Sophie and her art kit

Ever since Sophie was old enough to hold a pen, she has been an artist. She would rather draw than play with any other toy. Her favorite medium is white copy paper and a ballpoint pen, but she has recently branched out into markers (she has never been a fan of crayons, but will use them if there isn't anything else available). Her style ranges from abstract to incredibly detailed pointalism. And lately she has really gotten into 3-D art. Here are some samples:
After everyone ate their donuts, Sophie decided we needed a few more. Delicious!

This is a village complete with a Polly Pocket cemetery.
I would love to keep every piece of art Sophie creates, but there is so much of it (you don't even want to know how much copy paper we go through!) it would take over the house if I did...so I will be creating a special file on my desktop for pictures of her artwork. Someday Sophie will be famous and then I will publish a book chronicling the progress of her art. ;o)

Family Home Evening

1) Opening song: We Thank Thee, Oh God, for a Prophet, sung in 4 part harmony (Adam has started singing bass!!!).
2) Sam's turn to teach the lesson. He used a lesson that the kids brought home from a Primary activity...read it straight off the page. He DID look up three scriptures all by himself.
3) Sophie played with the dogs the whole time, once looking up and announcing, "I can see Lacie's brain." She was looking up Lacie's nose.
4) 5 minutes later, we had closing prayer (given by Megan, who speaks faster than anyone I know) and then ate homemade scones.
It's a good thing we are being obedient and having FHE every week. I can clearly see that my kids are getting SOOOO much out of it...

Camarillo Strawberries

Strawberry season snuck up on me this year! I bought some lovelies at the grocery store the other day and while they were tasty, they were NOTHING compared to the famous Las Posas Berries.

Having grown up in Ventura County, I have had ample opportunity to gorge myself on the best strawberries in the world - and that little fruit stand on the corner of Las Posas and Somis Rds. in Camarillo, CA is the all-time best. And has been for years. I don't know what their magic is, but the strawberries are the largest, juiciest, and most flavorful berries I have ever tasted.
So today, Chad brought me home three baskets of Las Posas berries - what a treat - and of course, I had to make some almond cream to go with them. (The berries can stand on their own, but with that cream...they are divine.)

I post this knowing my sisters will be jealous. (Last year one sister had a flat of those berries hand-carried on a plane and delivered to her door in Provo, UT) And to motivate them to come visit me! Girls, I will serve you strawberries prepared in all the best ways: with almond cream, dipped in chocolate, in a smoothie, or just plain. You name the day.

Meanwhile, I'm going to make myself sick on berries. Bliss!

Dodging a bullet...or Tender Mercies

Just heard some very sad news yesterday that I cannot stop thinking about. One of my Mom's best friend's husband just got arrested for child molestation. Which is a tragedy for the family and so heartbreaking for Mom's friend - her life was shattered - she had no idea. I ache for that family (and for his victims, who were related to him) because I cannot imagine going through something like that!

But at the same time, I can't help feeling like we dodged a bullet in a big way! There were many times this man gave my kids pieces of candy at church and chit-chatted with them when we were visiting my parents. I thought he was a little creepy, so I never let my kids be alone with him... but I felt pretty safe letting the kids take candy from him because he was practically a relative.
But the sad truth is, a huge percentage of sexual molestations are perpetrated by a family member or close family friend. I just have to wonder how many times that Mother's Intuition (call it gut instinct or spiritual prompting) has saved a child from being a victim. I am so thankful for tender mercies!