Animals & Music...

These are two of my favorite things are quickly becoming Lydia's favorites as well...like mother, like daughter I guess. Last Thursday, Lynette and I took the girls' to Thanksgiving Point to see all the animals there. We decided to get year passes to TP to give the girls' stuff to do this summer. Lydia loved petting the animals and feeding the horse.

Lydia got to go on her very first pony ride. A lot of times, she isn't very expressive so you can't tell if she's having a good time or not. When the ride was over she wanted to get back on, so I guess that's a sign that she enjoyed herself :)
So we look forward to many more days to spend at TP this year.

Ahhh, music; one of the reasons I love life so much. I can't get enough of it and Lydia has definitely followed in my footsteps. I'm practicing a classical piece to play at my sister-in-law's wedding next week so I always have my flute out ready to practice whenever I can. I came downstairs one day to find my precious little girl trying to be like mommy. She sees me and says, "I play the flute." Yes you are sweetie. I love that girl.

And today, thanks to the prompting of my friend Janell, I got to sing in the stake choir for Stake Conference this afternoon. They prefered us to stay on the stand the whole two hours instead of bouncing back and forth and can I just say how different it is sitting without having to entertain children and not being able to talk to your neighbor for that long. It was amazing the spirit that I felt. Our first song was a beautiful arrangement of "I Stand All Amazed" and toward the end, the conductor started crying and of course I had to lip sync the last few bars because I always cry when others do. I felt the spirit so strong and for the rest of the meeting that spirit stayed with me and I was uplifted. Our last number was "This is the Christ" and of course I had to keep it together and not cry so I would stay in tune. But reading the words as I was singing them just reaffirmed the testimony that I have of Christ. He is my Savior and I know that He died for me. What a great example of love He is and I can only hope that I will be able to raise my children to know of the importance of this gospel and of their elder brother, Jesus Christ.

"I read His words, the words He prayed

While bearing sorrow in Gethsemane;

I feel His love, the price He paid

How many drops of blood were spilled for me?

With saints of old in jouyful cry, I too can testify:

This is the Christ;

This is the Christ, the holy Son of God,

Our Savior, Lord, Redeemer of mankind

This is the Christ, the healer of our souls

Who ransomed us with love divine."