Mike and Jenny: May 2012

The Temple Walk

This past Saturday, our Young Women church group did our "Temple walk". We walked from the LDS Draper Temple to the LDS Mount Timpanogos Temple. The walk was about 11.8 miles.

This was the logo that was on the girls' shirts, and the theme of the activity:

For several months, there have been practice walks going on Saturday mornings and Tuesday evenings to help people get ready. A week and a half before, we had a weekly Young Women's activity where we met at the bleachers at the American Fork High School football field. There were two lines of blue tape on the bleachers, and we were all told to sit somewhere between those two lines. The Young Women presidency discussed what the purpose of the activity was, and hopefully what the girls would be able to get out of it. They discussed the different aspects of our theme, partly which included making goals, and then planning and working on how to achieve them, and how people can do great things this way. They had us look at the goal post on the football field, and from the vantage point where we were sitting between the two lines, the temple was right in the middle of the goal post. They talked about everyone's journey to the temple, and how this walk could be symbolic of that, and to make the temple your goal. They gave out this little handout that the seminary had made with a picture of that view taken at night:

On the morning of the walk, we all met together at 6 am, then carpooled over to the Draper Temple. We walked to a trail head for a hiking trail that was nearby, and started the journey. The first 1.8 miles was uphill on a narrow hiking trail. It was very beautiful. A few times we had a beautiful view of the temple and the valley below.

Parts of the trail went through a forest, and the surroundings were beautiful. Someone remarked that they felt like they were in Lord of the Rings or something.

Once we got to the top, we started following a wider trail, and it was mostly downhill, or flat, but very rocky.

Then we got to paved road

We took a few water breaks to re-hydrate, rest and let people catch up so we'd all be together

A group picture at a break

At one of the breaks, they had fruit bags prepared for us.

Walking up the Timpanogos highway

Water break

Coming up on Lone Peak

When we passed our neighborhood, there was a group of family members/friends there to cheer us on!

The goal is in view

We made it! Once everyone got there, we sat on the temple lawn, and the bishop spoke to the group.

The whole group at the temple

Just the young women

Yeah!

Everyone was feeling a little sore at church today, but it was a great activity and we had a good time!

Evie's Preschool Program

This past Thursday, Evie had her little preschool program. It was really cute.

Waving to me before the program

They sang lots of fun songs.

This is Evie's favorite song - the Bubble Gum Song!

They had a part where each of them got an alphabet card with a letter on it, and they would stand up when it was their turn and say the name of the letter, the sound it makes, and a word that starts with that letter.

Singing some more songs

The class was divided up into 5 groups, and each group took a turn standing up and saying their nursery rhyme. Evie's group said "One, two, buckle my shoe..."

Oh Evie...this is what she was doing when one of the other groups was saying their nursery rhyme.

At the end, each child got a turn being spotlighted while the teacher read what each child's favorite things were in preschool. Evie's said, "I am marvelous because I am Evelyn! I can be a good girl. I like to jump on the trampoline. I love play dough."

Evie's speaking part came at the very end. She said "Moms, dads and friends, help us do the freeze dance!" She had memorized her line and did a great job! After she said that, they played the music for the freeze dance, where periodically it says "freeze!" and you have to freeze in whatever dancing position you are in until the music starts again. The little kids think it is hilarious.

The wall behind the kids was decorated with self portraits that each child had done. Here is Evie's.

Evie with her Preschool teachers

Can I eat my treat yet?

Evie has had a great year at preschool!

Mother's Day

I had a fantastic Mother's Day! In the morning when I was preparing my lesson for Young Women's that day, the kids and Mike surprised me with yummy treats and cute cards.

Inside the little brown bag was a hot pad that Nora had colored at school

At preschool, Evie had made a little card with a bookmark in it

This is a picture of me on the front of the card

This is the cute little bookmark. The teachers took pictures of the kids doing the signs for "I love you".

This is a drawing Evie made for me of our family

Nora made me this beautiful card. It says "Happy Mother's Day" on the front.

the inside

Sam made this cute little card in nursery

After church, the girls made some cards for their grandmas. I only got pictures of the ones they made for Marolynn because I lost my camera (don't worry, Mike found it the next day).

This is the drawing Evie made for Marolynn. She said it is a picture of Grandma with Evie, Nora and Sam on a hill with grass and a brown rock.

For dinner, we went up to my parents' house. Nora was Grandpop's little helper when he was finishing up this yummy S'mores inspired dessert.

It was delicious!

Evie found a funny little video on the ipad, based on one of the games she likes to play, Cut the rope. It was about the little frog in the game jumping out of someone's ipad to look for candy, and then getting chased by a cat. She thought it was hilarious and watched it over and over, and showed it to Grammy, Nora and me.