Spring Break

For the rest of spring break we laid low.  

We spent one night visiting with Aunt Melanie and the next morning 

we went to the zoo:

I didn't realize there were two lion drinking fountains.

It was fun to run into all my sisters at the zoo that day, great minds, I tell you!

That afternoon we hit Temple Square:

This is Gavin trying to decide what to wish for with his penny at the fountain.

He seriously couldn't think of anything. How about that!? 

We really enjoyed our tour of the conference center:

and we took them out to eat:

Good times!

Easter

Remember last year, when I said we were going to go to the beach this year? ...really wishing we'd gone to the beach.  This year was cold, cold, wet and cold. Brrrr....

Hyrum had another two day dance competition, this time in Idaho Falls.  So we rented a hotel room and had plans of visiting the sand dunes in St. Anthony or the lava tubes.  But in reality, we just played in the hotel pool, read our books and let the kids enjoy cable TV.  It was so cold and windy, we were kind of ba-humbug! But Hyrum did his best yet in the competition.  The last dance of the afternoon, the Mambo, and he says to me as he heads off to find his partner "I hate the Mambo" - then next thing I know he's winning first place!  His team took second in the Latin medley, so that was exciting too.

The next morning was Easter, we'd planned on walking around the temple grounds and stopping by the visitor center.  So much for plans: the grounds were closed due to construction, but we really enjoyed our time at the Visitor Center.  It was a beautiful way to spend Easter morning.

Apparently their Christus statue is made of fiberglass and after a short Easter 

Devotional the missionaries actually encouraged the kids to come and touch the marks in his hands and feet.

love, love loved it!

I wanted to take a few pictures in front of the temple.  The kids were roughing it, trying to humor me.

 then Mark's all like "Look! The easter bunny!"

and we're like...nice try, Mark.

but then, there he was...

  

 Peter Cottontail...all hippity hoppity...

Jumping long right there beside us, not a care in the world!

Imagine, actually seeing the Easter bunny on Easter Morning!

What a treat! We've never laughed so hard!

Pictures only marginally improved after that. 

Then we headed back to Franklin to attend Church with Jotham's folks and 

to hunt for the baskets and eggs that silly bunny traveled so many miles to leave for us.

It was a truly wonderful and blessed Easter!

.

March

Hyrum spent several days down south at BYU competing in the National Ballroom Dance Championship. He was a mess of nerves the whole time and didn't hardly eat.   We were able to meet up with him Friday night to watch him compete.  He did really well Saturday morning and we enjoyed watching him.  It was fun that our nephew, Ben, was competing later in the day so my brother Matt and Isabelle joined us and it was fun cheering them on together!

After the competition, while walking around campus showing Hyrum the ins and outs of my alma mater, we passed by an old dumpster and a fun memory jumped from the past.  During most of our courtship and engagement Jotham and I attended different schools, in different states and I remember walking across campus all... alone... wishing he was with me and being jealous of other couples around me walking hand in hand.  The struggle was real, we were together but more often alone.

After we were married, Jotham worked full time that first semester to support us so I could finish my degree.  It was always a real treat when he came up on campus.   I think he might have been taking a night class.  Anyways, on one of those rare occasions when we were together walking home, a random photographer approached us saying he'd just taken our picture and asked if he could use it to illustrate an article about married students in an upcoming edition of the school paper.   I remembering clipping several copies to mail to my Grandparents, I loved it because it put into black and white proof that my wishes and dreams were all coming true.

So of course we had to recreate it 

Did you notice the same ugly old dumpster in the background? or that fact that they misprinted Jotham name? Or did you focus on the 25 lbs we have both gained over the last 17 years?  

The other kids have been busy as well.  We enjoyed reading The Last of the Very Great Wangdoodles with the elementary kids this month as part of the One School, One Book program and participated in a literacy night where we got to meet the Professor.

Hannah was chosen to participate in the Young Artist and Writers Fest and enjoyed a day at USU.

  and of course we celebrated St Patrick's day in high style.