Temple open house

It's been marvelous to have a temple open house so close to home. Not only did we get to see Moroni up close and personal, but we've also have multiple opportunities to go inside the temple and see the renovations.

On April 26 we went together as a family. Grandpa Dennis couldn't make it because he was sick, but our little Grover clan, Grandma Susan, Grandma and Grandpa Scott and Aunt Jessica went together to tour the temple.

Our family in front of the temple. It was so dang cold outside that day, hence the huddling. My hair looks wonky in this picture because of the wind, but it's the best one of everyone else, so I'm taking one for the team.

Grandma Susan joining our group.

Blurry proof the Scott side was with us.

Last Friday, Aunt Jessica had the girls over for a sleepover, so Seth and I decided to tour the temple again on a whim.

This day it was bright and sunny.

Yesterday, Seth and I spent the afternoon guiding tours through the temple as our stake served as ushers. Not only did we get to see the temple again ourselves, but we also got to enjoy the reactions of others as we led them. (We didn't take any pictures this time.)

Today Bekah and Analee went with their Achievement Days leaders through the temple. (If someone took a picture, I don't have a copy of it yet.)

Every time I've stepped inside the temple, I've felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude for the work that was done, for the Spirit that is there and for opportunity we'll soon have to attend the temple in our hometown again. After our family's tour, Seth shared that as we stood in the celestial room together, he felt such love for our family and couldn't wait for the day when we'll all be back in there together as the girls continue to grow, learn the gospel and come through the temple for themselves as adults.

Ana's new bling (and bang)

Analee has been really excited to turn 10 and get her ears pierced, so we scheduled her mommy/daughter date a few weeks before her actual birthday. My plan: go to the mall, pick out some earrings, get her ears pierced, walk around the mall enjoying each other's company, stop for froyo on the way home.

Our reality: go to the mall, pick out some earrings, get her ears pierced and go home after spending 20 minutes on the floor of the store.

You see, everything went fine up to the piercing. In fact, the piercing went fine. Ana was a trooper and got her left ear pierced first, followed by her right. She looked at her newly pierced ears in the mirror. She received instructions for after-piercing ear care. She got up out of the chair and listened to the sales lady tell us what specials were available in the store that day because Ana got her ears pierced.

That's when I heard a tremendous BANG, spun around in alarm, and saw my daughter passed out on the floor.

And since she was unconscious before she hit, poor Analee's chin bore the brunt of the fall. She came to pretty quickly and asked what had happened. I told her she had passed out. We moved her to the front corner of the store to lie down for a while. One employee brought us a little decorative pillow (on clearance, no less!) for Ana to rest her head on. She got us a sucker to help her blood sugar, then ran around the corner to Subway for a cup of water. Another employee came over and held her legs up (her face was extremely pale) and sweetly talked to us for a while.

Ana complained that her chin hurt. She had floor burned it pretty well, and it was bleeding a little bit. We dressed it with a leftover Mickey Mouse Band-aid (from our trip to California last October) and hung out for a while. When she was finally ready to sit and then stand, we took it slow and easy.

We still had to pay for the earrings and the piercings, so we did that (with my arm protectively placed around her shoulder) and came home. A few ibuprofen and an ice pack later, Analee started feeling better.

She and I followed up with the rest of our date later that week (Orange Leaf on Wednesday evening), her chin has been healing nicely (except when she banged it on the living room floor showing us how well she does "the worm"), her newly pierced ears look dazzling, and she has a memorable story to tell about the time when she got her ears pierced.

 Analee with her healing chin and sparkly ears.

Rebekah's concert

Rebekah switched from the trombone to the baritone in January and hasn't looked back since. The middle school and high school held a joint concert in April, with each band performing separately and then together at the end.

(I can't believe how grown-up Bekah looks with her hair and makeup done for the concert.)

(Our video cuts out before the really big finish on the last song, so here is another recording of it, thanks to Karla Hillier.)

Piano recital (back in March)

Both Rebekah and Analee got to show off their skills at a piano recital back in March, but I'm slow in uploading the video, so you get to see it now.

Analee went first and played two songs beautifully.

Rebekah went next and played three songs (one of which she composed based on the melody from a music box in the movie Tuck Everlasting) beautifully.

We're proud of our girls and their hard work.

R.I.P., Oshawott

 

Oshawott in August.

Yesterday we said goodbye to Rebekah's sweet hamster, Oshawott. He started developing tumors on his right front paw months ago, and between the ever-growing tumors and his increased age, we knew it was his time to go.

Sunday night Rebekah came to us alarmed because when she had tried to pet her hamster, he had bit her. This was totally out of character for the sweet-natured pet. We explained to her that sometimes animals that are hurt or dying become aggressive. The biting coupled with the fact that his breathing was labored and he spent the night in the middle of his cage rather than under his wooden house told us that a trip to the vet was inevitable.

Monday morning, I told Rebekah that I would call the vet and schedule his euthanization. She bid him farewell and left for school.

After dropping Winnie off at preschool, I went to the vet's office where Dr. Shoemaker expressed her sympathies and humanely ended Oshawott's life. I brought home his body and prepared a matchbox coffin for the furry little guy.

That evening when everybody had come home from school, band and work, we went to the grave site Bekah had picked out on the north side of our property. Rebekah carefully placed the coffin in the hole we had dug, and we sang a song and offered a prayer. Rebekah and Seth covered the grave, and Analee placed a headstone and an origami hamster to mark the grave.

We are all sad at Oshawott's passing. Rebekah visited his grave both before and after school today. Miriam made a pretend grave in the living room and covered it with fake flowers. Winnie drew a picture of Oshawott in his cage and taped it to the door. Our family will certainly miss him.

 Rebekah with Oshawott in August.

Bear World

Last Saturday we threw weekly chores to wind and took the family to Yellowstone Bear World to see the cubs. And the cubs (and mountain goats, deer, bison, petting zoo and rides) did not disappoint. (But the wolves did. We didn't see a single wolf.)

The girls looking out the window at the animals during the drive-through tour.

Posing in the blinding sun.

Viewing the cubs.

Their little growls were so cute!

Four bears in the sun.

The swan in the duck pond area bit any toes sticking over the side of the bridge. Good thing we were all wearing sneakers and not sandals.

Miriam and Seth petting a pig in the petting zoo area.

This deer would lick your hand.

Winnie ventured into the chicken coop right in time for a hen to lay an egg and for the egg to splat on the ground.

Miriam made this face, but she really did enjoy the ride.

Miriam, Rebekah and Winnie on the jeeps.

Ana, Bekah and Miriam in the spinny bear. We fit the whole family into one, and Seth spun it with everything he had. Then he almost lost everything he had in his stomach.

Eastering

We held the Scott family Easter dinner and egg hunt the day before the holiday. Grandma Scott prepared hot dogs and brats and a backyard full of eggs. The youngest grandkids got to find their 13 eggs (all filled with coins) first, followed by the next older grandkids and then the oldest.

Winnie finding eggs by the apple tree.

Oakley helping Miriam find eggs.

Analee in search of eggs while Winnie trails behind.

Rebekah using her mitt as a basket.

Rebekah checking out Uncle T's drone controls.

Easter Sunday we attended church in our matchy-matchy attire.

But apparently I had the wrong pink.

Then we hosted our first-ever Easter dinner and egg hunt at our place for the Grover side of the family. We ate Mexican (carne guisada, Mexican rice, guacamole, tortillas) and assigned the kids a color of egg to find.

Winnie pouring jelly beans into her mouth after finding all her pink eggs.

Analee finding one of her purple eggs on Grandpa Dennis.

Bekah searching for eggs with Analee and Miriam in the background.

Winnie playing in the sandbox. The weather was so nice that we spent the entire time outside. The kids kept themselves busy with the sandbox and other toys.

And the neighbors had brought a new batch of lambs to our field just that morning, so we spent a good deal of time saying hello to the cute fuzzy sheep.

Kelsey, Miriam, Cooper and Analee petting lambs. The kids were bestowing names on them left and right. We now have lambs named Sweetheart, Rebel, Frisky Frolic, Baabaa II and Fuzzy roaming the field.

Meeting Moroni

Because my dad is on the Idaho Falls Temple Historical Committee, he's been able to witness some behind-the-scenes preparation for the open house and rededication. He made friends with the man charged with putting new gold leaf the Angel Moroni and asked if he could bring his kids and grandkids in to say hi to the statue that usually sits atop the temple.

It was interesting to see Moroni in a horizontal position with most of him re-leafed and gleaming, but his face a bright yellow (the glue used to attach the gold).

Headed in to the garage/shop area under the temple.

Taking a look at the statue.

Seth pointing out the work being done.

Moroni in an almost-finished state.

Winnie's first day of preschool

This kid has waited a LONG time  for preschool to start.

Between her late birthday (October, so she has more time at home than her sisters did before starting kindergarten) and the change to trimesters (with all the child development classes during the third trimester, so there was no fall or winter preschool option), Winnie has had to exercise a lot of patience.

"Preschool will start after Miriam's birthday," I reassured her. So the day Miriam turned 7, Winnie started begging me to take her.

Today was finally the first day and this kid came home happy. She can't wait for more preschool.

Winnie on her first day. "Smile!" I told her. "I'm looking cute," she told me.

Conference at the cabin

We left the almost-spring of the valley behind Conference weekend in the search of snow in Island Park. Friday evening we drove up to Grandma and Grandpa Hendricks' cabin, unloaded and got ready for bed. Saturday morning, we had delicious baked French toast for breakfast and piled on the snow clothes.

The snow had obviously melted and refrozen several times, leaving a crusty, bumpy top layer for us to sled down. Regardless, we sledded down.

Seth dragging Winnie and Miri up the hill. Although we started out fully dressed in our snow clothes, we ended up shedding several layers. We learned, however, that it was best to keep your gloves/mittens on for steering purposes.

Seth going solo.

A triumphant run.

Analee using the snow skate as a sled.

Miriam on the saucer. See? Mittens are good for steering.

Winnie having a good time. Seth ... having ... a ... time.

Three in the big sled.

Bekah on the snow skate.

Proof that I sledded too.

After a morning on sleds, we went back to the cabin and had great reception on the TV for watching Conference. Later we went on a walk.

Miriam leaping down from the snow to the road.

Ana, Bekah and Seth.

We woke up Sunday morning to a light snowfall, which meant no more reception on the TV. But Seth rigged up a radio for us, and we listened to the first session in the cabin while we colored folder games for the Humanitarian Center. After lunch and the cleaning/winterizing routine, we listened to the second session in the truck on our way home.

Miri-ism #40

Seth found this handmade card on our bed the other day.

"to dad"

He opened it up to find this inside:

"I hope you grow ha[i]r"

He turned it over.

"From Mom"

It was a good trick, but Miriam needs to work on her forgery skills to pass this off as her mother's.