Luscious Lemon Pie!

We had a wonderful suprise visit from my Aunt and Uncle who came bearing gifts! The best gift ever from Tia and Tio were a pair of princess roller skates and scooter from uncle Miko that Caitlyn simply adores!!!! She has not stopped skating or scooting since! Here she is with her friend Kylee, who probably has not stopped skating either!


Fresh grown citrus is something we miss from Cali... oranges, lemons, limes! Well one of the boxes contained GIGANTIC lemons from thier very own lemon tree!


So I have made freshly squeezed lemonade and a first attempt at lemon meringue pie! My uncle, the chef, helped me with some secret tips!


I am very pleased with the results! Just had to share some pictures of this very tasty, lemony, presentable pie! Enjoy...we did!

Day 7&8: Out Week Long Walk With Our Savior Jesus Christ

Saturday was intentionally meant for a no blog day! We considered it a time of reflection on our Savior Jesus Christ and the things he has done for us. This was the second day that Jesus lay in the tomb. We watched a video(animated) to help Caitlyn remember the events we talked about this past week. We also thought of this day as a time to remember family and friends who have died, and all the work that might need to be done for them, temples, baptisms. We talked about Grandpa Phillips, who Caitlyn fondly remembers and still to this day continues to say he is in heaven with her baby brother. I remember all my family and friends who have passed on and can imagine the celebration they must be having in heaven.

How wonderful the weather is today, clouds have dispersed and the sun in shining through as the Heaven's are saying, He is Alive! I just had to take a picture of how beautiful it was. Isn't it just beautiful? Megan, your home completes the picture!


Today in church I could not help but notice the sun shining brightly through the window on each person that chose to give their testimony. In Young Women's we had a wonderful lesson on the true meaning of Easter and though my friends lesson didn't go as she planned I thought it was the perfect lesson, filled with a great spirit! I've learned that when things sometimes don't go exactly the way we plan, I'd like to think that possibly somehow the Lord, intervenes a little to plan for things to go the way He thinks they should and what needs to be heard(especially with the youth)...today was an exceptional example....So simple a lesson with a powerful spirit! Thanks friend!

Our family is wonderful and we are thankful that they were willing to celebrate Easter on Saturday due to our conflicting work schedules...so as a family we decided for the first time to celebrate together at TUCANOS! I stuffed my face until my tummy hurt, and what a terrible evening I had at work! My tummy hurt but it was worth the endless pounds of meat!



This morning Caitlyn ran to our replicated tomb. Mommy, mommy!!! He's gone! Is He in Heaven Now? When is Jesus gonna come down cause I wanna see Him? I was so glad to hear her questions and know that in some way she has a better connection and relationship with Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father. We did the Easter basket tradition I grew up with this morning with a few candies and some bubbles, However, I've really enjoyed our week long walk with Our Savior, especially this time of year.It's a time for new beginnings and a fresh start. It's a remembrance of our purpose here on earth and a time to reevaluate our goals. I am truly thankful for my faith and the testimony I have gained from church, service, prayer, family and friends! I know my purpose. I may not have all the details but I know I will be guided and never left alone.

Isaiah 58:11 And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shall be like a watered garden, and like the spring of water, whose waters fail not.



Caitlyn in her lovely Easter dress...thank you Grandpa!!!!!!

Day 6: Our Week Long Walk With Our Savior Jesus Christ!

Just when you have all the great ideas and excitment of starting a new thing life get's in the way and day to day becomes chaotic. Well, we've been braving the storm and not giving in to skipping a day! Also, Caitlyn would not even think of letting a day go by without a lesson! Today, Good Friday, we talked about Jesus final moments until his crucifixion and death. He was surrounded mostly amongst people who hated Him simply because they feared Him...they feared the unknown, they feared their future. Are we not still experiencing this today...because what we cannot see we cannot believe? I love the quote from the Polar Express movie,"Seeing is believing, but sometimes the most real things in the world are the things we can't see." From His arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane to laying Him in the tomb, we decided to make these events imaginable..for a 4 year old. We constructed out of twigs, cardboard and rocks a scene more understandable for Caitlyn. She was excited to have her fisherprice daddy's start acting out thier part! We placed Jesus in the tomb wrapped in a papertowel and the soldier stand guard by the rock until Sunday! We are so glad we decided to start this new tradition for our family! I know Caitlyn will keep these memories close to heart and remember our fun and meaningful lessons.

Peter 3:18 For Christ hath also once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit

Day 5: Our Week Long Walk with our Savior Jesus Christ!

Today was a busy day however we made time for our Day 5 activity! Our discussion was about the Last Supper. Caitlyn made a connection with Sunday Sacrament and Jesus when we ate pieces of bread and drank small cups filled with water. We feel we somehow gave meaning to what was once a treat during sacrament to having these two items remind her of Jesus everytime she partakes on Sunday! Our big discussion was John 13:34..That ye may love one another; as I have loved you. How easy that is to teach a child, but how hard it can be to carry out in our own everyday lives. This comment alone can be it's own blog! We also talked a bit about Judas, the one who betrays Jesus all for a mere 30 coins. Friends are a big part of Caitlyn's life right now and what a perfect time to explain friendship, trust, loyalty and respect! However, our highlight activity of the evening was washing our baby girls feet just as Jesus did to His disciples! We each took turns washing each other's feet. What an unforgetable way to show service to a child! Caitlyn loved this and said....Mommy, can you do this all the time! If she only knew how much more I would do for her and her daddy!

John 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit:for without me ye can do nothing.

Day 4: Our Week Long Walk With Our Savior Jesus Christ!

One of the events that took place during this week was the special dinner Martha and Mary(Lazareth's sister's and the man Jesus raised from the dead)held for Him. They honored Him, thanked Him and offered Him what little they had. Today we talked about service and sacrifice and what we must do or give up in order to keep our faith strong and follow the example of our Savior! Mary used her very expensive perfume(worth about a year's wage) and poured it on Jesus feet. She then wiped His feet with her hair, which was a sign of humility. The jealous, angry and one that should have been Jesus friend(Judas)asked, Why would you use your valuable investment on Jesus when you can sell it an give it to the poor? She gave the very best she had with a sincere and pure heart! So talking about service and sacrifice we asked Caitlyn to think of all the little children that don't have toys to play with. Being something she can relate to she said they would be sad if they didn't have toys to play with. We asked her to look through her toys and choose some that she could share with those children so they could be happy! Well, she choose a few and we have decided to further the activity and do a deep sweep through her closet and toys and prepare a box for a child in need! How happy we were to see her look through her toys and give willingly to another.

John 12:35 & 46 ... Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth... I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.

What a sweet smelling sacrifice Mary gave that continues to linger in our home today!

Day 3 Our Week Long Walk With Our Savior Jesus Christ

Though there were many who despised Jesus and plotted before his eyes his own death He continued to teach and set the example that He wants us to follow. So why is it so hard for me when something doesn't go our way, things seem to fall apart, life seems unbearable....I tend to give up ..only for a second and then I realize that He knows me and would never give me more than I can handle. What a wonderful feeling! I was wondering just how to explain this to Caitlyn and then I came upon this scripture,
"'Have faith in God,' Jesus answered. "I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours'" (Mark 11:22-23).

Today we talked about Faith, the Holy Ghost and the Power of Prayer! Can you really believe something is there even when you can't see it or touch it? Who is that soft spoken whisper that keeps us safe and helps us make our daily desicions? Does Heavenly Father really hear our prayers? We played the blind fold game which Caitlyn loved and softly whispered directions to guide her across the obstacled room to a warm cup of cocoa. That was the best way I thought I could explain to her. Simply because I cannot see Jesus or hold his hand I know and have faith that He is still there. The Holy Ghost helps me find Him and when I get that warm feeling inside my body, just like hot cocoa, I KNOW that He lives!

The rest of the day Caitlyn whispered to me with a soft spoken voice and reminded me at dinner time that we need to say our prayers so Jesus can hear us!



This is how I would like to picture Jesus just days before His death, contemplating His great purpose and tremendous love for us!

Day 2: Our Week Long Walk With Our Savior Jesus Chirst!

One of the wonderful events that occurred during this week was the cleansing of the Temple...and what a great way to erge my daughter to keep her room clean...to motivate myself and husband to want to clean and have a house of order. Yesterday Caitlyn did not want to clean her disaster of a room." Mommy, my tummy hurts!" or "Mommy I'm too tired!" I'm sure we have all heard these numberous times from our children! I let it go and knew her messy room would be the perfect example for today! So today we had a picnic outside! I love this weather...not too hot, not to cold, but just right! We made white Easter lily's that turned out really cute, by simply tracing our handprints. To me it represents purity and innocence. It also represents a new season, a new birth, such as the resurrection of Christ. On Caitlyn's terms we talked about how special the Temple is and what it means to us! Thanks to primary she knew quite a bit. We related the temple to her little body and her special room and home! Well I must say the enthusiasm to clean her room all by herself was not what I had pictured but with my help she voluntarily cleaned and after we were done she says...If my room is messy Jesus will be sad and if I clean it and pray then maybe he'll let my baby brother come down! Now how do I respond to that????

Matt 21:12-13 And Jesus went into the Temple of God... and said unto them... My house shall be called the house of prayer...

DAY 1 Our Week Long Walk With Our Savior Jesus Christ!

As a family we decided to begin a week long walk with our Savior Jesus Christ! I thought this would be the best way to teach Caitlyn the true meaning of Easter rather than the commercial view of candy, treats and toys from the Easter Bunny! We began today with Palm Sunday, Our Savior's triumpant entry into Jerusalem. As the beginning of the Holy week we read scriptures Matt 21: 1-11. Caitlyn painted and colored a palm leaf out of construction paper. Daddy was the donkey as Caitlyn played Jesus. She climbed on his back as daddy crawled through the house. I waved the palm she made as she rode by and greeted her with praises! She loved it! She even continued to ask questions about why the people were so happy and why Jesus went to the city. I'm not sure when(time of day)when Jesus returned to Jerusalem, but it was amazing to me that right after we did our activity the clouds disappeared and the sun shined right through! It was a wonderful feeling! We're looking forward to DAY 2!

Matt 21:9 And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried saying, Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.