Quote of the Day - Opportunity

"Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work." -- Thomas A Edison

Sunday Dinner at Lyon's

We enjoyed a nice Sunday dinner at my uncles' house this past Sunday. Because Sunday was the "real" Greek Orthodox Easter, Uncle Michael made Easter bread with an egg in the middle, representing the tomb where Jesus was buried. He taught us how to say, "Indeed He is risen!" in Greek. In ritual fashion, Uncle Michael cracked the egg and said in Greek, "The Lord is risen!" after which we chimed in chorus, "Indeed He is risen!" Pretty cool. :)

Uncle Michael is an artist through and through

L-R: Brandon, Amber, Mary, Corban, Ashton,

Michael Lyon, Jennifer Johnson, Michael Clawson

Ashton & Sam

Mary, Pat Pelissie, Amber, Uncle Michael, Corban, Brandon

Pat Pelissie (Chris's mom), Marty Fife (Dustin's mom)

Aria

Amber, Mom, Genn

Marty, Bran, Corban

Niko smelling flowers

Niko petting the lion

Sam, the budding engineer

Niko, the budding musician

Bran playing with the kids and the marble works

We always had such a fun time playing with these growing up.

Sam learning to navigate the stairs

Corban & Amber

Genn & Corban

A few thoughts for Melissa...

I can't seem to find a picture of this sweet person I call a friend. This person is Melissa Hawkley. I wish you could see her beaming face. She radiates sunshine and good will. She epitomizes seeking the best in people and situations. I have known her for about six years through Reach the Children, her studies in the MPA program at BYU, and her involvement as a consultant and blossoming expert in the world of community development. She has always been anxiously engaged in good causes, but sincerely wished to find the person with whom she would spend eternity and create a family. I tasted for a very short time the despair that can be experienced at the loss of a potentially eternal relationship, and so I sympathized with her through her trials.

At long last, I received a phone call out of the blue from another friend of Melissa's last Tuesday. I was invited to attend her bridal shower the following evening! I knew she had been dating someone, so evidently she and Tim had decided to be married. I was thrilled for her and wanted to congratulate her, but I was only able to get there very late. My mom and I were able to go together, as she had arrived earlier in the day on Wednesday. The last few guests were leaving as we arrived. We wanted to give her a quick hug and wish her well. When we greeted her, however, she turned to her friend who had invited us and asked, "Do they know?" We didn't. Melissa calmly stated in an almost steady voice, "Tim has decided to terminate our engagement." We were almost as shocked as Melissa in those first few minutes. We were able to sit with her and three of her dear friends and hear her recount what had happened and how she had felt and was feeling. She expressed not a word of bitterness, anger, or contempt. She simply sorrowed for Tim and his family and for herself. In the next breath, she forced herself to hope for the promised blessings of an eternal love and children to rear in righteousness. Although the challenge seemed so heavy to bear, she stood steadfast, holding to her faith in God, in God's plan, and in her divine nature as a daughter of God. I was truly humbled. Her reaction to this tragedy in her life is a testimony to her faith and a tribute to her character.

I reached out to her and took her hand. There were so many things I wanted to say to her: "It's better for him to figure this out now than after you were married..." or "Isn't it better to have this happen now rather than after you had children?" or "He mustn't deserve you anyway..." all didn't seem appropriate. The only words I could find were: "my heart breaks for you." I truly mourned with my friend. I sorrowed for her sorrows. I wished there were something I could do to ease her pain. But there wasn't. She just thanked me. She said, "You know, when Mom died [when I was a teenager], the next morning, Dad took us all out to breakfast with our friends. We needed to be with our friends. I think it was a good thing to have this non-bridal shower tonight because I needed to be with my friends. It's a similar feeling of loss."

I have been to dozens of bridal showers for friends and acquaintances. This one was different because the bride is no longer a bride. More poignantly etched in my memory is the depth of feeling that was shared at this gathering. There were no fluffy wishes for a giddy co-ed barely aware of her surroundings. This was an assembly of souls united in love for a mutual friend and thus able to build a collective friendship where there had been none previously. I felt a sincere bond with the other friends of Melissa who joined us in mourning with her. I believe that establishing a quick friendship is a special occasion that does not happen all the time. I was grateful to have been a part of it.

I don't know what the future holds for this dear friend. I know Melissa will continue to hold onto the faith in her Savior. I will pray for her. As we left the shower, she asked us to pray for Tim and his mother. I will do so. I pray that Melissa will pick up the pieces of her heart and hand them over to the Lord to mend them. I pray that I will again be able to see the sparkle in her eyes. I'm thinking of you, Melissa.

Misc. Fun With Family

Niko keeping Papi company during a power nap.

I love having the music in the house.

Shawnie Fife & Aria insisted on seeing Michael's apartment.

Isn't it huge for a freshman?!

Dustin Graduation Celebration

Congratulations, Dustin! My awesome brother-in-law has earned his bachelor's degree in Psychology with a minor in Statistics. What a stud! We went out to dinner last Friday night with his family and our family to celebrate the occasion. His birthday was also the following day on Saturday, AND their second wedding anniversary was today (Monday, the 28th), so it's been a celebratory weekend for sure. Congrats, Dustin!

(L-R) Marty Fife, Amber, Corban, Dustin, Jon Fife

Kevin, Michael, Aria Clawson

Ashton, Brandon, Toi Clawson

Genn Pelissie, Shawnie Fife (Dustin's little sister who is Aria's age)

Sam and Niko and their balloons

Corban loving his balloon :)

Calligraphy Exhibit

Amber discovered that a Calligraphy exhibit was being displayed at the Covey Center on Center St. in Provo. We planned to go there the day after the family's arrival. Thursday, the 24th, after a morning walk with the boys, we walked down to the Covey Center to browse the works of art. Amber, Mom, and Uncle Michael really enjoyed it. We're glad the artists in the family were able to admire the pieces together. Aria and I tried to entertain Niko and Corban (Sam was napping at home), so we didn't spend as much time in the exhibit. I did see a few that I really liked, though, so here are my favorites:

I don't love the artwork of this one,
but I am in awe of the quote.

Thought-provoking

Funny kid

Niko turned his car seat into a recliner while watching TV. They start so young... ;)

Niko loves to "alonge-toi a cote de bebe" (lay down next to the baby). One morning when I came into his room for our morning diaper changes, his tummy was much bigger than normal...

Hmmm... I wonder what that could be...

Voila!

Amazing what he can fit down his shirt!

Les Bottes de Woody! (Woody's Boots!)

On Saturday, April 19th, Angi and I went horseback riding in Lehi on the BJS Land Company horses that are being wintered there. It was a lot of fun. (See Angi's entry about it here.) Upon my return, I neglected to put my boots away and before I knew it, Niko was wearing them and triumphantly announcing "Bottes Woody!" He was trying to say, "Les bottes de Woody!" or "Woody's boots!" He obviously made the connection between Woody from Toy Story and my cowboy boots. He loved clumping around the house in them.

I just love the skinny naked legs in the big boots.

So fun for me to watch!

Duct Tape

Niko is telling us he is ready to potty train. As we prepare to make this important step, Niko continues to tell us... or rather, show us. He is constantly trying to un-velcro his diaper. Our method of making this less easy was to put a onesie on him. He is now very adept at removing his pants, reaching up through the leg hole of his onesie, and unfastening the diaper on both sides. If we leave him to his own devices for more than a few minutes, we're almost sure to discover him pantless and with his diaper hanging at his knees. We finally resorted to duct taping the diaper - that is until he figured out how to remove that as well. We're currently using clear packing tape. Pretty soon we'll get the potty figured out and won't have to fight him to keep the diaper on. ;)

Niko doing his "Oh, la, la!" impression

Head Wound

Earlier this month, Sam's forehead had an abrupt run in with a sharp corner at a friend's house. He is recovering well, but I just loved this picture of him with his band aid.

Catching Up

I have several blog entries to post since the last few days have been exhaustingly eventful. We're very happy to have the Clawson family visiting at the moment. Fun fun fun and busy busy busy!

Quote of the Day - Action

Just one person taking action can
inspire others to do the same.
-- Leslie C. Aguilar

Thanksgiving Point Gardens

Last Friday, Angi, Ollie, Baz, Niko, Sam, and I enjoyed seeing the Thanksgiving Point Gardens that opened recently. It was so nice to be outside on a warm, sunny day! Combined, Angi and I took over 200 pictures, so here are just a few of my favorites from my camera.

Niko and Ollie heading down into the bear cave
We heard a mom say, "It doesn't growl anymore!"
Glad it wasn't scary!What's in here?

Coming out of the tunnel from the cave - so fun!

Here are the boys trying to wait
for the mamans to catch up

I love this picture of Ollie!

Baz loves fishies, but wasn't so sure about the real ones. :)

"Les poissons!" ["Fish!"]

This is Ollie reading our map and keeping us on track.

What a helper!

Merci, Yol!!

I can't get enough of all these boys!

Angi showing Ollie where we are on the map

We found it! The Secret Garden!

It had a cool wooden door, just like in the Secret Garden.

The fountain was a definite favorite.

We sang a family favorite song,
"Sur le pont... d'Avignon... on y danse, on y danse!"

The boys loved walking and running as much as we would let them.
Here, Niko is at the beginning of his tripping and falling down the hill.

We really had so much fun. Thanks for the great memories, guys!