November 12 - I'm Thankful for My Princess, Sarah

On November 12 , I posted this on my facebook account:

Today I am thankful for Sarah. Unlike the visions brought to mind by the meaning of her name, "Princess",  Sarah is giving, loving, willing to go the extra mile, doing good continually, preserving family history, and contributing to our family's well-being. Adjectives that describe her are: innovative, creative, fun, and zaney. I'm thankful that God shared one of his choice princesses with me.

Introducing our own princess, Sarah.  Yes, that is the literal translation of her Hebrew name.  We were so glad when Sarah arrived healthy and whole---a very healthy, 8 pounds 10 ounces worth!

So today I just wanted to take a walk down memory lane and explain some of what I shared on facebook:


Her fascination with books and reading started at an early age....



...and it didn't stop.  We called her "Marion the Librarian"



She loved a good story.  This one happened to be Little Black Sambo being read to her at her third birthday party by her Great Uncle Allen, who used to read it to me.
.

Her love of books and reading turned into a love for learning, and she became a very good student.  She was honored for her academics at Shepherd Jr. High in Ottawa, Illinois; and when she graduated from Austin High School in Sugar Land, Texas, she had lettered in academics, was an honor graduate (top 12 percent of her class), a member of NHS, and a scholarship recipient.



Sarah - Senior Year 1998-1999 (and yes, the braces were off before graduation)

She continued her hard work at BYU, was selected as a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, and was on the Dean's List before she graduated in April of 2003.


Sarah and Marte Lambert (good friend and roommate from Ottawa, Illinois)

All of this preparation led to her being hired to replace her mentor teacher and to start work the Monday after graduation!  She taught then (6th grade) for several months and for another 4 1/2 years after her mission (third, first, and fourth grades).  That's where she demonstrated her abilities to be fun, innovative, and creative, and even zany.  She would take what she had learned, study and read up on the latest ideas, and run with it---adding her own touch as she went.  There were things like Camp Cowabunga; visits from Zero the Hero; a detective-themed writing camp entitled "Discover the Secrets of Writing" complete with case files, magnifying glasses, clues, etc.; singing; crazy dances; painting spots on T-shirts during the 100-day celebration to wear the next day---you guessed it, 101 black spots; baking large Texas salt dough shapes so the students could paint geographic regions on them; class newspapers; Author's Night complete with published, illustrated, and bound books by each of the students; reader's theaters, wax museum book reports, plays, and pen pals.

Couldn't legally post pictures of her with the students, so here she is with her co-teachers at Camp Cowabunga!




At first (1981) she kind of thought Christmas was boring----she slept through most of it.



In 1982, she didn't really like the whole idea!

But as she got older, Sarah was often the "life" of our Christmas celebrations.  Whether it was helping with the mundane preparation (cleaning, decorating, shopping, wrapping, and baking) or providing our entertainment and laughs during our get-togethers, things just wouldn't have been the same without Sarah's energy, excitement, laughter, or sense of humor.



In 2005, I went to Utah for the funeral of my cute nephew, Dustyn, on the 23rd of December and couldn't get back until Christmas day.  With Sarah in charge, Christmas Eve went off without a hitch (and she even took the picture)...



... including the decorating of sugar cookies with Abby; cousin, Becky; and Liz who was taking the picture.



In 2006, Sarah provided some good laughs while we made gingerbread houses...



and during the rest of our Christmas Eve festivities!



She started out as kind of a messy little kid----



...and that stage lasted for a while,

but then she spent the rest of her days at home, cleaning, sorting, organizing, and "picking up the pieces" for everyone----very often.  She was always a big help, but especially after Rachel and Matt moved away to go to school.  She was my "right-hand man", my executive assistant, my confidant, and my friend.  She was the one who helped me magnify my callings, who helped me bottle peaches, who wrote the checks out on the way to the post office the day they HAD to be in the mail, who helped me peel wallpaper and paint when it was time to move, who designed and printed 95 percent of every hand-out, certificate, or program I ever had to make, and who at age 11, decided we needed to take treats on vacation and baked dozens of goodies for the entire family.

She was very good to help her younger siblings with their school projects.  She could be found helping Mike organize his school papers when a notebook was due, helping Liz with a creative book report, offering her design expertise to David's Senior Project, or helping Abby...


She not only helped Abby with her first grade "bunny" projects but did the page for her scrapbook as well.

In high school when most girls would only have cared about dating, their hair, and what they were going to wear the next day, Sarah was always helping others. She participated in numerous service projects sponsored by the church or the school.  She scrapbooked for her dying Aunt Paula; she taught scrapbbooking classes for a Stake Young Women activitiy; she single-handedly planned, prepared for, and then helped orchestrate a Christmas quarterly activity for the Richmond Ward Primary.  Her callings in her student ward at BYU often focused on service to individuals or certain apartments.

Her service towards others continued as she served an 18-month mission for our church in the Carlsbad, California area and even after she returned:

May 2004

 

Mission service project in orange grove.



Sarah (center) cleaning up in Galveston Island home following Hurricane Ike - 2008

She is still doing for others even today. During the past year, she has been so good to help watch Matt and Falicia's kids for them so he could go out of town or so she could work. She is currently creating digital scrapbook pages of Rachel's family trip to Disneyworld so Rachel can focus on home schooling and taking care of five very busy children.




With Cade at Houston Rodeo - 2010

Sarah was never one to dwell on role of princess.  She loved to be active.  She loved the outdoors, but on ocassion, she enjoyed the frilly part of being a girl.  There was one day, however, that she felt like a princess---the day she was married to her Prince Charming (sorry, I just have too many favorite pictures of that day!):



When David arrived right before she turned two, she wasn't sure she liked babies!



...and 18 months later when Mike was born (and under the lights for jaundice, therefore, appearing very yellow), she still wasn't sure....

Gradually, however, her maternal instincts grew...

and by the time Liz was born and a few dolls later, she was warming up to the idea.

By the time Abby came in 1990, she was a pro!


So much a pro, that babies and kids everywhere loved her.  She became everybody's favorite babysitter, Kevin's nanny after Paula passed away, the teaching assistant that everybody wanted at the pre-school where she worked, and the aunt that everybody loved (okay, one of the aunts that everybody loved).

Playing "horsie" with Anna on Grandma Morgan's lawn in Malad - 2006

With Hunter at Festival of Trees - Salt Lake City 2006

Playing school with Morgan and Becca - Christmastime 2006 (don't you love the makeshift desks?)



On hike to Clingman's Dome Tennessee/ North Carolina - 2008



Auntie Sarah and the five oldest grandchildren - Yellowstone 2009

And after years of taking care of others' children, Sarah found out she was going to have a baby of her own in 2009...

Abby, the bride, surrounded by Sarah expecting Katelyn, Liz who had just had William, Marinda who was expecting Conner, and Rachel who was expecting Isaac.  How fun was that?---four new babies for Sarah to love.

She was an awesome mommy from the beginning---Katelyn's blessing - February 2010

...and she continues to be one, incredible mother to my "Baby Kate".

Now you know why I said what I said, now you know why she is loved by so many, now you know why I'm so glad that this princess came to our castle to live!