Sunday, February 24, 2013

Making Glass Flowers

For Christmas, James gave me a gift certificate to go to Thanksgiving Point to make glass flowers in their glass blowing studio.   This was a very thoughtful gift and was perfect for me.  I really love glass blowing and have been dying to try it again since my first experience with it a few years ago.  So you can imagine that I was super excited to do it again. 

They said anyone 6 years of age or older could do it, so I thought it would be fun to take the kids along and let them each make their own flower.  I knew Darcy would be too young to do her own so I asked her to pick out the colors and then I made her's for her.   We had so much fun!

 Sandra and Jack also came and made some flowers. Stacy joined us for the afternoon and helped take pictures of the fun.  Here are a few pictures...


I made the red and green flower on the far left.  Dallin made the blue and white flower second in line.  Cody made the green and yellow flower in the middle.  Shelby made the purple and blue flower forth in line.  And Darcy picked out the colors for the pink and purple one that is last in line and I made it for her.  What a fun family activity it was!
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Near to the heart

Several years ago, when I was pregnant with Cody, I went to a photography seminar.  I wanted to improve myself and thought this was one way to do it.  At the very end of the seminar there was a presentation by an organization named Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep.  This organization is a group of professional photographers who volunteer their time and talents to take pictures for families who suffer the loss of a baby.  The presentation really struck a cord with me and I felt like it was something I needed to do.  However, I knew that the time wasn't right for me and my family. 

Last summer, I started feeling the need to be a part of this organization again.  It came upon me suddenly and strongly, and before I knew it I was submitting my application.  The process to join this organization is quite strict and involves submitting a portfolio of work.  I was nervous that they would turn me down, but I found out not long afterwards that I had been approved.  I was relieved and scared at the same time. 

Since that time I have gone on several sessions and have had some very spiritual experiences.  It is quite unlike any other experience I've ever had.  When I go on these sessions I feel like I am providing a true service to these families and I can feel that Heavenly Father is pleased with the way I am using the talents He gave me. 

Because of the privacy agreements we sign, I am unable to share the pictures I take of these sweet angels.  However, one of the families I photographed earlier in the month posted a slideshow of the pictures I gave them.  They sent me the link and I am able to share that with you here.  I hope you'll take a few moments to view the slideshow. 

http://dyerfamily-est2011.blogspot.com/2013/02/elaine-raquel-dyer_7.html

Experiences like these make me appreciate even more the blessings of eternal families.  
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Funny Quotes

  • Darcy came up to me the other day with a permanent marker and said, "Mom, is it okay if I use this pregnant marker to draw a picture?" January 2012
  • Darcy was in a bubble bath the other day having a great time. She made a beard out of bubbles and put bubbles on her head to make herself look like Santa. When it was time to clean off the bubbles I parted the bubbles to get down to the clear water and she said, "Oh, I didn't know there was water down there!" December 2011
  • Darcy calls hangnails or snags on her nails "Pinchies". She says "Mom, can you get this pinchie off my toe?"
  • Whenever we do something fun Darcy always says, "Lets to dat adain." I love her little voice when she says it.
  • Every morning Cody comes into my room while I'm still in bed and tells me, "Mom, it's light outside. It's time to get up." To which I reply, "Okay, let me get dressed." So now when Cody is getting dressed and I call to him his response is, "I'm getting my dressed on!" I love it. No more getting dressed at our house...its now know as "getting our dressed on".
  • I like to make fruit smoothies for breakfast sometimes. Cody calls them Smoot Moolies, so that has become the name for them at our house. The other day when I was making a smoot moolie Cody asked if he could help me make it. I said he could so he jumped up on the counter and picked up a banana. He proceed to peel it and then handed me the peel and said,"Here's the armpit mom." I wasn't sure if I heard him right so I asked him what it was called. He said, "The armpit...you know the thing that the banana is in." November 2009
  • This afternoon when we were driving to the store I had a funny conversation with Cody. “Does Matt have a house?” Cody asked. “Well, Matt is here to buy a new house.” I replied. “Ooooo, that sounds fun!”Cody said. About a minute passes and then he says “How is he going to carry it?” I’m trying my hardest not to laugh. “I think he needs a big rope.” Cody said, happy that he figured out a good solution to the problem. I just love Cody…he keeps me laughing all the time. January 21, 2010
  • I was really tired one afternoon so I flopped down on the couch and said, "I'm pooped out!" Cody came over and snuggled up to me on the couch and said, "I'm having poop time too!" July 2009
  • When I told the kids that James was going to be going to California, Cody sat up straight and excitedly said, "Like Lightening McQueen! He went to California!" October 2009
  • The other day James said to Cody, "How's my buddy?" Cody got a very serious look on his face and said, "Name's Tody!" (He still can't pronounce C's very well.) The only things he will let us call him, other than his name, is big boy or funny kid.
  • When we were first potty training Cody he said he needed to go to the bathroom during sacrament meeting at church. So I took him to the bathroom and sure enough he did his business in the toilet. This was one of the first times he ever did poops in the toilet so he was really excited. When we walked back into sacrament meeting (we were sitting near the front of the chapel) he loudly proclamed "Daddy, I did giant poops in the toilet!" December 2008
  • Cody comes up with cute names for things. Mostly because he has troubles prononcing some of his letters. Some of my favorite names are "Daddy's Toke-Toke" for Coke, "Dr. Seuse" for Dr. Pepper, the "lurnal" for urinal, and "peanutbutter jam" for peanutbutter mixed with honey in a bowl.
  • Shelby had a hard time saying her G's when she was little. So we were working with her on how to say Grandma. She could make a growling sound pretty well, so we we had her growl then say grandma, so she used her best growling voice to say "GRRRR AMA"
  • The sun was shining in Cody's eyes the other day and he pointed at it and said, "Mommy, that circle is burnin' my eyes!" January 2009
  • Heres a list of funny words our kids have come up with for things: Fwaps (Cody's word for patting Darcy's back), bednight snacks, square noodles (ramen noodles), peeps, giant poops, dishwasher (Cody says this is where we wash clothes), low-low (lawn mower), regular grandma (Shelby's way of describing the difference between Great Grandma and her (regular) Grandma, oopadaisy (Shelby)
  • When we were building our house Shelby and Dallin spent a lot of time here with me working on it. One day when I was putting up the finish trim I couldn't find the hammer. I was looking all over for it and just didn't have any luck finding it. Shelby (2 yrs old) made two fists with her little hands and said, "It's okay Mommy, you can use my bammers!" November 2005
  • When Dallin was 1 yr old, he used to love making car noises. His favorite noise to make was the sound of tires screeching and then a crash. So EVERY time we would apply the brakes in the car we would hear his little voice from the back seat..."errrr kshhhh"
  • When Dallin was about 3 years old, he always liked to sit between James and I on the couch. But his way of saying it was cute. He would say "Can I sit in the tween of you?"
  • When Dallin was about 4 years old, I let him and Shelby skip naps because we needed to go somewhere. As we were driving on the road Dallin said, "Wow, look at all these people who are skipping naps too!" I guess he thought everyone had naps during the afternoon! Summer 2005