Simple Joys

Rocks,
mud puddles
and little boys
simple joys

We want to be children forever!

Conversation with Gordon. He was speaking for himself and Ella.

G: We wish we were little babies again.

Me: Why?

G: because we want to be children forever!

Me: Why?

G: 'cuz toys!

Back from AZ

We are back from Arizona. We went down for my baby brother's graduation (I guess he's not a baby anymore). I am so grateful that we were able to go and be with him on that a special day. He is such an awesome guy. The night before graduation we got to go see him perform a skit and sing as part of a special night for the seniors involved in drama. Jason has been in several plays this year and I have always felt bad that we were never able to see him perform. So seeing him in his element, performing that night was a special treat. I felt like I got to see him as his friends and peers see him. He is a talented guy. Next up for him is preparing for his mission. He will be 19 in July.


We also really enjoyed being with Grandma and Grandpa. We don't get to see them enough at all. We spent many hours in the pool. Grandpa bought these fun inflatable battery-operated jet skis for the kids. They were so fun. Jace loved them. He wanted to be on them all the time.

Friday morning Ben & Mike and their families came down. It was fun to have almost all of the family together (just Joe & his family were missing.) The kids really enjoyed each other this trip. I love the picture of these three snuggled up together watching a movie.

Grandma Nelda's Birthday Party

Last night we went to Grandma Oldham's Birthday party. It is something we have been doing since she turned 80. This year, if she were still here she would have turned 89. She passed away 3 years ago this week, but we have continued to remember her and celebrate her life by having her birthday party. Few people have influenced me as much as my Grandma. She was an amazing woman, so kind and so good. She had many spiritual gifts and she used them to bless her family and those around her. People still tell me all the time how much they miss her. She was like the Grandma for all of Covered Bridge Canyon, where she lived for many years.

When she passed away I was actually living in her house in Covered Bridge. She was living in an apartment close to her only daughter. I was scared to go home that night after I knew she had passed away. I didn't want to go home to her house where there were so many memories and momentos of her. Going home wasn't as awful as I thought it would be but I felt lost. Grandma was a spiritual giant and she was the head of our family for many years. I didn't know what we would do without her. I remember praying and asking who was going to lead our family and if we would be okay without her. Words from a hymn came into my mind.

"Fear not I am with thee oh be not dismayed, for I am thy God and will still give thee aid. I'll strengthen thee, help thee and cause thee to stand. Upheld by my righteous, upheld by my righteous, Omnipotent hand."

At first I couldn't remember what hymn it was but these words were so comforting to me. I knew that even though someone I loved so much and looked up to as a leader and guide was gone that I and my family would be ok . Grandma always put her trust in the Lord and if I did the same I would be ok. That hymn, "How Firm a Foundation" is one of my favorites and continues to comfort me 3 years later. I wanted to make sure I recorded this story and last night reminded me I hadn't done it yet.

Grandma's party always consists of hot dogs and pot luck salads, playing softball and basketball, and carriage rides. For several years, Grandma joined right in and played softball with everyone. Here are some pics from Last nights party.


In the carriage
Gordon, Ella, Keni and Jace are all on this carriage ride.
This is the last picture I think that I have of my Grandma. Here she is holding Ella (on the left) and my niece Emmy (on the right).
Ella and Hannah.

How did it go by so fast?

This is Gordon on his first day of Kindergarten. Tomorrow is his last day of school. I can't believe how much he has grown this year and how much he has learned. He has grown up a lot. It has been so fun to watch him learn to read and write. What mother can resist the first love note penned by their child's own hand? I am so proud of all he has accomplished this year and am grateful that I have been able to help him along the way. Having him in school has made me feel like I am in school again too. We've had homework and deadlines and such. I am hoping summer break will feel like it did when I was little too. Where the days are long and full of playing outside, building forts, jumping on the trampoline, swimming, running through the sprinklers, etc. Having a child is like experiencing childhood all over again and realizing what a gift it is.

Flowers 2

"Earth laughs in flowers" ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson



Some more flower pictures for my mom. She planted these flowers and I have managed not to kill them. She lives in the desert now and misses her flowers.

Flowers

"Flowers always make people better; happier; and more helpful; they are sunshine, food and medicine to the soul."
~ Luther Burbank

Make your kisses count

Pic


"I leaned over and kissed him. I tried to make it count. A person had to be diligent about kissing. Kissing was the affirmation of the union, the secret handshake that identified its members. And even knowing how important it was, it was easy to let it slide altogether, and suddenly one day you wake up and realize that it has been weeks since you really kissed your husband. Worse still were the kisses that became mere gestures of kissing, those hard pecks like the kind you got from a great aunt when you were five, kisses that weren't kisses at all but said instead, I used to kiss you and this is the symbol that now stands in its place. It was the difference between eating a great meal and looking at a picture of food in a magazine: One made you feel full and the other only reminded you that you were hungry."

-Jeanne Ray, "Step-Ball-Change"

Clouds

This is the cloud of the month from the Cloud Appreciation Society.

We did some cloud appreciation today while resting from jumping on the trampoline. I loved hearing about what shapes the kids saw in the clouds. It is a fun glimpse into their imaginations and how their little minds work.

Where do you keep shoes at your house?

Can you tell what doesn't belong in this picture?



Okay, first I will tell you a story, then I will give you a closer look. Sunday morning we were getting ready to walk out the door to go to church, but we had a little problem. We could only find one of Ella's church shoes. We searched frantically for the next several minutes but to no avail. Finally, we found her old church shoes which barely fit and don't stay on very good, and just went with those.

Fast forward to today. As I started making lunch I went to get some tomato soup and look what I found.



Ella's Shoe!!!

No wonder I feel like I am loosing my mind at times! I have a little friend (Jace) who likes to switch things up on me, just to keep my life interesting.

Dining al fresco

"The cream of enjoyment in this life is always impromptu. The chance walk; the unexpected visit; the unpremeditated journey; the unsought conversation or acquiantance."

-Fanny Fern






Yesterday, we ate our Sunday dinner outside. Keni had just brought out the outdoor dining set that he got me for Christmas. It was a beautiful day and I just couldn't resist. They kids loved it too.

My Partners in Crime

We had so much fun yesterday with our little May Day celebration. The kids made cute little Happy May Day cards (I forgot to take a pic) to go with the plates of cookies we made. We then set out to deliver them. I told the kids that we didn't want to get caught. In the old May Day tradition, if you got caught you got a kiss. I told this to Gordon and said that we didn't want to get kissed and he said, "But, I like kisses."

Anyway, doorbell ditching is kind of tricky! Especially, when you are only 6 and 3. Gordon and Ella were doing it by themselves, while Jace and I waited in the car. They got caught twice. No kisses though, just thank yous. I think Gordon was a little disappointed. At one house, while running back to the car Ella slipped on the gravel and fell down. So, I had to get out the car and run and get her. That is one of the places we got caught.

The kids were so much fun to watch. It was an adventure and they loved it. I'm already looking forward to doing it again next year. The kids will be able to hide a little better and run a little faster by then. Good doorbell ditching skills are essential to childhood mischief. We just might have to practice again, sometime soon.

Secret #12: None of you are safe.

Happy May Day!

May Day is a celebration of Spring.

One of the most popularly known May Day traditions is the giving of "May baskets", small baskets of sweets and/or flowers, usually left anonymously on neighbors' doorsteps. The trick is you don't want your neighbors to see you! If you get caught, you are supposed to get a kiss.

In medieval England, people would celebrate the start of spring by going out to the country or woods—"going a-maying"—and gathering greenery and flowers, or "bringing in the may."

On May 1st, people in Hawaii celebrate their own version of May Day; they call it Lei Day. People give Hawaiian leis to each other. They put them around each other's necks and sometimes give a traditional kiss.

I think the idea of May Day and celebrating spring is sweet. The kids and I are going to try and start our own little May Day tradition today by delivering treats to our neighbors. I wish we could deliver treats & flowers to all of you too. Happy May Day!