Spring at the Lake

The mountain was calling to me today. I had to take a drive up and see if spring was making its way up the mountain. I drove to Monticello Lake and looked around it to the peaks. There were still patches of snow and no leaves on the aspens and oaks yet, but the grass was green.

Monticello Lake

I love our mountain. It's my happy place.

mountain mahogany
I love the color of the trunks of these small trees. They have a reddish tint mixed among the gray. These and willows are my favorite wintertime colorful plants. These have awesome blossoms in the spring too. I was just a bit too early for that.

Good Things:

Snow is melting

Road up the mountain is open

Only one more month of school

The Phony King

On Sunday Soren came home with a yellow crown. After we ate and later in the afternoon he was trying to entertain himself and I think he ended up entertaining all of us!!
He began dancing and singing and when the crown fell down around his head, he declared he was Prince John, the Phony King of England. (Disney's Robin Hood fame) What a funny kid!!

here you can see some of his dance moves

wow! he's really going to town.

guess it's a bit too large

there it goes, slipping down again!

MMmm, mommy. I've got a dirty thumb!
quote from Prince John, Disney's Robin Hood

Good Things:

Silly kids who aren't too inhibited to have fun

long Sunday afternoons. Naps often happen

laughing together

Easter-2014

Easter has been a work in progress at our house for years. We've been trying to minimize the commercial aspects of it and the 'Easter Bunny' aspect for years without making it no fun. I think we've finally settled on a good solution. For the past couple of years we have been going to Bluff on the Saturday before Easter and doing the egg hunt at the Fort and picnicking at Grandma's. Then on Sunday we focus on the Spiritual aspect, the last week of Christ's life and his crucifixion and resurrection.
We do still put out Easter baskets, but there is not as much fanfare about them.
Here are some photos from this year's fun at Bluff:

Our egg-hunting guys. Soren with the new bike he got when Sadie gave him the egg she found. What a nice sister!!
it's the second bike we've won at the Fort. I felt a bit guilty about that since we don't even live there,
but I was told it was perfectly fine and fair and to enjoy it.
We are so thankful for the generosity of the donors who provided the bikes that two of my boys enjoy.

Stacy likes to have structured activities for the kids. This year she got the supplies for and helped make Pompom shooters and Portable personal Tic Tac Toe sets with painted river pebbles. The kids had a great time painting the rocks. We came home with extra painted rocks, most of them being minions from Despicable Me. It kept them occupied for quite a long time. Thanks Stacy, for your work!

Boys with their marshmallow-pompom shooters
pompoms were the ammo of choice

Soren aiming high

Soren getting the expert's (Stacy's) help.

Tic Tac Toe with our individualized painted pebble and rope sets.

Great portable game

Here are some pictures from this year's Easter Seder Dinner. This year, I made an additional copy of the script and cut it up into days and had the kids help read and pass out the foods. I liked not being the only one reading, so I could enjoy the foods as well. Before next year, I'm going to make it into a book, so we can just take turns passing it on and reading from it. I think this is one tradition that will stick. In fact, I had planned to do it again this year, but hadn't said so, and the kids asked about it. I think they enjoy it, even if they wrinkle their noses at some of the bitter foods.

2nd Annual Welch's Easter Last Week of Christ's life Seder Dinner. Whew!

Passing the food items around as we talk about an event from Christ's last week.

Not sure if Cambria is trying to eat an olive or gag herself!

Last of the feet-washing teams. I think Liv's trying to do Pilates.

have a little vinegar with your oil? 

relaxing after such a hard day at church

is it good? Looks like they're not sure.

Charles and his bit of sweetened, leavened bread. (cinnamon roll) Mmm mm.

James seems to be enjoying himself. I always manage to catch Curtis with food in his mouth.

Brought out the other yummy foods. Such an easy Easter dinner. No hours standing in a hot kitchen. 

The whole gang, minus Dad.

I have really come to love Easter and what it signifies. I love the rebirth of all life on the Earth in the spring so I really love Easter and the eternal life it promises. I’m so so grateful for the knowledge I have of the Plan of Salvation and Happiness prepared by our loving Heavenly Father and put into motion by our loving Savior, Jesus Christ. Life is sweet with the peace and joy of the Gospel!

All the grandkids who were at Bluff for Easter, with Grandma on her front porch with the handcart.
Bluff is a special place.

Good Things:

sunshine

sisters

history

Math Star

Soren came home with a dollar bill for passing off all of his math facts. He was pretty excited and pleased with himself. He's getting so big.

Our 2nd grade math star

Good Things:

Watching my kids learn and grasp concepts

Watching them work towards goals

Seeing their joy at accomplishing a goal

General Conference April 2014

As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints we are blessed to have General Conference the first weekend of every April and every October. I remember as a child liking it because it meant I didn't have to put on a dress and go to the church building. Living in Utah, we got to watch it on the TV. Curtis, growing up outside Utah still had to get dressed up and go sit at the Church. I also liked it because my dad would let us pull out the electric race car set. I don't remember playing with it at any other time. As I grew older, I found it hard to sit and listen and didn't see the importance of it. I often had to work on those Saturdays and most likely slept through it on Sundays. After I married, I began to appreciate it more. It was a time of gathering with family and 'sitting' at the feet of the prophets and apostles. As the kids came, I longed to be able to sit quietly and listen, taking notes, but mostly that never happened. We have tried lots of things through the years to try to make it a special time, to make it something to look forward to, to entice them to want to sit and listen. Conference Bingo? Yup. Coloring in the apostles ties? Yup. Loads of sugary treats? Yup.
Some worked better than others. Some we don't do anymore and some we do. I think its just been the consistency of making it a priority in our family, of making it a special time, that has finally worked in getting all of us to be anxious for Conference. We all look forward to it with excitement, for whatever reason.

This year I made a Conference is Awesome chart. I didn't quite get it done before Conference due to printer issues, but the kids had fun putting the correct speaker at the pulpit and picking out the topics spoken about, etc. I'm hoping it will help them focus and pay a bit more attention so they'll know what pieces to put up.
Idea and downloadable parts found here.

James relaxing in Hannah's bean bag with a stuffed animal bigger than he is!
You can see my abbreviated 2-page Conference notes paper here. I loved it!
I found it here.

It's a lounge-fest while we watch Conference on the computer. We all look so lovely with our bedheads and pjs.

Good Things:

Goldfish crackers

Fruit snacks

Live streaming Conference on the internet

Art Show/Farewell to the old school

The last big event ever held at the old elementary school. All the children in the school created a piece of art and it was all displayed along the hallways of the school. Each class also made a piece of art to be auctioned off, to raise money for a statue for the new school.
Here is Soren with his take on Sunflowers. Gosh, he's getting big.

My favorite 2nd grader!

anyone who ever attended school there or worked there was encouraged to write their name on a block in the main hall. Since I was the only Barton there I wrote down everyone from our family who went there.
Or so I thought. After I got home I realized I hadn't put down Karla's kids. I was only thinking of mine and the ones who no longer live in town. :(

Good Things:

Community support at school functions/events

amazing icy blue eyes!

Close enough to home that not everyone had to come with me...