The Funny Things Gracie Says

A few days ago I hugged Grace in the morning, gave her a kiss and said, "I love you!".

Her reply- "I know Mom. You always say that. I won't forget."

I asked, "Are you sure you will remember?"

Her response- "I will always remember Mom, even when I am old. Like when I am 8 or 9!"

Wow- that is old! I guess when you are only 4 years old 8 or 9 seems like a long way down the road!

Play Ball!!!

We are having a great time playing and watching baseball this year. Justin is busy umpiring and Amber has been working in the snack bar. Ben is on the field playing on the Diamondbacks (kid pitch Pinto) and having a great time.

So far they have won all their games except for 2 which they tied. So I guess they are undefeated :). Ben has made some fun new friends and seems so tall and grown up when I see him out on the field. Nana has been here lots and has helped with the Benmiller cheering section.

He is getting to play lots of different positions, including catcher, 1st base and centerfield. I love baseball season!

Grandma Jeanne

I was working in the yard this week and noticed that some of my irises had begun to bloom. They were transplanted from my Grandma Jeanne's garden years ago when we moved in. Each time they bloom I think of her fondly, as they were her favorite kind of flower. This time they were extra special and smelled even sweeter as I thought of my loving grandma dear and about how much I miss her. The pretty white petals seem heavenly- perfect for where she is. They are so delicate- which reminds me of her- and yet straight and true- which also reminds me of her. I am grateful for these beautiful flowers and for my beautiful grandmother!

Quilting Club

Lisa and Karly Hopper invited Marin to join their quilting club this last summer. The girls each picked out their own material and then Lisa showed them how to cut out and sew together their squares. The girls met at the Hoppers about once a week during the summer. Just this last week the girls got together to see the finished product. (Lisa spent the last few months finishing them up and putting the backings on in her "free time"). I think she is the only person I know who is busier than me.

I love Marin's quilt- purple, green and sparkly polka dots- so Marin!

JJ and her friends have been doing quilting club for a few years and wanted to keep going. Their quilts have become a bit more involved and are bigger now. They also helped the younger girls do theirs. It is tradition that they make a video at the end of the summer as well. Here are all the girls watching the video- it was cute!

Crazy, fun, quilting friends- Hanna, Karly, Markie, Paige and Marin!

Basketball Champions!!!

Well the good thing about having sick kids is that you get caught up on your blog..... So last week Ben's basketball team, the Clippers, won the championship game! They were undefeated all season and then went on to sweep the play-offs. Quite a different experience from last year when his team only won one game the whole season.

For some reason this photo keeps loading sideways...

Ryan wasn't supposed to be the head coach, but the original coach called him and said he wasn't going to be able to do it and could Ryan step in? Of course he said yes and inherited a great team. There were a few kids who had no clue how to play basketball and some who were already pretty good. In the end, they all got better and almost everyone scored at least once during the season.

Ben was given the Best Defensive player of the league. I don't know if that was true, but his defense in the Championship game was awesome. He also went from being the kid who almost always took the ball and scored to being the assist man. He developed the ability to see the whole court and pass it to the right guy who could score. It was so fun to watch him play and he had a great time.

Play Dates with Mom

Grace spends many a day following me to the dance studio, to a school for choreography or some errand or other. The best purchase of the year for Grace was our membership to the Discovery Science Center so she could do something FUN with Mom once and a while! Our visits were the best "play dates". We had one last trip at the end of February before our passes expired. The latest exhibit was a Dora and Diego Explorers Adventure. We went 3 times because Grace loved it so much.

Pirate Gracie! The Dora and Diego stuff had a pirate boat, a garden, a space ship, a "wild jungle", star puzzles, a slide, Tico's car and nut tree, and an animal doctor clinic. It really was great fun.

"watering" the garden- the plastic flowers actually smell like flowers!

Grace also loves Legos. Upstairs there are legos that you can use to build space shuttles and satellites. She loves exploring the hockey stuff and pretending to drive the Zamboni, as well as doing the new shopping experience.

She is so cute. I love spending time with her and watching her learn and explore!

Our Family Rules!

Don and Janet have been here a lot this winter and we have had great fun being with them, going to dinner, having them over, etc. A week before Granddad's birthday we had some of the family to dinner (the Redfords and DRChristoffersons were sickly). Here are a few pictures of the gang.

We have the best family. I love to be with them and they all seem to like to be with me too :). I love that we have cousins nearby! I just wish we had all our cousins closer- and Grandma and Papa too. I can't believe how big they are all getting.

Granddad got TWO birthday cakes- both Marilee and I made one not knowing the other was going to. Granddad didn't seem to mind, and neither did we! Yummy!