Mother's Day Tea with Nathan

  

We had the best day on Friday!  I got to go in to both Nathan and Joshua's classes for a "Mother's Day Tea".  In Nathan's class they have been studying poetry.  They have secretly worked all month on a book of poetry for their mothers...including five different styles they've studied!  You can see a couple of them above.  They also had a little program reciting as a class several poems.  I was so impressed!  I'm so grateful for a teacher who would create such a great "moment" for us to share...with so much work behind it!

Happy Mother's Day?

 

Yes...even though Joshua's face may indicate otherwise...it's been a Happy Mother's Day around here.  =)  Greg and the kids made a great breakfast, and Nathan even painted my toenails for church. 

This morning we went to an assisted living community with some friends to hand out cards they'd made for the residents there.  It brought back such great memories of my days at Williamsburg in Logan.  (I worked for several years and was eventually the assistant administrator at an assisted living before having Nathan.)  

It was a fun chance for me to share a little bit of that side of my life with our kids.

Book of Mormon: Finished!

We set a goal in January 2011 to read the Book of Mormon together as a family.  It's taken us longer than we'd hoped...but this last week we finished!  I had great hopes for the special moment we might have at the very end.  The reality was that the kids fought over who would read the last verse and, after a family prayer, moved on to other things.  I wondered for a moment if it's really been worth all the effort.  But, in that moment I knew that it's not just about a "last moment", but as in so many things it's about the "journey". 

It has been such a great thing for our family.  President Hinckley promised that as we read the Book of Mormon as a family, "there will come into your lives and into your homes an added measure of the Spirit of the Lord, a strengthened resolution to walk in obedience to His commandments, and a stronger testimony of the living reality of the Son of God."  I know this has happened for us, and I hope it has helped plant the seed of faith in our children's hearts that the Book of Mormon is true.

Now...to start again!

Sunday Naps

 

First Date

 

Aaron next to his little friend who is one month younger!  When Aaron went to his five month check-up he weighed 18 lbs.  This last week we weighed him again and he's up to 20!

Friends for Elizabeth

 

Elizabeth is getting old enough that she really loves getting to be with other girls her age.  It makes getting to go to a friend's birthday party extra special. 

A Happy Birthday for Me

 

I was spoiled with a second birthday celebration ... flowers, my favorite Chinese food -- Pei Wei, a birthday cake decorated by Nathan (with my initials), some funny cards picked by the kids, and our latest favorite game -- Apples to Apples.

Last Family Home Evening on Monday night, we had "announcements".  When Greg announced it was my birthday on Saturday, Joshua got so upset.  He said, "Why didn't someone tell me sooner?!  We've got presents to buy, cards to make, decorations to hang up and we only have a week to do it!" 

Couldn't ask for a better birthday than having the little people in my life working so hard to make it great.  (And a good man actually making it happen.)

A Day at Greenfield Village

Nathan and Joshua had the day before my birthday off of school, so we decided to head down and celebrate by going to Greenfield Village.  It's part of the same Henry Ford Museum complex, but a part we hadn't been to before.  We had such a great time!

A working steam locomotive, a historical farm with baby lambs, a real train turntable like Thomas the Tank Engine...with men inside welding on engines! 

 

Our favorite area had different "crafts" being demonstrated.  Pottery, a print shop, and our favorite, glass-blowing!

Cub Scouting Boy

 

Nathan accepting his first cub scout award.  He's a Bobcat!

Rolling Over

 

Aaron was doing "tummy time" this week, and was doing so amazingly well I ran for the camera.  When I got back, he was on his way over -- rolling over!  A first for him!  With our other kids it felt like they learned how, and then it took several days to remember again and actually get natural about it.  (Largely because the had strong negative opinions about being on their tummies.)  Aaron is more patient and willing to rest his little head down on the carpet when it gets tired, and then come up and try again.  By the end of his first day of rolling, Joshua acknowledged Aaron had already become a "rolling maniac"!