Sunny Days

It is finally warming up in Utah. We have been going outside to play almost every day. Calvin loves being outside. He loves digging the grass and in the piles of wood chips. I have almost gotten him to stop putting them in his mouth. Here are some pictures I took while we were playing. It was a lot of fun.

I think Calvin looks just like a little me in this picture.

Besides playing outside, our indoor play has gotten a lot more interesting. Maybe it's because he can stand up on his own now, but he seems to have outgrown his desire to knock absolutely everything down. I guess he can be taller now, so is now interesting in stacking other things tall. He has gotten really good at stacking these little plastic blocks up. Sometimes he gets very meticulous about designing his towers, adding little embellishments here and there, like teething rings and plastics eggs. Maybe he'll take after me and want to study architecture! Here are some of his early creations. (He did them all by himself.)

Eastertide

What an amazing Easter weekend! I am so grateful for the time that we had to spend as a family, doing fun, festive things and listening to hours of General Conference, where Church leaders gave uplifting talks on the Savior Jesus Christ and gave advice and counsel for us living in today's world. I was grateful that so many of their talks addressed parenthood and the importance of that great task of teaching and raising children. I am grateful for family and for the Easter message that Christ lives! He conquered death so that we too may live forever with our families. I can think of no greater thing than that.

Phew. Well, our Easter:

Calvin found his basket pretty easily. He was a little apprehensive at first.

He found some eggs!

Dying eggs. Not sure what to do at first.

Is this right?

Got it!

After our own Easter festivities, we went to Aunt Kathy's house for Easter dinner. It was delicious, and Calvin spent the time making friends with all the relatives. Here he is giving Nena a big kiss:

What a doll!

We are doing so well. Tyler is finishing up his semester and the play I am working on has its first run-thru on Saturday. Tyler has accepted an internship with Microsoft, so we both will be moving to Redmond, WA for 12 weeks this summer. We don't leave until June, but we are already looking forward to the adventure of living somewhere that neither of us know very well. It should be exciting. We'll keep you posted.

In the meantime, I am working hard at being a mom. This is where I like to spend the most of my energy- spending time with my husband and my son. And the more I work at prioritizing family in my life, the happier and happier I become. Life is really wonderful, and Tyler and I have such amazing parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. We love them all. In speaking about family and parenthood yesterday, one of the speakers quoted President James E Faust in his talk:

"There is no greater good in all the world than motherhood.

The influence of a mother in the lives of her children is beyond calculation."

This is a daunting and somewhat overwhelming thought, but I am grateful for the opportunity to make such a difference in my children's lives. I know how much my parents have influenced me, and I am grateful for both my mom and dad's love and concern for me. I love my mom and dad. And I know Tyler and I love being Calvin's mom and dad. Ganbarimasu!