I can't wait until I'm 8!

The day finally came for Hannah to be baptised on Saturday the 11th. She has been looking forward to this day for the past 6 months or so. We love her so much and are very proud of her for making the decision to become a member of the church.Being our first child, Hannah has always had to deal with our fumbling attempts to get it right. There were a few important things that we forgot to bring to the baptism. Thankfully Vera drove back to our home and rummaged around for some towels. Also, we were positive that we brought an extra shirt for John to wear after the baptism, and have no idea how it ended up spending the whole morning lying peacefully on our bed.

Happily these aren't the only memories that we will have of Hannah's baptism day. I will always remember the sweet sentimental feelings of seeing her in the water in the arms of her dad getting ready to go down into the water. I will remember unexpectedly feeling the strong desire to be with Hannah, her dad, brother and sisters forever. I will remember helping her change before her confirmation, and explaining again what it means to receive the Holy Ghost. I will remember the hope that she would always seek after and recognize the witnesses of the Holy Ghost throughout her life, and most of all that she would be happy.

We are so happy for you Hannah, we love you!

*you'd never know just by looking, but John has a soaking wet arm around me in this picture.

My Last Duty

On Wednesday the 13th I performed my last duty as enrichment leader--I made sprouts. I sprouted some wheat, lentils and garbanzo beans. The lentils turned out the best, they taste almost like fresh peas out of the garden. It was a very informative activity which our very knowledgeable preparedness person headed up. I have been taught so much these past 2 1/2 years about communication and love and utilizing the talents of others and I am grateful for that opportunity. I have not officially been released, but the next activity under my jurisdiction would be June 17th and we are planning on being moved my then. Happily, the people who are buying our house are letting us rent it until we close on our next house. We don't have to be homeless during the closing process, in return we have decided to thank them by tidying the yard. This is something that we really should have been doing all along, but we were hoping to be moved by the time the weeds started getting out of hand--no such luck--well, onto the next duty.

Just another Sunday

Sundays at our house can be kind of hectic, but there is something special about this day that always nudges the gratitude section of my heart. The past two weeks I have taken a few pictures of what I love about this day.



After church John always makes waffles, this is a tradition that we started when Maddie was born. She always needed so much attention after church, and I was always so tired that John took it upon himself to make our Sunday dinners. The waffle recipe that we have is really easy (thanks Julie and Mark) and John has them down to an art, they are delicious served with our homemade buttermilk syrup (thanks Marilyn). We have made a renewed effort to use more whole wheat in our diets so grinding wheat is now the highlight of Sunday dinner preparation, and everybody has to be involved whether we want them to be or not. Thanks John for your patience and all of your hard work, and also for your going the extra mile and grinding enough wheat for my bread. (I don't know why Hannah is wearing my coat in this picture, she can be a little clown sometimes.)

I love to hear about the what our kids learn in primary, and I love to look at the things they make, it always makes me happy. Last week Hannah brought home a note for me, I still don't know how it tied into her lesson, but it made me smile.

(I didn't know if I should be worried about this, but I chose to just enjoy the moment.)

Awww shucks, love you too Hannah! ;)

The Draper Temple Openhouse

Yesterday we went to the Draper Temple open house, what a beautiful temple! It was such a wonderful experience to show our children the inside of a temple, and we were surprised at how well behaved they were while we were there (though we can't say so much for the ride home.) Even though it is not dedicated yet, I think that they were able to feel the peace and spirit that comes from being inside the temple. As I was showing Johnny the mirrors in the sealing room and how you can see forever, the thought hit me of what a blessing it is to be a part of an eternal family. I am so thankful for the blessings of the temple and for how it brings perspective to our lives. I hope that our children see what a wonderful place it is, and want to return when they are older to partake in the blessings that can only be found there.

We asked Hannah and Johnny what their favorite parts of the temple were.

Hannah said that she loved the chandelier in the celestial room and Johnny said that he liked the mirrors best. I thought that the hand painted landscape murals in the ordinance rooms were amazing. It was funny as we were going through them, Hannah asked if Bob Ross painted them. (He is the frizzy haired guy who paints on T.V.) Who knows, he could have.