Mother/Daughter Memories

Shelby had an activity day Mother/Daughter dinner last night. They had taught all the girls about good manners, and how to behave at a fancy dinner. We were assigned a table with 3 other girls and their moms.

We were put in charge of decorating our table, so I started thinking like my mom, and pulled together a bunch of stuff we had around the house and turned it into a cute centerpiece, complete with flowers and cute pictures of each of the girls. Then, one of the other moms brought all the dishes, goblets, and silverware.

Shelby’s BFF, Sydney was at our table, which Shelby LOVED!

I think Shelby had a really good time, and so did I. Thanks for inviting me to spend the evening with you. I’ll never forget our “girly time”.

Signs of life…

Our little gardens are sprouting! Within just a few days we saw a few seeds sprouting. Now, 4 weeks after planting, we have a TON of cute little plants. It’s been so fun to go out every day and check on our little gardens. The kids love hunting for the newest little sprouts.

This week we were finally able to see the “fruits of our labors”. Our strawberries are coming up strong and sweet!

The first one we got (that the stupid dog didn’t bite into) we decided to split 6 ways. This was the 1st thing we’d eat out of our garden and we ALL wanted to enjoy it together. It was REALLY sweet and WAY better than store bought strawberries! We’ve had about 5 more since then, and have about 35ish more that will be ripe soon. Yummy! Here are the six little pieces & the excited kids who were about to eat them…

The rest of the garden is doing really well, too. Here are our tomatoes. Some of them are cherry tomatoes, and should be ready before too long. The others are “Better Boys”, and shouldn’t be ready for a little while longer. (Hamburgers are on the menu for the day they are ripe!)

The herbs, jalapenos, and onions are growing like weeds. We’ll use them in homemade salsa when they’re ready. Mmmmmm…

The rest of the veggies are growing beautifully. I had to thin the carrots this week, and it about broke my heart to pull out little carrot plants that were growing so well. :(

Our corn seems to be growing really well, too. We’ve planted two more rows since the originals. Hopefully, we’ll get some good ones.

 

We’re pretty pleased with ourselves, but we’ll see if our little plants actually produce… Keep you posted when the fruits and veggies start rolling in.

Piano Recital 2010

Last night was Chandler and Shelby's first piano recital. It was at Lori Emig's house on their "fancy" piano (baby grand…jealous!). That was really fun for the kids. They both did such a great job. They practiced SO hard. In fact, as we left the recital Chandler said, "That was a lot of work, but it was worth it!" So cute!

Shelby struggled with feeling prepared, but when she got up to perform, she played it the very best she's ever played it. Her sweet school teacher even came and brought flowers for her. She felt so special, and that's exactly what she needed.

Chandler actually "ralphed" at school today, and spent the rest of the day in bed. I was worried as he practiced this afternoon because he was having trouble keeping his focus, because his tummy wasn't feeling good. But, when he got up there he acted like a pro, even when he made a little mistake.

They did AWESOME! We're SO proud!

Well done, Chan!

Today Chandler gave his first sacrament meeting talk. He was supposed to talk about our ward activity last Saturday. For the activity, we went to the Mesa temple and did maintenance on the grounds. At the end of the activity, the children were encouraged to go up and touch the temple. We took all the kids up to the temple, and they could feel the spirit that was there.

Chandler was particularly moved by the experience, asking when he’d be able to go inside. After the bishopric heard about his experience, they asked if he’d be willing to share it in sacrament meeting. So Chandler prepared this week, and spoke today. It was awesome! I could tell he was nervous, but his nerves were calmed a little after he was able to get ahold of Grammy and Papa in the Congo to practice for them. He really spoke from the heart and did a GREAT job!

At the end he bore his testimony. It was so wonderful to hear his pure, innocent testimony. I know this is just the beginning of his personal spiritual journey. After his experience at the temple, Eric challenged Chandler to read the Book of Mormon by himself before he turns twelve and is made a Deacon. It has been so cool to watch him study and pray at night. What an obedient boy! At this rate he’ll finish long before his 12th birthday.

We’re very proud of you, Chandler!

Happy Easter 2010!

Here are some fun pictures of the kids decorating their Easter eggs…

Chandler with the “Easter Pig”,  a long standing family tradition of placing one egg into each color to see how it turns out…

Shelby with her “Humpty-Dumpty” egg…

Harley with her favorite heart egg. (Almost all of hers had hearts on them.)…

Tatum with her Charlie Brown egg…

The Easter “Bucket Heads”, the GREATEST air band, EVER!!!

Waiting for Mom & Dad to see if the Easter Bunny actually came…

Harley & Tatum got really cute aprons in their baskets (via Aunt Heidi)…

Shelby got a jump rope and a $5 bill…

Chandler got a nerf missile and a $5 bill…

Then, we had an Easter egg hunt…

Later, we went to Aunt Shanny & Uncle Monti’s house for an egg hunt. Chandler helped Tatum find eggs. He’s such a great big brother!

 

The girls really enjoyed looking for eggs…

After the egg hunt, they had a water balloon fight. Even Eric got in on the water fun…

This weekend was also General Conference weekend. It was an AMAZING conference. There were so many talks on the family, and the importance of teaching our kids about the gospel of Jesus Christ. I am so grateful for my family and the opportunities we have to spend time together, strengthening our family. They’re the GREATEST!!!

HAPPY EASTER ALL!