She also loves everything her brother does, including Wii Boxing-which she can pronounce as clear as a bell. Guess who won this game? He also beat his father twice tonight as well as several other friends!
YES, please ignore the CSI Miami chick in the background- and PLEASE don't compare our skin!!!We have a cute story and a report (so to speak) of our weekend! On Saturday, Derick and I performed "I Love to see the Temple" for the Relief Society Stake Enrichment meeting. As part of this, I was asked to bake a cake, and Gibson helped me make it. I explained that the cake was for the meeting and we couldn't cut it now, but I promised to bring home leftovers- he so sweetly looked up at me and said, "Can't you just leave the leftovers here now??"
Needless to say, I made sure I brought some home! But the Cake story does not end here! As the Gentlemen were serving us cake from these big tray/Cart things, Derick jokingly said "I'll have the Salmon, please." he then asked for the coconut cake, took a bite and nearly spit it back out! He gasped, "ugh, the power of suggestion!! my cake tastes exactly like salmon!". of course we all laughed at him, but he was dead serious, so I tried some- and SURE ENOUGH- SALMON flavored cake!!! all of these cakes were baked in shallow, cookie sheet types of pans and we think that maybe someone baked salmon and then the oil stayed in the pan until the cake was baked on it!! BLECH! I loved my caramel cake! The kids weren't too thrilled with the kind we had baked, but were happy to be remembered!
Jaker's ECMO
The Meyersons!
About two months ago, I took Carlie into Anthropologie because I knew she would totally dig it. Every time I am there, I get caught up in their luscious knits and often take pictures of certain stitches to see if I can find something like them on the Internet. Well, while we were there, I saw this sweater and after one glance I KNEW that I could copy it! So I took a picture of it- and got in trouble for it!!! They didn't make me erase it though, so when I got home, I downloaded it and started to analyze the stitches and just for kicks, googled it to see if there was a pattern floating out there somewhere already- Imagine my surprise when a full pattern with pictures showed up!! http://peonyknits.blogspot.com/ (scroll on the side for the downloadable pattern)
I also gave Carlie a few things to remember- like every time she put on her sweater was a hug from me and that the reason I learned to knit was to make things for the temple and to remember its importance. She actually cried when I gave it to her and of course that made me go too!! She is so tiny and cute that she made it LOOK GOOD!!
On a half school day, Jenn, Joshua and me and the kids decided to take in the Franklin Institute again, and the only pictures I took apparently were of the kids on the two foot train ride on the Steam Engine (the ride was two foot, the train was full size!). Delaney is blowing the whistle, and Gibson is doing something with the thrust over there. 
We had two Picnic/Park dates with some families we love! Yet again, Don became Delaney's hair dresser and Lunch partner (and kinda looks like he is striking a pose!!) and Enden became her personal lounge chair (he too was striking a pose and was sucking in his GUT!)! We have great friends and really enjoyed the fantastic Spring weather!
so I am still not caught up, but I thought I would post some updates for you to peruse and chew on. Some may be a little off chronologically, but I tried to post older things first and more recent things first. Feel free to post questions and comments! thanks for reading!!
As Easter week, the week of General Conference was kind of special. On Thursday before Conference, some very dear friends made it possible for me to attend the temple with them. Very early into our information session, something brought my Great Aunt Lucy clearly to my mind and I thought of her the entire time. I could almost feel her youth and enthusiasm of not being tied to an elderly body anymore and of her sheer joy of being reunited with Joe. I was moved to tears more than once remembering her and feeling her with me.
In the temple we receive instruction and make covenants for ourselves, and after we have completed them for ourselves, we do proxy work for those that have passed without the opportunity to hear these things. While some may have umbrage with this and feel it is disrespecting the departed's culture while living, I find it so moving to "help" others who have gone on before learn about Christ, and if they aren't interested, it is the same as it is here- Thanks, but no thanks. The "session" I happened to attend was FULL of people doing proxy work for the same entire family from Italy! Over 40 members of the same family- ranging from the 1700s to the 1930s had their "work" done at the same time. My friend and I memorized the name and phone number of the man who had done the genealogy research because we wanted to let him know just how amazing it was, and just how much had been completed, when we noticed the temple worker had the same last name! she said it was the genealogy of her husband's family and he was excited to see it get done. As we were leaving the temple, we said goodbye to the "desk man" and it turned out to be him! we got to hear a couple quick stories of some of the people we got to do the work for and hear some of his family history! It was truly an amazing day!
We sustained a new prophet during a Solemn Assembly during the first session of Conference. This has only happened 15 times during the history of the church and I wanted my children to be a part of it. The sustaining of a prophet is completely different than the way other ecclesiastical leaders may be chosen in other faiths. During Solemn Assembly, each organization, age group and quorum of the church is asked if they will sustain and support the new prophet and other leaders as presented. All of us were to raise our right arm to the square if we felt that we could support the new leadership. I was SO excited to share this opportunity with my children, and although it may seem irreverent- I couldn't help but to take pictures of my family participating in this rare event!
We loved having allof us together even though it was so short!! thanks for fitting us in on your whirlwind East Coast trip!
The Second week of swimming lessons, I was delighted to find that a friend of mine that I keep falling out of touch with had kids in the same time slot! We started talking of all the things we should do together, just like always, and I finally just looked at her and said- Ok, I'll be there tomorrow! So Delaney and I got to go out to Howell Living History Farm where she teaches in the hatchery and see animals and see how a farm in the 1890s worked. It was delightful seeing my friend and we spent the rest of the week hanging out!
Dad- here is the mystery chick we were wondering about!
Of course, whenever Thom asked Gibson to jump in the pool, he always did a cannon ball and that makes you pretty unforgettable!
However, we didn't have as much luck with little miss. We all showed up in swimsuits and goggles on the first day, and the director was a little confused by us being there. it turns out that her class had been cancelled, but we hadn't been notified. Of course by this point we are all dressed in swim gear, she's watching her brother paddling around, and she's screaming "wah-wah! mommy! Come! GO! Wah-Wah!!' I exasperatedly looked at Kurt, the director- yet another guy in charge who is at least 12 years younger than I am- and say-"if i stay out of the way, can we swim on the side of the pool?" He agreed and Laney was happy! HOWEVER! Trying to get all three of us showered and back home and then make dinner and corral these kids to bed is QUITE a hurtle. I ended up most days pawning Laney off on various people. Also, getting a WICKED sinus infection/Allergy attack during these two weeks of Swimming really encouraged me to NOT get into the pool!
There are somethings I forgot to mention with Easter. First of all- on Easter Day at dinner, Gibson lost his top tooth.
