Young Women

We had a fun activity on Wednesday night with the Young Women.  The girls invited friends and then we had activities that also helped explain our beliefs.  These were modest dresses created from trash bags.  We also guessed the calories in a variety of foods and talked about taking care of our bodies.  

The girls (and adults) had a fun time.  These girls are so much fun to work with. 

Spring Flowers

I love all the Spring flowers blooming in our yard. 

Daffodils down by Sarah's door. 

Tulips in front by the turn around. 

My view as I leave school to head home for the day. 

I don't even mind sitting at the stoplight because the trees are so pretty. 

I took this picture as I was heading out in the morning for school.  

I am loving this new flower bed Gary created by the driveway.  

Adeline is enjoying the flowers too.  

Love this cluster of tulips. 

Sarah is encouraging Adeline to be gentle with the flowers. 

I can't get enough of these flowers :-)

Adeline loves exploring and checking out the flowers. 

Fairy Gardens

On the last day of Spring Break, the girls made fairy gardens. Sarah and I had fun buying all the supplies for the project. 

Adeline had some help with her fairy garden. She was so excited to be doing a project with the big girls. 

Adeline's fairy garden. 

Ellie was good at goofy faces too.  She had fun making her garden.

Ellie's fairy garden. 

Abby was excited to make her fairy garden. She really likes doing arts and crafts. 

Abby's fairy garden. 

Izzy enjoys coming over and doing projects with her cousins. 

Izzy's fairy garden.

Maggie was spending the day with Izzy so she made a fairy garden too.

Maggie's fairy garden

It was a fun day!

Easter Sunday

Love these girls all dressed up in their Easter dresses. 

Izzy is getting so grown up!

My Kissels, Clay, Liz, and Izzy

Ellie, Abby, and Adeline mostly smiling for the camera. 

The Aina girls

My Ainas - Tony, Sarah, Abby, Ellie, and Adeline.

Our Easter Sunday was a great day.  Church was good.  I love singing the Easter songs.  

After church, everyone came over to the house.  Gary and Tony smoked ribs, I cooked a ham, rice, and made a gluten free blueberry dump cake. Liz made stuffing and brought rolls.  Sarah made green bean casserole and deviled eggs. Clay helped the guys with the ribs and getting everything on the table.  Izzy, Abby, and Ellie set the table.  It was a real family meal.  Many hands make light work.  

We had a great time.  Everyone got Easter baskets from us, we enjoyed making and sharing a meal together and everyone pitched in to clean up also.  The blueberry dump cake was yummy with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on it too.  I love fun family times!

The Atonement

On Easter Sunday I gave a talk in Sacrament meeting. My topic was The Atonement Makes You Enough. 

I used to think the Atonement was so that we could have eternal life and through repentance be forgiven for our sins. 

I have learned over the years that the Atonement is even more than that. It also provides comfort in times of sickness and struggles. It is there for us when we feel alone and don't know where to turn.  

The Atonement of Jesus Christ makes me enough. When I begin to doubt or when I am overwhelmed with daily life, I can turn to the Savior and he will provide comfort and the knowledge that I need to make it through.

The Atonement doesn't take away the struggles and trials of life but it does provide comfort and assurance as we go through those trials. 

What an amazing gift Heavenly Father and our Savior, Jesus Christ, gave to each of us. 

He knows and understands. 

We just need to ask for the comfort and support we need.  Appreciating and applying the gift of the Atonement in my life daily is my goal. 

Easter Eggs

Now that my kids are grown up and have their own children we don't do Easter Egg decorating at our house anymore.  But the girls send me pictures so I can see the fun times they are having with their families.  Fun holiday traditions moving from one generation to the next. 

Sarah, Abby, Ellie, and Adeline had fun decorating their Easter Eggs.  

Izzy had fun decorating her Easter Eggs too and even embellished the photo she sent me.  

Katie, Liz, and Izzy watched the Women's Conference while they decorated eggs.  

Gary and I went out for dinner tonight and then we came home and I watched the Women's Conference on TV.  Sarah went to the church to watch the Women's Conference.  The two wards that share the building had Relief Society appetizers and desserts at 7 and then watched the Women's Conference at 8. It was a great conference and it is so nice to be able to participate in a variety of ways.  

Tomorrow everyone will come over after Church for a family Easter dinner.  Love family time!

Friday

Gary had a doctor appointment on Friday morning, so we got to have him home for the day.  Although it was supposed to rain all morning, it ended up being a beautiful day.  

The daffodils are blooming. 

Gary planted bulbs last fall.  These are down by the basement entrance.  

This flower bed is by our turn around area in front of the house.  

Gary planted tulips, daffodils, and iris in this bed.  

The new ceiling fans have been installed on the front porch.  We have two more fans for the side porch too.  

Gary helped Abby and Ellie plant a vegetable garden.  

The girls are so excited about growing veggies! 

They were so cute working together to plant the seeds.  

Abby carefully placed the seed packets on the stakes until Papa could label them. 

The girls picked out the seeds for their vegetable garden and are planning a trip to the nursery with Papa to buy flowers to plant by the patio.  

Sarah and Tony went on a date and we watched the girls.  Abby showed me her snail.  This girl loves bugs and always has something interesting in her bug cage.  

Adeline loves being outdoors.  

The girls had fun playing on the trampoline.  

There were lots of giggles, squeals, and "Grandma, Papa watch me . . ."

We have fun with our granddaughters and are grateful for the opportunity to live close and watch them grow up.