Disneyland-"The Happiest Place on Earth"

In the fall of 2015 we took our kids to Disneyland for the first time!! We told them when we finished reading The Book of Mormon, another Testament of Jesus Christ, as a family, we would celebrate the accomplishment with a fun trip. The book is 531 pages.  We read one page per day.  It was slow, it is a dense book, but we did it in 18 months. 

One thing Gracie chose to do was go to the Princess Salon in Downtown Disney, and get an Elsa Makeover. 

It was so fun having Fairy godmothers get her all ready for a grand adventure in Disneyland. 

Here she is all made up.  Just needed a little sprinkle of fairy dust  to complete the  magic morning.

Later that day they met other fairy Princesses

Tinkerbell was the Highlight

Mary Poppins was my Favorite.  Who doesn't love that dress? A classic.  So fun!

Then of course Dad was around to take the kids on all the rides.  

We learned Kersti is little daredevil.  She loved every ride she was big enough to go on 

Evening light show, a great way to end the evening. 

I'm always in plastic if the chance to get wet arrives.  I can't stand being wet and cold. 

Will and Jill were able to join us.  We also went to Legoland. 

We stayed in the Leoland Hotel.  It had themed bedrooms, and quick access to the park.  It really made the trip even more memorable.  

Sunday, we avoided the parks in an effort to keep the Sabbath Day holy. We went to see the San Diego   Latter-day Saint Temple.  It was a beautiful and holy place. 

Leoland has an aquarium next to it.  

But the coolest thing of all was seeing all the lego statures throughout the park. 

This is totally made of legos. 

Kjersti's favorite ride in all of Legoland was this horse.  She went about 4 times.  She had to be 4 years old to ride, but the ride monitor wasn't being too strict. When he asked he how old she was-she said 4.  So on she went.  But she is only 3.  But she didn't know that.  She just heard all the other kids say 4 so that's what she said.  Luckily she was tall and met the height requirement.

Lego Washington Monument

Lego boat racing

Lego town.  All  made of lego bricks

My favorite lego construction.  Who doesn't think the Taj Mahal isn't fabulous?

The Statue of Liberty--

More rides

                                    Lego figures--yes made of bricks! And this was now 6 years ago!  I'm pretty behind on my blogging!  We have been back to Disneyland a few times now, and Seaworld, and the beach.  But not back to Legoland. 

Music Journey Update

Kjersti, Gracie, and Jace started music lessons in SLC on February 18, 2018.  It has been 3 years now and they are making good progress on developing their talents!  I am so proud of them.  

Gracie entered the Padereski Piano competition in SLC in February and won FIRST place in her division playing Through Forest and Field!  It was a total shock and surprise.  We didn't feel she had a chance to win against the SLC students. But she did, and they mailed her a $35 check. 

I uploaded the recording--hopefully it works

 Kjersti, is grown up and a beautiful musician too. She is 7 now and finishing up level 2 in the Suzuki level 2 method. 

Yes, we still commute, and yes it is exhausting and rewarding, and a huge expense in our monthly budget.  And quite often when it's time to spend a few hours in the living room practicing, they still ask us why they have to play an instrument.  And we tell them...because it will bless your life......like it has ours. 

Jae just had his first in person recital in Las Vegas with his teacher Robin Reinarz. He is studying level 4/5 in the Suzuki cello method.  He is really getting nice tone and vibrato.  He recently got hired to play for the Kingman Art show.  He was paid $10.00 and he was thrilled!!

But here is a rehearsal from last summer.  

The Summer of the Goslings

On an unassuming day in mid- June, Gracie and I snuggled up on the white couch in our living room to complete another lesson in her  Good and The Beautiful homeschool language arts curriculum. I love this curriculum, but that is beside the point. The point is, we read Hans Christian Andersen's The Ugly Duckling. I had never read this tale in it's original unabridged form.  It left us longing to have a baby duck or swan to put in our koi pond in the backyard. 

Wanting to fulfill this desire in our hearts, it lead the kids and I on a trip across town to Kingman Stock and Feed.  When we arrived, we were told they didn't currently have ducks for sale, which was good, because the Dr didn't approve of pet ducks, but they did had something far better------goslings!!

If ducks were a definite no, how was I going to get the Dr to approve of pet geese?  Just as the girls were holding, and cooing over the darlings, in walked a stout, friendly woman.  She talked to the girls and wondered if they were there for some geese.  I told her we couldn't have any, and that we were just there looking. Upon conversing for a minute longer-we discovered we had some similarities: she had a farm!  I wanted a farm!  She home-schools her 13 kids!  I  home-school my 3 kids! I had a pond, she had a pond--we both needed goslings!  

She came up with a solution-she would let me take 2 of her goslings and foster them for the summer. Brilliant!!

I ran her idea past the DR--he approved!!--with the condition they go to Pam's farm at the end of the summer.  It was a deal and I came home with 2 darlings in a cardboard box. 

We were entranced.  They brought so much life to the yard. We love our tortoises, but they want us to ignore them, and tend to be on the quiet side. These babies were needy and noisy. They cried if we left their side.  How endearing! We had to take shifts baby- sitting them. 

They'd go for swims, and walks,

and then hallelujah for nap time. By then we were exhausted keeping the babies happy.

With all things cancelled for the summer of COVID-this was the perfect pastime. 

At first they slept in a large Rubber made bin in the garage and swam in this water fountain during the day . But everyday, they were noticeably larger. 

It was only a matter of time before they ended up in the pool! Now swimming with geese is fun!  Potty training them to poop before getting in- is a challenge.

Within 4 weeks they had outgrown the waterfall on the side of the house, and needed something larger to help cool them from the beating July heat.

So, the kind Dr, who didn't, and doesn't want geese, lent us his strength to help us lift rock and dig a large hole.

Yes, it was another pond.  Because they are so stinking scared of the koi in the koi pond, they won't go in it, so now they have one that is fish free-----but not kid free.

And now they are huge, and so is my boy.  How did this happen?  Time is so fleeting.....

And just like that the sun sets on childhood, and all we have left are the memories. And what lasting memories I hope to create in the wake of my childrens' childhoods. 

America! America! God Shed His Grace on Thee

July 4th, 2020, was wonderful, despite all the social changes we have all experienced because of COVID-19.

Our day began like many others, dragging out late, because of staying up the night before to watch a movie.  The movie was the Broadway production of Hamilton, aired on Disney+.  Wish I could say I loved it, but I just didn't, not sure I even liked it. But I really wanted to. 

Our morning was filled with the usual, tidying up the house, fixing breakfast, and tending to our many pets.  At this point in time, we have a pond full of koi and goldfish, 12 tortoises of varying breeds and sizes, and 2 young gosling.  We acquired the goslings  4 weeks ago.  I will do a full post later on the goslings-as they are the highlight to this summer. 

By early afternoon we were bored, and Ryan and I wanted to make the day memorable and special. We'd  planned to make dry-ice root beer and cake for dinner-  but what to do in the middle of the afternoon?  In past years we have invited friends over to BBQ and swim.  But this year, we had chosen to isolate. Ryan wanted to go on our usual hike up in the Hualapai Mtns.,  20 minutes from our house, but I didn't really want to hike and felt like doing something a little different.  I suggested  we go discover a new place--maybe Pine Lake.

Ryan agreed and thought we should take the goslings to swim in the lake! The kids were beyond thrilled!

We loaded 3 kids, gear, and 2 young goslings in the back of the pick-up truck and took off. We got up to where Pine Lake was supposed to be and learned it was private and mostly just a mud puddle.  

Disappointed--and wanting water for the geese- Ryan remembered a little pond and creek about 30 miles from Kingman that he and Jace went to for Father and Sons a few years ago. 

Water in this part of the desert is really hard to find!

We took I-40 east about 25 miles to the Silver Springs exit then turned off.  When the paved road ended,  we were greeted by a bumpy and dusty dirt road that proved  interesting and fun!  It's not everyday  you are greeted by a herd of grazing cows that are annoyed you want them to move off the road.  They mooed and flipped their tails in annoyance--but did move as we crept towards them.

Miles later, with geese quacking their disaproval of the bumpy road-we came to this small, round culvert that ran under the I-40. Ryan, relieved and delighted he had remembered how to find it, exclaimed--this it it--right through here.  

What!  Was he kidding?! We were a bit panicked.  It was small and long and bats (which turned out to be birds in mud nests) were flying out of it as we got closer. I thought he was kidding, but he drove us right through with no problems and found a place to park.

          Our geese are needy and clingy and follow close by; and quack loudly when they fall behind.      Jace and I are totally smitten.  They followed him through the thick brush and down to the water's edge.  A tiny creek--but full of minnows!

          The geese were thrilled!  They waded and grazed on the grass.

We followed the creek a good 1/2 mile downstream.  When we came to places where little  ponds had formed, we stopped for the geese to cool themselves in the clear water. 

What a beautiful place it was! 

And how pathetic the creek would be to our mid-west and Eastern friends!  But to us--a little desert gold mine. 

We finally rested on this big rock and had water and snacks. And Ryan found a tiny toad!  We also saw two-yes--2!!- snakes. One was sunning itself on a rock and climbed a tree when it saw us coming.  I then imagined snakes falling on us as we went through the bush.  It was lovely. 

It was getting late, and we were getting hungry for homemade root-beer, tacos and cake.  

We got home by 8:00PM. We rushed to throw dinner together, and the root-beer.  We always go see the city fireworks at 9:00.

This was our first time making dry-ice root-beer!  It was super easy, quick, and fun!  I think this will be a tradition from now on. 

We then rushed across town to see the fireworks. I LOVE sitting in the back of the truck for the firework display.  If you don't own a truck, this is the reason to get one--fireworks and off- roading in the desert!   Wonderful evening pastimes. This year the fairgrounds were closed, so we found our own secluded spot.  It was perfect!  We always play patriotic music over the truck's sound system. So we watched a beautiful display of color while listening to God, Bless America, The Star Spangled Banner, and many other favorites. 

Home by 9:40pm---we began making our own display of fire.  We haven't lit fireworks in our own yard in years!  We always get home super late from the fireworks because of traffic at the fairgrounds-and we feel so tired after hosting friends all day--so we don't do it-and Ryan usually has to be to work the next day.  But because of home church--what was the rush for bed this year?

Jace was our official lighter of the fireworks. A job he will happily keep for the next four-five years until he'll leave on a mission....sniff......sniff......

I dished everyone up a slice of this delicious strawberry and whipped cream cake- to enjoy during our fireworks. And it was really yummy!  And cute!

Then the girls danced with sparklers to more patriotic music. 

We cleaned up and all cuddled up on the couch for a viewing of Independence Day Resurgence!!  The girls weren't fans and left to do do their own things,  but the rest of us made it through with eyes still open until we crawled into bed around 12:30AM.

It was a wonderful day, and my heart was filled with gratitude once again for our wonderful country in which we live.  Despite all our Nation's turmoil at this time, we still live in the greatest country on earth-and I am trying to teach my children to know this and to honor and respect her.  

 Words to a Favorite Hymn of Mine:

1911 version^[17]

O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America!
God shed His grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!

O beautiful for pilgrim feet,
Whose stern, impassioned stress
A thoroughfare for freedom beat
Across the wilderness!
America! America!
God mend thine every flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self-control,
Thy liberty in law!

O beautiful for heroes proved
In liberating strife,
Who more than self their country loved
And mercy more than life!
America! America!
May God thy gold refine,
Till all success be nobleness,
And every gain divine!

O beautiful for patriot dream
That sees beyond the years
Thine alabaster cities gleam
Undimmed by human tears!
America! America!
God shed His grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!

The Dr. turns 40!!!

My handsome Dr had a big birthday this past January-2019.  He turned the big 4-0 !! As a surprise, I asked my brother-in-law, Paul, to fly us to Albuquerque, NM to visit some well know fine instrument shops.

Ryan at Robertson's shop

One of the reasons Ryan became an Oral Surgeon was so he would have the means to one day buy himself a fine, old cello.
After killing ourselves for over 4 years paying off all our debt, it was time to start playing with the idea of investing in a fine cello.

We visited 2 shops in the ABQ area.  David Brewers and Robertsons.  Ryan had so much fun!  There were about 10 cellos in his price range to try. The kids were so amazing through this long process of playing and comparing and narrowing the selection to his top 2-3. It was quite boring for them, but they were well behaved and respectful.  It took us about 4 hours to complete this process.  Probably 2 hours at each shop.  We had a late lunch and treated our kids to a visit at the ABQ aquarium.

Ryan at David Brewers

ABQ aquarium

It did not disappoint.  It was super cool. 

Ryan trying his 3 favorite cellos in a banquet room at our hotel in ABQ.

That evening we went back to the hotel with Ryan's 3 favorite cellos.  They each had their own voice.  It comes down to personal preference.  All 3 were spectacular.   We kept them overnight.  We definitely bolted our hotel door.  We had almost a million dollars of instruments in our room that night!

One of the cool things about fine violin shops, is that if you agree to leave them one of your children as ransom, they will let you take an instrument to try for a week or two.

An old Italian cello- from early 1800s--has the red varnish and a William Forrester -England,  circa 1785

Luckily,  Jace volunteered to be the ransom.  He said he just needed an iPad and a few morsels of food.  "Wouldn't  even miss us much"--he said with a smile in his eye. 

We barely had the space to take one cello home--so it was the William Forrester  that won the spot.

And it is a beauty!!  Both inside and out. It has a strong, warm, clear voice.  

It was an amazing experience to hear it played by a master cellist in our home for 2 weeks.  We agonized over it because we loved it so much --but it came with a hefty 6 figure price tag. 

After much deliberation and prayer,  Ryan spoke to the shop owner and they agreed to let him put a deposit down on it.  We took it back to the shop for the rest of the year and made payments until we could finally bring it home!!!

Now that the cello is home and Ryan gets to play it every day--he thinks he'll be an oral surgeon even less this coming year--after all--he has the cello now!!  And he is a cellist first and foremost!