What's so hard about raising teenagers?

Upon receiving a request to blog about teenagers I began gathering and sorting my thoughts on the topic. I  realize that it's ironic that I hadn't written much about raising adolescents, because my friends and I have been commiserating and reassuring and analyzing and truthseeking and counseling each other on this very subject  for years.  It might be that I'm still reeling a bit and am not quite out of the woods in this department. But that's an even better reason to share.

I've always loved working with the youth.  They're funny and beautiful and energetic, and the way they focus on things that don't matter can be relaxing in juxtaposition to the way I obsess about consequences and the gravity of the situation. Girls sitting around my table talking about Zac Efron helps me take my mind off my budget. Being a mother to teenagers could be a match made in heaven, well, it actually is, but it can look and sound a little rough. So, I have considered and identified a couple of disconnects that might challenge my parent/teen relationship:

1.  I'm really afraid that they'll make a mistake, but they really want me to let them make mistakes. I've always been a subscriber to the doctrine, "A very large ship is benefited very much by a very small helm in the time of a storm." Doctrine and Covenants 123:16.  That being said, I know that this also means it doesn't take a very big turn to head in an unfortunate direction.  So if my child forgets to do an assignment in school I respond with something calm like, "And then you'll get a bad grade and not get into advanced classes and never get into the college of your choice."  More than likely the reality is that they will not like the feeling of a low grade on an assignment and not let it happen again.  My teenager's room is messy?  I respond, "And you'll live in slovenly filth the rest of your life and never get married." I stand as a witness that this has proven to be false.  My children have gotten married in spite of their messy rooms.  If my teenager breaks a rule, I worry that they'll go to jail.  If they buy a slurpee 2 times in a week, I worry that they'll never be financially solvent.  I can see why they disregard my fears. I may overreact a bit, but it remains true that people make bad choices and end up in sad places, and if that is my child my heart will break and I really, really don't want that to happen.  But do you know what? If my child makes bad choices and ends up in sad places they can repent and change and call upon the atoning power of Jesus Christ and be healed just like I did when I made bad choices. So, no worries, right?

2.  I aspire to peace.  They aspire to excitement.  I remember trying to explain to my adolescent son why I never had the radio on in the car.  "I'm just enjoying the quiet."  He thought it was a boring shame that I was squandering a great opportunity to jam.  He didn't know how much noise was in my brain with all the "Mom, mom, moms" I'd heard that day and my own "What if?" anxieties that were rather loud. It's fun to see the "YOLO" attitude that takes kids to exciting places, (As long as they don't die physically or spiritually on the way.) I used to approach life that way, but now I'm old, and I've done a lot of things.  I've rung in the New Year 54 times.  I don't really need to stay up past midnight on New Year's Eve, or any other eve for that matter.  So my trying to keep life safe and their trying to keep life rockin' might not be smooth sailing all the time.

3. I believe in the future.  They believe in the present.  I remember when I was a teenager and I learned about the dangers of tanning.  My logic was something sound like this, "Well, if I don't get cancer till I'm old, like say, 30, it's totally worth it.  As long as I can look good when it matters. (16-21)"   That's what I'm talking about.  Teenagers don't really believe there's life after 21, and if there is, it's irrelevant. So I find myself talking about the future a lot.  "Do your future self a favor...study, make healthy choices, work hard, organize your life..."  It's possible that at times their response has been something like, "How will that help me have a fun weekend or more popular?"

  I'd also like to say a little something about hormones.  Do you know the Twightlight Books?  (I read 'em and loved 'em.) The good vampires resist drinking human blood, they drink animal blood instead. (Stay with me, this is a valid analogy.) Anyway when the people first become vampires is difficult to control their natural instincts, but with practice they get good at it. That's kind of like hormones.  When they first start to drip in your sweet little child it isn't always very attractive, but with practice and understanding of sound eternal principles and God's laws of morality, selfish, impulsive adolescents can grow into loving moral people.

  In a college Human Development class we learned about the gradual releasing of children.  The general timeline is age 1-8 to teach children to obey, 9-11 to teach children the governing principles and then 12-18 is preparation for adulthood with gradual independence.  Merilee Boyack has written a book called "The Parenting Breakthrough." that lists the skills our children should have at certain ages.  It's a great benchmark and a wake-up call for me. Who knew 16 yr olds were supposed to make their own dental appointments?.

 Another concept we need to be thinking about is teaching our children resilience.  Doors shut, rejection happens, failure is part of life.  We can't fall to the floor in a heap and quit.  Do our children recover and pick themselves back up to try again? If they do, they're going to be fine.

Try to remember this: holiness is better than innocence.  If your teenager rolls their eyes at you and says "Whatever", or yells something ugly as they stomp off and tears fall as you remember their sweet little baby arms wrapped around your neck when you were their world, remember that this life is about agency.  Although they were innocent and beautiful as little children, it's through choosing good over evil that they become holy and even more beautiful.  We can't choose God for them.  They have to choose to follow him themselves.  You've been having family prayers and scripture study and family home evening, right?  You've loved them and done your best, right? You're giving them opportunities to work and serve others, right? You pray for them daily, right?  You love God and keep his commandments, right?  You spend time having fun with your kids, not just bossing them around, right? (Okay. We'll work on that.)  Then have faith in them.  Most likely they'll adjust the helm and right their ship and go sailing home.

Neonates-Is this normal? (Making the best of normal)

I got to meet this beautiful guy last week.  I was so thankful that he was here safe and sound and everything went well with his arrival.  Being a mother I know that although delivery is over, there are still lots of opportunities for refinement ahead, but I also know that mom and dad come through as beneficiaries in one of life's most treasured experiences.

Babies smell delicious, which we understand is nature's gift to mothers for taking care of them.  Their skin is so perfect and their little fingers and toes and lips and ears are irresistible.  There are a couple of parts to new babyness however that moms and dads find less than irresistible and leave them wondering, why didn't anyone tell me about this?  The truth is, everyone told them about it, it just wasn't very applicable BC. (before children)

So, if you brought home a baby in the last couple of weeks let me answer some questions, the most common being, "Is this normal?"

1. Yes it is normal for the baby to fall asleep whenever he is nursing and then wake-up when he is put in his bed.
 

In fact, babies hate beds.  They especially hate beds now that they have to sleep on their back.  Their startle reflexes are a big problem and those wee little eyes pop open a lot.  Swaddling helps.  It's a genius idea to simulate the comfy confines of the womb, but what babies really like is to sleep with a real-live parent who breathes slowly and has a nice continuous heartbeat.  So, from my experience especially in the first weeks, your choices are co-sleep or no-sleep.

Here is the nice new bed from Grandma E. with the cozy
sheet that Mama made, but the mattress is very flat and
it's lonely in there.  The comment was made,
'"Won't the baby be surprised when he finds out he has a bed?"

2.Yes, it's normal to change the baby's diaper a million times a day.  In fact, it's a consensus at the Erickson house that babies prefer pooping in clean diapers and will wait, if they can, until they're changed to move forward. I also think babies get tired of their outfits and will work to dampen them with their various artillery: urine, spit up, milk, whatever. But don't the tiny clothes look cute hanging all rinsed in the bathroom?  It was suggested that we decorate the house with this cuteness.  The truth? Mom's and Grandma's like new baby outfits too.

The downside, okay there are a few downsides, but the main downside to needing lots of diaper changes is the increased chance that sweet baby will contract diaper rash.  We did a little product study and believe that old-fashioned Desitin with the cod liver oil aroma beats new creamy Desitin and Butt Paste for eradicating redness.

It's helpful to maintain a diaper changing station or two where all necessary ingredients are at the ready
One might even be changing a baby in the dark and one musn't be lacking any vital supplies and remember
put the tape side under the baby and make sure there's a snug fit around the waist...trust me on this one.

Another question new parents might ask is, 3. "Do we need to purchase a Boppy? (Or as Andrew calls them, a Floppy.)  Of course you do.  A floppy provides multiple uses.  The baby can rest there (for a few minutes.)  Mom can sit on them (yes, postpartum sitting is problematic.) 

A floppy makes a nice decoration, provided it fits your color scheme.

Dad can use it to catch some much needed shut-eye.

And if worse comes to worse, Mom can wrap the Floppy around her waist on the same side her baby is nursing. This gives her arm a place to rest and she can keep the baby comfortably positioned with his head higher than his heart, bottom and legs.  Because think about it, who likes to drink milk upside down?

Here is another helpful idea, lots of stations.  Anywhere a mother might sit to nurse a baby should have water, lanolin, and a burp cloth.  And if no one is around to visit, I would add reading material.  Try and have something on the lighter side, physically and mentally.  A nice Reader's Digest, church magazine, etc.  Reward yourself. and make breastfeeding a treat.

This is the "Hope-springs-eternal" station.  It contains a blanket for swaddling, a
pacifier, and a bouncy chair for when baby gets tired of being held and needs some alone
time...bahahaha.

4."My baby seems to cry a lot."  This is normal. (at my house at least)  Babies cry.  Here is a list of possible reasons:  "I'm hungry, I'm tired, I need to burp, I just pooped, I can't poop, there's too much going on, there's not enough going on, Mommy ate something weird, I'm hot, I'm cold, I'm not really sure but it seems like a good idea."  Parents cannot ignore this heartbreaking sound so become clever scientists as they chart, record, theorize, experiment and use all their resources to make the love of their heart happy.  My advice? Don't take it personally, remember it doesn't usually last forever.  (Okay some of my children still cry.) My sister's advice? Ear plugs.

Next question, 5. "I'm not that excited to hear my baby's voice at 3:00 am.  Is this normal ?" CODE--Am I a bad mom?  Babies, and children for that matter, have not yet learned the art of playing hard-to-get.  While it might seem logical for them to give mom a chance to miss them, there's probably a greater plan in the works here. As moms and dads sacrifice their all in the care and feeding of their dear ones the relationship becomes more than a fleeting crush.  It develops into a deep and abiding love.  The kind that you would throw yourself in front of a speeding train to protect.  So, buckle up and get comfortable and put all that you own and ever hope to own on the altar.  You will be repaid 100 fold.

PS. My last bit of advice, some of which is a review, is since you're giving your all, make sure you have something to give.  Eat, sleep, shower, learn, laugh, dance, talk to adults (call your mom), exercise, pray, and most important, flirt with your spouse.  They're still your number 1.

Happy Birthday Charlie

Cute little Charlie, I mean pretty big little Charlie, came to our family after I had left the house.  I was spending a semester at BYU Hawaii. This was a long time ago...before cell phones. I lived in a dorm where  there were 2 phones total per floor and we couldn't dial out.  The people who lived by the phones got tired of answering and finding and delivering so pretty much if you thought someone was going to call you, you needed to stay within ring's reach.  I knew Mom's baby was due so I hung out by the phone for a couple of days.  I was so excited when I got the call: 1.That I got the call and 2. That the call came.  Charles Brigham Miller was born.  My dad had always wanted a Pete and Charlie.  He had to wait till number 7 to get a Pete and number 8 brought Charlie.  

Charlie loved his mama.  He used to call under her door at night with his little fingers reaching saying, "Sleep to me, Mom, sleep to me." Since I was in college, I counted on my sister Susie to give me the Charlie report.  I was jealous that I was missing all the cute things he said.  I do remember going home at Christmas and being at church with the family.  I had been learning about correct parenting and wanted to practice positive reinforcement on Charlie.  He was behaving well so I whispered in his ear, "Charlie you're being a good boy."  He jumped up and started running around yelling, "I'm not a good little boy, I'm not a good little boy!"  He is a good boy, he just doesn't like to get bossed around.  

Charlie is a talented kid.  He's smart and athletic, but his best talent could very well be his dancing.  What do you think?

Even though Charlie and I never lived at home at the same time I was blessed to live an hour away from him, when he was in dental school inPittsburgh and we lived in Morgantown, WV.  My kids and I loved visits from uncle Charlie.  He taught us how to play Insane and Mexican Train Dominoes. My favorite day with Charlie was when he agreed to speak at Rebecca's baptism.  Unfortunately, her special day was accompanied by a substantial snow storm.  I assumed we wouldn't see him that day, but he got in his car, braved the roads, and arrived in time to make a little girl and big sister very happy.  Charlie is kind, and dedicated, and funny and still very good.  Thanks for being a great brother.  I love you.

Charlie's beautiful wife, Meg

Miller family favorite book list/Happy Birthday Mallory

This blog was born in a conversation I had with Mallory.  We were talking about reading and good books and pregnancy and new motherhood and basically how great it is to be reading something compelling no matter what is happening in your life.  It occurred to me that I wanted to give her a recommended book list for her birthday.  There are some avid readers among the people I love most (my family) so I enlisted their help.  The response was great and now I have this list that everyone wants a copy of because face it, everyone wants to know what you're reading.

ROBERT MILLER: Les Miserables by Victor Hugo

JANET MILLER: Fiction- Les Miserables, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, Random Harvest by James Hilton.
Children's-Willy Nilly, Cinderella, Snow White, and Lassie Come Home by Eric M. Knight.

LAURIE STOKER: Classic Fiction- Persuasion by Jane Austen, Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Emma Orczy, Silas Marner by George Eliot,  Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriett Beecher Stowe, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, The Robe by Lloyd C. Douglas.
 Fiction-Elantris by Brandon Sanderson,The Help by Kathryn Stockett, These is My Words by Nancy E. Turner,
Memoirs-A Girl Named Zippy by Havel Kimmel
YA fiction-Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer, Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins, Faith, Hope and Ivy June by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling and Blackmoore by Juliane Donaldson
Newberry-A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'Engle, a Single Shard by Linda Sue Park, A Long Way From Chicago by Richard Peck and Crispin the Cross of Lead by Avi, Seven Alone by Honore Morrow.
Childhood favorites-Brenda Brave helps Grandmother by Astrid Lingren,  Raggedy Ann and Andy by Johnny Gruelle, Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lingren,  Mrs. Piggle Wiggle by Betty MacDonald, and The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes by Dubse Heyward and Marjorie Flack, (Thank you Ashley for reminding my about that wonderful book.)  Horton Hatches an Egg, The Giving Gift, Old Bones the Wonder Horse, Fifteen, Harry the Dirty Dog, etc. Nana gave us a beautiful picture book with stories about the Czars.  I loved it.

PAUL STOKER:The Hobbit.

Lord of the Rings

The Ranger Apprentice books

Everything written by Clancy (Red October, Patriot Games, Executive Orders, Etc.)

Everything written by Daniel Silva

Everything written by Clive Cussler (Dirk Pitt series)

Books by the mystery writer, Steven Berry

Harry Potter books

The Little Prince

Trouble for Trumpets

Trumpets in Grumpet Land

Hunger games

The first book Divergent is good.

St.George and the Dragon

Dr Seuss (Favorite is the Turtle book, Big Brag, and Lola Lee-Loo

Non-Fiction:

Sports books.  Check the shelf.

DANIEL STOKER: Abhorsen series by Garth Nix and Tim Curry, Muirwood series by Jeff Wheeler, Mistborn Trilogy by Brandon Sanderson, Enders Game series, Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein, Harry Potter.
Nonfiction-Freakonomics, Super Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner
Childhood favorites-St. George and the Dragon, Yertle the Turtle, Trouble for Trumpets

BRANDON STOKER: Fiction-Anything by Brandon Sanderson-Mistborn, Elantris, The Way of Kings, Steelheart, Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card, Harry Potter, The Foundation by Isaac Asimov, To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis, Divergent by Veronica Roth, The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson, Hunger Games, Twilight, The Host by the same author, Pride and Prejudice, A wizard of earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin, Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss, Princess Academy, Ranger's Apprentice by John Flanagan.
Children's fiction-The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo, Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney, Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins, How to Train your Dragon by Cressida Crowell,
Childhood favorites-St. George and the Dragon, Grumpets and Trumpets, Tilli Tilli Tembo, Follow My Leader, The Hobbit, Maniac McGee, Choose Your Own Adventure, Chronicles of Narnia, The Giver.

MALLORY STOKER: True Stories: 

Heaven is Here by Stephanie Nelson

Unbroken

Bloom by Kelle Hampton

 (I really like this one, but she isn't Mormon so when she tells some of her back story she has some experiences that wouldn't fit into the FSOY. I didn't feel like it detracted from the message of her book and still felt uplifted by her story. 

Set back in the day:

The Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer. (I hear many of her books are good but this is the only one I have read)

The Importance of Being Ernest 

The Scarlet Pimpernel 

A tale of Two Cities

Parenting/Psychology:

Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child

Parenting with Love and Logic (both the regular one and the early years version)

The Child Whisperer  

Young Adult: 

Ella Enchanted

Shannon Hale Books

The Giver (and the sequels) 

Oh and also The Peacemaker. 

The kids current favorites are the Elephant and Piggie books by Mo Williams. They make me chuckle and got Annabelle to read on her own for over a half hour! 

NATHAN STOKER: Ender's Game and all accompanying books, Warbreaker, Elantris, Mistborn trilogy, Star Wars, and Dracula by Bram Stoker

ARIANE STOKER-Warbreaker, Mistborn trilogy, Divergent, The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexamder Dumas, Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens, The Host, Harry Potter, Narnia, Screwtape Letters, etc. by C. S. Lewis, The Da Vinci Code, Angels and Demons, etc. by Dan Brown.

AARON STOKER: There's an Alligator Under the Bed, Grumpets in Trumpetland, Green Eggs and Ham, Yertle the Turtle.

CLARISSA STOKER:Kids Books

Amelia Bedlia books

The Little Critter books

Old Hat, New Hat, Dr. Seuss

Church BooksThe Continuous Atonement, Brad Wilcox

Fishers of Men series, Gerald Lund

Mary and Joseph, Robert Marcum

fictional stories of Ammon, Alma (both of them!) and others --these are store good, Moore

The Beginning of Better Days (for women) from Joseph Smith, Sheri Dew & Virginia Pearce

The Infinite Atonement, Tad Callister

Young-ish Readers

Artemis Fowl series, Eoin Colfer

Fablehaven series, Brandon Mull

Percy Jackson series, Rick Riordian

Nancy Drew series, Carolyn Keene

Ella Enchanted, Gail Carson Levine

Older Readers

History

Four Queens: The Provencal Sisters Who Ruled Europe, Nancy Goldstone

The Jefferson Lies, David Barton

Fiction

Runaway Jury, John Grisham

The Broker, John Grisham

The Hunt for Red October, Tom Clancy

**Ladies, if you love Pride and Prejudice, read Pamela Aidan's books written from Mr Darcy's point of view!

      An Assembly Such as This, Duty and Desire, These Three Remain

SciFi/Fantasy

Ender's Game & Ender's Shadow, Orson Scott Card

The Goose Girl & series, Shannon Hale

Book of a Thousand Days, Shannon Hale

The Hero and The Crown, The Blue Sword, & Rose Daughter, Robin McKinley

JACOB STOKER: Elantris, Alloy of Law, Mistborn series, Ender's Game, Harry Potter.
Children: Runaway Bunny, The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs, Hop on Pop, If you give a Mouse a Cookie, Fancy Nancy, Berenstain Bears Ride a Bike.

ALEXA STOKER: The Help, The Hunger Games, The Chronicles of Narnia, Little Women.
Children-A Bad Case of the Stripes by David Shannon, Stella Luna, Four Foxes and Fosdyke, Hungry Caterpillar, Milk and Cookies, Corderoy, Is Your Mama a Llama?, Little House Series.

ELIZA ERICKSON: The Scarlet Pimpernel, Anne of Green Gables, Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry, The Alliance by Gerald Lund, A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, Michael Vey by Richard Paul Evans, Harry Potter, The Storyteller's daughter by Cameron Dokey, Elantris and the Mistborn series,  and Uncle Tom's Cabin.

JOSEPH ERICKSON: Alliance by Gerald Lund,
Childhood favorites- Hardy Boys, Shannara series by Terry Brooks, Westing Game, The Bronze Bow, The Giver, Mossflower series by Brian Jacques, Little Men by Louisa May Alcott, Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder, Hatchet, Artemus Fowl

ANDREW STOKER: Fiction- Divergent, The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien, Rangers Apprentice, The Black Cauldron Series by Lloyd Alexander, Eragon series by Christopher Paolini, Harry Potter
Childhood favorites-Trouble for Trumpets, The King and 6 Friends, Yertle the Turtle, St. George and The Dragon, Arthur's Nose, A Fox Jumped up One Winter's Night, Berenstein Bears, The Day Jimmy's Boa Ate the Wash, Where's Waldo

REBECCA STOKER:  Inkheart, Tennis Shoes series, Peter and the Starcatchers, Ella Enchanted, Fairest, Princess Academy, Tao of Pooh, Ivanhoe, Sisters Grimm.
Biographies- Condoleeza Rice, The Story of My Life: An Afghan Girl on the Other Side of the Sky (Farah Ahmedi)

GABE STOKER: How to Train Your Dragon, Rngers Apprentice, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Animorphs, Outernet, Yertle the Turtle and St. George and the Dragon.


SUSIE JOHNSON: Classic Fiction-Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
 Fiction-Christy by Catherine Marshall, The Mitford Series by Jan Karon, The Guernsey Literary and Patato Peel Society by Mary Ann Schaffer and Annie Barrows, Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery
YA Fiction- The Little House Collection by Laura Ingalls Wilder, Books of Bayern by Shannon Hale, Nancy Drew by Carolyn Keene, The Cay by Theodore Taylor and the Harry Potter Series.
Newberry: Lizzy Bright and the Buckminster Boy by Gary D. Schmidt, The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt, Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson, Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis, and Hope Was Here By Joan Bauer
Childhood favorites: Beverly Cleary books

AMY DESPAIN: Classic Fiction-Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis, Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Fiction- Edenbrooke, The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Bronte by Syrie James, The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd, The Red Tent by Anita Diamont, The Help, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society, Angels and Demons, The Da Vinvi Code, Anne of Green Gables
Non-fiction- Into Thin Air by John Krakauer, The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown,
YA fiction- The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare, The Infernal Devices series by the same author, Twilight series, Hunger Games trilogy, The Uglies series by Scott Westerfield, The Books of Bayern series, Princess Academy by Shannon Hale, Book of A Thousand Days by the same author, Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan, Ender's Game, Harry Potter, The Giver, Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman.

Childhood favorites:

Dr. Seuss books
Berenstain Bears books
The Fox Jumped Up One Winter's Night
Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Anderson
Fairy Tales by Brothers Grimm

Aesops Fables

Corduroy

Eric Carle books

books by Jan Brett (especially The Mitten)

Goodnight Moon

Frog and Toad are Friends

Little Critter books by Mercer Mayer

The Monster at the End of this Book

The Polar Express

Little Bear
Babar
Max Lucado books

The Giving Tree

Where the Wild Things Are

Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm
A Little Princess
Ramona books by Beverly Cleary
Anne of Green Gables
Nancy Drew books
Winnie the Pooh
The Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder
The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe
Charlotte's Web
The Boxcar Children
Amelia Bedelia
Bridge to Terabithia
The Giver

A Wrinkle in Time

Hatchet

Walk Two Moons

Arthur books

The Velveteen Rabbit

Judy Blume books

Magic School Bus books

Where's Waldo

Madeline

AMANDA JOHNSON:
Fiction- Extremely Loud and Incredibly close by Jonathan Safran Foer, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society, To Kill a Mockingbird, The History of Love by Nicole Krauss, The Help, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley, Life of Pi by Yann Martel, A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini, The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver, These is My Words, World War Z by Marc Forster.
Classic:  Les Miserables, Pride and Prejudice, Persuasion, Count of Monte Cristo, Screwtape Letters, Chronicles of Narnia.
Nonfiction- The Anatomy of Peace by Emery Reves, Americana by Don DeLillo, Born to Run by Christopher McDougal,  Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking,  by Susan Cain, Half the Sky by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer.
YA fiction-The Goose Girl and the Books of Bayern series, Hunger Games Trilogy, Harry Potter series, Divergent trilogy, Mortal Instruments series, Book of a Thousand Days.
Newberry-The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt,  The Evolution of Capernia Tate by Jaqueline Kelley, Moon over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool, Saving CeeCee Honeycutt, Close to Famous by Joan Bauer, From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankenweiler by E. L. Konisburg, When You Reach Me by Rebecca E. Stead, Elijah of Buxton, Crispin: the Cross of Lead
Children's Books-

Where the Wild Things Are

Dr. Suess books

Berenstein Bears

Corduroy

The Boxcar Children

Amelia Bedelia

Arthur books

Goodnight Moon

Eric Carle books

Frog and Toad are Friends

Madeline

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie

Little Critter books

Hatchet

Nancy Drew

Little House on the Prairie

Charlotte's Web

Stellaluna

The Velveteen Rabbit

Beatrix Potter books

The Monster at the End of This Book

Marvin K. Mooney Will You Please Go Now

Harold and the Purple Crayon

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

Are You My Mother?

The Stinky Cheeseman

Wayside School books

The Polar Express

Little Bear

Babar

A Bad Case of Stripes

Stone Soup

Max Lucado books

Chrysanthemum

Curious George books

Maurice Sendak books

The Rainbabies

Patricia Polacco books

Judy Blume books

Henry and Mudge books

The Great Brain

The Magic School Bus books

I Spy books

Where's Waldo books

Richard Scarry books

The Fox Jumped Up One Winter's Night

Roald Dahl books:

Matilda

The BFG

The Witches

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

James and the Giant Peach

The Twits

Danny the Champion of the World

Fantastic Mr. Fox

Shel Silverstein poetry:

A Light in the Attic

Where the Sidewalk Ends

The Giving Tree

Falling Up

Sharon Creech:

Chasing Redbird

Walk Two Moons

Beverly Cleary:

Ramona books

Ralph S. Mouse books

Jan Brett books:

The Mitten 

The Trouble with Trolls

Beauty and the Beast

TREVOR JOHNSON:.
Anatomy of Peace.

MELINDA CHRISTENSEN

RACHEL CALLAN: Uncle Tom's Cabin

TESSA EGAN: Mornings on Horseback by David McCullough or anything by him, the Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, Harry Potter, The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom, Pride and Prejudice, To Kill a Mockingbird.

ASHLEY CHRISTENSEN: The Hiding Place, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Count of Monte Cristo, Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls, Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, Pride and Prejudice, Harry Potter, Ella Enchanted, Maus by Art Spiegelman.
Children's Books-Actually I Used to Be a Princess by Unada, Heckedy Peg by Audrey Wood and Don Wood, The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes.

TYLER CHRISTENSEN: Fiction- Lorna Doone by Richard Doddridge Blackmore, Harry Potter, Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Dufoe, Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain, The Help, The Sherlock Holmes short stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and the DiVinci Code.

MARY JONES: Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Spear, Blackmoore and Edenbrooke, Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Tennis Shoes Among the Nephites by Chris Heimerdinger and The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball by Edward L. Kimball.

HEIDI JO MILLER: Non-fiction-The Holy Secret, The Peacegiver, and Falling to Heaven by James L. Ferrell, The Secret by Rhonda Byrne, Change your Questions, Change your Life by Wendy L. Watson, The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz, In the Eye of the Storm by John H. Groberg,
Fiction-The Walk series and everything else by Richard Paul Evans,
Childhood favorites-Little Women, Anne of Green Gables, Heidi, The Yearling, Monster at the End of This Book, Superfudge, Junie B. Jones, Little House series.

CARRIE STEPHANI: Fiction- Anything written by Jane Austen, Harry Potter, To Kill a Mockingbird.
Biographies: Bob Newhart, Ellen Degeneres, Betty White, Gary Marshall, JFK, Steve Jobs
Non-fiction-The Secret

GABE STEPHANI AND KIDS-Rangers Apprentice

MEGAN LISTON:  The Count of Monte Cristo, The Scarlett Pimpernel, Jane Eyre, Ella Enchanted, Fairest, The Two Princesses of Bamarre, all by Gail Carson Levine, Jane Austen's books, Blackmoore, The Undaunted, Michael Vey, Fablehaven, Cookies: Bite sized lessons.
Biographies-Jimmy Stewart, Fred Astaire, Donny Osmond
From Childhood: The Teaspoon Tree, The Little House

MEG MILLER: Fablehaven series by Brandon Mull, Broken Things to Mend by Jeffrey R. Holland, Alicia My Story by Alicia

Happy Birthday Jacob II

Happy Birthday Jacob.  Thank you for being such a good man.  I appreciate your acts of kindness in our family.  Continue to be faithful and be a blessing to your wife and future children as you go forward with love and goodness.  xoxoxox, Mom