Baby Ben. . .

Here are some photos for those of you who do not check Mindy's blogsite. John and Mindy had their baby on Friday. 8lbs 13oz (3 weeks early!) Baby Ben has joined the world and he is ready to play! We are all so excited for them. Lots of love to them! I believe the full name is John Benjamin?

Sammi with her flag used in the primary program

Daniel with his creation made in nursery
Sammi in her new coat from Grandma - it is finally cold enough to wear it!
The kiddos saying Hello everyone!
Just a few photos of the kiddos. We are looking forward to hearing the scoop on John and Mindy soon. We are so excited for them to bring another life into the world - how great!

Called to Serve. . .

Here are some pictures of where Ma and Pa are heading to for their mission. We are all so excited for them. I know I am excited to hear all about the place and new people! Fun! It looks like a beautiful area. It looks about as different as you can get from the climate in Alaska. Good luck with staying cool and dry! Ma and Pa feel free to add your thoughts and comments to these pictures. . .

Commentary by Kary:
Stephen is now 7 weeks old and really starting to develop a cheerful personality. He loves music, dancing, playing with Sage and being cuddled by aunt Beth, Grandma, Grandpa, mommy and daddy. Grandma and Beth picked out these overalls for Stephen a few weeks ago. He has grown into them now. Aren't they adorable? I was even inspired to put on my overalls to be twinsy. Overall, newborn babies are full of adventure. You never know when they are going to smile, cry, get hungry, poop their pants, etc. It's quite a trip. A wonderful gift of these newborns is that they truly have celestial spirits. Just take time to look into their sparkling eyes and realize how close to heaven we really are. Smiles! Kary & Stephen

PS. John and Mindy, you are in our prayers. We know Friday will be a day of gladness for you. Breathe deep and press forward with faith. Your little one will fill your hearts with joy! May the force be with you Mindy!!!! : )

Oh Deer!

First we saw this. . .

Then this happened. . .(the pictures do not do the damage justice)

So we were going for our normal Sunday night drive -where we talk and solve all of life's problems. Our conversation was rudely interrupted with an "Oh NO!" a loud crash and a very hard jolt. Yup, we killed Bambi. She jumped right in front of the car at full speed and we were also going full speed at 55 mph. I was so amazed at what an impact an animal could have on a car! Charles got out and tried to see the damage but it was pretty dark. I found I could not open my door very far, it was smashed. The deer somehow made its way down the entire side of the car denting and scratching the whole side! It was so weird! Anyhow, we are all fine. The kids were a little worried about it because they saw the deer. We went back to try and find the deer to make sure it was dead and not suffering. We could not find it anywhere. We decided it went straight up to heaven! So last night we had to have a FHE lesson on the resurrection. We explained that even though the deer is dead its spirit is alive and living with Heavenly Father and one day the deer will get its body back just like us! They seemed comforted by that - as was I! It was so sad to kill something! Poor Bambi! For now we are working with our insurance company to see what they can do for us. We will find out if "like a good neighbor, State Farm is there." Lets hope so!

Family First Continued. . . (see below)

Family First

"There is some good in this world. . .and it's worth fighting for!"
-SAMWISE GAMGEE

I have this quote up in our home because I believe the thing that is "worth fighting for" is family. Most of you know I feel strongly about family and the importance of it. It is not an easy thing, to protect the family, in this world that we live in. The world pulls you in different directions - telling you to go here or go there. The world places such a low value on Mothers in the home and Fathers being the provider for the family. Mothers are told they should be "more than JUST a mother". This idea is causing women to doubt themselves and their value as Mothers, always searching for something else to do to somehow validate their existance. This new trend of convincing women that they are not good enough is making me crazy. There is NOTHING more important than being a good mother - NOTHING! I see so many talented, beautiful women who think so poorly of themselves and their value in life - I just do not understand it. Women whom I admire and think of as great examples can secretly harbor feelings of doubt and no self-worth. There needs to be a change. Something must change so that women and especially mothers can know of their true divine nature - their worth and that Heavenly Father loves them SO much! He NEEDS them/us to be strong women/mothers to pave the way for our future. What is more important than creating our future?

I, of course, have many fears and doubts too - even in myself sometimes. But there is something stronger than my worry, my doubt, my fear, and that is God. I do my best to let Heavenly Father handle the things which I have no control over. I deal with what I can and leave the rest up to Him who created me and knows me best. This provides me with much comfort. Knowing that I have a loving Father in Heaven who is watching over me - how grand is that! I am so grateful to KNOW He is there, truly there for me to rely on for strength. What a relief to not have rely on my own strength - I would surely fail!

I also know that in this world it is families, strong families, that will stand firm when chaos reigns. I am grateful to be part of a strong family with so many examples of strength and courage. It provides me with so much peace being surrounded by good people who are also trying to love and serve the Lord. I am grateful for ALL of your examples! I LOVE MY FAMILY!!!

Thanks to Kary for the pictures. . .

Holidays gone by. . .

Here are some photos from our Christmas trip 2 years ago with Ma and Pa. I have very fond memories of it. We went all sorts of fun places but of course the best was Disneyland! I love Disneyland. I wish we could go there every Christmas season - maybe one day. I am starting to feel the need to decorate for Christmas. We made snowflakes last night and when we woke up this morning it was snowing for the first time! The kids thought it was so great. It was really beautiful. I think it will all melt by this afternoon though. I am about to dig into the garage and start pulling out our lights and decorations. It is time! Thanksgiving is just two weeks away! I love it!

Here are some photos of the kiddos practicing their head stands. I make them exercise for at least 30 minutes a day. Sometimes it is just running in circle races around the house and doing cartwheels and sommersaults. Today they started working on their strength. I thought they did pretty well! Daniel was doing no hands and everything. It was lots of fun to watch and instruct them. I may not be able to send them off to all sorts of lessons like basketball, gymnastics, or piano but I do my very best to teach them everything I know and help them to be strong so when they do choose what they want to do in the future they will be ready. It gives me great joy when I see them developing into great little people full of energy and life. I do my best to teach them, I pray that my efforts will provide for them a life full of hope and joy. I want them to be satisfied with who they are and who they can become. More than anything I want them to KNOW that they are children of God and that He loves them. I know it. I do my best to lead them, guide them, walk beside them to help them find their way. My best is going to have to be good enough.

commentary and photos by Kary:
Here are some photos I took today of baby Stephen watching his first Baby Einstein dvd. A friend gave me the dvd's as a baby shower gift. They teach children about color, shapes, numbers, etc. Very entertaining! This chair was also a gift and Stephen can now fit in it way better and enjoy the show on TV. Baby gear is sooooo adorable these days! I will send photos from yesterday of Stephen in his blessing suit when Ray finishes getting them on the computer. It was wonderful to have Stephen blessed by his father Ray. We were also grateful Grandpa could be there in the circle. We love our family. Gotta go, Stephen wants to get out of his chair now and see what's for lunch. I don't think his menu has changed yet. Does he
want 2% or skim?