In case you haven’t noticed, my kids think all things water = FUN. While their grandma and grandpa were here to help out after Jacob was born, everyone went to the lake. Everyone that is, except Jacob and I. We stayed home to rest.
The boys (big and small) all had fun driving the model boat around the lake.
Clark’s parents spent the weekend with us. As always when they come we had a wonderful time!
Grandma spoiled us with delicious food. She made waffles in a special waffle iron from England for breakfast one morning. And for lunch one day we feasted on home made English Muffins
made into a sandwiches with an egg, ham and cheese. It was even better than it looks!
We spent a few days with family last weekend. I thought I’d spread out the pictures out over a few posts so as not to overwhelm anyone.
Dan loves to play with his Grandpa.
We stuck him on the couch with all the kids,
and this is what we got.
Thanks for the visit Dad!
Bedtime stories are a well-established tradition here, as they are in every household. All of our kids love “reading” their favorite books throughout the day. Daniel’s favorite stories are always about animals. A few of his favorites are The Poky Little Puppy, Curious George, Make Way for Ducklings, and (below) The Very Busy Spider.
Ben, on the other hand, gets more excited about cars, airplanes, and heavy machinery. He loves Mike Mulligan’s Steam Shovel, My Truck is Stuck, The Happy Man and His Dump Truck, and the Fireman Book. Last week, though, when Grandpa visited, he got hooked on Book of Mormon stories, with Ammon fighting off theives, Alma meeting Amulek, and other stories from that part of the book.
Hannah had her two week check up today, all is well. She weighs 8 pounds, 10 ounces, and is a happy, healthy baby. Here are a few more pictures.
In the spirit of Crabapple Farms’ post on Mother’s Day, I want tp note a few of the great things about my Dad:
I’ll start with a list of some great memories
Perhaps the earliest I can recall is a trip to Market Lake when I couldn’t have been more than four. I can remember being scared to death of a goose I must have frightened off her nest.
In second grade, during a class on cowboys or the old west, I boasted to my teacher that my dad could play real cowboy songs on the guitar. When Mrs. Vargason invited him to class a week or so later to perform, I knew I had the greatest dad in the world.
For several years, my great goal in life was to be an artist, and I remember dad taking time to sit down and draw with me. His picture would inevitably be of a jet!
I have great memories of spending evenings with him building the perfect Pinewood Derby car–and learning about good sportsmanship when he offered our “secret” graphite lubricant to my friends.
Dad has a great, unusual talent in being able to facilitate youthful adventure. An olympic torch made from a cattail and kerosene stands out as a prime example.
Years later in high school, when another “adventure” ended disasterously with my brother’s arm in flames, his patience and calmness in dealing with the aftermath was a lesson in forebearance I’m still learning from.
Though these activities and countless others, he’s taught me so much:
He’s taught me how to love the outdoors, to love my country, to love the church I belong to.
In the desk drawer of my office is a single page from my old Bible. One column has a good-sized smudge on it, a combination of grease, dirt, and other gunk that gets on your hands when working on cars. It summarizes so much about what I admire in Dad.
It was a Saturday afternoon, and Dad and the boys were repairing another of the Ricks family fleet of cars, when a relative telephoned with an urgent question of the soul. Grabbing the nearest set of scriptures–which happened to be mine–Dad expertly resolved her concern, and calmed a troubled heart. The fact that this relative would choose to call Dad, and that he was willing, able, and spiritually in tune to address those needs–when only seconds before he was engaged in his everyday life–is just another reason of why I admire him so much.
Dad, I love you.
