Memorial Day - Remembering My Grandpa

Today I remember my grandpa, John James Nielson. He fought in WWII on the YMS-440(Yard Auxiliary Motor Minesweeper) with the United States Navy. The Navy used these ships to sweep the water for mines laid by enemy subs. I remember my grandpa telling me how much he loved the ocean and how he loved to watch the dolphins and other sea life from the ship. More than that I remember how much my grandpa loved our great country.

People would often ask him, "Are you having a good day?" His reply, "Everyday is a great day in America."

I'm so grateful to live in this great country, fought for by such honorable men and women.

My Mom's Graduation - Class of 2010

My mom graduated from College of the Desert this weekend. It was great to be there for the big day. She got her Associates in Liberal Arts. She graduated with High Honors. She has always been there for our family and supported us in good times and bad. It was so nice for all of us to be able to be there for her. She is wonderful!! She has already started Cal State and should get her bachelors in about a year and a half. She already has a full ride scholarship for next year.

Pictures from top to bottom:

1. Helping my mom get ready.

2. Jill, me, my mom, Suzanne, Gregg (my brother and sisters, missing one sister)

3. Bruce entertaining himself before the ceremony began.

4. & 5. Waiting for grandma's graduation to start!

6. My mom

7. Me and my Mom

The Hungry Little Caterpillar

Linda's class performed The Hungry Little Caterpillar this past week. She played the role of the 4 Strawberries. Gotta love the costume.

Linda also received a little award from her teacher. She was thrilled. This picture is with Mrs. Stack, she is a retired teacher that volunteers her time the entire year to help Linda's class. She is a big fan of Linda and we're a big fan of her.

Beeswax

So I talked to a beekeeper yesterday on the phone. He siad the bees were "swarming" and looking for a place to live. They huddle together like in the previous picture and decide if that is a good place for the hive. If not, they move on. It's crazy that there was no hive under those bees, it was just hundreds of bees stuck together! He said it was very rare for bees to start a hive so out in the open like that. They usually look for a secluded, dark place. He said to give it 24hrs. to see if they relocated. The bees are usually off working in the days and then back at dusk. So, around noon the bees flew away. They left behind a some beeswax which made me think they might be returning. I had Robert break the beeswax branch off of our tree. That seemed to do the trick. The bees have not returned. Victory. :) It has been very interesting to learn about the life of bees, but I'm glad they're gone.

Look what the kids found in the backyard!

The kids found this big beehive in our backyard! Gross! If you look closely you can see hundreds of bees piled on top of eachother. Robert says he's getting rid of it himself. I'm staying away. I've never been stung by a bee and I'm not going to start now.

Bruce - Student of the Month

Bruce was student of the month at his school. He was very excited. I'm so proud of him. He is such a good person. We're lucky to have him in our family. Here's most of what his teacher had to say about him:

"Bruce is our Student of the Month. He is being honored for his many wonderful traits. He is always attentive in class. He is persistent in all his endeavors. He is a very good reader. His real strength is in math. He loves to solve math problems and likes explaining how he did it. He is a very polite boy and very respectful. I know he will always make his family proud of him and I am proud of him too."

Pony Rides & Petting Zoo

The Kindergartners had a petting zoo and pony rides today and the little girls and I went too! They had a fun afternoon. They're at the age where they LOVE animals.

Claire was not scared one bit. She rode on the horse all by herself and loved every minute.

Jane was in heaven being with all the kids and the ponies. She was a natural.

Linda had been looking forward to this day for weeks! She was like a rodeo queen waving at everyone. :)

Besides the ponies, what was the girls favorite animal?  BUNNIES!!!

They also got to pet a lamb, a duck, baby goats, & chickens.

All Of My Eggs In One Basket :)

Happiness Is...

My one year old hugging me tight with her cheek on mine while telling me, "Love you too!"

Sitting around the table in the afternoon, having ice cream cones with my girls, just because.

Hearing Linda's prayer for her sister: "Please bless that Jane won't have arthritis anymore."

Jane being told that someone said something mean to her and having her sweetly reply, "It's okay. Me don't care."

Bruce standing by the door of the room that Claire has locked herself in to reassuring her that it was okay and that we would get her out soon, and then having him cry and cry when we finally got her out because he was so worried about her.

Hearing my children laugh and play together.

Hearing Bruce read scriptures to us at family scripture study.

The thought of our family being together, forever.

Picking up the big kids from school and hearing about their day.

Being a Mom!

Happy Mother's Day to all you wonderful mothers out there!