Mother's Day

The Angel of Hope

"Each day, hope anew"

This is the precious Mother's Day gift that I got from Owen this year.  Bryce said that he picked it out all by himself.  Whether that is the case or not, it is a precious reminder that each day is a new day.  Often times as a mother I have to remember this as I start each brand new day.  I can't base a new day upon the previous day's mistakes or sucesses.  I have to get out of bed and face the world, and the circumstances and experiences that I face each day, with hope that no matter what happens I can become a better person from them. 

Swimming Lessons

Look at this cute little boy.  He just finished his swimming lesson.

Owen and I took a Parent & Tot swimming class this winter to help Owen learn to not be afraid of the water.

Our friends Leslie and Harvey took this class with us.  Both boys have really enjoyed the class.

Owen has learned how to kick his legs and paddle his arms in the water.

His favorite part of swimming is climbing up the ladder, carefully standing on the edge of the pool, then jumping into the water.  He enjoys this so much that I have to make him kick and paddle to the other side of the pool before he can climb up a ladder again.

Say Cheese!

After our Easter egg hunt on Sunday we went in the back yard to take picures out of the sun. We had a hard time getting Owen to sit still, but finally we got him to say "please," and then "cheese" which made us laugh and made him smile very cutely for the camera. So here is our little family saying "cheese" for the camera on Easter Sunday.

The Easter Weekend Saga - Part 2

Easter morning dawned bright and clear. This time the Smiths had joined us at our house. As the boys came outside, Owen wasted no time finding his Easter basket.

Then he took some time to see what he got - jelly beans, marshmellow peeps, other candy, and two toy dinosaurs.

This time the boys knew what to do with the Easter eggs. First, find the eggs.

Second, give the eggs to Daddy to hold.

Third, play nice, but if Harvey isn't paying attention than the eggs are fair game.

Fourth, don't forget to look for eggs in the bushes.

And last, but not least, pose for a family picture - or play with your new dinosaur while Mom & Dad pose.

The Easter Weekend Saga - Part 1

We had a wonderful and fun Easter weekend. Bryce was at a conference in Kansas City from Wednesday until Saturday evening, but Owen and I started having fun before he got home. Friday evening we spent the afternoon and evening with our friends, Leslie, Captain, and Harvey Smith. Then we stayed over Friday night and watched conference with them at their house on Saturday.

Friday evening we decided to have a practice Easter egg hunt for Owen and Harvey so they would know what to do on Sunday.

First, they shook hands, then off they went.

Owen found two eggs right away, but didn't want to put them in the basket. He just wanted me to open them for him.

After a while, we got him to come back and join the fun.

Owen finally figured out that he could pick up the eggs and put them in his basket.

One all the eggs were gathered we could sit down and partake of the spoils.