Connor's 3rd Birthday

There are so many little things I want to record, but first I want to remember Connor's 3rd birthday and a sweet surprise that Spencer pulled off....

We did the usual and it was very nice...balloons at his spot was first.

Then Sarah (Spencer's one and only fabulous sister), entertained our kids while Spencer and I had some alone time that day.  We have found that our kids have moved on and don't want to spend a lot of time "remembering," but I do.  So our time alone each birthday has been a good thing...though I find that I don't want to "remember" too much or then I'll hurt more than I want to.

We went to dinner at The Cheesecake Factory, as it has a fun, happy, lively atmosphere that we were wanting.  We had gone there on Connor's 1st birthday and that has become their favorite place to eat ever since...and it did not dissapoint us this time either!

Then the surprise...Have you ever seen the lanterns floating up at the end of the movie Tangled?  When Spencer saw that months ago he figured there had to be real ones and as a surprise to the rest of us, he had ordered some for us to let off in celebration of Eli Connor's 3rd birthday.

So we arrived home after dinner, saw the weather conditions were right and quickly called some friends to join in (sorry if we missed you...we tried calling several of you but no one was home).  I must admit I was NERVOUS!  I thought these sky lanterns looked so cool, but I did not want to start anything on fire either.  But with the cold weather, no wind and snow on the ground it it was a G.O.  We had hoped to let all of them off at the same time, but we found that we did not have enough people or lighters and had to let them off in smaller groups.  Yet it was still so beautiful!

It was beautiful to see these sky lanterns slowly rise above us and float away.  It looked neat enough that many cars came and stopped on our street to watch them float up and away and I can only I image how it would look with lots of them.  Hopefully we'll have enough people and lighters to make this happen next year...and maybe I will know how to make a video properly.

Thank you to many who have "remembered" with us...the phone calls, emails and for making our dinner possible.

Enjoy this video...and as you listen to this video, realize we were talking to some people who had stopped to ask what these lanterns are called.  We were busy trying to light the lantern and video them, so we were a little distracted and could not give them a straight answer.

They are called Sky Lanterns...and Elle was thrilled to find out a few days later that they are featured in the January 2012 of the New Era, a magazine published by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for young men and young women.

 

 

The East Wind of 2011

It has been years since the Wasatch Front has had an east wind like we did a few weeks ago.  Some areas received so much wind damage that it reminded me of photos taken after a hurricane or tornado had passed through.  Our area was hit with strong enough winds that we would stand in our home and watch our neighbors fences blow down, one after the other.  Other friends lost huge pine trees and after dropping our kids off at school (which was cancelled just a few minutes later), one tree lost all its huge branches.  They blew across the parking lot and several other mothers and one father helped lug those heavy things out of the way.  We then came home and watched the shingles from everyone's home blow off their roofs and felt our house shake during those wind gusts.  It was a crazy day!

The sweetest sight occured later that day, after winds had subsided.  We saw a pack of kids coming up our street, pushing wheelbarrows that weighed a lot more than they did!  These wheelbarrows were full of shingles that had blown off the roofs and the kids were collecting them from everyone's yards.  It was just the neatest thing to see.  It was itchy work but they made it look like so much fun that Hayden and Sydney ran out to join them in cleaning up the rest of the neighborhood.  It reminded me of the Pied Piper!  The group just kept getting bigger and bigger.

I wondered what parent suggested that activity.  I wished I would have thought of that...not that I wanted to be THE one who thought of it, but I wished my thoughts would have turned to helping others sooner than it did.

I did not get a photo of that group of kids...I so wish I had.  But at least I have one of Hayden blowing off our driveway later that same day.

He's Still Making Me Smile...

with the things he says.  And I don't want to forget them.

I wish I would have written down more of what our girls said when they were little, because they were cute.  Elle came up with my Mom's name when I tried to teach her to say "Grandma."  She transposed the word and came up with "Magee," (Ma-gee).  That name has stuck ever since.  Elle would call a backpack a "pack-bag" and every time her legs would go to sleep, she would say "my legs have the sprinkles."  Oh, so fitting.  There were more cute things she said, but I don't remember!  UG.

Sydney would always say, "On your marks, set get, go..."

Fun things that I thought I'd never forget, but I am.

So here's Hayden's latest...which I hopes make him laugh when he reads this as an adult.

1.  "Dad, I think I need deodorant!" It was funny to watch him put it on his cute little five year old armpit with that proud smile of his. 

2.  I overheard him talking to his new little sister in the other room.  She was fussing and I heard him say, "I can't feed you cause I'm a boy."  Then he added apologetically, "Sorry!"

3.  Sometimes at dinnertime we talk about the Happies & Sads of our day (when we remember to).  On this particular day Hayden shared the following:

Sads:  X is mean to me!  He hits everybody.
Happies:  X wasn't at school today!

Oh, this made me laugh and realize we've got some work to do!

4.  Hayden has lost his nice, orange winter coat somewhere.  It is not something we want to replace so we've prayed and asked for help in remembering where he left it.  On one morning as he got ready for school, I stated that we should ask Heavely Father again to help us find it.

H:  "Mom, Heavenly Father hasn't anwered our prayers."  Oh, immediate concern went through my mind...but then he followed up with this..."Because I think he's busy answering the Chinese's prayers."

It made me laugh!

Haven't found his orange, Columbia coat yet. 

Have you seen it?

She has arrived...

When we recently checked in at the front desk of Labor & Delivery we overheard the nurses talking about which room number we would be taken to...we realized that it was the room next to where Connor was born.  We said nothing and quietly followed the nurse down the hall, around the corner, down another hall and as we turned that last corner and saw the room where Connor was born...an unexpected flood of emotions hit both Spencer and I.   We both ended up crying at that point.

So many mixed and deep feelings were felt in those two side-by-side hospital rooms...ones that I hold close to my heart.

We are grateful for this little girl's safe arrival...

This Past Summer

After Connor died I felt like writing my feelings down all the time and lately I rarely have that desire.  I do keep a personal journal and that's where I've been writing down some experiences which are private.  But I know I need to write more, as I wonder how our children will remember this past year/summer.

It hasn't been an easy summer as they have been in the past...full of trips and lessons and carefree fun.  Instead it's been filled with hard work and some sacrifices and hiccups along the way.

I really wonder what they'll remember?

Will they remember helping build the rock wall in our back yard, measuring the heights of the red rock and then writing down it's measurement with a piece of chalk?  Helping Dad put in the sprinkler system?  Endless grading of the dirt in preparation for grass.  Planting pumpkins for the first time.  Visiting California for the first time and certain people whose kindness made this trip possible.  Visiting the tidepools, Disneyland, the LA LDS Temple, and going to Del Coronado Beach and having the best time ever!  Getting the worst sunburn of their lives while there?  Watching Hayden chase seagulls.  Flying kites for hours at a time.  Eating ice cream cones and having them melt and drip down our hands?

Will they remember the fun we had and peace we felt that day as a family?

It was a M.A.G.I.C.A.L. day!!

 

I know I finally got to write Eli Connor's name in the sand myself.  Something I've been wanting to do for a long time.  A wave promptly came up and washed it away, but not before I captured part of his name...

Getting the thrill of picking lemons off the first lemon tree they'd ever seen (our kids LOVE lemons) at Aunt Renee's home. It was a little embarassing about how hog-wild they were about picking lemons.  If we had not stopped them, they would have picked every last lemon off that tree! 

Will they remember being compelled to picking up rocks in preparation for the "grass man" to come and plant grass in our backyard?  Getting excited to see the first blades of grass to come up and how exciting that is!  Being patient enough to stay out of the back yard for a few months while we watch the grass grow.  Being with Mom when our trustyworthy and beloved old blue Honda drove it's last mile and died...for good.  Faithfully doing their summer chores, including working on IXL.com.  Going swimming at Grandma and Grandpa's and watching Hayden do flips and dives for the first time.  Working for neighbors to earn money for school clothes and finding fabulous sales (way to go girls)!  Planting flowers and a small garden (never plant as many zucchini and crookneck squash as we did).

I wonder if they'll remember listening to a conversation between Spencer and I...and then one child jumping in to offer a solution...which meant a big sacrifice on her part.  She offered to give up her bedroom so that we could help a grandparent recover from major surgery...and this little device with all it's bells and whistles has come into our lives...

I've been so poor at writing this summer's events down that now I can't remember them all, and I know there's more.  Not an easy summer by any means, and I hope they remember a lot of the good things about this summer and learn not dwell on the hard experiences, which I hope will result in us being even bettter/kinder people and learning to trust God even more.

More changes coming up, as....

Gray Hair

Just a few mintues ago Sydney looked at me and said, "Mom, if I could change anything I would pluck out all your gray hairs.  I wish I could get rid of them."

Then a few seconds later she looked at me again, with that twinkle in her eye and that cute smile of hers and said, "Maybe you should go and drink out of the fountain of youth!"

She made me smile and I realize once again that my gray hairs really make her concerned that I'm going getting old and going to die soon.

I really don't have that many gray hairs (yet).

While Hiking...

up to Jack's Mailbox yesterday Hayden said the following:

He looked up at the bright, blue sky and asked, "Mom, where does Heavenly Father and Jesus live?"

Well, Spencer and I gave our best answer.

Then this..."Mom, I think Heavenly Father and Jesus are like worms.  They are hard to find....and I love them!"

I wasn't sure if he meant that he loved Heavenly Father and Jesus or the worms...or both.

I love the conversations I have with this five year old boy.

My Mother's Day Gift to Myself

I woke up early this morning and rather than lie in bed, wishing I was asleep, I'm wrapped up in my robe, windows open, listening to the birds outside, feeling the cool spring air start to freeze my toes (why didn't I bring some slippers downstairs?), waiting for the sun to come up. 

I've decided that my gift to myself today was to finally take the time to write down some funny incidences that have happened in my life in the past month or so because I want to remember my time as a mother and I want my kids to have a journal of some of the funny things they have said/done.

I was privledged to go to BYU Women's Conference again.  For the past three years I've made the trek down to BYU to hear various women talk about different aspects of living a Christian life and they have been so inspiring to me.  There is one in particular from last year, whose thoughts I furiously wrote down as she spoke and I have referred to them again and again.  She made me laugh.  She made me cry.  She made me inspect my life.  She gave me hope AND she had a small southern accent which I SO miss!  I've tried to locate her to thank her, but I've had no luck yet.

This year's highlights came from spending time with two dear Virginia friends who I got to spend time with at various points during Women's Conference.  The time I spent with them was not much, but it was so sweet.  I felt of their love and support and such kindness.  I love these two women and they are examples to me of being great women and mothers.

Before I went down, I was concerned about leaving Hayden.  He is SUCH a momma's boy (which I love), but I know he is also one of the most determined, strong-willed boys I know and he challenges us at times.  So a few days before I left I started prepping him.  I told him I was going to leave for a few days to go down to BYU to take a few classes on how I could be a better mom.

Silence.

Then this..."You mean you're not going to be mean to me anymore?"

Surprise from me...and a quiet, probing question.  "Oh, how am I mean to you?"

Hayden replied, "You make me sit on the bench."

He refers to the black bench that sits in our front room (we have no couch) which I scrounged a few years ago, and it serves as our Time Out bench/repentance bench/ I have to sit here until I change my behavior bench/make it look like we have a couch bench.

His view on things made me laugh.

 And while I was gone he and Spencer had a great time together.

A few more stories about Hayden.  I know I journal a lot about him, but I can't help but want to record these funny moments.  Some of which I've heard from his primary leaders at church and some that I've been a part of.

-  About a month ago I had just finished eating a hard-boiled egg when Hayden asked for help putting his shoes on so he could go and play with friends.  I knelt down to help him and afterwards Hayden looked at me and said, "Mom, you smell like a dog."  I knew that he wasn't being rude, but commenting on the smell of the egg on my breath, so it was funny to me.  Then before I could do anything else, he hugged me and bolted out the door to go play with friends.  I love the honesty in this little boy.

-  Several weeks ago Hayden was asked to give the primary talk in church.  I am SO well organized that I remembered just an hour before he was to give the talk.  So I quickly scanned my brain, trying to think of how I could teach Hayden why Christ is called our Saviour/Redeemer.  I thought of something we had used on my mission, so Hayden and I quickly drew it up and we were off.

The message is essentially this:  We come to earth and live life.  We make mistakes and do things that are wrong (we say mean things, we hit our sisters, etc.)  When we do these mean things on purpose, they take us further away from Heavenly Father and we end up in a "Spiritual Hole."  Heavenly Father knew we would make mistakes and that this was a good way for us to learn right from wrong/good from bad.  He also knew we would need a way to get us out of that hole, and that is why Christ is such an important part of our life.  He sent Christ to live his life so we had a good example and Jesus Christ would also serve as our Savior.  His Atonement would be able to get us out of the hole (this is where you draw the ladder).

Now a note to help this story make sense.  We have a few words in our home that are not allowed.  They are words which other families use all the time but we have chosen not to say them as they have been used a few times too many in our home and don't leave a good feeling.  Two of them are:  stupid and whatever (this said with a roll of the eyes, a flip of the hair and sassy attitude finally got to me).  So now both words are banned.

Well, Hayden and I gave the talk in Primary and to be honest and embarassed, I haven't thought about it since.  Until Monday.  We were busy gettting everyone off to where they needed to be.  Hayden and I were in the laundry room, gathering school items, keys and putting on shoes before heading out the door.

H:  "Mom, which shoes should I wear?"

Me:  "Oh, I don't know!" I said a little esasperated.    "Whatever."

Silence.  Then this from H:  "Mom, YOU are in a Spiritual Hole!" (note the emphasis on YOU).

I looked at him in confusion, and thought "What are you talking about?"  Then after a few seconds I realized.  I laughed!!!  I  told him that yes, he was right.  I was in a Spiritual Hole (because I had said a naughty word).

"Oh Mom, you're in a Spiritual Hole about 25 times a day," he said in a consoling way.

Oh, so true.

But his comments to me have made me think of his little talk many times this past week, of how I could better use Christ in my life to get me out of my holes.

- Another primary story.  The teachers that sit behind him say they listen attentively each week to see what he'll say next.  They have several stories, and I'll share this one.

The primary chorister was leading the children in learning a new song.  She told them that they would sing this particular song once, then sing it two more times.

The Hayden piped up, "That means three times."  I think he said it in matter-of-fact, I'm-learning-how-to-add tone of voice.

I heard that the chorister giggled a little and then she agreed with Hayden, "Yes Hayden, that means three times."

This doesn't sound funny as I type it, but when the primary teachers shared this story with me we all laughed, as it shows the personality of our little guy, who isn't so little anymore.

Yesterday was a sweet, sweet day for me.  We made my Mom cry!  My sister who lives in Europe was in the US on business and flew in for the weekend to surprise our Mom.  So I made arrangements to meet my mom for lunch yesterday and just happened to have my sister from Europe with me (along with my brother and a few children).  It made my Mom's day!!!  She cried and was so surprised and she came away feeling loved.  We capped off the evening by having everyone here at our home for dinner.

It was crazy with everyone and it was awesome!!

I am off to warm up my cold toes (on my husband, bless his heart).  I hope that this Mother's Day is a sweet one and not a painful one.  For those of you who want to be a mother and aren't yet (you know who you are), know that I pray that your wishes will come true. 

I'm grateful for all my mom's and friends whose example helps me be a better mother.

I heard something from Julie B. Beck a few years ago and I loved it!  I now quote her: "I have thought of a lesson my mother taught me. She actually learned it from the Winder family—Sister Susan W. Tanner’s family. The Winder family was a dairy family, and one time when my mother was visiting at the Winder farm, they were displaying a new strain of milk cows to their visitors. They said, "We got these wonderful Jersey cows, and our aim is that every mother produces a superior daughter." My mother caught hold of that idea. She said, "That’s the job of a mother. Every mother should produce a superior daughter."

My hope is that when my daughters are mothers, they will be a superior daughter/mother.

Easter 2011

This Easter was probably one of our best ever, thanks to the ideas we copied from other families.  It worked out to be a great balance of the fun traditions of Easter and the true meaning of Easter.

I'm serious when I give credit to other mothers who have shared their ideas.  They are fantastic and fun ideas and the two that we tried this year worked well for our family.  So now we have even more great traditions to pass down to our kids!

We dyed eggs and participated in Easter Egg Hunts during the week and several on Saturday.  The best one had to be where Mr & Mrs. showed up!

We worked hard all Saturday to prepare our home and food for our Easter Day.  I did not want Sunday to be stressful, so we worked our tails off making rolls, preparing food, decorating our home with flowers from our yard, wheat grass that a sweet neighbor grew for us and $3.50 worth of items from the store.  The rest we scrounged together.  The effort was worth it.  On Easter Morning we woke up to this:

Easter Morning Breakfast Rolls were a must.  And a hit.  Then off to church.

Back home for dinner with some of our Grandparents.  It would not have been as successful had they not been there.  After dinner we had an Easter Scavenger Hunt - this was one of the ideas someone else shared on their blog.  It was the best.  It was not centered on candy, but on Christ's life.  Spencer and I made up most of it, trying to open our children's understanding to some of what Christ experienced that last week of his life.

It was neat to see them run around the house, trying to figure out what the clues meant.  This is something that we'll definitely do again.  At the end of this post I'll share our scavenger hunt to give you an idea of what you may want to do with your family.  I don't know that the information we told our kids is totally accurate, but we tried!

As soon as we finished the scavenger hunt we headed for the kitchen for  dessert and this is the part that was the neatest for me.  Unbeknowst to me, Spencer had asked all the grandparents to share their favorite stories of Christ while we ate dessert.

The room was quiet as they spoke and I remember Hayden jumping in to interrupt one grandmother as she shared her favorite story.  He said "I know that one!" and then he proceeded to tell us what happened (when the woman who had so much faith was healed when she touched Christ's garment).  I was surprised by this because I did not know if he was really listening.

I also remember the feelings as my mom shared an experience that she had with two of my sisters when they flew down and picked her up after her 1 1/2 year mission to India.  They were in a shopping area of some kind when one of my sisters noticed a group of "untouchable" children.  I know I don't have all the facts that started this experience, but one of my sisters noticed them.  They were sharing a small cup of rice, perhaps 1/2 cup or maybe 2/3 of a cup of cooked rice, shared between about eight children.  They were poorly dressed, but patiently sat waiting until it was their turn to eat.  This sister then noticed one of the little boys was dressed in only a long shirt (no shorts).  He had nothing on underneath.  She quickly went in to a local store and she and my other sister purchased clothing for these children.  There were more details here that are touching to the soul, but I am missing them.  I just know that each time my sisters or mom talk about this experience, they get choked up with emotion.  These children were almost starving, yet no one would help them because they were an "untouchable," and in the cast society of India, "untouchable" litterally means that.

Afterwards a wealthy Indian man came up to my sisters and brother-in-law and asked why they had done what they did.  He then went on to thank them for helping those children.  He told them that he learned to serve by watching them and he told them that he would do more in the future for the "untouchables."

The feeling in the room was very special and later when I asked Sydney what parts of Easter were her favorite, she told me it was when all the grandparents shared their favorite stories.

I'm grateful to those who share their great ideas with me.  It made a difference to our family this Easter.

Talking About Easter...

In talking a few days ago about the fact that Easter is coming up our girls jumped in and let the fact be known that we HAVE to make our Easter Morning Breakfast Rolls.  Last year was our first year doing it and it was a hit!

I love how they are "empty," just like Christ's tomb.

Thought I'd share the recipe (compliments of www.SistersCafe.blogspot.com):

Easter Morning Breakfast Rolls
submitted by Erin
1 package frozen bread or roll dough, thawed (or homemade roll dough)
6 TB sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 bag large marshmallows
1/4 cup butter, melted


Combine sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and set aside. Divide the dough into individual roll sized portions. Press each portion into a flat circle. Place
1 large marshmallow in the center of each roll. Pinch roll dough very firmly around the marshmallow. Roll each into a seamless, or nearly seamless, ball with your hands. Brush rolls with melted butter. Sprinkle sugar mixture over rolls. Cover rolls with plastic wrap and put in the fridge overnight. On Sunday morning, preheat oven to 350°. Take rolls out of fridge and bake for 15 minutes until rolls are golden brown. Be careful not to overbake. (These may also be baked without sitting overnight. After wrapping the marshmallow in them, let them rise for about an hour or so and then bake them as usual.)

Last night...

We were all kneeling down for our family prayers before we went to bed and after Spencer started saying it... we heard somebody moving around.  Hayden jumped up, went over to Spencer and whispered into his ear (as quietly as an almost 5 year old can), "And pray for the people in Japan!"

It made us ALL smile and I was reminded of the sweetness of a child.

I loved that he thought of them, even though he doesn't quite know what an earthquake or tsunami are.

Happy Tenth Birthday Little Bug!

It's weird to think of the nickname we gave her when she was just tiny....cause it doesn't quite fit her any more.  But I love the name and all the sweet times we've had with her since she came to our family.  Just weeks after she was born Spencer made the observation that she filled a hole we hadn't even realized existed.  We need her smiles and humor around here...

Happy 10th my tall "little bug."

The Big Wave

I'm not a sewer or a quilter but I'm picking up my needle next week in hopes that my measley efforts will help someone in Japan...or where ever our quilts are sent.

As I watched the videos of the waves inundate their homes, I could not help but think of the effort I spend in decorating my home.  What if I lived there and my home was engulfed by a tsunami?  All my work and effort would be wasted.

It made me think of where I put my efforts and energy. 

Uncle Joe

1957-2011

Uncle Joe passed away this past week and before we all go on with our lives I want to record a few things about him.  I want my kids to remember Uncle Joe.

After he was born and it was determined that he had Downs Sydnrome (Trisomy 21), his parents were strongly encouraged by the hospital staff to leave him there at the hospital to die.  Now I don't know all the details of this story and will probably get some of it wrong, but family folklore recalls that Joe's older Brent soon showed up at the hospital.  Brent said, "He's my brother, we're taking him home."  So they quickly packed up and left before anyone could stop them.

Several years later, when it came time for Joe to enter the public school system, they did not allow children with disabilities to enroll.  So Joe's mother,  Ruth started the Mt. Olympus Training School for Joe and other children like him.  Apparently many children "came out of the woodwork" and attended this school.  Their parents were appreciative of Grandma Ruth's efforts so they didn't have to keep their children in hiding anymore.

I don't know Joe that well, but enough to know two things that were HIM: 

- He loved everyone!  Pure love.
-  He would always give us hugs and say, "You my friend."

Fifty three years of teaching people to "Love More."

It Finally Snowed!

It seems like we haven't had a lot of snow down here in the valley this winter and I have missed it.  My friend and I have been waiting for it to snow so that we could make these photos and this morning was THE morning to do it.

May I say that I am addicted to capturing the subtle emotions between family members?  I even dream about photography (yeah, I'm a dork).  Sweet photos like this give me a rush.

 

All Tied Up

This is what will happen to you if our son plays with you... tied up and left to die!  Well, just until he's ready to play with you again.

A Fabulous Saturday!

My grandparents skiied.  Both of my parents skiied.  The loved it so much they became ski instructors and taught me to ski for the first time when I was 2.5 years old.  I then went on to teach skiing for a few years after high school, before I decided it was time to grow up and go to college.  Later I met Spencer and forced him into skiing!

As soon as we moved back to Utah a few years ago we taught each of our kids how to ski, hoping they would come to love it as much as we do.  I am really lucky in that Spencer loves it more than I do and is always trying to get me up the mountain.  And when he gets me up there, I fall in love with the mountains, the sport and my family all over again.

Such was our last Saturday.  It was a gorgeous, sunny day with fabulous snow conditions and we were all able to go (though Sydney did not ski due to hurt arm).   It was so exciting to see Hayden go from skiing with a hoop to graduating from that thing!

 

It is a great invention, but now we don't have to lug it around any more.  It's found a new home with a new family and we get to ski with a very steady, independant skiier.  Wahooo!

It was sweet to watch Elle and Spencer ski off in utter happiness while I skiied with Hayden.  We missed having Sydney on the slopes with us, but she read her book on the deck of the lodge and waited patiently.

It was a lovely day for us.  I hope that by taking photos and recording these experiences my kids will remember the sweet times in our lives.  I hope that they will in turn teach their children to love skiing and the mountains and their family.

I hope they'll find that skiing is one of their "Happy Places" too, as this is a tradition I hope will be passed down for many generations.

 

  Oh, but then there's one more photo to post.  Should I post it or not?  Hmmmm....do I really want to remember this event?  We sure got a laugh out of it.

Yep, I'll post the naughtiness and sweetness of our son.

After two runs Hayden decided he was done and wanted to go sit with Sydney on the deck.  So after everyone was situated I left to take one more quick run, hoping to meet up with Spencer and Elle.  I never did see them.  But when I returned to Hayden and Sydney I hollered up to them.  Then a man stood up and asked me, "Are these your children?"

Whoops.  A flood of thoughts went through my mind.  Complaint or compliment?

Complaint.  

Apparently our son has a very good aim.  So good that he was able to aim and throw a chunck of ice into someone's beer pitcher.

"I'll be right up," I said.

On my way up the stairs I remembering thinking "I wonder how much a pitcher of beer costs?"  I soon found out that it costs $18.00. 

Now here's the part that is the sweetest and I want to remember.  Hayden was embarassed and hesitant to apologize to this man.  He was an older man, probably mid-50's, but it was apparent that he had never had children nor did he spend much time around them.  A very no nonsense attitude.  But this man was very patient in waiting for Hayden to get up the nerve to apologize.

When Hayden did apologize, he looked up at the man, met his eyes and quietly mumbled "I'm sorry."  Then Hayden unexpectedly lunged at the man and threw his arms around his waist and gave him as big of a hug as his four year old arms could.  The man's expression was priceless!  Shocked would be an understatement.  His two compainions burst out in laughter and then the man smiled, reached down and gave Hayden an awkward hug.  The man really didn't know what to do or say.

My heart was proud of my son.

Just before we left another observer came by, knocked knuckles with Hayden and told him, "I expect to see you in the Leagues or the NFL someday.  You've got a good aim."

That memory cost $18.00, but lessons were learned and our family has a funny memory of the one and only pitcher of beer Mom ever bought.

Local Volunteers Wanted!

If you live close to me and am interested in helping make these felt backpacks for local schools, please contact me.  We're looking for just a few more volunteers for the Evening of Service at BYU Women's Conference in April.

 

Hayden especially loves the green backpack.  He keeps telling me that HE needs a backpack and he even took it to bed the first night I brought it home.  "Mom, can I squish it," he asked as he laid in bed with his arms gently touching the  backpack.  Oh, you should have seen the large grin when I told him yes.  He squeezed that baby hard!

Then the next day he filled it full of his stuff and misplaced it in our home.  "Mom, will you help me find it," he asked as he put his warm, chubby hand in mine and looked at me with those big, brown eyes. 

I melted of course.

"Mom, what if we can't find it?"  

"Oh, I think we can.  But if we can't, then we'll say a prayer and ask Heavenly Father and Jesus to help us find it.  Do you know that they know where everything is," I asked?

"They do," he said with big, wide eyes.

I love these moments when I can teach my children about the reality of a kind and loving God and what is even better is to see those times when their own testimonies come to view...like when they suggest saying a prayer to find a misplaced item.

Sweet moments.

Another baby session!

Last fall I felt that I needed to pull back from photography for a little while and it has been a great decision.  But as you can see, I have been doing a few sessions on occassion. 

I have recently decided to accept a few sessions each month, so if you're interested in individual or family photographs, you are welcome to contact me.

Here's one session that we did today.  It was so fun to dress her up and just have fun.  She was SO good!

 

 

 

 

This headband was SO big, and we  just had to try it and we got a great laugh!