Since we went to Hawaii last month, and we have another vacation coming up next week, we knew we couldn't go anywhere for Spring Break this year. Poor Jonathon has missed enough time off of work as it is. Luckily, Mom and Dad decided to come down and visit us. It was a short trip, but it was so fun and so appreciated.
They arrived on Friday afternoon. That night we went on a bike ride as soon as they got here. We had talked about going up to Provo Canyon and riding all the way home, but I was worried about Hyrum being able to make it, so we decided to shorten it and go to Paul Ream Wilderness Park for dinner. Jonathon arranged to meet us there with pizza. We headed out, and boy are we glad that we shortened it. Poor Hyrum got tired within the first half-mile. Mom and Dad were so patient with him, and we stopped often to give him a chance to take a break. We even stopped for a few minutes at the Secret Playground to play on the tree swing. It was a good reminder that he is still a little kid. We have gotten used to having two older kids, and I sure don't want to make him feel left out.
We finally arrived at the park and ate pizza and talked while the kids played on the playground. It was such a pleasant evening to ride! The river trail is one of my absolute favorite things about where we live. On the way home, I stuck Hyrum's bike in the back of the car and drove him home while Jonathon rode with the rest. It worked out great for everyone!
On Saturday, we set up the pickleball net and played all morning. After buying a net last Thanksgiving, we have used it quite a bit. Up until recently it has been mostly at the church in the gym. Two weeks ago, we decided we should try to play on our dead-end street. Jonathon bought a chalk line so that we could put the lines on the pavement. It was so fast to get all the lines down, and once we set up the net, we were good to go. I was worried that it wouldn't work very well because of all the cracks and dirt, but it was actually awesome! Sometimes the ball would take a funny bounce, but it was very manageable. We played out there until it was time to go watch Conference. We took turns and played some singles matches and some doubles matches. Dad is definitely the best of the bunch, but we are all getting better. Andrew and I actually beat Dad and Mom one time in doubles, so that was pretty exciting. It was so nice to be able to just walk out the door and play without going anywhere or loading anything up. The only minor problem was when the ball would occasionally go in the cow pen next door :).
We watched both sessions of conference together, and it was amazing! I loved the talks, and specifically the focus on missionary work and the call for more missionaries. I was so glad that my boys were listening and heard the Prophet's counsel to young men and women. I hope they will continue to prepare to be great missionaries. Then Mom and Hyrum made Rice Krispy bird's nests (his favorite Easter tradition!) After dinner, we played Qwixx until bedtime. Dad was determined to win a game. It took him about 10 tries, but he did finally come out on top.
On Sunday morning Joe and Kym's family came bright and early to eat aebleskivers with us. We have these Danish round "pancakes" every General Conference. We have done it for YEARS, and every family even has their own aebleskiver pan. They are a bit time intensive, but Dad got up early to get them started and cooked for an hour and a half straight. As soon as the skivers came out of the pan, there were hungry vultures there to snag another one to dip in butter and powdered sugar. They were delicious, and I know my boys love the tradition.
The Sunday morning session was wonderful as usual. After lunch, the kids really wanted to have a cake decorating contest. They had all been watching a new Netflix show called "Is it cake?" and they wanted to try their hand at it. They divided into two teams and decided on their cake flavors and theme. They came up with some pretty clever ideas. At first they were doing it almost entirely on their own, but after two of the cakes stuck to the pan, I knew we needed some adult supervision. I helped them get it out the best we could and worked with them from there on. Team Andrew, Jadyn, and Bridger did a chocolate Minecraft cake with peanut butter frosting. I had never attempted that flavor before, but it turned out so delicious. Team Christian, McKay, and Hyrum made a chocolate rubber duck cake with strawberry filling and chocolate buttercream. They used Rice Krispy treats to mold the shape of the duck. I doubted that they could pull it off, but it ended up looking really great. It was a lot of work and a lot of mess, but hopefully they had fun. We ate their cakes for dessert that night and everyone got to vote for their favorites. The majority of people voted for the duck for looks, but a lot of people really loved the peanut butter frosting, so we called it a tie!
Mom and Dad went to visit one of our distant relatives that night. Mom has been working so hard on family history lately and wanted to find out if this second cousin knew anything more about the Bierman conversion story. Great Grandpa Joe's family was converted in the Netherlands and emigrated to the United States after their baptism. Joe was the youngest and wasn't born until after they had moved, and he didn't leave any information behind. Mom and Dad visited with the son of Joe's brother, Ephraim. I don't think they learned too many new details, but it was still a good opportunity to pursue all the possible leads.
On Monday, Joe and Kym left to go visit with her family. Dad and Mom had a little bit of time before they had to head out, so we played some more pickleball. It was such a wonderful time with them. The older I get the more grateful I am for the time I get to spend with my amazing parents, and I am so glad that my kids get to know and love them.
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