Here she is!!!  the bloom...I googled to find out what this plant is really named...I've always called it a snake cactus...don't know why.  I just remember that the first one I ever had was from the flower shop in Cedar City.  My Grandma had taken me there for something and got a little plant for me, too.  That was probably when I was in elementary school.  When we moved to Mesa, we planted it outside...anyway, the real name is "stepelia scitula".  (perhaps I'll just stick with "snake cactus.")

Our little "Muffin" is 8 years old today.  Happy, Happy Birthday, Mylee!!!

Here she is reading to Ellie last summer.

 

We call her "muffin" because she is as cute as one!!!

New arrivals in the field today....

 Already munching on the tender spring grass....

Our first Relief Society Additional Meeting was the Birthday Celebration.  We had to keep it very simple because the committee was just barely called.  We served Hawaiian Haystacks, showed the Johnny Lingo movie and had two short talks about how to be a "Holy Cow Woman" (how to increase in spiritually) and how to be a "Mad Cow Woman" (how to get more organized).  Both were excellent..

Serving Table - before assignments started arriving...it looked really pretty with all the different toppings. 

 Simple table settings...We were pleased with the turnout - about 45 Sisters attended.

 Grandma and Grandpa's new "roof ornament...."

 We are pretty sure we saw the parents carrying little babies up to a nest on the roof....uuuggghhhh.  Grandpa says we are going to have to watch close and when the family gets a little older - they will have to be relocated...these beautiful little animals are very destructive...(you may remember the incident last summer that almost put Grandma over the edge with the dead chipmunk in the microwave hood...)

 One of the sisters that Grandma goes Visiting Teaching to, gave me a start of the "snake cactus" last year.  I had a plant like this when I was in elementary school and when we moved to Mesa we planted it out in the yard.  These blooms are so ugly they are beautiful...and they don't smell very good either.  I'm excited that it's blooming - I'll take a photo of it in a few days for you to see.

 Tulips in the yard.....

 We don't think that the lilac bushes have ever bloomed so pretty...

 These blooms, however, smell very good!!!

His mom says, "He's a poet, but we didn't know it."

Tarrik won 2nd place for all the Franklin Schools poetry contest!!!

Good Job, Mister Man!!

 The Shelf

When you feel you've had a bad day,
You look back on yourself.
Did you give it all you had
or leave some on the shelf?

Have you given all your effort
On the bloody battlefield?
Or have  you offered half you've got
And sat there with our shield?

Even when you feel you've lost
And you are feeling really blue.
Did you fight with all you've got
Or still have fight in you?

Have you shown yourself your best
Or given any average fight?
Did you blow yourself away
Or take it very light?

If you did your very best,
Feel  good about yourself.
For now what really matters
Is that you have an empty shelf.

And then, what a nice surprise...a letter from Cam....Thank you, buddy!!!

Finished yesterday...start again today...

 The current bush is in full bloom and the bees are very busy....

 Plum tree...

 Tulips - I hope they don't get whipped to shreds today...the spring wind is really getting with it.

 Apple tree blooms - cross your fingers and bend your knees....

The Gilbert, Arizona Temple...So beautiful...

 The pre-cast concrete is being created in Georgia and is really stunning...There is a nice little office and a place where pictures can be taken of the progress of the construction.  Sometimes the panels break and so Elder Miller is breaking them up into small pieces... the Grands now have a piece of the Temple....Grandma has a rock from Temple Hill (Snowflake Temple), and a piece of the granite...Also, a piece of the granite from the Conference Center that Trevor picked up after that tornado incident in Salt Lake and now a piece of concrete from the Gilbert Temple.

 At the Easter Pageant at the Mesa Temple....

 The finale.....

 Finally, these two little dolls collected their Christmas gifts from Grandma and Grandpa to Build A Bear.  Haylee with her "Corduroy" bear.

 Ellie with her "sweety" bunny rabbit.

 In goes the "Heart."

 Getting dressed.

 (Grandpa looks kinda cute with Grandma's purse - don't ya think?)

 Ready to take the new little ones home...

 From a nice park - Discovery Park - near the Temple Site..

They are thinking that this Temple will be finished in about late fall next year...Tucker may be very interested in the completion date as he will turn 19 in Feb. of 2014...Could be just about perfect for our first missionary grandson....

 Jared found this little turtle in the moss...turtles and ducks on the lake...We had in-n-out burgers, played ball, worked on the science project..and just plain had fun -

Naia's science project is a water rocket...We had a blast watching this invention...Uncle Jared got quite good at catching the pop bottles as they came down.  

Waiting for the blast....

 Pump up with a hand pump and let her "rip".....

 The coloring of the Easter Eggs....

WOW - Firewood...About last Tuesday we got a phone call asking if we were home and if this fellow could bring by some wood.  Apparently this man had been worrying about some $ he thought he owed Grandpa since 2002-we can't even remember the details--he drove up in his huge dump truck and dumped the entire load of wood....we do so appreciate this man's honesty - and his generosity!

The wood is all split and ready to stack...

Grandpa has built a freeway so he can park his trailers and equipment easier ...

happy day!!