It was gramma & grampa night on Friday night...all 3 slept over! We had movie night, with popcorn and candy and we stayed up late...sorry mom and dad...not really...that's our job...play hard, party late, and send them back to you guys! I love that they enjoy coming to our place. The sleepovers are amazing. There is nothing like having one of the boys roll over and wrapping their little arms around my neck...that makes all the tossing and turning worth every second of it!

Payson started baseball this week....not t-ball, but real baseball....machine pitch.
We went out to see his first game...it was awesome...Pays is SOOO serious and knows what he's doing. He got a hit from the machine and got a man off at first base..YEAH pays..you go!

After everyone had found their prize...everyone got a good ol laugh out of Mick's belly shaking like a bowl full of jelly!...little preslie gets bigger, Or should we say poor mamma....by the day! Doesn't she make a beautiful preggo momma!

The big kids got to hunt for baskets, as the little ones hunted for eggs marked with prizes....hmmmm easter bunny little over board!

ANNNND THEIR OFF...
Yearly easter egg hunt at gramma's house...watch out guys...the big kids show no mercy!

It was "Gramma" day on Tuesday and we had a great time enjoying the beautiful spring day! I needed to take a picture of the bell at temple square, so I decided to make a little field trip out of it. It really became a little easter lesson and was rather quite sweet! I asked the boys if they would like to see the temple and the stautue of Jesus and they both said yes. They wanted to see Jesus's house. Poor Talan was a little bit confused, cause he thought he was going to meet Jesus...hense the sour face in front of the statue. We talked about the different feeling inside the temple and gramma explained how this is the special spirit from the Holy Ghost that testifies of the truth that Jesus is the Christ and our big brother. Payson said, yeah, it does feel different in here and he just wanted to sit and look at the statue and paintings on the wall. We walked around the paintings as well. They also enjoyed the waterfall and fountains at the conference as well, however, boys will be boys and enough was enough....they wanted a playground! I had promised them a picnic and so we headed for a park. While uptown, I thought I would check out Memory Grove. Chris and Tahnie are thinking about their engagement pictures there, so I wanted to see what it looks like, it's been years. I also wanted to find the old house my Dad had been speaking about where he and Mom lived during their first years of marriage. I think I found it, but not sure...needed an exact address. Oh well, it was fun anyway! Memory Grove is a cute walking park, but not too exciting for the boys. So we headed to Murray Park, a favorite of ours. They LOVED playing on the equipment by the school and the only way to get them to leave is promise them a slurpee from 7-11. Talan would play and shout, "seven-eleven" in a sing song kind of voice. Pretty soon all the children were asking their Mom's if they could go get a slurpee...sorry Mom's. Gramma's gotta do what they gotta do! :)

"Well, where's Jesus gramma, doesn't he live here?"

Siste Jaydeen Buhler from our ward is trying so hard to get me into geneology gear. She has found a story about my 4th great grandfather and his brother who brought this bell across the plains. Andrew Lamoreaux (my grandfather) and David found the famous "Nauvoo Temple Bell" that had been taken from the temple belfry tower during a battle to protect the remaining Saints and property in Nauvoo in Sept 1846 by a minister desiring to have it for his own church. They buried it in a boggy marsh, with only a piece of chain above the ground, so they could find it on their return. It remained there until my Uncle David was ready to leave Nauvoo. It was such a heavy load in his wagon, his family had to walk most of the way across the plains. This story makes me smile, because I can easily see my boys fighting to save something of importance in such a sneaky way! It's fun to see a part of the temple grounds become part of me in some sort of small way.

The flowers were so beautiful. They smelled so sweet. Can one of the temple ground gardener's please raise their hand so I can choose you for my new best friend? Help, my yard needs your loving care!

Both of the boys LOVED the water. When don't they. Payson wanted to go to the top of the waterfall and slide down, or just get in to swim. This boy cannot wait for water play this summer! It was warm, but not that warm!

NEW ADDITION TO OUR FAMILY

Shawn & Ang got a new puppy named Maggie. They brought her over today after conference to share with the family! Me and the boys are about the only ones who really got into her...the rest of the family not so much into dogs! I think she's cute and I'm sure she's a great companion to Angela when Shawn is off coaching soccer! Payson & Talan loved her. Talan would get nervous when she jumped on him, but LOVED petting her after they had wore the poor thing out and it was collapsed on the family room floor. I miss having a dog! But we won't do that again---!

Mom & Dad have been married today for 61 years! Their love for one another is so deep and solid, it's amazing to watch! Even in Mom's fragile state with her disease, she knows she LOVES this man. Dad is such a "prince" to her. He loves her so unconditionally and eternally! His heart is breaking as he watches her slip away! It is so touching to watch the two of them, but it makes my heart ache so much for Dad. Today we had a small celebration to honor the two of them. It was hard on Dad today. He broke down several times. I tried to get him to come to dinner at the house, but he wanted to be alone. It was hard leaving him today as we dropped him off after the visit! I can only imagine how his heart must ache each and every day! I want to fix it, but it is impossible.
My children find it hard to visit Grandma, she really doesn't recognize them any more. It's confusing to her to see them all grown up, in her mind they are young and at my feet still. (If only that were true! Just kidding....sort of!) Today when I arrived, I bent over to Mom in her chair to hug her and give her a kiss, she told the aide that I was her daughter, but as we visited, she asked if that Stacey was ever going to come for a visit. She wanted to go home today. "Let's go" she kept saying to Dad. She was tired and wanted to lay down. Soon we had the nurse come in to lie her down and she was off to sleep. Dad cried all the way out and a good part of the way home. It was a hard day! But I feel so blessed to be their by their side....even if it's one of the hardest things I have ever had to watch! It's a honor to be with them.

This is Mom & Dad within the first year that they were married. Their show of affection for each other has never weakened in any way. They are sitting on the porch of an old house they rented up town on 3rd avenue and G street. They rented it for $150 a month, and rented a room out to Dora & Leo for $50 a month! I would like to go see the house now, Dad says it's still there!