Beautifying A Patio To Myles From Katie

Myles has a knack for seeing a space and seeing the potential of that space. He can take a boring old backyard and turn it into a beautiful place you would want to hang out in. So that is what I attempted to do for Elliot’s first grade class. They have a patio attached to their classroom where they spend part of their day writing or reading. So I did what Myles would have done and left it better than I found it. I took some old pallets and spray painted them and let the kids paint them. Then with Ben and another Dad’s help we mounted them on the wall. I added some lower planters made out of cinderblocks.  The kids painted those too. I added some pictures and a bird feeder and the kids planted bulbs and succulents. Now the kids have a nice inspiring place to learn and grow.

Before:

After

 Planting:

Giving Machine: To Ainsley from Aunt Nan

Hi Ainsley!- You are one of the most loving, thoughtful and peacemaker souls. I love the time we have got to spend together in Wyoming and Utah lately. This year we took a trip to the giving machine! I chose something for our family, but I chose something else specifically for you. I bought a goat for a village. Somehow I think you would've picked that as well! I love you Ainsley. I'm so happy we've been able to spend a lot of time together recently. Love Auntie Nan

Old friends visiting: To Spencer from Archer

My neighbor Debbie had her 9 year old grandson named Leo visiting. I know Leo when he has come before. This time he came for Christmas for a few days to visit his Grandma. I was playing soccer out front with my friend one of the days and we went to ask Leo if he wanted to play with us. Then he came and we played Hide and Go Seek. I think he had a lot of fun. The next day we were playing in the cul-de-sac and I invited him to play with us again. I wont see Leo very much again but I know it would help him feel comfortable being in California to play with friends. Leo said that he doesn't play sports very much but he was a really good soccer player. I thought about Spencer when Leo told me this. I remember that Spencer moved and had to try to make new friends just like Leo did when he was visiting in California.

I love Spencer because he is a friend to everyone. He tries hard to be nice and likes to try to do things he normally doesn't do. At least that's how I feel when he visits me in California. We go to the beach and swim and play legos. I love you SPencer. Love Archer.

Socks for the Homeless: To James from Xanthe

When I was thinking of what I could do for James, so many things came up! He has such a big heart! One thing, though, that I know is personal to him is he loves fun socks.  So I tried to think of how to make that into a service.  My mom and I looked up a few things and found this information.

"When Socks are More Important than Food to the Homeless"
Socks are among the most needed items at homeless shelters, yet among the least-often donated. According to the Philadelphia-based nonprofit The Joy of Sox, even regular donors of clothing such as coats and pants will usually wear their own socks until they have holes and then throw them away. Because of the shortage, the nation’s homeless population is constantly at risk of serious foot disease and, during winter months, they are in severe danger posed by the cold.

“One homeless man named Kiwi told me socks are more important than food. He said that he knows of many pantries and shelters where he can get food, but that there’s no way he can walk the streets of Toronto without socks.”

Then we found this graphic which was pretty eye opening. We couldn't get it to open up bigger, so hopefully you can see it.  If not, here's the link. https://www.communitywestfoundation.org/blog/infographic-why-socks-are-so-important-to-the-homeless



So we did a sock drive! We asked people to donate money to buy socks, and bought a bunch of different socks, even kids socks! Some were decorative in James' honor (we couldn't find Lakers socks here in Omaha, sorry) and some were just thick and warm.  I also realized that at the beginning of December my mom bought Xoe and I an advent calendar with a sock for each day to wear.  About 3 or 4 days in, I realized I should give my socks to the homeless.  They need it more than I do.  So those are the ones that are rolled up.

We took the big box to the homeless shelter and they were so grateful! I hope these socks can warm some feet this winter. I can't imagine walking around in this cold all day. And thanks James for being such a great uncle. I know you would have loved this service.

Helping More Kids Read: To Max from Spencer

For my service, I know that Max likes to read. My mom and I tried to think of things to do that would help people with reading.  We thought about going to the library to help out or maybe reading to the nursery kids at church. But then we found about the JLO here in Omaha. It's called the Junior League of Omaha who are a volunteer organization who help with lots of charity things.

We looked up "books" on their website and found this "Book Collection" they do called A Book of My Own. When my mom read it to me, it made me sad that there are so many people here in Omaha who don't know how to read and how books can help them.

"Did you know that reading skills are the greatest single predictor of future academic success? Yet, 16% of people in the Omaha area are functionally illiterate. This means they struggle getting through the day because they can’t read well enough to order from a menu, fill out a job application or help their kids with homework. Nationally, on average, children in middle-income neighborhoods have 13 books per child. But for low-income children there is an estimated 1 book for every 300 children. And, according to studies (see below for references), the more types of reading materials there are in the home, the higher students are in reading proficiency. (1999. America’s Smallest School: The Family)

A Book of My Own’s goal is to ensure that all children in the Omaha area have a book of their own at home to promote literacy and help break the cycle of poverty. We collect and distribute new and gently-used books to under-served children ages 0-18, then partner with community organizations, schools and churches to distribute the books  to children in need. Since the project’s inception in 2011, we have distributed over 80,000 books in the Omaha community and worked with more than 70 community partners."

So, we thought we could have a book drive and gather books to donate. We contacted the Junior League and a nice woman named Theresa said they would love for us to hold a book drive. We didn't get very many pictures, but we had people from our ward donate, my babysitter donated (she used to be a teacher), we had friends donate, and we went and picked up books from teachers. We even went through our own books and put a box together! 

Here I am delivering the last box of books.  Sorry we didn't get more pictures of the collections.  We got a nice note from Theresa saying how much they loved all the books we donated and they will go to a lot of really good homes!

Thanks Max for inspiring me to help other kids be able to read. 

And if you didn't notice my mom is typing for me while I tell her what to type.

Love Spencer

Samoa and Soccer- To Archer From Scott

When I think of Archer I think of a cute kid that is passionate about Soccer. I know there are so many kids around the world that love soccer but don’t have the resources to play. I had the opportunity to go to Samoa this year to help bring fresh water to the schools. But I decided to go further in honor of archer. I raised money to purchase soccer balls and jerseys. I was able to go to the elementary school and organize teams. In hopes that one day there will be a league. My favorite part was being able to run drills and play with the kids.

"5th Grade Party Fun"-To Lulu from Xoe

Can you see my circled in the back?

My mom volunteered to be the Room Mom for Spencer's school holiday party.  I told her I would love to help because I love Spencer and I love helping kids have fun. I knew Lulu (being Spencer's same age) would have loved if I helped with her school party.

For the party, we split the kids up into 4 groups with different games. I helped Mom set up, Xanthe and I helped her decorate (check out Xanthe's amazing snowflakes she made last minute because we hadn't brought any decorations) and then I ran the Candy Cane Relay Race Game.  It was so fun helping Spencer's friends and helping my mom and Spencer's teacher do some fun activities for his class. Also, see if you can spy the dad that dressed up as Buddy, the Elf.

Build the tallest Christmas tree with 100 green Solo cups

Spencer's group. His best friend is the one in green, Aidan.

ACTIVITY 2-Build the tallest Christmas tree with only straws and Play-Doh

See me in the back circled.  The woman to the right of me in the burgundy is Spencer's teacher, Ms. Zey.

ACTIVITY 3- Make a Jingle Bell Cup Toss/Snack Time (they had to tie a bell to the end of the yarn and then try to get the bell into the cup.  This was a fast activity so by the time they finished they could sit and eat their snack and also take their paper plates and draw a snowman with the plate on their head. I didn't get pictures of that.

ACTIVITY 4-Candy Cane Relay Races

HERE IS THE GAME I WAS DOING. Candy Cane Relay Races. They had to link the candy canes and go back and forth until all had gone... other ways were they had to carry them on their faces, and they had to put them between their knees.  It was a lot of fun. You can see my hand in the video timing them.

Merry Christmas Lulu! I know you would have had so much fun during this party! Maybe someday I can volunteer at your school.
Love, Xoe