Hello May 2018

 I can't seem to fathom how we are to May already. My birthday is just around the corner. I joke that just like fine wine and cheese I just keep getting better with age. As a young whippersnapper it seemed like it would be forever until I got to 45, but here I am. I may look my age, but I certainly don't feel like it.😉


Tuesday, for the youth activity for church, I got to attend a Vocal Point fireside. I haven't really ever  listened to Vocal Point, but I really enjoyed the fireside and their singing. Each member of the group had to pick one word and then go off of that to share their testimony. My spiritual bucket was filled for sure!

Wednesday we dropped the girls off at school and then went to pick out flowers to drop off to our favorite nurse and wonderful friend, BJ.
We decided on tulips, and Myles picked out the color scheme while the little girls picked out the actual flowers. We ended up making two bouquets.

Ready to deliver the bouquet of tulips.

We normally do a birthday run to BJ in April, but I somehow forgot all about it this year. I happened to remember last week that we hadn't done anything for her birthday. Luckily, she was in on Wednesday when we dropped by. I think she stopped four people in the hall, while we were there, that she works with to explain "This is my family" and why we are "Her family." It made us feel pretty special because she has been a part of our family for the past 19 years. So, nineteen years ago this past February I had to go in for observation for preterm labor. She was the nurse that monitored me. Because Heavenly Father works in such wonderful ways, she was also the labor nurse I was assigned when I actually  had Rhaevyn two months later. We've gone every April and December for the past 19 years to drop her off gifts, cards, and pictures. The older girls have gone and had lunch with her at the hospital in the past. We both chuckled that still, after 19 years, I cry happy tears at the wonderful memories of having children there at that hospital and making such a wonderful friend. She's been there for everyone of my babies whether it's been for labor or right afterwards. She is truly a blessing to our family.

Once we were done with our short visit the kids asked to walk around the waterfall on the grounds of the hospital. As we were trying to find our way out to the waterfall we ran into BJ again, and she led us down the authorized personal only hall; a shortcut to the front grounds of the hospital. It's great when you have the right connections. The kids thought it was awesome to get to walk where ordinary people can't normally go.

 Then we went up to the eighth floor and looked down where we had just been.
We actually rode the elevator three times.

 We still had time left before picking up the girls so we went to the gardens at Fort Vancouver.

 Meg held her very first ladybug. She has always refused before, but she was excited this time. It's right on the side of her hand near her wrist in this picture.

 Myles learned about a plant while we were at the gardens. We learned about the cardoon. We also learned that what they plant in the gardens at Fort Vacouver is what they have a record of being planted in the 1800's. At the time, settlers boiled the leaves of the cardoon plant and used it in soups.
It was the precursor to the the artichoke plant. 

 

 I loved how this vine was twisting around itself.

We finished up our walk through the gardens just in time to pick up the girls and their friend Marina. Here is where our second bouquet comes in. I told the littles that they could decide who to give the second bouquet to. The only requirement I had was that they needed to think about who they thought might need a little cheering up, and if they couldn't come up with anyone to say a prayer that they would be inspired as to who they should give the bouquet to. After much thought and discussion they came up with Marina's sister, Terra. She has a lot of health issues, and they thought she would really like to have some flower to brighten up her room. After Marina went into the house, Elsa and Myles, holding the bouquet, walked up to the door, knocked, and handed them to Terra. Her smile made Myles and Elsa's day.  💕
 
 Myles has been busy this week. He cleaned out three of the four garden boxes and planted some flower seeds. He now has two avocado seeds growing. "Taco" is really growing a long root. "Bob" is the really huge avocado seed, and when that splits open I'll take a picture of it. He is also growing a fern, a tree that blossoms, and something else of which I do not know, and violas.

 Molly just chilling after her bath.

 I finished my latest quilt top and will have to wait about three weeks for it to go to the quilters. This should give me time to figure out what I will use for the backing and the binding.

Myles went to the store with me the other night, and when we got home he kept trying to sneak up on me when we got out of the car and take funny pictures. However, I was wise to him and kept giving him funny faces or poking my  head around the car door really quick and surprising him.

 

 Here he is pretending to sneak towards the house. We joked that he looked like a hoodlum.

I was not pretending to "sneak" towards the house......................my happy go lucky pose.

Elsa has been practicing away and trying to memorize her violin finger exercises.

I had Aeva figure out her graduation announcement. She is so low maintenance. She really didn't want any professional pictures done. She just wanted to use the pictures Rhaevyn took while the cherry trees were blossoming. Aeva picked out the style of card she wanted; we had a coupon for Walgreens, hooray. We are busy trying to get those mailed out. So, if you'd like one shoot me an email, and we'll make sure one gets sent out to you. That brings us to the end of the week. Next week the girls are going to start driving themselves just about everyday to school. I decided to discontinue my taxi service for another student who is in our ward. I couldn't justify the gas when the girls can drive and the girls aren't allowed to drive any other teen per Washington State law and our rule (technically Rhaevyn could; she is 19 and Washington State law would not apply to her).  It is nice to have that off my plate though. The girls have really enjoyed being able to go places on their way home from school, take Myles and Elsa to the used bookstore and feed store in town, and the two of them even ventured into Vancouver to a Goodwill the other night together. I think they are liking this new found freedom. Until next time.................