Cinco de Mayo

Today I had lunch with my favorite lunch buddies. We were celebrating Cinco De Mayo with our $.69 tacos at Taco Time. YUM!!

James is mad here cause he didn't want to share the soda. He wanted his own and he wanted Sprite, not root beer.

finally decided to be happy and eat.

Love me some Mexifries.

Good Things:

We have a Taco Time!

Mexican food

boys who don't mind being seen with their mom. yet.

He can do hard things...

Charles has always been reserved or 'shy'. I hate to put that label on him, but he definitely takes time to warm up to new people and new situations. I knew that going straight from home to Kindergarten would have been very difficult for him so I felt impressed to enroll him in Mrs. Eardley's Joy School for the year before he would be going into Kindergarten. I thought that it would help him get more comfortable going to new places and it would allow him to meet a few of the kids he would be going to Kindergarten with. There were ten kids in his class.
In April or May of 2014 he was invited to a classmate's birthday party. He did not want to go, as it was a girl who had invited him. I talked to him and finally got him to agree to go if I would take him home if he didn't want to stay. When we went to the Pharmacy to get a gift, we ran into one of the other boys who was also getting a gift. I think that helped him feel like it would be okay for him to go also.
He was very reticent to join in at first. I asked the host if I could stay so that he would be more comfortable and so James and I went to the party too. As the party progressed he began to join in and participate in the games and activities. I was so happy to watch him interact with the other kids.
This photo I took from across the yard. He was initially the only one on the toy and it was fun to watch him light up as the other kids joined him and wanted to play with him. He still didn't say much, but he was having a good time, being part of things.
I love my quiet, sensitive boy. I try to involve him in things as far as he is comfortable, and try not to push him too hard. It's a fine line. But because he is so like me I can relate to him and hopefully not make him feel bad for being reserved. There is nothing wrong with being quiet and sensitive. The world needs more sensitivity of the right kind. I'm sure as Charles learns to do more hard things he will be happy with himself and will be a positive light to the world.

Charles (in dark jacket) and friends on the rocking helicopter toy

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...

We finally get to meet Kami

We finally had a free weekend to run to Orem to meet Kami and see Ford and Shiala. It was really hard waiting a week to go. I knew I didn't want to horn in on Shiala's mom but I was very anxious to be there. Wish there was more I could have done to be helpful. I hope as I get more opportunities and more grandkids, I will figure out how to be more helpful.

She pretty much slept the whole time we were with her. The little bit she was awake, she was very calm. Ford and Shiala say she is just a great baby, very calm and easy. I told them they should count their blessings and they said they do!

She looks quite a bit like my babies, like Ford did as a baby, but I also see Shiala in her, mostly in her mouth. She has a good amount of darkish hair and is just the sweetest little thing. We love her so much! Can't tell that by the pictures of everyone loving on her, can you?

Aunt Hannah and Kami

Aunt Sadie holding Kami and Aunt Cambria admiring her.

Grandpa having a little heart-to-heart with Kami.

Yup, he still knows how to hold babies!

Grandma with Kami. I forget how little they are. Even though she was a good-sized newborn, she still felt tiny in my arms.

Aunt Cambria getting her turn to hold Kami.

Good Things

no track meet this weekend

seeing my son so involved with his child

Getting to eat at Outback with Ford and Shiala

Jr. Prom 2014

This was the real deal. The Jr. Prom. (even though she went last year and helped with the promenade.) 

The common thing here in town is to start asking in Jan. And it has to be some crazy, super-elaborate way of asking. So that's what I was expecting. And so was she. And she wasn't very excited about it. She kept saying, 'I wish someone would just ask me so I can just answer, without having to come up with some crazy creative way to answer.' 

One night she and Hannah went to a game. She'd been to the weight room and was still in her workout clothes with her hair all screwed back. When she came home, she was excited to tell me that Trent D. had come up to her at the game and just flat out asked her if she would go to Prom with him and she had flat out said yes.  I told her that her wishes had come true. She was happy to not have to wrack her brain to come up with an answer. 

Way back in Oct when she and I went to State Cross Country together, we went prom dress shopping in the South Towne Mall. We looked at every store and tried on lots of dresses. She had it in her head that she didn't want a traditional frilly-frou-frou prom dress. She is a very practical girl. To spend that much money on a dress she would likely only wear once was just more than she could stomach. So at Dillard's she tried on lots of nice, modest dresses that looked like something you'd wear to church. She found this red one that she really liked and declared that that was what she was buying for prom. I tried to talk her out of it. I guess I've always had dreams of seeing my little girls all dressed up like princesses. She laughed at me and said, 'Mom, this is backwards. You're supposed to be telling me to spend less money, not more!' I finally backed down and she got the red dress, saying that she'd dress it up with jewelry and shoes and a fancy hairdo.

I should have known she was right. She looked absolutely beautiful and very stunning in her dress. 

(Trent's mom had asked me about the color of her dress and such and I told her about it and then mentioned that it was just a regular dress and she thought that was perfect since Trent was not renting a tux. They both looked very nice and I commend both of them for using their brains and not spending more than was necessary for a nice date to a dance.)

Cambria and Trent heading to the dance

The group of kids they were doubling with had a nice Chinese dinner with fortune-telling at Trent's house. Cambria said the food was very good and it was a lot of fun. Then they all went home to clean up and get ready for the dance.

Exchanging boutonniere and corsage...

I think Trent's afraid of her with a pin in her hand!

Looks like he survived though...

How did she grow up so fast??

The gym was decorated very beautifully. Simple, but very nice. See that big thing hanging from the ceiling in the middle of the picture below? That's a gargantuan tumbleweed that was spray painted silver and had lights in it. There were other tumbleweeds used near the columns.  The food was fun and displayed nicely, with cute little chalkboard tags indicating what was what.

A panoramic view of the decorated gym.

This is when their names were announced. Her promenade partner was Dustin C.

I didn't get any pictures of the actual promenade. Curtis videotaped it. Maybe I can upload it here.

It looked as if she was having a good time. But I think she's really just very glad it's over.

After the promenade, they announced the Prom royalty. It is based on several things and when all was said and done, she was chosen as the 1st attendant. She has a very nice little tiara now! Which I'm sure she's dying to wear again. not. 

I think she was surprised to hear her name read as 1st attendant in the prom royalty...with Tim E.

Off she goes with her dad to dance. 

Good Things:
I like the traditions here that have stood the test of time.  

It seems like in the big city schools proms have degraded to school sponsored one night stands.
I love that here the jr. class is still presented by name, they still dance a special dance (promenade) that they've worked on for weeks, and that parents are invited to attend and are welcomed and expected to dance with their child.

4 down, 5 to go!