Happy Birthday Eliza!

I wrote about the day Eliza was born. That was on Friday, the day before her birthday. It was the longest post I have written . . . and it is stuck in the draft stage on blogspot. If anyone can help me get it out - I would be grateful. I am also trying to figure out pictures on our new computer. . . so until I have more time (besides the 3 hours already put into this over the last few days). . . 

I want to tell my daughter that I love her.  She amazes me and I am thankful that she is mine. 

We celebrated her birthday Saturday by going to the North Market after her art class. Rudy was here -so that made it more special. Grandma and Grandpa VK arrived Saturday night - so we celebrated more on Sunday with a gorgeous cake from our favorite bakery in Birmingham.

Eliza received good wishes from lots of family. Thank you! The one massage that we have listened to several times - was from my Grandma Van. She sings her own special version of Happy Birthday and it makes us feel special!

Happy Easter!

We had a wonderfully quiet Easter Day. After the kids found all the eggs and baskets, we watched "The Testement." I am surprised every time I see it - how I feel when the Savior calls the main character, Helam by name. It is a great reminder of how the savior knows and loves us personally.

Tanner wore his first tie today. He said, "I look like a Dad!" He looked handsome and grown-up.

Our home teachers, the Cravens came over tonight. They are the best! They brought about 10 pairs of paper footprints and laid them out on the floor. They had Tanner stand on one set and move to the next as they told about different things the savior did throughout his life. Tanner stayed on the footprints and stayed focused on the stories. They always have great ideas to keep the children involved and bring the lessons to life. Thank you Cravens for being so good to our family!

All Aboard the Easter Train!

On Saturday, we drove to Nelsonville to ride the Hocking Valley Scenic Railway. The Greens invited us to join them. We had a great day - because we were with the Greens. If I were doing marketing for this Railway company - it would be hard to keep "scenic" in the name. I guess junkyard, chicken coop, and lumber yard are considered "scenic". We joked that it was 3 field trips rolled into one. I didn't think to take pictures of the scenery until it was too late. We were too busy talking, eating chocolate chip scones and taking pictures of our favorite children!




The train stopped at an open field area. The kids got to "hunt" for eggs. Basically the eggs were spread all over the field. Cameron said that the parents near him were scooping up all the eggs. I love parents who forget that things like this are for fun and not a competition. I hope they were happy with their extra bags of sub-par chocolate.

There was a raffle with different prizes. We won a free night at the Holiday Inn Express in Athens. As I was walking back to the train - one of the volunteers saw my basket and said, "wow you won the grand-prize!" I had no idea. I held my head a little higher and thought to myself, "I am a grand-prize winner." : )

Catching Up

Blizzard 2008

Who is this little masked man?

Eliza is in a digital art class this winter at CCAD. This is not part of her class - but I just want to preserve some of her work. She has a love for drawing and is able to create some great things in that wildly imaginative brain of hers. This is hanging in Tanner's room right now. He loves it - especially the pirate image.

Daddy-Daughter Date

Grace and Steve went to her school's Sock-Hop. Grace looked darling in her outfit that we borrowed form her friend Rachel. She was pretty excited abut going for ice cream after the dance and having Steve all to herself.

The girls always have a great time with their Dad. I am thankful that these official school events are not their only dates with their Dad. Whenever they ask him what he wants for his birthday or Father's day - he says, "Dates!"

When Will they Learn?

Okay - Just in case the American Idol contestants are reading my blog. . . : ) . . . DO NOT sing a song that Whitney or Celine have sung! - Ever! No matter how great you think you are - it won't be that great. So move on. Pick another song. In a whole decade of music - you must have at least 500 great songs to choose from. Pick another. Really. I'm serious.

Happy Birthday Steve!

Today (and every day) I am thankful for Steve's parents who brought him into this world and taught him the gospel and taught him to be a great man. I am thankful for friends who forced me to go to a dance at bridal veil falls where I met him for the first time. I am thankful for his friends who encouraged him to attend our BYU ward which wasn't really his ward.

I am thankful that Steve has a strong testimony of the gospel. His testimony is what persuaded me to say yes to a second date. I am thankful that he didn't know my father well enough to be afraid of him when my parents encouraged us to wait until after a mission (for me) to get married.

I am thankful that he is ambitious about learning and doing his best in his career and being a great dad - but not competitive in games, sports or cards. "Winning" in eternal things is important. Winning at worldly things is not. He loves to make people laugh. And he is good at it - even when I am mad and don't want to. I am thankful that he is a wonderful father and has great relationships with our children. I have said it many times - and I will say it again: my children owe me big time for finding such a great man to be their father!

I love you babe! Happy Birthday!

Signing Day!

I know - I don't usually get too pumped about sports. But today is exciting. My nephew, Brock Stringham signed with BYU to play football. Brock is a great football player - but he's also a great person. How many 18 year olds would spend time with their younger cousins?

I spent a few weeks with my sister this summer and became an expert Rivals.com and Scout.com. navigator. I have never been great with stats - but it has been fun to follow these boys through the recruiting process. It has also been fun to watch my sister through the process. She is an incredible mom.

Tanner Has a BYU football t-shirt. For a few days - after he would put it on - he would chant: B-U-Y. The girls thought it was pretty funny. Grace told him that it would be good to know how to spell that in the first grade. I think we have him chanting correctly now. . . B -Y-U!

Go Brock! Go Cougars!