Happy Mothers Day!?

First of all - sorry for not posting last week - my camera batteries were dead and posting pictures is half the fun - so without any new pictures to post I couldn't think of anything to say.

However - here's a funny picture that would have been in last week's post (if there had been one). Nate & Abbie were getting ready for swimming lessons and put a pair of their goggles on Kassie - we all thought it was pretty funny! Judge for yourself....So yesterday Dan & the kids took me to the Museum of Glass in Tacoma. Ever since I worked as a nanny in NY and became aware of glass art I have been enamored with it - how it's made, how beautiful it is - all of it. It was a great day - they had some outdoor displays - one of them was a pool with glass ducks (we think) in it - it was amazing - the ducks didn't look like glass at all.Next on our tour was the Chihuly Bridge of Glass - it was beyond words. My pictures just won't do any of this justice, but I've just got to try to show you what we saw. [If you are ever here and want to go - let us know we'd go back in a heartbeat!] The bridge goes over the freeway, linking 3 different museums. First there are 2 large towers (for lack of a better word) of these huge pieces of blue glass. The sun was catching them at all different angles, they were brilliant - Abbie wanted her picture with them, which will give you a little perspective.
From a distance:A little closer now:The two towers were in-between two tunnels of glass one had an entire wall of these incredible glass sculptures - the lighting was not great for my little camera, but here's a picture of each of our favorites:
Abbie's favorites were the "twisty ones with the flowers"

Nate's favorites were the ones that looked like a pear & a volcano

This was one of Dan's favorites - can you guess why?
My favorites came from the second tunnel - where the entire ceiling was filled with glass art - I can't even put into words how much I loved this - beauty beyond words, in my opinion.


Then I decided my pictures just weren't going to do this justice so I "walked" the tunnel with the video turned on - there were 3 "rows" of glass, each divided into squares. It gave me goosebumps - really it did! Here's the video (sorry for the oops on the zoom in the middle)

There was a lot going on at the museum - they had free face painting for the kids - which only Abbie wanted to do.

They had free picture frame decorating & free cupcake decorating - which we didn't do. One of the displays they have is called "Kids Design Glass" where kids send in a drawing and the glass artisans at the museum choose 1 or 2 and then turn them into glass - they were a lot of fun - maybe someday we'll send something in & get lucky - boy, now that would be cool!
A couple of the "Kids Design Glass" that was on display when we were there (we got a good kick out of "Bacon Boy")


Last but not least - was the "Hot Shop" where you get to sit & watch them make different pieces of glass. I was surprised at the amount of time it took to make one piece, but it was so interesting that the kids even sat & watched (most of the time). Here are a couple of the videos I took - I could have truly sat here all day & watched them - WOW! The process was much longer than this so consider this a "Reader's Digest" version of events.






We had a good time, all three kids were wiped out & were all "konked out" by the time we got home.
So after such a great day you may be wondering why there was a "?" at the end of my "Happy Mother's Day!?" title - well on the way home Nate got sick in the car, and has been running a fever ever since, and Kassie woke up not feeling well either - I had obligations at church today so I went with Abbie & Dan stayed home with the sick kids, it just felt so weird to not be there together as a family. So overall this weekend has been great, one of, if not the best Mother's Day I've had since I've been a mom. With sick kiddos today has actually been pretty low key & relaxing, not something that often happens in our house. I just wish everyone had been feeling well today for the traditional Mother's Day picture in front of the Rhododendrons. Oh well, maybe next week.

PS - If you get the Friend Magazine - take a peak at the May 2009 issue at the bottom of page 19 you will see our primary & a project we did 3 years ago for Father's Day - Dan, Nate & Abbie are right in front! (Just to the right of center). A bonus Mother's Day gift for me & my primary presidency! We had a lot of fun with this project - I really do love my calling!

Today I am grateful to be a mother to 3 wonderful children, and grateful to have the best example ever to be my mother. For all she taught me through word and deed. If I can be half the mother to my children that she was to me I will be in great shape. Among so many lessons I am grateful she taught me how to love & how to serve. For these lessons and so many more - Thanks Mom - I love you - You are the best!