We have been busy…

With…

Henry’s birthday…

making everything clean and having fun while doing it…

Matt’s 40th b-day…

playing in the dirt/expanding the garden…

having baby #6…

isn’t Remi sweet…

taking kitchen cruises…

getting belly buttons…

Tracker, our new puppy, doesn’t everyone need a new baby and a new puppy all at the same time…

baby blessings and family visiting…

significant fishing trips with grandpa, Bailey, Aubrie and Daddy…

baseball season… see Henry above the ‘R’…

better late than never birthday parties…

more birthdays with pierced ears and makeup…

growing babies…

classroom presentations that mommy takes really great photos of…see Henry’s nice haircut…

fun, fun, fun preschool outings…

where we feed the fish…

and get rides on the lawn cart…

more fun with bubble baths…

more birthday fun…

beautiful stormy days…

award assemblies that mom actually makes it to…

and growing babies…

As you can see, this is why I don’t post very often. I’m too busy living life and enjoying my family… I hope your days are filled with happiness, the wonder of life, and you are as grateful for all of the blessings the Lord gives to us as I am! Isn't life wonderful.

Deals to Meals

I love Deals-to-meals. They have a great blog that I spend a lot of time looking at. They are giving away a Bosch machine! Come and check it out.

http://dealstomeals.blogspot.com/

You'll get hooked too.

RUDE

Why am I so rude?

Let me back up and set the stage for you...

Last night was Aubrie's first mutual. The youth went to the temple to do baptisms for the dead. Who could wish for a better first mutual experience for their daughter... Not me. However, I was unable to attend. I cannot be way from Remi for that long. (They left at 5:15 p.m. and returned at 10:30 p.m.) Too long between feedings... Anyway, Matt was able to go with the youth and drove our van. I did not begrudge him the time spent with Aubrie, and felt like it would be a good experience for them.

Well, this morning as I got into the van, I realized that I would have to replace the car seats before taking Jesse to preschool. So I opened the back doors of the van and grab Remi's base and Andee's chair. Upon pulling them from the back my eyes fall upon... a taco bell wrapper. Crushed into a ball, and in my mind's eye I can see the occupant of the back seat trying to be funny and throwing it over his shoulder into the rear cargo space and snickering to himself. Of course I say 'his' because I cannot see any of my young women doing this.

So here it is. Why was my first thought to find out who was sitting there in the back and then save the wrapper and give it to them on Sunday with a professed innocent comment something like "I noticed that you dropped this on accident in my van on Wednesday." Why am I so rude that this is my first thought and not, "Goodness me, I'm glad I found this wrapper and could be the one to throw it away. What a great opportunity to be of service to the youth." Ok, so this comment would be just as rude, the way that it is coming out of my mind, but really, couldn't I be a bit nicer? I wasn't even as upset by the cheese and lettuce all over the recently vacuumed seat and floor. This is not what my mother raised me to be. I can be better.

Thank you for reading my personal tirade this morning...have a good day filled with generous thoughts for and of others.

Here she is…

Remi Elisabeth Stevens

born: Friday, March 12, 2010 at 1:39 a.m.
weight:  7 lb. 8.6 oz
length:  21 inches

  

You can also view her hospital photo at  www.kadlecmed.org

Click on visit Kadlecmed.org and then enter the newborn gallery.  (the button is on the right of the screen)

 

We are so glad she is here.  She is a very content baby.  She sleeps well and eats well and is well loved. 

I am constantly followed by a swarm of smaller mommies waiting for a chance to hold, burp, or participate in some way… it is fun to see the kids’ excitement. 

"That which we obtain too easily, we esteem too lightly; it is dearness only that gives everything its value." ~Thomas Paine

This quote today seems so appropriate. Life is so beautiful and the blessings we are given are greatly appreciated when we see them through the eyes of understanding ~ tempered by the hardships which refine us into whom we claim to be.

Tomorrow I get to give a lesson to my YW about the importance of life. Yes, lesson #32... it would have been cut out of our schedule later this year because of extra meetings with the YM, but it was too wonderful to cut out...

I am hoping to get through it without crying, but, dang it, at 35 weeks into this pregnancy how could any mother discuss the beauty of giving life to another human and abortion in the same lesson and not feel the extreme emotional pull???

It is getting late, and after a night of little sleep due to too much excitement and a day filled with BBall games and personally vacuuming and steam cleaning the carpets in the van, I am tired.

Love to all!

absent...

Yes, I am alive...
I have been absent from the world of blogging for some time. I have just bee busy, and frankly having too much fun with my family to blog about it.

We had 2 family reunions at our house this summer, numerous vacations, etc. Now I have been busy with three in school and canning peaches, pears, tomatoes, peach, peach pit, strawberry, raspberry, and nectarine jam, and applesauce. I have also dehydrated numerous batches of apples. Never a dull moment...

A big thanks to Steve Allen for the bin of gala apples. I have almost finished the whole bin with the help of several friends.

Last Thursday, while canning I blew up my stove. Granted it is as old as my home (built in 1963) and I was not sad to see it die, but the replacement is on back order until at least October 30th. What would you do without a stove for about a month and in the midst of canning? I had to farm out the 17 jars off applesauce that I had ready to can and a few days later, start canning on my father-in-law's three burner camping stove. I have already used up the two partially filled tanks of propane...off we go.

I am requesting your prayers for my mom. she and my dad were in a car accident near Bend, Oregon yesterday, and she broke her arm in three places from the elbow up. Thanks in advance.