I guess Danny was listening pretty well during sharing time this past Sunday, during which we heard stories of pioneers who traveled to Utah. In one of these stories, we were told of a young girl who froze to death. After sharing time was over, Danny turned around in his seat to locate me. (I am a primary teacher for the 7 year olds.) He asked me, "Mommy, are you going to die? I don't want you to ever die." So, we had some talking and reassuring to do when we got home from church. At least he was listening!

Ringing Ears

That would describe the state of JD's and mine after Tuesday night. We went with JD's dad and siblings to the American Idol concert in Salt Lake. I have never seen or heard so many screaming teenage and pre-teen girls in my life! They were quite a spectacle for us to watch. Shrieks and shrills all night long. We could almost hear the music through it all.

Seriously, though, it was an entertaining concert, and what music we did hear sounded good. Thanks to JD's dad for taking us!

Swell Time at Jordanelle

We had a fantastic weekend camping at Jordanelle near Park City. Unfortunately, I forgot to bring the camera, so we don't have any pictures of our adventure. JD's dad rented 4 waverunners to ride out on the dam lake. (Sorry if that offends anyone. I just couldn't help myself! It IS a lake created by a dam.) I was a little reserved on them at first, having never driven one before, but with a little practice, I got much more daring, so it became alot more fun to ride them. It actually is a slight workout to the arms when you go fast, flip around in a 180 then fly across the wake you've just created.

The boys even went out for slow rides with us. Sam would scream, "Slow!" anytime he thought JD was driving him a bit too fast, which was really not fast at all, and Danny enjoyed his ride with me. They liked to watch the other waverunners and boats out on the lake.

We were all very fortunate not to get sunburns. By "we" I mean the kids and I. I reapplied sunscreen over and over to my kids and myself. Since we are all so fairskinned, we would have cooked otherwise. No serious injuries either. Of course there were the minor scrapes and scratches to be expected from active boys playing outside all day.

Why is it that camping food tastes so good? Is it because we're famished when we eat or is it the smoky flavor of the barbeque? Maybe both. I guess in our case, it's also because we don't eat the types of food we had very often. A nice indulgence for us. Many thanks to JD's family for providing us with a great weekend!

Kids' Birthday Party for Danny

Danny is excited to open presents.
The scramble for candy from our dinosaur pinata.













The children are decorating their cupcakes with frosting and different candies.











Sam really likes his cupcake. At least the chocolate frosting part.

Danny is about ready to swing for the pinata. I made him pose for a picture first. I wish I had had the camera rolling, because when I asked him to hit the pinata, so I could take a picture, he maintained this position with his back to the pinata and started to swing the bat behind him. I guess he thought I wanted a picture of the front of him.

Discovery Gateway Museum

Wow! When the pictures from May were finally uploaded to our computer, I realized what a busy and fun month we had. JD earned a free day off of work, because he worked really hard and diligently to get a project done. On that day off, we took the kids to the Discovery Museum at the Gateway in SLC. It was an amazing place for our children. They LOVED it. We spent all afternoon there, and when we left, the kids were upset, wanting to stay longer. It took some great coaxing to get the boys past the first exhibit to go look at the other things in the museum, because they enjoyed it so much. We must have spent over an hour alone at this first area, so we didn't even get to experience all the museum had to offer. I know the children would love to go back again for an afternoon.

Danny's Preschool Graduation

This is a picture of Danny's "Bus School" teachers. (For those of you who don't know what that means: it was the school district's preschool for kids with disabilities. Danny's was speech. He got to ride a bus to and from the school. Hence, the term "bus school". The bus driver picked him up right in front of our driveway.)
At the graduation, they had an all-out program with music performances, diplomas, and cake. It was cute and fun, but I couldn't help think of the lines from the movie "The Incredibles" about preschool graduation.

Here are videos of the procession and one of the songs the class performed. Danny did a good job participating.

My Danny Boy

My firstborn is 5 years old now! It really does feel like it was just yesterday when he was born. We love him very much. He's been such a great helper for me lately. He likes to play with his baby sister, Alina. He loves to tease Sam. What kind of a big brother would he be if he didn't? He really is a loving boy. He frequently and randomly comes up to me to say, "mommy, I love you. You know that?"

Right now, he is obsessed with Mario Kart and Smash Brothers for the Wii. Before he can play games, I make him do some workbook pages. He calls it his "get smart stuff". After he does this, he asks me if he's smart now, so he can play games. What he really loves is for his friends (or mommy, daddy, sam) to play the games with him, because he is very social.

He does like to talk. I don't know where he got that from.... When we're out grocery shopping or doing some other errand, he'll make sure other kids he sees knows that he is Danny and he's 5 now and what's their names. The grocer at the checkout stand is sure to hear this same information, too.

As soon as I get some newer pictures loaded to the computer, I will post pictures from his birthday. We had a big birthday party with lots of little friends the night before his birthday, he played soccer at one of his games, and we went to the zoo on the day of his birthday. It was a great 2 days for him.

Snow in April

Picture taken April 26th. The weather is so unpredictable here during the spring. That day started out sunny, and then this happened in the afternoon. By dinnertime, the sun was out again and the clouds were gone. If you can believe it, it also snowed in May.

Soccer Madness!

This video was taken on April 26th. It is Danny's second soccer game of the season. He is playing in the local city league. It's the first time we've had him signed up for any team sports. He has really been enjoying the games. There are no rules for his age group other than the out of bounds and scoring in the opponents goal. Keeping it simple for the kids. We all have fun watching the games. They can be quite entertaining (because as you'll see in the next video, they are sometimes funny). Danny is wearing the number 13, in case you don't know which one he is. He also has a green hoodie under his jersey. It is usually chilly at the fields where the games are played. The wind is pretty fierce, too.

This video is a little bit funny. At this moment, Danny was more preoccupied with one of his shin guards than the game when the ball was put back into play. This was his second game of the season, which was held on April 26th.

My First Completed Quilt

Some of you know that I had taken up quilting as a mini-hobby a couple years ago, so I thought I would post a picture of the quilt that I finished first. This quilt uses patterns that were commonly used in the 1920's and '30's. I pieced together 13 different 12 inch squares and then added 12 more squares with the same pattern to put in between the different ones. I added borders and corner squares using fabrics already in the quilt. I stippled the whole thing, since that was the easiest for me (as opposed to quilting in specific patterns or doing a "stitch in the ditch"). Without my mom knowing it, I was making this for her. She asked me about it all the time while I was working on it, and I certainly enjoyed keeping it a secret from her that it was for her. I sent it to her last year for her birthday/mother's day gift. (Her birthday is approx. 1 week before Mother's Day.) I had to stay up pretty late into the night after the kids were in bed in order to sew.
I actually haven't done any more sewing or quilting since Alina was born in August, because I am just too tired to stay up any later than the kids. When I start getting more sleep at night, then I will stay up late to work on another quilt that I was working on before she was born. That one is a Civil War Underground Railroad quilt using darker fabrics more typical of that era, and the squares are patterns that were used as codes for the underground railroad.

Easter Egg Hunt

Our family drove over to JD's aunt's house in Midvale for an Easter dinner and egg hunt. Danny and Sam really enjoy running around the yard looking for the eggs. Alina even got into the act. I'd post a video of her holding an egg, but JD recorded it sideways with our digital camera.

Easter

The boys are excited about their Easter baskets and wait for me to open Danny's. Sam is holding a dinosaur that was in his basket, and Danny is holding a little clothes pin bunny we made at the library after reading time.

This is Alina in her Easter dress. Her Grandma Zimmerman is holding her in our living room.

A Huge Grin

Alina frequently smiles with her tongue hanging out. We think it's pretty cute. This picture was taken in March after church meetings.

Alina's First Ice Cream Cone

The title of this picture might have worried some of you moms who know that you don't give babies under a year ice cream and milk. We didn't give her any ice cream. It's just the cone! She still likes it. Although, I'm sure she'll like it more when there is ice cream put into one for her. This pic was taken at grandma and grandpa Zimmerman's house during General Conference after I finished the race.

Provo Half Marathon

I finally ran in a half marathon. I had been training on and off since Alina was born. The timing and location of this race worked out the best for me. It was held on April 5th in Provo, UT. The weather was quite chilly that morning, and I had a cold, but I survived! It was a really good experience for me, because now I know I can do it. 5 years ago, I never would have imagined I'd be running these kinds of distances. I have a goal to run 2 half marathons this year, so I have one more to go. The plan is to run one in August when the weather is a little warmer, and I've had a chance to drop a few more pounds. Anyway, Alina and JD greeted me at the finish line in downtown Provo. Alina didn't want anyone else to hold her once she saw me.

December Dump

The snow really piled up. This was taken after one snowstorm ended. Danny is in our backyard on the deck.

JD and the boys in our backyard

Here's our first snowman for the winter. For those of you who haven't seen our house, this picture lets you see a good portion of the front.