Visitors

We were so excited this month to see Aunt Camille and her son J Dude (name altered for this blog.) They came for a visit after having said goodbye to their Dad/Husband Jared who is now serving in Afghanistan. The kids couldn't get enough of J Dude. He was the center of attention every second he was here and you can see why by just looking at his cute smile.

Camille, my husband and I had a great time hanging out and chatting every night after the kids were in bed. They stayed for a week and at the end of it we were sad to see them go. Thanks for the visit guys!

Easter

Easter was a lot of fun this year. On Saturday night the kids made rice crispy eggs dipped in chocolate and sprinkles with their Aunt Camille. It was finger lickin' fun. The next morning was like no other Easter we have ever had. Mr. M requested a much harder hunt and so the eggs were all over the house in very difficult places. It took them the good part of an hour to find every egg. Lady K wanted the baskets to be like they are at the store so the Easter Bunny, to save money and still make a little girl happy, got some clear wrap and some inexpensive toys and made "cool" baskets. They had a lot of fun with all that.

In the evening we went over to the Jorgensen's for dinner and another hunt. Their hunt was a lot of fun because it was outside. The eggs had candy and money which made the kids sooo excited. The dinner was fantastic too, ham, salads and rolls. It was a great evening.

Done With the Derbies...For Now

April 1st was the yearly pinewood derby for our oldest. He loves the event and this was his last time that he will be a participant. It was not a sad day for Dad and me, however, because we are the worst parents when it comes to helping our boys make pinewood derby cars. Some boys show up with sleek, well sanded cars that have at least five coats of paint and lacquer and are weighted in all the right places. Our son used poster paint and batteries for weights. In the end he was about middle of the pack, not so bad for a mostly boy made car.

Pinewood derbies are fun for the most part but in the end there always seems to be one boy in tears and I leave wondering, was that all worth it? That boy just had a really bad night. Hmmm, something to ponder about.

Annie- A Story From My Life

The morning of my first day of school as sixth grader I remember my mother giving my siblings and me a challenge. She challenged us to find someone new at school and make them feel welcome and happy. Wanting to take on this challenge, I went to school looking for a new person. I found a girl sitting outside my classroom. I introduced myself and learned that her name was Annie.

Annie was a tall girl like me, maybe even taller, and had very curly short brown hair. She was plain and wore clean clothes but they were not what I would have called in style. When we went into the classroom she chose a seat by me. I remember feeling glad that I had made her feel good but then I started worrying that my new friend might cramp my style with my "popular" friends. I, unfortunately, didn't make many more efforts to be her friend.

Later in the year I was with my group of friends and they were making fun of Annie. Although I wasn't an active participant, I wasn't defending her either. I was worried about what my friends would think if I stood up for her. I did nothing. When my teacher saw Annie crying she approached me, not the others but me. What she said to me that day changed my life forever. She said that she was shocked that I would have allowed something like that to happen. She said that she might expect that type of behavior from the other girls but not from me because I was different from them.

My teacher was right. I was different. I had the Holy Ghost with me and I had been taught at church and by my parents to treat others with kindness, no matter how they look or act. I apologized to Annie and made a personal vow to myself to always be inclusive and kind. I ended up finding another group of friends the next year that were all Mormon like me. Whenever I had a party I would invite everyone in our Sunday School class, active or not. Whenever there was a movie to go to or a dance to attend I tried my best to get everyone involved. I hope to always be an inclusive person and to treat others with kindness, for that is what Christ would have us do.

I'm Published...Again

I just finished my second publication ever. My first publication was my intense Honors Thesis. It brought me honor and fame. Really, check this out. Because of my thesis I got to be a co-author in an article for an academic journal. I'm telling you, I am famous.

The second publication only made me famous at home. It is not so academic and has fun pictures so it is picked up a lot more at our house. Dad even wanted to buy a coffee table so we would have some place to display it. It is a book of the first year and a half of adVANCEments posts. I am so excited about it. It was so easy to make. I just typed my blog address into a book making site, chose a cover and paid my $35. Really, it was that easy. Ideally I will publish one of these every year and have a fantastic family history collection some day. I love blogs!!

Spring Break

We had a super fun Spring Break week. Here is a day by day account:

Monday we stayed at home. Dad did some prep for work and the kids did crafts. This picture is of Little L with some roses and a vase she made out of rose shaped pine cones, pipe cleaners and paper. It was all her idea, creative girl!!

Tuesday Dad and Mr. M went on a hike with the boy scouts near Tokatee falls. They got to see and hear underground waterfalls. Incredible!! It was a five mile hike, satisfying a Webelos requirement. They had a great time together.

That night we had the Davises and their five

kids over for dinner (they are friends of ours from Wymount days.)

Wednesday we went to a park with the Michaels and our home teacher, Bro. Burnham, and his girls. It was a beautiful day and we played with the kids for hours in the sun.

Thursday it rained and so we just hung out at home and goofed around.

Friday our friends the Humphreys (also from our Wymount days) and their five kids came to stay with us for two days. We had a great time getting caught up with them and our kids hit it off with all of theirs.

Saturday we went to some Falls for a hike. This picture is our kids and the Humphrey kids sitting by age. Mine are every other one...funny how it worked out. Later that day we took the canoe out on the river. The weather was so nice and the kids had a ton of fun paddling up the river.

Sunday we just relaxed and I took a looooong nap.

Three Down, Three to Go

I finished painting the boys room last week. It is the same tan color as the living room. It was nice to have the boys' room freshened up and smelling like paint and not other unpleasant odors :) I am half way there on my painting projects. Next is my room, then the kitchen and the downstairs. The bathrooms will have to wait for another year. They all have wallpaper and that is a bear I am not ready to tackle quite yet.