Dear Family,
I was hoping to get a letter cranked out this morning before Mom was able to send them out, but then she does get up at 4 am. How am I supposed to compete with that?
The Nebraska Gardners are well. Things are taking me a bit longer than we had hoped, but we have been well taken care of by the Lord. I hope to sit (again) for my series 7 test next week if all goes well. Last month I took it and 'failed' as I got a 71 and a passing score is 72. What a kick in the pants. It has become easier for me to take things in stride as I know that sometimes we really do have to wait for things to happen in the Lord's time. I have had a hard time passing these tests and have threatened several times to give up. But the answer always comes that we should 'stay the course'.
Taylor has been working away at her Doula business, and I think is highly sought after. She is booked out until July and has been learning and growing immensely. I think it's great for her to have a little something going on outside of her calling as YW Secretary and running our home. Although we are sad to sometimes have her gone for 30-40 hours at a time as she helps these new mothers through their births, she has witnessed great strength among these women and found some great friends that share her passion for positive birth experiences. It's great to see her succeed and pursue something she is so passionate about. And she is so patient with me when I tell her I can't talk about birth stuff anymore some days.
Dallin is our ever growing 1st grader. He loves going to school and seems to have a lot of friends. We get mostly good reports from the teacher and he rarely brings home unfinished school work. I think he has learned to complete it at school because he hates homework. The cold, mostly snowless winter has been hard for him as his busy self has been confined to the indoors. He started basketball a few weeks ago and seems to really enjoy it. I have to learn to not yell from the sidelines so much - 1st and 2nd graders have no idea what I mean when I shout at them to get back on D! I also have to remember that he is only 6, making him probably one of the youngest in his grade and on his team, even if he is one of the tallest.
Addie keeps charming our hearts away. She is ever loving and tender. She is growing faster than mom wants as we realized last night that she has Kindergarten registration in 2 weeks. She attends a Methodist preschool that we feel does a good job and came recommended. Each month they send out a calendar and it always has a quote on it. Last month the quote was, "The greatest work we will ever do is within the walls of our own home", by H.B. Lee. We smiled. Both Addie and Dallin gave their teachers Joy to the World DVDs for Christmas. And Dallin has taken his Book of Mormon to school to read during free time. They are teaching us to not be so shy about sharing the gospel. They are also starting to figure out that everybody else isn't just in 'another ward' but that they, in fact, don't share our beliefs.
Paisley is a wild pants 2-year-old. I think she is the snuggliest of our kiddos, but Tay remembers Addie being the same way. She has learned to crawl out of her crib and tears around after bed time getting the older two all riled up. Some nights it's hard to get mad as we hear non stop laughter and running little feet. Other nights, it's really easy to get mad as 9 and 10pm approach and we still hear laughter and little feet...but that is rare. Paisley also talks up a little storm and says the cutest things. This morning she crawled into our bed early and grabbed me by the face and asked to play 'Hanky Birds' on my phone. Of course this is after she harassed Tay for a while. She is a joy and I love to hear her yell 'Daddy home' when I walk in the door.
We are blessed. We have great kids. We have great family. As I serve in the bishopric, I learn more and more each day how truly blessed we are. Heavenly Father sure has a way of reminding us sometimes.
We look forward to the reunion. Mom called the other day and asked if we were still interested. Of course we are! We hope to see you all there...wherever it is.
Love
Austin, Taylor, Dallin, Addie and Paisley
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