This and That in March, Part 2!

It was a fun St. Patrick's Day!

We had some of the Perrys here for lunch as it was their Spring Break.

We played a rainbow M & M's game.

Since MaryAnn was there we all had to have names and they included:

Leaf, Clover, Greenie, Pot o' Gold, Leprechaun, Paddy 

David introduced us to this new game and it was very fun!

Amelia is excited about her Easter package!

Daniel's track meet at Bountiful High with the temple in the background!

Nathaniel had so much fun in the school play!

Here they are huddling with the director before the final performance.

Pink ties for Music and the Spoken Word one week:

And since they live close enough, they went to it again!

Amanda likes visiting Temple Square.

The scaffolding is down!

They have some new decorations out.

We had a great weekend with a visit from Reid and Kathy!

Even though BYU only got a one day Spring Break, 

Elizabeth was able to go to Idaho with friends for the weekend.

Camille was busy during her Spring Break making the following:

S'mores Pie

Tiered skirt 

Braided bread

Chocolate Mint Shamrock cookies

Percy Jackson crochet blanket

Bandana pants (and she even had to make her own pattern.)

Bethany auditioned and got into the 9th Grade Choir!

Lots of fun times for the Shafer family!

Penny sang in another contest.

She sang O Del Mio Dolce Ardor by Gluck

and The Fuschia Tree by Quilter

Camille played in a clarinet ensemble at the Music Festival...

...and that evening she went to the church prom.

She did her hair herself!

Sister Melanchuk is still all smiles as she finishes her last few weeks!

Joshua came home from UCLA for Spring Break and he brought four of his friends.  They were here for three days. During that time they were very busy with a camping trip at Samuel P. Taylor State Park, visiting the Point Reyes Lighthouse, and a Drum Line competition in Union City near Oakland.  We felt honored that he fit in a trip to visit us and we had a fun evening with them.

While Brian and MaryAnn were driving Joshua and friends back to UCLA, we had the rest of the family here for a Palm Sunday dinner.  

Melanchuks had a good Palm Sunday

And they went to a Messiah performance at a Salt Lake City stake.

Amanda found this paper that Nathaniel did after attending the performance!

Happy Easter everyone!

This and That in March, Part 1!

It's March and Spring has already arrived here.

These little birds hang out in our camellias and peck at the window.  

Meanwhile it looks like winter still at the Bountiful Temple!

Joshua sent us this picture from the Los Angeles Temple Visitor's Center.

"It is a representation of the temple at the time of the Savior.  It was made of Jerusalem olive wood by master craftsmen in Bethlehem."

Very beautiful!

We had fun playing Skip Bo with David and MaryAnn after their time at the temple.

Grandpa got to attend a BYU Men's Volleyball game and he didn't have to travel far.

They played against Jessup University in Rocklin, CA--about  30 minutes from Folsom!

He said about 80% of the fans were for BYU!

BYU won!

Grandpa and I have been following BYU basketball as well.

They did pretty well in the Big 12 Tournament beating Kansas State and West Virginia and finally losing in a close game to Houston.  Everyone loves watching AJ!

The Church put out a detailed Caring For Those In Need Report for 2025.

A former manager sent this quote to Reid and Kathy because Reid and Kathy are the "missionary couple" they mention!

"A missionary couple in Zagreb, Croatia, noticed that displaced individuals were eager to work in the tourism industry but lacked English skills. The couple introduced the individuals to EnglishConnect, a free English class provided by the Church. With support from local organizations and missionaries, 11 classes quickly launched. These classes helped many people in Zagreb gain the confidence and skills they needed to pursue jobs in tourism and in other fields."

We are loving having a visit from them this weekend!

Aubrey turned 15 on the 5th.

Here she is with a wood kit she assembled!

Michael turned 15 on the 12th.

He got this fun T-shirt!

He had a cake pop cake!

And MaryAnn turned *&%*% on Friday the 13th!

We loved having her here for lunch.

Brian made Karahi chicken, an Indian dish, for her birthday dinner!

It was "super yummy" she said.

It isn't too early to start thinking about and planning for our next

 Family Reunion in July.

(Don't forget the survey John and Sara sent out)

Here is a look back:

Family Reunion

20 years ago: 2006

Ten years ago: 2016

It will be fun to be together again at Camp Harrison in Hidden Chateau National Park!