April 2012

I was commenting to Jenn that April was such a busy month that the blog would be longer than usual, and she said, "I don't remember ever reading the blog when it wasn't a busy month!"  I guess that's true.  However, I do have to say that April 2012 is one of the busiest...and busy with wonderful things like ordinations, baptisms, visits from kids, and Easter.  Of course, we started off the month just the way we ended March, with General Conference.  What a great way to start.  I always feel so renewed after General Conference.  We  have some very special birthdays in April, including Dallin, Erika, Scott, Kirtlyn and Tayte.  And for Kirtlyn and Tayte, they were milestone birthdays.  Kirtlyn turned 8 and Tayte turned 12.  I guess Dallin's turning 20 was a milestone too. 

Dallin was 20 on the 8th

Erika's birthday was the 11th

Scott's birthday was the 12th

Kirtlyn turned 8 on the 13th

Tayte turned 12 on the 19th
Of course, the very first thing about April is April Fools' Day.  One of the best April Fools' jokes I've heard about is the one Rylie played on Rachel.  All unsuspecting, Rachel brushed her teeth that morning, but started to feel strange.  Her mouth was numb.  She couldn't understand what was happening...it felt as if she had just been to the dentist.  She checked the toothpaste tube to make sure she was using the right stuff and still didn't suspect a prank. After she rinsed her mouth and the numbness still didn't go away, she went into her family room where Rylie, Tony, Esther and Shad (they were staying with the Alders for the conference weekend) were all sitting on the couch, obviously trying not to smile.   Rylie finally confessed that she had put Ora Gel on Rachel's toothbrush!

Watching Conference

On the Saturday before Easter, we went out to the desert by the Black Hills and had our annual breakfast cookout.  Tyson and Carson camped out there the night before, so any snakes were scared away from the immediate vicinity of our campfire.  However, Polly and Isabel did encounter one when they went exploring, farther afield, all coiled, rattling and ready to strike.  They ran as fast as they could back to camp and told Scott, who went up to see it.  Fortunately, for the snake's sake, it had moved on by then.  I have so many pics of this activity that I put them in small. Sorry.

Holding sweet Baby Jared...

...the result...not so sweet!

I was so glad that Thomas was here to be with us and with his family for Easter. 

Everyone took a hike after breakfast to find a "Geo-cache" and they had to take turns carrying Maya.

They found the little treasure horde and were so exited to put some new things in as well.

It was in the metal thing that they are sitting on.

Mary and Lillian and Polly "lunged" all the way back to camp, working off the dutch-oven biscuits and honey.  I think Mary, at least, was sore for a week!

After we got back home the kids wanted to swim.  It was a beautiful day so we let them.

They also had an Easter Egg hunt.

It was fun, on Easter morning, to watch Jenn's kids look for their Easter baskets. After they found them, Thomas and Jenn went to Mesa to spend Easter with her family.

Josh with his Grandparents on Easter.

Mary and Tyson and their family joined us for Easter dinner.

Easter finery:

Rachel's kids

Mary's family

Thomas' kids

Esther's kids

Jeremy's kids, on Easter Saturday

Erika and Ellie...and Mike...all decked out for the day

Joel and Jeremy's kids coloring Easter Eggs...Crew didn't want to get his shirt dyed

Daniel's kids (the younger ones, at least)

Rebecca's kids' Easter baskets

I was able to go to Kirtlyn's school choir program. She was the prettiest and the most expressive one! 

It was nice not to just hear about it from Mexico!

Scott, on his birthday

We took Thomas and Jenn and family to Jumbo's before he left to go back to Mexico. Maya the Mexican likes Chinese food.

We had a really nice visit from Jan and Kent.  They came to visit us and to see the Gila Valley Temple. It was so fun showing them around and showing it off after our session.

Mary and Rachel took pictures of Kirtlyn for  her baptism video. Her dad bought the dress in Mexico.  It was way too big, but I was able to fix it so it would stay on her. And she looked so pretty in it.

She was telling her parents how excited she was for the next day, and Thomas teasingly asked why she was excited about it.  She said, "Well, it has something to do with the number 8."

Birthday celebration

Her aunts took her and her cousins to get snow cones.

We had to order her CTR ring because we couldn't find any that she liked in her size.  But we took her out for an ice cream cone anyway.

Baptism day.

She was baptized by her father, Thomas, and then confirmed by him, assisted by her uncles Tyson, Chris Knudsen, Cory Echols, Scott, and Tony. Grandpa and Dave Konopnicki and Josh, and DeWitt also assisted.  It was especially touching to me to have Josh and DeWitt participate in this Melchizedek Priesthood ordinance.

After the baptism, Thomas and Jenn treated everyone to an authentic Mexican feast...fiesta.  We had steak fajitas, tortillas, beans, rice, fruit, and I can't even remember what else. It was cold and windy that day, so we set up tables in the house. I was amazed at how many people we could seat just in our front rooms.  We had two tables in the living room, one in the family room and, of course, the kitchen table and counter.

Grandpa, talking to Kirtlyn about how to feel the Spirit of the Holy Ghost

I just had to take this picture...They look just alike, don't they?

Hyrum got to start preschool this month at the Dorothy Stinson Preschool

One time, when Jenn had to be away, Mary babysat Hyrum and Maya.  Maya was so upset when her mom left, so Hyrum put his arm around her and told Mary that Maya just need to "cry in his shirt." It worked, too.  She was fine after her "shirt crying."Now, if we could only put Hyrum in the nursery at church with Maya!

Luke showing Maya a computer game. She was entranced and actually sat there watching him for quite a while...longer than Isabel did

April is Stake Conference month for us, and besides my having to speak at the Saturday night session about couple missions, Rachel and Tony had to feed all the Stake Presidency, any conference visitors and newly released stake workers. This is their 3rd time to do this, so they are getting quite proficient at it.  This time, Rachel went with a picnic theme and had barbecue sandwiches, Tony's chicken salad sandwiches, assorted salads and rich, nutty brownies, along with fresh fruit juice.  She had fresh spring flowers on all the tables, too.

Mary and Tyson came to help.  Dad and I came too, but there was little for us to do. Rebecca and Scott, who have been so much help in the past, were in Mesa to the state tennis tournament.

On the 22nd, Tayte was ordained, by his father, to the Aaronic Priestood. Standing in the circle were Grandpa, the Bishop (who is Brittney Green's father...she is a girl in our ward, married to Nathan Green), and to my delight, Daynen.

The beautiful Jeremy and Erika Biggs family, with Dad and me.

We had a whirlwind visit from Nathan this month.  Actually, he came to see Josh and meet Nicole. He had met her parents, in Mesa, the night before he came.  He stayed at Rebecca's house because we had flu at our house...just in time for his visit.  It wasn't the same kind of flu we had when he visited in January, but he didn't want to take any chances, so Rebecca and Scott kindly welcomed him into their home.  Here, he and Rachel were both talking to other people while Rebecca and I just sat and watched them.  By the way, he brought me a stack of Shauna's famous knitted wash cloths. I use them to wash my face. I was so glad to get them. I finally retired my old ones to the kitchen to use for dish cloths. Thanks a bunch, Shauna.

We had a family party before he left.  Everyone brought enchiladas and trimmings.  It was cold and windy, so the safest, warmest place for Jared was in the fireplace?

Josh brought Nicole and Laynie, Nicole's friend, who, by the way, is Dad's 1st cousin's granddaughter. Bill Biggs is her grandfather.

The kids playing Red Rover

When the party was just winding down, Rebecca's Korean renter, brought over some traditional Korean food, which Nathan and Tyson prepared for us. Some of it...and the operative word here is "some" was delicious. Some of it, however, made my lips burn for an hour afterwards! i would have been glad for some of Rylie's Ora Gel!!!

The next morning, Nathan left to catch his plane in Phoenix. He came by the house to say "Good bye" so I got a final picture of him with Josh...who just got out of bed to see him.  He went by Grandma and Grandma's house before he had to be at the airport and had a good visit with them.

Lynn and Sandra Smith had a fund-raiser-dinner in their back yard on the 27th. They were trying to raise money to buy medicine to take with them when they go to Honduras. They go every year to donate their time and money to help the people there, but felt they could do so much more if they had help buying the medicine.  Rachel's family and Jenn's family all went with us. It made me proud to have them along, not just to show them off, but to participate in such a worthwhile effort.

Bishop Smith, modeling an apron made by Hondurans that he was auctioning off

Sandra in her Honduran dress

All these activities are in addition to the regular things like Temple service, Relief Society lesson, Dad's gardening (he's made our yard into a showplace). What a month! I was exhausted.

News From Around the Family

Yes, Josh and Nicole are getting married.  It is official. Josh asked her father's permission last Sunday. The date is set for August 3rd, as you already know from Shauna's blog.

WHAT??? You will never believe how this happened. Skiing accident? Tractor wreck? Fight with his brothers?  No. Drama class.  Yes, they were showing how to have a fake fight for a play and fake turned to real.  A fake swing forcefully connected with Shadrach's nose.

Albert is the one in the rainbow hair.  He and his friend mc-eed a school talent show, showing off their own talent for clowning around.

Lindsay was a model for her aunt Elizabeth's hair show.

"This is how I was supposed to stand"

Tayte, Docker and Harrison at Hunger Games

Rachel calls this their "redneck swimming pool."

Soren has been playing T-ball. He pulls that hat down on top of his ears and he is so cute with his ears sticking out.

                     Esther had a visit from Melissa. They and their children took a picnic to the park

Rebecca being one of Scott's workers.  What a woman!

Lillian and DeWitt at the State Tennis tournaments

They had to go to Mesa for at least four consecutive weekends.  They really appreciated the condo, and we really appreciated their always leaving it so clean.  The refrigerator broke while they were there, so we had to get a new one.

Levi's and DeWitt's prom pics.  They both had exceptionally beautiful dates.  I guess I got it wrong last month when I put in what I thought were prom pictures.  These are the real ones.

Allison and her roomies dressed for the Dixie spring dance.  Isn't she just the prettiest one?  I know I always say that and you all think I am just an overly fond grandma, but I have eyes, I can tell who's pretty and who's not.  So there.

Our missionaries: They are both doing well, having success and speaking amazing Spanish. Dad and I are so impressed with their letters. They are growing so much spiritually and always express their love for the Gospel and for the work they are doing.

Stetson wearing a shirt a member gave him

Dallin in one of his earlier apartments.  He doesn't send pictures very often, so I had to go back and get this one from a while ago. 

Well, that was April.  May is going to be another whopper with graduations, concerts, plays, ordinations, etc, etc. I'm really looking forward to it. I just can't imagine how other old people manage unless they have busy, exciting times to look forward to. What a wonderful family we have. We are so thankful for each one of you and for your righteous, if busy, crazy lives. We pray for you always and hope you pray for us.