Surf and Turf

We have had busy things happening in the water and on land these days!

We are getting so excited around here! My parents arrive from Salt Lake City on Wednesday afternoon,   then Del parents come in on Friday! We are gathering for Will's baptism next weekend, but we get to add a few perks by having grandparents here for a dance recital and Georgia's birthday!

We have had a busy week with kid's activities. I had been planning on having Wally and Will try out the Dolphin Swim Team here in town. Tryouts were on Tuesday and Wednesday. So I loaded the boys up and drove them to the orientation, and while we were sitting there, I started to wonder why I had not gotten Georgia ready and had her try it too! She is becoming a good little swimmer, and swim team would only help her skills improve quickly.

I called Del and asked him if he thought it was a good idea to throw a suite on her and have him drive her over. Georgia was over the moon with the idea of trying out. So we did it!

All three of the kids ended up making the team. I don't know if that is because you can get on the team if you do anything short of drown, or if they really impressed them. Oh well. We will show up for practice three times a week, and see how things work out.

Wally did struggle a bit with the try out. I knew that he would probably try to pull something, because he had been complaining that he wanted to stay home and watch t.v. (P.S. that is not the strategy to get out of anything with your Mom. Pretty felt the opposite of sympathetic.)

So... Wally decided the water was too cold, and couldn't get past it, and kept getting out of the pool on the first night of tryouts. Del finally had to go down to the swim deck and give him a "pep" talk. Or talking to. Whichever way you want to see it. He did better the second night, but still did his share of goofing. At one point we looked over to his corner of the pool to find him on his belly with his legs sticking up in the air on the swim deck, and his face and shoulders under the water. Oh boy! We were not sure what the outcome of his tryout would be!

Here is the only picture I took at the tryouts. It not a very good one, and they were all still adjusting to their rubber caps, so they kind of have looks of pain on their faces. Bad iphone shots galore in this post!

Spring brings a million school concerts. Wally preformed on the recorder with the fourth grade. His music teacher is also our piano teacher. He was telling me at lessons one day that Wally spends most of class in his own little world, so he was sure that he would not know the songs at all. He decided to test Wally to see how far behind he was, and Wally played all the songs perfectly for him! He said Wally must absorb things when no one is looking. Or when Wally is not even looking apparently!

He loved performing for us. He kept mouthing commentary about the next song to me during the concert. He told me he loves Beethonven's Symphony No. 7. So I downloaded it to listen to in the morning while we get ready for school.

We will always worry endlessly for this boy, but we sure do love him with everything we've got!

Here is a short video of the last song they played. A Rock N' Roll number on the recorder. That is hard core music I tell ya! The kids were SOOO into it! It was hilarious. They were playing the air guitar and head thrashing left and right! My stupid phone wont zoom in for video, but Wally is on the second row in the just behind the girl in the white shirt.

Georgia also had a concert this past week. She sang the song "The Lady with the Alligator Purse" and performed a hip hop line dance that will have her prepared for any and all wedding receptions and church dances she may attend in the future.

Oh, and any trips she may make to Six Flags. They play this song on repeat there in the Summer.

Me and my little lady.

And more video. This one is a little longer, but I am obligated as a proud mother to post it!
Georgia is the third kid from the right on the front row with the black boots on.

Some New York City Leftovers

While we were in New York, the kids loved all the street performers. Wally loved surprising us and dropping money in front of them as we passed. One of the subway performances was particularly good. These guys even had put together a cd of their music to sell. Will wanted to give them some money...

Wally ran right up there after this to give them some money too. We moved on quickly after that so they didn't give away their life savings! Ha!

We ate a The Flame diner for breakfast one morning. It reminded me so much of the Seinfeld diner. It was also really good! We did get a lot of "Did you have all of these children?" questions at this diner.

Another street performer situation. I loved the ceilings here. There was an unexpected assortment of opera singers performing "Ava Maria," and "Time To Say Goodbye." A small woman, a very large, scruffy man, and a skinny hipster dude, all holding hands and belting it out! It was a good waiting spot for Del while I ran Georgia to the restroom.

Will Turns 8

Today Will is officially an eight year old!

He was born just a few minutes before Midnight, so really he has a couple of hours until he is officially, official. He was almost an April 17th birthday.

I love Will's personality. He is pretty much always chipper. He loves a good joke, and has a ton of friends.
Will watches out for his brother Wally. I heard them talking the other day. Wally was saying how a kid at school was bugging him and calling him a name.
Will told Wally, "Well, tell me who it was and I will go talk to him. I'll tell him he needs to be nice to you." He didn't say it in a threatening way. More of a negotiating tone.

Will has always been funny. I like it.
He has a pet fly. Its name is Kevin. He named the fly Kevin after weeks of pestering me to let him change HIS name to Kevin. I just kept telling him that I still like that I named him Will.

So, I guess he had to settle for having his, in my opinion, gross pet take on the moniker.

Will is becoming a really good piano player. He can play by ear, and is constantly figuring out how to play different tunes he hears. He is also good at reading notes, and fairly cooperative with my nagging to practice.
He hates doing his chores, and likes to tell me that I should do them, because I can do it so much better. Nice try. Flattery will get you nowhere.

Will is a happy, good big brother, idolizes his Dad, has patience with his Mom, and loyalty to friends.
We love you Will!
Happy Birthday!

Will with his haul.

Our goofy glasses.

I got the broken pair! Makes me look that much crazier.

The poor cake was already smashed when I went to pick it up. Lame. It was good though.

Palmyra, New York

We left New York City and drove the five hours up to Palmyra, New York. We stayed the night at the Palmyra Inn. It is a very large,clean hotel, run by Mormons. It had Ensigns in the lobby and LDS artwork on the walls. I am sure that during the Summer when the Hill Cumorah Pageant, and Youth Conferences are in full swing, this hotel is hopping! It was the off season, so it was pretty empty while we were there.

We stopped first thing at the temple grounds the next morning. 

There was a family at our hotel that we met at breakfast. They had a Sister Missionary with them. She was just ending her mission and her family had come out to pick her up, and tour the sights in Palmyra. She had been one of the missionaries that gave tours, so when we ran into them at the temple grounds, she told us a bit about the area.
The picture above is of the windows on the side of the temple. When it was constructed, President Hinckley directed that the windows be left clear in the center of the building. These are the only clear windows installed in any temple. The reason is that there is a perfect view of the Sacred Grove out these windows. The trees are kept trimmed down so that the view is not blocked. A good reminder of where the guidance that led to the building of all temples originated.

The entire sight of the temple is built on property that belonged to the Smith family. There is a nature path the runs along the side of the temple.
This rock wall was constructed by Joseph and Hyrum Smith. It is still here today. It runs through the trees that border the temple lawn.
Wally ran away into these woods while caught up in his imagination. So, I was very frustrated that I had to repeatedly yell his name out over the temple grounds to get him to come back.
Our morning started out a little rocky that day. The kids were excited, and restless from driving the day before, and they were being very impulsive.
The nice family of the sister missionary told us at breakfast that they were waiting for the elevator at the hotel with Wally. They said he told them he was taking the stairs because it was slow. So he ran to the staircase and went up. When they got off the elevator at the top, Wally was standing there triumphant! He then very boastfully told them, "Ha! I beat you! Elevators are for wimps!"
Del and I were in a little bit of shock, and quit embarrassed when they told us this story!

Luckily, they thought it was funny, and just to show us there were no hard feelings, they gave us hand warmers for our pockets. It was a very cold day, and the kids liked having warm, cozy pockets!

The next stop we made was the visitors center. We toured the Smith farm.
This is the log home that the family built when they first arrived in Palmyra when Joseph was ten years old. Eleven people lived in this log home.
Joseph's parents were diligent in teaching their children on spiritual matters. The family studied the bible, and had many questions about the truthfulness of religious messages being taught in the area at the time.

The moment of the tour that most struck me actually happened inside this log home. The sister missionary told us about the family's faith and desire to do what was right with the Lord. She then said she likes to open the back door of the cabin so that we can see the direct path from there into the sacred grove. As she opened the door, I was overwhelmed with emotion! The Spirit touched me in that moment, and I was reminded of the curious innocence of Joseph Smith. From the moment of the First Vision, until the end of his life, everything he did was focused around going about the Lord's work of restoring the Gospel to the Earth.
The act of having a question, and walking out his back door, to the woods where he felt he could find some security to ask for an answer was very touching to me. My favorite moment of the trip.

As we walked from the log home to the frame home the family built, there was a clear view of the temple through the trimmed trees.
This is where Will threw one of his hand warmers from the nice family over the fence. We lifted Walker over to retrieve it. Geez! Our reverence was astounding, I'm sure!

The family moved from the log home, to this frame home, just down the road. Alvin Smith had actually started building this home before his death. He was engaged when he passed away from what is believed to be appendicitis. The Smith family finished the home after his death, and planted the tree to the right of the house in memory of Alvin. The death of his brother affected Joseph very deeply.

This home is significant because it was the first spot the Gold Plates were hidden to prevent them from being stolen from mobs.
Men repeatedly forced their way into this home, and other buildings around the farm, causing constant stress to Joseph. The persecution became so intense, he was forced to take the plates to Harmony, PA to translate.

The frame home's kitchen is also the location that Martin Harris told Jospeph Smith that he had lost the 116 pages. Joseph Smith paced the home for the remainder of that day in great agony of the soul. Del and I were able to reflect quit a bit on the forgiveness offered through our Savior after this story. It was touching to be in the home this occurred.
The Smith family lived in the home only for a couple of years before they had to sell it and move back into the log home, due to financial distress.
The home was purchased in the early 1900's by the Church, and made into a mission home for the mission president, who ended up serving in the area for over 20 years. His goal was to soften the hearts of the local people to Mormonism. He founded the Hill Cumorah Pageant.

As we walked to the Sacred Grove, we talked to our children about what a faithful and obedient family the Smiths must have been to have been trusted with all of the responsibility they were. We passed the apple orchard Moroni appeared to Joseph in as he climbed over a fence, and instructed him to go tell his father all that he had seen in visions during the previous night.
This stop brought even more respect for the Smiths, and a renewal of our commitment to try to do what the Lord asks of us. To try to be more like the Smith family.

I read out loud, Joseph's account of the First Vision as we entered the Sacred Grove. The Sister Missionary reminded us that Joseph saw the First Vision in early Spring. So the grove probably looked very similar to what it does now. Not so much the way artist generally portray it in full bloom.

Life was just beginning to return to the Grove. Moss at the base of the trees was the only Summer like color. It was very bright, quiet and peaceful. It was also pretty cold.

I loved the exposed roots of this huge fallen tree. A great metaphor of the need for our roots to grow deep in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

I unfortunately did not get a picture of the E.B. Grandin print shop! I loved this spot! The visitors center is built around the original building, which is amazingly preserved. E.B. Grandin was born one year after Joseph Smith, and died of pneumonia only one year after Joseph was martyred. He was only in the print business for a few years after the printing of the Book of Mormon in his shop. He took the job reluctantly, as there was a lot of push back about printing it in the community. But he decided to look at   it strictly as a business decision.
The process of any kind of printing, let alone a leather bound book in the mid 1800's is a daunting one! The fact that five thousand copies were produced, uninterrupted by mob violence, is a miracle! All of the perfect circumstances to bring this to pass were certainly orchestrated by the Lord.

Thankfully, because one of the buildings owners took out a load bearing wall in a renovation after Grandin sold the shop, the top floor was remarkably preserved because it was not safe to use.

The decision to print the Book of Mormon produced a life changing book for millions of people throughout history. I am sure that E.B. Grandin did not realize those five thousand books would be so influential at the time. It is amazing how we all have a purpose in this life, and we may not even know what it is while we are doing it.

We made a fairly quick stop at the Hill Cumorah visitors center. They have a really nice video presentation. We drove up to the top of the Hill and took some photos of the memorial to the prophet Moroni.

The hand of the Lord in the lives of all those involved in the coming to pass of the restored Gospel is so poignant in Palmyra!
The fact that a young Joseph, only ten, and on crutches from a surgery to the bone in his leg, would move to a new area of the country, only three miles from where an ancient prophet would bury an ancient record is nothing short of a miracle. The sacrifice of his family from that moment on is almost overwhelming to imagine.
This was a powerful testimony building experience! I hope that this trip remains in the memories of our kids! We need to plan to take them back when they are teenagers! It is certainly worthy of more than one visit!

The Boys Star Wars Birthday Party!

I am going to take a time out from posting pictures from our trip, and get the Birthday bash we had up!

We visited a galaxy far, far away this weekend! It is birthday season at our house, and we decided to combine parties for Wally and Will, and go all out with a Star Wars theme!

I found a printable party package on Etsy through HelloMySweet . I downloaded the invitation and all the graphics, and had them printed at Kinkos.
I ordered the cups for the carrots and dip, the plates, polka dot straws,and the napkins from ShopSweetLuLu.  I found the forks from Sucre Shop, on Etsy. I don't remember where I bought the star backdrop. Even the few weeks since I bought it have been to much for my memory! I am sure they are available on a backdrop site.

All the kids got a treat bag with a Star Wars Pez, favor toys, and other treats.

I did learn it is best not to put a bag of treats in front of kids whose appetites are already limited because of party excitement! They dug right in, and didn't eat lunch very well.

We greeted the kids at the door with balloons and "Welcome Young Jedi" signs.

The food table was full of galactic goodies for lunch. Han Burgers, Darth Dogs, Yoda Soda, ( green soda found in the Mexican food isle at the grocery store) Obi-Wan Kabobs, Raider Taters, and Galaxy Cake (made by my awesome friends Jane who interpreted my vision beautifully). We also had Wookie Cookies which I frosted to look like a Storm Trooper, Darth Vader and R2D2. Because I was the decorator on the cookies, they were VERY abstract! My skills are not the finest!

I ordered these blow up light sabers online. We used them for a sword fight with Darth Vader later in the party.

I made our Death Star piñata by cutting a circle in a basketball pinata I found at Target. I tapped it back on upside down so that it was inverted, then sprayed the whole thing silver and drew details on with a permanent marker. Again, my art work is far less than perfect, and must be interpreted very loosely! He, he!

Georgia was the only girl so she got all the Princess Leia printables.

Simple center pieces. Rollos and star cut outs.

Walker was so funny! I knew that he and Georgia would only settle for being a full participant in the party. And he was right in there with all the big kid activities. Dressed as Yoda, of course!

The piñata had a very weak string attachment unfortunately, so it did not last to be hit by all the kids. They didn't mind once the candy was on the ground.

The kids were put into two teams, and each team had to make one member into a Storm Trooper using toilet paper. The first team to finish wrapping their Storm Trooper was the winner.

They looked a bit more like mummys than Storm Troopers.
The toilet paper ended up ALL over the house. When the parents came to pick their children up, they looked at me like I was a crazy person. I guess it looks pretty wild.

Darth Vader made an appearance, thanks to Del, who is a good sport! The kids were only too happy to hit him with their blow up light sabers.

Cake time!

We handed out the Jedi Training Certificates that came in the party package I downloaded. Walker found his very interesting, and sat and looked at the pictures intently.

Will ate all of his food with his Darth Vader costume gloves on.

The boys friends have very generous parents! They were very kind in their gift giving!
It was a good day for the boys.  I realize that this is probably the last time I will be able to get away with a party like this for Wally. As he and his friends get older, I am going to have to incorporate more pre teen type activities to keep them engaged. I tried to make all the activities into challenges they would respond to, but as they get older, I will have to step up my game!
It was fun, and I am glad it is over! Yay!