Celebrating Ivy

I love celebrating my grands birthdays!  I can't believe Ivy is already 11 and growing so tall.  Ivy is such a gramma's girl.  I know I am one of her favorites! She is my very favorite 11 year old!  She has always loved coming to our house and still does.  Ivy chose to go to Toys R Us to pick out her gift.  She picked out a craft thing...making window clings.  She also bought some little tiny beads that grow in water.  We had bowls and bottles all over the kitchen as they grew.  The little beads were cool and fun to play with when they were fully grown.  She had a gallon bag full of them.  I always think it's fun to take the grands shopping and to see what they chose.  I love watching them look at everything as they try to decide.  It just makes my heart happy!  It was fun having Kimi go with us.

We stopped at Swigs for cookies and drinks.  We made Hawaiian Haystacks for dinner because that is what Ivy wanted.  Ivy loves playing games and we did that while she was with us.  I slept with Ivy on my big air mattress and Holy Moly this girl is wiggly!  We watched Zootopia before going to sleep.  Ivy went to sleep early in the show but that's probably because she had watched the show with Zaden at least six times. I hadn't seen it and so I stayed awake.  We didn't even start the movie until 10:30 pm.

We played more in the morning and then Ivy and I picked up Sushi and took it to her house to share with her mom.

I sure love my oldest grand.  Ivy is so smart and talented and kind and fun!  She's a joy to have around!

Kathy was having a Pampered Chef party and so Ivy and I went up there for a bit. They made Hawaiian Haystacks too and so Ivy enjoyed another plate of it.  Kathy had a Hawaiian theme and in the center of her tables she had brown sugar that looked like sand with sea shells.  I thought it was pretty cute.  Pampered Chef has a lot of cool things but I only ordered a pan to go with a lid I ordered a while back that didn't fit any of my pans. ☺

Temple

This month the visiting Teaching message is about Temple Ordinances and Covenants.  I love the Temple and the covenants I have made with my Heavenly Father.  It's because of those covenants I have been able to get through some hard times.  They have been a strength and a protection to me.

I love going to the Temple each week.  I love feeling the spirit.  I love helping those on the other side of the veil.  I know this work is critical.  It needs to be done!  I am glad that I am at a time in my life I am able to help more.  It's a blessing to me to be able to go to the House of the Lord.

I love "Sealing" families together. I especially enjoy being proxy for daughters being sealed to parents.  It brings back the wonderful feeling and memories of when I was sealed to my parents.

Today there were a few different last names but I can only remember one of them.  It was Lovingood!☺

Lisea and I talked on the way home about how the Gospel is True but  how members can mess things up for others because of their opinions and actions.  I kind of understand why people choose not to attend regularly.  However, when we don't attend and participate we just don't get all the blessings we could be getting.  When we are serving others, which is what is asked of us, it benefits us and those we serve.  The "spirit" of Christ is felt stronger and more often in our lives as we attend our meetings and do what is asked of us.  I guess we need to focus on God's will and purpose and not let others affect us so much.  I love feeling the Spirit and even though I feel it daily, I feel it more on Sunday when I am at church.   I feel it when we pray together.  I feel it when I partake of the sacrament.  I feel it on the classes I attend.  I feel it when I visit with a friend.  For those three hours I am filled!  The Gospel is True!  God wants us to help Him by doing our part however that may be.  Part of doing our part is over looking others errors and forgiving.  We should work at being like Jesus and do the things He would do!  The ordinances and covenants of the Temple help me do that!

The Twins are a Month Old

I can't believe how fast this month went.  I can't believe we've been enjoying these babies that long.  I borrowed these pictures that Julie posted today.  Such cute little ones!  I love how Julie coordinates the kids.  The twins are doing great.  They are both gaining weight and are able to go without Oxygen more often.  It won't be long before they are "tubeless".  I bet by the time they were due they will be tube free.  They are such little blessings and huge miracles.  I'm so thankful for Heavenly Father for answering our prayers and allowing miracles to happen.  We are so blessed!

Teresa's Birthday!

Thank Goodness for Birthdays and Celebrating Them!  I don't think I would see too much of these two if we didn't go to lunch for our Birthdays!  I wrote Teresa a little note telling her a few things I am thankful for.  I started by saying I am thankful for Social Media.  I met Teresa on Face Book because we both went to the same High School.  Teresa posts a lot and so it's easy to tell what kind of person she is, which is kind.  One day I had the "thought" that I should ask Teresa if she'd like to go to lunch.  I remember feeling so shocked that I would ask a stranger to lunch.  I shouldn't have been too shocked because I had done it one other time and am really good friends with that gal now too. ☺ (Heather Dalquist Smith) Anyway Teresa was brave and accepted my lunch invite and we met and have been dear friends ever since.  I believe those kind of things happen for a reason.  Since I became friends with Teresa I have introduced her to Tammy and Judy and they are good friends with her as well.  It's all meant to be!

We went to a new place in Ogden called Even Steven's.  It was really good.  We sat outside right there on the sidewalk of Washington Blvd.  It was a pleasant day.  While we visited, which was for 3 hours, the sun warmed us, a gently breeze kept things comfortable and we even had a few rain sprinkles kiss our face and arms.  I cherish these moments and my friends! Our conversations was wonderful. We talked about health, and loving ourselves, and spiritual things.  Of course we shared plenty of laughter.  The funniest thing that happened was that Tammy was trying to record a firetruck driving by with its siren blaring.  I could see the firetruck in her phone and she followed it as it turned the corner.  The funny thing is that  when she went to watch it and send it to her cute grandson the only thing that showed up was the table we were sitting at.  The only noise we could hear was Teresa's conversation that she was having with someone on the phone.  That was weird!  Immediately after, a guy walked by and looked directly at me with a smirky smile on his face.  Tammy noticed him and felt strongly that he was any "angel" that jokes with her.  It was so funny!  When she looked down the street to see where the guy went there was no sign of him!  Funny!  I loved today!

Remember When

This popped up today on my memories!  It was four years ago.  Larry and I took the grands to Lagoon!  Look how stinkin cute and little they were.  Now we have 6 more!

Game Day

Well today I was the "Lucky Duck".  Debbie taught us a new game and I won both times we played it.  The game is called Canadian Salad.  You deal all the cards out even if not everyone has the same amount.  The person to the left of the dealer plays any suit and everyone has to play that suit if they have it.  If not they can play any card they want and usually pick a high card to play so they can get rid of it.  The highest card in the suit played gets the "trick" and then they lead out by playing another card.  Every round is played like that but each round has a way of having you earn points.  (you don't want points) The first round you get 10 points for every "trick" you take.  The 2nd round you get 10 points for every "heart" you get with your tricks. The 3rd round you get 25 points for every Queen you get stuck with.  The 4th round the person that gets the King of Spades gets 100 points.  The 5th round whoever takes the last trick gets 100 points.  The 6th and final round you get points for everything.  Each trick the points are added up before moving on.  It was pretty fun. I think I only got 35 points total...couldn't have been for each game. (if anyone is left holding an extra card they get those points if there are any)

Julie, Lorrilee and I stayed and visited and then we all decided to go to lunch.  We went to ABC Mandarin.  It was a fun day.  Mondays are Fun Days!

The Malone's

I always like when Larry wants to invite friends out for dinner.  Larry and Matt worked this date out.  We went to Steve Marble's 80th birthday celebration and then to dinner.

I loved being able to pull down a sweatshirt and put it on.  I love spring weather and today it rained off and on.

Larry wanted to try somewhere new and Matt suggested the Huntsville BBQ.  We each ordered a dish to share that had a variety of meats.  It was good.  I totally agree that Dessert should be eaten first like the sign says.  Larry ordered a chocolate cake because he thought I wanted it.  (I didn't really)  We decided that we would eat it first and told the cashier that.  The bummer part is that we got our meal first.  By the time the cake with ice cream came out I was getting full.  I ate some cake and Larry ate the ice cream.  We visited for awhile and I felt pretty good and so I had some more cake.  That was the wrong thing to do.  I got to full and was miserable.  If I would have had the dessert first I could have stopped. haha  I had to go home and lie down while my food settled.  Before I ate too much the night was fun!  The Malone's are fun to visit with.  It's great having such good friends!