An Apostolic Visit

Today we attended a special Stake Conference. Elder Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve was there to speak to us. The last time an apostle came to Simi Valley was 22 years ago. We went 2 hours early to be sure to have a seat in the auditorium. He gave an amazing speech. At first he was more casual than he appears in General Conference, he seemed like a normal speaker. But as he started into his talk, you could just feel the power and the force of his words. He spoke of missionary work, the fall of Adam and Eve, the consequences the Fall brought, and the way to overcome them. He spoke of agency in a way I hadn't thought of before. It was inspiring and spellbinding. I felt like Martha at the feet of the Master, and I wished that it wouldn't end. Jayd stood out in the parking lot hoping to catch a glimpse of Elder Bednar. Just as I returned from taking the younger kids from a walk, Elder Bednar came out of the building. He did shake Jayd's hand, and asked him his name. Jayd was fairly pleased. I was just grateful to be in the same building as an apostle of the Lord and be able to be taught and instructed by him.

Going, Going, Gone

This Wednesday, Jayd's baseball game was played under adverse conditions. It had rained the day before, and despite the predictions, it didn't rain that day. I was lamenting the fact that the game hadn't been cancelled because it was bitter cold with an easterly wind blowing. The players were doing jumping jacks in between pitches to keep warm. But it was all worth it when Jayd came up to bat in the 4th inning. It was a new pitcher and he was considerably slower than the previous pitcher. Jayd quickly went down to an 0-2 count with two swings that were way out in front of the pitch. I told him to wait for the pitch. The next pitch, he hit a towering fly ball down the left field line. It was hit so high and so hard, I thought it just might make it out of the park. It did!! It cleared the left field fence for his first home run ever!!! He was so thrilled. He was able to keep the ball and the whole team signed it. I asked Jayd if he watched his home run. He said, "Of course I did! What do you think, I am going to run or something?" And you know, after that the field seemed to just get a little bit warmer.
Just so that everyone didn't think that homer was a fluke, he hit another one on Saturday to straightaway center. Maybe he will turn into the power hitter he's always wanted to be after all.

Disney Days

Yesterday we went to Dearborn Elementary School for our Disney Day. Disneyland had a program this year, if you register and perform service with at an authorized event, you would receive a free ticket to go to Disneyland. It was only for the first 1 million people to register. We registered before the 1 million mark was met, but our service date wasn't until after the mark was met, so our date was set in stone, if we missed it, no ticket!
So we arrived bright and early to perform our service. We were at the school with at least 100 other people. It was amazing what we accomplished in 4 hours. We weeded and planted in a very large planter area, we swept the entire kindergarten yard, cleaned the tables and playground, and painted a shed. The time went quickly and before we knew it, they were announcing that it was time to clean up! For once, the kids didn't complain about doing the service and were excited and happy to pitch in and help. It was very rewarding to see what was done.

B & B Weekend

B & B, a baptism and a blessing.
To end spring break, we went out to Temecula to visit family. My cousins' son, Jack Schaumann was getting baptized on Saturday near San Diego. It was a very nice baptism, everything appeared to go smoothly, but apparently, there was a lot of panic behind the scenes. Nearly as soon as the Amen was said on the closing prayer at 6:00, the band behind the curtain started playing, LOUD! There was a live music dance that was supposed to start a half hour earlier. Luckily, someone caught them before the opening song!
We spent the night with my sister in Temecula and enjoyed playing with our newest cousin, Collin. Then the next morning, we were back in San Diego for Jack's brother, Luke, to be blessed. It was a great opportunity for us to spend some time with family far and near.

Spring Break Blues, Pinks, and Crystals

I have to admit, this hasn't been my best spring break. For starters, both of our computers have broken down. Jayd was really looking forward to spending the week in continuous Wii and computer play. I am not sure why he thought this, I told him it wasn't going to happen. It did make it easier to keep the kids off the computer, but I was a little lost without the computer as well! Monday, there was a scheduled power outage. We went to Magic Mountain to get out of the house, but after two hours, Gabe was complaining of a headache. So we headed home. He had a pretty good fever. On Thursday, my temporary crown fell out. The dentist was at a conference that day (of course!) so I had to buy tooth cement and put it back on myself. Not a pleasant experience, I wouldn't recommend it.
But I did manage to put together a very fun excursion for the family. We went to the Natural History Museum in Los Angeles. We went with several of our friends, the Buscos, the Harts, the Newberrys, and the Govers. It was quite a group! It was the free day, my favorite kind of day. We enjoyed all of the exhibits. The gem room was a favorite. It was full of crystals and geodes, and several cut gems. I was amazed to discover that there are lots of different colors of nearly every gem, pink and yellow sapphire, blue topaz, and even red diamonds! They were very beautiful. We also enjoyed the Discovery Room where we were able to play with some hands on exhibits. It was nice day to get out of the house, the highlight of the week.

Fish, Fish, Got my Wish!!!

Last week I asked that Gabe's teeth would fall out for Easter. I got my wish! One of his front teeth fell out on Wednesday, and the other fell out early this morning. Here is the new an improved Gabe toothless smile.

Easter

Yesterday was a beautiful sunny day for us to have our annual easter egg hunt. Since we know that the Easter Bunny is very busy on Sunday, and we don't feel that an easter egg hunt is quite a Sunday activity, we have requested that the easter bunny come on Saturday. He has been willing to oblige us for many years. This year, we were thrilled to have some of our cousins here with us for the hunt. They are 5, 3, and 1 years old. It was fun to have the little ones with us and see their enthusiasm and excitement. Although, Gabe felt a bit displaced when he wasn't the first one to start hunting. As the youngest, he is accustomed to always being first!

Cinderella to the Ball

This week was the Daddy/Daughter Ball at church. Like Cinderella, Maddie was very worried because she didn't have a dress to wear to the ball. All of the other courtesans had found acceptable gowns from generous older sisters, but alas, Maddie has no older sister, step or otherwise. Could her fairy godmother be prevailed upon?? Of course!! Although she took a slightly more earthly form, Kimberly Hammon came to the rescue with a beautiful blue dress. Then Maddie's real mother whisked home from the baseball game just in time to help her style her hair before the handsome prince came knocking at the door. It was an enchanted evening filled with dancing and delight!