Scout Campout

The boys went on a camp out to the Sunshine Mines by 5 mile pass.

It was cold but they didn't get snowed on.

After a good nights sleep they rode their bikes to visit some abandoned mines.

 Graigry, Tyler, 

 Graigry

 Tyler resting in a crevice.

Jayden, Andrew, Tyler, Graigry, Collin, and Ben

Women's Conference

I was really lucky to be able to attend BYU Women's conference this year.  I decided to really "get away" this year and stay at my parent's house instead of coming home on Thursday night.  Thanks to Warren and the kids for their extra efforts so I could do that.  Women's conference is always such a spiritual feast.  I came home with the message that I need to be more forgiving (less of victim) and concentrate on "the basics" (personal prayer, scripture study, and taking good care of my health) more consistently.  Of course I got other great messages too, like how to help my kids through their dating years.

 It was super fun hanging out with my Mom, sister Debbie, and Aunt Gay (who is taking the picture) in the Marriott Center.  Connie was able to attend a few sessions with us on Friday.  Jessica is also staying at my parent's house right now, so I got to see her some too.  She let us take her out to dinner on Thursday night.

My Mom the tenured Professor and Outstanding Educator Award winner.

Mary, Dad, Debbie, Connie, Aunt Gay after the award ceremony at UVU.

Thank you Aunt Gay for taking these great pictures with your new camera.

When I arrived home on Friday, Jessica's UVU alumni magazine was in the mail and inside was this article about my Mom.

Images of Greatness

Part of 5th grade A.L.L. is to do a big research project on a person of significance in American History.

Melanie choose to do a report on Ruby Bridges.  (Thank goodness we have access to two University Libraries because it wasn't easy to find books on her life.)

Ruby Bridges

By Melanie Henrie

When I was little

I moved to New Orleans

My Daddy worked on

Cars and other big things.

Momma worked hard too

Scrubbing floors inside a bank

For many things

My parents, I could thank.

When I was in kindergarten

I had to take a test

Though I felt the pressure

I knew I’d done my best.

Of all my black classmates

My score was high.

I was invited to William Frantz

With whites to try.

Most whites did not like me

because of my skin color

I prayed for them all

Knowing we’d love each other.

My teacher Mrs. Henry

Became my best friend.

She and Doctor Coles

Protected me to the end.

Though life started tough

And full of ridges

All of it was worth it

For I am Ruby Bridges.

 For her project Melanie had to write a research paper and put together a portfolio of her work.  She also had to make a dodecahedron with hand drawn pictures of Ruby's life.  She wrote a poem about Ruby (see above) which she memorized and recited when people pushed her "button" in the class wax museum.  She also had to dress up (thank you Lehi Arts Council for letting us rent an appropriate dress) and bring props.

Melanie with her friend Brina (Laura Ingalls Wilder)

Easter

My favorite Easter tradition...  We remember what Christ was doing each day the last week of his life from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday.  We read out of the scriptures, put (a) picture(s) up on our wall, sing a song, and do an activity.  On Saturday we talk about how Christ was setting up missionary work in the spirit world and Warren took the three oldest kids to do baptisms for the dead in the temple.  It makes for a spiritual week around our house.

Saturday night we colored easter eggs.  It was great to have Jessica home.

On Sunday morning all of those boiled eggs got turned into Eggs-a-la Golden Rod and Deviled eggs - yummy!

Our ward hosted a dinner and Easter Egg hunt for the kids.  Melanie had fun helping some of the toddlers in the ward find eggs.  She got a few for herself as well.

UCAS Junior Prom

Graigry had a full day of Prom activities.  He woke up and had just enough time to run some errands.  

His list looked like this:

1. Run by the grocery store and purchase a few last minute items for picnic lunch.
2. Gas up the car.
3. Stop and the car wash and clean the car inside and out
4. Pick up the corsage for Andrea.

Their Prom day activity was a group party in the grass by their school.  Each "team" or couple was supposed to bring a flag.  Graig found this picure of the white tree of Gondor (keeping with the Lord of the Rings theme) on the internet.  He printed it on an iron-on transfer sheet, and then ironed it on a bandanna.  He sewed a casing in the side so the flag could hang on a bamboo stick we have around the house.  When he got the party, no one else had gone to all that trouble for their flag.  Each boy was supposed to bring picnic lunch for their date and themselves.  Graig's lunch was Chicken Ceasar wraps, fresh vegies with ranch dip, fresh strawberries, corn chips and salsa, Fruit juice, and Easter candy for dessert.  

The games were not as well organized as Graig had thought they would be. They did do a three legged race and a stick pulling contest (thanks to Graig's bamboo pole).  They were home a little earlier than planned but it gave Graig time for a quick nap before getting dressed up for dinner and the dance.

 I took a few pictures of Graig in our front yard before he left to pick up Andrea.

After picking up Andrea, they met another couple at the Olive Garden for dinner.  Graig's friend Matt invited a girl who doesn't attend UCAS to prom so Graig assumed he wouldn't know her.  Turns out Matt's date lives in our neighbourhood (just one street over) and has been in a few school classes with Graig over the years.  Small world.

Graig and Andrea at the dance.

 Prom ticket

Here is my version of Graig's prom recap:
They were the first group to arrive at the dance but that was OK because it meant they didn't have to wait in line to get their picture taken.  They started dancing right away, even though they were the only ones there for a few minutes.  Andrea and Graig are in a ballroom dance club at school and so they practised their ballroom dancing all night, missing only a few songs when they stopped to get some refreshments and rest.  Prom was "very fun" and he was glad he got talked into going.

Alpine School District Spring Break - Day 4 and 5

Tyler began the Environmental Science Merit badge about two years ago but set it aside because it is so much work.  I challenged him to pull it out and finish it over spring break, and he did!

 Tyler working on a report for his Environmental Science Merit Badge before heading to swimming lessons.

 Tyler had to do an experiment with water erosion, so he and Melanie played with water in the sandbox. (Just enough to pass off the requirement because it is still cold outside.)

On Thursday afternoon Warren was helping with Bingo at the Pleasant Grove Senior Center so he ran home first and picked up Tyler and Melanie to come and help.  They had fun shopping at Walmart for Bingo prizes. They went with Easter themed prizes, mostly things you might find in an Easter basket.  When they got to the senior center they got to be the ones who drew out and called the numbers.  The prizes they had chosen were very popular.

Melanie decided she wanted to learn to make a cake over spring break.  So Friday after noon we baked a cake, frosted it, and ate it for dinner.

 Melanie's favorite thing she learned in swimming lessons was the back stroke.

Tyler learned to do a racing turn, the breast stroke, and the butterfly stroke.  His teacher says he should be ready to try out for the swim team now.

In this video Tyler shows off his racing turn.

In this video Tyler shows off his breast stroke

In this video Melanie shows off her back stroke

Alpine School District Spring Break - Day 2 and 3

Day 2 and 3 began early with Tyler and Melanie getting their chores finished and then heading to the Lehi pool.  Tyler wants to try out for the Lehi swim team this summer but he hadn't ever learned the breast stroke or the butterfly stroke.  Tuesday through Friday mornings Tyler and Melanie had a private swim lesson with Josh to work on their strokes while I was taking an exercise class.

 I had each of the kids choose something they wanted to learn over spring break.  Tyler said he wanted to learn to make pajama pants.  Of course, Melanie wanted in on that project too.  It took two days but both kids finished their new pajama pants.

 Melanie couldn't wait for it to stop raining so she could mow the lawn (it is the only chore for which she can earn money).  The grass was very long.  So long in fact, that if she went too fast the lawn mower would stall.  She got finished and it looks really nice.

 On Wednesday, we met Graig and Warren at BYU so we could visit the Carl Bloch art exhibit.  We rented a few ipads so we could get all of the commentary on the paintings.  What I had heard was true, it was a very spiritual exihibit with all those paintings from the life of the Saviour.

Jessica came over to the museum as we were leaving so we could give her a hug (and a ride home from school).

Alpine School District Spring Break - Day 1

Tyler and Melanie had the week off school so we had a "stay"cation.  

Monday began with swimming in the Lehi City Pool (while Mom did a water aerobics class.)

After a quick shower I took Tyler and Melanie for their annual eye exams.

Sure enough they both needed new glasses.  Melanie's prescription had really changed a lot.

Poor girl, no wonder she has had so much trouble seeing.

After we got their glasses ordered, we went to lunch.  Melanie opted for a happy meal from McDonalds which we got to go and she ate while Tyler and I were having real food at Wingers.

Tyler thought the hamburger at Wingers was the best he had ever eaten and he loved the big french fries.

Surprisingly we had enough time after lunch to run a couple of errands and run home to brush our teeth for our check ups at the dentist.  The good news is NO CAVITIES!!

A Festival Winner

Tyler was a winner in this year's piano festival competition. 

 He played in the Honors Recital on April 6th and picked up his award.

Great job Tyler!!

Conference Weekend

I love General Conference Weekend.  Our friends, the Browns, had two extra tickets to the Saturday morning session of conference so Tyler and I went with them.  Neither Tyler or I have ever watched a conference session inside the conference center. (I have watched a few when they were in the tabernacle.)  Tyler liked that we were in our seats and we got to stand up when President Monson walked in.  

After the session we went to Sizzler and bought the kids all-you-can-eat salad bars.  Between Tyler, Taylor, and Taylor's teenage brother Sara and I decided we definitely got our money's worth.

Taylor Brown and Tyler inside the conference center after the Saturday Morning Session.

On the Balcony of the conference center.

 This is what the world looked like when we woke up on Sunday morning.  It must have been heavy snow - look at how weighted down the pine tree behind the swing set is.  Jessica came home on Saturday night to spend the night and spend Sunday with us.  It was fun to have our whole family together.

We had our traditional waffle party on Sunday morning before the first session of conference.

 Graigry goofing off on Sunday.

Friday, April 1

This April Fools Day was an exciting one for Melanie and Graigry.  

Melanie attended an overnight camp at the space center and successfully completed a mission.  Several of her friends from school were also at the camp.  She was the navigation officer which means she was the one driving the ship.  At one point the ship was overtaken by bad guys and Melanie figured out a way to sneak a "gun" away from a bad guy and kill him.  The bad guys were actors and apparently they hadn't prepared for that scenario so there was a slight pause in the game while they reset the story.  She can't wait to go again.

Graigry played in a concert with his orchestra.  They call this their "Grand Finale Concert" but in reality the Lyceum Philharmonic has many more concerts scheduled throughout the summer.  They will play with the Utah Valley Symphony the first week of May, in the Best of State awards ceremony, in the Freedom Festival Fireside at the Marriott Center, in the Days of '47 Pops concert, and then they will have their camp the end of July.