Spring Break

(Pictures for all posts will be forthcoming)
It was that time of year when winter fades away.  Easter came at the end of March--which always seems too soon.  We had the tradition egg hunts and family dinners coupled with Easter dresses and bunny visits.  This year, however, I tried to focus a little bit more on the sacrifice of my Savior.  James gave a great talk in Sacrament meeting illustrating the final days of Jesus.  I felt a little sad when I thought about how much time we think about Christ's birth and participate in traditions symbolizing said birth at Christmastime, but we do very little at Easter time when we consider his sacrifice and celebrate his resurrection.  I hope to do better next year.

After Easter Sunday, we boarded a plane for California for Spring Break.  We decided to visit Disneyland and give Ashlyn the opportunity to experience the fantasy land.  We have taken our kids when a sibling is around four years old because that seems to be a magical time for them.  Ashlyn did not respond as our other children had.  She woke up the first morning throwing up, that probably set the wrong mood.  She didn't seem too interested in meeting any princesses or participating in any of the make-believe.  It was a little disappointing.  The rest of the kids had a great time until a few days later they woke up to throwing up.

I believe everyone would agree that the best day was our last day.  We opted to skip Disneyland and spend the day at the beach.  Ashlyn and Matthew loved playing in the water and sand.  The other girls and I hung out reading and relaxing.  It was probably the most stress free part of the vacation.  Later that evening, we went to Mideival Times experience for dinner.  I had flashbacks of when I was a high school senior and my grandma took us to the same thing in Florida.  It was so unimpressive that it was comical.  The kids made the most of it and we came away with a funny memory.  Of course, that is what family vacations are all about-- making memories.

Phillipines!!!!

March 12, 2016, that's the day Luke's mission call came!  We had stake conference adult session that evening so the time was set for 9:15 pm.  As we rounded the corner to our home, James and I noticed there were cars lined up all along both sides of our street.  When we walked into our home, it was overwhelming to see all the support of family, neighbors, and friends.  The house was full of people.

Luke, sitting on the bar, tore the envelope open and began to read.  "... you have been called to serve in the Laoag, Phillipines, mission.... you will preach the gospel in Tagolog."  There was an amazing spirit as he read those words.  As a parent, I was unprepared for the emotions I would feel.  Having served a mission and been where Luke was reading the call, I knew how that felt.  I remember feeling a strong confirmation that was where I was supposed to go, I also felt relief that a time was finally set and the process was moving forward.  I felt gratitude and love for my Savior and all those supporting me.  I imagine Luke felt many of those same feelings.  However, as a parent, this was a new experience.  I felt a deep love for my son.  Memories of him growing up by my side flashed through my mind and I realized he was now becoming a man.  There was a little bit of sadness in my heart as I realized things were going to change, our roles would be different.  I know change is necessary and growth is good but sometimes I just want to slow things down and savor the moment a little longer.  The one feeling that was similar was the deep sense of gratitude and love I felt for my Savior, who loves my son and blesses him, and for the support of so many family and friends.  The gospel is a beautiful thing that brings people together and blesses so many lives.

I am grateful for a son who is also my friend.  I feel privileged to be his mom and to have watched him grow into the man he has become and the one he is striving to be.  I am grateful to have been a part of his successes and his trials because I have learned from watching him in both arenas.  I understand more and more that these are not my children but are God's.  He loves them, watches over them, and blesses me to help them.

Sweetheart Dance

It was the annual Sweetheart Dance at Clearfield High the week of Valentine's.  It's a girl's preference dance and this was Lindsey's first year to attend.  She had a great time with her cheer squad and their dates.  The cheer squad decided to all go together as one group.  It required some extensive planning and some hurt feelings along the way but Lindsey said it was the most fun date she has had so far.  At the end of the evening the group came to our house for ice cream and a movie.

Luke also went to the dance but I wasn't able to get pictures of both of them (I wish they could make arrangements to meet up at the same park.)  Luke had fun designing and decorating cakes as the "day date" then eating the cakes after the dance.  I thought that was a pretty clever idea.

The rest of us celebrated Valentine's Day pretty low-key.  It landed on a Sunday this year so we didn't have our traditional dinner/feast because we (mostly I) didn't want to work so hard on the Sabbath.  We did have fun sharing reasons why we love each other and shared a few gifts and candy.

Ashlyn Turns 4!

It's hard to believe, but Ashlyn is now 4 years old!  She is old enough to realize that her birthday was coming and she was looking forward to it for a long time.  Once we got the Valentine's Day decorations out she started getting excited because she knew her birthday was before Valentine's Day.

She started the day off with breakfast in bed, waffles made with the Princess waffle maker.  She followed breakfast up with present opening.  Savannah had a lot of fun ordering and wrapping Ashlyn's presents this year.  She is off track from school so she took great pleasure in preparing Ashlyn's birthday.  I was grateful for the help and enjoyed watching her get so excited for Ashlyn's birthday.

Later that day, I drove down to pick up Brigham and Peter, Ashlyn's cousins.  Ashlyn loves playing with them and wanted to share her birthday with her cousins.  I know the picture down't look like they are happy, but they had a great time together (the picture was at the end of a six hour playdate and Brigs was ready for cake!)

Savannah also helped design and make the cake.  Ashlyn was upset at first that the entire cake wasn't pink (emotions that also stemmed from a long day) but she came around and was very excited.  Grandma and Grandpa Anderson came over, along with Brigs family, to help sing "Happy Birthday" and celebrate with her!