Flute Prodigy?

Three weeks of band 2x a week and look how much she has learned! Chloe is enthralled with her flute and practices constantly. She started private lessons this week and we were told she is very advanced for a beginner. (And remember, she is also learning to read music at the same time!)

Way to go, Chloe!!

I played the Alto Saxophone and Oboe in school and Steve played the drums, so we are so happy to see one of our children taking an interest in music.

I can't wait to see her improvement as time goes on!

Just an update...

Just a little update... Karen (see post immediately following) had her babies last night. Sophie and Olivia are doing great, and so is Karen!

Baby Album

This is Karen. She is expecting twin girls anytime now. She is on bedrest (notice the wheelchair she had to sit in to be able to come to her shower). Karen was married to Sean. He died of leukemia three months ago. They were married for two years and these are their first children. It's been so hard for her and their families. Her Dad is an elder at our church.

I wanted to make something special for her and her girls, so I made these little albums. I was happy to be able to put a smile on her face. Timbra was kind enough to take pictures (and throw the shower). I had to leave for work before the gift opening began, so I was happy to see this pic of her with the books. I hear she really liked them. :)

Up, up and away!

This is what I saw when I was taking the boys to school this morning. I took this pic from our back patio. About once or twice a week I will see balloons. Such a beautiful site against the mountains and the clear sky.

18th Anniversary

So you might be asking yourself what a marble sculpture of Jesus has to do with our 18th Wedding Anniversary. Well, here's the long answer... Steve and I went to SLC overnight on our anniversary. I surprised him with a night away. I had arranged about 6 weeks in advance to have our neighbors watch Chloe. And I asked around for suggests of nice hotels and made a reservation at "Little America". On Sunday before we checked out we made sort of a last minute decision to visit Temple Square in downtown SLC.

I'm so glad we did! It turned out to be one of the highlights of the weekend for me. The following pictures of sculptures and paintings are from inside the North Visitor Center. The rest of the pics are from the grounds at Temple Square. Let me just say, the grounds were so beautiful and well kept. And the water features were very pretty. I just loved every minute.



The globe above is surrounded by Bibles from all over the world. After getting home I realized that I don't know if these are actual bibles, or Mormon scriptures. I think they were bibles, though.





Artist's depiction of Adam and Eve.


I became so emotional looking at these beautiful, huge paintings depicting Old Testament and New Testament stories. It's just not often that I come across anything so lifelike about the Bible. The painting above depicts Isaiah foretelling the coming of Christ.



God calling to Samuel.




The Sermon on the Mount.



Jesus choosing his disciples.


Inside the Mormon Tabernacle. This is a HUGE organ, and this is where the Mormon Tabernacle Choir sings.



Just a sculpture of family. I thought it was so pretty.



This water was flat and still. Suddenly it began to get shallow and I wondered why I hadn't noticed those pipes before. Then the fountain started. I couldn't believe how high it got. (See below, view from other side as fountain got higher.)





The offices of the LDS church.









The original tabernacle construction in the mid-late 1800's.


These are the grounds of the hotel where we stayed. Everything was in bloom, and so pretty.




Inside the hotel lobby.


Our big night out at Melting Pot. It was the first time for both of us to eat there.



The cheese fondu was wonderful!


Before dinner we went to the outside mall in SLC. They also had a very nice water feature that the kids love to play in.


And lastly, the first picture I took of our trip: the bathroom. It struck me so odd not having a separation in the floor for the shower. I had this odd feeling that I might accidentally get confused and pee on the floor instead of using the toilet. Weird, I know! The shower worked ok for me, the floor was tilted enough that the water drained without causing puddles all over the bathroom floor. Didn't work so well for Steve, I think because he is so much taller. He left puddles all over. I think I will stick with the good old walk-in shower, myself.

So eighteen years have come and gone. We had a great weekend celebrating!

Swiss Days!

Each year Midway, UT celebrates "Swiss Days". The settlers were from Sweden and they loved Midway because it reminded them of home. Hence the name "Midway". The whole town has a Swiss influence. You can see lots of homes with painted murals and designs. The one below is a business building.





Notice the little guys breaking their backs holding up the frame of the roof?


So Swiss Days is all about eating, shopping, and entertainment. Nathan got this huge snowcone.


Here's a sampling of some of the booths.



Of course there must be entertainment.


One of our best finds was getting to meet the author of a new book "Crystal Moon World of Grayham". He was very friendly and interested to hear what Beck thinks about the book after he reads it. He is a native Utahan.



Which booth did I head to first? It rhymes with Pecan Pie and Ice Cream. Oh heck, it was pecan pie and ice cream. And I mean a "slab" of ice cream! Yummy! Of course there were all sorts of Swiss meals... Swiss Tacos, Swiss Burgers, Kratwurst, and so on. We had a fun time!



Downtown Midway has looked so pretty this summer with the hanging pots in bloom. Well, the plants are in bloom, not the pots, but you know what I mean.