Another mom of mine...

I have been blessed to interact with and learn from some pretty remarkable women over the years. Nate's mom, Shauna, is no exception. And, it just wouldn't seem right to let her birthday go by without saying at least a little something.
You know, I just sit back and listen when I'm with a group of girlfriends and the topic turns to crazy interactions with their mothers-in-law. O.k., not entirely true. I might laugh, gasp or roll my eyes, but you get the point. The truth is, I simply don't have anything to contribute. That's because, next to my own mom and family, I have rarely felt more comfortable, more loved and more apart of something than I do as a Boyce. It's just awesome, and Shauna is a big part of that. There's no drama or difficulty, just a whole lot of love like I was always a part of the family.
One of the greatest reasons I love Shauna (and my father-in-law, Dave, of course!) is because of who Nate is: organized, fun, thoughtful, spiritual, dedicated and strong. He has a great concern for others and is truly creative, just like his mom. Oh, and they both happen to be great gift-givers!
Simply put, I love having another mom, especially this one.

Happy birthday Shauna!

What's in a name?

‘Mom’ is one of those little words with lots of meaning: love, dedication, work, fun, support, organization, multi-tasking, counselor, chef, cheerleader, disciplinarian, teacher, triage nurse…the list could be longer, but you get the point.
I’m not a mom yet, but I certainly have a great one. Today is her birthday and, thus, a great opportunity to editorialize a little about her. My mom is so private and modest that she won’t let us tell the server at a restaurant or mention to people at church, or anywhere really, that it’s her birthday. Mom, is it o.k. to blog about it on the internet?
I just have to say that my mom is the epitome of support and dedication to family. She was born to be a mom. It’s her greatest joy and job. She’s had to share that most favorite job all of these years with elementary kids in her employment as a truly dedicated teacher, but never at the expense of her family.
Somehow during all of those growing up years my mom managed to always (and I mean always) make homemade bread and cookies, made sure we sat down to eat for dinner and breakfast as a family every day (including high school seminary days), and kept up with the ‘mom’ things like grocery shopping, yard work, laundry and cleaning. In fact, I have to confess that it wasn’t until college when I saw my roommate making burritos for dinner that I learned you could buy refried beans in a can. My mom always made them!
Little did my mom know when I brought that flier home in second grade about park and rec soccer that saying ‘yes’ to letting me play committed she and my dad to ten years of uniforms, cleats, year round practice, summer camps, tournaments, out of town travel and way too many rainy, miserable games to cheer at. But you know what? She did it and, not just for soccer. I should also mention stints of basketball, swimming, softball, volleyball, and years of piano and dance lessons. She was always there. Even if I was playing at Nevada Union, (and you locals know what kind of a drive that is) she was there.
That’s kind of the theme of my mom, I guess: she’s always there to support and cheer on our family. I see that still as a married grown up. My mom is interested in the details of our lives because she wants to help, offer prayers and support us in any way that she can. What a remarkable example she is.
I could go on, but I don’t want this to ramble too much or sound like a eulogy. More than anything, I’m grateful that today I get to celebrate my mom. I can’t wait to be a mom and be even more like her in so many ways! Happy birthday Mom!

Days that are merry and bright...

I love kids. Not really a surprising statement, I know. I guess, better said, I love moments that remind me how much I love kids. Oh sure, I have those days, especially when I'm teaching, that I'd be the first to trade my credential for a part time job at Williams Sonoma. But, really, between work and my church assignment in Primary (and our nieces being in town this week!), I am so lucky to be surrounded by these little treasures, especially since we don't have any darlings of our own yet.
Aren't kids just the best reminders of having fun, laughing at yourself and being sweet? They understand so much more than we give them credit for and are capable of so much creativity and thoughtfulness when we give them the opportunity.
Today I had my Primary class over for a little end of the year celebration. We decorated sugar cookies and ate pizza. I can't tell you how much fun it was, not only to have kids in our house, but to just sit around the table and laugh with them. They are so silly, but, oh so sweet. And they're talented cookie decorators!










Just last week, on the last day of school before Winter Break, one of my students walked up to me with this:

She made me promise not to read it, because, after all, it wasn't for me. She just thought Mr. Boyce might feel left out since a few kids had written me cards.

Today one of my sweet Primary kids arrived for cookie decorating and presented me with her own special creation:











I hope your week is quickly filling with Christmas cheer and simple reminders of how blessed our lives are. For me, it's the sweet relationship I have with these kids that this time have been that reminder.

Wishing you joy...

I'm a sucker for cute kids and the holidays. Thanks to the BYU's College of Fine Arts and Communications for putting this little piece together and my thoughtful sister for sharing it with me. Like you, we're a little more mindful at this time of year of the many blessing we have: good health, financial security and an eternal perspective and awareness that can get us through anything. We hope your holidays are filling up with faith, fun, family and, well, FOOD!

You can also go to http://www.joytoeveryone.com/ to view or share it!

kids these days...

This is an interesting school year for me. The first trimester just finished, and in a lot of ways I still feel like it's the first week of school: totally behind with stacks of work multiplying far too fast than I can keep up with. Actually, that's fairly typical some of the time for us teachers, but this year it just seems magnified -- by a lot. The good news is that, despite all of the endless paperwork, new programs to pilot and silly meetings that are keeping me from making headway on those stacks of to-dos, I really have a great group of kids.
It takes a daily effort of compliments and correction, but they're proving to be a pretty good bunch. Just today I was completing the attendance section on their report cards and realized I have had zero suspensions so far this year. Zero. I've never had that, not even when I taught kindergarten!
So today I was thinking back on this week and, despite the extra stress, found myself smiling and grateful for the kiddos I've got.

This week I received a little of the good...
I do get my fair share of love notes. This one is cuter than most, but it's even better because she tried to break up her words into syllables, something I've been teaching the kids to do. Not perfect, but a good try!

the bad...
It's not so bad, but a few weeks ago I asked a student in one of our autistic classes to go and line up after recess. He reluctantly complied. But every time he sees me, he still mutters, "Stupid teacher, stupid teacher." I guess I've really burned a bridge with this little darling and need to make amends. He'll get over it eventually, right?

And, well,

I'll call it...unexplainable.

I arrived to school on Wednesday and this 'treasure' was on my desk. Best I can tell is that a naked Chia pet was adorned with some decor and stuffed with fresh flowers. How the glittered mask fits in I'm not quite sure. If it's any indicator of what holiday gifts will be coming in from my students, it's going to be an interesting year.

I'm happy to report that Thanksgiving break has officially begun! The kids are a good time, but I love when I get the chance to exercise my 'stay at home wife' skills!

730 days

That's right...two years. Happy times, trying times, great memories and adventures -- that's just what life is full of. Having Nate as my husband to experience it all with...well, that's priceless. I'm so glad we're together forever.

Isn't he handsome?

Standing Together

I always appreciate reminders about how we're all much more alike than we are different. This is a great piece put together by CatholicVote.com, and it seems appropriate to share with less than a week before this very important election. Take a few minutes and watch: