Spaghetti Slurpers

Chad told the kids that they couldn't be good Italians unless the knew how to slurp spaghetti.

They love to practice!

Blackberry Jam

Lest there be any doubt...

not everything I put my hand to turns out as I wished. SHOCKING, I know, but TRUE. My lovely down-the-street neighbor called me one evening with an invite I couldn't pass up: to come pick blackberries off his overloaded berry bush. With my super-abundance of blackberries I decided to make jam, which I have never done before. I consulted my trusty Ball Canning Cookbook, found a recipe for reduced sugar jam (substituting half the sugar with honey), and proceeded to crush and boil and stir for all I was worth. I was a little in doubt about how to do the test to check if my jam was set, and that was my eventual downfall. Looking back on it now, I realize the sign I missed, but at the time I thought my jam was good to go. I carefully bottled and processed my work and listened to each jar seal with a pop. Hours later when I checked the cooled jam I found that it was still soft-set. Oh the horror! It tastes good but is sadly runny. I carefully placed each jar on our downstairs pantry shelves and consoled myself with the thought that when the end of the world comes, my family will survive by eating extremely soft-set blackberry jam. ;)

Who Cries Over School?

Well, I do apparently. Why, I wondered later, was second grade the tear inducing year? I finally figured it was because this time I didn't have to put on a brave face. I smiled and encouraged at the beginning of kindergarten and again at the beginning of first grade in a new school. If Merritt had looked up and seen his mother in tears, what fear and trepidation would it have inspired in his little heart? Today, though, it was all old hat. Same school, lots of the same friends, safe and sane sameness. We walked hand in hand to the second grade door, and then he let go and it was "Hi Andrew...Hi Mara...Hi John...Goodbye Mom!" I stayed with the milling herd of parents who were watching their little-big ones and snapping pictures. After Merritt's new teacher lined up her class like so many ducklings, he once again noticed me and said in surprise, "What are you still doing here Mom?" Was a healthy dose of "I can take care of myself!" underlying that question? He marched into the school talking excitedly to his new classmates and never looked back...and I finally cried.

Families Can Be Together Forever

Pictured in back: Chad, Lori, Heidi
Front: Sonny, Carol, Jeannine

Chad's grandfather, Amedio, came over on a boat from Italy that docked at Ellis Island in 1915. He and his sister were sponsored by a friend of their father's and came out to Utah to live and work. Chad remembers his grandfather as a loyal, hard-working, wise, tough old Italian and he loved him very much. Chad was very pleased, therefore, when he was asked to act as proxy for his grandfather in a temple sealing, which extends the bonds of marriage and family beyond the veil of death. Chad's cousin Lori acted in behalf of their grandmother Hazel, and sweet cousin Heidi stood in for her mother, who passed away from cancer of the brain three years ago. Amedio and Hazel's three living children were all present.

First the parents were sealed together and then the children to them. The Spirit was incredibly strong and I was so touched by the love of family. "I always want to be with my own family," and I am grateful that the Lord makes it possible for our most precious relationships to last beyond this life. Our loving Heavenly Father and his generous son, Jesus Christ, provide that opportunity to all who want it, what a beautiful act of mercy and love! Though Amedio and Hazel did not have the opportunity for a temple sealing in this life, their children sought it on their behalf in order to link their family into the eternities. That, to me, is the love of heaven felt on earth and it is a beautiful thing.

"Much of the work that goes on within temples is concerned with the family. Basic to an understanding of its meaning is recognition of the fact that even as we existed as children of God before we were born into this world, so also shall we continue to live after death; and the treasured and satisfying relationships of mortality, the most beautiful and meaningful of which are found in the family, may continue in the world to come...Through living proxies who stand in behalf of the dead, the same ordinances are available to those who have passed from mortality. In the spirit world these same individuals are then free to accept or reject those earthly ordinances performed for them, including baptism, marriage, and the sealing of family relationships. There is no compulsion in the work of the Lord, but there must be opportunity. This vicarious work constitutes an unprecedented labor of love on the part of the living in behalf of the dead."

- President Gordon B. Hinckley

"Why These Temples?" - Liahona, June 1992

The Cheapest Water Park on the Block

I would love to take my kiddos to fun water parks or swimming pools, but seeing as we need a new roof and I need new glasses, well that pushes certain "we-wish" items to the extreme bottom of our priority list. I figure that is why God created sprinklers - it's good, cheap fun!

As soon as I turn on the sprinkler, Grant sits right down on it. That is fun for him, but not for everyone else so I have to take his hand and run with him through the sprinkler a few times so that he gets excited about doing that instead.

Every pose Merritt does is some sort of dinosaur/monster pose.

Merritt is the King of the Sprinkler People!

I LOVE Grant's face in this picture! That expression is gleeful fun with a big splash of "Gosh this water is cold!" thrown in.

Grace and Grant giggle like loons when Merritt chases them with the sprinkler.

We've spent a lot of time at the Backyard Water Park/Sprinkler Extravaganza!! I love to watch the kids play together and have fun...and I love having time to do chores in relative peace and quiet. ;)

Guess How Much I Love You?

Dear Merritt, Grace, and Grant:

Here's a little reminder for when all is not peaches and sunshine at our house, I love you so much I chased down an ice cream truck on a hot day. Do you remember? We were playing "tickle hide and seek" where I count, you hide, and when I find you I get to tickle you. I had just tickled Merritt good, my last find, when I heard the tinkling music of an ice cream truck. Ordinarily I don't have any cash on hand, but that day I had three dollars, surely enough for a treat. How surprised you all looked when I shouted, "Be right back!", bounded out the door, and raced down two streets waving my arms and hollering for the ice cream man to come to our house. You all sat on the warm rocks in our yard watching your crazy mom and wondering what in the sam-hill was going on. Bringing back the ice cream truck to you was a great moment for me, it was like I had caught a fish "thiiiisss big!" Merritt, your eyes about bugged out of your head when you realized there was a truck full of ice cream that drove around all day bringing treats to little kids. All the wonder of childhood was in your face, an ice cream truck is a magical thing. You all picked an item off the dollar menu: Grace you had an orange cream while Merritt and Grant had a vanilla ice cream bar with a crispy chocolaty shell. We sat on the swing in the back while you ate ice cream and soaked up some of summer's last goodness. I was purely happy and you were all a mess, especially Grant...remember his face? I love you all so very much, never forget okay?

Mom

Beginning to Harvest

It's funny to think back on the tiny plants that first poked their brave heads out of the soil in my garden. They are all grown up now and yielding their edible yumminess to my little family. I ventured into the garden to do round one of the corn harvest. Grace, of course, followed me. She loves the garden because she adores mud and likes being helpful and picking things (you should have seen the small pile of green tomatoes she presented me with one day). We walked the four short rows of corn and harvested 10 ears. Grace pulled the corn down with vigor and delight, and watched the earwigs scatter with disgusted interest. We marched back to the house with our armload of corn and had some for dinner the next day...it was delicious!

To the Zoo with You!

Sandra and her cute kids came for a visit, since she was needing some "family therapy." It's so nice to soak up the love and companionship of one's siblings and I greatly enjoyed her stay. We did lots of fun things while she was here, including a trip to the zoo.

Sandra, Eli and Mckenna outside the cougar's den. Eli was being shy.

Heather and little buddy Grant.


Merritt, Grace, Mckenna, and I liked watching the bear eat and play with his toys.


We caught a glimpse of the white tiger with her new cub...

oohed and ahhed over the baby giraffe...

admired the cheetah (my favorite animal!)...

and laughed at the orangutans.
(There were also adorable baby meerkats, but the picture I took didn't do them justice.)

The weather was cool and comfortable, with the sun peeking out just as we finished up.
We let the kids play in the water...
and then posed for one last photo on our way home.
Hooray for the zoo!
Chad really was there too, but was nearly always behind the camera. He thinks he'll lose his soul if I take his picture. ;)

Oh yeah, we also went to the park, fed the ducks, and made chocolate chip cookies! Mckenna was our taste tester...she likes!

Hosea 3:2

I started reading the Bible for one reason...I'd never read it all the way through and wanted to say I had done it. I don't know if that is a stellar reason for scripture reading, but it was mine. I had, of course, read the major Bible stories and was familiar with Bible history, but when I started at the beginning, somewhere around Numbers chapter 1, I ran out of steam. Too many begats I guess. To accomplish my goal, I read a chapter a night, right before bed, and started to see real progress. When I finished Numbers I gave a big "Whoop, whoop!"

I kept plugging along until I reached Isaiah and then I had a thought, "Sure I've been reading the Bible and accomplishing my goal, but what have I learned exactly?" Perseverance? Yes. Doctrine? Sometimes I gleaned a few things in my dogged march forward. Personal Spiritual Experiences? Eh, not so much. How could I still just read a chapter a night from Isaiah? You know, Isaiah, the man who prophesied the coming of Christ, who testified of His amazing life, whom Jesus himself quoted, and of whom the Savior said, "...search these things diligently; for great are the words of Isaiah" (3 Nephi 23:1). So, I started to study, and then amazing things happened, and I learned! I kept studying when I reached Jeremiah and on through Ezekiel and the amazing, fantastic Daniel, and now I'm in Hosea. Does anybody quote Hosea? I don't know that they do (I'm not finished yet though so maybe I'll come across a well known verse) but they should! Hosea is awesome!!

The book is set up as a parable where Hosea, who represents Jehovah, takes an adulteress (Israel who had gone after the worship of other gods) as a wife. Chapter 3 verse 2 states: "So I bought her to me for fifteen pieces of silver, and for an homer of barley, and an half homer of barley." "So what," you say. This is what! The amount of money represented by the silver and barley equals roughly to 30 pieces of silver, or the price of a slave. This money, or bridal present, redeems Israel. The people were in bondage to sin and iniquity, slaves, and the Lord Jesus Christ paid the purchase price to reconcile Israel to God. Or, to bring it home, He did that for me. I'm so grateful! My Bible pages up to 861 are empty...now they look like this. I can't wait to start again and really study from the beginning!

Dutch Oven Heaven

We have amazing dutch oven pros in our ward and they graciously offered lessons to anyone who wanted to learn how to cook over (and under!) coals. I love tasty dutch oven dinners and signed up right away. They let us pick the meal, I chose the classic chicken, potatoes, and upside down cake with fruit, we divvied up the ingredients and got together Monday night for the lesson.

Here's my teacher, sweet Sister Johnson. She is SO nice! She taught me how to prepare the coals, how many go on top and on bottom, and even how to stack your ovens to save space. I asked her how much some of her equipment cost and she blushed a little and confessed she didn't know. They've won most of their things at cook-offs. They placed third at the World Championships one year, so they are good...trust me!


Here are our potatoes and onions. As we were peeling and slicing Sister Johnson turned to me and asked, "Do you want bacon on your potatoes?" What kind of question is that...of course I do! So, she cooked some up and threw bacon crumbles in there too. Yummy!


Sister Johnson put thawed Rhodes rolls into the dutch oven, placed the cover on top, and set the whole she-bang into the sun to rise. Clever, huh? I snapped a picture when she lifted the lid to check on the rolls, so they are still a bake in progress here.


The chicken was soooo good. We dipped them in milk, then beaten eggs, and finally in a flour/seasoning mix. After browning the chicken in the dutch oven on a propane grill, we stacked it on top of the potatoes and let it all cook.


Everyone knows dessert should be last, but we all also know that it is the most important part of any dinner, so we cooked it first. We baked the yellow cake in the dutch oven, let it cool, and then frosted it with cream cheese/whipped cream yumminess and topped it with raspberries. Not quite the fruit upside down cake I had envisioned, but I did not complain!




Here's the crew enjoying the fruits (or chicken and potatoes) of our labor. We had corn on the cob too, but we boiled it in a big pot.




Grace didn't make it into the previous picture since she was seated at the kiddie table. She really liked her chicken! We had a wonderful time and now I need some dutch ovens!

Lagoon Day

We were able to go to Lagoon this year, although under specific circumstances. We were given some free entrance passes and coupons for a few free rides, and we also bought $20 worth of tickets that enabled the kids to ride on some of the children's rides available at the park. We had a lot of fun and I'm grateful that Merritt and Grace understand limits. They knew that when the tickets were gone, they were gone, and they didn't fuss. They also realized that they needed to carefully select what they wanted to do, since every ride wasn't available to them. Yea for my kids!



Here we are on the carousel. Can I measure my age by the fact that riding around in a fast circle now makes me nauseated?





Merritt was very excited about this ride! Look at that face!






We had fun on the train ride, Merritt liked seeing the tiger, Grace liked everything (Look, camels! Look, deer! Look, llamas!) Grant liked the birds and going through the tunnel.




Chad was very patient while Grace jumped up and down in excitement and squealed in his ear.







You know Grace is having a good day when she gets to ride in the pink boat.




Normally we wouldn't EVER buy any food at Lagoon, $3.25 for a single scoop ice cream cone...who are you kidding? We had five coupons though for ice cream at $1.50, so we splurged on that. It was a hot day and the ice cream melted quickly, making for very messy children. When they were finished, we sent them all to the splash pad to play, or so they thought, it was really to wash up. It worked wonderfully well, they came out sopping wet but clean...and they had a great time in the water. :)