Madi's Birth Photo Album

Jon shared some photos from Madeline's birth day so enjoy!

Just a note....

Last night I started an eight week Excel class. I have used Excel for data sorting and other uses but have not been able to master the formulas (my aversion to anything mathematical) so I am taking a beginning (4 week) class followed by an advanced (4 week) class from my favorite computer teacher at Bountiful High's Community School. Last night was VERY basic and I didn't learn anything I didn't already know, but I felt I needed to make sure I hadn't missed some important early information so I endured it. This will help me achieve a goal for this year!

Today I'm off work, getting hair cut, looking at another used washer and dryer, then going to the Home and Garden Show. Life is hectic and it's just one day at a time....

Soon I am going to tackle organizing my blog labels to contract them so the list is not so out of control. I guess you'll know when I achieve that one.

Women's History Month

I can't write a lot here but I hope you will read more about these women. A few of my heroines from the past include:

Helen Keller (author, activist, lecturer and first deaf/blind person to graduate from college) At 19 months of age the previously normal child acquired infection - perhaps meningitis or scarlet fever (I have heard it as measles as well). It was called acute stomach and brain congestion according to the records of the day. Her first signs were 60 "words" her friend Martha Washington (six year old daughter of the family cook) created for her in sign. By age seven she had sixty home signs and experts later said this friendship and early intervention was crucial to her later development. Anne Sullivan taught her the alphabet so she was able to communicate her thoughts and she excelled under her tutilage. She was well traveled, and was outspoken in her opposition to war. She campaigned for women's suffrage, worker's rights and socialism, as well as many other progressive causes.

Helen Keller wrote her autobiography, publishing The Story of My Life (1903) and Midstream: My Later Life (1929) as well as publishing several other books, including The Practice of Optimism (1903, 1915), My Religion (1927), and Teacher, Anne Sullivan Macy: A Tribute by the Foster Child of her Mind (1955). She also worked for socialism and for women's rights and raised money for the American Foundation for the Blind.

Early days - Helen and AnneHelen with Anne Sullivan
Young Helen
Anne Sullivan (teacher of Helen) Her parents were impoverished cooks who left Ireland during the potato famine. Her mother died when she was nine years old and she went to live with relatives. She began losing her sight at the age of three to infection that left scarring. After several unsuccessful attempts to clear her eyes, surgery finally restored vision to a reasonable degree. She graduated as valedictorian from Perkins School for the Blind and became a teacher. The director encouraged her to teach Helen Keller. She taught her the alphabet in sign as she acted as governess to the blind and deaf child. Thanks to her efforts, Helen could communicate and demonstrate her vast intelligence. Anne remained her companion for years and was blind the year prior to her death at age 70.
Clara Barton (teacher, humanitarian, nurse and organizer of the American Red Cross) She began her nursing career at age 11, caring for her severely injured brother, served faithfully during the Civil War where under President Lincoln's directive she traced the fate of 30,000 soldiers. She worked in a Cuban hospital at the age of 77 and resigned as chairman of the Red Cross at the age of 83.
Clara Barton

Florence Nightingale (the "Lady with the Lamp," writer, statistician, and pioneer of modern nursing). She was born into a rich family but felt her calling was to be a nurse. Her most famous work was done in the Crimean War where she was called a "ministering angel" as she gave comfort and care to the injured soldiers. She advocated sanitary conditions in living quarters and hospitals, reducing deaths among soldiers in peacetime. She organized the first school of nursing and midwifery and with Elizabeth Blackwell, opened the Women's Medical College. She served in the Civil War and was instrumental in many other health causes.

Worth Watching

http://video.stumbleupon.com/#p=ithct48cqw

Easter Sunday

Olivia, Ashlie and Alex - ready for Church.
Ready for Church - Adam, Noah, Emma
Liz and Emma after Church

What does Easter mean? Every person who has been born (and thus died) on Earth will be resurrected. It is a free gift to all and is not the result of good works or faith. Jesus Christ made the resurrection possible when he himself broke the bands of death: "As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive" (1 Corinthians 15:22.) Contrary to what some care to believe, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints does teach and believe that all are saved in Christ. As a perfect man, through his death he was able to pay the price for all the rest of us who sin. His resurrection led the way and showed us that we will live again.

If you want to know what the LDS people believe, please check out the official Church website or talk to active members or missionaries. I am always amazed that people will believe the opinion of non-members (even anti-church folks) about what we believe (and take that as fact) rather than going to a source that actually knows. If you want to know what the Catholics (or Muslims or Jews or Baptists) believe, don't ask me. I may have an opinion and even some facts but would I be the right source for truth here? H-e-l-l-o! www.lds.org

Have a blessed Easter day.

Emma and her Easter goodies.
Emma Adam & Noah

Music last night, Family today, Easter tomorrow

Easter family dinner today. Natalie has plans with the in-laws on Sunday so we are doing our thing on Saturday. Everyone here except Aubrey and her family. We miss them! Obviously we like to eat.



Last night I enjoyed Pete's bluegrass concert. Of course I forgot my camera (again!). Tried camera photos but not enough light.

Happy Easter to everyone!

Good Friday

"He is not here: for he is risen..." (Matthew 28: 1-15, Luke 24: 1-12, John 20:1-10)
Good Friday: The day Christians believe Jesus was crucified by order of the Roman governor Pontius Pilate. Following his death, Jesus' body was wrapped in a shroud and placed in a tomb by Joseph of Arimathea.

"The gift of immortality to all is so choice a gift that our rejoicing in these two great and generous gifts should drown out any sorrow, assuage any grief, conquer any mood, dissolve any despair, and tame any tragedy.

Even those who see life as pointless will one day point with adoration to the performance of the Man of Galilee in the crowded moments of time known as Gethsemane and Calvary. Those who now say life is meaningless will yet applaud the atonement, which saved us all from meaninglessness.

Christ’s victory over death routs the rationale that there is a general and irreversible human predicament; there are only personal predicaments, but even from these we can also be rescued by following the pathway of Him who rescued us from general extinction.

A disciple’s “brightness of hope,” therefore, means that at funerals his tears are not because of termination, but because of interruption and separation. Though just as wet, his tears are not of despair, but of appreciation and anticipation. Yes, for disciples, the closing of a grave is but the closing of a door that will later be flung open.

It is the Garden Tomb, not life, that is empty!"

Neal A. Maxwell, Wherefore Ye Must Press Forward, pp. 132-3

Spring Equinox & Pioneers

The moment when the Sun is positioned directly over the Earth's equator. Interesting that it varies from year to year - sometimes on March 20 and sometimes it's March 21. I love spring. I can't wait to be outside working in my yard - wish I had more time to actually do that though.

Ashlie and Olivia performed in their school musical production, Go West! They were cute little pioneers.
Ashlie & Olivia

Brought to you by the letter "J"

Julia, Jasmine, Jaelyn jumping on Jon

Civil War & Provo House

Steve and I have been taking advantage of spring break from school (for him). We saw The Civil War at Hale Center Theater. They always do a great job and this one was very moving - a musical that is not all light-hearted, but powerful. Merrill Osmond starred in it because he had wanted to do the show, learned it was being performed locally so he came. Andrew Barrus directed it.

We worked on the Provo house too. Here are some of the photos. More to come because the house is to be sold.

Logan Temple

Today I am going to the Logan Temple with my friend Barb and a few of her friends. This is one I have never been in before so I'm very excited. It's also great to spend the day with this really great friend.

Easter is Early

Making plans for Easter. Josh & Asher found the Easter Bunny at the mall in Kansas.

My mom shared this trivia with me about this year's early Easter . . .

Interesting facts about Easter:

Easter this year is: Sunday March 23 2008

As you may know Easter is always the 1st Sunday after the 1st full moon after the Spring Equinox (which is March 20).

This dating of Easter is based on the lunar calendar that Hebrew people used to identify Passover which is why it moves around on our Roman calendar.

Based on the above Easter can actually be one day earlier (March 22) but that is pretty rare.

This year is the earliest Easter any of us will ever see the rest of our lives!

And only the most elderly of our population have ever seen it this early (95 years old or above!).

And none of us have ever or will ever see it a day earlier! Here are the facts:

The next time Easter will be this early (March 23) will be the year 2228 (220 years from now).

The last time it was this early was 1913 (so if you're 95 or older you are the only ones that were around for that!).

The next time it will be a day earlier March 22 will be in the year 2285 (277 years from now).

The last time it was on March 22 was 1818.

So no one alive today has or will ever see it any earlier than this year!

Madeline

Karla with Madeline
The "sling" - perfect for breasfeeding moms!

Gold Plates

Plates on Display in Bulgaria

The world's oldest multiple-page book - in the lost Etruscan language - has gone on display in Bulgaria's National History Museum in Sofia. And something about that book has particular interest for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
As is evident from the photograph, this book was created on metal plates that are bound together with metal rings similar to the original source documents that became the Book of Mormon.

The book dates back to 600 B.C., which is roughly the time that Lehi and his family left Jerusalem.

The small manuscript, which is more than two and a half millennia old, was discovered 60 years ago in a tomb uncovered during digging for a canal along the Strouma River in southwestern Bulgaria. It has now been donated to the museum by its finder, on condition of anonymity.
Reports say the unidentified donor is now 87 years old and lives in Macedonia.The authenticity of the book has been confirmed by two experts in Sofia and London, museum director! Bojidar Dimitrov said quoted by AFP. The six sheets are believed to be the oldest comprehensive work involving multiple pages, said Elka Penkova,
who heads the museum's archaeological department.

There are around 30 similar pages known in the world, Ms Penkova said, 'but they are not linked together in a book'.
The Etruscans - one of Europe's most mysterious ancient peoples - are believed to have migrated from Lydia, in modern western Turkey, settling in northern and central Italy nearly 3,000 years ago.

They were wiped out by the conquering Romans in the fourth century BC, leaving few written records.

The long debated question about bound metal records existing in the Middle East 2500 years ago as claimed by the Book of Mormon can now be put to rest. Critics should take note and check that item off their list of objections to the authenticity of the Book of Mormon.

See also: http://farms.byu.edu/display.php?table=insights&id=357
http://www.ancientamerica.org/library/media/HTML/vl4hnl6g/Gold%20Plates!.htm?n=0

Unforgettable

I love this guy. If you want to see more there are at least seven on YouTube. He does impersonations and singing along with his excellent ventriloquism and puppeteering. This is my personal favorite of his. If you want to hear this you may need to pause the automatic song in the right sidebar.

Amazing Art

Jon shared this. If you want to hear this you may need to pause the automatic song in the right sidebar.

This is the story of Ma Li and Zhai Xiaowei as I heard it (I have not authenticated it):

She was a teenage dancer in China, having trained from early childhood, when she lost her left arm in a car accident. Depressed, she turned away from dancing for awhile. But when asked to coach a group of children, she realized her love of dance was still there.

She returned to dancing, finding at first that it was difficult to maintain balance in her turns and spins without her lost limb. But gradually she learned to compensate.

A number of years later, she heard of a young man in his 20's who had lost his leg. He, too, was going through the roller coaster emotions of denial, depression and anger that she had gone through. Although he had never danced before, she talked him into trying it. It was a challenge for both of them. They separated several times when the frustration became too great. He had no concept of how to use his muscles or even the most basic dance steps.

Eventually, they broke through their frustrations and went back to training, hiring a choreographer to design routines for them.

Daylight Saving Time

This makes spring official in my book so I'm glad it comes in March now, instead of April. I love the longer days and actual sunlight. It's so nice to wake up in daylight and have it still daylight when I leave my office. Now I just need to adjust my body's internal clock so I won't be late for work. So, happy spring!

If you haven't read Aubrey's blog today, don't miss it. It made me cry. This is not the political one she was upset about, but a very introspective, thoughtful and moving piece of work that shows her writing ability and who she is inside - something we don't often get to see in people we love.

Bountiful Family History Fair

Today I attended this excellent annual event as I have for a number of years now. I am ready to go on this again but so little time. I do wish I had free days to do research with the exciting web-based material so available now.

Prayers Still Needed

This is the one-month photo of Chris' repaired fingers. The bad news is the end of the pointer finger is not looking good and he could lose it yet. The doctor said yesterday that the "cornflake" bones (all that was left beyond the joint) have not gathered together at all as he had hoped and sometimes happens. They will try a long-shot with some electrical stimulation but he was not terribly optimistic. The middle finger is doing pretty good, though movement is severely restricted. There's still a long way to go and the painful physical therapy is trying to help him save the ligaments from fusing to the scar tissue. So, he still needs your prayers for a miracle. Thanks

Josh the Artist

Josh says "this is my mom and dad crying"
This is a "Tuppy" (Josh says it's how his little brother says "Puppy"

He wrote his mom's name, Aubrey

He asked his mom to draw me, then he copied it on the left.

Josh's Happy Face

Josh's Nervous Mad Face

Sweet Josh, 5 years old. What a great kid!

A First for Emma

Today Emma joined the ranks of her other cousins and brothers. She was excited to lose a tooth.

Chris One Month Ago Today - Graphic Photos

View at your own risk. Your mouse can hover over a photo for description.

Jon came along as the official accident photographer and this explains the good quality - mine tend to be not so clear, especially for close-ups. He has a strong stomach too.

Girl's Day

Today is a big celebration in Japan - Girl's Day. My four Japanese-American grandchildren enjoy this day when their grandfather in Japan fusses over them. This is the wonderful display he sent as a gift and they put it up every year at this time.

So, celebrate girls!

This weekend I got to have my granddaughter, Kenlee, while her parents went to a Nascar race in Las Vegas. She is a sweetie and we don't get to see her often enough. We also celebrated birthdays for four (Jon, Feb.27, Rob, Mar. 5, Jaelyn, Feb. 2, Julia, Mar. 18).

Justin and Krista at the race

More Snow

March came in like the proverbial lion. More snow. But at this time of year it usually doesn't stick for too long and there's hope for spring.

Last night Steve and I attended a seminar, Living the Book of Mormon. Speakers included Joe J. Christensen, Joseph McConkie, Alonzo Gaskill, and Victor Ludlow. It was very good.