Matthew loves the DI!

Yesterday, I had Matthew with me as I took a load of clothes to drop off at Deseret Industries. Now most of you know, I am a fan of the DI. Some time ago as I drove by the DI, a child of mine queried, "Mom, why does dad call that the junk store and you call it the treasure store?" I believe I am raising Matthew right. He learned to say "DI" a long time ago and I know he finds treasure there, not just junk. Back to yesterday-- after dropping off the clothes, my plan was to return home because I was running late. As I drove past the entrance, Matthew, asked if we could go in. Not wanting to deny my son the joy of the DI, I pulled over and parked. I told Matthew we would just take a quick peak inside and see if there was any treasure to be found. As we walked through the doors Matthew, looked at me with a big grin on his face and said, "I love the DI!" and if that wasn't enough, he wrapped his arms around my neck and said, "Give me a big hug mom." For a mom that's a fan of the DI, it was a moment to be remembered!

Go! Fight! Win!-- Lindsey cheers

Last fall Lindsey decided to give "cheer" a try. She has been tumbling for quite some time, and loves it, but she wanted to incorporate it into something else. She has tried dance but didn't care for it. Cheer seemed like a good alternative. After a month on the junior team, they bumped her up the senior team which she was happy about. We had some highs and some lows as Lindsey was moved from a flyer, to a tumbler, to a base. It was a good lesson for her to recognize that being part of a team means you do what is best for the team, not what you think is best for you.

Spring is competition time. Because the practices are closed, I had never seen them perform and wasn't sure what to expect. At their first performance I was pleasantly surprised. They were great! I'll admit I'm biased but they were actually really good. Their coaches have done a great job blending 5 year olds up to 16 year olds into one performance. It has been fun to watch them perform. I've enjoyed spending the time with Lindsey too. We stayed over in Salt Lake one night and usually end up spending entire Saturdays together when they compete. We've had some great bonding time.

Heather gets Baptized

The Saturday before Easter, Heather, along with her cousin Rachel, was baptized. I don't think there could be a more fitting time to be baptized than Easter weekend. With the celebration of the Savior's resurrection, we had a celebration of rebirth and covenants. It was a beautiful day. Heather is blessed to have her birthday this time of year. She was actually blessed on Easter Sunday, with the timing of the calendar system, she was lucky enough to be baptized on Easter weekend. As she gets older, I'm sure this time of year will be very special for her. Not only did the holiday-time make it special, but she was also able to be baptized with her cousin.

Heather and Rachel were born two weeks apart. Their personalities are so similar, it's like kindred spirits that chose to come as closely together as they could. Rachel's mother and I will share stories about them and we'll just laugh as we comment, "that's just like Heather" or "that's just like Rachel." When they were younger they actually looked a lot like sisters. The girls were very excited to get baptized together and we had fun planning it. I got to go up and take pictures of the two girls a few weeks before the baptism. They were so cute as they posed together and separately. They talked about how excited they were to get baptized, showed each other their dresses, and gazed on the Logan Temple in awe. It was a great experience, taking them both and sharing that time with them.


When the day came to be baptized, we met at Rachel's house before going to the Church. Rachel and Heather ran around sharing stories of getting ready and gifts they'd been given. You could tell they were very excited. At the Church, they sat next to each other as they listened to the talk on baptism, then the children were divided into their respective wards to be baptized. Rachel and Heather actually got to go first. Rachel's bishop was very kind and gave them some wise counsel. He advised them to take it slow and think about the feelings and thoughts they were experiencing, don't be in a rush. Rachel was baptized first by her father. Heather got to stand out and watch her. Then Heather was baptized by her father. Rachel was invited to stand at the top of the stairs in the font to watch Heather. When they were finished, Elizabeth and I joined them in the bathroom to help them change. They giggled and talked about how they felt as they changed their clothes. Soon we met with everyone in the Relief Society Room where they were to be confirmed. Elizabeth and I had been asked to give a talk on the Holy Ghost. We took turns sharing with the girls different gifts that represented ways that the Holy Ghost helps us. Then the girls were confirmed by their fathers. Each dad gave a beautiful blessing. After that there was a lot of hugging and picture taking. The two girls were radiant! They did mention, however, that their faces hurt from too much smiling.


The gathering then moved to Rachel's home where we had some lunch. Elizabeth did a great job pulling it all together. Everything was delicious and, of course, their home is beautiful and a fun place to be. The kids were all sad when it was time to leave. It was a wonderful day for everyone.

Heather Turns 8!

After much anticipation, Heather has finally turned 8 years old. Her birthday, April 5, landed on a Sunday this year. In fact, it was on General Conference Sunday. Heather had put in her breakfast-in-bed order the previous night, so she awoke to blackberry waffles. Her room was decorated and full of presents, the biggest being her new bike. Heather got to spend the day relaxing and spending time with family. She planned to have her actually party later in the week with her birthday dinner at the Golden Corral in the middle of the week. She has learned to drag out the celebrations all week.

We decided that it would be fun to have an Easter Birthday party since she was lucky enough to have her birthday at Easter time this year. We invited her whole school class, 22 kids, to come over and celebrate. Heather has such an outgoing personality, this makes her quite popular with the kids. She insisted on inviting the boys as well as the girls because they are her friends too. The boys were just as excited to come as the girls. We planned an Easter egg hunt, coloring Easter eggs, and a few other games, as well as eating lunch. The plan was for all of this to take place outside. Unfortunately, Mother Nature was not aware of our plans and we ended up with rain the entire day. The party was moved indoors and, with the help of Luke and Lindsey, was quite a success. When you invite a lot of kids, you get a lot of presents-- I think most of my kids have figured that out. Heather got a lot of fun things from her friends. She said they are all her favorite.

Luke's Piano Recital, April 1, 2009

Luke's piano teacher scheduled her recital for April 1st. I know she had every student tell her he was not going to show up as an April Fool's joke (you know how kids can be so original). Mrs. Reynolds, Luke's teacher, starts them on their recital pieces soon after Christmas so there is no rush to memorize them. I appreciate that, it is a lot less stressful that way. Luke had had his songs memorized for quite some time-- as did his friends, let me explain. Luke has a unique group of friends. Among other things, they enjoy playing the piano (I think that is unique). This group is generally at my house "hanging out." (They don't "play" anymore, they "hang out".) As they sit around deciding what to do, one starts playing his recital piece, and then another, and soon we have a private recital of 11 year old boys. It was fun to listen to them, at first, but after a month or two of the same songs. . .well, let's just say I was happy for the recital to come.


Luke did a great job on his piece as well as his duet with his teacher. It was a great recital because there are a few that are Luke's friends so you know the participants. One of the highlights was when Luke's friend, Nathan, played his patriotic medley. The teacher introduced the piece and explained that she had saved it for the end in honor of our country. When Nathan got up to play it he asked if he could share his opinions of President Obama. Knowing this boy, the thoughts would not have been favorable. Of course his teacher quickly cut him off and told him to just play. We all had a good laugh at the display.

Lindsey's 4th Grade Program, March 2009

As Spring rolls in, so do the school programs. Lindsey started off our program season with her 4th Grade, "This is the Place," program. In case we missed anything last year when Luke did it, we got a recap of it this year (and I'm pretty sure we'll see it three more times before we're finished.) We got to view the program through the eyes of the pioneers this year-- last year Luke was an Indian. Lindsey was very excited about her program and she did a great job. As they started preparing for the program, she came home kind of bummed because she didn't get to dance the Virginia Reel. She told me she was chosen to sing one of the solos. I congratulated her and told her that was actually a privilege but she wasn't convinced and insisted it was one of the worst parts in the play. Lady luck smiled on Lindsey, however, because a few days later she was told she could do the Virginia Reel and sing. Lindsey was on cloud nine.


Preparing for the 4th grade program is quite a bit of work--for the parents! There is a county report to be done, a county float to be made, a brochure to be designed, a project to enter in the mock state fair needs to be done, and a county product display has to be put together. And, did I mention, the 4th grader needs a costume for the program. I must give credit where credit is due, they do most of the report in class. As for the rest. . . I think I earned an A+. Sarcasm aside, Lindsey did a great job! She worked hard on the things she could help with and I know that she learned a lot.