Dada Days

 

 
Sawyer and I have been showing Jeff how to have a good time during his first taste of freedom in months.  It's like letting the child of a health food freak loose in the junk food aisle.....a perfect pandemonium of joy and excess.  We're taking him to all our favorite play spots, dragging him around to nosh at all our most delish places, waking him up early and making him stay up late.  It's the final push to soak in our favorite parts of Provo, because in the midst of all this merrymaking, we're also getting ready for our summer move to Wisconsin.  Jeffrey has an internship with Toro and we'll be living there- in the country- until August. Jeff's a whole bushel of excitement and I'm a whole shipment of nervous about being "so far out from civilization" (my terms, don't let Jeff hear me say them), but we're all looking forward to our "extended vacation" (again, my words).

There's a lot to be done before we leave, and some of us are getting all tuckered out.

{a note about this pic: Sawyer LOVES toilet paper. He steals it whenever he can sneak a snatch, then he shreds it, eats it, blows his nose in it, or occasionally, flushes it.  On this particular day, he chose to shred it on a napping Dada. Jeffrey didn't budge, but I couldn't stop shaking with laughter...hence the lack of focus}

He's a Jolly Good Fellow

...and a purdy darn good dad
....and a hard-working husband
.....and a fabulous friend
....and a "nearly there" college grad
 oh and he spat in the face of mediocre this semester and earned himself an impressive GPA, and I confess, I may not be easy to impress in that department, so we're talking POWERHOUSE people!

Naturally, this good fellow deserves a doughnut. Congrats on knocking down winter semester, Jeffrey! Another one down, one more to go!

Easter Shenanigans, Part II-Outfits

Have you ever seen this beautiful painting by the neoclassical artist Angelica Kauffman? It's entitled, Cornelia, Mother of the Gracchi, Pointing to Her Children as Her Treasures. It contrasts the pure-hearted Cornelia and her sweet children to a vain woman who boasts of her jewelry. The woman asks Cornelia where her jewels are, challenging her reputation and station as the wife of a Roman patrician. Cornelia gestures to her children, responding, "these are my jewels".

This painting epitomizes how I felt about my boys dressed up and headed for church in their matching Easter ties (which I MADE!!!!). The modest role of motherhood I've undertaken certainly doesn't leave much room for real rubies and diamonds, but looking at my boys, I can't help but think I've got the best and brightest treasures in my jewelry box.

Easter Shenanigans, Part I-Egg Hunts

We went to no less than 4 egg hunts this year.  Which was good, because by the 4th, Sawyer knew what was what (and "what" was mostly that the bright round things have sweet, slobber-inducing stuff in them).
1st-the Provo city egg hunt at the BYU Helaman Fields.  Major BUST! The place was packed! We're talking thousands of kids and their egg-hunt-hungry parents. Sawyer almost missed the hunt because he was busy dancing to Taylor Swift.  The one egg we did get was taken by another kid.
2nd-Egg hunt with the Rich clan.  Sawyer was more interested in sticking his finger in the outdoor socket, but still managed to hunt down a few eggs.
3rd-Nursery egg hunt at church.  Finally! He started to catch on and collected eggs full of peeps, jelly beans, and bubbles.
4th-Grandma Janeen's egg hunt, preceeded by Easter dinner and followed by dirt hunting in the garden.