Grandma Linda's visit

Palmyra Church History Sites

Palmyra Temple

Hill Cummorah
(this was actually the last stop of the day and the kids needed to let out some steam...not so reverent.)

Sacred Grove

Joseph Smith home

Stops around Ithaca

Ithaca Fest Parade....there were options for some not so appropriate pictures so we stuck with the Stilt walker :)

Cornell Campus

Stewart Park
carousel and sprinklers

Trying to get a good picture of Owen







I guess you have to define a "good" picture. This one above happens to be my favorite



Treeman Falls

Kurt showing off his rock skipping skills--he is really good

This spring we have seen so many baby animals. Goslings, ducklings, does/fawns?, a foal, bunny's, baby birds. We see them at in our backyard, at the parks, the baby deer are all around town, traffic was backed up as a newly born deer was attempting to take some first steps. Last year at a dairy farm we saw a calf born just an hour before we arrived. It is all fascinating and makes the Spring feel more rich and full of life then ever. Did I mention that I love this place?



While Linda was here we often spent the evenings sitting on our back deck enjoying the nice view, listening to the wind blow through the aspen trees (one of my favorite sounds....it dates back to our family's annual trips to the Alpine Slide up in Park City each summer) and watching the birds in the little wooded area behind the back fence.

One night we lingered past dusk and saw some firefly's lighting up. It was fascinating. I wanted to catch one so bad so I asked Kurt to go get it for me because it is kind of marshy and gross beyond our back fence. Beautiful-- but not easy to navigate. He said no. Even though I told him this was a chance to impress me. I couldn't let the idea go so I grabbed our cookie jar and slowly made my way across logs as I couldn't see where to avoid the marshy wet areas. It took only a minute and I CAUGHT one. It lit up off and on inside the jar and I wanted to keep it to show Lucy the next night, but decided to free it after all. I told her the story and the next day she stayed up with us and begged me to go out again to catch her one. This time it took much longer and after many cat calls and snide remarks from my husband I finally got another one. It was kind of a dud though and wouldn't light up much so Lucy was a little disappointed.....hmmmmm I'm done bug hunting and made Kurt check my head for ticks each time :), but we often still go out to watch the firefly's light up our backyard--they are multiplying and it's so beautiful.

Kurt's Graduation

Kurt graduated with a Master's Degree in Industrial Labor Relations at Cornell University on May 30th, 2010. His mother, Linda, was able to fly out and join us. I am grateful for his dedication to his schooling and other extra curricular activities over these two years as well as all the time he spent with the kids and I. I'm glad he passed and made it through, but I am sad to be leaving Ithaca. I have loved living here so much; I do not feel ready to move on...but move on we must :) Besides the longish icky winters here this place fits me SO well. I can not get enough of it.

An end of the year picnic with some of Kurt's classmates. We have become a pretty close knit group (they welcomed Lucy, Owen and I right in and I appreciated that so much) there are still several friends missing from this picture and we will miss them all dearly. I count on fond memories and the chance at possibly seeing everyone again one day to keep my spirits up, when I have to say goodbye!

The Ithaca Post

We were at Buttermilk Falls the other evening (Owen's favorite spot these days) and a woman from the Ithaca Post asked if she could use some photo's of us in her article. It's thanks to Lucy; none of us were too keen on hiking in the actual falls...we'd seen enough people slipping around, but her sense of adventure (which I have to say I am pleased about) wouldn't let up and she talked us into it.

http://theithacapost.com/

Lucy's Ring and other pics

Lucy had her first trip to the dentist last month....and she LOVED it! Such a relief for a mom who grew up feeling like the dentist office was my home away from home--I was there way too often.

Chipped my front tooth twice (this made for some great 2nd grade pictures), had way too many cavities (weak enamel??), I used to swallow improperly causing my two front teeth to protrude (I had to practice swallowing right so my mom bought me juice boxes to relieve some of the embarrassment), retainers, braces, sealants, and who knows what else. I thank my parents for thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours for my smile as it is now. I could easily be walking around with discolored, protruding, crooked teeth.....Would we still be friends?


When it came time for Lucy to choose her prize I smiled when I saw the same packet of plastic jeweled rings that I got to choose from as a child. I remember how I looked forward to choosing a ring and thought they were such a treasure.

Lucy loves her ring! She called everyone on her regular phone call list and told them about the dentist--but mostly about her ring. In fact she loves it so much that it accompanies her everywhere and she loses it at least once, sometimes twice every day. We always find it. One day we won't and it's not the kind of ring that can be replaced by the same plastic rings found at the dollar store. It has to be earned as a prize to be that special.



Lucy waiting to get her ear tubes put in. She told me when we got back home. "See Mom I told you that was not going to be ANY fun at all."

Well we did both of us get to be wheeled on a hospital bed by a VERY friendly doctor, I thought that was pretty fun.

The LONG anticipated bus ride to Stewart Park
and Preschool Certificate presentation

Our May event didn't get rained out....but we got freezed out! The kids were brave to eat those ice pops in 30 degree weather.

Fun with grandma's special play do recipe

Tulips from the Farmers Market--my favorite Sat. morning stop

Cast your Burden on the Lord

A few weeks before Easter I was involved in a Musical Presentation called "Come Unto Christ." I just wanted to remember that I'd been a part of it and thoroughly enjoyed my experience. In the weeks leading up to the presentation we had numerous rehearsals for the choir and a trio I was singing in. These rehearsals took place when I was the most sick during this pregnancy and it was always hard to get myself out the door--a sense of responsibility is the only thing that keeps me getting out during those times. Once I was there and surrounded by dear friends and the beautiful music I always felt uplifted and buoyed up and was glad I had gone.

There were a few weeks where in addition to feeling sick I was having great difficulty sleeping at night. Managing everything was starting to get hard. The song from our trio number was called "Cast Your Burden on The Lord." The lines in the song came to my mind and maybe for the first time in my life I felt truly willing to keep my challenges but let the Lord help me through them. I think usually even though I TRY to be willing to keep the challenge, if I am honest with myself I am half hoping the Lord will kind of just make it disappear.

This day was different. When the words in that song came to my mind it must have penetrated a little deeper because I knew the right thing was not to ask for help to sleep, but to ask for help to continue fulfilling my responsibility's to myself and family with the sleep I did get, and try to be patient with being sick for even more hours of the day. Then I had the impression that I should take note of every time I was able to accomplish something that would have normally been hard for me under the circumstance--like be patient with my two year old :)

Gospel truths are priceless to me. They lead me to the most treasured experiences in my life. I am grateful for the scriptures, the words of prophets, sacred hymns and wonderful people around me who live by them and show me a great example of the joy that comes as you try to do so.

For you Paul

Yes Paul. Just like ear Tubes, babies eventually naturally "fall" out. Ours is still scheduled to fall out sometime mid-September and yes we do know we are having a boy. I guess I could have mentioned that earlier seeing as we found out at my 15 week Ultra Sound. It was pretty clear. Thanks for the little push to get that announcement out! :)

They Came!

Lucy and I made a paper chain counting down the days that Grandma and Grandpa (my parents) were coming to visit us. However, Lucy thought it was too beautiful to rip the papers off each day so it is still decorating her wall......but they came nonetheless and we had a perfect visit.

Books in bed at 6:30 in the morning--grandpa has the right idea

School time with Grandma

Buttermilk Falls

Lucy helping grandpa wash the windows

A quick trip to the beach in Connecticut

Say What ??

Lucy has had periods of temporary hearing loss through out her young life and I've recently had some experts check her out. I had to laugh when she was in the sound booth, earphones on repeating back words to the doctor. In the middle of the "test" she politely told the doctor "I like it when you say the words louder."

It doesn't matter what it is....we all want to be good at what people are asking us to do!

p.s. after a couple of test and prognosis' the decision has been made that Lucy needs tubes in her ears to drain out all the extra water....and I wont have to repeat myself a million times for a few months every year.


The outfit Lucy chose for "rainbow day" at school.
And the hair do she asks for everyday--one braid down the side. (Well she actually asks for a braid down each side....we'll stick with one.)

Easter in Connecticut

Owen started shaking each egg before he put it in his basket to make sure it was a candy filled egg.....not a meager hard boiled one.

Mid-Easter egg hunt Owen found a garden turtle and the hunt ended. He plopped down on the ground...grabbed the turtle and started singing one of his favorite songs "I Had a Little Turtle"

"Bubble bubble POP! "

And.......

Owens addiction to Kurt's ipod

China Report

My Cousin had to write a report about China and asked if he could send Kurt and I a survey with 18 or so questions. It took a bit of time to fill out, but it really got my wheels turning again about my experience overseas.

One question asked what I missed about living there. Mostly I miss the funny, random, and unexpected things you see EACH day. A horse pulling a cart of watermelons on the busy city street, someone who has a love seat tied up to the back of their bicycle, a women hunched over a two foot straw broom sweeping the snow off the sidewalk, etc.

One thing I really miss is the Pizza Hut salad bar...but not because I like the selection there. I myself don't prefer that type of a salad but I enjoyed watching all the local costumers make their plates . You might see three family members orchestrating the one time through salad bar at Pizza Hut ensuring their salad would reach four feet before returning to their table. I especially got laughing when I did a google search to see if I could find a photo example and came directly to this blog post.....it says it all.

http://sirhoe.blogspot.com/2006/02/how-to-eat-cheap-pizza-hut-salad.html

In case you don't make it that far I'll try to get one good photo


It's a bit of an exaggeration, but it will do!