Our Great Weekend

We loved every minute we spent with Jaylene over the Thanksgiving weekend.  Amy even conned her into coming an extra day.  Amy created some story about a huge blizzard coming to Utah and that the roads were going to be horrible, I don't know what other lies she told Jaylene, but it worked.  She came a day earlier.  One of the many reasons we were excited to have Jaylene come was to find out the gender of the baby.  The previous week she had an ultra sound and learned the gender of the baby, but she would not tell us.  She sent some cards in the mail but they only toyed with us.  When she arrived at our home she brought with her some ultra sound pictures and a gift basket and a card that told us she is having a baby BOY.

Other important events that happened over the Thanksgiving holiday was that both of our families got to meet Jaylene.  She is so easy going that she fit in well with Amy's relatively small family and my large chaotic family.  On our way home from Thanksgiving dinner we had a brainstorming session on what name to give this precious BOY.  So far we have come up with Ma#%!*(*, or Jo#%$&, or maybe even Pa^&^^.   Amy wouldn't let me put the entire names up for fear some other pregnant person in the family would take them.  It's happened before, but seeing as we have none of our own yet it's first come first served.  The brainstorming session was fun.  I think we listed every name possible, at least everyone we went to high school with.

Also, we have officially chosen the theme of "safari" for this little boys life.  I sleep peacefully now that we have the theme picked out.  Maybe we should name him after Steve Irwin.

Young Women's Volleyball

Okay, so this picture isn't our actual team but I forgot the camera. I'll get some shots next Saturday because our team made the SEMI-FINALS of our regional play!  Actually, we are defending regional champions but last year we had far fewer matches to get there than this year because they moved us to another region.  We almost didn't make it to the match and my team was probably about ready to kill me because we got lost trying to find the church. Fortunately we ended up only 2 or 3 minutes late and they let us play. I was pretty embarrassed because my WHOLE team had managed to make it along with several parents but WE had been unable to figure out where we were.  We could have really used the GPS but of course didn't have it with us.  It turns out the road we were driving up had completely different numbers on the left side of the street versus the right side and we were following the wrong side.  I wish someone had given me a heads up on that.  The match itself was great - the first time our team had to go to a decisive third set.  I was lucky Jared could get me a few tips which helped.  We ended up winning in the third set  by just two points.  The other team was good, very consistent at getting the ball back.  I love our team, they can play hard and still laugh at themselves or each other.  When it got close they were able to focus and enjoy the moment.  GREAT JOB GIRLS - you're almost there!

A Halloween Birthday

What to do on a RAINY Halloween?  Well, I guess you could trick or treat all night but we decided to make that really quick.  Just 5 houses and we were all done!  It was pouring rain so we just took our tike around to the close neighbors. 
He was content with that, and

probably would have preferred going in to any one of them to sit and stay a while (he tried several times).  When kids came to our door he wondered why they didn't ever come in.  But he did see it as an opportunity to raid OUR candy bowl each time.  We also, we meaning Amy, decided to try making a haunted gingerbread house.  These little numbers are difficult!  Even though we had directions, all ingredients provided, and plenty of time I thought it was much harder than it looks.  I have never touched gingerbread before but it smelled great.  But black frosting?  Really?  It looks like tar and has about the same consistency.  It was very fitting to spread it on the roof.  To get the thing to stay together I ended up using frosting like caulking - that I can do.  This little house is air-tight and energy efficient!  Now, before you give me any credit, you must realize that I did follow the kit with only a few artistic modifications like the jellybean path, chocolate gravestone and blue eyes in the windows.

Our little 3 year and 2 day old had his birthday party on Friday.  Luckily Jared's sister has kids so it wouldn't be an adult only party!  It was fun to see 5 boys running around being boys.  Although our house isn't as quiet as it used to be, it's still a fairly calm place most of the time.  We had three soups to choose from and homemade rolls (thanks Grandmas) as well as chocolate birthday cake.  These cute owl cupcakes were made by our friend...perfect for a Halloween birthday party.  This was just the kind of thing I would have liked to have done but just didn't get to.  Thanks Jenifer!  And presents - because he had two parties I don't think we'll need Christmas presents.  He got some long pj's which he needed, some books on potty training (we needed) and lots of new toys to play with.  The new books are great too, he has read "Down by the Bay" several times and practically has it memorized.  Thanks to all of you who took time to celebrate with our special toddler.  He loved his party!

The Latest and Greatest

We had the BEST weekend ever.  Not just because we had a nice trip down south but because we were CHOSEN as the adoptive parents for a baby yet to be among us!  We met our birth mother who is exceptional in so many ways.  Fortunately we got to spend most of the weekend with her getting to know each other better.   She has a hilarious sense of humor.   She is very pretty, very kind, and very thoughtful.   It has been really fun to start learning more about her home country and her life before she came to the states.  Both of us are so impressed and found ourselves nervous to meet her...what if we didn't look as good in person as we did in the pictures she'd seen?  Worse yet, what if she changed her mind!  Luckily, that didn't happen haha.  We did some hiking together, played in sand, went out to eat, and looked at facebook family pics.  So that new baby counter you see is not a mistake, she is due in April and we can't wait!  Love you Jaylene!

Family Reunion

We had a fantastic time with Jared’s parents, all of his siblings and their spouses and kids last week at Bear Lake in Utah/Idaho.  A very generous family allowed us to stay in their beautiful, spacious home built perfectly for a large group.  This house was bright, welcoming,and secluded just enough to create a relaxing atmosphere.  We went on a hike to a beautiful lake (pictured) and toured a nearby cave.  In fact our group was so large we were the entire group for our tour time.  Some went to the beach around the lake and some took naps.  Some of us stayed up late talking, playing games, and looking at pictures.  All the kids make their own tie-dye like shirts with markers.  There is some real, albeit young, talent in the family!  Our family is blessed to get along so well, we really enjoy being in the company of each other.  I think most of us are already looking forward to the next one in two years!

Rancid Cookies?

Late last night I started making a batch of cookies to take to a family reunion.  I needed to make a rather large batch since we will be sharing them with all of my side of the family which seems to get bigger by the day.  Anyone else pregnant?  I pulled the butter out of the fridge and went to the pantry for shortening.  I noticed that there was a new container of shortening, so I opened it and could see that a couple of tablespoons had been used by Amy previously.  I proceeded to scoop out spoonfuls of shortening into a measuring cup when I noticed an odd smell.  I leaned closer to the shortening to take a wiff and it just didn't smell right.  I got a teaspoon and took a little taste, but then realized that I didn't know what plain shortening should taste like.  I asked Amy's opinion but she was not much help since she has been struggling with a cold.  She said it smelled like cardboard.  I decided to proceed with the cookies.  I mixed in all the ingredients and was getting ready to chill the dough when I had the thought.  These cookies will be consumed at Bear Lake by my entire family, what would happen if the shortening was rancid, would my entire family get sick?  I debated for a little while whether to cook the dough or to start over.  I really wanted a second opinion on the smell that the shortening was producing, so late at night I marched over to Amy's mother (they live close) to get her expert opinion.  In hand I have the container of shortening and a sample of the dough, which I wanted her to taste.  Once I got to her house, she took a wiff of the shortening and said that it didn't smell right.  She said shortening didn't have a smell.  I didn't dare ask her to taste the dough.  She gave me her shortening so I went home to make another batch of cookies with non smelling shortening.  I am still debating whether to cook up the "rancid" batch.  The Internet says that vegetable shortening cannot go rancid.  Maybe I can take them to work and see who calls in sick the next day.

Girls Camp at Flaming Gorge

Last week our church took a group of young women to camp for four days at Flaming Gorge Reservoir.  I was lucky enough to go and discovered a great campsite for a larger group - one that would work for all of Jared's siblings and their little ones.  We had a theme at camp of "Be Strong".   The girls had sooo much fun rafting and even more fun cliff diving.  The day we ran the river we were waiting for the shuttled drivers before we launched and there were two unlucky groups of boys who put in before us.  They had three water guns compared to our 35+.  Ours were homemade water guns made from pvc pipe.  Simple, but very effective.  It was a losing battle. 

As far as cliff diving, no one really dove but nearly every person jumped off somewhere.  It was a great spot, we could all be close enough to see each other.  There may have been some peer pressure but there was plenty of support, I'll go with you or I'll go first kind of thing.  I hadn't planned on getting wet but decided to be brave and it was very refreshing.  Of course we all had life jackets on and the bishop was with us.  He eventually jumped off the tallest rock after we all urged him on. 

We had a testimony meeting overlooking the lake where we all had the chance to express our feelings about belonging to our church and how beautiful our site was.  It was great to be away from cell phones, ipods, and all other forms of technology.  I didn't hear a single complaint about it from any of the girls.  One night we had a beach dance with light ropes which turned out to be a lot of fun.  It all went really well until one girl got some kind of illness and then another, then another, and so on and eventually bishop was sick too.  It would come on strong and then be done in a day or two.  We were probably lucky more people didn't get ill.  Despite that, I would love to go again. 

Sad News

We received sad news that the young woman who chose us to adopt her baby had a miscarriage. It was a great honor that she chose us out of hundreds of other wonderful couples to adopt her baby. Our deepest condolences go out to you Kaitlin, and we will always love you! May you be blessed for your unselfishness and efforts to help us in our time of need. You will always have our greatest respect. Thanks for letting us be a part of your life, we look forward to hearing of your experiences and accomplishments to come.

We still want nothing more than to welcome a baby into our home. We know that our Heavenly Father has a baby in mind for us and that we need to be patient until he or she arrives. This process is teaching us so much. One thing that has stood out is that so much that happens in our lives is not about us but about helping others and learning compassion. It can be rough but we are strong in our testimonies of the joy this life has to offer.

On another note, we have had trouble with our computer and subsequently have not been posting - we'll get back to it again when possible!

The Best Birthday

We are extremely excited to announce that we have been chosen by a wonderful young woman named Kaitlin to be the adoptive parents of her baby.  We exchanged e-mail for a couple of weeks before we were able to meet in person.  We looked forward to each e-mail as if we were children waiting for Santa to come.  Yet, on the other hand we wanted our responses to be Pulitzer prize worthy so we were nervous too.  From the first e-mail we could tell that Kaitlin was a unique individual.  She was very articulate in her writing and easy to get to know.  When we met in person, we immediately felt welcomed by her and her entire family.  After getting to know each other a little better over lunch we returned home.  Amy was able to meet up with Kaitlin and her family again for some ice cream which was a lot of fun.  A couple of weeks later we were invited to meet with Kaitlin and her family at the LDS office.  They had requested to meet on the 20th (Amy's birthday) which was extremely thoughtful of them.  Unfortunately, I was out of town with work so we met the next day.  Amy is counting the 21st as her new "honorary" birthday.  When they came in the room they had what was basically a miniature hot air balloon.  It was so huge it wouldn't even fit in our car (okay, it's a Beetle so that doesn't mean much).  Tied to the bottom of the balloon was a box filled with baby stuff.  Before we opened that gift Kaitlin asked us to read a letter she had written us.  As Amy and I both read the letter, strong emotions came over the both of us as we read that Kaitlin had put "dibbs" on us to adopt her child.  The feeling in the room is one that I can't really explain, nor will ever forget.  For the next hour we talked and got to know each other better.  It was fun to hear what stood out about us and why Kaitlin picked us.  We look forward to getting to know Kaitlin even better as well as welcoming her and her family into our lives.  It's hard to describe this whole experience but we can say it has lifted our spirits and given us hope.  We are truly blessed.  We love you Kaitlin!!!

Family Party

Here are a few pics from when Jared's sister was in town and one of the other sisters graciously agreed to host.  The hostess claims she had a hidden agenda to get help putting up their new basketball standard but her husband managed it before anyone could get there.  It is always fun to have the old folk, the tiny tots, and the yet to join the family all together to talk and laugh.

  Some of the kids here aren't family, it seems that in their neighborhood one house is as good as the next one to hang out.  We didn't mind these little party crashers at all!  It looks like a very child friendly place to live.  And then there were popsicles.  It seems like these things have been around since the ice age (pun intended). 

There is always someone interested in a pickup game.  There are plenty of tall people on one side of the family so this bodes well in a competitive game.  Then again, if you're playing against 8 year olds, it's more about having a good time.  Someday Jared's side of the family really wants to create a volleyball team to enter tournament play.  It would require some travel since so many of the players live a good distance from each other, two in Utah, one in Colorado, one in Arizona and one in Idaho.

Trees & Tulips

As part of my Master Gardener certificate I have to do 40 hours of volunteer service.  I signed up to spend a lot of time at the Thanksgiving Point Tulip Festival.  Monday was my first day and it was very busy.  I was at the door greeting guests and handing out maps.  Later I was posted in the garden.  It was lovely.  Then Wednesday came.  I was outside for the whole 2 shifts, nearly 7 hours.  It started with rain, then a couple hours of sunshine, then a violent hail downpour.  After that the weather was drizzling and cold.  I left early once I started shivering.  The tulips that were opened were a bit hammered but the many ones yet to open should be fine.  I'm going back tomorrow and rain is in the forecast.  I hope the weatherman is wrong.  I did get this shot while the sun was out.

I really love being outside working as soon as it starts warming up.  Over a week ago we helped take down and clean up some trees at the old log cabin.  It was a smooth operation, my brother ran the heavy equipment which lifted the "loggers" to the tops of the trees.  Several family members helped by breaking down the large limbs and running them through a chipper.  My uncle on the tractor moved the large pieces that will become firewood. We benefitted by getting 3 pick up truck loads of mulch which we have tilled in to the garden - thanks to dad on his tractor.  And my sweet aunt bought our declicious lunch from Kneaders.  Wow - their turkey cranberry sandwhich is delicious and their cookies are some of the best I have ever had.  There are still a couple of huge trees by the old house which need to come down, the city has said they will remove them.
  We're wondering when they'll be getting to it.

Not So GREEN Today

Over the past couple of years we have tried to keep a tradition going that Amy participated in growing up. Her grandfather had a small orchard and every year they pruned the trees to prepare them for another year of producing fruit. All the pruning created a large pile of branches that needed to be discarded. So, they lit the branches on fire and had a hot dog roast. An "old-school" practice for sure, beginning before green waste disposal or wood chippers were handy. Of course, we followed city regulations and kept it very safe with hoses nearby!

In our neighborhood Amy's family designated their last empty lot in our cul-de-sac to put our "green" waste. Some of the neighbors and Amy's dad contributed to the pile. Today we torched it and had our own neighborhood hot dog roast. We also ate fresh fruit salad, homemade potato salad, and smores. One of the kids at the party had a great idea of stuffing a square of chocolate into the middle of the marshmallow to help it melt. Genius! It was the perfect day for the event. The weather was beautiful and the company of family and neighbors was enjoyable, we LOVE where we live. It is amazing how much better a hot dog tastes after it has been cooked on an open fire.

Volleyball

Over the years I have enjoyed playing volleyball. Unfortunately our high school did not have a men’s team, but in college I enjoyed playing co-ed volleyball on an intramural team which won first place. That same team then decided to enter a volleyball tournament in Moab where we didn't do as well. Since then I have had a hard time finding others to play volleyball with. Each ward I have been in I have attempted to get people interested and have not had any luck. My little brother invited Amy and I to watch him play in a tournament at the University of Utah. He played for the Weber State club team. This was the first time I saw in person a team play at such a high level. They had set plays which they seemed to execute with ease. At that point I desired to play more volleyball. Two years ago when we moved into our home, I again expressed an interest in playing church volleyball which no one else seemed to be interested in. Then, one day after church a neighbor said that he and his cousins played volleyball once a week at a church house and he invited me to play. To my pleasant surprise they were quite good. They used hand signals to call plays similar to what I saw my brother's team do. Since then every winter I have played volleyball with them and have enjoyed every minute of it.

I Love Springtime!

This weekend was beautiful weather - great for planting and hot air balloons.  We have noticed balloon pilots have been out more during the cool mornings and clear days we have had.  This balloon was new to me - it has an interesting metallic gold in the design which made it stand out even more in the sky.  It floated near our home for a while and then landed in a neighborhood down the street.  Naturally, the kids in the area flocked to see it up close.  I have never been in a hot air balloon myself; I used to have nightmares about them.  Maybe someday. 

I ordered some vegetable seeds this year and Saturday I planted them in a mini-greenhouse tray.  Last year I grew some large bottle gourds from seed.  Now I'm trying to grow some small gourds called goblin eggs, a mix of large gourds, pumpkins and watermelons.  For the first time I am trying to grow heirloom tomatoes, one called Big Rainbow and one called Sweet Tangerine.  I also planted a hot pepper mix, sweet pepper mix, and a Chocolate Cherry tomato.  When the ground is ready, which is still a week or two away,  I am going to put in some sugar snap peas and spinach.  When I went to a local store to get some seed starter trays, they had pansies with huge blossoms and also some intensely bright primroses.  I couldn't pass them up, probably because I am so eager for the change of season.  This is a photo of the primroses, the coral colored one is my favorite.   I planted them in a shady spot next to our front steps.

March Madness

Is there a better month than March for college sports?  So many games played in just one month.  Typically I do not fill out the NCAA brackets but rather root for any Utah college (Go Aggies!) and all of the underdogs.  I enjoy watching a team that is "supposed" to do well get beat by a team that was "supposed" to loose.  This year however, I decided to fill out a bracket since my work is giving a plate of cookies to whom ever picks the most correct wins in the NCAA tournament.  The cookies would be nice, but I still would rather watch a team get upset in the tournament especially if it is Duke.  Let the games begin!!!

Ma and Pa painting

I thought I would show you the progression of a recent painting.  I've seen other artists videotape themselves while creating a painting so I thought I'd try it, using still photos since I don't have a camcorder.  The following painting is 24" tall by 18" wide, done in oil on canvas.

Here is the very loose indication of the figures' general size and pose.  From here I will continue to redraw and refine the shapes to make them more specific and careful.

The way I like to paint I tone (spread a thin layer of paint) the whole canvas and then use a rag to lift out the light shapes.  This method requires working fast and completing the lightest areas in one sitting.

Here I add shapes and values in the background.  For some reason my students usually like to put this part off until the last minute.  So, practicing what I preach, I try to get to the handcart and distant trees fairly early in the process.

Having never stopped to periodically take photos of a painting while I work, I later realized that the progression is a bit uneven between photos.  Especially in the beginning I find that I'm too busy concentrating to stop.  The most detrimental mistakes are made in the beginning so I try to work carefully and continuously.

Here I begin to put more detail in the cowboy's pants and rope as well as the cast shadows in the grass.

At this point I am adding definition to the woman's clothing and hair.  You may or may not have noticed the overall color shift - I did.  This is because I was losing natural daylight and relying more on my studio light. This painting was done in under two hours, and it's amazing how much the light changes in a short time.

This is the painting as it sits in my studio today.  I haven't decided whether I want to paint over it in full color or keep it this sepia look.  There are several areas that still need attention, but it's a start. 

Prayer Swap

Last week during our Adoptive Parent Training we learned about the Family Supporting Adoption National Conference that is held annually in Utah - we hope to go this year. Last year they had a keynote speaker named Troy Dunn who talked about the importance of open adoption. Here is a segment of his presentation. I really enjoyed his perspective on open adoption since he has seen it from many angles.

Adoptive Parent Training

Jared and I went to a two day workshop designed to help adoptive parents create a successful adoption experience. It was well worth our time. The best part was a panel of birth mothers who were gracious enough to describe their intense experiences to our group. These courageous women have been through a lot! I knew their stories would make me cry, and they did.

We learned that these mothers very carefully, and prayerfully, searched for a mother and father who they believed would provide the kind of care they wanted for their precious baby. It makes sense to describe adoption as placement, not “giving up” a child. They are acting for their child, not for themselves, not even for adoptive couples.

Saturday influenced our opinions about openness in adoption. Overall it is usually better for the child AND the birth mother (and even for the adoptive parents) to have contact after placement. Another speaker at the training who was herself adopted, said that with a totally closed adoption as hers had been for a long time, she had nothing but questions – no answers, no people to help finish her personal story. Now I feel we can happily provide a birth mother with the links to her baby that she will likely want. This may mean an ongoing blog with pictures, it could mean phone calls, and could mean in-person visits. That is okay – I understand that the child we would hope to have in our family will have another special person (maybe many people) who are indeed an important part of their lives.

Chat Room

Last night I had the opportunity to participate in an adoption "Chat Room" in a physical building with couches, chairs and even refreshments. Present at the discussion were individuals who have adopted, those who are hoping to adopt and birth mothers who have placed their babies with adoptive couples. Unfortunately Amy was not able to attend, but I went to learn as much as I could. The theme of the evening was about helping extended family learn about adoption and help them feel comfortable with adoption. A fair amount of time was spent on this subject, but the discussion went in many different directions as different participants asked questions or shared experiences. I was most touched by the love and courage that I saw and heard as birth mothers shared some of their experiences interacting with the adoptive couples they have chosen to place their child with. Leaving the discussion I have a better appreciation for the difficult decision that birth parents have in deciding to place their child and also choosing an adoptive couple. I enjoyed the atmosphere of learning about each others situations. Birth mothers were asking questions to adoptive couples and adoptive couples asking questions to birth mothers and even hopeful adoptive couples asking questions to both adoptive couples and birth mothers. We look forward to attending more "Chat Room" meetings in the future.

Separation Anxiety

The title of this blog has a double meaning. First, referring to using my adorable egg separator for the first time, and second, to the anxiety my parent's dog experienced when he was left with us for a short visit. These two events just happened to coincide.

Making my first Lemon Meringue pie required separating egg whites and yolks and beating the whites into submission. The picture at the right is a handmade ceramic piece made just for such an occasion. I bought it at a summer street fair. You crack the egg and empty all the contents into the top, and then tip it forward until the whites ooze out of the mouth while the yolk stays inside. It's both amusing and effective. The whole pie process went well until we sliced into the pie after it had chilled for several hours. In my head it was going to look like a Wayne Thiebaud painting, but in reality it puddled. I don't know what went wrong - I'll have to check with a grandmother for that. The filling did have a great flavor.

And then there was the dog...my parents are going to be leaving their beloved pet with us for a weekend so we thought it would be good to do a shorter test run today. Their dog is much like ours, maybe a bit spoiled and used to quite a bit of attention. He whined and barked at first, but eventually settled down. Our dog was amazingly calm. When I sat down after making the pie, I had one dog on my lap, one dog at my feet, and our cat looking at all of us in disgust.

El Salvador Restaurant

Last night we went to one of our favorite restaurants in Provo. They have food that is reminiscent of some of the food Jared had on his mission. It is a humble establishment but very comfortable and the people who run it are very welcoming. We always get pupusas (pictured) which are biscuit-like flat breads filled with beans, cheese, or meat. Since we started going there about five years ago we have learned to fry our own plantains, they're almost as good as the restaurant. We also ordered some pastelitos, which are corn pies, ours were filled with pork. And finally, as if we weren't full enough, we ordered our tres leches which is a simple cake that has absorbed a sweet milk syrup. So good.

We are approved!!!

We are excited to say that our adoption agency approved our application today and our profile is now viewable online! All the information needed to see it is at the left, including the link directly to our profile which has a letter to birth parents, photos with captions, a "getting to know us" section, and contact information.

So please freely pass this information along to any who might benefit from it. Anyone can also view our profile by going through http://www.itsaboutlove.org/ as a "guest" - they don't need to sign in or be registered. They can find us by simply putting in our first names and select the state of Utah. We will be sending emails out to family and friends with the links in case they have not seen our blog.

If you can't sing, learn to play an instrument...

Our recent purchase has much more to do with my inability to sing than with Jared's. He and his whole family can sing very nicely and many of them can play the piano. I have talked for a long time about learning to play the piano and I am finally on my way! Since we bought it almost a week ago we both have been playing each day, and I hope that doesn't change. I am nearing the end of my two beginner books and I want to get a book to help me learn to play hymns. We went digital, a Yamaha, because we weren't interested in the piano in terms of appearance, although they can be really beautiful. Thanks to advice from my mom and Jared's sisters, the piano has weighted keys and headphones so that we can play without worrying how we sound to anyone else in the room. I really like that I will be able to easily move it to another room or downstairs. It also has several other functions, a metronome, adjustments for brilliance, reverb, effect, and touch. We can also connect through a USB to save and download music. At this point, of course I am still trying to comprehend sharps, flats, and recognize exactly which note I am playing. But I am loving the process.

The Old House

This log home was built in 1873 or 1874 and has been in Amy's family since 1894 when Amy's great grandfather purchased it along with some farm land. Amy's father and his siblings were raised in this home. Currently Amy's aunt owns it and has rented it to family over the course of the years. Our home is currently on a piece of the farm land that Amy's great grandfather farmed. As you may have guessed, we live around many other family members who also built homes on the farm land.

Amy's father, cousins, aunts and their friends did a great deal of work renovating the log home prior to renting it to the first non family member ever!!! Amy is helping remove tape from the windows.

Amy's Garden Gourds

I was so excited to have a large garden this year. We grew peas, tomatoes, peppers, corn, spaghetti squash, gourds, raspberries, peaches and pumpkins. The gourds were really fun to watch grow - we trained the vines onto a fence so they could hang down and retain better form. This worked really well and definitely saves space in the garden. We ended up with about 49 gourds total - now we have about 44 since some didn't make it. My whole aim of growing them was to dry them and then...? I'll probably put them on top of our high cabinets for visual interest, kind of a gourd grouping. The photos show them in various stages of drying - the brown ones are dry. If you shake them you can hear the seeds rattling around inside - I love it. I am so easily entertained. The last picture is a close up of one that my niece claimed as her own, we both liked the pattern on it.

Snow Covered Timp

A beautiful picture from our back yard of the snow covered Mount Timpanogos. We are so lucky to live in such a beautiful location.

Books Jared read in 2009

• Outliers
• To Kill a Mockingbird
• My Antonia
• East of Eden
• Predictably Irrational
• Grapes of Wrath
• Rescue of the 1856 Handcart Companies
• Handcarts to Zion
• The Man Who Listens to Horses
• Ghost Soldiers
• Tears in the Darkness
• The Undaunted
• The Partner
• The Tipping Point

More than five thousand pages read. Who would of thought I would enjoy reading. There is hope for others!

Family party

We loved having everyone at our home on Saturday. Someday we will have our basement finished so we can do a giant sleepover. It was so fun to watch the smallest kids sled down our little hill - especially when they crashed. As long as no one got hurt right? Thanks to Mom for the pizza. Here are a few pics from the shindig.