Family History from Mom's Family

Dad/Grandpa Cole

I have lots of memories of fun things that I did with my dad growing up.  I remember him making my dollhouse furniture in his shed and making it look just like the furniture in our house.  It was way cooler than any furniture that could’ve been bought at a store.  Also, I remember playing the King’s Quest Rosella computer game with him when computers were new and it was really novel.  Sometimes on Saturday mornings he would toast a whole pack of Lenders bagels in the oven and put apricot jam on them for our breakfast.  Also he would cut letters from our names into chunks of apples, which I thought was super cool.

Some of my best memories of him are from Indian Princess camping through the YMCA.  Mel and I got to do terribly tacky crafts while the dad’s sat around and chatted.  My “Indian name” was Tiger Lily- not very original- and Mel’s was Shooting Star.  My dad’s was Shooting Tiger.  We got to go camping with him and that was always fun.  I especially enjoyed picking out the junk food before the trips.  We usually ate cheetohs, chocolate pudding cups, and A&W root beer.  One time at a camp out I got into a fist fight with a boy who was much bigger than me because he had broken my water gun, over my own head no less.  (In an effort for full disclosure I have to admit that I was being super annoying and it wasn’t totally unreasonable for him to break my water gun.)  My dad pulled me off of the huge boy and carried me in one arm to the car to cool down laughing at me the whole time.  It was probably the appropriate response.

Mom/Grandma Cole

There are almost too many things about my mom to write and it’s hard to know where to start.  Also with your mom it’s hard to even single out the things that she did for you because she’s sort of the backdrop for everything that happened in your childhood.  One of my earliest memories of my mom was of her taking me with her to register for classes in college.  I remember waiting in line after line at the university with her to sign up since this was before computers.  Also while she was in school I remember her coming home from school one day with Halloween costumes for Mel and me.  One of us was a blue My Little Pony and the other was the brown Carebear.  I don’t remember which was which.  She must’ve been really tired to have bought costumes because those are the only costumes I ever remember her buying.   Even though she still hasn’t finished her degree her example showed how important it was and she was always very encouraging of me in school

Another way that my mom was helpful was that there were some things that she just let slide.  I went through a rough fashion phase from about 3^rd-5^th grade.   I pretty much refused to wear matching socks or earrings and this was on top of the fact that 80’s clothes and hair were already bad to begin with.  My mom just didn’t say anything about it and I got over it.  If she had made a big deal out of it I probably would’ve kept it up for much longer. 

I was not a very rebellious kid and I did what I was supposed to do overall.  When I was 12 or 13 the costume of choice for Halloween was a French maid.  I’m not sure why I wanted that costume so badly as usually if everyone else was doing it I wanted nothing to do with it but for some reason I really did.  My mom made me a costume and while it wasn’t as sexy as most of my friend’s costumes it was still in line with the general idea.  That year was the only cold Halloween that I ever remember as a kid.  Karma.  I never have tried to dress provocatively again.  This is another case of my mom being wise in altering the costume but not talking me out of it.  What a smart lady.

My mom always took care of us and we always knew that we were the most important thing to her.  She volunteered in our classes, went on field trips, and helped with projects.  She was supportive and fun and really did an excellent job of making science interesting.  She is such a curious person and I think that’s wonderful.

Mel/Auntie Mel

When Mel and I were young we played together all the time.  One of the things that we liked to play was Barbies.  Unfortunately I was not a very good sister and on more than one occasion I convinced her to cut her Barbie’s hair.  This never turned out well as Barbie hair needs the weight of length to keep it from being a fro.  We also would play lots of imagination games, one I remember playing a lot was Butterfly Queens where we would use a sheet as wings and fly around the house making up very dramatic scenarios as we went.

One thing that really bugged me when I was younger was that Mel wanted to copy everything that I did and it made me crazy.  My mom made up a song that went “Tag along friend, tag along friend, my best friend is a tag along friend.”  She thought it was cute that Mel wanted to copy me but I didn’t.  I also hated wearing matching clothes.  When I was in 6^th grade and Mel was in 4^th we had matching quilted rose printed vests (yes, they were as ugly as you are imagining).  One morning I waited until after Mel was dressed to put on my vest so that she wouldn’t match me.  As soon as I put it on she went and changed clothes to put hers on.  This made me so mad so I changed clothes but I secretly put the vest in my backpack so that I could change clothes at school.  That wasn’t very nice.

Thew/Uncle Tutu

Probably one of my most vivid memories of Thew was when he almost drowned at Grandma LeSueur’s pool.  He was probably about 5 or 6 and I was about 10 (but we could’ve both been a couple years younger) and we were in Mesa, Arizona visiting Grandma Hatch.  It’s one of only two times that I remember going to my Great Grandma LeSueur’s house (The other time was when Mel, my dad, and I played Marco Polo in her pool and I broke my front tooth off when my dad cheated.).  I remember looking over and seeing Matthew frantically trying to bob up out of the water and breathe.  I looked around to see if any of the adults saw him and were going to help but no one saw him.  I looked back at him and I remember very clearly that his blue of his eyes seemed to be almost the same color as the whites they just seemed like even they were getting diluted by the water.   As he went under again I grabbed him and somehow dragged him to the side.  It was really scary and after that I didn’t want to swim anymore that day.

Michael/Uncle Mike

With Michael I was there right from the very beginning.  I was at his birth.  I will always remember that he was born at 3:33 in the morning.  It was very exciting and I’m not sure why in the world my mom and her doctor agreed to let me be in the room since I was only 9 at the time but they did.  Overall it was a good experience and it helped me to not be afraid of childbirth because my mom is a very calm delivering woman.  It was so exciting to see Michael brand new to the world.  Mel and I were a little disappointed that he wasn’t a girl though so we occasionally dressed him up in our girl dress-up clothes, put a wig on him and referred to him as “our little sister Michelle”. 

Jacob/Uncle Jaybob

I was at Jacob’s birth as well.  I remember making him a special baby blanket and I was really excited by how well it turned out.  I don’t have a lot of specific memories of Jacob as a really little kid since he was only 5 or 6 when I left for college.  I do remember that Jacob was a super smiley and happy kid and that we always teased him about having a really big head.  We called him “Pumpkin Head” because he has orange hair and a large noggin.

Sam/Uncle Sammy

Sam was only 2 when I left for college so most of my memories of him are from long distance.  When I was on my mission and called home for Christmas I talked to each member of the family.  When it was Sam’s turn he started rapidly saying, “When I get bigger I’m going to have mean dogs, a lot of mean dogs, and I’m going to keep them in cages,” at which point Matthew said to him, “Christmas things Sammy, Christmas things.” And Sam launched in to a list of his gifts as if he hadn’t just been talking about his fighting dogs.  My other favorite Sam memory was when he shaved the night before my wedding (leaving a huge scab and later scar across his chin for the photos) because he “wanted to see if it hurt.  Because you know how people say, ‘Be a man.’  It always hurts.”  He claimed that shaving did not hurt.

Childhood Memories

When I was in Kindergarten I went over to my friend, Rachel Gibbs’ house.  For a snack her mom gave us mint chocolate chip ice cream.  Then she left the kitchen.  Being five, and left to our own devices, we thought that we'd be helpful and clean our bowls for her mom.  However our great plan was to lick them really clean and put them back in the cabinet, which is exactly what we did with our bowls and spoons.  Later that night I realized that that probably hadn't been the best of ideas and I hoped that Rachel would tell her mom.  I never mentioned it to anyone though and her family probably used slobbery bowls fro cereal the next morning.

At the end of 5^th grade we had an awards ceremony.  There were lots of opportunities for awards and I received quite a few.  Keep in mind that I had been at this elementary school (Timbercreek Elementary) from kindergarten all the way through 5^th grade with even an extra year thrown in for D1.  Every time the principal, Mr. Harvey, called me up to get an award he pronounced my name wrong, and every time I corrected him.  You’d think that after a while he run out of wrong ways to say Andrea and get it right but no, he just kept cycling through the errors.  Finally on my last award Mr. Harvey predictably said my name wrong and I corrected him yet again, at which point he said, “Andrea Aundrea What’s the difference?” To that I responded, “One’s my name and one isn’t.” and calmly walked back to my seat apparently (according to my mom who later asked what I had said to him) leaving him standing there with his mouth hanging open.  I maintain that it was a valid point.

My senior year of high school there were a lot of tests that you could take and get college credit for them so then you didn’t have to take the class in college.  I took a lot of the classes and took several of these very expensive tests.  One of the tests that I took was the US History test.  All year long you knew what time period the essay would be about so that you could do extra studying about that era and be prepared to write a very in depth essay on the prompt that you would receive on the day of the test.  Multiple choice was the other portion of the test and since I had had a semester in between the class and the test I was counting on my essay portion to bring up my multiple choice section score to get the college credit.  On the day of the test in between sections we had a bathroom break and in the bathroom I overheard girls (most of whom I knew) discussing the essay.  They had opened the sealed essay portion of the test before the break and were collaborating on the essay.  I felt sick because I knew that they were cheating, but I hadn’t cheated and I didn’t know what to do.  In the end I finished the test and then told a teacher the following day about the cheating (without naming names).  The essay for all test takers was thrown out.  We had the option of coming during the summer to write a new essay or just letting our multiple choice section count for our whole test.  I chose the make up essay but bombed it because there was no way to prepare beforehand since it was for a totally different time period.  I didn’t end up getting the college credit that I had been hoping for but I still knew that I had done the right thing.  That helped with the disappointment.

My freshman year at BYU I had the calling of Enrichment Leader- I think it's now called Additional Relief Society Meeting Leader or something.  As such I not infrequently had to buy stuff for activities and then turn in my receipts for a reimbursement, this was the first experience I had with doing this.  Around November or so I got a phone call at my dorm and it was a counselor in my bishopric.  He was very angry and was yelling at me over the phone.  At first I couldn't figure out why he was yelling and I don't respond well to yelling- it just makes me shut down.  After a few minutes of the tirade I realized that he was accusing me of stealing from the church because when I had filled out the form for a reimbursement I was off by 13 cents.  It was a simple math error and I apologized and got off the phone as soon as possible.  I then left my dorm (in case he tried to call back, remember this was before wide spread cellphone use) and went and sat under the bell tower on campus.  I was very upset and did not want to see that man who had been so rude and wrong again.  Briefly the idea crossed my mind that if I didn't go to church I wouldn't have to see him.  Now thirteen years later, I am so grateful that I didn't entertain that fleeting though because I would have missed out on so many wonderful experiences (education at BYU, friendships, mission, meeting and marrying Collin, etc.) by choosing to let that one incident determine my future.  I did avoid that counselor for the rest of the school year, and he never did apologize, but it didn't matter because my life has been richly blessed because of my activity in the church.

Weekend with Aunt Cambrie and Uncle Bryce

While mom and dad drove dad's car to Texas ahead of the summer in Austin Aunt Cambrie and Uncle Bryce valiantly agreed to practice parenting for the weekend with these three monkeys.  There was so much fun had that only Leona wanted the parents to come home.  They took the girls on a hike, to Chick-fil-A, gave them ice cream cones (Leona was too busy doing her own thing to get her picture taken with her ice cream), had two movie nights, and took them to church in Salt Lake with them where they were the only kids at church.

Leona's sweater was accidentally left behind in Provo so Aunt Cambrie loaned her sweater to Leona.

Since there's no Primary in their ward they left after Sacrament meeting (where U B and A C had to take turns sitting with the girls while the other spoke) and toured Temple Square and the Joseph Smith Memorial building.

Mom's Testimony

Leony My Pony,

I thought it might be nice if you had a place where you could look at the testimonies of people who love you very much.  It's hard sometimes in today's world to keep a testimony going and it can help if you know that you aren't alone and that you have people on your side.  

You are a fun and spunky little girl.  Dad and I like to say that you are my "Cole baby" since you seem to take more after my side of the family.  You look like a Cole and in many ways you act like a Cole, which can be a blessing and a curse.  Unlike your sisters you are not timid.  You will take off running and just go until you get tired, never being scared of any potential danger. You are also a little more aggressive than your sisters, not afraid of a confrontation if that's what it takes to get what you want.  These are all good traits if used in the right way.  Once I gained my testimony, I have never doubted it and have been able to defend it.  However, Cole's sometimes have a hard time with emotions, which can make it hard to feel the spirit.  I have to make a conscious effort to allow myself to feel the spirit.  I have to tell myself that it's ok to be vulnerable and soft and let the spirit talk to me even if it means that I might feel sad or vulnerable.  I don't know if you'll struggle with this but I want you to know that not everybody feels the spirit the same way, it's not always some big thing, or tears, or a burning.  For a lot of the Coles it's peace, love for others, comfort.  Maybe it will be this way for you, but maybe it will be different.  I hope that you will spend the time and effort to learn how the spirit talks to you and to be open to its guidance.  I know that you will be happy if you do. 

When I was growing up we went to church every week, had a few family home evenings, and occasionally read scriptures together as a family.  I knew my parents loved me but it wasn't the same as the family that you're being raised in.  When I was 18 and about to start my senior year of high school I decided that if I was going to say that I was a member of the Church then I had better know that it was true.  I had never read the Book of Mormon so I decided that I would read every day and finish it within a year (this was August of 1999).  I started reading everyday and didn't miss a single day. (Actually I think the only day that I have missed since I started back then was this past October when I watched General Conference all day and I'm not sure whether or not I read that day.  But, I am sure that started reading again the next day and have kept reading everyday since.)  This simple decision has changed my life.  I know that when I read the scriptures it is easier for me to be patient, feel love for others, not get angry, and follow the Holy Ghost.  I know the Book of Mormon is the word of God.  I realized that I always had known that it was true but I felt more confident in my testimony having read it.  You are blessed because 5 verses at a time you have almost already read the Book of Mormon at age 2 and I know that you feel the spirit when you read it.  There is a concentration in your eyes, even at 2 that shows me that you know the Book of Mormon is different from the other books we read and I know you feel the spirit.  I know that when you are a little bit older you will be able to read it on your own and feel the love of your Savior and Heavenly Father through its words and you will know for yourself that it is true.

I also have learned over the years that we have a prophet on the earth today.  It just makes sense to me that if we have a Heavenly Father who loves us why would he give people long ago a prophet to guide them but not us? Of course He loves us just as much as He loved them.  There are times that I have a hard time with something that the prophet or the Church says.  There have been times when I have not understood why they would say what they have said.  I have chosen at those times to give myself a little bit of time, to not read or listen to hateful things that opponents of the Church have to say and to work on just listening to the spirit for a while.  When I have done this I have always felt peace and been able to move forward in faith.  I do not know or understand everything, and I never will, but I know that as I follow the prophet, the spirit, and the scriptures I am blessed.

Another thing I am grateful for is the temple.  Your dad and I were sealed together for time and all eternity in the Dallas, Texas temple.  That means that if you, your sisters, your dad and I keep the commandments and covenants that we've made we can be together forever.  I love all of you so much and I want to be with you forever, even on the days when you scream at everyone and take your sisters' toys and make me a little crazy.  

I know that we have a Savior who loves us.  He came to this earth and showed us how we should live.  I know that you and your sisters will have plenty of stories to swap about how imperfect I am when you're older, but I know that through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ I can keep trying again and again to be better.  There is no mistake that He can not fix. There is nothing that you or I could ever do that would make Him stop loving us.  Likewise there is nothing that you could ever do to make me stop loving you or make me not want to help you fix a problem and move forward.  I know that we have a Heavenly Father who sent us to the earth in families so that we can love and help one another and that He has given us a Savior so we can repent and the Holy Ghost and scriptures so that He can talk to us every time that we are willing to listen.  

Leona I love that you are a firecracker and full of sass. I love that you aren't afraid to stand up for yourself and that you want to try new things.  I love that you force me to stop what I'm doing to read you a book and that you demand "mommy cuddles".  You are such a sweet addition to our family and I love you so much.  Even though I know it isn't possible I want you to be happy always.  Hopefully you and your sisters will always be as close as you are now and that you will help each other make it back to your Heavenly Father. I know that things will be hard in life but if you trust in the Lord it will be easier.

Love, 
Mom
May 16, 2016

Grandma Roueche's Testimony

April 17, 2016

Dear Leona,

You are such a blessing to your family and we all love you very much. Your family are teaching you the best things in life which come from living the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It will make you the best daughter, sister, mother and friend you can be, Leona!

When I was born my family didn't know about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We'd never heard of the Mormon Church.

I had a good friend, Lu Ann Cornelius, who came to Cambrie & Bryce's wedding reception, that I met when I was about 11 years old- about 1967. She'd just moved to the little farming town of Brentwood in northern California. She was in my 5th grade class at school. I wanted her to be my friend and over the course of the next two years we became close friends. 

She was very nice and when I visited her home, which I did a lot, I really liked her family. They had 2 other girls, one just my age and one older, and a little brother who they loved dearly. And she had this big brother who was 'on a mission' but I didn't understand what that meant until a couple years later.

At the end of 7th grade Lu Ann asked if I wanted to go to her church's girls camp that summer. I liked camping and thought it sounded really fun. I asked my parents and they said that would be fine with them. So I went. I remember it was in the Sierra Mountains, and there were lots of girls there. Lu Ann's two sisters were with us too. While we were there Lu Ann sprained her ankle, so we didn't join in all the activities because she couldn't hike or anything.  But the last night was a campfire and testimony meeting and that is when I felt the influence of the Holy Ghost for the first time. It was wonderful, but I didn't really understand.

After we came home, Lu Ann asked if I wanted to go to Sunday School the next week, I think. When I asked my mom she said yes, but she was going to come with me. My mom had been looking for a church to attend. We'd tried the local Methodist Church for a while, but had stopped going. So we went to church at the Mormon Church in Brentwood. The people were very nice. Before long, some ladies, called stake missionaries, from the ward began teaching our family the gospel. There were no full-time missionaries in the little Brentwood Ward. It was a small town then.

They set a baptism date for our family, but in the end I was the first to be baptized. A few years later my mom, your great-grandma Smith, was also baptized. She began attending Church and continued even though she wasn't baptized yet. She was waiting for great-grandpa Smith, but he didn't join, so she was baptized in 1977 I think.

After I was baptized I participated in lots of Church activities, and had many good young LDS friends in Brentwood. They helped me feel loved and welcome. Then I moved to another town about 40 miles away, and I didn't have that many friends in the Church. The kids weren't as friendly. But, I knew from the examples of those other friends what the gospel felt like, and I stayed active in the Church. I tried to make good choices and about 3 years later went to BYU with Lu Ann and shortly after met Grandpa Roueche.

 I was very grateful that I had the inner strength from the spirit to keep my covenants because that has made all the difference to me, and possibly to you too. We don't know how things work, but your dad was born to our family and raised in the Church, and it might have been different if I'd made other choices. I love the Savior, and am so grateful for his atonement, teachings and love in my life.

 So, remember to weigh carefully, your choices to follow the Savior. It will make all the difference in your life, and you can be such a force for good to others with your righteous example. I see that you came to your family filled with love and joy for life. When things get tough, remember the Lord can always guide you to feel this love. You can make it home to Heavenly Father and take others joyously with you too!

All my love to you Leona,

Grandma Roueche (Susan Elizabeth Smith Roueche)

Grandpa Cole's Testimony

Leona-

I want to tell you about my testimony. I first met the missionaries when I was seven when they came to my home. After listening to their message our family joined the church. I did not get my full testimony all at once. I first felt that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was Christ's true church. Later I came to know that the Book of Mormon was the word of God. Even later I came to know that Joseph Smith Jr. was the prophet. Along that path I also learned that principles like tithing, priesthood power and even home teaching were key parts of Christ's plan for us. I have to admit that I am still learning and growing my testimony. I know I am far from being perfect and as I look to the example of Christ and follow Him my testimony grows. Over the years I have learned that there is safety and happiness as I make good choices and follow Jesus. I have also learned that when I fail to follow the guidelines of the prophets it can bring unhappiness. The most important thing is for me, and you, to understand that this earth life is our chance to prove to our Heavenly Father that we love him by keeping His commandments. We will make mistakes and stumble. That is okay as long as we take those mistakes to our Heavenly Father as he has provided a plan where we can be forgiven for mistakes we have made. It is very important that we understand that. As your grandfather I want you to know that I love you and always will. I want you to be happy and the greatest happiness is in following our Heavenly Father. As families, we can help each other become better people. It is always important for us to try to be the best example we can be.

Grand Dad Cole

Visit with G & G Smith in California

 As soon as dad got out of school for the semester we went to visit Grandma and Grandpa Smith in California. Despite the crazy long drive (a snow storm in the Sierra Nevadas added 4 hours to the trip as well as a pair of snow chains to our trunk) Leona was pretty perky and very happy when we went to Grandma and Grandpa's house the next day. In addition to loads of presents- Gma Smith wanted to celebrate all of the girls' birthdays while we were there- and birthday cake the most exciting thing was meeting Mitzi, G & G Smith's saint of a dachshund. In spite of never having met them in person Leona ran up to the door and gave Gma a huge hug as soon as we got there and then spent the rest of the trip trying to cuddle and play with Mitzi.

Another fun aspect of the trip was all 5 of us sharing a hotel room for the 3 nights we were there. This is a text that I sent dad while I was holding down the fort at the hotel so he could spend some extra time with his grandparents after bedtime. 

I am being catcalled by a 2 year old. We are visiting Collin's grandparents in California and are staying in a hotel. The other two have fallen asleep and Collin is back with his grandparents. I am trying to ignore Leona who is 5 feet away in a packnplay incessantly saying, "Mom. Mom. MOM. Addeeuh. Mom. Addeeuh." Then she changed her strategy and started saying things about Jesus since that always gets a response. First it was just "Jesus. Jesus." Then, "Jesus died." And "Jesus loves Leona." I guess at least she's talking to herself about good things while trying to get my attention and not sleep. 

What a nut!

Small Hitchhiker

While Leona loves "riding bikes" she can't actually steer or pedal yet. She loves that Clara is now good enough at both that she can be Leona's taxi. 

Leona also loves to ride in the new bike trailer. She thinks it is her own personal chariot and the only thing that cramps her style is that she has to share it with Clara. 

Fun from Early April

One of Collin's professors invited all of his students to his house, which is basically a menagerie. He has bunnies, kittens, chickens, dogs, and horses. Leona was totally fascinated by the horses and we think she enjoyed the 300 yards that she got to ride on one but it was hard to tell because her face was very stoic during the ride. 

We went to the duckpond south of campus one day. Tragically Leona was unable to catch a duck despite her best and tireless efforts. The girls asked me to take their picture so I did. 

This is an action shot showing Leona's ponytail. Her hair is getting so long. 

We had a movie and curler night. I wasn't planning to do Leona's hair but after I did Eliza's hair she plopped herself down in the chair and demanded a "hairdo" so I gave her one. She was totally still and clearly really enjoyed the experience. As the cherry on top she got to wear a (clean of course) pair of Eliza's undies in her head to keep the curlers in during the night. She was thrilled about that and for weeks afterward would smile and say "Hat!" Anytime she saw a pair of undies. 

End results!

I think Leona looks a lot like her Grandma Cole in this photo. 

Easter

This year we had serious Easter egg hunts. I have to say that Leona was  probably the best seeker but Eliza was the fastest at snarfing down all the candy. 

Leona didn't want to dye the eggs. She just wanted to eat them. After 2 eggs we cut her off. What a weirdo!

Pigtails!

Check out these adorable pigtails! Also here are a couple of fun things that Leona has been saying lately:

While changing Leona's diaper I told her she had a hair on her bun. She then said, "Bun hairdo." A whole new meaning. 

"Dog burp."- Instead of dog BARK

"Nona"- How she says her name. ☺️

"Thank you snack mom."- This is one of her most frequent things she says, which is so cute because she really concentrates to say it each time. 

Visit from Eliana and Phoebe

While Leona didn't get to do everything that the big girls got to do during the Dykes' visit she enjoyed what she did get to do. One of her favorite things was riding the frontrunner, the commuter train here. She was a big fan. She was on her knees staring out the window pretty much the whole ride. 

She also got to go on the hike to Bridal Veil Falls. She actually said one of her first sentences on the hike. After we walked away from the waterfall she said, "Bye bye water." That was exciting. 

Leona was mad that someone was trying to hold her on the rock instead of letting her wiggle her way off and fall.  Life is so tough.

Grandma Cole's Visit to Utah pllus Random Photos from late February and early March

About a week after the Roueche family left we had a Cole family visitor, Grandma Cole to be exact.  We had a lot of fun with her, going to the Bean Science Museum, the creamery, to the Temple Open House again, and just hanging out.  It was a great visit and the girls were very sad when she left.  We're definitely looking forward to seeing more of her this summer.

Eliza's school had a bring your family to school breakfast event. She was super thrilled to go eat at her school since kindergarteners don't eat at school. All of the girls were thrilled actually, even more so when they realized that all the cereal options were sugary cereals which at home they have to mix with other less sugary cereal on the rare occasion that we have it to start with. The only problem with the experience was that even with 25 minutes to eat they didn't even come close to finishing, too many things and people to look at. Leona had an even harder time than the other girls because there was a group of 5th grade boys sitting next to us and she couldn't stop flirting long enough to eat. Oh man we're going to be trouble when she's older.