Celebrate 28 Years

    Maryn came home for the weekend because we needed to celebrate a very special occasion: her 28th birthday!! We made it a birthday weekend celebration.

Saturday Kelly and I went with the youth to the Gila Valley Temple, while Maryn worked on some homework and caught up on some sleep. When we got home I took her shopping for some new jeans and then we met up with the rest of the family for a dinner out at Texas Roadhouse.

Sunday she requested lasagna for dinner so we invited the Snells and the Murdocks to come and eat with us. We celebrated Grace’s birthday as well, since we had missed her big day. We figured out a way to make a “Belle” cupcake “cake” for the two princesses. Maryn had fun sharing her day with Grace.We bought Grace a camera and she was really excited about it. 

Monday, before Maryn left in time to make it back to Phoenix for work, we hit a pinata! It was a beautiful morning and although it was so early, nobody had a hard time getting up…imagine that.

More Spring Flowers

I think I have this title in every blog book….

I love these delicate flowers.

Kassie’s Wedding

Ellie and Hunter have an older sister and an older brother. Today their older sister Kassie got married. The wedding has been in the planning for several months now with dress fittings and rehearsals, excitement building and building for the big day. Family dynamics are…interesting, and we are a part of unusual circumstances, so Kelly and I were “invited” to go. First, officially by the judge and then cordially by Kassie. Let’s just say not all family members are on the best of terms, nor or all family members supposed to be unsupervised so Kelly and I had a job to do. I was pretty nervous about the whole thing, but it went well. Better than I expected. Like I said, family dynamics are…interesting.

I don’t go to many weddings, but I never go to a traditional wedding, without feeling the stark contrast between married for time and married for all eternity.

It was a nice ceremony, although the preacher they chose was a little hippi-ish. And their was definitely a feeling of love and family as we celebrated the couple. Yet there was still something lacking, that is not what our Father in  Heaven wants for us. I left there with the feeling that I need to help Ellie and Hunter see that for their own family. It isn’t enough for them to work at being reunited through the court system, they need to work at becoming an eternal family. The work they are doing now, is a waste if they don’t.

Ellie was a beautiful bridesmaid. She looked very grown up. Hunter took his ushering duties quite seriously and looked so “GQ”. We enjoyed our time getting to know the extended family better, especially Rocky and Kassie’s two little boys. We stayed for several hours letting the family have a good time. When the time came, home was a welcome sight.  

 

 

 

    

Goofiness

One thing about foster kids…you don’t know where they come up with the stuff they do. And you can honestly laugh about it because it honest to goodness has NOTHING to do with you! The other night, Ellie and Hunter put garbage bags on. Yes, like wrestling outfits. They told us about how they used to do this, when they were “little”. I imagine they fit better, way back then, but it was good for a laugh anyway.

Ellie’s Curls

Tonight is Kassie’s wedding rehearsal dinner. To make this special event even more special, Kelsey curled Ellie’s hair! It looks so cute.

Don’t let the thumb’s down fool you. She loves it…not for everyday…but she loves it!

Conference Watching

I look forward to conference as soon as it is over! I am always uplifted. For a brief period of time, I think I feel as they did in King Benjamin’s time, when they were so converted, so filled with joy that they had no more disposition to do evil.

This year I had the same feelings, although I had to work a little harder for it because we had a houseful! Maryn came home, Ellie and Hunter of course and we had Maddi here as well. It was great! 

Hunter Fun

Hunter is such a good sport. He has a great sense of humor. He lets me take pictures of him. It is a match made in heaven.

Here he is on the rings and it looks like he was hanging from a parachute. The next two demonstrate his patience. I had him splashing in a puddle while I played with aperture settings on my camera—getting blurry motion and crisp motion.

Transfer

Sister Barrett is leaving….sad day. I wish it was an April Fools Joke!

I was hoping she could finish her mission here, but the Lord wanted her to go to St David. I will be forever grateful to these two young women and their visits the last 3 months. Their official reason for coming is to teach Ellie and Hunter, but they really come to bring me tender mercies from the Lord. Sometimes the kids are not here and we get to visit. They have been a listening ear and a comforting place to share my insecurities and fears. They never leave before they share a message, which has always left me edified. I am always uplifted even if it is just a few minutes that we spend together. They have blessed my life because of the special witnesses they are.