Baptism

Saturday was an exciting day for Maddie. She was baptized! She was the only one in our ward to be baptized that day so she was able to plan her whole program which included her brothers and sister. Gage and Keaton said prayers. Noah and Kenzie gave talks. And Maddie sang a solo while Kenzie accompanied her. Maddie also led the music during the opening and closing songs. Mike baptized and confirmed her. My parents, Mike's mom, and great Aunt Bonnie and Uncle Keith were there. Of course Keaton came down. He wouldn't have missed it for the world. Also, a bunch of Maddie's friends were able to come and be a part of her special day.

Chef Mike

So.....Mike has been released as bishop (sigh of relief), but now he has some time on his hands. Let's say that he has turned into the Little Red Hen (or Rooster) and has taken up breadmaking. He even grinds his own wheat into flour. He didn't grow it though, but we'll let that pass. The first loaves he made were great! Since his release about a month ago he has made about 12 loaves of bread. The last ones were cinnamon raisin and he did that tonight. He does 3 at a time and he has been giving some of them away. Put in your order. They are yummy!

Crazy Hair Day

Friday was "crazy hair day" for Noah and Maddie! Even though Noah doesn't have much hair, he insisted we put pony tails in. Maddie went for the Pippy Longstocking look. I think it's great they are willing to participate. Sometimes I look back at my younger years and wish I had been brave enough to have fun like that. Sometimes I feel like my hair looks like that!:)

Bike Ride

This morning we decided to go on a bike ride to my parents' home. Kenzie was still sleeping and Gage had just returned home from an overnight scout camp. So, it was Noah, Maddie, Mike and me. We readied the bikes and packed some snacks and drinks and took off. It was partly cloudy, but nice enough outside. We took a longer route so we could stay in neighborhoods and on bike/walking trails. Noah and Maddie did great. We stopped a couple times along the way for snacks and even took a little bit of time at a park. Our adventure took us over 11.5 miles (1 hour 28 minutes which included our stops). When we got to my parents' home we packed the bikes in the truck and they took us home. We all had such a great time we are thinking of getting a bike rack so we can do some more trails further from home.

It's Great to Be 8

Maddie turned 8 last week! She had a party with 8 friends which included a treasure hunt & a movie, Ice Age, Dawn of the Dinosaurs. She made her own invitations and surprised me with the details when I got home from work one day. Dessert was a mint brownie (our children have strayed from the traditional cake and ice cream). Instead of going out to lunch during school, I had to pick up lunch and take it to school so we could eat in the lunchroom surrounded by her friends. She is a social butterfly. Mike took her to Brick Oven for dinner. Her favorite gifts included rollerblades, clothes, money, and "peace sign" earrings and necklace. In a few weeks she will be baptized by her dad. She can hardly wait for that!

Pinewood Derby

Last week was the Pinewood Derby. I have to say that Mike doesn't take the most time working on the cars. They usually cut the car out the weekend before the derby and finish it up in barely enough time to race the car. This year the car had to be finished a few days before because Mike was going out of town. Noah picked the shape of his car (nothing fancy), and he painted it with what we had. He plopped a few stickers on and there you have it, a 3rd place winner overall! Can you imagine the surprise and excitement! Amazing!