Pictures from May 23, 2016

I love how you can see the family calendar in the background hanging over his desk.

Glad to see he is wearing his helmet. Looks like they found a dirt road to travel on. Maybe Queen Creek is a bit more rural than Gilbert itself. (?)

Another project for Mother Goose!

The crew!
Rachel, Mom, Dave, Dennis, and Dean
And Tess of course!

Eli "helping" with the sand as Dennis cuts the first stone. (Deano made a few cuts himself later on)

Dean, Dennis, and Dave (and a piece of Rachel)

Everyone looking on.
Dillan, Hunter, Brad, Rachel, Jesse, Autumn, Jake, Grandma, Dave
Dean in the background with Dennis

Ava (spitting pickle sunflower seeds into a cup)
Jesse, Autumn
Jake, McKenna
Brad, Dillan

The side flower garden was just getting too much for Dad to take care of so Mom and Dad decided it would be better as a rock pathway (mostly Mom I think;) She really liked the Pennsylvania blue stone that Dennis put in our downstairs bedroom but at the last minute saw some black and rust Iron Mountain slate that she liked even more so we went with that. Everything was going fine until the end when we were unloading the last of the stone slabs from off the dump truck. Dennis and Dean were handing one huge stone to Dave and me and it slipped from Dean's hands. I twisted around to try to catch it and immediately felt a stabbing pain go down the right side of my back and front of my leg. It was the most excruciating pain! That was on Saturday afternoon. Sunday wasn't any better but today the pain has let up and now it just feels pinched and a bit of numbness down my leg.

So, the moral of the story is, don't try to catch a huge stone slab! Just let it fall!!

It is going to be one nice pathway when it's all done though!  :)

Ava's Dance Festival (2nd grade)

Right before the festival started. Ava's favorite teacher, Mrs. Navarrete is in the background setting up chairs.

Ava, front row as her principal Mr. Rencher reads what song they will dance to. (Ghostbusters)

Little bud enjoyed the playground before the festival.

He loves the slides!

All the public schools around here perform a dance festival each spring right before school ends. Each grade picks a song to dance to. It's the cutest thing. This year Ava's class danced to "Ghostbusters". The sixth grade actually had two girls who choreographed the whole thing and taught the rest of the sixth grade the moves. Pretty talented for sure!

The Photographer and his Work

The Master of the Lens himself!

I love the little flower in her hair that matches her lipstick.

Love the natural smile on her little face in this one!

She looks a bit sassy in this one but I love the green beam behind her.

I think this is one of our bushes out back.

Jake found this delicate little flower outside of Brad's window. (which I think he picked and put in Ava's hair)

I love Jake's passion for photography. He did say recently that he has so many pictures of Ava and needs more models! He's so cute! I really hope he takes some classes in high school and has fun with it.

Ava's Testimony

Focus on the Book of Mormon

She's not so blurry here.

Jake shared his testimony on his Instagram account so Ava wanted to share hers too. :) Jake had it on his account but then erased it so I'm not even sure what she said but it was cute! I was going to put it on here before I found out that Jake had taken it off.

Jake sharing his testimony on Social Media

Jake put his testimony on his Instagram and an LDS site asked if they could post it to theirs. He was pretty excited about that.  This is what he said;

"I have grown up in a family who loves the church. They have been such a great example to me and how I want to be when I'm older. I love how my parents have taught me to love everyone and everything. Even though I go through daily challenges with school and things like that, I can always look to my Savior to help me get through it. He is my role model in life and I strive to be like Him. I want to go to heaven to see my Heavenly Father and Jesus and that is what motivates me. This church is the best thing in life and I can't imagine my life without it in it. -Jake Isaac Ralph :)

I love that he is learning and developing his testimony that will give him strength later in life. I need to be better about really teaching the stories in the scriptures but I do love discussing real life application of the Gospel and Christ's teachings with my kids!

The Littles

Eli with his painting stick sword

Jake's favorite of his Eli session

This girl just captures my heart!! She's such a beautiful girl inside and out. I hope she always stays sweet and sensitive!

That laugh!!!!

Looking for that one rock

Found it!

"Four Pieces of You"

For Mother's Day I wrote the following for Mom;

Four Pieces of You

A mother looked at her four daughters, her very different daughters, and wondered how they could possibly be so different as they all came from her.

Then, one day she saw her firstborn daughter, working on a project. She put so much thought and energy into every detail. She organized and sorted and took great care to get everything just right. As the mother watched her daughter, her mind drifted back to when she was younger working on projects of her own. She was every bit as meticulous and careful as her daughter. And she thought, "She is just like me."

The mother's second daughter came to visit. She spoke of her friend. This daughter was loyal through and through. She didn't need to be surrounded by many people, in fact, she preferred to have just one good friend to confide in. The mother thought about her own friends over the years and realized she too always preferred to have one good friend by her side to confide in. And she thought, "She is just like me."

The third daughter lived close and visited often. She was a happy-go-lucky girl who loved to laugh and have fun. She never seemed to take life too seriously and just found joy laughing with those she loved most. The mother thought about how many times she had heard others compliment her on her "laughing eyes" and how happy she always seemed. In fact, all of her children and grandchildren loved her laughter and fun personality. And she thought, "She is just like me."

The mother's  last daughter lived close too but seemed to be the complete opposite of her mother. She lived her life her own way and followed her own path. She didn't do things to please others but was true to her own feelings. She was happy being true to herself. The mother thought about how many times she had told her children to be their own person, to be a leader, not a follower. She told them many stories where she was true to herself and how she never conformed to what others were doing. And she thought, "She is just like me."

The mother smiled as she thought of her four daughters, her very different daughters and realized that even though they were all so different, they were each a piece of her!

Happy Mother's Day Mom! I love you!

Nichole

(Ellie added the photos)  :)

Mother's Day (May 8, 2016)

This was taken right before we took Ethan to the MTC.

My little sweeties each wrote me a cute little note for Mother's Day. Eli drew me a beautiful picture. Ava made me a homemade card. On the outside it said, "best Mom    Mom your a star  Your a spesll mom  your the best  -avacado" then on the inside it said, "Dear Mom, Dear Mom your the best mom in the whowl galicsey   Ges wat you won a prise for being the best mom in the galicsey  I hope that you have a fun muthers day!  -avacodo  (Then she had a little card to open inside that had a bunch of   xo's . Ava also did artwork at school for me.
Jake's card said, "Dear Mom, You're the most wonderful, AMAZING, smart, and the best at your job:) You're the best mom I could ask for, and I wouldn't want any other mom. You're amazing because you know how to deal with screaming kids, cook amazing meals, always trying to make us happy. You're the best at your job which is being the best mom. You will always be by our side if we're sick, and even though it mostly gets you sick too:)  I love you mom and I hope you have an amazing, awesome mother's day.
Brad's note said, "Dear Mom You are the best mom I could ever ask for. Mainly because of how much you love us and care for us when we are sick or when we need you. Mom, you are the best and all of your kids love you so very much. Thank you mom  Love Brad
Ethan wrote me a letter. He said, "Dear Mom,  I love you so much Mom!  You are my favorite mom in the whole world :)  I hope your mother's day is filled with joy. I really am so grateful for you. Without you I wouldn't be on a mission. I wouldn't be turning into the man I need to be, and I wouldn't be ready for life. Without you I would be nothing. I know that sometimes getting me ready for a mission was like pulling teeth, but I'm grateful you didn't give up. You are the most Christ-like person I know. Thank you mom for helping me down the right path! You are a great woman and an even better mother. I know why Dad married you. It's because of your unwavering faith in Christ. Thank you for helping me gain that as well. I am grateful that I can be with you and dad throughout eternity. To be able to be one big family. Thank you for being my mom. I will never be able to repay you, but I will try! Happy Mother's Day! Love Elder Ralph
And then my sweet husband wrote me the most beautiful letter. On the back he wrote, "An Awesome Mother is Someone who:  Love's Unconditionally,  Gives up her time,   Gives up her sleep,   Picks up her kids from the movies at 2:00 in the morning on Mother's Day,   Stays up to watch movies with her daughter. . .just to hold her in her arms,    Goes and visits her own mother to spend time with her,   Makes her husband feel wanted, special, and a part of  her world,    Keeps a journal so her kids will remember and have special memories,    Goes to the store all of the time,   Takes care of the kids even when they feel they don't need to be taken care of,   Will go do things for the kids just to do things together and spend time together,   Loves holidays and makes holidays special,   Goes to church even though she hates being in public around a lot of people,   Sacrifices her own wardrobe so her kids and husband can get clothes they want,   Constantly cleans dishes and kitchen multiple times throughout the day,    Fills the house with love,   Fills the house with joy, laughter, craziness, and a sense of calm,   Fills the house with special aromas with all the great meals prepared almost daily,   Spends hours at a time doing homework with the kids,   Spends 2 hours with a kid in her lap doing ABC Mouse,   Reads scriptures and has prayers every night,   Teaches her children. . .at least until the 3rd grade when her kids become too smart,   Teaches the gospel because she is the ultimate example of heaven.   Wow, I have the perfect wife and mother of my children. Life can't get any better. I will always travel the road of life with you and follow you into eternity with love in my heart for the girl of my dreams.  Your one and only Pill"

It was the best Mother's Day for me! All of these sweet sentiments and thoughtfulness. Even notes from sister-in-laws and sisters. Deborah sent me an email that said, " It is said: "Mothers hold their child's hand for a moment and their hearts forever." Today we celebrate not only our moms but all the special women in our lives with whom we have shared moments and times. So today I celebrate you! Happy Mother's Day Love Deborah" and then Jill sent me a text that said, "Happy Mother's Day!! You are THE best mom! You are so fun and hilarious. You are full of patience and love. You are able to put everyone at ease and make them feel special. I love you."  Rachel sent a text of flowers and "Happy Mother's Day", Ellie, Elena and Alisa all wished me a Happy Mother's day as well!  It was the most beautiful weekend!! I sure do love my LOVES!!!!

Grandpa Merrill's first rose of 2016

When I was over visiting mom and dad, dad came in with this beauty. It's his first rose of the season and it was huge and so fragrant!  He sure loves his flowers and is so excited to see all of his hard work and efforts pay off in such beauty. (Of course what I call hard work and effort he calls relaxation)  :)

Teacher's Quorum

Quick hike for the Teacher's Quorum
Brenden (a non member boy who has autism), Brad, Aaron (just moved up from Deacons), Liam, and Mitchell

"The Necessities"

Someone from Queen Creek sent this picture to me and said, "Look who I ran into at Wal-Mart today buying necessities like . . . milk . . . and a basketball." :) So funny!! Ethan already has a ball but I guess one of his companions wanted one too.

Elder Ralph enjoying his mission!

Too cool!

Look at those happy eyes and smiling face! Love this young man!

Earth Day 2016

Grandpa hasn't been able to weed his property between him and his neighbor Jesse Scot because he has been having pain in his back again. So I took my kiddos over to help weed and mow lawns. Brad did most of the weeding of  the property line (it was full of grass and tulips), Jake mowed the lawns, and I edged all of the property. It looked pretty sharp when we finished. I wanted my kids to just do it for free but Grandma and Grandpa insisted on paying them. They said it was hard work and they needed to be paid for it. We were there working for about 3 hours but it was worth it. It looks so nice and now Grandpa won't have to worry about it. Especially once Dennis puts down some blue stone stepping stones along that property line so that it won't be overgrown with grass and weeds.

Eli wants a pet

Eli's face when we told him no hamsters!

Eli's friend, Charlie, had a hamster that Eli loved to see and play with. Well, it passed away and Eli cried and cried and begged for one for himself. Dennis and I can barely handle two dogs and have heard how bad hamsters stink so we said no. He cried hysterically for two hours the first night and continued the next day. Thankfully, now he is resigned to not getting his way on this one!

Mr. Fix It

Eli helping Daddy paint the entrance way

Ava had to help too

Dennis has painted the whole downstairs (and upstairs except my bedroom). He had to put a bit of scaffolding up in order to reach the entrance and the landing going upstairs as well. Of course, Eli and Ava just had to "help" Dad so they could climb the scaffolding too. :)

Natalie and Alia's wedding April 2016

Jaime Condie, Nat, Alia, and me at the courthouse.

Wedding luncheon. 

Alia and Natalie cutting their wedding cake.

One of my best friends, Natalie Webb (formerly Holley) got married this past month. We have known each other for about 15 years now. We were neighbors in Eagle Mountain as well as Lehi. We served in Young Women's in Eagle Mountain with Jaime Condie and we all became fast friends. Anyway, Nat was married to a man who was not good to her at all. I won't go into any details but their marriage ended and Nat was devastated. Then she met Alia and fell in love. They were married this year here in Utah. Alia's family did not attend and Natalie had only a couple of friends (me, Jaime, and two high school friends) and one sister there as they were married. It was a nice ceremony and the judge said some beautiful things. The next day Nat and Alia had a wedding luncheon with just a few family members and friends. Nat had three cousins, her best friend from high school and me and Jaime there to support her. She had their wedding cake made by her mother's favorite bakery in Salt Lake. (Nat's mother died when she was a young girl). Anyway, they didn't have a whole lot of support or family there. Nat told me and Jaime how much our friendship meant to her and that Alia couldn't believe she has such great friends.

The "Bobcat" drivers

Annaka Pace

Ava

Ava and Annaka posing with the bobcat

Annaka in the cab of the bobcat

Ava in the cab of the bobcat


Dennis brought the bobcat home to load some pallets of stone tile into our garage (that he will use for the floors upstairs). Well, Brad, Jake, and Brad's friend Mitchell wanted to drive it so Dennis let them as he stood on the outside step and taught them how. Then, little Ava and Annaka (visiting with her mom for a friend's wedding) wanted a turn to "drive" too. Dennis sat in the cab and had them steer as they went around the block a couple of times. Annaka was the cutest driver! She was so excited and Ellie said she talked about how Uncle Dennis let her drive the bobcat all by herself all night long and the next morning too. All of the neighborhood kids wanted turns as well so Dennis spent at least an hour to an hour in a half going around the block with all the kids.