Butterflies for You

SPRING is coming!!! It's getting closer every day. Spring is my favorite season. I love to see the flowers come up and watch the trees get buds that turn into leaves. I love to go outside without my winter coat. I love to smell the rain and the flowers. I love everything about it.

Today I'm posting some beautiful butterflies, hoping they'll help you enjoy the spring time also. Let me know if you have a favorite. I love you!

Check it Out!

Hey, I found a picture of your parents and you when you were a baby. They love you so much and so do we!!!


The picture is from a website that you and your parents will want to look at.

It's friend.lds.org, and has so many fun things for you!

Coloring pages that you can print or do on your computer, scripture and other stories, games, slideshows, and more. Check it out!!!

Skating Lessons from Grandpa

Grandpa & I went x-country skiing Saturday morning and I recorded him so you can see one of his techniques - He calls it skating even though it's on x-country skis. :)



Look at the pattern he makes in the snow as he goes - pretty cool, isn't it?!



Long ago, when our children (your parents) were younger, we used to take them x-country skiing whenever there was good snow on the ground. We had so much fun skiing together. One of the best things about snow and cold is being able to play in the snow together with your family. I love to look at your family blogs and see you having fun in the snow.

Have any of you ever seen anyone x-country ski? We hope that someday we can ski with each of you because we love to ski and we love to be with you.

Here's a link to some x-country skiing coloring pages that you can print and color: http://www.printactivities.com/ColoringPages/Skiing-Coloring-Pages/Woman-Crosscountry-Skiing.html

http://www.printactivities.com/ColoringPages/Skiing-Coloring-Pages/Cross-country-skier.html

http://www.printactivities.com/ColoringPages/Skiing-Coloring-Pages/Rabbit-Skier.html

Here's a link for family x-country ski ideas: http://www.xcskiworld.com/family/Parents/bringing_kids.htm

Grandpa Groundhog

Today is not only Groundhog's Day - It's GRANDPA'S BIRTHDAY!!! You might want to call him Grandpa Groundhog, but I'm not sure how he'll respond.

Here are some interesting facts about Grandpa Roger:

He loves to work and that makes him work hard and well. Have you seen the entertainment center he built many years ago? Or the crown molding he put in his home? Or the family he built?

He loves his family and likes to spend time with them and talk with them.

He doesn't have much of a "sweet tooth" although his ice cream stomach has not limit.

He was baptized in 1971, when he was 19 years old - much older than you will be when you're baptized. That's because he didn't know about the Church until he went to BYU.




He was an amazing sprinter when he was younger. He set some track records in Wyoming that still haven't been broken. He placed 4th in the WAC tournament in his freshman year which enabled him to go to Europe with the BYU Track Team. While he was on that trip he had an experience that prepared him to learn about the gospel. Ask him to tell you about it.

He has one older sister (Aunt Kathy) and one younger brother (Uncle Gary).

He can play the trombone, the piano, and the harmonica :)and he sings bass in the ward choir.

He thinks his hair is black so if you want to make points with him, tell him you think the same thing.

HE LOVES EACH OF YOU - VERY VERY MUCH!!!




And here are some interesting facts about groundhogs:

The average groundhog is 20 inches long and normally weighs from 12 to 15 pounds. Punxsutawney Phil weighs about 20 pounds and is 22 inches long.

Groundhogs are covered with coarse grayish hairs (fur) tipped with brown or sometimes dull red. They have short ears, a short tail, short legs, and are surprisingly quick. Their jaws are exceptionally strong.

A groundhog's diet consists of lots of greens, fruits, and vegetables and very little water. Most of their liquids come from dewy leaves.

A groundhog can whistle when it is alarmed. Groundhogs also whistle in the spring when they begin courting.

Insects do not bother groundhogs and germs pretty much leave them alone. They are resistant to the plagues that periodically wipe out large numbers of wild animals. One reason for this is their cleanliness.

Groundhogs are one of the few animals that really hibernate. Hibernation is not just a deep sleep. It is actually a deep coma, where the body temperature drops to a few degrees above freezing, the heart barely beats, the blood scarcely flows, and breathing nearly stops.

Young Groundhogs are usually born in mid-April or May, and by July they are able to go out on their own. The size of the litter is 4 to 9. A baby groundhog is called a kit or a cub.

A groundhog's life span is normally 6 to 8 years. Phil receives a drink of a magical punch every summer during the annual Groundhog Picnic, which gives him 7 more years of life.

Look who loves you!

Here is a picture of Grandma Linda with her mom (Grandma Jensen) and all her brothers and sisters. See if you can name them all from left to right. If you can, send her an email or post a comment. How many brothers do I have? How many sisters?




If that was too easy, see how many of your relatives you can name in this picture. Can you find Grandpa Roger and Grandma Linda? Can you find Uncle Scott and Aunt Amy? How many people are in the picture? How many are your aunts and uncles? How many are your cousins? How many are your second cousins?



The best thing about these pictures is that EVERY ONE in them LOVES YOU!!!

And so do I! :)

In honor of Ryan's birthday yesterday, here's a story just for my grandchildren. See if you can guess the characters.

One night, as Ryan’s mommy was tucking him into bed, she discovered that the diamond was missing from the ring that Ryan’s daddy had given to her. This made her very very sad. When Ryan saw her sad face, he asked what was wrong. When she told him about the missing diamond, he suggested they say a prayer to find it.

Ryan’s mommy thought about all the errands they had done that day and all the places they’d been. She could hear the wind outside the bedroom window and remembered that it had been a very windy day. She was worried that the diamond had fallen out while they were outside and that it might be lost forever. But she had a lot of faith and she knew that Ryan did too, so they knelt down together. Ryan suggested that his mommy say the prayer since it was her ring. And she did.

When Ryan’s daddy came home, she told him what had happened and asked if he had any suggestions. He told her that it would be hard to find the diamond but he knew that miracles happen when people use their faith and that he thought Ryan and his mommy had a lot of faith.

That night Ryan’s mommy dreamed about the ring blowing in the wind. When she woke up the next morning, she knew what she needed to do. She put a new bag in her vacuum cleaner and then vacuumed the house. Thank goodness it wasn’t too big of a house! After she had vacuumed every nook and cranny, she spread newspaper on the kitchen floor and then began to empty the bag and search through it for the missing diamond.

The diamond wasn’t very big – only ¼ carat, but to Ryan’s mommy it was the perfect diamond because it was the one his daddy had given her to tell her of his eternal love. As Ryan’s mommy searched and sifted through all the bits of dust and paper and other contents of the bag, she kept watching for and trying to feel the diamond.

After about 5 minutes, she saw something sparkly. Could it be her diamond? It was!!! To her delight she found the diamond among all the other “stuff” that had been vacuumed. And what do you think she and Ryan did next? They knelt down and said a prayer of thanks.

Hi and happy Family Home Evening! I'm a little bit late for this week, but I wanted to be with you for your family night so I'm sending you pictures of Grandpa Roger and Grandma Linda for you to print, color, and cut out. Then we can join you at your Family Home Evening!

http://www.dltk-bible.com/genesis/families/grandpa.gif
http://www.dltk-bible.com/genesis/families/grandma.gif

ps - I hope you agree that Grandpa and I look much better in person!

We love you