Something old and something new

Her birthday breakfast of oatmeal... her favorite

Why did I never put it together that my dad and Alice have close birthdays? I don't know how I missed that. Little Alice turned 1 on the 17th and my dad turned 60 on the 19th. Two of my favorite people. We celebrated up at the cabin since it was a long President's Day weekend. Kim/Abe and their family came up on Sunday for dinner and cake. I always love getting together with my family.

The day before we got up to the cabin my parents went through my grandma's house with all my dad's siblings. They hauled many memories home with them and we so enjoyed going through it all together as a family. My grandma kept a handful of old diaper pins, the big kind that held together cloth diapers. I am sure she would hold those in her hands and remember her seven babies. All the years of caring for them, holding them, and guiding them into adult hood. They grew up and she was left with old diaper pins and sweet memories.  These precious moments I have with my babies will be the joy of my life.

The party pics

My dad is a tender man. He works endlessly for his family, not just for our temporal well being but our spiritual as well. He tries hard to be an example of righteous and faithful duty. He goes above and beyond in every calling. I notice. I take note. I strive to be like that. My favorite memory of my dad is one I think of daily. It is the early morning hours, the sun is not yet up and won't be for many hours. I walk down stairs for breakfast before I get ready for seminary. My dad is sitting at the kitchen table with a medical journal, his scriptures or possibly a talk from the latest General Conference, and the floor heater going full blast. There he sat every morning, talking to me while I ate cereal. Building a relationship without his teenage daughter even knowing it. Smart man. I asked him a couple weeks ago to compile his favorite talks. I have loved reading them in the morning after I go to the gym. I sit at my kitchen table, read, and eat oatmeal. I am just getting ready for when my teenage daughter walks downstairs and grabs a bowl of cereal.