"Motherhood . . . is near to divinity. It is the highest, holiest service to be assumed by mankind." James R. Clark

Happy Mother's Day to my amazing and beautiful mom! Mom, I am so grateful for all you have taught me and done for me in my life. You are a shining example to me of compassion and love, of faith and perserverance. I am so grateful that we were often "friends" even while I was growing up, and I treasure our relationship even more today. You are a light in my life and I am truly blessed to have you as my mother! I miss you. It is often hard to live so far away, but I love our phone conversations and just knowing you are there across the country reassures me when I am feeling down or doubtful! Thank you for your love and patience with me when I was young and now that I am "old"! I LOVE YOU!

Happy Mother's Day to my dear mother-in-law, Lynette. You have always made me feel welcome in your home and family. I felt right at home even from the start of my relationship with Darin. You have taught me much about love and faith and forgiveness. I am grateful for your knowledge of all things scriptural - and that you are willing to share the knowledge you have gained. You often teach, inspire, and encourage me. I am eternally grateful for the wonderful son you raised for me to marry and to be the father of our children! Thank you for being the amazing lady that you are! I LOVE YOU!

And to the absolute angels in my life that have made me a mother,

(that includes you, Darin) I thank the Lord every day for the incredible blessing of being entrusted with you. You have brought many emotions and experiences into my life, but more than anything you have brought me joy, and laughter, and a greater understanding of the amazing love that our Father in Heaven has for each of His children. I thank Him and I thank you for being patient with me as I try out this motherhood thing, I know I make many mistakes daily. I hope one day to get it all right, but until then, I'll just keep trying.

I love you each dearly.

And I always will.

*Picture credits to Jan Chandler, Lesa Bingham and Kelly Rothey. Thanks, ladies!

First Beach Day 2010

Only days after being turned away from the beach with Kristi and kids due to the horrendous traffic, we finally made it to the beach. The first week of April was full of summer-like weather so we took advantage of the kids' last day of Spring Break and headed to the shore!

As you can see from the creative use of towels, it was still a little chilly there.

But nothing could stop us from having an absolutely fantastic day!

And this picture is just so I can have a good belly laugh everytime it is viewed.

No, I am not picking my nose, but it sure does look like it! Bwahhh, haa, haa, haa, haa! Are you laughing with me?

Still? Oh. Well, I am!

We

The Beach!

Easter Weekend

I'm super far behind with my record-keeping here, but I want to get this up to date. We went to Uncle Wynn and Aunt Pam's house for General Conference Saturday.

We enjoyed some great food and company, and of course an awesome Conference.

Darin played monkey in the middle with all the kids.

(I love that he is so willing to join in with them.)The Great Easter Egg Hunt
We had a great time. It is always good to go to Wynn and Pam's house and visit with them. They are great people and there is always a very warm and welcoming spirit in their home.

Spring Break - Failed Beach Day

We were going to go to the shore. We were. We were sunscreened, swimsuited, sunglassed - we were set. And then we got in the car. The first "traffic update" sign we encountered let us know that the next 12 miles would take us approximately 60 minutes. 60! After consulting all othe rpossible routes, we quickly deduced that the rest of Pennsylvania was also headed for the Jersey shore. After swallowing our disappointment, we made a detour and headed to our local river. Not quite the same, but still fun.

Hiding under fallen trees.

Climbing up trees.
Throwing (or skipping, for the more talented among us) rocks.

Sauntering down paths with our canine friend.

We wore ourselves out at the river and came home to play in the sprinklers.
And . . .
Sarah still got to work on her tan!