Heavenly Father loves me.
He wants me to be happy.
I can pray and he will help me.
If I follow Jesus and choose the right,
I can live with Heavenly Father again.




This month Mason gave his first talk in Primary. He was so excited. I was a bit worried because he has had a hard adjustment transitioning from Nursery to Primary. I was not sure if he would back out once he got up there. He kept asking me "is it time to give my talk?" Then he would start to recite it. He did a fabulous job. Growing up I remember my mom would give me chocolate chip cookies after I gave a talk. I let Mason decide what he wanted and he chose doughnuts.

A popcorn ball that would smell so sweet

Stephen's sister Roxanne sent the kids this cute pail from the Popcorn Factory. The kids go crazy over packages. It does not take long to learn to love presents. Growing up holiday's and birthdays seemed to last for a month. It is no different now. We love getting thoughtful surprises in the mail. It is always an adventure when Aunt Roxanne and Grammy send boxes.

As a parent it is my job to teach my children morals and manners. After all I want to enjoy being around my kids and I hope others will enjoy being around them. It is a little difficult with the excitement of Santa Clause and the Easter bunny. Is there a way to separate the secular from the real meaning of why we celebrate Easter? Can a child really comprehend Jesus Christ died but he is still alive? I would choose the Easter bunny to. It makes sense...to me anyway. My kids know who Jesus is. Mason surprises me with his knowledge of the Savior. So why not just have a Spring Bunny come visit the week before and hide eggs like at my friends house. The kids are already getting prizes from their grandparents and other relatives and friends.

My everyday life is already hectic with the normal things that need to be done. Every time a holiday comes around I literally go insane. I doubt it is supposed to be that way. Aren't holidays supposed to be filled with glee?
Last Easter the Easter Bunny forgot to hide the eggs and put out the baskets. In the morning Stephen distracted the kids long enough for me to run out in the backyard and throw some eggs around on the ground and put the easter baskets on the front porch. This year I remembered Saturday morning that I needed to take the frozen ham out of the freezer because Easter was the next day and I was cooking dinner for relatives. It all seems so rushed. The point lost.

Kids are children only for a short while. Why not let them enjoy the fantasy of childhood. I have fond memories of hunting for Easter eggs. Actually that is the only thing I remember about Easter. The world is gray enough. There are many ways we can teach our children about why we celebrate Easter. Last year I cut out pictures of Christ and put them in some of their plastic eggs. This year the whole week before Easter, for family scripture study, we focus on Jesus Christ life and how we can be happy by following his example. I am hopeful that one day my kids will come to understand the many wonderful things Christ has done for all of us. I have.

The Three Loverlies

Mason just turned four in February. He is such a little socialite. He loves friends and has a knack for making the loneliest person feel loved and accepted. Mason enjoys dancing (he has quite the moves), singing, running, biking, parties, presents, taking pictures and his passion…cars. Oh, Police Cars!


Everett is six months now. It is hard to believe not only because he weighs 20 pounds and is 28 inches long, but the time has passed by so quickly. Everett is so sweet and peaceful. He has had fluid in his ear since December accompanied by several ear infections. And his first tooth came in this week.


Adelin is our resident Opera singer in training. She is barley two years old and has the lung capacity of Maria Callas. She loves food, art, taking baths and animals. She enjoys exploring the elements such as water and dirt and anything else she can squish in her hands and roll around in. Sometimes that requires getting messy…real messy…the messier the better! And she loves her "Forggie" boots.

Getting Creative

I wonder what my grandparents must have thought when the technology age took over. I am a sentimental person throughout. I love to dabble in the past imagining what life must have been like when women wore elegant hats and hairdos or men with their fancy suits. Lovers corresponded by mail through letters to express their intentions. You knew your neighbors and people stayed put for 30-40 years in the same city at the same job. Of course it is easy for me to say how simple life must have been. I never had to live through it. Honestly, I would not want to.

I love technology. I love that my cell phone has a calendar to keep me on task and is so small that it fits in my pocket. I love that I can go online and look up anything and find the answers instantly all while sitting in the comfort of my home. I admit I have succumb to using the email rather than the phone. The worst offense of all is using the email to send thank yous because I kept forgetting to mail the card. Now I am blogging. Am I a follower because everyone else is doing it. Heck, even my mom has a blog. I could use the excuse my family lives thousands of miles away as does Stephen's. This is the best way to share our life with them. I think it is personal. I need a creative outlet. I do not have the time to scrapbook? I started a book for Mason and got to month three. Now I have three loverlies. I type faster than I write. I am usually on the computer at least once a day. There is no mess to clean up either. I like simplicity. Hooray for technology. I will keep working on the cards and phone calls.