Daniel played this in church last month in his new suit and tie. We love the big finish.
Baby Shower for Stacy
Sarah took some photos of Stacy’s baby shower last Friday evening. Susan threw the party in her backyard under the tree. What a gorgeous time, and what a warm and outgoing person our new sister-in-law Stacy is!
I dropped by to give my grandparents, parents, and my aunt and uncle a hug on the way home from the shower. My smile on the way home was deep and lasting. I’m so thankful that I can go to things such as baby showers, baptisms, and birthdays for my family. I’ve enjoyed going out to lunch with the girls or just one or two at a time. We’ve had cozy winter evenings and holiday celebrations. Summer evenings with family will be my next favorite delight.
My Day with Timothy
I got to spend the day with Timothy and four of his friends at This is the Place Heritage Park for a school field trip. Timothy is a good kid, laid-back and fun. These boys were adorable.
I am still not “over” being in Utah. I get so excited about seeing temples and monuments and churches everywhere. I kept waiting for the guides at the park to mention something about religion, but they didn’t. I suppose they aren’t allowed to talk about that with school groups. However, it’s impossible to tell the complete story of the Mormon pioneers without mentioning their faith. The pioneer journey wasn’t just a big trip. They were hunted because of their religion. They were motivated by their faith. They were led by someone with priesthood keys to organize such a trek. My ancestors rode with them. Some of my ancestors walked. They did it because they were being obedient to a prophet.
Despite religion not being mentioned, there was a feeling about the place, similar to the feeling at a national cemetery or memorial. As I looked up the green canyon where the pioneers entered the Salt Lake Valley, I felt it. When the 10-year old boys circled around the statue of Bodil Mortensen from the Willie Handcart Company and discovered that she died at age 10 and was their height, I felt it. As they lined up to pull handcarts, I felt the familiar swell of admiration and respect for the handcart pioneers.
It was a beautiful day, sunny and breezy and the canyon was so green. I bought the boys some candy and let them run. What a sweet day.
Prom & a Birthday
It was a weekend of lovely moments. Mark’s 7th birthday came and we celebrated with a trip to the dinosaur museum, a treasure hunt, and strawberry shortcake. We love our red boy whose enthusiastic oohs and aaahs at the dinosaur museum reminded us how great it is to discover something new.
Lovely Paige went to the school prom. She had a lot of compliments on the hairstyle that her aunt Susan created.
Thanks for all of the help, Susan!
Prom, a birthday, a trip to the cabin, and hosting a ward party at our house have taken all of our energy. I have a few regrets about the weekend, and one is that we didn’t get pictures of the beautiful homemade decorations and homemade ice cream bar that we made under a charming tent in our yard.
I sewed 30 feet of bunting in reds and blues to drape around the tent. There were blossoms from the yard in red and cream bud vases; there were red and blue dishes of chocolate, mixed berries, cookies, and nuts, arranged on a red and white gingham tablecloth. There was a candy machine with a jar of coins for the children to use. There were happy neighbors who stopped by to enjoy the festivities.
I’m not trying to write a design and lifestyle blog, so these lovely details will need to live in your imagination and my memory.
As Richard and I waited up for Paige to return from her date, he composed and performed his own lyrics to the song Bring Him Her Home to keep me smiling.
It’s a lovely life.
25 words
Rosemary M Wixom, the Primary General President, spoke in General Conference about the importance of the words we speak and write to our children. She related the story of a prisoner of war who was allowed to write home after years of imprisonment, but he was allowed only 25 words. He wrote, “These things are important: temple marriage, mission, college. Press on, set goals, write history, take pictures twice a year.”
Here are my 25 words to my family. If I did this next week, the words would be different, but this is what I am thinking about today:
Christ lives! Obedience brings power and understanding from heaven. Love one another. Find heroes in the scriptures. Develop charity. Keep a journal. I love you.
What would your 25 words be to your family?
Mother Daughter Tea Party
This was the tea party Paige and I attended on Saturday for her ballet studio. It was an Alice in Wonderland themed party and it was full of beautiful mothers and daughters dressed up in their Sunday best, eating dainty finger sandwiches and petit fours. Paige danced. I have never seen a more elaborately decorated party. Mothers decorated each table differently. Many of the delights had little signs which read, “Eat me” and potions bottles with corks read, “Drink me”. There was the Mad Hatter, the Queen of Hearts, cards and hats aplenty.
I watch the little ballerinas and their mothers and it doesn’t seem like Paige should be one of the older girls. However, she has danced for eleven years. Eleven years. This is quite an accomplishment and we’re proud of her. Her last big recital will be in June. She’ll always dance, but not as many nights a week. It’s the end of an era.
First Grade Zoo Trip
Dear Mark,
When I was in first grade, I came to this same zoo for a field trip. I had such a good time that I wasn’t paying attention to my class loading the bus to go home and was almost left behind! On the way home that day, I counted all of the red cars on the freeway. You counted red cars, too. I think you counted 130 red cars between the zoo and your school.
I had a great time with you at the zoo, Mark. I liked the elephants, too. I thought the bird house wasn’t as smelly as it used to be. The little monkeys were my favorite. Do you remember the funny things we heard from kids as they looked at the animals?
Including, “It doesn’t get any better than this!”
and, “Sometimes when I get knocked out, I don’t remember how I got hurt.”
and our favorite, “Wow, bats are real?!!”
I enjoyed our picnic with granola and fruit drinks at Sugarhouse Park. I loved watching you run with all of the friends you have made in your class this year. I thought that you were a really fast runner. Thanks for letting me come with you.
Love,
Mom
P.S. I love your elephant picture and your bright orange hair.
Weekend Adventure
We had a few adventures this weekend. Richard and Daniel went camping with the scouts at the sand dunes. I always love to see pictures of what the kids do when they are away.
It’s about Color!
I’ve decided to try quilting now that I have willing neighbors to help me.
I had a pretty big quilt failure last time I tried to piece a quilt square. I’m hoping I can overcome this, unlike my continued failure to grow house plants. I’ve made several quilts, but they have not been complicated. I’ve been told that having the right equipment is essential, so I bought the tools first.
Next came the fabric. I needed 11 fabrics. Aaaack! I walked down the aisles for a long while, looking for a fabric to inspire me. And then I found it! It had red! It had pink! It had a lovely pale sage green! It was old fashioned! It was perfect. Once I had this fabric, I knew what I wanted for the quilt: a splash or two of red, a smaller amount of pink, lots of pale sage and a touch of pale yellow.
I’m not a trendy person, so there are no hot pink and orange owls for my quilt, although I loved these fabrics. I’m telling myself I can be a quilter because it really is about color, order, and art, which are three things to which I can feel good about devoting some time.
I got home and realized that these fabrics are Strawberry Shortcake colors. That was my childhood. Lovely.
Now I need to begin cutting. I’m so nervous.
Timothy the Baseball Player
Timothy is winding up his baseball season. He’s great! He is a great catcher and pitcher. He is also a consistent hitter. It’s fun to see him play so well.
I like our city baseball league so much more than our previous league. Here the coaches have been kid-centered and the competition is much less intense. They play to win, but I haven’t seen the coaches’ egos getting in the way. We’ve seen terrible behavior from coaches over the years. I appreciate a coach who cheers his kids no matter what. It’s just a better way to do things. The coaches here allow the kids to grow without so much negativity. I am really glad he’s had a chance to play here.