Sun Protection...

I asked Asher what he was doing when I saw him squirting spray butter on himself, his response was, "Putting on sunscreen."  In his four-year-old brain, I guess anything that is greasy and comes from a spray bottle is considered sunscreen.  I wonder if he'll smell like a nice batch of just popped popcorn when he gets out in the sun and warms up.

Family History Pageant, Season 1...

Since retiring, Mom has become the family historian extraordinaire.  We are the beneficiaries of her investing a tremendous amount of time figuring out who the people are that we descended from and their life stories.  We couldn't be luckier, these stories are amazing and I love hearing them all.  In an effort to connect us all with our ancestors, Mom scheduled our first Family History Pageant for the Manti Cemetery in May.    Each of the children and their spouses was assigned a person to present who was buried there in Manti at the Pageant. We especially wanted to teach the grandchildren these stories and help them to recognize the great heritage they have and hope it will strengthen them in their individual lives and circumstances, especially as they grow older.

Terah as Venona Gleason

Jeremy as Earl Gleason

Grandma Fotheringham as Thomasine Caroline Peterson.
She, along with her 5 babies, are buried here.

Grandpa Fotheringham as Soren Peter Peterson

The kids having a chance to throw pancakes, like some of
their ancestors did on a long wagon ride.

Grandpa shows the children where Soren Peter
was accidently locked out of the temple during
a storm when he was outside on one of the towers.

Emily as Annie Madsen

Scott as Andrew Madsen

Now these headstones will hopefully represent real people
with real life stories to the children.

What an awesome experience for all!  Next year, Springville!

Scott Hamilton- is that you?

Asher and Eli went ice skating at the Peaks Arena and LOVED it!  Having the walker-type devices made all the difference.  A man who was there ice skating asked me if Asher had skated before and when I told him that it was his first time, he said, "That boy is a natural!"  I don't know that he's so much of a natural as completely fearless.  On the way home Asher asked me if we could go skating every day...

Eli had his hair colored red for Crazy Hair Day at school.

Grocery Store Excitment...

Who knew the grocery store could be so exciting?!?! I accompanied Asher's preschool class to the local store and gained a new whole appreciation.

 I'm not sure what happened with the color on this one.... I'll blame it on the kids.

 Ice cream all around.

 The bakery lady was amazing making the cookies look like basketballs.

The highlight of the trip was being back in the cooler and spying on the shoppers from behind the yogurt.

Eli Sans Tonsils...

Papa bear has left the house!  Eli, our resident snorer, is now tonsil-free and sleeping so quietly I have to watch his chest to make sure he's actually breathing when I check on him at night.  I knew that Eli was a snorer, but didn't realize just how bad it was until we had to share a hotel room with him while on our Disneyland trip.  That boy was rattling the windows!  When I took him to see Dr. Denys, the same doctor who removed Oakley's tonsils, he told me they rate the size of the tonsils from 1 to 4.  He took a peek in Eli's throat and said, "Those are definitely 4's!"

The day before his surgery, the hospital has a program that allows the kids to come in and learn about what is going to happen when they are there for their procedure.  It was wonderful!  She showed Eli the different rooms he would be in and what would be happening each step of the way.  Scott and I both learned a lot, too, and I think it helped Eli feel a lot better knowing what would be happening.

Some wonderful volunteers make each child who comes in for surgery a blanket and pillowcase that they get to take home.  They also make them a "buddy" doll that is dressed in a hospital gown and gets to go with them into surgery.  Bless you, you outstanding volunteers for all you do to help make a scary day and bit easier for these kids.

We're glad all went well with Eli's tonsillectomy and he had a reasonable recovery.  As the nurses were wheeling him away into surgery and I was feeling so emotional, I had a great admiration for those parents of chronically ill children who must endure surgery after surgery.  It was a time for me to offer thanks for the health our family possess and a gratitude that I was not the mother of child in need of continual medical treatment.

We won't miss you, tonsils.  So long!

I Scream, You Scream...

While enjoying an ice cream creation at Maggie Moos the other day, clear as if she were in the very room, I heard Grandma Gleason say, "I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream."  I remember her repeating that saying often,but not really eating ice cream on a regular basis.  I'm not sure why she was saying it, but she was and it's a very vivid auditory memory for me.

I wonder what Grandma Gleason would think of Asher's choice of cotton candy ice cream with gummy bears mixed in?  I'm sure she wouldn't think a human could consume such a concoction and live to tell about it...

The First Popsicle on the Porch Swing...

A sure sign winter is heading out and spring is finally on it's way...

Harley Turns Two...

Eli loves a celebration in any way, shape, or form.  He has been insisting we have a birthday party for Harley and celebrate his second birthday.  We know he was born in March, but didn't know the exact day.  We decided the 6th sounded like a good day, so we got the party started!  Now if it weren't for Eli, there would be no celebrating of a dogs birthday in this household.  But Eli just knew the importance of Harley having a birthday party.

Oakley mixing up the ingredients for the dog cake.

The finished product, complete with dog-bone shaped sprinkles.

Each of the boys gave Harley a new toy- Harley does LOVE his toys.

Resident Chef...

Eli has been taking a cooking class and is always excited to share his creations with his family.  He was thrilled when I told him he was in charge of dinner and could make it all himself.  Hopefully the love of cooking will continue because I would love the help!

Herbavore...

Asher asked, while looking at my dinner, "Mom, why are you eating leaves?"