Welcom Ethan Isaac Schauers!

While I was birthing my ASWB exam April 7th, my sister in law Shawna Schauers was giving birth to a new member of the Schauers family--Ethan Isaac. He was healthy and beautiful and is doing well. We are so happy for Justin and Shawna, they struggled with infertility so this was a great blessing!

No Dessert or Candy Contract

I started gaining weight this past 2 months, I'm sure stress had something to do with it, but its also my intake. On April 17th I had had enough of the problem I have with controlling my sugar intake, so I decided to use the behavior contract on myself that I use with my clients. I set a goal and sign the contract and if I keep the goal I earn an incentive--a new swimming suit. Well, Savanna thought this was cool, I was using her as the person I was held accountable to so she wanted to do it as well. We decided to stay off candy and dessert for 1 month, so on May 17th, her birthday, we would be done with the contract. She is going shopping with me and will get a swimsuit and toe socks as her incentive.

The funny thing is, as we were having Fiora sign as a witness she adamantly insisted on being part of the contract as well. We none of us thought this was possible for Fiora, she is the family's infamous sweet tooth. But whe wanted in, so we printed out a contract for her also. The even more funny thing is, the next day as Fiora and Savanna were explaining to Weston that they are "off sweets" he decided he wanted to do it also! So we have 4 contracts on the fridge now, and Weston has proven to be the most valiant of all of us. They are all doing well, they give their desserts at school lunch to their friends, they save their candy in a bag in the freezer, and they dutifully tell everyone who offers them candy or dessert that "they are off sweets for a month." They are keeping me strong. I can't believe the bags of candy they have already saved up, its worse than halloween. Oh the pounds of sugar I have spared us all from processeing by starting this contract!

A little about Weston

Weston and Fiora got to meet their cousins at the Mayan and have a farewell dinner for Seth Snow who is leaving for a mission on Wednesday. Savanna and I were at her soccer game which was at the same time. Weston has some pretty amazing moves. He does roundoffs and gets down on his arm and spins around and kicks in the air like a break-dancer. Its pretty entertaining to watch. He tries to Beat-box too. He is a delightful boy. He loves giving me big hugs and saying,"I love you so much! I love you more than you love me. I love you more than infinity!" He had to give up gymnastics to do soccer, because it was on the same night at the same time. But he is such a great gymnast, I may put him back in after soccer is over. He has a strong core and a determination to do all the tasks just right. He got a goal in his soccer game yesterday, he doesn't have the aggression some others on his team has, but he does have determination to keep trying. Sometimes that pays off in a goal! Weston is a great son, I am eternally grateful we were blessed with him in our family.

1st place

I entered a social justice and ethics paper contest this semester based on my experiences at the prison, and I was pleasantly surprised to win first place! I was awarded $400.00 and invited to a luncheon with the MSW faculty and Gene Shumway, who co-founded the BYU MSW program back in the 70s. I was given the opportunity to talk about my paper and hear Dr. Shumway's ideas about it. Interestingly enough, Dr. Shumway worked at Discovery Acadamy for 4 years and he knows my dad really well, and told everyone at the lunch how much he loves my father! It was a fun experience!

The Many Faces of Fi

Many of you know that Fiora is a unique and interesting individual. She is what you might call "a character." I never know what to expect from her next. She is hilarious.

Announcing at last

(This is for announcing purposes only. You are under no obligation to attend.)

Pictures and announcement created by Holly Barrett Nielson

Zelda and Zoe

We picked up two female gerbils Saturday from a private seller. None of the pet stores had any gerbils to sell on Friday. We wanted to get some females about the same age or younger than Fred but none were to be had. These gerbils are twice the size of Fred. So maybe they wont be his mates, but at least Savanna and Fiora have pets again. Savanna named her black one Zoe Zebra and Fiora named her brown one Zelda Bella. Weston thought his should have a middle name too so his is now Fred Ned.