APRIL means lots of BiRtHdAyS!!!

So we started off the month of April by having all the kids over after the last session of conference for dinner.  It has been a while since we had everybody over for dinner.

We had 6 birthdays to celebrate and each one had their turn opening their gifts and getting the spotlight.

Actually, Kimbers was in March, but we celebrated all together.  We have them all bunched together on the 3rd, 4th, 6th, 7th and 11th.  It is funny that nobody shared a birthday among this group.

Just some random pictures that I took of people that day.  It was fun to have everybody there and enjoying each other.

I took Logan out for his birthday on Monday since his real birthday fell on Sunday. He is growing up so fast and is going to be a great young man soon.  I just love this guy.

My Mom's birthday came next.  While visiting with her that day, she got a knock on the door and she got a delivery of these wonderful cakes from my brother Randie.  We had fun sampling that night after we celebrated by going out for dinner at Mimi's.  She is an incredible Mom.  Fun and Adventurous is how I would describe her. Also, wise, loving and compassionate with also a thirst for learning new things.  Oh, there are so many things that could describe her.  These are just a few!

My dear Janette came next.  We went out for Ice cream and then went hunting for the doll she wanted.  She had a soccor game that night that Derek was coming down for, but it was rained out so we got to stay and watch her open her other gifts.  As I was inspecting the doll I got her earlier, I accidently broke it and I felt so bad.  But, Janette the dear that she is, tried to make me feel alright and that it didn't matter.  I knew it did and promised to get a new one.  She is so sweet.  Kathryn is such a lucky girl to have this sweetheart for a daughter.

Finally the last one was my sweet little Chloe.  This was her first time going out with me.  I could tell she was excited about going.  Jacqui was already in Orem, so she dropped her off and she was a ball of fire, asking me all kinds of questions. She loves to talk and is not shy at all.  When we went to pick out a toy, she would pick one and I would ask her "Are you sure?"  and she would say "yes, yes, that is what I want", and then we would walk down the aisle a little way, and she would change her mind and want something else.  She must have gone through 5 different toys.  She finally settled on a stuffed doggie.  What a cutie.  She will never be dull.

MY MISSION

    So I  got a call to go and visit with one of the counselors in the Stake Presidency.  I was pretty sure it was about 2 or 3 things.  But I was hoping it was about working as a volunteer or to serve a Service Mission here at the different places that the church has, and I was right. I was glad it was about the service mission. 

    He gave me three different missions that our Stake is responsible to fill positions for and  I just had to contact the places he gave me and see if they were something I would want to do or if I was a "Fit".

     The first one was being a clerk at the Transient Service Office that is run out of the DI building in Provo, the other one was escorting sisters from the MTC to the Mall or to doctor appointments, and the other one was doing scanning and data entry at the Family History Center. 

      I decided that I wanted to try the clerking one, so I made the call to the Transient Offices  and made an appointment to go in the next day to see what they do and what I would be doing if I worked there.  I went the next day and got there for their prayer meeting, and talked to the Main Bishop.  They have several "Bishop's" called that come in and counsel with the homeless, but they only come in once a week.  They are not bishops of a ward, they are really managers.  But there is a couple that is over the mission, or the offices, that serve fulltime (or 5 days a week)

      Anyway, I greet the people as they come into the office, check their ID's, have them fill out a paper and then I enter the info into computers. I do a lot of paperwork and such. I decided that I would like doing this mission. 

    I was going to start on Thursday the 21st of April, until I got a call telling me that another sister, who had come before me, who they had thought didn't want to serve there, called back and decided she did.  I was a little deflated, but then they told me they still needed sisters, and wanted to know if I could serve on Mondays instead.  Of course I said yes and so I started the next monday instead.    

    Bro Aaron, the Brother in charge, told me that we were serving the poor and needy, which was added as the 4th mission of the church.  These people who come in there have no where to go and the church will give them a place to stay immediately and help them to help themselves.  It isn't longterm shelter, it is something to help them from being on the streets when things go bad.  We are always busy.  I am going to serve an 18 month mission.  It has been a really interesting experience and fun.  I love it.

COLORING EASTER EGGS

A couple of days before easter, Kathryn asked me to babysit her kids, so I decided to invited my Mom over and do some easter eggs.  I haven't done them in a while and it is better when kids are there to "ooh and aah "over them.  As you can see I pulled out my cub scout smocks and they went to town.

 Some of the end results.  Janette is a little artist!

EASTER

Easter was a quiet morning around here without kids to give baskets to, but don't worry I made up 13 baskets for grandkids and one for my grandniece (Joanna, Christians little girl). 



We had everybody over on Sunday evening for dinner, with a Honey Baked Ham (yumm...) except Alan and Jacqui, cuz they were already going over to her parents, but they came over afterward and visited for awhile.  It was a good evening and the kids love their bags of treats and toys.

First was Kathryn and Jared's family.

  Janette and Kimber had new little skirts that their mom made them.

Next, came Dan and Alicia's family.  They were just too interested in what was in the bags to pose for the pictures.

Then later in the evening Alan and Jacqui's family came over to visit.  The girls had cute little skirts on were adorable. Ethan worked hard on getting that Yo-yo to work, and Evelyn wasn't quite sure she wanted to be there.

WOMEN'S CONFERENCE

I ended up the month by attending Women’s Conference with Mom.  The first day was beautiful and it was nice to walk around campus.  They had service projects again this year to work on, so I crocheted a pair of mittens while I listened to the talks.  It helps me from dozing off.  Not that they weren’t interesting, most of them were, but some talks get a little monotone and I have a tendency to drift off.  We also worked on some headbands to put on cancer caps.

 Most of the talks we ended up hearing were about finding joy in our lives through service and helping others, especially when you feel down and depressed.  That was good.  It really made me think about what I have to be thankful for and not to dwell on other stuff.  The theme was “By Small and Simple things, are Great Things Brought to pass” Alma 37:6-7. 

We forget sometimes that we don’t have to do it all in one day or that we don’t have to do grand things, but that the simple and small things make a difference.  In several talks they kept mentioning that “Ordinary Women" can do “Extraordinary Things” – It seemed like this was repeated over and over in several talks. 

Sister Beck talked in the morning on the 2^nd day and her talk was amazing.  It was a compilation of answers to questions that she was asked by the membership throughout the year.  She had taken those questions to the Lord and she relayed to us her impressions and revelations that she had received throughout the year.  It was pretty powerful. 

So that was my April. Busy Month