CAMP!

Just before Finn was born, I was released from my calling as Stake YW President, which has to be one of the greatest jobs in the world. I miss it so much, but the timing of my release was right on. It would have been pretty tricky once Finn was born to feel like I could contribute much at all.

Anyway, I was invited to speak at the "Opening Ceremonies" at YW Camp this morning. Finn and I arrived as girls were gathering near the lodge after setting up camp. All the wards chose countries to represent for this Olympic-oriented camp. I was pretty surprised by how emotional I got as I watched the girls working together, setting up chairs, laughing, being silly, so excited to be at camp. YW is such an incredible program. I love it. I was asked to speak to them about how to "Light the Fire Within," which is the Camp theme this year. I was so glad to have the chance to think about my own life, and how lucky I am to be surrounded by people so full of light. Preparing for my talk gave me a chance to evaluate how I am doing in taking care of myself spiritually, and I recognized that I need to make some adjustments. I am now working on ways to make spiritual things a bigger part of my day, and not use the excuse that I am too busy.

After my talk, each ward sang "I am a Child of God" in their chosen country's language. It was so impressive! The familiar song was sung in Japanese, Chinese, Samoan, Spanish, German, Tongan, and even Jamaican. :) Ya, mon. I love those girls, youth and leaders alike. It was a great day for me.

Awwww...

Indiana Jones strikes again...

This beautiful blue dish was the lone survivor from a set of four given to us by Jason's sister, Elizabeth. They were my FAVORITE bowls, and alas, now they are all lost. How did this happen? Read on, reader.
Okay, the dramatic play at our house has gotten a little out of hand as of late. Here is the result of a recent "adventure" which involved Owen (aka Indie) tying his "whip" to the dish drainer on the countertop, and Jake (aka Mutt Williams) grabbing ahold to pull himself to safety. We're just glad no one hurt, and what's amazing is that I really didn't get too mad about this one. It was kind of surreal, really, all those dishes falling to the floor and breaking. It made a pretty loud sound. FYI. Thanks to Jason for cleaning up... It looks like he's the one that made the mess, doesn't it? No, that was later, when he dropped a light bulb in the bathroom.

Summer Fun

Jake and his cousin, Clara, had a great time on the trampoline the other day with no older siblings pushing them around. They were laughing hysterically the whole time, and their hair was extra stylish!

To: Jason

Thank you for being such an incredible Dad to our boys. They absolutely adore you because you are so much fun, and because you spend so much time with them, helping them with homework or soccer, wrestling, bike-riding, skateboarding, snowboarding, playing checkers, watching movies on your iPhone, reading scriptures and so many other important things. Thank you so much for also giving them the gift of teaching by example the way they should treat women. I am the luckiest wife on earth and I love you!!!!

"My father used to play with my brother and me in the yard. Mother would come out and say, "You're tearing up the grass." "We're not raising grass," Dad would reply. 

"We're raising boys." ~Harmon Killebrew

Good thing for Dads! They keep things fun for everyone!

Happy Father's Day!

Forgive the crazy lighting in this photo. What were we doing, standing in that dappled sunlight for a photo anyway?? Here are my incredible parents with all their children. (It was hard to get Mom to put down her grand-babies to have her picture taken.) I was so glad to get to see my Dad on Father's Day. How can I tell you what an awesome man he is? He would do anything for anyone, and is a true gentleman. He is soft-spoken, (unless you get him talking about George W) and is so thoughtful. We are all so lucky to have him in our lives! Happy Father's Day, Dad!

Jake and his Grandpa Stick are good buddies. Grandpa has always been so good with all children. Jake gets really excited to go see Grandma and Grandpa Stick, and had a great time showing off for everyone today.
Grandpa had some pretty serious health problems in the last month, and it was so great to see him looking so strong, joking, telling stories, and trying to steal kids' food. He is a wonderful Grandpa, and I'm so glad for every chance I have to be with him.Everyone loves it when Grandpa tells stories from his WWII days, CCC days, or any good old days. He is so funny!

Aunt Carolyn put together a really cool scrapbook of Grandpa's days as a Civilian Conservation Corps boy. He was a leader and said he made "damn good money," (his words) for those days: $45 per week, plus clothes, room and board. The other boys made $5 per week and sent $25 home.

Jake, Owen, Finn and Jack on the swing in Grandpa's back yard. (The same one I used to swing on...)

Summerfest!

Would you really want to eat a wad of spun sugar bigger than your head?  If you are Jake, Jack or Owen, the answer is:  YES!

The boys looked so funny with their cotton candy goatees and beards.  Passers-by got a great kick out of it.

Sad News...

I was saddened to hear about Tim Russert's death on Friday.  I will miss seeing him on The Today Show to get the scoop from Washington D.C. and elsewhere while I pedal along on the spin bike in the a.m.  I loved to listen to him grill politicians from both parties, and loved to hear his opinions and predictions on various topics. Here is a quote from him that sums up why I think a lot of people liked and trusted him, and why he will be missed:

"I have the sense when I'm out there on 'Meet the Press' that I'm a surrogate for people who get up, go to work, rise a family and don't have time to read six newspapers a day, read all the books and know all the questions to ask.  I want to cut through the fog."

Good work, Tim!

Here comes the sun...

I just have to say that I have loved the weather here in Logan the past couple of days.  I think the sun has done wonders for my well-being.  We walked to Summerfest yesterday and today (pictures coming), and I'm sure the exercise helped too.  Having 4 children has been a tough adjustment, I won't lie.  I'm starting to get some things figured out, though, so hopefully we will all be able to just go with the flow until a routine emerges from the chaos. 

Take me out to the ball game...

Jason took Bennett with him to Seattle this weekend to do some ProBar work and then head up to Bellingham to see the fam.  (Bennett has been asking when he gets to see his cousin Justise for months now, so I'm really glad he could go.)  

They are traveling with Jules and his second to oldest daughter, Gabrielle.  I understand that everyone is having a great time.  Last night they went to a Mariners game at Safeco Field.  I'm so jealous!  This morning they were at a big food-tasting fest at REI in Seattle where Bennett and Gabrielle ran around making friends and scoring free stuff from all kinds of natural food-loving folk.  Yesterday Bennett and Gabrielle accompanied Jason and Jules to a business meeting with the big wigs at Nordstrom.  Bennett even had to dress up to go!  Tonight they are at a pizza party at Leslie's house.  Sounds like fun!  I sure miss them...  the house is so quiet.  Oh wait, no it's not.  :)

Rainy Day Percussion Jam Session

Be glad you weren't here. My nerves were shot after the first 3 minutes. The amazing thing was that Finn slept through the whole thing in the next room.

Spring Hollow

I love this time of year, being able to pack up on a whim and go cook hotdogs up the canyon for no real reason except to let the kids run free. The Kirbys and the Earls accompanied us this time, and we had a delightful evening.

Goodbye, Roseanne

Owen had the most wonderful tumbling teacher this spring. We will really miss her! Hopefully we can find her again in the fall. Owen LOVED tumbling, in large part because of a patient, energetic, loving teacher! It makes all the difference, doesn't it?

Tee-Ball

Soccer is over, and the next sport for Bennett to try out has commenced. To be honest, it is really boring except for the 2 seconds when he's batting, but he had a great time. He has several friends on his team, which helps pass the time that he is stuck at 3rd base doing nothing the whole time. That also means that I get to hang out with his friends' parents on the sidelines, which is nice because they happen to be my friends too! So it works out for everybody! Except for Jake and Owen who were fighting like wild animals by the end...

Lambert Dairy

Just thought some of you would be interested to know that Finn had already gained 2 lbs. at his 2-week check-up. Hello, magic milk! He's going to take after Bennett & Owen!

Blessing Day

What a wonderful way to welcome Baby Finn into the world! Jason gave him a sweet and heart-felt blessing in our ward Sunday morning. I was emotional (surprise!) to see and think about our many loved ones in the chapel and also those who couldn't be there, knowing all of them will support this little boy throughout his life.

Then we had some festivities at our house. What could be better than a day filled with friends and family, with countless cute kids running around the yard, not to mention deep fried food?? (The Navajo tacos were delectable, Jason!) Thank you all for your love. Finn is certainly a lucky little boy to have all of you.