GENERAL CONFERENCE, AN EVENING WITH JULIE &
THE LAMPATEEZE'S BIRTHDAY
April 6th - April 12th, 2008

On Sunday, April 6th, we had our last two sessions of Conference. We watched them over at Brian's parents' house again so we could be with family. We had a nice ham dinner over there as well. Above are Vaughn and Kal patiently waiting for us to scoop them up some delicious food for their starving bellies! (P.S. Vaughn LOVES Kal! That's probably why he was smiling so big!)

Other people (AKA Danny!) decided to wait impatiently for their food! Just kidding Danny! Danny loves to glare at me whenever I try to take a picture of him. I think he wants to appear to be tough. But really Danny is a very nice guy, and he has a great smile. He's always teasing me and likes to call me Vinnie. Don't ask! And yes, he is the father of the famous Lampateeze!

We were all starving, so the food was extra good-tasting. As Brian always says, "Hunger is the best sauce." I can't remember where he got that from, but it is so true! And it also helps that Brian's mother is an EXCELLENT cook! There's nothing quite like a Sunday dinner with Brian's family. We really enjoy the atmosphere, the company and the conversation. We are very lucky to be able to live as close to them as we do, so we can visit as often as we do!

Later on that day after the big meal and after Conference had ended, Vaughn decided to provide everyone with some entertainment. He decided to model a pair of Brian's shoes for everyone. He was walking like a perfect model, and giving that squinting smile, and it just about killed us!

It didn't help that he was wearing a onesie. What the heck?!?!

It also didn't help that he has very cute, think legs, and a handsome GQ look about him. It's like he had watched a professional modeling show and decided to reenact it or something!

We're going to skip to Friday the 11th of April. Brian's sister Julie came over that night to spend some time with us, and to watch part of a fun old Disney nature documentary with us. I had made some peach cobbler, so Julie brought over some whipping cream to put on the top of it. Well, Julie decided to really make it a party when she showed Vaughn that he could "spray" the whipping cream into his hands!

Vaughn was totally intrigued by this new discovery. Then Julie showed Vaughn how to eat the whipping cream right out of the palm of his hand. He paid extra attention to this!

Julie then proceeded to show Vaughn how happy it made her to eat whipping cream out of her hand. Vaughn started to show signs of smiling......

....and then he had to let a big smile out! He LOVED this new game!

So he decided to show Aunt Julie how well he could eat the whipping cream out of his hand. Aunt Julie watched very intently and showed lots of support for her new apprentice.

And in the end, even Vaughn gave himself a big hand for a job well done!

Aunt Julie gave Vaughn more whipping cream to practice with, and he was so happy he just stood there spazzing and smiling!

Aunt Julie was finally able to break away and sit down to enjoy some conversation with her brother and a nice bowl of peach cobbler. Yum!

The next day, Saturday, April 12th, we went over to Brian's parents' house to help them with some yard work they wanted to get done before they left on another trip. Brian was doing much better by then, and it was nice to get outside with him and help his parents out. Here we are clipping up some rose bush trimmings, to make sure we can fit them all in the garbage can.

While we did yard clean up, Vaughn and his cousins Kal and Lorna enjoyed playing on one of the islands in the front yard. It was a beautiful, slightly cool day, which made it perfect for yard work, and perfect for outside play.

Vaughn took a moment to pose for a picture. He has the most intense eyes!

Vaughn loved nothing more than to just push dirt around with Kal. He spent most of the time following Kal around and doing exactly what Kal did. Vaughn really looks up to Kal, and really enjoys playing with him. And Kal is always very kind to Vaughn, and likes to include him in whatever game or activity he is doing at the time.

I feel bad that I didn't really get any pictures of Alvin's 1st birthday! I don't know if I just forgot, or if I lost the pictures or what! But we also celebrated little Alvin's birthday that day. It was very cute! Since I don't have any pictures of that, I will end with this gorgeous picture of Lorna! Isn't she a doll?

Love, Lisa