Here's just a short post about our visit to the meditation chapel in Memory Grove Park. The park is just east of Capitol Hill in a ravine, and it is full of memorials to fallen soldiers. The meditation chapel is a memorial as well and was funded by the parents of a solder who died in World War II. The terraced area around the chapel has engraved stones with the names of local soldiers who gave their lives in World War II, and the chapel itself is closed most of the time.

 Clarisse and I herd that the chapel would be open for a couple of hours today, so we went to check it out. The chapel is small and only contains one room, but it is an impressive space nonetheless. The interior is all marble, and there is one large bench facing this engraved wall at the front.

 The most beautiful part of the chapel was the stained glass windows. There are four windows, and each one is dedicated to a branch of the military.

 The high ceiling was a sight as well. I didn't get a picture of the marble floor, but the floor and the ceiling have a similar design.

Anyway, it's just a small little place, but I thought that those of you who visited the park with us on Memorial Day might be interested in seeing the interior of the chapel.

 There isn't much news, so I will just share some pictures of the girls and talk about the things they are doing. As you can see, Felicity likes to ride on the little car that Evelyn got for Christmas. She can't move it herself, but she loves being pushed, especially if she is being pushed toward Evelyn (it's like a game of chase).

 Here is felicity showing off a little curl mohawk. She likes to be in the "push-up" position but doesn't crawl yet. She can get around a bit by flopping and rolling though.

 I wanted to show Evelyn's hair from behind because it's so long and curly. It looks like we put a lot of work into her hair, but we don't. It's all natural!

Evelyn is a runner! She likes to do laps in the yard while shouting "RUN!" It's a good way to get out the excess energy.

Well, that's about all the news (or all I have time for). Hope to keep up with this blog better in the future!

 We had a great time with Chris, Leslie, Sarah, Nathaniel, and Daniel when they came to visit over the Memorial Day weekend! Evelyn Loved spending time with Grandma and Grandpa and her aunt and uncles!

 It was cold and rainy on Saturday, but at least Evelyn had an opportunity to try out some of her new clothes. She loved this hat (she is pointing to this picture and saying "hat" as I type).

 On Monday we went to the Hogle Zoo. Here we are looking at some orange little monkeys.

Here's Evelyn playing ring around the rosies with Grandma and Uncle Flan. Hope that we can see you all again before long!

Hi everyone! I know it's been a while since the last blog post. Mom is hungry for pictures of Felicity. Now that we have internet, it will be easier to keep the blog up to date. Here's a great picture of three beautiful girls all ready for church. As you can see, Clarisse updated her hair style for summer. I like it!

 Here is Evelyn enjoying some outside time. "Outside" is her favorite place, and she asks to go out whenever a door is opened. Once she is outside, she heads for the nearest flowers. We have decided that Evelyn's two great pleasures in life are flowers and juice.

 Here is our growing Felicity. She is getting more smiley, but it is hard to capture in a photograph. She is a very observant baby and usually has an inquisitive expression on her face.

 I love my new job! I am learning some valuable skills, and I get to work with a group of nice, fun people. I don't know how to describe the work without using a lot of jargon. Basically, I do quality control testing for drugs that are manufactured at the site. I can tell you more about it if you are interested. If you aren't interested, I understand!

Spring is arriving as evidenced by all of the flowers that are spontaneously popping up in the yard. Whoever planted the bulbs in years past deserves a big thank you. Evelyn has developed an appreciation for flowers, and it gives her a new reason to like going outside.
It was a lot of fun having Bekah over for a bit before she entered the MTC. Evelyn loved playing with her aunt.
We were able to stop at Lisa's on the way to the MTC and visit with family. Thanks for all of the cookies, Grandma Marie!

February

Here's Evelyn with her first pony tail. Evelyn has started using utensils when she eats. Some of the words she commonly uses are: coat, shoes, socks, yummy, cat, meow, dog, daddy, mum, baby, hi, no, yes, this, juice, and cheese.


Felicity has grown a few pounds and a couple of inches. She's more wakeful during the day and is sleeping for longer periods at night. So far her eyes have lightened to a purer blue. We have been amazed at how content Felicity is to lie on a blanket and stare at a mobile or stuffed animal.
Matt is continuing to look for a job. Most of those he's applied for have been local, but some are in other states. He will be presenting his first seminar soon. Clarisse keeps pretty busy caring for the girls. She is still in charge of the Young Mother's Club in her ward, and has recently started a fitness group that meets every weekday morning at the church.

I know my mom will be wanting to see some recent photos of Felicity, so here you go! She is about 8 pounds the last time we checked, and she is getting more active and less sleepy. She's a quiet one--she doesn't out-and-out cry much but prefers to make little grunts. The grunts sound like little chuckles.

Evelyn is learning new words every day, and she surprises us sometimes. When she tastes something she likes, she shouts "yummy, yummy!" It's her way of asking for more. I discovered it while sharing a milkshake with her last Friday.

I should mention that I love the new running shoes that so many of you collaborated to give to me! They are even better than the last ones (which are worn through in some places, so I really needed a replacement). I hope you don't mind that I didn't wait for my birthday to open them.

Another new development is that I have been looking for a job this past week. I really need to get out of academia and start a real career. There are lots of reasons why graduate school isn't working out for me, but I don't want to sound like a whiner. Please just remember me in your prayers!