I'm Officially In!

I have reached the high honor of being the recipient of "Good Mail"! How cool is that? What fun to receive something thoughtful in the midst of all the junk and bills.

Thanks Janae for my first Good Mail! (and now I have your new address!)

If The Pioneers Could See Us Now

Well, they probably could, but it's so amazing to me that John was able to fly out this morning, attend a meeting in Kansas, visit Liberty Jail, and be back home tonight. Modern Miracles! Someday we'll be able to take a family vacation to visit the Church history sites.

I Know I'm Someone Special 'Cause God Don't Make No Junk!!

This is from Christian's first day of "school" last September. It's such a classic face. Right now he's sitting on my lap helping me blog and I asked him what he wants me to write about him. He said, "Dear Christian, I love you so much and I want to play a game with you so time to say goodbye." He just turned 3 and is very proud of that fact. My little buddy is such a cutie.

Funny story: a couple of weeks ago, we were sitting at the table eating breakfast. The baby was crawling on the floor. Daddy said, "Christian, isn't mommy cute?" He looked at me and said, "No . . . she's goooorgeous." Then he looked down at Ashlyn and said, "the baby is cute."

What a Week!

Last week was a great week with the new piano (which was really a miracle), but this week is something else! It started of with losing my wedding rings. I've had them for 14 years and I have to say that I did not lose them, however I may have unknowingly thrown them away (long story). It is very sad and I miss them. Many people often "upgrade" their ring as soon as they come into more money, or with the change of fashion. I guess I'm sentimental and was planning on keeping mine forever since they were a loving gift from my betrothed. John feels really badly as they were in his care at the time. I'm really not in the frame of mind to choose a new wedding ring (plus the budget is set for a new bathroom and computer!), so I just might wait for Anniversary #15.

If that's not bad enough, the next morning I was diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma. SKIN CANCER!! I am scheduled for surgery in April and am paying my dues for all the time I spent baking in the sun.

I am counting my blessings, though and am grateful for the health of both my family and my marriage. Too many people don't have either and I consider myself very fortunate. I'm still hoping for another miracle and for my wedding rings to show up. Maybe the garbage collector will deliver them next week. Now that would be miraculous.

A New Baby for Valentine's

Happy Valentine's to me! John is so sweet and tried surprising us with a piano for Valentine's, but it came today instead! It's a beautiful baby with a great story. Now I just have to learn to play it. Luckily it has built in player so I can get good at pretending :-) The kids are super excited to now have something more than a tiny casio to practice on.

Simply Irresistable

The baby is so adorable and everyone in the family is completely smitten. How can anyone resist her? If I were younger, and knew I could have more just like her, I'd have a dozen. I guess I'm feeling a bit emotional knowing that I am "done" and won't be having any more children in this lifetime. Children are definitely a gift and I am so grateful I have had the opportunity to have had four great and healthy pregnancies, deliveries, and children. I just have to remember that when I'm pulling my hair out, and tripping over the messes that these little angels create. This is the season of my life where I shouldn't obsess over fingerprints on walls and a wood floor that's smudgy, but it's hard for me not to. Anyhow, she is my last, and like my husband says, "let's end on a good note."

Cupid is Getting Ready to Strike!

Happy February!
I like some of the ideas in Family Fun Magazine for homemade Valentines. We've been busily gathering bits of broken crayons and melting them in small heart-shaped muffin tins to make multi-colored crayons. We need 50 of these things. It seemed easy at first, but is turning out to be a time-consuming, arduous task. But it's better than adding more sugar to the over-sugared masses, right? Happy Valentine's for Crayon Out Loud!