Home Study

When we were visiting Nauvoo and Springfield, we spent a lot of time touring the homes of important people, seeing how and where they lived. Since I am fascinated with how other people live, I loved this. I love reading about homes, decoration, how others lived over the centuries, etc. I don't love looking at real estate though; that's just stressful and can give me buyer's remorse.

But I am currently re-evaluating my home; the feeling it gives, how it looks to company, how cozy it is, etc. But here are some pictures from some of the homes we saw. I love the simplicity; the warmth of the wood. There was not a lot of "stuff" but what little they did have was quality made. That's a good rule to remember. I'm working on that; when I need something, instead of buying the cheapest junk out there so I can have it right now, I'm waiting until I find something of quality, and something I love (and of course, can afford!). It's slow going, but that's the way the world worked before credit cards.

While I preferred ultra modern and the ideal house to me was a concrete room with a drain in the middle so that I could hose it down, my ideal has changed. I've moved from glass and metal, to wood and other natural material (not that glass and metal aren't natural materials, but you know what I mean). It's a work in progress.

Baptism and Nauvoo

This past week, we had some very special things take place in our family. Claire, now being eight, was baptized by her dad. We had both sets of grandparents participate in the program. Claire was sweet and very happy. I made it through the baptism and confirmation without tears, but the solo Claire sang was so simple and beautiful, I couldn't help but be moved to tears. What a special girl!!
After the busy weekend, we traveled to Nauvoo, IL with my in-laws and youngest sister-in-law. We had a lot of fun, despite a little bit of illness. I have tons of pictures and a lot of great ones of the whole family, but until I know how they feel about putting their picture on here, I will only include ones of my family.

Ryan and I before we attended the Nauvoo temple. We were able to do work for some of my ancestors. Very special experience.

William boy (when he was feeling better!)

Rose, being her busy self, in Carthage, IL

Claire with the statue of Joseph and Hyrum Smith in Carthage, where they were both killed.

Claire receiving her first set of scriptures

The family, after the baptism

We are so thankful to our family for all of the support and love given to us this past week. We couldn't have done it without you in many ways. How blessed we are!

Good food and chocolate bunnies

Yes, those are Cheetos's and no, the hat was all her.

As I write this, the sky is quickly darkening for possibly the first spring storm. Our newly planted grass seedlings could do with a good rain. I know that little William has been expectantly waiting for the rain so that he can use the new umbrella he got for Easter.

I am currently preparing for the arrival of my family. My parents are coming tomorrow night and my in-laws, the night after. This will be the first time all of us have been together since William's baby blessing, almost 5 years ago. It will be so special to have this time together. Lots to do before they come!

For Easter dinner, I made a fresh strawberry pie, homemade crust and everything. Thanks to a sale on strawberries at ALDI this past week, we were able to enjoy this treat. It was very yummy, and beautiful.

Rose enjoying a her chocolate bunny. She required a bath when she was done.

Blossoms

One of our family's all-time favorite places to go is the Botanical Garden. We go several times a year in order to see all of the seasonal changes. This year, we were able to catch the cherry and magnolia blossoms. Truly heavenly.

We were only able to stay an hour, seeing as how Ryan couldn't get off work any earlier, but it was a magical hour before dusk.

Now I look forward to May, when all of the Azalea, Rhododendron, and lily blossoms are out. I love, love, love this time of year!!

Eight

We celebrated Claire's 8th birthday this week. Through a whirlwind of activities, errands, cleaning and baking, I got (almost) everything done that I wanted to for the special day.

So after that craziness, I am happily being unproductive today. I found nothing wrong with sitting on the couch, reading my book while Rose tore up some Kleenex and the kids watched mind-numbing cartoons.

Claire was beautiful and sweet on her birthday. I loved watching her play with her friends and help decorate the cupcakes. Every so often, when I'm holding Rose, I get a flashback to when I hel Claire like that. Rose resembles Claire at that age, and it makes me realize how fast time really goes.

Now that the party is over, it's time to start planning the baptism. And I have to get ready for incoming family! What a treat!