First Day of School 2009!

Presenting the Rush kids in order of youngest to oldest:

Sweet little McKay in 1st grade!!!! (I know, I can't believe it!)

A very mature-looking Makenna in 1st grade! (Of course, she wanted her hair straight!)

Connor-- the big man on campus!!! 4th Grade!!

Connor is in the ALL class this year. ALL stands for "Advanced Learning Lab." We'll see how this goes. You have to test to get in and Connor was so excited to test and just thrilled to get in. But now comes the real test: all the work! They had an orientation last year that gave us a pretty good idea of what to expect, so we weren't totally blindsided...but Connor is used to everything coming so easy, being challenged, is going to be a challenge for him. We've got the first 2 weeks down and so far, so good. He has a couple good friends in his class with him and he really likes his teacher.

The twins got the teacher they wanted for 1st grade. She is the sweetest lady! She is in our ward and the kids just LOVE her! They are so happy to have her!!

Here's to another great year, with great friends and great teachers!

Your help and ideas needed!

My friend and I are thinking of starting a boutique. We are needing a cool place to do it. We're thinking like a neat, old building or someone's barn. I thought some of you might know of a cool place, or know someone who knows of a cool place. It never hurts to ask, right?

Also, if any of you would be interested, we are looking for vendors. We are wanting this to be a botique where all the items sold are completely home made. So let me know if you'd be interested.

Thanks for your help!

4th of July-ish

We had a great summer with lots of fun activities! We had the first Rush Reunion with Brett's dad and some of his siblings and all their kids. After being married for 11 years, I have still not met a lot of these people. We sure had fun, though and I have realized that I am surrounded by wonderful, amazing people!

Connor and McKay hamming it up.


McKay serenading one of Brett's pretty cousins, Jessica. He was smitten by this girl from the beginning. After he sang to her he said, "I usually sing for money." She paid him like $1 in change. He was thrilled. I was totally embarrassed.

Kenna in all of her cuteness!

The whole family. This is not the best shot of everyone, but it's the only one we got of us all together. We had a great time!


4th of July HOA Celebration

Every year, our neighborhood HOA does a 4th of July flag raising, a little program and a breakfast. This year, Connor's den was in charge of the flag ceremony. He had the honor of carrying the flag to the other scouts and then helped raise it. It was a great experience for him and his friends.

This year, a good friend from our neighborhood, Master Sergeant Scott Evans also did a flag retirement ceremony. It was amazing. I had never witnessed a flag retirement. It was very spiritual and emotional. I don't think there was a dry eye by the time he was done. We began with the scouts. They had about 10 flags from the neighborhood that were ready to be retired: worn, torn and tattered. So, the first step is to cut them up. Yes, cut the flags. It was hard to do, even to a tattered flag. First you separate the stars from the stripes. Then you separate the red stripes from the white. Here are some of the scouts working on getting the flags ready.

Here the scouts are letting each person who wanted to, take a piece of the cut up flags. Then, each person was allowed to put their piece of flag into the fire.

It was an amazing experience. It made me realize how much we love our flag and what she stands for. I was so glad my kids had the opportunity to learn about the flag. We had a nice discussion about it later and the flag now means much more to them. I am so thankful to live in America. I love her. I am free.

Here are some of the words of the ceremony if you'd like to read. This is not exactly what Scott read, but close enough.

"I am your Flag. I was born on June 14, 1777. I am more than just a piece of cloth shaped into a colorful design, I am the silent sentinel of freedom for the greatest sovereign nation on earth. I am the inspiration for which America patriots gave their lives and fortunes, I am the emblem of America.

"I have led your sons into battle from Valley Forge to Vietnam. I have been there though the Civil War, Two World wars, at Gettysburg, Flanders, Korea, the Gulf War, all of them. I was there with George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, and I here with you now.

"I have flown through Peace and War. Through strife and Prosperity, and amidst it all, I have always been respected. My red stripes symbolize the blood spilled in defense of this glorious nation. My white stripes, the burning tears shed by Americans who lost their sons in battle. My blue field represents God's Heaven under which I fly, and my stars, clustered together, unify the fifty states as one for God and Country.

"I am "Old Glory" and I proudly wave on high. Honor me, respect me, and defend me with
your lives. Never let our enemies tear me down from my lofty position, lest I never return. Keep alight the fires of patriotism, strive earnestly for the spirit of democracy, and keep me always as a symbol of freedom, liberty, and peace in our country.

When comes the time when I am old and faded, do not let me fly in disrepair, rather retire me from my duties only to replace me with a new flag so that I may continue to symbolize our country. With this, renew your commitment to what I stand for and pledge your allegiance to me one final time:

"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic, for
which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and Justice for all."

"As you can see, this banner of Freedom before you is worn, tattered, and soiled from use and age. Her broad stripes are no longer a fiery red & pure white, but faded and worn out. The stars and blue background are no longer vivid reminders of our blue skies and great land, of the purity, vigilance, and justice she should represent. She has flown proudly over the years and has done her job well, but now she must be replaced with a new flag to properly represent this great Nation of ours.

"The flag of our Nation should always be a strong, vivid symbol of our land and fly brightly in our minds. Our flag is a symbol of our people, our freedom, and our strength. So it is now that I commit this flag, which no longer can fulfill these duties to the fire so that we may replace it with a new flag to properly symbolize our Nation. May the spirit of this flag be born again in the new flag we will now fly."

Beautiful Palmyra

Since we were already in Boston, we couldn't be THAT close and not go visit Palmyra. Palmyra is about a 6 hour drive from Boston. So we decided to hop in the Palmyra is the birthplace of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Palmyra is the place where Joseph Smith knelt to ask a question of God. After reading in the Bible, James 1:5, to be exact, he decided he needed wisdom. He needed to know which of the churches, if any, were true. Although many good people believed in Christ and tried to understand and teach His gospel, they did not have the fullness of truth or the priesthood authority to baptize and perform other saving ordinances at that time. They had inherited a state of apostasy, as each generation was influenced by what the previous one passed on, including changes in the doctrines and in ordinances, such as baptism. So Joseph went to a special place. A huge grove of trees, behind his house and knelt to pray. In response to that humble prayer, God and His Son, Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph. Click here for Joseph's own account...in his own words.

I have always wanted to visit the Sacred Grove. So much happened there. The world changed because of what happened there.

We visited the Sacred Grove in late April-- LOOK AT THE TREES!!!! No leaves at all!!! All the pictures depicting the First Vision are full of leafy green trees! It was probably not so when it actually happened-- just in case you were wondering. The Sacred Grove was so incredibly peaceful and serene. We visited late in the afternoon on Friday and then went running through the Grove early Saturday morning.

This is the beautiful Palmyra temple, seen through some trees. The Sacred Grove is about a 5 minute walk from the temple.

Joseph Smith Log home

Inside the Smith home

These four corners on a cross-street in Palmyra all have churches on them. You can see the 4 steeples behind me. This place really was a place of "religious excitement"! What a neat thing!

Alvin Smith's grave





Actual ink stains and splatters on the wall from the printing of the Book of Mormon

Here we are at the Hill Cumorah Visitor's Center. This was a wonderful place. The missionaries here were great. There was a very strong spirit there that we really enjoyed.

Here I am petting the cat the Sister Missionaries have affectionately named, Moroni. He basically 'lives' on the grounds of the monument. He was quite friendly.

I was thrilled for the opportunity to visit Palmyra. All of my life I've heard about these places and pictured them in my mind and seen them in paintings or in movies. As a teenager, I decided to pray about the Book of Mormon; about Joseph Smith and about what he said he saw. I wanted to know for myself. If something like that did indeed happen, wouldn't it be important for me to know? If God and His Son appeared to a boy and gave him instructions and if this boy found a record of a people that lived on the American Continent anciently-- that claims to be another testament of Jesus Christ, wouldn't it be important for me to know about these things? To read them myself? To ask God if they're true? If those things were all true, God would want me to know about them, right? Yes, He would. I gained a testimony that the Book of Mormon is true and that God, our Heavenly Father, and His Son, Jesus Christ, did infact, appear to Joseph Smith. I am grateful for the ability to pray to God and that he answers our prayers.

What a gift is prayer.

If any of you reading this haven't read the Book of Mormon, or wonder about those "nice Mormon neighbors" you have, but know nothing about their beliefs, visit this website. You don't have to take my word for any of this. You can find out for yourself.

Hypophosphatasia

This is Connor.

For those of you who don't know, me and my brother McKay have a disease called Hypyphosphatasia. There is a new video that has been put out by parents and experts combined on a new website called brain pop. We thought you might like it. It explains things really good that are sometimes hard for us to explain to people. We are very lucky. The disease is very mild in McKay and me, but for some it is very severe. We are pretty much like every other normal person except we've lost all our teeth!

Here is the link:

http://s4.brainpop.com/health/diseasesinjuriesandconditions/hypophosphatasia/index.weml

Newspaper article about my Papa

Here is a picture I just got from my cousin of my grandfather during his time as a pilot in WWII. I love it.

A reporter for the San Gabriel Valley tribune saw my grandfather's obituary in the paper. She thought to herself, "I've got to do a story on this man." So she contacted my dad and his sisters. Of course, a lot of stuff is left out, but it's a pretty good summary. There is one funny thing about this story, though. My dad loves Dan Fogelberg (total 70's music artist) and the song, "Leader of the Band". It's about a dad and his sons and music. My dad loved the song and the words reminded him of his dad. Anyway, my dad talked about that song in the interview and the reporter botched it and titled the song as, "Leader of the Pack"!!! You all know that song right? Can you hear the engines revving? That motorcycle-biker song, right?! Isn't that hilarious!?

Here is a copy of the article:

He flew bombers in World War II, spent 20 years recording math books for the blind and gave his wife a kiss the first thing when he got home from work.

A man who loved God, his country, his job and his family, Max Daniel Bell of Covina died July 20 at the age of 86.

Born in Muldoon, Texas, Bell joined the military and flew more than 70 missions as a B-25 pilot during World War II.

"He was very reluctant to talk about his service in the war," said his son Dan Bell, 55. "He didn't want the spotlight to be on him, because it was about his country."

Whenever the family went on vacation, he made sure they stopped at national historic landmarks, she said.

He loved his country.

"I was grateful he taught us ... to be patriotic," said 59-year-old Susan Germany of her father.
"He encouraged me to be my best and showed he was proud of me," said Germany. "I wanted to do my best for him."

Bell started his educational career as a math teacher and later became the deputy superintendent for administration at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut.

Because of his love for math, he spent 20 years recording math textbooks for the blind.

He was also involved with the Meals on Wheels program, a member and chairman for the Covina Lions Club for 40 years, serving one term as president.

Home life for the Bell family was a pleasant one with a loving-and-hard-working father and a stay-at-home mother.

"We were really lucky," Germany said. "We grew up in a wonderful home. He was a great father he did a lot of things with his family."

The song "Leader of the Pack" reminds son Dan Bell of his father. "That's kinda the way dad was - `thundering velvet hand' (lyrics from the song)," said Dan Bell.

"He expected us to do well, try hard, not screw around, mess up or get in trouble," Dan Bell said.

"He had a velvet touch. Dad was very intelligent and wanted us to excel in our chosen fields."

He established a scholarship fund for his 21 grandchildren.

Bell was a respected man who set a precedent for the people around him and still had a sense of humor, family members said. "I remember he could be very serious, but he was also at times the life of the party," said Germany.

Bell was an honest man, consistent in his values, and served as an example to his children in the way he volunteered and served his community, they said. "His family was religious and he caught on, he was determined to live a Christian life," said Dan Bell.

"We remember as kids, he came home from work every day at the same time and went through the kitchen and kissed my mom. But Thursday night he went to choir at church."

Helen Bell, his wife, preceded him in death. He is also survived by daughter DeAnne Anderson, 21 grandchildren and 23 great-grandchildren.

http://www.sgvtribune.com/rds_search/ci_12975939

Now here are some verses to the song, "Leader of the Band." My dad saw my papa as the "Leader of the Band." It makes me cry now thinking about my dad and my grandpa. Such true words.

I thank you for the music
And your stories of the road
I thank you for the freedom
When it came my time to go --
I thank you for the kindness
And the times when you got tough
And, papa, I dont think I Said
I love you near enough --

The leader of the band is tired
And his eyes are growing old
But his blood runs through
My instrument
And his song is in my soul --
My life has been a poor attempt
To imitate the man
Im just a living legacy
To the leader of the band.

In Memory: Max Daniel Bell

My dear, sweet Papa passed away last week on July 20, 2009. His passing comes only 6 months after my sweet grandmother died in January. He died peacefully, in his sleep. We traveled out to California last week for his funeral. It was at his Baptist church, where he had attended for more than 40 years. His funeral was very, very nice...a beautiful service. He had sung in the choir in his church for 40 years. I'm sure that is where my love of singing in a choir comes from. His pastor who had known him for 35 years said that he was the last suit-wearing member of his congregation.

None of the men pictured here are my grandfather, but I thought this was a great picture of the plane he flew in WWII-- a B-25 bomber named, "Miss Mitchell".

Here is Makenna playing "Peas, Porridge, Hot" with Papa. Every single one of the grand kids new this little hand-game....a sort of patty-cake. All of the great-grand kids know it, too.


Here is little Jaxson with Papa. Jaxson is named after Papa's family.

Here we are with Papa the last time we saw him alive in May. He was frail, but still very sharp and wanted to talk a lot about his life. We learned of his tour of Egypt and Paris when he was in the Air Force. We talked about his siblings and my dad when he was a kid. It was a wonderful visit, but I saw how much he missed my grandma. He was in the hospital when she passed away and he was not well enough to attend her funeral. It was so sad. Then, he was moved from the hospital to a home close to my Aunt in Ventura-- about 1 1/2 hours from his home. So he didn't get to say good-bye to anyone. It was very hard on him. I know now that he is reunited with my grandmother and that he is learning in the Spirit World. I am so thankful for the plan of Salvation, for the gospel that unites families. I am so thankful to have had 4 grandparents in my life to love me and support me and be my biggest fans. I realize how uncommon that is and count myself very blessed to have such great influences in my life. We will miss them, but know where they are and that we will see them again!