Easter 2009

Easter was grand this year. I don't think we have had a better Easter actually!

The day before Easter we went to Tiffany's house and Flo helped the kids dye eggs.
Landon and Linzey did really well. Below Landon is waiting patiently
for his egg to soak in the dye.



Here is Flo helping Landon and Linzey with their eggs and the dying process.



Landon smiling and Bradley showing us something with Tiffany behind him getting some shots of her own. :)



We spent the night at my sister, Leah's, house and Landon was the last one to wake up actually!
When he got up he didn't know why today was different than any other
and why we were getting excited about it.

Then he came out into the living room where Linzey's basket was all over the floor and realized that something was different and started to look excited. hehehe

The thing that you don't know is that Leah decided that she wanted to have a healthy Easter.
So instead of candy we got the kids fruit, snacks, and toys.
It was a huge hit!!!! Not to mention better for the teeth!



Then we headed over to Tiff's house to hunt eggs with them... of course the kids have to have some candy on Easter... and this was a good way of having them get it!
It was fun for Landon and Linzey to be around Bradly and Nicole too!



The hunt began!

Tiff and her family had hid over 200 eggs with candy, coins and toys in them in their backyard for the kids! It was clearly explained to Linzey she was to help Landon with finding eggs and they would split them when we went back home. I didn't give Tiff any notice that I was bringing Linzey to the egg hunt.

Landon wanted to just sit down and inspect each egg he picked up before moving on.... he got the hang of it after a while though! ;)



But Linzey did a really good job! She, at one point, had about 10 eggs in her arms and had one pinned under her foot so that Bradly couldn't get it.... so yeah... she did good for the most part! :)



The spoils of the morning!



Then Landon found a worm! It was Bradly's actually, but it was in a bucket that was unmanned for a minute, so it became Landon's! He loved that worm! He held it and talked to it and even tried to keep it from Bradly, but eventually he handed it over... or I think he actually dropped it and Bradly picked it up.



Then it was back to Leah's house where she dyed eggs with the kids again!



I loaded up the kids and took them to church with me. When we got home from church and dinner at Tiff's house which was delicious!... we found this lovely basket on the front step!
Yes... I knew it could only be one family!
Yes.... they are amazing and considerate and some of the best people I know!
The Gillespies: Jeremy, Cheryl, Brittney, Derrick, and Mykayla!
Thank you guys again! We have thoroughly enjoyed it!



Pictures of Landon in his Easter Sunday Dress... except he wouldn't smile because he wanted me to open the Nascar toy car that Cheryl and Jeremy had dropped off for us. Then he turned the car into an x-ray vision glasses... and later he made some pretty funny noises with the car. lol

I realize how amazingly lucky I am to have such an sweet little boy. He always makes me laugh and loves on me. He is good and loving and caring. He is adventurous, noisy, and comical.
I thank Heavely Father every day for the chance I have to call him my son.
I love you Landon. You are one of a kind and I am so lucky to have you!

Mary Kay "Smoky Eyes" Party

I was invited to a Mary Kay Party by Ashley and the theme was "Smokey Eyes!" I was so stoked! I went and was taught by a makeup artist with close to a decade of experience. Tara taught us trick after trick and many secrets about putting on your makeup and looking your best! It was amazing! I was able to meet a fabulous person named Naomi Jensen and she happened to be in the Stake YW Camp Leadership! lol... The Tri-Cities can be a small area I guess! :)

Here is my photos of the "Smokey Eye" that we did that night. Since then I have been doing it every day and the first day a lot of people couldn't grasp that I had makeup on! Before this I NEVER wore makeup and once in a great moon I would throw some mascara on and call that dressing up. I know that's sad, but it was me. Not now... I love protecting my skin with the products and feeling my skin and having evidence that the extra time I'm taking to wash my face at night now and put eyeliner, mascara, shadow, blush, lipstick, and foundation on is going to help my skin in the long run!

I became a new Mary Kay Consultant and I know that some people out there are going to laugh and think that I've had a huge error in judgment, but I don't believe so. I will be listing my goals on here sometimes and see if I can achieve them. I love the product, the people, and the atmosphere that's created when women get together to "glam" themselves up to boost their self-esteem.

Life has been a whirlwind, but I am taking it one day at a time. I am thankful beyond words for the friends and family I have close to me and those who care. I love this area I'm in and am looking forward to the good weather. I have already started my strawberries and plan to plant more. The weeding is underway and of course I can't do that without Landon trailing right behind me looking for rolly pollies or worms! lol... he collects them and puts them in a bucket of dirt and then frets over them and whether they are ok. :) So cute!

This weekend I am headed to my dad's house in Othello to spend time with him and Ruth. They will enjoy Landon this weekend and hopefully Landon will get his fill of PaPa (he's been asking for him a lot since he's found out we were going there). I am going to take loads of photos while hopefully following my dad around while he farms and does things. I have the memories in my head, but not in anything that I can show anyone... so that is my goal this weekend. I am hoping he's gotten the ok from his bosses to have Landon and I drive around with him. :) Fun is in store!

Unforgetable Memories

I spent a weekend with my dad and it was unforgettable.

Landon went with his dad to Utah for his great-grandma's funeral. So it was just me this weekend. When I showed up, Ruth was out picking up trash that had blown in her backyard and I could tell she was disappointed with it just being me without my little guy... but then my dad came soon after I arrived and asked where Landon was. When I told him he wasn't going to be there he proceeded to tell me to pack up and go home because they didn't want me without the little guy. ;) He was only joking, but it was good to know that they loved him and spending time with him. Sometimes I get worried that Landon is just too much for Dad and Ruth because they are used to it just being the two of them and aren't used to a very energetic 2 1/2 year old running around their house and getting into everything. But this showed me that they truly look forward to our visits and put my worries to rest.

I just stayed one night, but that night was the night that Ruth was going to Coyote Ridge Correctional Facility with a worship group. So it was just dad and I that night.

We took Blue (his huskie) running... and with dad it was letting Blue run by the truck as we rode down a dirt road in the country. hahaha... should have known with my dad that it wasn't going to be us actually walking/running the dog, but the dog getting the exercise as we lounged. lol

Then we went home and dad fixed nachos (he wouldn't allow me to help) while we sat down and watched Second Hand Lions. I can't tell you how long it's been since it's just been me and my dad spending time together, just the two of us. As we sat and watched the movie we held hands and I just felt so peaceful and blessed to have this time with him. So much has happened in our past or in the present that there's not enough time to just sit and enjoy the moment, but this night I was able to just appreciate the opportunity I had to be close to my Dad and relish through all the good memories of the past as the movie continued to play. As the movie ended we put our plates up, but ended up sitting and talking on the couch once again.

I won't write about what we talked through or about, but it has been too long since we've been able to just sit and talk. My dad agreed the next day when he said that every time I visit that we needed to set an hour aside when Landon was down to sit and visit.

The following morning I was surprised by breakfast in bed that was prepared by my father. Yes the eggs were still a bit runny, the Jimmy Dean sausage was perfect of course, and the toast was extra buttery (which I like even though it's not good for me), but it was the act of service that he did that morning that really made me grateful for my father and his example now. I know he was still getting ready because he was in his robe and had an appointment with a friend out on the golf course at 8:40 that morning, but he made sure that I was fed and comfortable before he left. He treats me like a princess whenever I see him. He gives me advice and of course makes me laugh.

A lot of healing took place that weekend and I realized that I have always loved my dad and been a "daddy's girl" since I can remember. I forgot this when I was married, because my husband and father didn't get along. So I hardly made contact with my father due to the escalated tension that would ensue afterwards. So as you can see, our relationship has been strained over the years to say the least... but it is on the mend. I am excited for the time that I have had with my dad and Ruth, not to mention the upcoming trips to their house. They are amazing individuals who are weathered by the events of life and full of knowledge and experience that I hope to be able to gleen from them through our visits. I always seem to walk away from the visits to Othello feeling loved, replenished and renewed. It is a good feeling.

I love my father and hope that he knows I always have despite the challenges or strains in our relationship over the years. He has always been a huge example of what hard work is and that getting what you want requires you to work for it.