Simply Amazing!

I have been very preoccupied these last few days with my dear friend Carlin. (Actually these last few weeks) She and her husband have made the amazing and brave decision to adopt not one, but three children from the Ukraine. That is doubling the number of children that she is the mother to! Her husband just arrived last night with the children. This picture shows all of the children together for the first time. I am so touched that they would uproot themselves from their comfortable lives to bless the lives of these children. I'm sure it will be a roller coaster ride, but a very rewarding one in the long haul. So my hat is off to you, Keller family. All eight of you! You will be in our thoughts and prayers as you navigate this new territory.
P.S. You can follow their journey on their blog. The link is on my blog list.

Puerto Vallarta and Marietta Island

Over spring break we took a cruise down to Mexico with some families that we went to high school with. What a blast. It was fun to be with everyone and their families. In Puerto Vallarta we took an excursion to Marietta Island, and it was a blast! The boat ride was leisurely and enjoyable. When we got there, we got to snorkel and kayak and play on the beach. The beach was pristine and beautiful. I felt like we were on a deserted island. We even got to see the rare Blue Footed Boobie Bird. (I am not making that up) The kids has so much fun together. After, we ran into the little shops in town to buy some trinkets. What a perfect day.

The Easter Bunny has a Sense of Humor!

Okay, I know I'm a week late on posting Easter pic's. We have been running crazy since getting back from our spring break trip. (Pictures soon to follow if I can get everything else done.)

Usually the Easter Bunny comes on Saturday so we can spend Sunday focusing on the reason for Easter, our Savior. With getting back late Saturday night, the Easter bunny came on Sunday. If you look closely above the shed you will see where the bunny left McKinley's basket, hanging in the tree. Ahhhh... my helpful teenagers!

Forest Lawn...a piece of the puzzle!

The kids sitting at their Great- Great- Grandparents grave. Very cool!!

Last Saturday we spent about two and a half hours at the Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California. We found (with the help of the office people and a map) my Great-Grandparents graves. I was SOOOOOO EXCITED!!! I have been doing genealogy ("Genealogy, I am doing it! My Genealogy....sing along!) and my mom and I are stuck here. We know Frances's mom and dad's name and where they are supposed to be from, but that is about it. (Except for a few siblings)

Frances's mother died when she was just 3 or 4, and she was raised by her father's Sister Emma, and her husband. It was such an amazing experience to sit at her grave. This woman whom I had thought so much about. My mother's Grandmother. I never knew her. She died five years before I was born, and yet I feel such a connection to her. I long to find her Mother and Father, her little brother that was sent to a different family after their mothers death, or her little sister; who died the day that she was born, when complications took their mothers life. I long to put all the pieces together and see the whole puzzle. Hopefully soon I'll find what I'm looking for.

Oliver!

Conner and McKinley participated in the Stake Musical. This was a huge deal, and they put it on at the Regional Center. There were over 200 people in the production. The show had snippets from 4 or 5 musicals, and they were in Oliver. McKinley was a dancer and Conner played the part of Oliver. They both had a blast, even though it was a ton of work. Conner had two call backs (3 total auditions) before he was given the part of Oliver, so he was pretty happy with the outcome. They both did a great job! (I may be a little biased.)