A conversation I had with Jonathan today…
“Mom, can I go to Megan’s house and play?”
“Well…I guess so…but if you go I will miss you so badly.”
“No, you won’t miss me. Don’t you know I will always be with you?”
“You will?”
“Yes Mommy, don’t ya know? Your heart has me inside it!”
Jonathan my boy, you have no idea how true that is. My heart most definitely has you you inside it!
See this adorable little guy. He’s now official. Our nephew Mason’s adoption was finalized on Valentine’s Day, and Saturday afternoon he was sealed to his mommy and daddy in a beautiful ceremony in the Logan temple. With all of that completed, Lance was then able to give Mason his baby blessing in sacrament meeting on Sunday.
The weekend was all Mason, and all good. He was as cute as could be and seemed to understand that something special was happening in his little world. We just felt lucky that we got to be a part of it all, even despite the lasagna and cinnamon roll hangover we experienced after the dinner at Dani’s mom’s house on Sunday. (Those guys really know how to throw a dinner party)
Mason’s birth great-grandparents were able to attend the temple sealing, and his birth-mother Brittany was able to attend the blessing on Sunday. Lance did a wonderful job with the blessing, emphasizing the deep love and great sacrifice surrounding Mason’s arrival on this earth. Nothing could be more true. I can’t imagine a more difficult thing than giving up a baby so he could have a better quality of life. Mason is a very lucky little boy; loved by both his birth family and his adopted family.
Mary Kate particularly enjoys Mason and he seems to enjoy her plenty too. The boys even had fun playing with him. When he arrived at grandma and grandpa’s house after church on Sunday, we heard the boys excitedly exclaim, “Hey, we can play house now, and Mason can be the baby!” He was indeed the perfect baby and didn’t seem to mind one bit being pushed around the house in his walker by two six year olds playing house; even when they left him unattended in the corner for quite some time while they gathered toys and baby supplies.
I personally just enjoyed photographing the kid…because seriously…look how stinkin’ cute he is!
A few other benefits to spending the weekend in Cache Valley…..
…seeing some winter snow. We’ve had NOTHING in the snow department since before Christmas. It was a winter wonderland up north, and took me back to the days when I used to live there. Winters in Cache Valley are really something.
….watching these three play Lego Star Wars on the PlayStation…HIGHLY entertaining! They had no idea what they were doing and you should have hear them instructing each other. “No you’re that guy, not that guy!” “Push X, push X!” “No go that way, not that way!”
….and finally…Jeffrey in a Viking helmet and braids. What could be better than that?
Inspired by this hat, the boys played Vikings all weekend. My brothers should be proud because the boys named their Viking selves Andrew and Eric. Apparently the boys think Uncle Andrew and Uncle Eric are very Viking like. How complimentary!
Mary Kate wrote a poem in her school journal today. It’s dedicated to Grandma Janice…
Grandma
My grandma is friendly,
My grandma is nice.
She funny, she’s helpful;
I love her like sweet spice.
Grandma makes my heart soft as a bunny;
I wish I could stick to her like thick, yellow honey.
I’ll never be blue around my grandma…it’s true,
For I love her, I love her, I love her,
I do.
By: Mary Kate
“Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor.” - Romans 12:10
Today we gave preference to one another and devoted ourselves to love. Here’s a sneak peek….
-My beautiful, sweet-smelling roses, from my beautiful, sweet-smelling husband. (He brought them to me just after he had showered at the gym)
-Mike always treats MK right on Valentine’s Day and it melts my heart like butter on a hot skillet. This year…flowers and a necklace.
-Jonathan’s valentine pile from his school party. I’m not sure which sassy classmate gave him that seductive Ariel Valentine? Cha-cha!
-Our Valentine’s Day table setting… kid style. Heart plates: $1.50 each at an undisclosed location. (Sorry Mom!)
-Our traditional Valentine’s Day diner: heart shaped pancakes, scrambled eggs and brown sugared bacon. (That’s ketchup on the eggs, and jam on the pancakes…for those of your who were worried)
-Another tradition: All week we fill our Valentine bags with tokens of love for each other. On Valentine’s Day we bust them open and see what’s inside…
-Some of my lovely stash. I’m diggin’ how MK made me look so young and sexy in her drawing!
-See…brotherly (and sisterly) love and affection!
-The inside of the monkey card says…”I go bananas over you.” Since Jonathan consumes a minimum of 4 bananas a day (at least) I thought the card was perfect for him. He thought so too.
-And, as a special Valentine treat for my favorite canine…a good belly scratch. Result - A happy dog on Valentine’s Day.
-One more Valentine’s Day come and gone. It was a good one.
Happy Valentine’s day to all of you. We love you more than our luggage!
We made this video for the grandparents (whom we love dearly) but when you watch it, consider it a Valentine's Day shout out to all the people we love (like you, for instance)….
…what do I do with all my extra time?
Answer: Exactly what I did before I was employed, but now with more zeal and energy. Having to pack 20 hours of extra work into my schedule during my temporary stint as an employed person helped me to see how much time I really have in a day and how much more I can accomplish if I really put my mind to it.
Seven of my recent activities…
1- Improving old recipes…
…like cinnamon rolls made from faithful Setfa dough but adding a new twist to the traditional icing.
My new secret weapon for making friends…offer up a plate of these puppies. No one can resist them.
2- Trying out new recipes...
…like Beef and Mushroom Stroganoff from Food Network’s test kitchens, with a few additions of my own to make it even better. It’s now Mike’s favorite new dish.
And… Hell’s Backbone Grill famous Lemon Chiffon Cake. So good it was featured in O Magazine at one point.
I’m not going to be modest here, I was proud of myself for this one. This cake was good lookin’ and delicious! Light and fluffy with the perfect crumb and just the right amount of tartness in the icing.
Needless to say, #1 and #2 have inspired #3…
3- Beginning a new exercise / history learning program with my neighbor Cherish. (Mostly to off-set the increase in cooking and baking).
Cherish comes over three mornings a week and we spend an hour trading off on the super dusty exercise machines while watching history documentaries on DVD. Not only have we burned through some calories, but we’ve learned all about Thomas Jefferson and now we’re on to the Lincolns.
Next week: Lewis and Clark. Seriously Ken Burns, if you weren’t so short I’d marry you.
4- Spending some quality time in the scriptures.
Mostly studying for my Gospel Doctrine lessons, but nevertheless, it’s time well spent. I’m loving the New Testament.
5- Skyping with the parents in New Zealand.
We do A LOT of that these days. My boys love to call, talk for a minute or two and run away. I don’t mind though because then I get to chat with my parents for a bit each day. They are doing a great job as missionaries.
6- Adding little decorative touches to the house.
Nothing drastic (yet), just a few little things here and there, starting with my new favorite piece of art from cousin Stephen. (You can get your own here. Click on the first picture of the squawking goose to visit his Etsy shop)
Thanks Steve! We all love it, especially the kiddos. They stare at if for hours. I think we may have found Winnie amongst the creatures.
7- Helping MK with her sixth grade science project.
Much to our surprise she actually won second place in the Physical Science category with her ever-so-thrilling project on static electricity.
Here she is with her display and her hard earned red ribbon. (Do you like our clever title?) We thought Cami, Peter, Laura, and Tim would appreciate another budding scientist in the Dickey family.
And last but not least, Mary Kate, being the super sweet daughter that she is, made me a ribbon of my own.
“1st Place: Most Helpful Mom”
I’m keeping this one forever! Misspellings and all.
%5B5%5D.jpg "Janice at Moeraki Boulders January 2011 (3)")
