The view from our front porch

Brent has a small hobby of taking pictures of the beautiful view we have of the mountains outside our front door. It reminds me that I need to look up from the sinkfull of dirty dishes more often and out the window right in front of me! We may not have sweeping views of the valley below, but I don't think I would trade the majesty and beauty of the mountains changing through the seasons right in front of me.

Second Grade Cowboy Program

Matthew with his teacher, Mrs. Sanders. She is amazing.

Matthew and I had a bit of fun playing with some pictures. He loves this "cartoon" version of him with some classmates.

Matthew did such a great job in his school program. He is naturally pretty shy on stage, but has learned that if he looks right at me and smiles, I'll give him a big smile back. That seems to keep him focused and smiling. Each class performed their own country dance. It was hilarious to watch the variety of enthusiasm the kids had for these dances, as well as the individual "styles" each one contributed.

Wheat! Hold everything!

OK, OK, so this will sound exactly like one of the testimonials on an infomercial, so you'll have to forgive us. Thank you, Bill C., for your fantastic recommendation for a wheat grinder! We've had this one for a few months, but still haven't taken the opportunity to rave about it on the blog. This grinder/grain mill is so great because:

1. It functions as a hand grinder but also has an adapter that will attach it to our beloved Bosch mixer, thus allowing it to run off the power of the Bosch's motor and resulting in a much less expensive product.
2. It grinds the wheat so finely that I can make 90% wheat flour bread and have an incredibly soft texture.
3. It is so much fun to use, Brent asks if he can grind wheat for me every couple of weeks! (and I graciously grant him the privilege)
4. Finally, a use for all that wheat in the basement other than cracked wheat cereal!
5. Now, if I could just remember the name of the grinder...
   

Draper Temple Open House

We are so fortunate to live close enough to the new Draper temple so we could take our kids to the open house. Unfortunately, they funneled us from parking lot to chapel to bus to tent corridor maze to the temple interior so efficiently that we never had any photo ops outside the temple (and of course inside is not allowed). So you will have to imagine how beautiful it is or go see it yourself for those who haven't already. It was a great opportunity for us to discuss temples with our kids and answer their many questions. Elizabeth was especially fascinated and claimed her favorite room was the bride's room "where they make the brides look so beautiful so they can get married." Emma and Matthew liked the baptismal font. The entire building is absolutely breathtaking, to say the least. After leaving the temple, we walked into the adjacent chapel where there was a very nice reception. We were impressed with the whole experience, as we hope our children were!