My little artists
Sonya and Olivia did a little painting with watercolors today...
Let's see...what should I paint today??
Maybe I'll take a little taste of this while I decide...
Chairs are for babies...I work better when I'm sitting closer to my supplies
Oooh, the green tastes minty-fresh!

Recital and the weekend
My students had their piano recital this weekend. It went very well. Paul and Miranda also performed, although they don't take lessons from me. I'm fortunate that I can "swap" kids with Nancy. This is a blessing. My parents were able to come, which was really cool.

Wild Roses
I had to take some pictures of our beautiful roses, especially because they never seem to last long enough!

Livvy and Sonya
Our nearest Wal-mart no longer has a portrait studio, which is a bummer. Fortunately, though, my friend Renee is an excellent photographer! She took these pictures this morning, and then I'll get them made into bigger sizes to give to grandmas, etc....Thank you, Renee! You're the best!

Happy Mother's Day!

I heard this today on Focus on the Family. I thought it was really neat.

A Mother's Heart

by Jennifer Jones
I had the liberty of dissecting a mother's heart. As I approached the heart, I was aware of a thick red substance oozing out of it. I studied this weird substance and found it to be love. The heart appeared to be so full of love that it couldn't hold it all in!

In examining the heart, I found nerves that were attached to every part of the body. At first I didn't see a nerve going from the heart to the hands. But in looking closer, I found that this nerve had been used so much, forgiving and helping, that it was worn and thin.

After cutting into the heart, I could see that there had been many times when the heart had been broken. But the red substance had filled the cracks and, in time, made them disappear.

There are many cavities in the heart. The first one I explored contained patience. On the walls of the cave, I observed markings (like high-water markings) that indicated the levels of patience she had during her life.

All through the heart, I noticed huge orange clumps. At first they didn't look like anything special; but in taking out my microscope and examining them further, I found them to be clumps of caring and understanding.

The next cavity I entered looked to me like a library. The shelves were full of books of wisdom. Most of the books are old and worn. From this cavity, there was a special cord to the mouth. It appeared that this had been used a lot for teaching others.

Everything in the heart seemed to be very warm and bright until I came upon one small area. It was dark and cold and hidden way back in the heart. There were protective vines growing through this little space; intertwined with these vines were little petals of worry. I have seen these vines grow in other hearts and finally strangle and kill them.

Surprisingly enough though, through this whole heart, I could not find a trace of vanity or conceit. Everything that was seen exuded love and kindness.

Spring Concert
Phew! The last concert is over! Remind me to not do musicals with Kindergarteners again, please! Miranda was the sun in their musical, which was called, "Spaced Out." Paul had a solo in "Wade in the Water." I was proud of them both, and I'm not just saying that because they're my kids. :-)

Pre-concert "Serious mode"

Pre-concert "Silly mode" Paul's class did a rap song first, which is why he's not in nice concert clothes; just had to explain that since I would never let my kid wear that to a concert!

Just random pictures

Me and my girl

Little Miss "I don't need naps" (so I'll just fall asleep right before suppertime)

Our weekend

We went to Denver this past weekend for a youth event called, "Acquire the Fire." Marty and Renee and Aaron and I took about 16 high schoolers. It was fun, and a very meaningful weekend, for me, at least. This picture is of Renee, me, and Mary Jo Walker. She and her husband, Tony, and some of their youth group, met up with us in Sterling. It was fun to hang out with her again.