Congratulations Alisa!

My daughter Alisa will be playing a Rachmaninoff concerto solo with orchestra accompaniment at a free concert at Maple Mountain High School tomorrow May 8th at 7:00. Alisa will also be playing the cello in the chamber orchestra as well. She started her own piano studio five years ago and currently has 26 piano students. She will be graduating from high school with high honors in a few days and was recently awarded a Presidential full tuition scholarship to college. Congratulations Alisa!

Women's Conference 2018

Loved going to BYU Women's Conference with my amazing daughter April.

Poem for a Seven-Year-Old

Tessa at Night

by

 Grandma Baadsgaard

Happy birthday Tessa. I love you so.

You are a dream come true.

When the blue moon rises over the mountain

And all the wee people have gone to bed

It is time for the sprites to come alive

Where elves and fairies are led

To a place in the night where the cherubim roam

And the flying buttresses lie

Where all the children’s dreams are sent

To the place where they light by and by

Then all the blackness is swirled away

And the bright stars begin to shine

As all the world basks in slumber

Multitudes of bright jewels are thine

For children are the magic of the night

And their wishes are my command

And their hopes are the makings of castles

And their visions appear in the sand

For when the wee one’s eyes are closed

And the nippers nod in repose

The forests and mountains sway in twilight

And the mystics will never close

The guardians of the progenies stand tall

For active duty at your bed

And keep you safe in slumber

Until morning comes again as said

Then when the sun rises over the mountain

And all the wee people flee

You’ll know it is time to awaken

To the promise you are meant to be

Poem for a Two-Year-Old

Alice is Two

By

Grandma Baadsgaard

Happy two-year-old birthday Alice. 

I love you SO much. 

Thinking about you makes me smile.

If you feel a wiggle

And really have to giggle

It’s time to shimmy and to shine

To be a princess divine

If you feel a gust

Of energy that must

It’s time to leap from the chair

For anyone who dares

If you feel a bumble

Rumbling in your tumble

It time to grab the treats

And find a comfy seat

If you feel a smile

Filling your face in style

It’s time for a great big hug

With mommy beetle bug

If you feel a wink

Right before you blink

It’s time for a Daddy ride

Swinging side to side

If you feel a grump

From a Griffy lump

It’s time to scream and roar

And say you want no more

If you feel a snuggle

It’s time for a huggle

And a book to read

With Rylan in the lead

And when nighttime comes

And all the day is done

It’s time for a ride to bed

For this little sleepy head

New Horizons Orchestra Spring Concert

Playing in this orchestra brings me great joy!

I love playing in the New Horizons Orchestra!

Easter Egg Hunt 2018

Elizabeth's Blessing Day

Eliazbeth Baadsgaard  -  our little angel on her blessing day.

Two great families celebrating Elizabeth together!

Joseph and Martha with baby Elizabeth and Daniel and Christian.

Baadsgaard Family Fun Times

When I married into this wonderful Baadsgaard family
I had no idea what a treasure
my husband's seven sisters would be in my life.
Thank you Leanna, Evelyn , Margaret,
Irene, Sue, Karen and Melanie
for being the most loving and supportive sisters
I could ever dream of.
I love you all with all my heart!

Colonial Williamsburg, Monticello and Jamestown with Aubrey's Family

My daughter Aubrey and I at Monticello with grandchildren Alice and Griffin in the foreground.

Wig maker in Colonial Williamsburg.

Wig Shop.

Silversmith Shop.

My grandson Rylan in the stocks.

Williamsburg Parade.

Pocahontas Statue.

John Smith Statue.

Jamestown Sign.

Horse and buggy.

Glass Blowers.

Wooden Wares at Shop.

Thomas Jefferson's bed.

Alisa Receives State Congressional 2018 Art Award

Alisa Baadsgaard with Representative Gibson and her parents in the Gold Room at the State Capital.

My daughter Alisa Baadsgaard received the Congressional Award for her art work today
 in the Gold Room of the State Capital.

This is Alisa Baadsgaard with Rep Gibson
on the floor of the Utah State House of Representatives
where he is introducing her and telling the lawmakers
about the award she received for her art work.

Janene Wolsey Baadsgaard - Growing Up Pictures

Happy Birthday Lily!

Lily

By Grandma Baadsgaard

Happy Birthday Lily. Hope you day is filled with love.

If you eat a pickle

It will make you wiggle

And if you swallow a fly

It will make you sigh

If you do a flip

It might make you hip

If you give me a smile

I’ll walk with you a mile

If you tell me, “I love you.”

I’ll be a cow and moo.

If you do a swirl

Then your hair will curl.

If you dance a jig

You would be so big

If you count to ten

You’ll wonder where you’ve been

If you sleep so tight

Your Grandma then just might

Love you forever and a day

So Lily, what to you say?  

Happy Birthday EMMA!!!

Dear Emma,

Happy Birthday to my precious granddaughter. I’m giving you one of my favorite books. It is a children’s book so the language is simple but this story has a profound message.

This book talks about some of the ways we can like ourselves.

Sometimes we forget that we can be our own best friend.

Sometimes we forget that we are our own best company.

Sometimes we forget to take good care of ourselves.

Sometimes we forget to look in the mirror and say, “Hi, good-looking!”

Sometimes we forget to like our body just the way it is.

Sometimes we forget that when we are sad, we can cheer our self up.

Sometimes we forget that when we fall down, we can pick ourselves up.

Sometimes we forget that when we make mistakes, we can try and try again.

Sometimes we forget that no matter where we go or what we do, we will always be us.

Emma, I love having you for my granddaughter. My heart sings when you walk in my door and come to my home.

It is a joy to live close to you and watch you grow up.

I hope you always remember to like yourself.

I will always love you with all my heart and soul.

Love,

Grandma Baadsgaard

Alisa - Award Winner in the 46th Annual Utah All-State High School Art Show

My daughter Alisa Mary Baadsgaard is an award winner in the 46th Annual Utah All-State High School Art Show.

Her work will be on display at the Springville Art Museum for the next few weeks.

Alisa took apart an old piano and used the pieces to create
stunning works of art. The circle at the bottom is made
from piano keys and the spiral is made from the hammers
that strike the wires to produce the sound. 

Way to go Alisa!

Alisa saying a few words after she received the congressional award.

Happy Birthday Josh

Jan. 22, 2018

Dear Josh,

Happy birthday Josh! Can you believe you are eighteen now? The time has gone so quickly. As I look back over these years, I relish the opportunity I’ve had to be there and watch you grow up. It sure has been a joy to be your grandma.

I was there when you were born. Even though the nurses told me to stay in bed because I’d just had a C-section when your aunt Alisa was born, I was determined to be there and see you born. It was one of the most amazing moments in my life . . . seeing by baby give birth to her baby. I realized how quickly life passes and how vital it is to savor every single moment. Your mother and I came home from the hospital on the same day to my house so we could heal together. April held you and I held Alisa in my king-size bed while we cared for both of you. Not very many mothers and daughters have that kind of bonding time.

I’ve been so blessed to live close to you through these years and watch you grow up. I always noticed what an intelligent and thoughtful boy you were. You always had lots of questions and were quietly observant. You and Alisa were good buddies for a few years and then your brother Matthew joined the family. The three of you had lots of adventures in our two acre back yard.

Then Caleb came to your family. You worried a lot that he only had one eye but soon discovered that he was just winking at us. In our family winking means, “I love you. You are wonderful. You can do it.” I noticed how kind and gentle you were with Caleb. You were always there for him and always made sure that he felt your love. I especially loved hearing you and Matty sing, “I am a Child of God” whenever his oxygen levels were low.

During those early years, we had lots of picnics and trips to the park in the spring and summer. Sometimes Grandpa would pull you around on sleighs with the 4-wheeler or up at the cabin in the winter. We always came over and visited each Sunday. You were always at my house for our Christmas Eve traditions. Every time there is a birthday or a holiday you and your family will come to my house or the cabin and make everything more fun because you are there.

I remember the day your elementary school called me and asked if I could come over. You had an accident and they couldn’t reach your parents. I sped over to your school and found you lying down in the nurse’s office. You were so brave.

I remember the year when you were in fifth grade and moved from Orem to Spanish Fork. I was so thrilled to have you live closer to me. I loved watching you and Alisa look out for each other while you were in the same class. It was been fun to see you go to junior high and then to high school together and be in many of the same classes and dance groups. Then there have been long walks and talks at the cabin and lots of fun vacation trips we’ve had together and rousing BYU games.

I get a kick out of watching you do your science experiments in your bedroom laboratory,  in your garage or on your web-site with materials you gleaned from dumpster diving or at garage sales.

I admire the way you are a self-motivated learner. You’ve worked hard in school and the awards and honors you’ve received are well deserved. You were the first student in your high school to score a perfect 36 on the ACT on your first try. That is amazing. The other ways you have excelled have been more quiet but equally important. I’ve watched how you lead by your example with your friends and the other boys in your ward, school and neighborhood.   

God has given you wonderful caring parents and loving home to grow up in. You have been nurtured and taught guiding principles that if followed with give you your greatest opportunity for ultimate peace and joy in this life.

The other determined life you have lived is about to end as you graduate from high school. This is both an exciting and scary time because as you step into adulthood you make your own choices. I have every confidence in you that you will choose wisely.

Joshua I love you with all my heart. One of the greatest blessings in my life is having you in it. You are a joy to my soul. I will always be here cheering you on and excited to see what comes next for you. I’m your greatest fan.

All my love,

Grandma