Something I'm excited about...

I've had my camera now for about 3 years and I've loved playing around with it.  I've even gone from AUTO to MANUAL which meant nothing to me other than I realized how much I enjoyed taking pictures.  When they turned out decent (by accident) I got even more excited.  I knew I didn't have enough knowledge to really get the most out of my camera, so for my birthday I asked for lessons.

My sweet hubby made good on the gift and I scheduled a lesson with an incredibly talented photographer right here in my neighborhood, Amy Fraughton.  Knowing all along who she was and that I totally admired her talent made me a little nervous but she was nothing but sweet and kind and funny, which helped me to relax.  She has so much knowledge and is truly happy to share and teach.  I had lots of fun with Amy and am really excited to learn and understand more.  I recommend a lesson or two, or three or four with Amy.  She's a rock star!

But just like anything else in life, if you want to get better at something, you have to practice.

I wish I had more time to do just that on a consistent basis but that's not my reality right now, but once in awhile I find a chunk of time here and there.

I practiced a little with the pictures of the jasmine in my last post.

And I practiced a bit with this handsome little man.

Allow me to introduce...

Duncan.

Doesn't he just steal your heart!! 

  

His momma is a friend from my ward and she let me have some fun with her tiny treasure.

Shaylene makes beautiful babies!

Ok - Mike, the really great hubby, pitches in too : )

He is five weeks old and smiles all the time.

He truly looks so happy for his turn on earth.

Such an angel boy.

Baby toes just warm my heart.

He didn't fuss once.  Just gooed and smiled.

And then he yawned.

Welcome to the world sweet Duncan!

So here are just a couple things I am learning:

 ~ I have such a long way to go and that's okay

~ I need a different lens to really be effective

~ Don't be afraid

~ The word photography means to "record light".

Amy taught me that : )

~ This is something I really enjoy

~ Learning is fun and rewarding

I have some great news...

The jasmine on my front porch are blooming!

When I breathe in the dreamy fragance it makes me smile.

I never realized how significant these flowers would be for me.

Each year they begin to bloom about a week before Mother's Day.

And Mother's Day for me is about Joan.

My own mother.

She loved fragrant flowers.

Lilacs being her favorite.

But lilacs and the desert are not friends.

So around here, jasmine is my lilac.

And when Mother's Day comes around in about a week, the blooms will have filled my porch to overflowing.

The significance being that timing is an amazing thing.

Not just in the blooming of my jasmine, but in life and all it teaches.

The fact that jasmine blooms like this each year means little to most.  But to me the timing of these blossoms is sweet, tender and I feel my mother's love.

The Lord's timing played a large part in my mom's passing.

Why did she linger?

Why did she have to endure to such length?

Why did the weeks turn into months and the months turn into years?

I don't comprehend it perfectly, but for myself I came to understand the extent to which my mom loved her family.

I think she and the Lord had it all worked out.

Always teaching us and wanting to serve, she agreed to the Lord's timing
so that her family could learn a little more,

feel a little deeper,

become a little stronger and

love a little longer.

Timing can be beautiful when we see it as a gift.

A wonderful Easter weekend...

egg by maddison... 

egg by davis... 

egg by cooper... 

and indeed it was!

This was a special Easter for me.

I can't think of any specific thing that made it so.

It just was.

I am sure that a large part of it was the fact that as chosen narrators (brent & i) for the Sunday Easter program, I had been reading and pondering the words and truths of this sacred season throughout the week.

I felt blessed and grateful.

I felt a sweet closeness to my mom.

I felt happiness and peace.

I felt my testimony swell.

The Easter program was truly a beautiful experience.

Being able to participate in the spoken word was moving and sweet for me.

I've raved about our choir before. It is justified. The director has vision, knowledge and a unparalleled testimony of music's power. I'm lucky to visit teach her.

The songs of the season filled my heart and I felt the sweetness of truth confirmed.

The First Presidency Message in the Ensign was also a highlight for me.  President Monson's words are copied here:

Today only ruins remain of Capernaum, that city by the lakeshore, heart of the Savior’s Galilean ministry. Here He preached in the synagogue, taught by the seaside, and healed in the homes.

At the beginning of His ministry, Jesus took a text from Isaiah: “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound” (Isaiah 61:1; see also Luke 4:18)—a clear pronouncement of a divine plan to rescue the sons and daughters of God.

But Jesus’s preaching in Galilee had been merely prelude. The Son of Man had always had a dread rendezvous to keep on a hill called Golgotha.

Arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane after the Last Supper, deserted by His disciples, spat upon, tried, and humiliated, Jesus staggered under His great cross toward Calvary. He progressed from triumph to betrayal, torture, and death on the cross.

In the words of the song “The Holy City”:

The scene was changed. …

The morn was cold and chill,

As the shadow of a cross arose

Upon a lonely hill.

For us our Heavenly Father gave His Son. For us our Elder Brother gave His life.

At the last moment the Master could have turned back. But He did not. He passed beneath all things that He might save all things: the human race, the earth, and all the life that ever inhabited it.

No words in Christendom mean more to me than those spoken by the angel to the weeping Mary Magdalene and the other Mary as they approached the tomb to care for the body of their Lord: “Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen” (Luke 24:5–6).

With this pronouncement, those who have lived and died, those who now live and one day will die, and those yet to be born and yet to die had just been rescued.

As the result of Christ’s victory over the grave, we shall all be resurrected. This is the redemption of the soul. Paul wrote:

“There are … celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.

“There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory.

“So also is the resurrection of the dead” (1 Corinthians 15:40–42).

It is the celestial glory that we seek. It is in the presence of God that we desire to dwell. It is a forever family in which we want membership.

liveth, I am he who was slain; I am your advocate with the Father” (D&C 110:4).

“Oh, sweet the joy this sentence gives: ‘I know that my Redeemer lives!’”

Of this I testify.

Now to keep this feeling with me...therein lies the challenge.

When the flags are flying at the Little League park, it can only mean one thing...

It's Opening Day for my boys!

Hats off for the introductions...

It's game time!  

And it's outta here! 

He rounded the bases for a homerun : )

Between the two boys playing ball, the oldest boy coaching ball

and the darling girl playing club ball,

it makes it tough on the oldest girl to stay on the ball!

better late than never...Cooper's baptism!

My baby turning eight was a big deal to lots of people. 

His friends were excited because they knew he had a snake party planned and they were invited.

The Primary made a fuss over him and he was sung too.

The Bishop interviewed him and called him to come up onto the stand for everyone to join in welcoming him as the newest official member of the ward by raising their right hand.

Some of his aunts, uncle and cousins came to share and help celebrate.

His two Grandpas spent the week.

Maddison and Davis were happy to see their little brother have the experience they both had.

Dad was honored to take his son into the waters of baptism and then place his hands upon his head in confirmation.

  

But it was a big deal to no one more so than

the mom.

My baby turned eight.

Does that mean he is no longer my baby?

Sometimes on Wednesday nights when Maddie and Davis are gone to YW's and YM's and Brent has work in the Stake offices, he'll ask me..."so what do you want to do tonight? put a movie in and snuggle?"

One morning when I let him sleep in a bit after a tough night, I walked to school with him hand in hand.  It was just us.  We were about half an hour late so the scurry of other kids making their way to school was long gone.  Our hands were swinging between us and I said, "cooper, how long will you let me hold your hand?"  He replied without a pause, "until I'm at least 19, but by then probably not in public."

I work in his class everyday and even with his classmates all around he never shys away from a hug, a stroke of  his cheek or a love tap on his tush.  But he probably won't appreciate that last one when he's 19 and we are in public : )

My baby turned eight.

And I turned 44 on his baptism day.

I couldn't have wished for a more wonderful gift.

I'm getting frustrated...

I've made several attempts (over the course of many days) to post some pictures of Cooper's baptism. 
Each time I finish, the photos appear grainy and blurry.
Is it my photos?  They are totally clear before I move them over to blogger.
grrrrrrr...

So to make myself feel better I decided to hop on over to the Pioneer Woman's blog.
And I did feel better.
For two reasons.
1.  I don't have to be to work over at the elementary school until 11:30 today!
2.  Because of #1, I have time to actually hop on over to PW's blog : )

This is what I wanted to share...

In her home and garden section I found these.
They are chalkboard placemats.
You can find them here from b a friend..
I'm getting a set.

It's a splurge, but I still have birthday money leftover.
Well, only if I forego the pedicure.
It's a tough choice but I think I'm going with the chalkboards.

photos from b a friend

photo from The Pioneer Woman

You could leave notes, write a menu, practice spelling words, math facts, play Boggle or Pictionary, even leave a scripture reference to cheer and uplift.

I'm excited.

Now back to my frustration...

another season behind her...

Maddison has finished her second season as a Lady Hawks basketball player.



She played successfully on the JV team and ended her sophomore career with a total of 45 points and a single game high against Basha of 9 points.
In the last two games of the year she is 6 for 6 at the free throw line.

Congrats on a great JV season Sis!

Utah highlights...

Although our trip to Utah was quick, we always enjoy being with family.

Celebrating Burk's achievement of earning the rank of Eagle made it extra special.

Grandpa Stephens checking out Davis' merit badges.

Brent, Davis, Cooper and cousin Burk.

The best part of the ceremony was the live eagle.
Words or pictures can't do it justice.
It was magical to see.
When the bird became restless and wanted to spread it's wings,
I could feel the wind her wings generated blow across my face.
She was magestic and powerful.
The presentation was symbolic and beautiful.

When we woke on Sunday morning the world was a blanket of white.
The boys were in cotton candy heaven!


We were not prepared with winter gear.
Our thin Arizona blood doesn't need those multiple layers anymore.
But the boys couldn't resist the fluff so they braved the cold in their flimsy fleece jackets and gloves.
I was running the clothes dryer over and over again throughout the day.
Maddie and I were content to watch through the window or sneak a picture out on the front porch.
Maddison took a snowball in the stomach which is the price you pay when you enter the realm of boys and their childlike pleasures!

We celebrated Cooper's 8th birthday too.
First a snake party in sunny Arizona and then more cake and ice cream but this time with his cousins in snowy Utah.  It was birthday party overload : )

PC...

  

slowing making our way on Interstate 15:  2-19-11 @ 9:12 a.m.

And the usually unreliable forecast was correct!

PC...

leaving for a quick trip to spend some time with family:  2-18-11 @ 2:56 p.m.

When we pulled out of our driveway it was a beautiful 74 degrees.
A winter storm was in the forecast for our drive to Utah.

PC...

holding snakes:  2-17-11 @ 4:37 p.m.

Four year ago we invited Rich from Reptile Adventures to come for Davis' 8th birthday.  Cooper was four at the time and never forgot it.  He has been asking every year since when he could have the Snake Man come for his birthday.  THIS was the year!

PC...

sending out the email to our family about this upcoming event:  2-16-11 @ 6:47 a.m. 

PC...

sewing merit badges and new cub scout patches:  2-15-11 @ 8:23 p.m.

Davis jumped into Scouting with both feet right from the get-go.  He has never slowed down.
Cooper is chomping at the bit to follow suit.