Service

After a rousing discussion,

(I believe it was about how much water a subdivision needs)



This brave and generous Grandpa,



With these quick and athletic legs,



and this cute, sweet, and slightly nervous Great Grandma,


took over the care of and responsibility for...

these quite happy

and rather energetic children,

Much to their parents delight.
They (the parents) were amazed and filled with gratitude

to find,

upon their return:

Dishes rinsed and stacked

Children in bed (asleep? Really!)

House very tidy

Shocking! (Whispered in Great Grandma's English accent with wide eyes and a hand slightly over the mouth)

(Krispy Creme Donuts were passed in a round of congratulatory celebration!)

Coming Soon!:

How a certain Aunty Laura Saved the Date night with certain festivities and games and a much loved cousin person.

Good Time Sunshine!

A Good Friend
+
78 Degrees
on
April 22
=
The Splits (the newest quest in first grade)

Mormon Ad - Homefront - Swashbuckler

What a surprise! This is hilarious!

Post Script: I think I've watched this 27 times and I haven't tired of it! Emma actually found it by watching the video at the bottom of our blog. She put it on for me with a big smile. I think she felt the spirit of it and knew it would cheer me up. Then she wanted to find another one. She picked this one out! So funny. I think it's the best one I've ever seen and she has had to play it for us bunch!

Easter Exercise

I always forget to make sure I am physically ready for Easter. And not just the eggs, the dye, the goodies, and a note to the Easter Bunny to make sure HE's prepared for goodness sake, (wink). But also in shape bodily so as to be able to hide Eggs and chase little girls.

This year found me ill prepared. John and I both had a terrible flu during the week leading up to the Easter weekend. We weren't sure we were going to be conscious for it so we hence forgot to give the Easter Bunny that heads up he needed.

Luckily John was able to drag himself to the store on Friday and buy eggs and dye and a few odds and ends that were going to be required.

Now, I know that when a man is sent to do this sort of shopping he requires, well actually desires and needs, explicit instructions. Mine wants his shopping list to be absolutely clear. No items are to be described like this: "Fruit- what ever looks good to you." And this is certainly unacceptable: "goodies for the kids????" It has taken me a good 15 years of being married to realize this. These sorts of lists and descriptions yield no results. Unless you take it yourself or give it to your sister. She knows what these descriptions mean and will bring back a pleasing array of just the perfect items found at fabulous prices or if they were expensive you will definitely feel that it was "oh, totally worth it! So perfect."

I hadn't realized for years that my lists of these sorts would find John in the produce section of Walmart wearing a confused expression. I can picture him now, surveying the piles of peaches, asparagus, bagged salad, and 5 kinds of lettuce, uncomfortable, trying to figure out what was needed and really having no idea. Finally, I imagine him grabbing a bunch of bananas and heading to the diaper section to begin the "Which of these diapers would be acceptable to my wife and affordable." No wonder the man has often come home after a grocery store experience with things he understands, like shaving cream and deodorant and the disappointing bunch of bananas when I was dreaming of a fruit salad.

This weekend, I claimed my weakened condition drained my thinking abilities and I gave John a rather scanty list. He actually did quite well in the produce and found bananas and cantaloupe and the ingredients to make what I call "Cheesecake dip" for our fruit. We had general conference to watch this week which is our church twice a year. We had talks to watch on Saturday and Sunday so this requires great feasts and snacks to keep us amply nourished as we try to listen whilst the kids run from hither to yon. We like to have healthy snacks and some rather wicked things like cinnamon rolls or Lucky Charms.

( I asked Clara what she wanted me write on her egg when I was helping her dye it. She said, "MINE", (my favorite word of hers). It seemed rather perfect for an egg dyed by a two-year-old....)

John also was able to buy enough eggs (like 36) and egg dye to satisfy the kids desire for dyeing and dipping. However, when running into the Easter bunny while in the dollar store, I am afraid John became bewildered, pointing out only what was on the list, Emma wants these flip flops and Gracie would like some fingernail polish. Oh, and maybe throw in some of that Easter Grass (Now of Course I would never put that on a list. I don't have the strength in my lower back to pick of strands of if every day for six months).

So Easter day was kind of funny. Plenty of Easter grass and yes E. B. remembered candy but not tons of little goodies. Grace found a little word work book in hers ("I wish the Easter Bunny had left me something a little funner than a workbook, Mom..") Emma had her flip flops which brought her some delight. Clara found a book that the Easter Bunny had found and saved for a few months for her. I know because I saw it laying around the house for awhile before Easter. Everyone was happy but a little surprised at the E. Bunny's choices this year. My favorite was the shoe lace. Grace and Emma each got a shoe lace in their baskets. I know that E. Bun thought that there were two sets of laces and so he split it but alas, no. Just one lace each is what was found when it was unwound. The girls were very positive. "Oh, my shoe lace!" they would say with a happy tone to their voices. Later Grace did express some confusion about it saying,., "I would think the E. Bunny would give you two laces!?" with an eyebrow wrinkle and an unamused look.





Over all it was a fun Easter anyway. We got to have our cousin Sydney here and she helped us to hide plastic Easter eggs with candy in them and find them in the yard. We took turns hiding and finding as the girls liked to hide as much as find. Grace made sure everyone waited until the end to divide and eat the candy so it was all very fair. We dyed all 36 hard boiled eggs and some of our raw ones. And we ate our delicious fruit dip with cantaloupe and bananas while we watched our conference talks, thus being filled soul and body with good stuff! John and I, trying to recover and rest while chasing these little Easter Girls around the house.




Sunday afternoon we had a grand finale at Dads with a turkey and mashed potatoes to round out our diet of weekend snacks.

This was one of mom's favorite times of year. Tiny baby animals like lambs and chicks. Easter baskets for her little girls, a promise of rebirth, spring flowers and sun and green outside to chase away the gray and dreary winter,

and most of all her testimony of Jesus Christ.

Which was strong.

A faith

that because of His sacrifice of death for our sins and sorrows and troubles, he knows us. He knows every sadness, every sin, because he experienced them and took them. So, if we will trust and turn them over to Him,

we can have hope of a perfect resurrection,

like He had.

I can picture her face,

her expression of firm belief, of faith, and hope as she listened at church or studied scriptures at home.

Her words of encouragement

that I should believe,

never giving in to discouragement.

That that was just Satan, wanting me to give up.

Even though every day she had troubles and was very, very aware of her problems and sins and trials, she knew that it could be wonderful if she just kept trying. Repenting.

Trying again the next day.

Relying on Jesus Christ for forgiveness and strength to overcome. And that perfect hope of a wonderful Resurrection if we never give up or give in.

I believe she is still doing her best.

Hoping.

And hoping we will too.

"Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men.Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life."

-2 Nephi 31:20

Things are looking up!

We had an eventful day about a week ago. Lately Gracie has been rather mournful about learning to ride a bike. We've been hopeful for about 4 years but not very dutiful about teaching her. I bought a cool handle to hook on the back of the bike that enables an adult to help her balance without the very popular "run while bending over" stance. That was nice but didn't produce the magical learning to ride in 15 minutes that the box suggested.

We tried occasionally over the years without that sudden take-off that we'd hoped for. Finally, with tears of embarrassment from Grace we put on a new and sturdy set of training wheels. John told her to ride everyday for two weeks and she'd probably be ready. She did ride quite a bit for a couple days and then lost the motivation a little bit. Training wheels are really just not for 7-year-olds in this day and age so I was proud of her for being humble and just doing it.

Then one day, Gracies cute little neighbor friend who is also 7 came in the house to talk to me. "I'm going to teach Gracie to ride my two-wheeler", she said, in her intent, well enunciated grammar. I stared at her serious little freckled face framed by red hair, cut into a bob. This little friend enjoys talking to adults, like an adult - "I have to be home by 4 today because I have Marital Arts" she will tell me in a knowledgeable voice.

As I listened to her tell me that she was the master bike rider and she was going out to teach Gracie I thought "Good Luck" while I said, "Oh, ok!" in that sort of friendly friends mom's voice that we adopt so we don't scare off our kids friends.

About 30 seconds later Grace came in a told me to come watch, she had learned to ride her friends two-wheeler. I almost didn't go because of course it couldn't have happened that fast. Then I thought I'd better of it and decided I'd better go look out of respect and the slim chance that it had happened.

It was amazing. Grace's friend had held the bike, Grace had got on, and with a little push or something had ridden off. I watched, when I came out as Grace got on and rode down are bumpy, rocky driveway and off down the street. I stared and laughed right out loud and proclaimed my gratitude to Gracie's friend. This little professional cyclist stared a little, seeming to feel that perhaps Grace at learned a bit too quickly and that she, the teacher, wasn't really getting the attention and credit she should have enjoyed. "Now I'm going to give her the next lesson, because I'm a master at this" she told me and then proceeded to teach Grace to ride down a steep but short hill of dirt.

I do have to admit that I feel a little cheated though grateful. I guess you just have to be a master to teach.

Of course after about 20 minutes, Grace tried to show me how she could ride standing up which works if the bike isn't rather tiny for your long tall body. She crashed and scraped up her belly and bloodied two teeth which were, unfortunately, not the one that is loose and needs to come out. They all healed though and now Grace is working on her master's degree too!

My Favorite Hat

John waited patiently

while I bought this hat in Seattle

at Pikes Open Market Place

from a girl

who said her mom and five other ladies crocheted them

making a few a day each.

Clara Meets Grandpa Keith

We had a fun visit from Grandma Roonie and Grandpa Keith.
Clara has met Keith before but likely doesn't remember anything because she was a baby.

She wasn't too shy. Walked right in and gave him a box of Black Crow Candy that we had for him, though she was a little offended because she sort of wanted to keep it! Keith won her back over, however, with some little clapping and leg-slapping game he played with her.

Grace and Emma were really excited to see them too. They didn't really tone things down too much for them but luckily played outside a bunch so we actually had a very peaceful dinner on Monday. Grandma brought them an plastic Easter eggs with chick that popped up and said "I'm HIDing!, giggle giggle" They thought they were fun and Grandma laughed because she imagined how much fun we were going to have at home with all 3 of them making noise!

It's always a so fun to have a visit with our Grandparents. It's just too quiet when they leave.

My Little Five-Year-Old Sunshine

Emma just defied my wish for her to stay 4 just a little longer.

Grace used to agree to try, with a silly grin. Emma just said "No. I'm going to turn five." No sympathy for the mother languishing in her darling baby girl era. No, I'm ready to be big, is her attitude.

She enjoyed her whole week. Opening her birthday package from Aunt Sandy and her birthday card with birthday money from Grandma Roonie and Grandpa Keith, on the spot, when she found they'd come in the mail. Clara shared a few moments because on her birthday the week before we'd been sick and less festive. So she opened her card and a few presents with Emma.

Much to my delight, Emma chose a Costco cheesecake for her birthday celebration. We dream of cheesecake. Emma was very very happy to find left-over cheesecake the next day and shared with Mom, Clara, and then gave Grace the last piece when she got home from school. A very selfless act in the opinion of me who would have hidden the last piece under my pillow and eaten it at midnight.

Emma is really really into dogs. If she's not being a dog she's playing with dogs. She chose to buy a cute stuffed dog and some little play dogs and some clever sunglasses with her money from Grandma

Emma is a ray of sunshine in our lives. She loves Gracie and works well with letting her be the big sister. She's been truly great with Clara esp. when Grace is at school. Leading her around and playing with her. If we are all out of sorts, often Emma seems to maintain a cheery attitude helping us to find our happy face again.
We love this little sweetie.

This is her after the party. She always falls asleep looking like Sleeping Beauty.