My mom and dad

My parents flew into town the night of our fancy ball. They watched our kids that night (which included Eliza crying for 40 minutes straight!). They were here for Grace's birthday party the next morning, and helped out a TON! They were here for Grace's actual birthday (april 26th), and then flew out on Monday evening. It was a really busy weekend, and i'd hoped for some more down time, but tried to take advantage of what we had. On Monday morning we did this (highly recommended)little "family history" interview--it was sooooooo great!! I learned so much about my parents that i never would have or could have known otherwise. I asked them questions about their wedding day, their proudest moments as parents, the homes they grew up in, etc. And I can't tell you enough how much I enjoyed it!! For example, when i asked them what the key was to a successful marriage, they simultaneously blurted out "patience/endurance"--it was hilarious!!



I love my mom and dad so much. I'm so glad that i went to college in the same town where they lived. It wasn't until i was about 18 years old that i started realizing that my parents weren't evil and out to destroy me and my social life :) I loved getting to know them as a fellow "grown-up" and having them help me with my school work. I don't know for sure that I never asked them for help with school in H.S., but i have no recollection of it. But once I figured out that i kinda liked them, i realized that they were great assets when it came to smart-people stuff :)

I hate that so many of the good friends that i've made over the past 6-7 years don't even know them! They are such good people, who've had really good lives, and raised seven (seriously stellar) children. My parents never gossip, never play the "keeping up with the Joneses" game, and never seem to get caught up in all the stupid stuff that so many of us do. They're so smart--they speak like 5 languages between the two of them! They're both wonderful teachers. And how cute is it that after 40+ years of marriage my mom finally got my dad taking piano lessons from her--the world's best piano teacher! And he's getting so good, too! He's a wonderful dad and husband. I've often thought that I'm married to an amazing dad and husband because I was raised by one. My dad's also a crossword genius. It blows my mind when i sit down with him and see him at work. My mom is an AMAZING mother, musician, teacher, and poet. Although i fought her tooth and nail, she taught me to play the piano, and saw my potential, and helped me reach it. She's so good at taking care of her kids, still, and she keeps us all connected when cell phones just aren't enough :) And most importantly, my mom and dad are both such loving, generous, honest Christ-like people. If I could choose two people in the whole wide world that I could be like when i grow up it would be them. Which works out really well, you know, genetically and all...

And I have LOVED watching them with my own kids. It's the sweetest thing in the world. Grace absolutely adores her Grandma. Abby loves roughing around with Grandpa. And it makes me so happy to see how much they all look forward to seeing each other. I am perfectly happy being nothing more than the middle man between them :) And as is always the case, i didn't take anywhere NEAR enough pictures of them when they were here.

I'm still figuring out these collages--i don't know how to crop the pictures in them, so some things are unintentionally cut out

Here's a poem that my mom wrote when she was 16 years old. It was published in some book back then, and 5 decades later this sweet lady who does digital scrapbooking put together this layout, and contacted the alumni assoc. at byu to find my mom and tell her how much she's loved this poem through the years. isn't that great?