Mother's Day In Utah!

How fun to celebrate Mother's Day with one of my favorite people who is a mother!  Here is Andrea opening some gifts and cards on Sunday:

She is so amazing with all that she does!

Here is what she got for Mother's Day: Something to help her change those really high light bulbs.  Isn't that your dream gift?

Fortunately she let us buy her some flowers to hang on their patio as well!

I also received some fun things while we were in Clinton!

Texts, blogs, emails, phone calls, skype and visits in person=

6 ways to celebrate Mother's Day with 6 kids!

Dance Show Time!

We have several granddaughters participating in dance classes!

They have been preparing for a long time for their shows.  

We've never gotten to see one in person yet, but we sure appreciate the photos!

This past weekend was the McClellan show.  Getting ready to leave for the performance:

Adorable dancers!

 And next weekend some Harrison girls will be dancing!

Their official dance photos arrived while we were there:

Emma

Katie

Sophie

From Beginning to End!

Dan had an extra busy weekend!

I got two pictures--one at the beginning and one at the end!

It started on Friday night when he was asked to be the speaker at the 11-year-old Scout Campout Campfire.

He told some fun stories including "The Ghost With One Black Eye."  He also shared some good thoughts about the Priesthood which they will be receiving soon.

It ended on Sunday afternoon with Stake Conference finished and the grandkids saw him coming out the door. They all ran up and gave him a group hug.  It was so cute and spontaneous!

There was lot that happened in between these two photos including a very excellent talk he gave on Dealing with Doubts.

Busy Girls!

Heidi sent me this photo of Elizabeth right before the 5th Grade Recognition Night!

The next day we talked on Facetime and I took some screen shots.

I think she was the star of the evening!  

Here are some of her awards.  Best Citizen: 4 boys and 4 girls were chosen, a boy and a girl from each class.

Honor choir and she even sang a short solo during the program!

A reading award for achieving a high reading goal!

One of 7 participants in the Quiz Bowl!

And then she played a piano solo for us that she will be performing in the school talent show!

Sarah played the piano for us too.  She was also selected to perform in the school talent show!

Camille was so excited because yesterday she got to go to Kindergarten for 1 1/2 hours.  She told us all about it!

They got to ride on the school bus, have a snack, sing songs, make a craft and lots more!  She can't wait for the next school year to start!

Courtney has been very busy as the school year finishes up.  Here is what she wrote me about one week:

I had to do science notes, science essay, Europe project, Bridge, Human Body Systems, Titanic wax museum, Secret Sphere, and a geometry test, and study guide, and I only have 8 classes!  Plus she got to hear Elder Jeffrey R. Holland last night at a special youth fireside!

Exploring!

We live in the heart of the California gold country.  People come from all over the world to see some of these places.  So we took a little outing to do some exploring in the Sonora area.

We visited:

"Columbia was only one of hundreds of settlements that sprang up during the exciting years when the cry of "Gold!" brought Argonauts from all over the world to seek their fortunes in California.  Columbia yielded $87 million in gold at 1860's prices." 

"Unlike many of these settlements, which have long since succumbed to fire, vandalism, and the elements, Columbia has never been completely deserted. Through the years it has retained much the same appearance as when miners thronged its streets. So, recognizing an opportunity to preserve a typical Gold Rush town as an example of one of the most colorful eras in American history, the State Legislature in 1945 created Columbia State Historic Park."

We saw rock outcroppings like this all over the place! They are left from the hydraulic mining

"Hydraulic mining was important at Columbia. Using monitors, or nozzles, to shoot water at high pressure, miners blasted loose the gold bearing gavel and washed out the gold. This method was very destructive."

The lovely place we stayed:

Grounds in the back:

We also visited Railtown 1897 in Jamestown.

"The railway's Jamestown locomotive and rolling stock maintenance facilities are remarkably intact and continue to function much as they have for the last 100-plus years."

We got to take a train ride on this steam train:

Here I am seated with our docent for the ride:

It was a beautiful spring day in the foothills:

A favorite was this water tower.  The trains, depot and this water tower have been used in many TV shows and movies including Petticoat Junction, Gunsmoke, Bonanza, Little House on the Prairie, High Noon and Back to the Future.

On our way home we stopped at this cabin which was off the beaten path. It is a replica of the cabin where Mark Twain lived for about a year and wrote "Jumping Frog of Calaveras County."  This 1865 short story was his first great success as a writer, bringing him national attention.

It's fun to go exploring and learn new things!

Posing at a  frog statue in Angel's Camp where the Jumping Frog story took place.

Who Doesn't Love Pink Flamingos!

Sara posted this interesting photo on Facebook with the caption:

My birthday surprise!

 When I asked her about it, this is what she explained: "A girl in our ward is raising money to go on a humanitarian trip.  So people can pay to have the "flock" set up in someone's yard.  Ours was sent by anonymous!"

Isn't that such a fun and creative idea!

But when I looked again at the picture I noticed an interesting expression on 2 1/2 year old Bethany's face.  Take a look.  She is such a character!

Here are some other recent photos Sara has posted of her:

"Mommy, you're sick!  I gotta feel you better!"

 "She's been wearing these all day, including to the library!"

"I really hope this isn't her idea of babysitting!"

Love this picture of little Sunbeam Aubrey in the rainbow dress posing with her Primary and Sister Wixom!

Thanks to Sara for sharing!  Hope she had a very happy birthday and will have fun with her parents visiting this weekend!