Happy Easter!

What a joyous Easter we've had today! It was a bright, sunny, perfect day. Grammie and Grandpa Ward came down from Norththern Viriginia on Saturday and we had such a wonderful time together (can't even think about moving so far away!). The girls loved getting dressed up in their Easter dresses and even seemed to understand the true meaning of the holiday. This is not to say that they were not also thrilled about the Easter bunny coming, but it was nice to see them catching on a bit. Mark gave a nice little family devotional this morning and then when we went to look outside at the signs of rebirth in the yard. It was nice to see that the girls seemed to get the parallels on some level.

Before church, Millie wanted to take Abby through the woods up the hill behind our house to say "Happy Easter" to our neighbors. Millie has taken pains to cultivate a friendship with them (the first time she went up there, she apparently walked right into their house -- needless to say we had to have a little talk) and will go up and help them with their gardening, chattering away the whole time. They are a retired preacher and his wife and wonderful people. Millie and Abby showed them their Easter dresses and then they talked about going to church. Our neighbors mentioned that they have drums at their church -- a detail which quite intrigued Millie -- and as I sat in our sacrament meeting singing "Christ the Lord is Risen Today", I realized that nothing can replace the fullness and feeling of the Spirit in sacrament meeting. I'm so grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ and the knowledge that we have.


The Easter bunny was apparently a little too generous this year (perhaps the poor bunny was a little hungry when she did her shopping?) as the girls couldn't fit all of their Easter eggs in their pails, but they had fun combing the lawn and woods for their treats. Then, as we were getting dinner ready, we made the mistake of giving Jane a few jelly beans to keep her quiet. After that, she refused to eat anything but candy for the rest of the evening (which we of course could not allow, although she did manage to get her grubby little hands some of Abby's malted milk eggs before we noticed) so we put her to bed with a full cup of milk and are hoping that it will tide her over until morning.



Earlier this week we had a wonderful time at the Darden Easter party visiting the Easter bunny (Jane would have nothing to do with him) and having an egg hunt.

Spring Has Sprung!

Yes, I am a slacker. I have let my blog writing lapse shamelessly and I am determined to do better. Thanks to a few faithful readers for encouraging me to get back on track :).

It's been a busy month and we're looking forward to the next few months which promise to be even busier. It's exciting and a little nerve-wracking to think of Mark's wrapping up school, and our move to Texas (I'm endeavoring to maintain a positive outlook on this new locale while I continue to fall even more in love with this part of Virginia on a daily basis). So many big changes -- but exciting ones. Mark and I are heading down for a house-hunting trip this weekend and the cost of living, I have to say, is the bright spot of the whole move for me -- the salve to the wound (to be a little dramatic). We hope we can make a good, smart decision and find something we really like.

Meanwhile, Spring is coming on strong here and it is brilliant! It's been so nice to be outside enjoying the cool, sunny days. And there's something so hopeful about a world full of blossoms. The other day, on my way to take Abby to school, we drove down a street full of blossoming trees and saw some daffodils. Having memorized William Wordsworth's poem "Daffodils" for a 6th grade poetry unit, I started to recite it, but since 6th grade was such a very long time ago, I got stuck and trailed off. I thought that I was pretty much saying it to myself until Abby piped up from the backseat and asked, "What happens next?" Anyway, I posted it as this month's quote on the sidebar, because I've always loved it. I love the Spring!

The girls and I had a great time this past Friday visiting a farm managed by a dear friend from our ward. The 30-minute drive through the rolling, spring-green, cow-dotted hills of western Viriginia was breathtaking. Upon arriving at the farm, Brother Ehlers loaded some bales of hay in the back of his pick-up and took us into the pasture to see the baby calves. I don't think I had ever been in an open pasture amongst the cows before and we all loved it. Jane was especially excited when a mooing cow came jogging toward us (she was terrified of all of the other animals, though -- as in screaming-and-plunging-herself-into-her-mother's-arms terrified). The girls then got to pet/feed the horses and miniature horses, and run around in the wind and sun. It was magical.

Millie Turns 6!

Cute Cowgirl!

Abby looking for lost loot in the haystack

Blowing out the candles on her cowgirl boot cake

Millie showing off her skills at the Rattlesnake Toss

It's hard to believe that Millie is already 6!! She is such a grown-up girl these days and has such a big, generous heart. I remember -- and you'll have to forgive me for this little trip down memory lane -- the overwhelming feeling of love she brought into the delivery room when she was born! It was powerful and overwhelming. She was such a cheerful, fun baby and now she exudes joy and light on a daily basis in our home. We love our Millie!

And she is so willing to be pleased (when in the mood, of course). On her actual birthday, a Sunday, we had a special breakfast and dinner and opened a few presents and as she was going to bed, she said, "This was the best birthday ever!" Did we really need to do the whole party the following weekend?

"The best birthday ever!"

We did have such a fun time getting ready for her party, though (mind you, this is the girl who has been eager to begin planning since October), and an even better time at the party itself! Millie chose a cowgirl theme and we rounded up a posse of her nearest and dearest friends to head on over to "Millie's Ranch". We did a cowgirl necklace craft, played Pin the Hat on the Cowgirl, Rattlesnake Run, and Keep the Cows in the Pasture. The highlights, however, were the treasure hunt for the outlaws' buried gold, and a hay hunt. We had a rip roarin' good time and were so glad that Grammie and Grandpa Ward and Uncle Dave could come down for it, too!

100 Days of School

Last week Millie's Kindergarten class had a party for the 100th Day of school and I had a chance to go help out in the classroom. The kids were so cute! They had made 100 Day crowns, had each brought an ingredient to make 100 pieces of trail mix, and they had each brought a collection of 100 small objects that they could practice grouping and counting by 5's and 10's. Millie loved it so much and didn't want Abby to be left out so she came home and made Abby a crown of her own.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Jane is so very busy these days! She's my one-person demolition team. It seems as if whenever I go through the house picking things up, she follows right behind undoing what I've just done. She is also beginning to discover the wonders of climbing on things (horrors!), hence the bruise on her forehead. She's such a cute little Valentine, though!



Millie is our craft girl. She loves to make crafts! One of her favorite things to do when the Oriental Trading catalog comes is to pour over it, look for craft projects that look interesting to her, and then try to replicate them at home. She's come up with some great projects. She was very excited to make her own Valentine's this year.

Lately Abby has been wanting to have some of her school friends over so we had some over for a special Valentine's playdate today. We made "love bug" headbands, frosted sugar cookies, and had lots of fun!

I've Been Tagged . . .

A - Attached or Single: Literally or figuratively? I'm happily attached to my husband -- my one year old daughter, Jane, quite often insists on being literally attached to me (especially when I am trying to get anything at all urgent done)
B - Best Friend: Mark. He makes me laugh and helps me not take myself so seriously, is so forgiving of my many shortcomings, and is such a fun person to go through life with!
C - Cake or Pie: Pie! I love pie -- I think I get this from my dad who would often come home from work toting a fresh Marie Calendar's pie. My favorites are pumpkin and razzleberry (mixed berry), although I also have extremely fond memories of Hillory's rhubarb pie
D - Day of Choice: Saturday. Because we get to be together all day as a family.
E - Essential Item: Electricity. I know, probably too broad and general, but after suffering through more than 24 hours without it yesterday and today in subzero temperatures due to a horrible windstorm, I have to thank my lucky stars that we have it and be grateful that I do not in fact live in the 19th century as I have been fantasizing about since the PBS series, The Complete Jane Austen, began airing a few weeks ago. Runner up: books -- I'm a nerd.
F - Favorite Color: I love green, but I never wear it. One of my favorite colors to wear is red.
G - Gummi Bears or Worms: Either one, really. I love gummi candy more than any other kind. My very favorite is swedish fish.
H - Hometown: Salt Lake to Boston to Denver back to Boston to Charlottesville and soon to be to Houston. Yep, Mark's taking a job in Houston, Texas this summer (I'm having to restrain myself here from griping about the climate).
I - Indulgence(s): muffins, and occasionally doing things like reading or writing blog entries when I should be cleaning the house.
J - January or July: I usually actually prefer January. January is cozy. July is too hot.
K - Kids: three delightful, busy, little girls
L - Life is Incomplete Without: Family -- they bring so me so much joy!
M - Marriage Date: August 3, 1999 -- Mark and I both agree it was the perfect day.
N - Number of Siblings: I'm the second oldest of seven -- five girls, two boys. It's just too bad we all live way too far apart!
O - Oranges or Apples: Braeburn apples, although I'm a big fan of clementine's too.
P - Phobias or Fears: I have an extremely vivid imagination so I can't watch scary things (too real) and if my children are in the slightest bit of a precarious position my mind jumps forward five steps to the worst possible scenario.
Q - Quote(s): "Forget yourself and go to work" Gordon B. Hinkley (quoting his father), "Simplify, simplify" (although I find very hard to do) Henry David Thorough -- that's all I can think at the moment.
R - Reason to Smile: Millie and Abby talking tonight at dinner about what age qualifies them as "big kids" with Jane looking on and trying to act like she was totally a part of the conversation -- so adorable! Nothing quite like the chatter of little children.
S - Season - Currently a depressing subject to me since we are going to be moving somewhere without any and I love them all, but my favorite is Fall -- I love it!! -- followed closely by Spring, then Winter, then Summer (I know, people really do think I'm crazy. Summer is just too hot.)
T - Tag Six: Ems, Kristen, Lauren, Christine, Nate and Hill, anyone else who would like to
U - Unknown Fact About Me: I really can't think of anything interesting
V - Vegetarian or Oppressor of Animal: I've always enjoyed meat (especially chicken or turkey), but in recent years have been starting to skew a little more toward the vegetarian side
W - Worst Habit: nail biting -- it drove my dad nuts growing up and it drives my husband nuts now. I've tried everything, even having one "designated biting nail", but to no avail
X - X-Rays or Ultrasounds: Definitely ultrasounds -- always so exciting
Y - Your Favorite Food: Mashed potatoes (I love pretty much anything with potatoes-- sometimes I'll order something from a menu just because it comes with mashed potatoes), Indian, and Thai (not the super hot stuff just the nicely-spiced stuff)
Z - Zoo: Favorite animal: Millie, my animal lover, is always quick to point out, "You don't really like animals do you, Mom?" Not up close and personal anyway, but in theory I like horses.

President Gordon B. Hinkley

This past week, after the passing of President Hinkley (President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), I've been rereading parts of his biography. I've been impressed anew by his work ethic, his optimism, his never-give-up attitude, his devotion to the work, and his practical approach to problem-solving. He was such a remarkable man and I feel blessed to have heard his voice. Reading about his life and listening to his funeral has increased my desire to be a better disciple of Christ and to live a life that would make me worthy of such a rest and reunion as President Hinkley is sure to be experiencing now. I'm grateful for leaders who give so much of themselves and provide such true examples of discipleship.