John's Prom Pictures 2015

Payson Temple Tour With My Family Was Awesome

Easter at the Baadsgaard House

Why I'm so glad we have a back acre.

Lots of ditches and spring grass to hide the eggs in

treaure found

family time

always a smile

sunlit angels

mother/daughter time

Father and son egg hunting

Cousin swapping time

Maple Mountain Science Olympiad Team Takes State!

My son John is part of a team where they compete on a regional and state level in 27 different science categories. This past weekend, his Science Olympiad Team from Maple Mountain High School took first place at state finals. Now they are on to a national competition in Nebraska. Way to go John.

Birthday Story for a Five-Year-Old

IF YOU HAVE A PILE OF DIRT

by

Grandma Baadsgaard

Happy 5^th birthday Andrew.

I love your smiles and hugs and I love you.

            Andrew jumped into his sandbox.

If I dig, what I will find?

Deeper and deeper Andrew shoveled. Soon a big hole appeared. Andrew reached into the hole and pulled out a handful of mud. Andrew squeezed the wet dirt through his fingers.

Chocolate frosting.

When Andrew took a lick of mud, it didn’t taste like frosting.

Andrew grabbed the back yard hose and turned on the water. Then he filled his hole with water. He reached inside and scooped the mud into a big pile.

Clay.

Andrew made a bowl and a cup with his hands and grabbed handfuls of grass to put inside for dinner.  Then Andrew saw a swallow swooping down next to his mud hole. The bird took a small piece of mud and carried it the highest eve on Andrew house. Andrew noticed the cup-shaped nest clinging to the side of his house and remembered the baby birds that hatched there last spring.

Mud house.

Then Andrew built his own mud house in his sandbox with houses, roads and bridges. When he was finished Andrew saw his father working in the backyard garden planting seeds. Andrew watched his father bending low placing seeds one by one in a long row.

“Soon we’ll have tomatoes, beets, peppers and corn,” his father said.

Andrew planted pebbles in the sand box.

Rock trees.

Then Andrew’s friends Benson and Grant came to play.

Can I have some mud?” Benson asked.

“No, this is my dirt,” Andrew said.

Andrew’s father walked over to the sandbox.

“Maybe there is not enough gold in the world for everyone,” Andrew’s father said, “but there is always enough earth.”

Soon Andrew and his friends were covered with dirt. When Andrew’s friends went home to take a bath, Andrew’s father sprawled on the grass and looked up at sky.

“I like the way the newly plowed earth smells,” Andrew’s father said.

Andrew snuggled next to his father on the grass.

“If you have a pile of dirt to call your own, you have the world,” Andrew father said. “Just think; we live on a giant ball of earth spinning around the sun.”

“Will we fall off?” Andrew asked.

“No,” his father answered. “The earth never shakes us off. God planted us on the earth to grow our souls.”

Then Andrew’s father gave him the biggest hug of the world.

Birthday Story for an 11-year-old

SAM’S SONG

by

Granny B

Happy 11^th Birthday Sammy.

Your Grandma Baadsgaard loves you so, so much.

            When Sam woke up, it seemed like a normal day. He did not know that this day would prove to be extraordinary. When Sam walked into the kitchen for breakfast he felt the warm sunlight streaming through the window.  He felt like singing and soaring at the same time. When he opened his mouth, a full orchestra rendition of Morning by Edward Grieg came streaming from his lips as if an entire orchestra resided inside his body. Sam was so startled that he shut his mouth.

            “Sam,” his mother said surprised. “That music is beautiful. Do you have an iPhone in your back pocket?”

            Sam tried to answer his mother but when he opened his mouth the music from Morning continued to fill the warm air of their sunny kitchen. Sam liked this piece of music so well he opened his mouth for a long time while his brothers and sister checked his back pockets. When they were convinced that Sam was not tricking them, they scratched their heads, sat down, munched on corn flakes and listened. Sam was so moved that he walked quietly outside and watched the sunrise accompanied by this gentle lyrical score.

When the music stopped, Sam walked back into the house, got dressed and then went into the kitchen and tried to eat his breakfast. In between bites of corn flakes, Sam heard Jupiter- Bringer of Jollity, from “The Planets” by Gustav Holst blaring through his teeth. At first his mother and siblings stared at him. Sam liked the song so well he ate with his mouth wide open so he wouldn’t miss a note.

“That song makes me feel like I can conquer another day of home school with all you kids,” his mother declared.

Sam’s baby brother Gideon danced up and down dripping milk down his shirt. His brother Liam and Logan marched around the table.

Sam spent the rest of his day reading “Treasure Island” by Robert Lewis Stevenson and listening to programs on string theory and quantum physics on the computer. When he needed a break, he reclined in his chair and opened his mouth. The Pastoral Symphony by Ludwig Van Beethoven came out his mouth and offered a rather nice respite.

Later in the day when his brother poked him, looking for a tussle, Sam opened his mouth and tried to yell but instead the aria La Boheme by Puccini came out his mouth and drifted into the room with such power and beauty that neither brother felt like poking each other anymore.

That afternoon Sam found a quiet corner in his back yard behind the shed where he could be alone and think.

I hope this day lasts forever, Sam thought.

Sam felt the wind and the warmth from the late afternoon sun. Then he heard something so faint and quiet that he almost wasn’t sure if it was a voice or a feeling deep inside him.

            “Find your own melody,” the wind whispered as it encircled his body.

            “Don’t let anyone silence you,” a tiny sparrow chirped as it hopped up on his shoulder.

            Then a caterpillar slowly climbed onto the sleeve of his shirt, slithered up to his neck and rested on the top of Sam’s ear.

            “You are authentic,” the fuzzy black and orange creature whispered in his ear.

            Sam opened his arms trying to soak the whole wide wonderful world inside him. Then he opened his mouth and listened to Un Sosprio by Franz Liszt.

            Sam quietly listened until the evening came. Then he walked back into his home. He wrote down his question on a note pad and handed it to his mother.

            “What does authentic mean?” his mother read on the note pad. She looked at her son and smiled.

“Authentic means you are real – that you find you own melody,” Sam’s mother answered.

            When Sam was in his bed that night he pulled up his covers, looked out the window at the moon, opened his mouth and listened to, Clair de Lune by Claude Debussy.

            Sam never forgot his extraordinary day. Even though songs didn't spontaneously flow from his mouth after that day, they were still deep inside him - and there was something more extraordinary.

Now every single day when he opens his heart - he finds his own melody and the will to sing his own song.

Janene Baadsgaard Temple Square Performance

I had so much fun performing at Temple Square this week.
I love the New Horizon's Orchestra.

Great Week For John and Alisa

John and Alisa Baadsgaard 

Alisa was just selected as student of the month at Diamond Fork Junior High. This award is for academic achievement and citizenship performance.
Way to go Alisa!

John was informed that he has been selected from Maple Mountain High School to be featured in "Utah Valley Magazine" as the senior most likely to change the world. Each high school in Utah Valley selects one senior for this honor. He will be featured with a picture and information about him in the magazine.
Way to go John!

Mission Call Came Today!

My son John Michael Baadsgaard just received his mission call to the Copenhagen Denmark mission.

He is so happy to return to the land of his ancestors and deliver the good news about the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

Baadsgaard is a Danish name. John will learn to speak Danish. 

John will leave this summer and serve for two years. 

John earned all the money to pay for his own mission working construction and teaching piano lessons. This is how John expressed his feelings:

"I can't express how excited I feel to have received my mission call today. I have spent my entire life looking forward to these two years, and have always wondered where I would be spending them. Today I found out.

I have been assigned to labor as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Copenhagen, Denmark. I will be speaking the Danish language. I report to the Provo Missionary Training Center on July 29, 2015.

I can't accurately express to you my feelings, but I can testify to you that I know I am going to right place. I know that Jesus Christ is my savior, and I am more than excited to get to share his gospel for two years."

Tessa

 and 

the 

White Buffalo

By

Grandma Baadsgaard

Happy fourth birthday Tessa dear. 

I love you so.

Once upon a time there was a little girl named Tessa. She wanted a pet buffalo more than anything.

When she asked her parents to buy her one, they said, “Oh Tessa, how about a kitten or a puppy?”

But Tessa didn’t change her mind. She talked about buffalos. She dreamed about buffalo. Tessa drew pictures of buffalos until they filled the entire space on her bedroom walls.

“Can I have a white buffalo - please,” Tessa said to her parents at supper.

“We do not live on the wide open plains,” her father said. “Buffalos need to roam.”

“We could move to the wide open plains,” Tessa answered.

“Buffalos like to eat lots of food,” her mother said. We only have a small refrigerator.”

“We could buy a bigger refrigerator,” Tessa answered.

“One pet buffalo would get lonely,” Tessa’s father said.

“We could get a whole family of buffalos,” Tessa answered.

Tessa’s mother and father shook their heads and said, “Sorry Tessa - no.”

One day Tessa’s Grandma and her Aunt Alisa came to visit. Tessa talked about buffalos. Grandma and Alisa listened and listened.

Then Grandma said, “Tessa, now it is your turn to listen. When I was a little girl I went to a Native American village. The elders in the village told me about the legend of the white buffalo. Did you know that the white buffalo is a symbol of abundance? Abundance means our life is not just about struggling and surviving. God’s love is all around us. We are all connected. God supplies all our needs. Did you know that the birth of a white buffalo signifies the renewal of the relationship God has with the people of the earth? The white buffalo ties all of us to the sacredness of life. Some even see the white buffalo as a symbol of the second coming of Christ – God’s greatest gift to us.”

“Well,” her Aunt Alisa said, “Tessa, your mom and dad gave me a pattern for a stuffed animal for my birthday. I think I might share my abundance with you on your birthday.”

Tessa waited and waited. Finally her birthday came. Her grandma and grandpa and Aunt Alisa came over to give her a present.

 “The gift that was given to me is now my gift to you,” Alisa said.

Then Aunt Alisa gave Tessa a large stuffed white buffalo.

When Tessa fell asleep, her buffalo was at her side. That night she dreamed of a beautiful woman dressed in white robes.

“Everything is connected,” the beautiful woman said. “Pray and follow your path to discover the love of God. Then you will find peace of mind and spirit.”

When Tessa woke, she looked at the white buffalo and smiled.

“Someday I will be the beautiful woman dressed in white and I will guide others on their path back to God’s love,” Tessa said.

Then Tessa looked out the window and saw white clouds in the east as the sun rose over the mountains casting a warm glow over the earth.

"Everything is connected," Tessa whispered. "God's love and abundance is all around me and inside me forever."

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LILY

Lily

by

Grandma Baadsgaard

Happy third birthday my precious little Lily. What joy you bring to my heart.

First came the light

Caleb was born

Consider the lilies - how they grow

Solomon in all his glory

not arrayed like one of these.

Then came loss

Caleb’s death

White lilies

Resting on his grave

White angel

Soaring heavenward

Your Father knoweth

ye have need

Fear not

Heaven’s light

Dressed in white

Lily took Caleb’s hand

“I’m so glad you are home.

Your death there is like birth here.

Now it is my turn to leave

Is birth there like death here?”

Then came the light

Lily was born

Consider the lilies – how they grow

Stone rolled away

Resurrection

In the garden

Where each red drop fell

A lily grew

God’s promises

never forgotten

Happy Birthday Emma

When You Are Seven

by

Grandma Baadsgaard

Happy 7th Birthday my Emma dear. I love you so.

When you are seven

You can’t be eleven

For seven is less

You can probably guess

That seven is grand

If you can . .  .

Handle teeth falling out

Arms and legs that sprout

Adding and subtracting

While you feel the urge to sing

And at the most unlikely times

You just feel sublime

And dancing, that comes next

You twirl your very best

And when you’re with your grandma

You can just be la-de-daw

For seven is really a piece of heaven

If you are my Emma-bam-bevan

Christmas At The Baadsgaard House 2014

Happy 15th Birthday Josh

January 24, 2015

Dear Josh,

            Happy birthday! I sure love being your grandma. I’ll never forget the day you were born. I just had Alisa and was still in the hospital. I wanted to be there when you were born even though the nurses told me to stay in bed because I just had a C-section.

I said, “I’m going.”

And I went. I’ll never forget the feeling I had when I saw you for the first time. You were my very first grandchild and I was overcome with the miracle of you and the love I had for you and your parents. I knew the miracle of love I felt for my family would go on forever.

            It has been so much fun to watch you and Alisa grow up together. You’ve been good buddies.  I was so excited when you moved to Spanish Fork because that meant I could see you more often. Thank you so much for coming over to visit me almost every week. I love to see you coming through my front door.

            You are becoming such an awesome young man. I am so proud of you and the way you are always serving others as you perform your priesthood duties. I notice how you always study and do well in school. I’ve also noticed how kind you are to the children around you. All your cousins know they can trust you to treat them with kindness and respect.

            I really love you Josh. It has brought me so much joy to watch you grow up. Thank you for being so good to your brothers and your mom and dad. Because you are the oldest, your younger brothers really look up to you and want to be like you.

It won’t be long until you and Alisa are in Maple Mountain High School. Just remember that I am just a block away; so if you need something just call me and I can be there in a minute or two.

            Josh thank you for always being so nice to your Grandma Baadsgaard. I love hearing what you to say about lots of things because you read a lot and study and you have lots of good ideas and information. I’m glad that you like to think for yourself.

Sometimes when I see you I like to envision your brother Caleb at your side. I think of you two as a righteous team like your namesakes from the Bible going into the Promised Land. Remember that Caleb is there for you and you can talk to him any time you want to.

No matter where you go or what you do -  always remember that your Grandma Baadsgaard thinks you are amazing and that I will always love you forever.  Someday when you have a grandson that brings you as much joy as you have brought to me, then you know how I feel about you.

            Thank you for always leading out and being such a good example for all your 25 nieces and nephews. You have an important place in this family that only you can fill.

God bless you Josh with all the desires of your heart.

I love you with all my heart,

Grandma Baadsgaarad

Happy Birthday Isabella

IZZY-THE SOFT GREY MONKEY

by

Grandma Baadsgaard

I love you Izzy. I hope you like this poem I wrote just for you.

Izzy is a soft grey monkey

Who lives up in the trees

And if you want some excitement

Just whistle if you please

For Izzy likes to dance and play

And swing from limb to limb

She smiles your way if you say

Monkeys don’t have to be prim

While some monkeys like bananas

Izzy would rather eat pie

So if you bring her a yellow bunch

Izzy rolls her eyes and sighs

Izzy likes to give big hugs

And lots of snuggles too

So if you’re ever sad or lonely

Just ask for one or two

 For monkeys have lots of energy

They simply can’t sit still

But if you need a pick-me-up

Izzy’s love is for real

If you’re looking for a boring monkey

who is quiet and holds still all day

You better look somewhere else

For Izzy’s here to stay