Happy Easter!

Well...Saki and the kids are sick, so our Easter wasn't what I had hoped, but I really enjoyed 3 quiet hours or church today :) Most of all these last two weeks before Easter I was grateful for some time I was able to take to study Passover and Easter and the fulfillment of many of the promises the Savior made to his people! I enjoyed a Seder plate with Saki on Passover and we discussed some of the things I had learned about Christ. I am always amazed and the precision and foresight in all our Father undertakes to do. It is beautiful to see how covenants and promises were made in the Old Testament and fulfilled in the New Testament and beyond, and it always brings tears to me when I see how many times we have been taught and told things and yet like some of the Jews during Christ's time we are still blinded by our own pride and weaknesses and are unable to see the Lord's hand and doings in our lives and others. I know that Christ did come to earth and atone for our sins. I know He was resurrected that all might be resurrected. I am grateful that God fulfills the covenants with his people and continues to speak with all people today through prophets and apostles! What I love most about the gospel is that it encompasses ALL people. It is not a select few who can be saved it is ALL who ever have lived, now live, and ever will live. ALL of God's children at some point in time (or multiple :) can CHOOSE if they want to return to live with Heavenly Father, be like Him and enjoy all the wonderful blessings of exaltation! God loves EVERY child of his. The only question is how much do we love Him?


"No words in Christendom mean more to me than those spoken by the angel to the weeping Mary Magdalene and the other Mary as they approached the tomb to care for the body of their Lord: “Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen” (Luke 24:5–6).

With this pronouncement, those who have lived and died, those who now live and one day will die, and those yet to be born and yet to die had just been rescued.

As the result of Christ’s victory over the grave, we shall all be resurrected. This is the redemption of the soul. Paul wrote:

“There are … celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.

“There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory.

“So also is the resurrection of the dead” (1 Corinthians 15:40–42).

It is the celestial glory that we seek. It is in the presence of God that we desire to dwell. It is a forever family in which we want membership.

Of Him who delivered each of us from endless death, I testify He is a teacher of truth—but He is more than a teacher. He is the exemplar of the perfect life—but He is more than an exemplar. He is the great physician—but He is more than a physician. He is the literal Savior of the world, the Son of God, the Prince of Peace, the Holy One of Israel, even the risen Lord, who declared, “I am the first and the last; I am he who liveth, I am he who was slain; I am your advocate with the Father” (D&C 110:4).

“Oh, sweet the joy this sentence gives: ‘I know that my Redeemer lives!’”

Of this I testify." President Thomas S. Monson

Family Visit

Uncle Jay, Aunt Cara and family came for a visit this past week. We enjoyed the time we were able to spend with them and wish that Saki didn't have to work so we could've spent more time...

Noah is now 10 years old! We had an early birthday party for him and he was excited to get Legos! Noah is a kind boy who is is constantly concerned about those around them. He loves baseball, basketball, and playing legos.

Josh is a imaginative, easy going boy who likes to make people laugh. He likes to talk to himself while he plays, which Saki used to do too :)

Emma is really growing, she is tall with beautiful curls. She has made a lot of progress despite her health problems and enjoyed playing with her cousins and talks a fair amount. She is almost a year older than Mere.

Rachel was a little shy at first, but likes to talk and play. She is just a little older than Glenn.

Unfortunately I didn't take many photos...

Noah and Aunty Asena





At the park...

Paper Easter basket (Mere helped weave it)

"Goldfish"

Home cooking...

I do a lot of cooked from scratch things since I want Saki and my kids to eat healthy... One hard thing about home cooking is easy on the go healthy snacks. So I was excited when I found this recipe online and it is tasty!

http://smittenkitchen.com/2011/03/whole-wheat-goldfish-crackers/

Whole Wheat Goldfish Crackers
Adapted in ways they probably hadn’t planned from The Lee Bros.

I swapped most (but not all, because I copped out) of the all-purpose flour in the original recipe for whole wheat flour, suspecting that we wouldn’t miss a thing and indeed, we did not. Should you make these with a full amount whole wheat flour (or any other mix of flours), please let us know how it went in the comments as I’m sure many will be curious.

I’d intended to make the eyes with a wooden skewer but couldn’t find one and used a drill bit instead (hi, honey!). Go ahead and press right through the cracker with the point; the “docking” will keep the cracker from puffing too much. I used the end of a grapefruit knife (the only thing I could think of that ended in a curve) to make the mouth.

I spied onion powder on the ingredient list of the original crackers and included it because onions and cheddar are a fantastic combination. You’ll barely taste it, so if you wish get more of a hint of onion, use 1/4 teaspoon instead.

Finally, the higher amount will give you a familiar level of saltiness, i.e. almost as salty as the original cracker. Understandably, many will probably prefer the smaller amount.

Yield: About 100 1 1/4 inch goldfish

6 ounces (1 1/2 cups coarsely grated) sharp cheddar, orange if you can find one you like
4 tablespoons (2 ounces or 57 grams) butter
1/2 cup (2 1/2 ounces or 62 grams) whole wheat flour
1/4 cup (1 1/8 ounces or 31 grams) all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon table salt

Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine all ingredients in a food processor, running the machine until the dough forms a ball, about two minutes.

If the dough feels warm or worrisome-ly soft, wrap it in waxed paper or plastic wrap and chill it in the fridge for 30 to 45 minutes. This also makes it easier to transfer shapes once they are rolled out.

On a lightly floured surface, using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dough out 1/8-inch thick. Form shapes with a cookie cutter, dipping it in flour from time to time to ensure a clean cut. Gently transfer crackers to an ungreased (though mine were parchment-lined, because they are in despicable shape) cookie sheet with a 1/2 inch between them. Bake the crackers on the middle rack for 12 to 15 minutes, or until they are barely browned at the edges. Remove from the oven and set the cookie sheet on a rack to cool.

As for our family and the kids, we're doing great...and are looking forward to more time with Jay and Cara's family this week as they visit the bay!!!

General Conference!

Every 6 months we get the privilege of listening to a world wide broadcast where the living Prophet and Apostles and other church leaders speak to us. While we get messages from them throughout the year every Spring and Fall there are formal meetings called General Conference where a variety of topics are addressed related to living our life how Christ would have us live (prayer, scripture study, family life, faith, testimony, service, morality to name a few!) We view these talks as modern day scripture, just as the prophets of old spoke to the people of their day, so today they speak to the world! Anyone is welcome to listen and hear the talks and they are translated into over 70 languages throughout the world.

Learn more about General Conference or listen to some talks by clicking here! Nowadays we get to watch it online or on BYU TV, though we can go to churches to watch it broadcasted too! With little kids I opted to watch all online, though it is wonderful to go to church and sit with other members as you watch. It is broadcasted from the Conference Center in SLC, UT. Here are Mere and Glenn-wish they sat like that for more than 10-minutes! They enjoyed the Mormon Tabernacle Choir singing the most.

inside & outside the conference center (photos from Google image search)

Some handmade paper decorations I finally took down (they had been moved to Mere's door and the closet door since we enjoyed them so much)

Chocolate is my weakness. Since Nutella is expensive and too tempting to keep on hand and I didn't want to make something too unhealthy, Saki suggested I try melting chocolate chips and spreading it on wholegrain bread! I mixed them with some unsweetened peanut butter in the microwave and as you can see it was quite the hit! (Mere is posing for the camera)
Saki and Glen reading. . .

Glenn is really developing! I love when kids reach new levels! He likes to point to me and tell me I'm "mommy" and Mere is "Merre" and Saki is "dad" especially when we read a book with a mom and kids in the pictures, he'll point to the book and say "mommy" and then me and say "mommy". He is easily concerned about things going on, and seems to enjoy saying uh oh and oh no! He loves animals. He is going through a hitting and throwing stage, I remember that with Mere too. We have started potty training with him, though not full blown (little steps so I don't get stressed about it). More like taking him to the bathroom when he seems like he's going or after meals etc. He's done well most days. Candy is a big motivator for him. I chose to start now since he sees Mere and us use the bathroom and gets the general idea. I ended up trying to potty train Mere and him early since the cost of diapers and the hassle of changing diapers gets old to me. I guess with older kids it seems you've trained them to use their diaper and maybe some can do it better themselves, but I'm not convinced. I think potty training is likely miserable at any age-so better to get it done with now, though I surely understand people putting it off till later...

Mere has been quite the little mother and helper. She helps with the dishes at times as well as trying to help Glenn with things (even when he resists). She loves to put on her backpack full of books and say she is going to school (we live right by a school). She really tries to state her opinion on things, which can be trying, but I do like it when kids say what they are thinking... She also likes to read books and collect rocks. Glenn and Mere's favorite toys are still duplos!

5 Year Wedding Anniversary :)

Our 5 year wedding anniversary was this Friday! It's funny how kids and time change some things while other things remain the same. We have both grown so much. I have learned so much of my weaknesses and am constantly learning his strengths!

My top 5 favorite things about him are

1. Active in our church-to those of you who are members, you know all this entails!!!

2. Ability to be patient with others-I can count on one hand the times he has corrected my actions. He gives me the space to do what I do and change at my own pace. If only I could do the same for him :P

3. Empathetic (good listener goes hand in hand with this)! It is a gift to be able to put yourself in another's shoes. Saki is able to do this :)

4. Easy going! Saki is one of the kinds of people anyone can relax and have fun around! That's one of the things that drew me to him, because I'm not the type to relax around others.

5. Humorous-he can make me laugh and smile!

Marriage between and a women is such a beautiful thing! Even having 3 brothers I never realized the differences between men and women as much as I have being married and even having a boy and a girl child. I had no idea-but I have also learned it is a wonderful and complementary thing! I love it!

Excellent talk: "The natures of male and female spirits complete and perfect each other, and therefore men and women are intended to progress together toward exaltation."

We had a hard time with the photo timer/holding the camera ourselves...

Yesterday we saw a rainbow from our front window. I love where we live, but like anywhere else, other houses, power lines etc bother me...but it was beautiful and Mere and Glenn liked it too! This week I also saw a rainbow touching the ground for the first time that I can remember. It was from a distance but it was bright and clearing touching the hill! I was tempted to drive closer! Can you tell it's been raining a lot here?

I wanted to focus a little on doing "work" together as a family. So for Family Night we cleaned the kitchen cupboards. Mere and Glenn enjoyed it much more then their day to day chores (picking up toys, clearing the table). As you see in the photo Mere decided the flour bucket was dirty too-and Glenn copies what she does in almost everything...



Wearing Tua's (Grandpa's) glasses. . .

I've been trying to spend some one on one time with Mere when Glenn starts his nap-here we are playing cootie bugs or as she calls it "Kuri" bugs after her friend Kuri :P

Glenn likes playing and trying to lay down in Mere's doll bed...

ST PATRICKS DAY

I didn't have any green food that sounded better than the pizza in my freezer (I get random cravings for pizza...) and so we had pizza and broccoli for dinner, but for dessert we had a special rainbow cake. Mere helped me mix the cake and all 6 rainbow frosting colors while Glenn took his nap. For once they enjoyed the decorating even more than the eating!

Like many holiday St Patricks day was originally a religious one. St Patrick did a lot to introduce Christianity to those living in Ireland. He supposedly taught that the shamrock stood for the trinity. God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost. While we (being LDS/Mormon) do not believe in the trinity we do believe that God the Father and Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost are one in mind and purpose, while separate in body and being-I think the shamrock illustrates this well!