Brace Yourself

Anna's FHE lesson from last Sunday was about Lehi's vision of the "Tree of Life".  Well done Anna!

Early Monday morning Aaron jumped on a plane (or two) headed for Boston where he spent the week attending classes at Babson College as part of the entrepreneurial program he is currently a part of.  There were delays and problems getting to Boston but Aaron had a choice experience upon arrival.  He has had A LOT of missionary moments during his years of travel but this was the first time he received a hug from his Uber driver (from Haiti) who told him, "I don't want you to leave!". Aaron came prepared and was able to give a copy of The Book of Mormon to Gregory.  They exchanged contact information and Gregory is looking forward to receiving a visit from the local missionaries.  It was one of those 'golden opportunities' and Aaron was fortunate enough to be a part of it.  The gospel conversation all started up after the Uber driver made a wrong turn and ended up driving by the Boston Temple.  The driver had no understanding about the beautiful building even though he drove by it all the time...

Aaron enjoyed the coursework and camaraderie with others in the program and more than once mentioned how incredible and plentiful the food was...how fortunate that it didn't cost him a dime!

The wonderful week ended with more travel delays and problems getting back home.  Long story short, Aaron was suppose to get home about 12 midnight on Friday.  He didn't pull into the driveway until 1:00pm Saturday.  Yeah, it was brutal.  We exchanged a few texts during the airport ordeal and I commented that at least he wasn't making the trip with children.  Just then he snapped a shot of Mitt Romney's son (Tagg) and his family boarding the plane in front of him (the first time they boarded).  I teased him about being like the paparazzi but he couldn't pass up the moment:).  Ha-ha!  And yes, their two youngest boys were pretty ornery by this time....

Meanwhile, life went on back at home.  Jantzen received the good news he was waiting for.  

Bye-bye braces!  He felt it was appropriate to celebrate by having lunch at DQ - what a nice mom!

And his wise orthodontist gave him the opportunity to hand-write a thank you card for his parents:).

Thursday night Brinley performed with the MHS orchestra.  Another amazing concert.  Without telling anyone, Mr. Hansen walked off the stage just prior to the final number and came back out wearing a brown hooded cloak. Everyone had a good chuckle when he pulled out a light saber to conduct the last piece - music from the recent "Star Wars" movie.  It was awesome.

Anna & Payton

On Friday afternoon, I sent these two girls outside to search for the voles that decided to destroy our front side yard this year.  Grrr....Payton did destroy one enemy and Anna snapped a lot of selfies along the way.  When these two get together, there is always laughter and big energy.

Brock, Brendan, Collin
Micah, Aiden, Quinn

Saturday marked Quinn's last basketball game of the season.  He made several beautiful lay-ups.  His moves are so natural and fun to watch when he's focused.  It was a great game to end with.

Aunt Jackie sent me a few pictures from Jantzen's basketball game she attended a few weeks ago.  They are the best ones from the season.  Thanks Jackie!

I'm on a de-cluttering mission right now.  With the back of the Yukon full of boxes and bags ready to donate, I took Quinn and Elsie with me through the drop-off at the Deseret Industries.  I make this drive thru on a very regular basis.  However, in all the years we've lived her, Elsie has actually never been inside the building.  She's asked and talked about it a few times so we finally made it happen on Saturday.  She can now cross that off her bucket list.  Another bucket list item she's been talking about is having guinea pigs.  When my neighbor sent a text message yesterday wondering if we'd be interested in having their guinea pig set-up, we explored the opportunity of becoming pet owners (again).  After having an in-depth conversation about the responsibilities associated with guinea pig ownership, Elsie decided she'd like to pursue pet fish instead.  I think we dodged a smelly bullet....

For some reason, Quinn gets really excited about St. Patty's Day.  He has already spent hours creating  this ultimate leprechaun trap.  Anytime he makes an adjustment, he shows the family the latest feature.  Gotta love his enthusiasm!