I tried to draw a cleaning the closet one...but there is no way that I could draw all of that stuff and so I did a cloth for dusting instead. At the very end, when I was wrapping them up, I decided to take out the 'clean the bathroom' one. But maybe I should put it back in there. I should. I'll think about that one. Maybe I should. I'll see....

For my brothers, I drew a picture of the Temple for my brother Jeff in Brasil. And for Jayden, I gave him my best pencil with a football eraser and...I also gave him a whole candy bar! For my grandma and grandpas, I drew pictures of my snowman before his head melted off and I wrote: "I love you very much and please hurry and come visit us forever". And I was all excited for Christmas because the best thing is: My Christmas countdown chain is so teensy now that it is hardly there. But that giggling thing in my program really made me feel bad. I just ruined my whole program for my whole school. Mostly, my mom and dad, because nobody else noticed so much, because they were looking at their kids. I let my parents down big time. I just sorta drooped around for a couple of days. I had chocolate milk, but I didn't put marshmellows in it.

And after a very good and very bad week...I think I know what gift to give Jesus. I want His to be the best present of all! And His will be the hardest to make and do. I decided that even though every day is good and bad...that I will just remember the good parts. I can choose happy instead of sad. I think that's the gift He will like the most from me. My mom says that everybody has bad days. I think it seems like I keep making lots of mistakes more than anybody, but if I quit thinking about my bad days then everything will be better. So this is how my gift will go: if someone asks me about my Christmas program...I can say: "Well, just for a minute there, I sorta got a little giggle in my heart, but mostly, it was a special special evening." Yeah, and I will remember the special part. Something inside of me feels like a smile and so I know that is the gift I should give. WOW! I really am ready now. Merry Christmas Hadley K!