More fun with Mom and Dad

It was mom's turn to be in seventh heaven today. I took her to a one room schoolhouse right past the Milford State Park entrance on US 57, I think. You can't go inside, well the inside is all torn up, but you can look through the windows.

We have seen these wildflowers growing everywhere. They are very pretty, anybody know what they are?

Fun on Ft Riley

Military bases are full of fun, free, suprises. Ft. Riley is no exception. I took my parents there to see the sites.

Dad is in seventh heaven to be standing on a real Union Pacific engine car. He would have stayed there all day if we had let him.

Custer House was better than I expected. Although Custer never really lived there (he lived in quarters that burned down not long after the turn of the century), the house was decorated with period furniture, and the tour made me really appreciate the way the military treats us now. Honey, if we had lived back then, I wouldn't have let you join the Army!


I'm sorry, but the most interesting and fun part of the Cavalry Museum was the elevator. That thing was so old and so tiny, it scared us half to death. You can have your roller coasters, when I want a thrill, I'm riding the elevator at the Cavalry Museum.

Geary County Historical Museum

Another free and very cool place to go is the Geary County Historical Museum.

Dad is trying to earn a little extra money shining Hyrum's shoes.

The world is our classroom.

Stereoscope

Photographic Irony

Sometimes you're just too tired.

Memorial Day

This is my dad, Ray Jones standing with Hyrum and Camilla.

Each and every grave had a flag, even for the civilian family members who also died. To all those who serve, and to all those who have died, we promise to not forget.

(These pictures were taken at the Cemetary on Ft. Riley and
Buffalo Soldier Memorial in Junction City)

Milford Nature Center

Last week we went to the Milford Nature Center with the Tilley family. (Milford Lake is a manmade resevoir about10 minutes from where I live, and adjacent to the lake is a free Nature Center that we thought was really cool).

"She wore the dress, and I stayed home" (From the song Sisters, by Irving Berlin)

These are baby fish scrambling to get food.

On the Nature Trail. Beware of ticks, Hyrum had one on his sock, and Poison Ivy, the trail is full of it, though we didn't partake of it's fury. Otherwise it was fun.

It's Allergy Season Around Here!

Some cute pictures from last week

At the Manhattan Zoo

At Home

The best 7 years

7 Reasons that these 7 years have been the best:

1. I did all 7 with you, even the times we were in different states, parts of the country, and on different continents, we were together in ways only you and I can understand.

2. You have loved me unselfishly, even through all the times I haven't loved myself. You have stood by me uplifting me, and I don't think you even understand how much I depend on those sweet simple loving words you so effortlessly say to me.

3. You have helped make this a marriage partnership with the Lord. You keep your temple covenants, you honor your priesthood, you teach our children, and you lead our family in righteousness. Bless you for blessing us.

4. Your serious, and seriously I need that. Even though you don't like to dance, and you don't get even half as excited as I do about volcanoes, you do remind me what is really important. I wouldn't change you, not at all.

5. You make my life exciting. Alright, so you leave me a lot, but I'm not complaining. I have traveled clear across the United States, you let me serve a mission in the Caribbean, I have future opportunities to see more and do more than I ever could have hoped in my wildest dreams, and it's all because of you. You gave me the adventure I thirsted for as a girl, and yes I don't like you being gone, but like I always say, "something has to give," (and you know you love checking countries and states off your list too :).

6. You saved yourself for me, you saved all of yourself for me. I don't think it could have happened, you and I meeting like we did if you hadn't been as true to me then as you are to me now. I can't imagine the nightmarish life I would be leading if somehow you and I weren't worthy to meet at that birthday party, and at the CES Broadcast. What if you hadn't served a mission? I'm shuddering, time to move on . . .

7. You are my best friend. You treat me kindly, you understand me, you support me and you're just plain fun to be around. Who else will pause a movie for me just so I can discuss some historical detail. Who else would be so patient with my ADD issues, when I sometimes just plain forget to do the dishes or wash the clothes. But it doesn't matter because we are friends, and we laugh at each other, and sing old Michael Mclean songs, and spot each other on the organ, and watch the birds from our kitchen table, and get the kids and the backpack in the van in a moments notice to go hiking, and both enjoy unpacking our books more than anything else, and know that if we ended up on a desert island together we would actually hope nobody would come looking for us. You are the friend I longed for, and now have spent the seven happiest years of my life with. Although you are in California, and I'm in Kansas, Happy Anniversary! I love you, and I will never stop loving you.

Fondue

Two years ago Jacob took his two weeks of leave over our five year anniversary. I had been saving my money and had a coupon so that we could go to The Melting Pot, which is a fondue restaurant. We went two days before he was supposed to fly out and when we got up there, they wouldn't let us in the restaurant because they were having a monthly ladies night. Needless to say disappointment wasn't a strong enough word to describe the way I felt. Well, we discussed it and knew that was our only chance to go, and so we decided who needs a fancy shmansy restaurant, we would use the money to buy a fondue pot (and still had some left over to go to Olive Garden) and do fondue at home. And we did.
The other day Camilla found my fondue pot and asked what it was, and so I thought hey, it's anniversary weekend, Jacob leaves for California for a month on Saturday, Friday night, let's do fondue. And we did.

The first course, the cheese course.
What Mary Emma was doing while we were eating the first course. Notice her diaper sticking out of the rails too.

Our marinated meat, second course.

The dessert course, and best course, chocolate fondue. The kids weren't big fans of the other courses, but they loved this one.

Teeth

We think it is so funny because the only two teeth that Mary Emma has are the only two teeth that Camilla is missing.

April was a busy month

In fact April was so busy it has taken me over a month to post anything!

Easter was freezing, as you might be able to tell. Mary Emma didn't seem to mind, but she was the exception, not the rule.



Freezing and raining I might add. That was one brave Easter bunny to go out and hide all those eggs.

I love Hyrum's primary teacher. She comes up with the cutest stuff, and such a cute boy to go along with it.

We put in a garden, the kids helped, and they got all muddy . . .
. . . so we let them hose themselves off with freezing cold water!
Jacob's mother came to visit and we took her all around to the church history sites. It was a first for us on most of them too.
This first picture is from the Independence Visitor's Center. It was alright, but the missionary giving us the tour was a little bitter she wasn't proselyting, and was bound and determined we were going to give her names (although it would be much more practical to give the sisters in our own ward names), oh well.

I know I'm a downer, but Liberty Jail wasn't as neat as I thought it would be either. It was interesting, but I think I have felt the spirit a lot more reading the accounts in the Doctrine and Covenants and watching the seminary videos, but now I can say I have been there, and that was cool.

If you ever go to one church history site in Missouri, make it Far West Temple Site. There is no one there at all, the grounds are beautiful, and you can see in every direction all the emptiness of what were once a people's hopes and dreams. It is truly a sacred site.

After Jacob's mom went back to Phoenix, we decided to check out Milford Lake. It's pretty cool. Check out Camilla's ponytails.

So, those were the good parts of a very busy, I'm glad it's over, crazy month.