Marching in Memorial Day Parade

We were up at at 'em early this memorial day morning. Emmy needed to be dressed  and ready for a Town parade. Her marching band were to perform in the parade. I decided to grab a camping chair and go and watch Emmy. It was a lovely day out and being on the parade route was a prime spot for people watching.There was a heated exchange between to guys near me, I feared they were get into it. I sat near a Veteran from the U.S. Navy. It was heartwarming see how many people stopped and Thanked him for his service. He was an orphan and when he came of  age he enlisted. 28 years of service and you could see his decorated hat and jacket. He saw my DSLR camera and apparently was a photographer so he had a lot of tips for me. Another lady I sat next to gave me a diet Pepsi which I saved for Bri. She was appalled all they had was diet when they offered a free soda with her hot dog meal. My pink camping chair was old and had been left out in the weather,so when it began to rip and eventually fell apart I wasn't surprised. Although I was a little embarrassed when I fell through. I sat near strangers, yet they were cheering for Emmy by the end since I told them about her before they passed.

Emmy's band uniform was way too big so they had to use a lot of safety pins to try to make it fitted. She joked that they were star trek outfits. They did look spacey, but not so much with the black plume on their head when they performed. They did a great job and I'm glad I went and saw her. I was in a parade when I was Emmy's age. I was in drill team. I like it when I feel like Emmy is having experiences that I have had before, at least similar ones.

Emmy is the second person behind the I in the Titan band.~

Gathering at my Home

I love Book Group. We had it at my house last night. I made a dessert from our Davis cookbook blog. It was a cobbler of sorts with blueberry filling and pecans. Joseph saw me preparing and kept saying, what's the big deal about Book Group. After last night, I know. These ladies inspire me. I love to talk about various ideas, we don't always agree and we do not just talk about the book!  We do have a rule, what we say in book club, stays in book club.~

These book group ladies have experience and profound ideas, and great views on life.  Some are older than me and I love their examples. I was particularly impressed how we could talk about the hard times in life with such positivity and gratefulness.  I look forward each month to discussing life and art in literature. I've been in the book group over 2 years and this was my first time hosting. We never heard a beep from Spencer( he went to sleep early). I knew having a little more space would make it easy to host at my home. Joseph came out after we were finished(past ten thirty pm) and ate some dessert with me. He said we were loud and I reminisced on the fun we had. I'm pleased to have read The Great Gatsby and many other good books this year. I'm glad I make time for this because it enhances my perspective and life!:)

Solar Eclipse 2012

 During the Eclipse we looked for bugs, and played "Kang Man" with chalk. Emmy didn't think it was fair Celia was using made up words.~

We knew it was coming, we waited in the heat, then it was cool. I took pictures and it just seem to be darker, cooler, but we couldn't see with plain sight the solar eclipse. Bri made us an eclipse viewer out of a cardboard box, aluminum foil, white paper, and tape. We could see the crescent on the paper and know how eclipse the sun was. It was interesting and fun!

Newness News

The new ward we are meeting at is nice. I can feel the spirit strongly there, but everything is new. I love how the gospel is the same no matter where you travel.  It does feel a little bit like being on vacation, in a new house, except there is a lot to organize and keep straight.  I'm glad for the phone calls and friendly faces I've seen around.  Change can be stressful even if it is a great change!  Some thing are the same.~We still have our tutors come over for the kiddos and we still have had Young come for respite. Bri and I had a lovely dinner at a restaurant called Mongolian Bliss. It's so fun to pick what will be cooked in delicious sauces, veggies, and meat combination. I loved the their coconut soup as an appetizer and the sweet vanilla soft serve cone for dessert. Brian and I walked around and saw a wetland reserve just right there in town and saw a beautiful sunset.  Celia, Joseph and I rode our bike a little in the front yard. We are slowly making our memories together here.

As I go to clean the other house, it is empty. Filled with memories, but somehow hollow without the hustle and bustle of my family in it, with our things. Home really is where your heart is. We are adjusting fairly well, even Spencer doodle. I love that there is room to fully extend your arms in the hall of our new house. I love the curves and color of the concrete and the landscaping in the backyard. I love that I have a tub I don't have to share with the kiddos, and I love that I enjoy keeping up the beauty and cleanliness of this new home. 

There are a lot of end of the year activities for the kids in their school and they are enjoying that quite a bit. I do a lot of driving and things are a bit farther away. I am looking forward to having things more in "walking distance" as Emmy likes to talk about. So far there is only a CVS store nearby, but soon we will be going to the park and the kid's schools in walking distance.  We have a new spot for family prayer and scripture study. I hope we can teach our children well and they can learn a lot in this new and great situation.~

Beautiful Sunday

Happy Mother's Day. There has been a lot of excitement over here. The Landscaping is finished. Joseph got a new suit, and we are going to our new ward today! It is a beautiful sunny Sunday and we are loving and thinking of our friends and family. I know mothering is important. I'm grateful my Mom helped me to learn the gospel and nurtured us very well. I love all the mothers in my life. Rah Rah came over yesterday and we enjoyed having her visit. The Grandma May's strawberries that she brought are the best! They were a big hit! I'm going to make strawberry Banana smoothies for breakfast!

It is great to build memories together that is why we try and make an effort to visit my sister, Mom and Dad a few times a year. We make sure to pass by Dawn's, Nanni's, and Grandma' Jean's whenever we are close to Salt Lake and New Mexico. I admire the service and love these wonderful ladies give to their children and spouses.

Yard Duty~

What does a mother like? A yard to let her kids run around in is my answer.:) I'm getting excited as the backyard landscaping is getting closer to being finished. I peek out the window as the bark and topsoil were dropped off. I try to count the numberless waves of wheelbarrow trips, but there are too many.  The yard is coming together quite nicely. Emmy and I even made a twilight hour trip to the old house to commandeer some transplants. We really did seem to bring everything. In a week we can walk on the grass and mow it in two. I feel blessed to be here and am find out home is where your heart is or in my can our family. well and all our stuff.;)

Running With a Cause

We are going to miss Antelope Meadows. It has been a great school hey have soo many activities and the teachers are great. Yesterday was the jog a thon fundraiser for the PTA. Each kiddo is sponsored then they run as many laps as they can in 12 minutes. I was glad I able to stay and see Celia run. They set it to music and some parent tallied laps and other took photos. I encouraged Celia on the path. My heart ached when I saw her fall on the second lap, but she got up and ran alongside her teacher quite a bit. She barely walked and finished the race with a sprint.  I love being a mom. Too bad I didn't get to see Joseph run his was earlier in the morning.

Making Paths~

After getting the kids all settled in their rooms, we thought it was important to get grass in our yard. We don't want dirt being dragged in our new home all summer! So we started with a patio and a pathway around the house. Now the kids can take the trash out through the backyard and Celia can have a little path to ride her bike.:) Its going to be a colored textured sandstone and nutmeg finish, and its all very exciting!