Sarah's Party

This morning, we got out of bed and waited a little while. Then the party came. All my friends came. We made hats with sparkly stuff and fishies and googly eyeballs, and it was fun. We got to eat the cake and do the water balloons, and that's it. I threw a water balloon at dad. I had fun and that was the end of the party. I liked my under the sea party! -Sarah Jeanne, beauty queen

Sweet Birthday

Yesterday was my birthday party. It was way early because I wanted to be with my friends, Drew, Joe, and Michael. We went to see WALL-E on it's opening day. Everyone should go see it...it is really funny. After the movie, we came home and had cake and presents. I got a drawing set, a notebook, a how-to-draw book, an anywhere VISA gift card, and a remote control Air Hog. It was a really fun time! -Jake

More Museums!

This Week's Highlights

This blog has been acting as my online journal and scrapbook... I totally understand if you, my visitors, don't really read my ramblings, but instead just scroll down to see pictures (I'm okay with that except for my family members who didn't even comment about the father's day song we wrote for my dad which was really clever). I've been thinking about my favorite things that happened this week, so I'm putting them here for my own benefit. And maybe my mom will read them too.

-Our power was out again on Monday because of a thunderstorm, which sent us out to dinner and to do some shopping at stores who still had power. When we came home and were walking from our van to the house, we saw tons of little lightning bugs, or fireflies, all over several of our neighbors' yards. I had never seen them before, and I sat there for awhile just pointing them out to Rachel. I think I enjoyed them more than anyone else in our family. If we had a jar, I would have tried to catch some. I can't believe they can light themselves up like that. I'm curious about the sea creatures on the ocean floor now. Bioluminescence rocks!

-On Tuesday, I took the kids to the Natural History Museum without the camera. The kids asked me to leave it at home. They said sometimes it's more fun without having to pose all of the time for pictures. They were right (though I'm not giving up on the picture taking...maybe just more candid shots). We really had a relaxed fun day together! We got to see the butterfly exhibit which is free on Tuesdays(saved me $30) and I still can't believe they still had tickets available when we got there. Anyways, there were tons of butterflies! I loved watching the kids point out different ones that they thought were cool or pretty or ugly or neat or huge. We had been warned that some butterflies land on the ground, and it was so fun to see the kids' careful steps. I know Grace really wanted a butterfly to land on her shoulder, which I think is so sweet, and how I wished I could lure one there for her. We ended our trip with rocket pops, an ice cream sandwich, and a couple of dove bars. It was a delicious day.

-On our way to the museum, I asked the kids if they thought I should drive around for awhile and try to park close, or park where we usually do and walk a little farther. Sarah asked if we could please park close because the sandals she was wearing hurt her feet if she walked too far. Grace asked why she even wore those sandals then, and Sarah responded very matter-of-factly, "Because they look so cute with my outfit." They really did too.

-Sarah came downstairs to show me a drawing she had done of Kai-Lan, a Nick Jr. cartoon character. It looked just like the cartoon, and I am not joking. I asked if she had traced something, and she said no, she just looked at the picture online at nickjr.com and then drew it. She had the biggest smile on her face, and was so proud of herself. Just darling. She hung it over our bed. I still can't believe what an awesome drawing it was. Unfortunately, she colored it with markers, so her pencil lines are all covered up, or I would scan it to show. I'll post the next one. I love that she's artsy.

-We are going to celebrate Sarah and Jake's July birthdays this month before we move, so we were making invitations. Jake had collected the phone numbers of his friends on the last day of school, so he could invite them. I had him call his friends to let them know about his party and to get their addresses so we could send an invitation. I was so impressed with how well he spoke with parents and his friends on the phone, and the messages he left. Jake taking care of business. It was just a little glimpse of the wonderful young man he'll soon be, and I loved seeing it.

-Friday was pretty much Andy's last major day of classes. He's got a couple of one or two day classes left, but nothing big. They had a party on the last day, so he asked if I would make some cookies. I said I could make those yummy peanut butter ones with the Hershey kiss in the middle, and he said yeah those are good, but could I make some sugar cookies too? I can't resist my own sugar cookies, so of course I said yes, though they take forever. Anyways, I sent him with his tupperwares full of cookies, and when he came home he told me everyone loved them! Of course they did, they are delectable! I think Andy just liked that all of his classmates were so impressed that they were home-made and that his wife made them. I think he was proud of me, and I love that.

-Saturday I bought a treadmill. Yes, it's a highlight of my week! I am so excited to put it together and use it when we finally get our household shipment in Mexico.

-Our nursery lesson today was "I Have a Family". Andy talked with the kids about how mom and dad birds take care of their baby birds...make the nest, feed them, teach them, etc. (He is so great with the kids, by the way) I sang a song and taught the kids a poem, and at the end of the lesson I bore a short testimony about how I know Heavenly Father gave us families as part of his plan for us. I felt the spirit in that room. It was very sweet, and though it lasted just a moment, I hope the kids felt it too.

-After dinner this evening, we played a family game of Clue. Rachel and I were on the same team, but everyone else played alone. Clever Grace figured it out and made the correct accusation on her second turn! Andy didn't even get a second turn, though he said that was what he was going to guess... Way to go Grace! I love that my kids are getting older and we can play more intellectual games together. It's more fun for me. I know someday I'll miss playing Ants in the Pants or Lucky Ducks(I still play with Rachel), but I am sure enjoying the phase our family's in now!

-Tonight before bed, Rachel didn't scream when I brushed her teeth with toothpaste. This has been our nightly struggle for awhile, as we can't find a toothpaste she likes. She usually screams and gags and turns her head when I brush for her. Tonight, she actually asked if I was going to come up and help her. I still can't believe it.

Another Lost Tooth Two-Fer

A few months ago I blogged about how Grace and Jake both lost a tooth on the same day. We thought that was pretty funny. What's funnier is that this week, it happened again! Grace lost one of hers, and a few hours later, Jake pulled one of his out too. I guess they like to do things together...But...the next day, Jake pulled another of his teeth out. Grace wasn't able to share that experience again though, darn it. I love seeing their smiles! We took this picture next to a sculpture called "Oriforme", but Jake thought it looked like a tooth. Perfect!

Happy Father's Day!

Just wishing a wonderful day to two really great men...my dad and dad-in-law Larry. I love you both for so many reasons! You both are so generous and are always watching out for our family, and the kids really love you both. They have such fun grandpas. We all miss you guys! Here's the lyrics to the songs we sang for you. I put them here, so I could have a copy too! Love, Rebecca

WE'D LOVE TO SEE OUR GRANDPA
(tune of We Love to See the Temple)

We'd love to see our grandpa
On this nice Father's Day,
But we're here in Virginia,
So very far away.

For Grandpa Ricketts is a special guy,
Who makes such yummy chicken.
If we were there, we'd eat a bunch,
And do some finger lickin'!

We'd love to see our grandpa,
Because we love him so,
We'll have to wait til Christmas
Down in old Mexico.

For our grandpa is a real cool dude,
As cool as we have met.
Jake can't wait to go for another ride
In your sweet red Corvette!

I HEAR MY PAPA
(tune of Love is Spoken Here)

I hear my papa snoring
With the giant TV on.
I see his belly peeking
Underneath his Impact shirt.
The screams from my grandma,
Telling him "Wake up!"
And I am thankful
Marty's my grandpa.

My papa's cool...
He reads us lots of books.
He does the running man,
And is a great cook.
We miss papa Marty,
Oh! Yes it's so.
We can't wait to see him
In Mexico!
And we're grateful
Marty's our grandpa.

On Father's Day we want to say,
We love our Papa Patrick!

Girls' Trip to NYC

Better With Age

My man is 35 years old! His birthday was pretty fun and exciting as a couple of tornadoes touched down in our area that afternoon, and we were out of power for the rest of the night. His cake was a useful source of light for us for a few minutes. We had fun eating cake (no ice cream as we didn't want to open the freezer) by flashlight! Hope you had a good birthday, my hunka burnin' love.

Memorial Weekend!

We packed a lot of sightseeing into our Memorial Day Weekend! First we drove up to Canada to see Niagara Falls. We had heard it was a better view from the Canada side of the falls, and we agree! We crossed at Peace Bridge to get into Canada, and came up on Niagara Falls from south, the top of the falls. We could see the mist coming up from the water, but didn't realize what it was. Once we parked and walked up to the falls, we enjoyed a feast for all the senses! The falls were very majestic. I imagined them taller, but was very surprised by how much water is continually falling down, and how fast it moved. The water was very clear, and at the side of Horseshoe falls, you could see through the enormous amounts of water to the rocks at the edge where the water was gushing over. I kept thinking, "How does Lake Erie stay full?" We kept getting sprayed by the mist, as the weather was a little breezy, and the wind would spray the water all over us. Rachel kept her hood on. There was a beautiful rainbow the entire time we were at the falls, thanks to the mist! When we looked down toward the bottom of the falls, you could see more than 180 degrees of rainbow. The kids pointed out the end of the rainbow...right at a large rock. I, the mean mom, wouldn't let the kids climb down to investigate. The falls were very loud as well. It was really kind of fun to see all of the people on the US side of the falls. I felt like I was at girls' camp with the scout camp on the other side of the lake. We didn't sent any morse code messages, though. We crossed back over Rainbow Bridge into New York. I was nervous they wouldn't let us in. That is the type of weird worries that I have. Anyways, we really enjoyed seeing Niagara Falls, and being able to say we've(the kids and I) been to Canada!

We then drove to Syracuse, NY, where Andy's cousin and aunt live. The kids were fast friends with their second cousins! We really enjoyed our time with them, and are grateful for their hospitality! They took us to Palmyra and showed us around. We visited the Smith Family Farm. We saw inside the replica farm house, built on the original site, and climbed up into the upper story bedrooms. Joseph would have slept up there. We walked around the grounds, then headed into the Sacred Grove, where the boy Joseph went to pray, and saw God the Father and Jesus Christ...the beginning of the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ in these latter-days! As the song goes, "bees were humming, sweet birds singing, music ringing through the grove." It was really quiet and peaceful, and I didn't wonder why Joseph Smith would choose this reverent place to pray. Sarah and a couple of cousins blazed their own trail through the grove, without the rest of us. I guess they didn't want to leave, but we did eventually find them! We visited the site where the Book of Mormon was first published, and we visited the Hill Cumorah, where the sacred plates were hidden, until Joseph received them. I know I've said this before, but visiting church historical sites really brings the history to life.

On our way home, we stopped for lunch in Scranton, PA,(of The Office fame) and again in Hershey, PA, to visit chocolate world! It was a short visit, but we got to go on a ride that showed how Hershey chocolate is made. It was pretty fun! The free chocolate samples was the best part! The chocolate smell throughout the building was the second best part! It was a nice break from the driving! We also stopped in Gettysburg, but arrived at the national park only minutes before it closed. We plan to visit it again, so I didn't include any pictures this time. I had a great time on this trip! I think the kids and Andy did too, despite all of the driving time. Thank goodness for DVD players, books, and video games!

LEGOville

A couple of weeks ago, I told the kids that if they ever did anything really neat and that they were really proud of, we could put it on the blog. So tonight, after we had played Legos for awhile, we had created a city. The kids spent a lot of time on it and wanted it on the blog. So, here they are my little Lego-lovin' kids! You all did a great job on it.