Ross

 This was our little treat after working hard from sun up till sun down.
Tomorrow our sprinkler lines get pulled and then we can finish up the last bit of fencing and put out the grass seed.  Our garden is almost entirely planted and we have a bunch of flowers to plant, but things are coming along nicely!

Hi there Cutie.

My oldest turned 8 last Friday. I'm excited for him. He gets to be an official cub scout now, he has decided he would like to be baptised and he only has about a month left of 2nd grade. My little boy is growing up.


I've asked him a few times lately why he wants to be baptised. His answers are these: "A whole bunch of my friends are baptised already," "Jesus tells us we are supposed to be baptised," "I want to have the holy ghost," "I want to get in the baptismal font," "I want to be a member of the Church for real." We have customized our Family Home Evening lessons for him by teaching out of the gospel principles book so he can learn the basics really well. May 7th is his big day and I think we are all pretty excited about it. Well, maybe not his daddy. I think Brett is in denial that his first born son is getting so old.

Now, since I'm too lazy to write this is paragraph form, here is a billeted list of things about my son:

• He is a great student! He always gets all A's except one, and that is always an 89%. This happens nearly every time without fail. He'll have 2-5 100% and a couple more normal A's, and then an 89%. And it's always a different subject every time. Okay.
• He is reading above the 5th grade end of the year reading level by one word per minute. It must be my side of the DNA coming through here.
• He's great in church. I hear from all his teachers how he always has an answer and is a great kid.
• He puts on a show in public or something. His mother does not always give him an A and certainly doesn't always think he is a great kid. And how is he supposed to have the right answer when he doesn't listen to me in the first place???
• He is a fantastic kid, as long as his two little sisters aren't around. Why does he turn evil as soon as they enter the room?
• I love him very, very much, dispite how frustrated I can get. We still read together at night whenever we can, but we butt heads more than I would like. He also inherited my pigheadedness.
• He's old enough to help with things like cleaning mirrors, vacuuming, taking the garbage out and stuff.
• He's a handsome little devil.

• He won some prizes on his birthday at Wahooz then came home and shared everything with me, his sisters and baby brother. Then thanked me a million times for letting him go. I guess he's a pretty great kid.

Thanks Idaho Pizza!

My Niece Jessica, isn't she great?

Lily, "I just LOVE President Monson!"
Tyler, "Ducky, ducky, ducky!!!"
Ethan, "Dad I missed the last part of conference; can we watch the end online?"

Just keep pressing forward obediently and with faith in the Savior.  As you do so you cannot go amiss.    -- Elder Bednar

He quoted Joseph F. Smith:

It is not by marvelous manifestations unto us that we will be established in the truth, but it is by humility and faithful obedience to the commandments and laws of God.

Now this week we are on to fencing in our back yard, extending the sprinkler system throughout the entire backyard, installing pea gravel underneath the moterhome,  planting things all over the place, and getting my strawberry plants all in our raised garden beds.  And I'm thinking a zucchini plant as well.

For mothers day we'll be making flower boxes to go underneath my two right front windows and the girls rooms.  I can't express how excited I am to work in our yard this year!!!  All the things we've been wanting to do for the last 3 years are finally going to get done.  I'm looking forward to many games of basketball using Ethan's birthday present out back, barbecues, and roasting marshmallows in the fire pit, in grass in the back yard!  Imagine that.

All an all, I'm feeling very blessed after last weekend.