So. Last night before scriptures, Corey thought he'd share one of his videos from his youtube and internet findings. It was an Unreported World episode called "The Vietnam Dog Snatchers". He only got 20 seconds into sharing it with us though, cause after the 3 clips in those first 20 seconds, the kids were screaming. Especially Lily. Well thanks for that sweetie! I added a few comments: why do we care about dogs and our pets but we eat other animals? You know pigs are just as smart at dogs. If we humans say we care about animals, well hey, maybe we shouldn't eat them? I'm glad Corey showed them the start of that video. They didn't like it, but I do believe it has helped push them another step in the hopefully plant-based eating direction. This morning, I found this note on Lily's shelf with a little reminder she made for herself:
I watched the whole video today. It is sad to watch, so you've been warned.
Here's one more vegan-ish article I've been meaning to share - a cow now named Brianna that escaped the slaughter house truck and delivered a baby calf 2 days later. I read that in January, after I was driving Wes home after picking him up from a LBB Tour, and on the drive home we passed like 5 semi trucks full of cows. It made me sad. I'm glad to plant based.
What else. Abi had an orthodontist appointment today, and right after that I had planned to go to the Tulip Festival with my dad. My mom came too, and we drove down together - Mom, Dad, me and a few kids. We got rained out though. Like downpour. We headed home rather than wait it out to see if it stopped. Kinda bummed, I don't know why I didn't check the weather this morning. Hopefully we have another chance to go before the festival ends.
Today was a good day. Iveth came over and helped me clean for the first time. She is going to come twice a week on Monday and Wednesday, but we did it on Tuesday this week cause we went to the Tulip Festival yesterday. She was here for 3 and a half hours and we did the main floor, it looks great and it is nice of her to come help me! I'm grateful to have her help. We are going to pay her, but I also think and hope this will work for what Corey wants (a maid and a clean house) and what I want (a friend who I feel comfortable with if I'm going to be letting someone in our home frequently). I feel like our meeting Iveth and their family coming into our life is a total perfect answer to prayer.
So, even with a clean house, it gets crazy. Today, like most school days, our home got a little busy and crazy as the day wore on ~ busy with kids playing and music practicing going on. Today after school, Corey went over Mel's college planning and expenses with her. She got another scholarship, and with that has her entire first year of college at BYU paid for! Go Mel!
Time to get these other kids ready to launch. Having them involved in music is part of Corey's master plan to get his kids self sufficient and prepared to leave the nest. He started teaching Lily the saxophone last year. He often helps her with it as she practices. He is her teacher and her lessons blend into her practicing time. Sophia takes violin. Her lessons are on Thursdays. Her teacher is Mrs. Amy. Today, as Lily and Sophi both practiced, Sophi got a little jealous. She did not like Corey giving Lily so much attention and not helping her at all. Mel goes to Sophi's lessons with her and helps her practice (pic 3). But tonight Sophi wanted her dad's attention. She told him she was upset at his unfair treatment of her (Hyrum can tell you to watch out when you get our little Princess Sophia ticked at you!) Corey tried to apolgize and reassure Sophia of his love through song -
He sang to her as she colored and scowled.
After he was done singing, I asked her if she liked the song. With a frown, she let me know that it wasn't a real song. "He just made it up"
He did all the woo-ing he could, but he work to finish and other kids who wanted attention, so he had to move on. He swooped her up in her chair, gave her a kiss, told her he loved her, and to not be sad.
So there was music practicing and kid drama, and then we've also got all these noise makers having fun.
Hyrum is good at playing with them. He is good at letting Owen choke him with the force or use other super powers to over come him. We are very grateful for him keeping them happy and occupied in their fun games of strong toddlers and a princess that needs to be revived.
Today I went down to Thanksgiving Point with my friend Iveth and a van full of our kids in tow. I've gone to the festival before, it is a lovely experience. The Gardens are always beautiful, and it's not just in the springtime. But the tulip festival is special cause it's such a short window. So I renewed our family membership today. I join every other year or so, so my plan is that when the tulip festival is on next year, we'll be able to catch it before our membership expires. And if I don't get burnt out, who knows, maybe we'll renew it in 2020.
Corey and I agreed we should pay for Iveth and her kids to come with me, cause we insisted she see it.
It's like a stroll through heaven! (put on your walking shoe, Daniel! On second thought, those look a little big for you...)
I didn't take my nice camera or take a ton of pictures, cause I have several hundred pics of tulips from years before and still haven't done anything with those. (2018, 2016 before the hail storm and after, and 2013) So I decided to hold off on increasing my tulip photo collection for now.
Iveth loved it.
What do you think Natalie? Aren't all the flowers so pretty!?
I didn't over exaggerate or exceed her expectations by going on about how amazing it was.
The Tulip Festival delivered!
We stopped for a snack and I fed Peter. He was a perfect angel almost the whole time.
Iveth's favorite was the Secret Garden.
One of my favorites too
Cute Owen.
Maria and Natalie. We enjoyed the Light of the World Garden too. That was the last place we walked through, only we did the Savior's life in reverse on accident. Not a big deal, but hopefully I'll remember next time (start at the left/north side, not south)
Italian Garden -
We stayed and enjoyed it and that made Natalie a little late for kindergarten, not a big deal. It was a great and appropriate way to spend Earth day! Here again are a few links of the other times we've gone - 2018 for Joseph and Mel's concert, then in 2016 before the hail storm and after, and our first year as members in 2013. We love Thanksgiving Point, what a blessing for our community!
Joseph and Melodie had a concert tonight at Thanksgiving Point. Yay! I got to go to the Tulip Festival!
We had such a late winter and it's been such a cool spring that all the tulips were still in full bloom and looking gorgeous
Totally filled my cup.
They performed with Lexi Walker, who is such an amazing and passionate singer, wow. And to walk around the gardens before the show was just heaven.
The "Light of the World" garden was still under construction last time we had memberships, so I hadn't seen the finished product. Again, just amazing.
Thanksgiving Point is a gift to Utah, it fills me with thankgiving!! So Corey and I listened to the first half of the program, and then we got a few pictures ~
Us, then us with a bit more of the stage
...and then Corey headed home - we didn't quite trust to leave our sitters or babies alone for as long as the concert was going to last.
I walked Corey to the car so I could get Joseph's water gun, which had been misplaced by me earlier in the day. I walked around the garden more and took more pictures.
The sun was starting to go down.
And it was getting cooler.
And I took a few more pictures and said "you are so pretty" to a few more flowers.
None of these were with my good camera this time, just with my phone.
But I figured since I haven't done anything with my pictures from years past (2016 before and then after the hailstorm), there isn't a need for me to take a hundred pictures again. Just a few...
...cause it's just beautiful. I told Corey that we might need to retire close to Thanksgiving Point someday so that I can come and go on my morning walks around the gardens. Heaven on Earth!!
Soon it was getting too dark for photos...
So I went to the bathroom and then back to the concert.
The songs Pure Imagination and Tiny Voice touched me the most. I want to imagine and dream and follow my heart. I want to make a difference in the world, even if my voice is small.
Beautiful concert, beautiful music, beautiful smells, beautiful flowers. Heaven. After it was over, I had a funny plan to scare the bejeezus outta Joseph. He was so paranoid about his assassin being at the concert to get him it was funny. It was even more funny cause earlier in the day he had been so depressed and disheartened that there had been no attempts on him and no one chasing and it was so boring!
He was all ready to fight and to have to defend himself and... nothing.
Funny video of him being depressed~
So, to give him a good scare, after the concert, as musicians were packing up their instruments... I just walked up onto the stage and got right behind him. Locked on target....
My first shot got his jacket, then I shot again and got his neck. He looked to the side and a little behind him and I could see that he had a look of "you gotta be freakin' kidding me..." on his face, until he saw it was me, and then I was laughing so hard.
It was so funny. I got him good. He kept that gun close to him the rest of the night... we had to walk like half a mile to the car!! Will he make it!?!?
He felt like James Bond wearing his tux, lol. Bass clarinet in one hand, $3 Shopko watergun in the other... He's armed and ready!
I kept quoting the Ten Commandments scene in my head where Seti is giving advice to Ramses after Moses was presented in chains for treason: "Harden yourself against subordinates. Have no friend. Trust no woman..." lol. Joseph said his heart was still racing from my attempt on him, he's on major defense now!
Another funny thing - on the way home, Joseph texted the person that is his next target... cause he knew that his target hadn't assassinated their person and that they were going to be eliminated at midnight anyway, and Joseph thought it would be fun to have three kills, so his text went like this:
"You don't want like a cool death?" So funny.
So great date night tonight. We didn't go out last night because Corey was at youth conference up at Aspen Grove with the young men from our ward. And I was at Joseph and Ethan's Madrigals and Jazz Band Concert at Skyline ~ "Mads in the Moonlight". A few pictures from that -
Joseph was doing double duty going back and forth between the jazz band and the Madrigals
It was a 40's theme. Some of the Madrigal's songs - Chatanooga Choo Choo, Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree, I Gotta Gal in Kalamazoo. I thought the funnest Jazz song was Sing Sing Sing, really fun. Ethan, Joseph, you're talented kids, just like your father.
