Happy Birthday Heidi

Nora enjoying the dinner out after party...
Heidi enjoying the birthday dessert with Papi's help
Heidi and Natalie playing with the "take"
Nora helping keep the party "popping" The birthday spread...cake courtesy of mama Amy.

Heidi is four!!! How can that be? she is such a big girl now! And of course we just had to celebrate... (40 people Ames??? now you sound like your mother!) But it was nice getting together with all the old Claremont friends, and the new Dana Point ones! GOOD TIMES. Heidi's "tinkerbell" b-day went really well I think. Great party games..and good food. Nice combination.

blogging-it's my business

Recently I posted the following to friends and families "comments" (don't feel left out if I didn't make it to your BLOG-I only have so many hours in a day! and I was supposed to be working on my seminary lesson!):

"It is valuable that good young families share their ideals online and it reminded me of this thought by President Ballard: --Elder M. Russell Ballard, an apostle in the Church, told the mostly Mormon, graduating students at Brigham Young University-Hawaii to use the Internet — including blogs and other forms of “new media” — to contribute to a national conversation about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. "

Great a wonderful excuse for my wandering mind and thoughts that I call my online journal (BLOG)! Up until now I had a hard time justifying why I kept one. My over riding excuse was that my relatives from far away could keep up on my once-a-year Christmas update and I could avoid postage.

But how do I rectify the hours spent lurking on others blogs??? Ummm, looking for material from greater minds??? Sure. enhancing others with my witty one line reparte? of course. feeding people's self worth by commenting? check. lowering my self-esteem for not having accomplished what some people write about. ouch. finding ways to lure people into saying I obviously have the cutest granddaughters? you bet. Shedding light on the gospel that is so integral in my life?...well I guess that comes from the everyday living and loving that families just go about doing and sharing on their blogs. the love and caring (and yes the frustration) because that's what we do best...it's what eternity is all about.

ummmm sweet!

So you can all be jealous...Ken got me tickets for Mother's Day to the Michael Buble concert. WOOOHOOOOO!

holy Guacamole

Mexican Flag Lolly enjoying fajitas!
Aztec idol---protection from Montezuma's revenge
Happy refried beans...

A common misconception in the United States is that Cinco de Mayo is Mexico's Independence Day; Mexico's Independence Day is actually September 16. In the United States, focus on that day first started in California in the 1860s in response to the resistance to French rule in Mexico. "The holiday, which has been celebrated in California continuously since 1863, is virtually ignored in Mexico."

In the United States, Cinco de Mayo has taken on a significance beyond that in Mexico. The date is perhaps best recognized in the United States as a date to celebrate the culture and experiences of Americans of Mexican ancestry, much as St. Patrick's Day, Oktoberfest, and the Chinese New Year are used to celebrate those of Irish, German, and Chinese ancestry respectively. Similar to those holidays, Cinco de Mayo is observed by many Americans regardless of ethnic origin.

I say anytime is Taco Time! pass the chips, Viva la red sauce! ai-ai-ai...

dressed in white

Brianna the "baptism girl" of the hour
Patty, Steve, Brianna & Ali
Brianna and Steve prepared to enter the font
Nora and Laura happy to celebrate the happy day.

The Boyer family gathered together this Saturday afternoon to celebrate the baptism and confirmation of Brianna. It was a wonderful event, one of the biggest ones we can make in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Our doctrine states that little children do not need to be baptized until they reach the age of accountability, which is eight years of age, as they are redeemed through the mercy of Jesus Christ. Moroni 8:8. Listen to the words of Christ, your Redeemer, your Lord and your God. Behold, I came into the world not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance; the whole need no physician, but they that are sick; wherefore, little children are whole, for they are not capable of committing sin; wherefore the curse of Adam is taken from them in me, that it hath no power over them; and the law of circumcision is done away in me...12. But little children are alive in Christ, even from the foundation of the world; if not so, God is a partial God, and also a changeable God, and a respecter to persons; for how many little children have died without baptism!... 13. Wherefore, if little children could not be saved without baptism, these must have gone to an endless hell... 14. Behold I say unto you, that he that supposeth that little children need baptism is in the gall of bitterness and in the bonds of iniquity; for he hath neither faith, hope, nor charity; wherefore, should he be cut off while in the thought, he must go down to hell... 15. For awful is the wickedness to suppose that God saveth one child because of baptism, and the other must perish because he hath no baptism...20. And he that saith that little children need baptism denieth the mercies of Christ, and setteth at naught the atonement of him and the power of his redemption... 22. For behold that all little children are alive in Christ, and also all they that are without the law. For the power of redemption cometh on all them that have no law; wherefore, he that is not condemned, or he that is under no condemnation, cannot repent; and unto such baptism availeth nothing—

Missionary work

Meet our friend Paulo Cordeiro. Brian met him while he was serving in Belo Horizante Brazil. He has become a good family friend, since our family was able to meet him when we picked up Elder Boyer in November 2004. Recently he was called to serve in the Nagoya Japan mission and we got to pick him up early in Salt Lake City for a few days of visiting before he had to report to the Mission Training Center.

Spring has sprung~

A wonderful day with my friend Connie. Her birthday was in March, and this year just seemed crazy on getting our schedules together for some fun time. Luckily spring break rolled around and we got to have some time for ourselves! I originally wanted to go to the Lavender Fields, but they weren't in bloom quite yet, so this was the runner up and it turned out perfectly!

1. First a stop for lunch at Belle Fleur restaurant where we indulged in wonderful salads and cream of tomato soup.
2. Shopped and browsed at the outlet mall.
3. Explored the FLOWER FIELDS, took pictures, sat and relaxed in the warm sunny day
4. Chatted about this-that and everything!

The Flower Fields, are where they grow a particularly beautiful flower called the Giant Tecolote Ranunculus . The fields were planted on over 50 acres, and you can see them rolling over in patches of color like a giant quilt; red's, purples, pinks, yellows, oranges etc. They bloom from March till May heralding the arrival of spring in southern California!

Connie and I

Spending the day with family

Natalie and Heidi exploring in the fields
Annie, Nora and Amy
Nora and Aunt Lolly
Natalie and her nature finds!

Wednesday the 9th, I'm able to drive down to Orange County because we are on spring break (no seminary!) I get to go with my sister Annie, my niece Natalie, the Johnson girl's, and Laura to our favorite restaurant Natraj which specializes in North Indian Cuisine. We spend a good part of the afternoon sitting, eating and chatting. Later we decided to "walk it off" by taking a hike up in the foothills above South Laguna. It was a beautifully warm day, and we enjoyed being all together. Nothing like California in the springtime...

Strong Women

A compelling and poignant video, watch and be affected. It is being released as a movie and will eventually be a DVD...I can hardly wait! The music, sung by Mindy Gledhill, was written by Jason Deere

Palm Springs tram and more...

The last time I rode the tram out in Palm Springs was when Brian was a newborn (that's 23 years ago)! Then, it was winter and cold and I had a newborn that needed to be fed the whole time, so there's little I remember about it except the ride took quite a while to get to the top and, that I spent all of my time in a bathroom nursing my baby and trying to keep warm! This on the other hand was a totally different encounter. The cabins are the first in North America to rotate 360-degrees during their ascent to the Mountain Station, plus they are the largest of their type in the world. The new tram is state of the art...rising 8500 feet above the desert floor in 10 minutes!

So why was I there in the first place? Well, Ken had to do a presentation for TLC eye care, and wives were invited to attend and stay the night in a Palm Springs hotel (which for us was the Marriott). Nice evening spent with our partners the Bladh's, and lunch the next day on check out. A relaxing time away...

The Girl in the Middle...of things!

I realized as I was going through the pictures that it was hard to find Karen without someone else being in it! Is that the curse of a middle child? or just the fact that Karen's personality is to draw people to her and with her into activities and fun! She definitely is in the middle when there's a joyous occasion! She has a happy carefree nature. She enjoys people on the one on one level as well. She's compassionate, goofy, goal oriented, successful, determined, stubborn, enthusiastic and confident. And she never fails to light up a room with her mega-smile! Karen you are our sunshine...happy birthday!

Patrick's day

the table set for the feast...
our sweet little "lucky charm" Nora
Amy and mom wearin' the green

Tradition in our home declares corn beef and cabbage to be eaten in huge quantities, along with green mashed potatoes, green 7-UP, and green pistachio pudding, along with rolls of gold covered chocolate coins strewn over the table. This year we added strings of green beads (much like carnival style-although no one had to take their shirts off to get them) which Heidi loved, and felt accessorized very well with her princess costume!