We Love Christmas!

When we looked into testing Jade for the ALPS program at school, one of the major turn-offs for me was that she'd be stuck on B track, which would have her off for three weeks right before Christmas. I thought it would be so much harder to get all my Chistmas preparations done with her home. When I talked to my sister Diane about it, she said there is always so much to do in December, she wishes her kids were home the whole month. In fact, that turned out to be true. With me teaching piano lessons on weekday afternoons, I wouldn't have had the time to involve her in so much of the holiday fun. She came with me on numerous shopping trips, we took a tour of the Sweets candy factory with Logan's preschool class and of the LDS Humanitarian Center when we dropped off some blankets. She came with me to Logan's ice cream party at preschool. We also had several holiday parties and it was nice not to have to worry about homework that needed to be done and getting up early for school.

The time went by extremely quickly, but I can defintely say that we used it well. We watched holiday movies, read holiday books, sang holiday songs, ate holiday-themed foods, and colored in holiday coloring books. I love to keep those things packed away with my Christmas decorations so that they're new again every year when we get them out.

Thanks to two very excited children, Christmas Eve was a little crazy at our house. We had a nice dinner and made an attempt at acting out the Christmas story. It ended up being a lot more complicated than I'd imagined it. Logan got his mind set on carrying the baby Jesus under his shirt like Jade. When we told him only Mary had a baby in her belly, he refused to play a part at all. He decided to sit on the stairs and yell instead. I managed to convince him to put the towel back on his head for a picture so we can look back and forget what it was really like. They wore themselves out good though, because they went right to sleep and we didn't hear from them all night.

Logan woke up before dawn. He crawled into bed with us for a little while, but by 7am he was ready to be up. He left the room telling me he was going into his room, but came back a couple of minutes later and said, "Mom, there's something cool in the living room." "Did Santa Claus come?" I asked. "Just come and see" he said. He wouldn't let it go. I had to get up, and I didn't want to go out without Jade, so we woke her up too. I think this was the earliest Christmas morning we've had so far.

There wasn't a gift they weren't thrilled with. The world sure looked beautiful draped in a layer of new snow, but it does mean they haven't been able to try out their new bikes yet.

Quiz

I have posted the answers to the Christmas song quiz enclosed with our holiday greeting on the right side of this page. How did you do?

Frozen Solid... Christmas Memories #6

As kids we were always thrilled to hear my mom tell stories about the frigid temperatures in Canada in the wintertime, though we figured they were somewhat exaggerated so as to make us more grateful for our warmer climate. We visited the great land in the north nearly every summer to see my mom's family, but didn't travel there in the winter until I was sixteen. It was the only Christmas we spent away from home. For the most part it was much like the other trips to Canada, but the thing that has stuck in my memory after all these years is the freezing cold.
When I tried to use my camera outside the film wouldn't wind.
We had to trap a heat lamp under the hood of the car so the engine would start in the morning.
When my sister and I walked down Main street we had to step into every shop to thaw.
Whenever I'm feeling cold outside I remember that real cold means the snot in your nose freezes every time you breathe.

Party Clothes

We went to Nate's Holiday Party at the Marriot Hotel on Friday night. The food was great and it was fun meeting all the people he talks about so much. We left all three kids with Grandma and Grandpa for the night.

A Big Announcement... Christmas Memories #5

I love surprises, both as the recipient and as the presenter. When I discovered I was pregnant last fall I was thrilled with the timing. I knew my belly would hardly be showing by Christmas, so I could wait until the big day to share the news with our family. I had Jade draw a picture of our family at Christmas 2007, with Dad, Mom, Jade, Logan, and Baby. Jade, being the obedient child that she is, drew what I told her. It wasn't until she had finished the second copy of the picture that she asked, "Why did you want me to draw a baby? We don't have a baby." "Well, maybe by next Christmas we will." She looked at me and shrugged, "Oh, okay." and that was that. Then we sealed it in an envelope and gave it along with the gifts we exchanged. The reaction was priceless. My mom opened the letter, looked at the picture and laughed, "Are you making an announcement?" When I said yes, she about fell out of her chair. The reaction with Nate's family was equally fun. Jade had nearly run out of space on the picture when she got to the baby, so the word was a little hard to read. Nate's dad looked at it and asked, "Who's Bobby?" Jade, looking offended, said, "No! It says BABY!" I believe Nate's brother who was on a mission at the time was even on the phone when they found out. It was all so much more exciting than the ordinary telephone call announcement we had made the other two times. It certainly made for a Christmas I will never forget.

Perfume... Christmas Memories #4

It was Christmas Eve day. My dad asked if I'd be willing to wrap something he'd bought for my mom. This was an unusual request because my mom and dad didn't exchange gifts with each other, minus the occasional box of cherry chocolates which were my dad's favorite. The gifts were always just for us kids. Curious, I agreed. He handed me a bottle of expensive perfume. He told me he'd spent time choosing the perfect scent, sniffing coffee beans in between each to ensure a fresh nose each time. I loved that my parents were still romantic with one another even after 20 something years.

Sock Ears... Christmas Memories #3

What better way to bring in the true spirit of Christmas than with a live nativity? While we were young we acted out the Christmas story as a family. My brother was Joseph, adorned in plaid bath robe and towel on his head. The rest of us girls took turns playing the roles of Mary, the angel, Wise Men, and Shepherds. That left my dad to play... the donkey? That's right. The donkey played a very important role in the Christmas story. How else would Mary have gotten all the way to Bethlehem? Well we didn't have a costume for him, so putting his engineering mind to work, he put a pair of dress socks over his ears and voila, a donkey. It was so fun to see my very serious dad down on his hands and knees with socks on his ears. Why in all my pages of childhood photos do I NOT have a picture of this?

Christmas Memory #2

Have you ever tried a Flexible Flyer sled? Of all the sleds we had as kids, they were the fastest ones my parents owned, and you can actually control where you're going. The problem was, unless the trail was super-packed, they hardly worked at all. Unfortunately, this meant we didn't get to use them very often. Well, one Christmas Eve there was a ton of snow, so much that the snow plows hadn't been out to clear the road my parents live on. It was about 11pm. I have no idea who suggested we get out the Flexible Flyers, but we did and we spent forever sledding out on the road. The best part of this story is that we were all adults. I wonder if any of the neighbors were watching.

Christmas Memories

I love Christmas... the city decked out in lights and wreaths, the radio stations playing songs about Jesus, finding that perfect gift. To help us all get into the spirit of the season and so I don't have to figure out what to write about, I'm going to spent the next couple of weeks sharing some of my favorite Christmas memories. (Thanks for the great idea Michelle!)

One of my favorite Christmas Eve activities was when my mom used up all her extra scraps of wrapping paper on a gift for our whole family. We all took turns tearing off one layer of paper until the gift was revealed. I don't remember what was inside the box in the end. The fun was in the process of unwrapping.

Go Jazz

Nate went with some friends to the Jazz vs. Lakers game last night. Since he doesn't have many opportunities to support the home team in person, he went all out. After the game... Jazz 120, Lakers 96, his friends felt the need to join the social scene and drug Nate along. As luck would have it, Jazz players Ronnie Brewer and Paul Millsap came to the same place. They complimented Nate on his choice of attire, but were not so amused by his friends' Laker garb. Apparently, Millsap's body guard even felt the need to step in as an altercation ensued between them.

The Elves

Follow the link below to see us dressed up as elves (and to try it yourself!).

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1130674789

P.S. If the link doesn't take you there, just copy it and paste it in your address bar.

Winner!

Jade's Reflections song was chosen as one of the top five in her age group to move on to the next level. They held an awards ceremony last night, but didn't tell any of the students (or the parents) whether or not they would be receiving an award. Well, her school is a 15 minute drive and the ceremony was past when Logan needed to be in bed and it was at the same time as my enrichment meeting... one I had been really looking forward to and volunteered to speak at. I had arranged for my mom to babysit so I could go since Nate was working late. Unfortunately, I decided we would not attend the awards ceremony. I didn't want to go all the way down there and miss my meeting just to have her end up all upset because she hadn't won anything. After all, she attends the accelerated school. I'm sure there were some really fantastic entries. It really would have been nice to have a heads up from the reflections committee that she would receive something. I guess they figure if they don't tell us, more people will come. So, I feel bad that we weren't there for the BIG MOMENT, but glad that she won! Congratulations Jade!

Four Months

Just in case you're interested, here are Aeris's latest stats.
weight: 12 lbs. 3 oz., 25%
height: 25 1/4 in., 90%
head: 40 cm, 25%

3D Movie

Have you ever been to one of those IMAX 3D movies? We made a family trip down to the Hansen Planetarium at the Gateway yesterday to see 3D Sea Monsters. It was the first time any of us had seen a 3D movie in a theater. It was so VERY VERY cool! I was expecting them to hand out some of those cheap paper glasses with the red and blue plastic lenses, but the glasses were actually really nice. The lenses were big enough to cover my whole line of sight and they were tight enough that they weren't falling off, yet still comfortable. My favorite part was watching Logan reach his hands out trying to feel what he was seeing coming out of the screen at him. (I was actually quite tempted to do the same thing!) After the initial surprise of the 3D, Logan didn't want to wear the glasses anymore. I think it was a little TOO realistic for him.

Fall Colors

My Mom bought this mum plant to be a centerpiece for an Easter lunch we had at my house a couple of years ago. After keeping it on my counter for a few weeks I decided to try planting it out in a flower bed. It was so pretty, I didn't want to throw it out. I had no idea whether it would survive or not. I've watched it now for two summers and nothing... not one flower. The plant seemed to be thriving however, so I've left it alone. When I mentioned it to my mom she said they bloom in the fall. It hadn't bloomed last fall, so I wasn't expecting anything. Well, I looked out at the back yard yesterday and this is what I saw. Just when everyone is clearing out their flowers for the year, I have this beautiful array of color! What a nice reminder that you should never give up.

Tagged! What you may not know about me...

Sadly, I have no longer avoided the tagging game. I am now going to attempt to share 6 things you may not know about me...

1. I love to cook. I just don't like deciding what I'm going to make or having to pay for fancy ingredients.

2. I love the frosting on store-bought cakes. I know ew gross! What's wrong with me? It's probably made with nothing but lard and sugar.

3. I hate to fly. I have serious anxieties about being in small spaces, especially with people I don't know. The take-offs and landings make my stomach queasy and I can't stand the thought of someone else around me getting sick and there being NO ESCAPE!

4. My favorite subject in school was math. With math there is always a right or wrong answer. Memorize the formulas, follow the steps, check your answer... all very good for my logical mind.

5. My first (and only) run from the police was when I was 16. I illegally passed a car using the middle turn lane on Bengal Blvd because I was going to be late getting home and the guy was going SO SLOW! Of course a cop happened to see it from the other direction. When I noticed him I quickly turned down a side street hoping to lose him. After all, if I got a ticket I was sure my dad would NEVER let me drive again! (THAT, my friends, was scarier than anything the police could do to me!) Unfortunately, I wasn't sneaky enough and he pulled me over anyway. Luckily he only left me with a very scary "Verbal Tongue Lashing."

6. Whenever I had the chance to make a wish as a child... you know, birthday candles, shooting stars, wish bones, etc... I always wished for a motorhome or a bunny. Not very useful information, but hey, I'll bet I've never shared that one with you before!

Halloween

We had a fun Halloween! I feel like we've been celebrating all month long! We went to several costume parties this year, so our kids wore their costumes a TON! The great thing is, they didn't get sick of them. Now they're going to go through withdrawal. When I told Logan it was time to get dressed for preschool today he wanted to wear his Spiderman costume again. I guess that's how you know you picked the right one. We were so excited about all the pumpkins that grew in the garden this year... well actually the vines were a huge pain since they took over and I couldn't find my way through them to pick anything else, but whatever! We gave some of them to our neighbors to carve and still had a bunch for ourselves. The kids loved watching me pull out all the "mucky mud" (I have no idea where THAT came from!) out of the pumpkins and deciding what we should carve into each one. I didn't draw a single pattern this year... I just started cutting and hoped for the best! It was totally fun and I think they turned out great! The kids had a blast trick-or-treating and came home with way too much candy. The highlight of the trip was the house that served hot dogs and chocolate milk. We hope your Halloween was wonderful too!

You Belong in Rome

You're a big city soul with a small town heart Which is why you're attracted to the romance of Rome Strolling down picture perfect streets, cappuccino in hand And gorgeous Italian people - could life get any better?

What City Do You Belong In?

How Traumatic

A couple of months ago, Jade came home from school with a wound on the end of her thumb. Over the next couple of weeks I became increasingly frustrated. Every time it wasn't bandaged and she'd bump it, it would bleed like nothing I'd ever seen. I got pretty tired of cleaning blood off of her clothes, the furniture, carpet, etc. (Hydrogen Peroxide works great for cleaning out blood by the way:) I kept watching it, and trying to be dilligent about keeping it clean and bandaged with antibiotic ointment, but it never got better. In fact, it started to grow into this painful bump. It looked like a blood blister of sorts... with many chambers, so I tried to let some of the blood out, thinking it would deflate some. It didn't. So, I finally gave in and took her to a doctor. He sent us to Primary Chidren's Dermatology Clinic. They took one look and quickly diagnosed it as a pyogenic granuloma. Apparently they are fairly common. Which is strange, since every person I've talked to or who has seen it has been baffled. I felt pretty crummy for waiting as long as I had to get it taken care of. By the time we went to have it removed it was causing her a lot of discomfort. She didn't want anyone touching it. Knowing what it was like to talk her into a flu shot, I left Logan and Aeris home with my mom so I could give her my undivided attention. Thank goodness I had planned for it to be traumatic. She fought so hard against the nurse as she tried to apply some numbing cream that when it came time for the actual procedure they brought in three doctors, a nurse, and a child therapist (whose job was to offer distractions). In the end, I had my arms wrapped completely around her upper body and got her talking about Aeris and blowing bubbles (a GREAT idea since she couldn't blow AND scream at the same time). Jade, who I have tried so hard to teach good manners, told the doctor in very clear vocabulary just how much she hated her and how she was NEVER EVER coming back again!

Toothless

This is one of the truly magical moments of childhood... losing those two front teeth. For now, Jade is only missing one of her front teeth, but the other one is sure to follow. Nate pulled it out because I can't stand trying to talk her out of wincing and whining when she's the one who asked to have it pulled.

Another update... guess who's sucking her thumb?! Since Logan is STILL sucking his thumb, I swore I'd never have another thumb sucker. The thing is, it's actually kind-of nice. When she's getting hungry she'll attack her fingers with a vengeance until she finds her thumb and then stays content until I'm available to feed her. This was quite helpful this week when my choir practice went 30 minutes past when I thought it would end and 45 minutes past the 3 hour mark. She'll still take a binky. Logan never would, although I kept trying.

Horsing Around

Jade and Logan were in heaven riding a REAL horse on Sunday afternoon. Jade loves all animals, but especially the REAL ones! This horse, named Jess, belongs to a piano student of mine. Her dad very generously allowed us to come over to visit the horses, including a four month old colt, and to ride. I even took a turn, much to Aeris's dislike.

Makin' Brew

We attended the annual family Halloween Party on Saturday night. Our kids have been looking forward to it for weeks! They are always so excited to make witches' brew in a big pot. Jade even dressed up as a witch this year, so she felt extra important stirring "HER" brew. I overheard her say more than once that since she was the witch she was the boss of the brew. Unfortunately, the night wasn't all smiles and laughter. When Jade bumped her front tooth (which was already loose) and it started to bleed, the world just about came to an end. We can't wait until she's missing both her front teeth just in time to sing about wanting them back for Christmas. Ahhh childhood.

Your Own Celebrity Collage

If you want one of those really fun... sometimes really FUNNY celebrity collages, just click on the link at the bottom of Nate's collage... where it says "want one too?" It will direct you. I can't wait to hear about (and see on your blog if you have one) your results!

Two Months!

I took Aeris in for her 2 month check-up today. She's a very healthy growing girl. She weighed in at 11 lbs. 6 oz., the 75th percentile. She is 24 in. long, the 96th percentile! I guess she might be taking after Dad... at least for now. She had five immunizations, which she didn't respond well to at all. Thank goodness for Tylenol (and a neighbor who was willing to run get some for me!). She smiles a TON and has quite the little personality. She loves music and to be talked to. She has no trouble telling me when she wants something, and gets it right away of course. You can't ever spoil a baby right?

Katie Couric... Who Would've thought?!

Jade's Birthday

Jade turned seven on Thursday the 27th. She was off track, so we had the whole day to spend doing whatever she wanted. She rode her new scooter to Logan's preschool to drop him off, then wanted to go on another walk. Then she and I and Aeris went to the library, the Dollar store (to pick up supplies for her birthday party), and the grocery store. After picking up Logan, we met Dad for lunch. We had planned on going to the Mayan. It's been a long time since we've been there. She and Logan would have been facinated with all the animals and exciting atmosphere. Unfortunately the Mayan is only open at dinnertime. Instead of loading three kids back into the van, we chose another restaurant in the area... Spaghetti Mamas. Our kids love Italian food so it was great. We pretty much avoid taking our kids out to eat these days because they can be a little crazy, but they were wonderful! Of course it helped that the server kept our table stocked with fresh breadsticks. Jade was thrilled with her very own giant piece of chocolate cake and two huge scoops of ice cream. We spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out with friends outside.

On Saturday we held a makeover party for her friends. We painted their fingernails and toenails with a polish of their choice and flower and rhinestone decals. Then we put their hair up and sprayed it with glitter. We finished the look with lip gloss and body glitter. We played a balloon popping game and a dress-up game. The cake was made courtesy of my mother. We were all so surprised to find she had even hidden money inside the cake... continuing a tradition I remember from my own childhood. This is the first year I haven't planned her party outside. It's a good thing too, since we had our first snow storm that day! It was a fabulous party... my favorite so far. A GIGANTIC thank you to my Mom and Dad and Michelle Taylor for all your help!

Which Twilight Character are you?

You're Jasper Hale - You have a calming personality and a simplistic way of looking at life. People like to be around you because you can help keep peace and are friendly to everyone. Although you do have a quiet side, you would be well balanced with a bubbly, spunky mate.
Take this quiz!

This result was a real shocker for me... it doesn't much sound like the me I know, but oh well, it was fun taking the quiz. If you've read these books, you might have fun taking the quiz too.

Chasing Deals

For the past two weeks, Smiths grocery store has had some great prices on products that support schools. Well, I'm never one to miss out on a great deal, so I've made SEVERAL trips to more than one Smiths location hoping to purchase the varieties we use most. Unfortunately, everyone else must like the same items we do, because everytime I made a trip, the shelves were cleaned out. And of course, not wanting to leave without purchasing something, I proceeded to pick fifteen items that we'll probably use (in order to take advantage of the deal, you had to purchase fifteen). Well the sale ends today. I got tired of taking chances with what was left, so I asked the cashier yesterday what time I needed to be at the store to ensure I would find what I wanted. She said they've had a run at the store about 9:00am every day with people leaving the store with carts full. If I came at 4 or 5am I would probably miss the rush. Well, at 5am this morning I was awake with Aeris anyway, so after I tucked her back into bed I whispered to Nate that I was leaving her home and going to the store. The store was empty of customers, but they had the Prego sauce I had been looking for for two weeks. So, with my mission accomplished I headed home feeling great! Nate thinks I'm crazy, but I'm glad our food storage shelves have been filling up!

Piano Lessons

Jade came to her first piano lesson two weeks ago. She has been so excited to start for quite some time, but from what I've seen with my other students, they learn much quicker when they're a little older. I also wanted her to be able to practice independently. So far, it's been perfect! She listened well and then spent a TON of time at the piano all week. She even learned the next song in the book all by herself. We've now had three lessons and she's really taking off. She's willing to count out loud and play with the metronome... two things that are so important in music, but most students really complain about.

It's been difficult getting back into the groove of teaching lessons after having nearly six weeks off, but we're making it work. Jade doesn't mind my lesson time because it means she gets to watch TV for the first time all day. Logan has never been very interested in TV, so he just sees it as "Mom is busy time" and comes out to bug me like he does when I'm trying to use the phone. Jade is a big help though in keeping him entertained. Mostly, I just feel guilty when Aeris gets hungry early and I'm still teaching. Nothing else will soothe her and she doesn't understand why she has to wait. I think she can sense when I'm feeling stressed out too, which makes it harder for her to relax. We've made it through two weeks though and the second week was better than the first. I'm just grateful that I can work from home. I'll never forget how hard it was leaving Jade the day I went back to teaching school when she was six weeks old.

Snakes, Horses, and a Waterfall

We spent Labor Day Weekend at the Hansen's property in Midway, Utah. The weather was beautiful, but a little hot. Jade and Logan were thrilled to spend two nights in a tent all by themselves... too bad they didn't want to sleep. Aeris, on the other hand, slept better than she does at home. All tucked in with me in the back of the van, she slept through the night for the first time! We all had fun taking rides around town on a trailer pulled by Pop-Pop's tractor and visiting the horses on the neighboring acreage. Nate and I enjoyed having three days without the work of home. On Sunday the kids took turns trying to break open a pinate at Nate's family dinner and holding a snake their uncle Ryan Clift caught by the creek. On the way home we stopped at Bridal Veil Falls in Provo Canyon and let the kids wade in the water.

First Day of Preschool

Logan started at Discovery Days Preschool today. It has been a much anticipated event. He rode his scooter around the corner, gave me a quick hug good-bye at the driveway, and didn't look back. I would have felt a little sad that he wasn't going to miss me more, but what can I say, that place is heaven for a kid. It's loaded with everything Logan loves... a water table, giant sand box, train table, toy cars... After attending the open house last week and seeing all of those things, he's been able to talk about nothing else. "Do I go to preschool today Mom? I want to play in the sand." When class ended for the day he had second thoughts about whether or not he wanted to leave. I'm glad he chose to come home with me. As happy as I was to have some time to get some things done (Aeris slept through most of the two hours), I missed my little buddy.

The Red Planet?

Is this the phenomenon everyone has been sending e-mails about? You know the one... it says Mars will appear as large as the moon. In actuality this IS the moon... during an eclipse. "During a lunar eclipse the Moon takes on a reddish glow. This phenomenon is due to sunlight passing through the Earth's atmosphere that still reflects off the Moon, even while the Moon is in shadow. Since the atmosphere scatters the blue end of the rainbow, it is the red end of the rainbow that reaches the Moon and reflects back to our eyes, thus giving the Moon a reddish tint during the eclipse." (Clarke Planetarium Website) We dragged ourselves out of bed in the middle of the night to view and photograph the eclipse. We e-mailed the photos to KSL channel 5 and they put them on the air. Since you all were probably not up at 5am to see them there, we're sharing one of them here.

Socks!

Don't you love socks? They come in varying lengths, colors, and styles. There are water socks, short athletic socks, slipper socks, warm wool backpacking socks, and thin non-absorbing work-out socks. Since Jade has been going to school ALL day now for four weeks, Logan has found a number of not-so-well-known uses for socks. For instance, socks are great for keeping your hands warm! Who knew? It makes it a little tricky to do things like pull down pants so you can use the potty, but hey, what three-year-old wants to do that anyway? Definitely NOT Logan! Socks are also great for holding money... especially all of Dad's unwanted coins. They MUST be unwanted, afterall, he leaves a whole horde of them in the top drawer of his dresser. You can dump a HUGE amount of coins into one little sock, then swing it at hard things and make music! Socks ARE a wonderful invention!

Morris D., 1916 - 2007

After a twelve-hour drive with six other members of my family, the sight of that big mint green house was like heaven. It meant sleeping in a basement bedroom with the rose print carpet. The one with the water pipes that ran across the ceiling that we liked to hang from… (it’s a good thing we weren’t any heavier). It meant rhubarb juice, gladiolas, and fresh-picked raspberries from the garden in the backyard that seemed to go on for forever. It meant trips to the Ken’s candy store for Smarties… which are really m&m’s… those silly Canadians! It meant games of Scrabble, UNO, and marbles. It meant stories about a car in the ditch on a wedding day and a school boy jumping from the schoolhouse window vowing never to go back.

Looking at pictures of that house, my mind floods with the memories. Memories that all include a little old man who was perhaps a little too thin and a smiling round-faced woman who was maybe a little too full around the middle. My Grandpa and Grandma. The man who flew a helicopter from Canada to Texas the day I was born. An occasion I regretfully do not remember, but still my favorite to tell about.

The house is empty now. Empty not only of the typewriter parts, bottles of pickled beets, and collection of salt and pepper shakers. It’s empty of the two people who gave it life. Grandma has been gone just over eight years. Grandpa was never complete without her. As saddened as I am that my own children will never enter that house and create the same memories I look back on with such fondness, I am truly elated for him. He fought the good fight and won! He was able to return to the loving arms of his eternal companion to continue on their journey together.

I will miss the words of wisdom typed on index cards tucked in with your letters, the whispered “I love yous,” visiting your big mint green house… Grandpa, I will miss YOU!

Elder Jon

Nate's youngest brother, Jon, returned home from his mission in Riverside, California today. Our kids were SOOOO excited to see him again. Logan was only 18 months old when he left, so he didn't really remember him, but Jade has told him plenty and we've prayed for him nightly in our family prayers. They had a great time getting reacquainted. He was great to let them hang on him over and over again.

Jungle

This is my garden. I've looked at it a million times from the back windows, but on Saturday stepped out into it for the first time in over two weeks. Was I shocked! Last year we had a garden full of struggling plants, so this spring we made a special effort to treat the soil and till it really well (it took Nate about THREE

hours). Well, that combined with a drip system and the drenching rain we've had, the plants have flourished. I stood there at the side scratching my head wondering how I was going to navigate a way through to pick anything. My corn stalks are seven feet tall and have already produced full-sized ears of corn. The pumpkin vines travel the whole length of the garden and are trying to take over the lawn as well. I'm thinking of making pumpkin selling a little side business in October.

Baby Blessing

We blessed Aeris Sunday, August 5. Jade thought she looked like a princess in her pretty white dress and bow. We enjoyed having a house full of family and friends after the meeting. What a great excuse to have a party!

Welcome Aeris

Aeris Katrina joined our family on Wednesday, July 25, 2007 at 8:26 am, weighing in at 7 lbs 2 oz. She waited until the day Jade started first grade so it would be as memorable as possible. She is a perfectly beautiful baby. She looks very much like her siblings, but with a touch of red in her hair. Jade and Logan are quite taken with her and are a huge help. Aeris sleeps quite well at night as long as she's tucked in right next to Mom, much to Dad's dislike. Hopefully we'll wean her of that before too long.