Spring photos

The beautifully groomed raspberry  patch.

Spring Flowers

Sarah and her date, Chris Bressler.

Kirsten and her date, Zach Fuller.

Matthew in his baseball attire.

May Flowers

We attended stake conference for all of Idaho today. It was broadcast from Salt Lake City. Those speaking were President Monson, Elder Hales, Elder Grow and Sister Thompson. Two principles taught were to be friends to all and to study the scriptures, especially on a personal level.

The best accomplishment of yesterday was the grooming of the raspberry patch. Dave (with a bit of help from the boys) removed all the deadwood, directed the new growth into a row and weeded around the plants. He also mowed our lawn for the first time. Our flowers in the front yard look quite beautiful. We have an assortment of spring flowers including tulips, daffodils and hyacinths.

It was the commencement dance last night. Kirsten and Sarah both had a very lovely evening. Dave was happy because both dates were not overly long. He prefers dance dates that start in the mid-afternoon rather than extending through the entire day. Sarah's date treated her to dinner at a nice restaurant in Idaho Falls and ice cream at Cold Stone. Kirsten went tandem biking and ate dinner at an Idaho Falls home (someone's aunt or something). Both girls ended up at the dance held in a large tent at the local golf course.

Spencer and Matthew played four baseball games this week. Friday's game was the warmest it has been all year. I was able to attend without a coat, gloves, hoodie, and blanket. So nice!

At school, Catherine gave a persuasive speech on the advantages of home-cooked meals compared to fast food. She was quite convincing as she addressed such issues as calories, health consequences, and money saved.

Sometimes it can be a bit deceiving because a hamburger might be priced fairly low but most often those bargain purchases at fast food spots don't fill the empty tummies and kids end up still being hungry.

I am glad that for the most part my children have gained an appreciation for food made in their own kitchen.

All of us (including Camille and excluding the working Sarah) attended BYU Young Ambassadors on Friday night. Quite often the university will disperse free tickets if their sales are low. They call Dave at the high school and offer his students free tickets just to help fill the event. This was the case with BYU Ambassadors. It was a fun concert with lots of broadway tunes and some amazing performers.

This next week begins the close of this school year with lots of recital, concerts and then on next Sunday, Kirsten's seminary graduation. Life is moving on and our family is growing up.

Happy Mother's Day

It is a sunny day in Rexburg but also a bit on the nippy side ( at least it isn't snowing). We tilled our garden yesterday and planted the seeds that can endure the cold. I know Idaho is way behind Utah's planting season and unfortunately we are behind our neighbor's planting schedule also. I am happy that we have taken the first step towards our yearly garden.

Last year, we transplanted some rhubarb into our garden and today I used it for the first time in a Mother's Day Rhubarb/Raspberry Crumble. It was quite good. I did have some pretty thick stalks. The rhubarb was not long and lengthy as I remember my parents fresh rhubarb being. I will have to search for hints in improving the quality of our rhubarb.

Kirsten has made the official decision to attend BYU-Provo in the fall. I am excited for her upcoming adventures but sad that she will be moving to Provo. She has secured housing in the Wyview dorms on campus. Thank goodness. That was not an easy task. Lots of freshman also want to stay in the dorms and getting signed up took some perseverance.

Sarah and Kirsten started their summer job this week. They are both working at Snoasis (a snowcone shack). It is a popular spot for high school and college students. It's opening seems to indicate the beginning of summer here in Rexburg. We are thankful that they were both able to secure jobs for the summer.

Camille continues to work at Circle of Love. She has gained a lot of good experience through her job. Last summer, she ran the store for her employers. This helped her develop quite a business sense.

On Saturday, Spencer and Dave attended a Scout Jamboral in Blackfoot. It was a huge gathering of scouts (over 6000). They went to different booths where Spencer was able to work on a few Webelo requirements.

Matthew and Spencer both had field trips this week. On the coldest day of the week, during a snowstorm, Matthew walked to the fire station, jailhouse, and the local grocery store and Spencer went to an outdoor mountain man rendezvous. Luckily the snowstorm ended just after an hour or so and then the sun decided to shine.

Catherine finished her first Personal Progress project. She typed many of her favorite recipes and then organized them in a recipe binder. She has a good assortment of tasty concoctions that will serve her well as she learns about cooking. She does enjoy the culinary arts field and wants to learn how to decorate cakes.

Kirsten is very close to achieving her Young Women medallion. (Hurray!) She has taken a long time to get to this point, but has also tried to do her best at each goal and follow it through with great detail.

It was teacher appreciation week in the Madison school district. The board chose to honor teachers by hand delivering their proposed contract. This paperwork informed teachers of their reduction in salary by about $5000. Great timing on the part of the district. We are living in difficult times. But I don't feel like I should panic. I just feel secure in the fact that the Lord will take care of our family if we do our part.

Happy Mother's Day to my mom. Thank-you for all your love and support. You are an exceptional example to me of someone that knows of the love and concern that our Heavenly Father has for each of us. I am grateful for your example and wisdom. I love you.

To all women who read this. . . .Happy Mothers Day. Love to you! JA

Baseball, prom invites, and ISATs

We have never experienced Babe Ruth baseball until this year. We signed both Matthew and Spencer up to play. Matthew is in coach-pitch and Spencer is playing regular baseball. They each have enjoyed the association with other boys and the competitive nature of the game. Baseball in Idaho is not necessarily pleasant for the spectator. We have been in the midst of windstorms, rainstorms and snowstorms along with chilly temperatures. It certainly takes endurance on our part to "weather the storms".

Kirsten and her "project citizen" group placed 2nd against other senior presentations. They missed the winner bracket by a very small margin. If they had placed first, they would have presented it in Boise. Kirsten claims their judges were very pessimistic about their proposals thus maybe that influenced their decision.

Kirsten and Sarah both were asked to the Commencement Dance. This is Madison's formal prom. Kirsten was asked by a Junior friend, Zach Fuller and Sarah was invited by her friend Christopher Bressler. Both are thrilled and excited for the invite. The date occurs on May 15th.

We attended Samuel Hibbard's eagle court of honor on Saturday. He is the son of our friends whom we met in Beaver, Utah long ago. Interestingly enough, we both left Beaver the same year to do graduate work and then within a few years, Dave and Rob, ended up at Madison High School together. Most of their time is spent preparing the annual musical. That reminds me, the musical for next year was announced last night at the Spring play. It will be "Singing in the Rain" That is one our family's favorite movies.

Catherine was happy to report that her score on the math ISAT was the highest in her class. A good accomplishment for someone who isn't to sure that she likes Math.

Well a few updates to keep you from wondering what is happening.

LOVE,

JA