Flake Fun

27 April 2015 - Well, we made it home safe and sound.  It was wonderful to see everyone and hear Lauren's amazing recital!  Good luck to Nick on his recital.  Wish we could be there.  Quite enjoyed hearing a private recital in the living room on Sunday night.
The trip back wasn't anything out of the norm.  We did encounter a flurry or two of snow between Logan and Brigham City but nothing too bad.  There was snow on the mountains through most of the canyons that we drove through.  It was fun to stop and see Joe & Lori and their kids on the way home.  Can't wait to see you all again in a month! 

 

 

Nilsson News

My last post was not the most uplifting and I apologize for that.  I guess I was caught up in the moment.  Thank goodness for those moments that help us recognize how good the good is.  We had a splendid time with the entire fam (except Lori and the babies who were missed)!  It was nice to spend a night with Jenn and Scott before heading up to Cache Valley.  The cousins all played fabulously and that is so fun to see.  Lauren's recital was totally inspiring and all I can say is when she is famous, my claim to fame will be that she and I always played duets and performed together.  Fun times!  We are eagerly counting down to the wedding!
It was fun to wake up Emma and take her out to breakfast and go ice skating.  Addy can't stop talking about the skating and wants to know where the closest rink is to our house.  I think it is probably Logan.  Maybe we should move there someday.  The pies were tasty, the games hilarious and the company perfect.  I don't have much more to say other than here are a few random pictures to enjoy.

 Eliza is a born gardener.  She really gets into it.  Literally.

 Superheroes to the rescue!

 Pondering conference.

 Enjoying sunny St. George.

Nothing more adorable than this!

Nilsson News

It is 1:00 in the afternoon and I'm sitting here still in my pajamas hoping that at some point I will have the opportunity to take a shower.  I woke up this morning feeling quite optimistic and knowing that this was going to be a great day.  We got home from our St. George trip yesterday evening and the house was clean, we unpacked all our bags, Garrett mowed the lawn and we got most the kids bathed.  Today I had a fresh start.
I was able to pack Garrett a lunch because I was up early enough and then I did a little scripture reading.  I made a nice pancake breakfast and all was good.  Henry was the only one I didn't get bathed so I decided before we started school that I would give him a bath in the kitchen sink.  The other kids like to stand around and watch.  I was just about finished rinsing Henry, when all of the sudden Eliza started to throw up.  Luckily she was at the sink so I was able to somewhat direct her to throw up in the the sink.  I was trying my hardest to keep my youngest child from drowning while at the same time keep Eliza calm and under control.  I put Henry on the towel on the counter and got Eliza a little wiped off.  Henry of course began to fuss and I picked him up with Eliza holding on to my legs saying she threw up.  As I was trying to get clothes for both of the younger children, Emerson was following right at my heels asking when his teeth were going to fall out.  My first thought was that if he didn't very soon quit pestering me, he might lose them sooner than later.  So far my day has been as good as that and I'm thinking I may just go back to bed, after all, I'm still in my pajamas.

Feed at your own risk

Babies are EVERYWHERE!!! It's official, they can get everywhere and into anything! Should you come to our home, don't be alarmed by jail bars and relocation of plants, books, and cords to a 30" altitude.  Please leave any valuables in your car to avoid the loss of items in the pat down by occupants. Above all, feed them at your own risk... Here's some of the surveillance tapes of eating a banana from earlier this week: lunch time. Jake is the one on the left...Aren't they cute? They've grown up so much!!!

Potty training is going...well...it's going! Grant loves racing to see who gets there first! He would prefer to sit in his dirt pile... which is now more of a dirt bump thanks to trucks, cars, and various stuffed animals that are all an awesome dirt brown color now. That dirt pile has been one of the best parts of this house! Hours and hours of fun! He is super excited to play pretend with animals, be outside, and loves to make the babies laugh. Definition- Boy, n. 1.noise with dirt on it. Seems to fit.

Grace is learning to ride her bike without training wheels and is awesome. In fact she looks very much like a pink blur flying around the park. Her favorite part of the day next to eating loopies in the morning with Daddy and when he comes home from work would be playing outside with her friends as much as possible. It's not uncommon to see: 4 little Elsa's running around, little girls enjoying the sunshine in their lawn chairs, one turn to another and say "we need to solve the mystery of the missing...(insert obscure animal)", etc. It's been fun to have such good buddies.

We went on a staycation to Thanksgiving Point and had a great time. We stayed in a great hotel with pool for the kiddos and visited all the museums there. We are looking forward to going back. Our favorite by far was the Curiosity Museum and we highly recommend it to anyone!  

Flake Fun

19 April 2015 - This week has flown by at an amazing rate.  I was able to go to work with Scott twice this week for the audit.  Being with him as a "co-worker" gave me new appreciation for all that he does.  We finished up the actual auditing part of things and now I just have to get a lot of reports and paperwork put together for final documentation.

Yesterday we spent some time getting a load of pine needles to mix into our garden.  By the time we got them back to the house it was late and we were tired so we just have a huge pile of pine needles on top of our garden, instead of mixed in! 

We worked on the Sunset house for a few hours yesterday, mostly cleaning up the yard.  Scott was able to install a light/fan in the master bathroom.  We brought the pile of extra pavers back to our house and built a fire pit with some of them.  The others we are hoping to use for landscaping in the front yard. 

The weather turned a bit chilly these last couple of days but we never got any snow like all of you!  We did build a couple of fires though.

We are counting down the days until we get to see you all again.  We are planning to head up on Thursday and stay with the Nilsson's on Thursday evening.  Friday we'll make our way to Logan!

Flake Fun

12 April 2015 - I am currently sitting on the couch, watching a bunny hop through the field, wondering what type of bright, yellow chested bird is sitting on the fence post (do killdeer have yellow breasts?) and smelling the chocolate chip cookies that Scott is baking. Life, as you can tell, is grand.

 

If you look really close you can see the bunny.

 

Not the best picture but I didn't want to scare it away by opening a door or window.

We have found a renter...but we have never met her!  She came up to see the house while we were both working but Dona was kind enough to let her see the property and she loves it!  She and her son, along with 2 great danes will be moving in in May.  So the project is coming to a close and we are very grateful for that.

A fun but brutal thing has happened at work that involves both of us.  Some of the health department programs received a state audit in the last couple of months and they didn't go so well.  Because of this the Finance and Grants Administration departments decided that every health department grant needed to go through an internal audit.  I was volun-told to be the "auditor" from the health department so I will be sitting in on every audit along with the grants accountant (Scott) and a couple of other people.  The fun part is that I get to work with Scott nearly every afternoon.  The brutal part is two fold - it is a 6-8 week process to get the grants started and the first grant is my program!  We started my program's audit last week and got through 4 months in two 4-hour days.  We are scheduled to continue this coming week.  Each transaction is being scrutinized for adherence to county and state policy as well as acceptability/applicability within the grant guidelines!

We planted a few potatoes last week in the garden plot and we have some tomatoes, corn and onions coming up in the green house. (See below!)  We are hoping to get some peppers planted this week if we can find the time to get the seeds!   If anyone would like us to bring up some seedlings, let us know and we'll get them planted for you! 

The Family Gathering is fast approaching and we are getting pretty excited. We are also getting excited to see everyone in a couple of weeks for the recital...and then the wedding...YAY for family time!  If there is anything that we need to bring, please let us know! 

Whoa, Garrett! That was quite a game of racquetball! You'll have to get one of those $200 - $400 racquets that the people Thomas plays with have...

The YSA 4th Stake Conference went well this weekend. It started yesterday at 3:30 or so for Dad with meetings with Elder Gary B. Porter of the Seventy. He is very nice, considerate and a good teacher. After a couple of meetings, we had dinner with Elder Porter and his wife and the stake presidency, prepared by the Stake RS Presidency. Afterwards we attended the Saturday night session, which was superb. Elder Porter suggested that rather than giving a prepared speech, the brethren should just teach. So, Dad taught. It was wonderful! This morning's session was inspiring as well. The first couple of speakers were long-winded so the rest of us were pinched on time. But that worked out well. Hopefully Dad will sleep well tonight! It's been a while since he has!

Emma loved, loved, loved her time in Idaho - the best part was being there without Chester! She didn't have to worry about him and could relax and enjoy her sisters and their families. She has been counting the days until she turns 16. Just two weeks from today!! Who can believe that?

Thomas has been busier than ever. He was a trooper last week and allowed me to do some IV practicing on him. He has lovely veins! He's up to his eyebrows in work and school and new experiences in his life - like attending Jazz games, etc. If you need any Jazz paraphernalia, we have a stack on the window seat.

Lauren is practicing her heart out now that her projects and papers are all done. She looks mighty happy these days! Especially so when she's with a certain fellow...  Ideas are coming together for her wedding - announcements, flowers, food, decorations, etc. It will be very nice, I'm sure.

The other day when I was glancing through the latest Ensign, I was interested to read the letter issued by the First Presidency 100 years ago. "To this end we advise and urge the inauguration of a 'home evening' throughout the church, at which time fathers and mothers may gather their boys and girls about them in the home and teach them the word of the Lord."  It is quite apparent that there was a need at that time for this fortification in order to be prepared for the days ahead - 2 world wars and other wars and the total moral disintegration of society. It's not any better now.

Thanks for making sure your family home evenings are happening. Our leaders are continually reminding us of the blessings promised, when 100 years ago they said, "Love at home and obedience to parents will increase. Faith will be developed in the hearts of the youth of Israel, and they will gain power to combat the evil influences and temptations which beset them." I'm glad our grandchildren will have these blessings!

I love the list of things recommended to be included in home evening! If your FHEs are getting a little dull, maybe you could look at the list from this letter: "This home evening should be devoted to prayer, singing hymns, songs, instrumental music, scripture reading, family topics and specific instruction on the principles of the gospel... For smaller children, appropriate recitations, songs, stories, and games may be introduced. Light refreshments of such a nature as may be largely prepared in the home might be served..." So great!

Keep up the good work of living the gospel! I love you all :)
P.S. Our peas are up! And Dad's little seeds have sprouted! It's spring time at our house!

Nilsson News

Apologies for not writing last week but we were having so much fun in Idaho with the Hart family.  The first big news, wee have now joined the minivan world!  I don't know if I'm really excited about it or not but it is nice being able to go places altogether as a family.  We found it on KSL (a Honda odyssey) and it was actually in Missouri.  The guy agreed to drive it out for General Conference weekend.  Garrett met him in Salt Lake around 10:30 p.m. on Friday and bright and early Saturday morning we drove it up to Idaho.  The kids love the DVD feature (but I am still going to insist on reading books to them too) and the window shades that go up and the windows that go down.  It will be a nice thing for our family and we hope it will last a good many more years.
We had a glorious time with the Harts hunting eggs, watching conference, eating wonderful food, and visiting.  We drove out to see a gorgeous property that they are interested in with a big barn, pond and several acres.  Beautiful!  Sunday I came down with something and was so sick to my stomach.  I think someone always gets sick whenever we are with the Harts.  Next time will be different!
The kids and I drove up to Logan to do some reception planning with Lauren.  I can't believe how fast the wedding is approaching.  So exciting!
Life is busy but good.  Sorry there are no pictures:(

Hart Happenings

It's been all fun and games for a while here at the Hart house.  With the weather being so nice we have a hard time staying at home so we've gone out adventuring, revisiting our favorite local outdoor spots after being cooped up all winter.  We spent some time hiking around up and down a caldera and chasing the deer that were holed up in the crater.  At the sand dunes we huffed and puffed up the highest dune we could find.  We about died, but felt very accomplished upon reaching the top.

This is a big birthday month for us.  Ian started us off with a bang and turned 9!  WOW!  He is so huge these days and we love every last inch of him.  Then Peter wrapped things up on the 29th when he turned 3.  He is busy doing everything in a super way; super fast, super loud, super strong.  He has Peter power!

Easter was fabulous!  It was so much fun to have Ruth and co. up here to celebrate with us.  We've done it enough times now that it is practically tradition for the Nilssons and Harts to do Easter together and it is never quite as fun if we have to do it without them.  The missionaries even got into the action and helped the dads hide the eggs.  Emma has earned celebrity status at the Hart house.  Peter latched on to her and would not let go, while the big boys and Nilsson kids were convinced that she had the best ideas and came up with the funnest games.  She also was exposed to the Pajama Game.  I don't know if any of you siblings realize that she had never seen that show before.  Your welcome.  I took care of it for all y'all.  She is now in the know and can quote the classic lines with the best of us.  "Don't touch me!  I'm out with friendzzz." OR "He's always got a knife.  He's living in the past."  OR "I think I need a little nap."  Amongst the sisters present there was a lot of wedding talk.  We are getting so excited!  It's going to be lovely!

Conference, as always, was a highlight.  It's always interesting to watch the subtle differences that happen from year to year.  I loved when Elder Uchdorf slipped into his German.  Hilarious!  Alex and I really enjoyed his talk, as well.  Per some conversations with our biblical Christian friends we have been doing some serious study about grace and thought his talk was very pertinent and clear.  Earlier this week we listened to Brad Wilcox's His Grace is Sufficient (found on BYU speeches), which was the best talk about grace I had ever heard, and Elder Uchdorf's talk was very similar with some additional insight.

We didn't blog (or blob, as Jack would say) last week, and have to mention what a stellar time we had with Mom, Emma, and Thomas when they came up, kind of spur of the moment last weekend.  We had a lovely visit and are spoiled with so much family time.  Peter is convinced that this is how things are going to roll from here on out and is expecting Grant and Grace any day now.  Emma was also released from our house this weekend with instructions to come back next time with "Wamma Wobin".

Of note: we got our new bookshelf painted and it looks soooo great!  Pictures pending.  We also, officially solved our plumbing problems.  So nice not to have a Niagra Falls experience happening in our laundry room any more.  Thank you, super peppy plumber guy Eric.  Our early planting experiment is a bust so far.  We've got nothing.  But the daffodils and tulips are blooming their heads off.

Life is good!

We call him Garrett the Destroyer.  That must have been some game!

Treeless in Hyde Park

We made the fateful decision to keep chopping trees down this week. I talked to the local arborists and they said they'd be glad to take down the cherry tree for a mere $65. Dad decided that would be worth the expense since it took him so long to cut down the crabapple tree. It was a sorrowful moment when they laid the giant chainsaw to the trunk of that lovely cherry tree. I had to go inside because of my tears. It took all of five minutes, maybe less, for it to fall. There was obvious disease in the trunk - at least it was obvious to the professionals. Emma had always wanted to climb to the top of that tree, so she took advantage of the opportunity while it was lying on the ground. Dad cut and sawed all day on Tuesday, with neighbors coming to help. It went much faster than the crabapple tree. A man came by before we got all the trunk pieces cut up and begged for the beautiful wood. I hope he'll make us something lovely! We have been looking at trees everywhere we go so we can find the right ones to replace those that we cut down. It feels a little bare in the front yard.

Thomas' big news this week is not supposed to be common knowledge so I'd better not write it here. If you haven't heard, you'd better ask him :)  He's quite pleased about it. He did well trying out and will do a great job. I hope he can make everything work. He is required to take 15 credits each semester, which is a big load with his coaching on the side, as well as the new duties. Congrats, T!!

Emma and I took Lauren shopping and bought some shoes (very comfortable ones) for her wedding so she could try on her wedding gown for alterations. She's going to be absolutely lovely! She's writing one more paper this week, then just has to get her recital ready. Remember - April 24th!

Ruth invited Emma to go to Idaho with them for Easter/Conference weekend, so they are still there. Emma was happy to not have to go to Provo for the Belliston Foundation meeting. It was nice to see all of Dad's siblings there and to spend some time with Joe's family. I had a blast coloring eggs with Grace and Grant! They did a super job of coloring and re-coloring their eggs (and their hands and the counter, etc). They are gorgeous! And I'm sure they'll be yummy, too.

We found out that Erin Belliston has a mission call to Lubbock, Texas and leaves on May 19th, I think. She is very, very, excited and will be a great missionary. Everyone else seems about the same. Just getting older, like we all are :)

Dad and I couldn't sleep very well at Grandpa's so we got up in the middle of the night to watch the lunar eclipse. They call it a tetrad blood moon. It was stunning to me. We were amazed that it could be so closely timed. Scientists knew exactly what time it would occur in Provo, Utah (beginning at 2:59, ending at 6:06). It was the third of four eclipses in this last year, each one on a special day. It was on Passover this time and next time it will be on the solstice. This is significant in Jewish history because it's only happened a few times since AD 1 and something big is always associated with the four blood moons in succession. Interesting. Signs of the times?