New calling

Last Sunday Gary was released as a High Counselor (after only six months) and sustained as a 1st counselor in our new bishopric. I have to say, we weren't really surprised. It's going to be a good change. They are all good men and excited to get going. Gary will now be able to go to the youth activities... and keep an eye on Nate (and Bryan and Bekah in the next few years). It's going to be busy but... what else is new? Does life ever slow down? Will there EVER be a day when we just sit and relax? I hope not. It seems like we get much more done when we are stressed than any other time.

I'm getting anxious for school to let out. Yesterday I helped at the school and I can't believe how crazy those kids were! I don't know if it was just me being there, or that they know that there are only 27 days left! (We aren't counting or anything.) Every year I look forward to summer and then after a couple of weeks I wonder what I was thinking. (6 to 12 kids here 7 days a weeks all summer long?) We have so many fun things planned. I've decided that we are really spoiled to live 5 minutes from a river and 10 minutes from a reservoir. Gary bought a used river raft this winter (I think it holds 8). He's so excited to go test it out on the whitewater! We also have 4 family reunions planned.

Well, today I'm babysitting a few extra kids, I'm making and taking treats to Bryan's class party, taking kids to piano, then we have two birthday parties the kids are going to, and some guys are here working on adding some lines to our sprinkling system... Hopefully Gary and I will get a date in. I guess I'd better start folding my 8 loads of laundry before I have to go. It's sure nice that I don't have to WORK! Ha Ha!

Conference Weekend and Spring Break

I love general conference. Not only do we get to hear a prophet's voice, but we get to sleep in, sit around all day watching TV (GUILT FREE), spend time with our family, and eat yummy food all day long. It should be a declared holiday. (Of course, then the stores would have to start lining their isles with conference gear biannually. Imagine loungewear with "2008 Solemn Assembly" logos, sweatshirts bearing the faces of the Mormon Tabernacle Chior or the new Young Women Presidency, and the FOOD! Oh the possibilities.) Okay, maybe it's a good thing it's not a real holiday... this way, they can't ruin it. I especially enjoyed Elder Ballard's talk on motherhood and Women. I feel truly blessed to be a mom and a wife and a Woman! I believe that women have the better end of the deal. We spent a lot of the weekend with Rod and Amy and their kids. (You may wonder how we got anything out of the talks with 10 kids running around!) We are so glad that they are close and we can spend time together.

Okay, I'm having a hard time with the pictures for my blog. How do you get them to go where you want them to? I wish there was a rotate button on this site. I'm still learning. It takes me forever to do anything.

Gary's sister Mellissa drove up to Emmett with her kids to spend a few days with us over Easter. I love her. We always have so much fun together. His youngest sister Danie came too. What a cutie. My next door neighbor and I hold an Easter Egg hunt for all our friends and their kids every year. They have 5 acres and we have 7. We hide eggs EVERYWHERE and then we split our properties up into zones. (Age groups). Everyone brings some eggs for each of the kids they bring and then we provide a lot of extra. Then we have yummy food and treats in the house for all the parents and older kids. It's so fun. I'm sure we had over 75 people this year. It's become something everyone looks forward to. I think next year we are going to have a NIGHT hunt (the night before) for the older kids...with flashlights and a bonfire. This is definitely one of the percs of living in the country.

Last week I took the kids down to Utah for spring break and saw Grandmas and Grandpas, Aunts and Uncles, and cousins. We spent time with the Bevans and the Ashbys. We went to Thanksgiving Point in Provo area and went to the dinosaur museum there. We watched the 3D IMAX movie and the kids loved it. (Well, Abbie refused to put her glasses back on after the first 30 seconds and Eric insisted that he wasn't scared, though I don't think he took his hands off his ears the whole time. I got to go shopping with Mom, Erin, Liz, Amy, Bekah, and Dawn for ... A WEDDING DRESS! It was so fun! Dawn is getting married! We are so happy! Ray Smith. August. Happy Day. The other fun thing I got to do was go sewing machine shopping. Very exciting. I ended up buying a new Janome. Then I got a Janome serger for free. Now I have no excuses. I'm going to have to start producing articles of interest. Hee Hee. On Sunday I went to Gary's youngest brother's missionary farewell. He is the last of 8 boys to go on a mission. He is going to Edmunton, Canada. He's going to do great. I tried to weasle the secrets of success out of Deanne (my mother in law)... I've got a long way to go. I have the greatest mothers in the whole world. How blessed we are.