A Must Read

Zach got me this book for my birthday knowing that it was something I had wanted to read for a while--and I'm so grateful I have. What a valuable book! I'd recommend this book to anyone desiring to be a responsible US citizen (that should be ALL of you ;). It's a non-fiction book that basically gives the background beliefs of the founders of our nation-- what they believed that influenced them to create this great nation. Having read it I can see more clearly how far we have veered away from our constitutional foundation- and it's both sad and scary. Secret Combinations come to mind...
I have a greater respect for our founding fathers and reverence for the purpose our nation was to fulfill as well as gratitude to our Heavenly Father for bringing it to pass.
I learned the value of the initial "right" and "left" not the "right" and "left" that is touted in the media today and how important both sides were and are- they are not to be at war with each other- rather- they are to be two sides of a balance.
I learned that the founders firmly believed that religion and morality SHOULD be taught in the schools.
I learned that the founders would have counseled strongly against any entangling alliances (i.e. the League of Nations, the United Nations...) while encouraging friendship with all nations.
I learned that the founders had strong opinions about preserving the integrity of the family.
I learned that they felt it was immoral for any generation to get into any more national debt than what they could pay off in their own lifetime.
I could go on and on about this book- but I won't. I'll just suggest you read it if you want to learn a little more about what went into this nation and what we should be standing up for today.

Tomatoes WILL grow in the Desert!

I'd been worried about my little garden, wondering if it would get enough sun since it's surrounded by a big wall and a patio and surprisingly- our tomatoes have done amazingly well! I picked two of them already because I already lost two cherry tomatoes to some sort of scavenger. I counted about 20 or so tomatoes on one of our tomato plants! The other plants seem to be doing alright, but not nearly as well as the tomatoes. We have one green bell pepper and one banana pepper, but tons of blossoms on these two plants- I don't know why we don't have more of those. Any suggestions for these would be helpful. It's been a fun little experiment for me. I'll definitely do it again- maybe I'll even find a way to expand my garden in my teeny backyard.

Reunion Time

It's so pathetic that I only got TWO pictures of our trip to Utah. I was so excited to get pics of so many places since it's been 4 years since I was last up in Provo. Alas, corralling two kids and taking pictures is not the easiest thing to do so the pictures were sacrificed.
Regardless, we had a great time visiting the Nielson's in Annabella where we were able to watch a tee-ball game and a coach pitch game followed by a father and sons activity for the boys.
Saturday we headed up to Provo/Orem where we had planned on walking BYU campus, but only made it as far as the WILK, the HFAC (to play on one of the Steinway concert grands), and the Creamery on Ninth (for some ice cream of course). We had the privilege of taking our niece Casey with us--such a sweet girl and a big help with Lincoln. At that point Lincoln's patience (and ours with him) wore out so we left to go to Orem and the family reunion.

We stopped at Aunt Marie's first where there were puppies to play with and a beautiful garden to admire. I was able to see one of the houses Zach grew up in, then we put Lincoln down for a MUCH needed nap and got to meet our newest nephew Kaven, finally!
Then we walked over to the family reunion. It was fun for me to re-meet many of the family there because the last time I had been to a family reunion with this side of the family, it had been when Zach and I had just started dating. It was great to be able to learn about Grandma Gwen- her children seem to have such a high level of respect and regard for her. We're hoping our own Gwen will live up to the name.
After that, it was back to the Nielson's for church on Sunday then back home. A quick weekend!

There's Nothing Like Bouncing to Sleep

This is the only known way to get her to sleep on her own at home.

What happened?!? She was such a snoozer to begin with, then she hit 3 1/2 months and decided sleeping during the day was not for her- I guess.

I shouldn't complain too much because it could be a lot worse- she does sleep at night (knock on wood) and every once in a while- with a lot of coaxing- I can get her to sleep during the day. She has yet to fall asleep in her crib on her own (during the day)- even with me being strong enough to let her cry for an hour. Lincoln was never this stubborn when it came to sleeping.

Well, at least she'll fall asleep in her bouncer--it's my last resort. I suppose she just doesn't want to miss anything. If it didn't look so uncomfortable, I'd probably leave her there, but I risk it to put her in her own bed.

The crazy thing about Gwen is that she is such a happy baby other than this weird quirk. She'll smile at anyone and she has a very sweet personality. Oh well, at least I get some good photos as a result of this little quirk of hers.

So EXCITED!!

Zach and I aren't huge into gift-giving. We're both too cheap to buy each other gifts for every holiday/event. In fact, for his birthday, I had a great gift in mind, but didn't want to make a big purchase without consulting him and after I did, we ended up not getting the gift---so boring- I know! Don't worry, I'm pretty sure he did get something, but just a little something.
Soooo- you can imagine my complete surprise when Zach handed me a box with a picture of this in it for Mother's Day.


We've actually been wanting to get a sewing machine for a while. I already have some fabric and a pattern of a skirt I really want to make.
Zach had to do some pretty hefty negotiating to get it for an excellent price. It's a good thing he was buying it, not me- I can't negotiate. When he was telling me about the whole negotiations I was actually kind-of cringing because he can be pretty bold and drive a very hard bargain. I was glad it was all over and done with.
Zach's mom will be picking it up for us and we'll get it this weekend. One of the greatest things about it is that it's EXACTLY like his mom's sewing machine so I already have an expert to turn to with my questions.
I should offer up that I don't really know how to sew- it's just something I think I would like to be able to do. I took Home Economics in middle school and LOVED being at the sewing machine then. I remember taking great care with my projects. I think using the sewing machine was therapeutic. If I remember correctly, it was a little like how I feel when I sit down at the piano on a good piano day.
So, I've wasted an hour of good nap time to peruse some great sewing blogs and I'm more fired up than ever.
Hopefully, it's not a waste of our money - the reason we never buy gifts to begin with. Meaning- I hope I use it well.

Sleeping Babies

I love that instead of falling back into the more comfortable position, he sleeps on the tray. I'd like to think that's because he wanted to not hurt his baby sis- but it's probably just because the tray was closer.