SAM

Yup...its true...my baby has been passing the sacrament!
Its so crazy that he is old enough to do that! He does a good job.

He is old enough to do some man chores around the house too! WOW!!

Apparently the young women at church kind of LIKE him! ha ha ha! Its a bit much for this mom to take! I can remember being a young girl and watching the young men pass the sacrament and thinking, "hmmm, I could marry him...or, " he's really cute...I wonder what our kids would look like..." (Of course, I am hoping that I was a VERY WEIRD KID. and that no other girls are like me.) Yikes, I can't stand the thought that other young girls may be having those thoughts about my baby who still needs his mom to remind him to brush his teeth and wear deodorant! Sometimes it feels like life is on hyper speed mode or fast forward. anyone else feel that way? They grow up way too fast. (I think I've said that before...)

Jenna

I love this girl!

Little Hands

Occasionally Jenna goes to class! She is growing up so fast. Her little hands are always busy. Into everything, she plays, she cleans, she is a great helper. She often tells me she is too busy to put away her things! She loves to comb her own hair, get herself dressed, (she changes her clothes at least three times a day!) She is learning to count and sing the ABC song. She is my little shadow...with me always, we love to sit and snuggle and she loves to touch my hair or my face. (its really very sweet). She recently learned that her mom's name is NOT Sarah Galbraith...(who knew!) so now every once in a while she will call be by my name...Nah doo Lee. Its so cute! Yesterday we spent our lunch time pretending to be Isa and Dora. (She was Dora of course!) She has such a big imagination and is so easy to please...(which is probably why she is more than a bit spoiled) Which I think is okay...they're only little for so long and then they're gone...my baby's are growing up...

Register...and VOTE!!!

The following letter was issued by the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on September 11, 2008, to be read to Church congregations throughout the United States:

Political Participation, Voting, and the Political Neutrality of the Church

As citizens we have the privilege and duty of electing office holders and influencing public policy. Participation in the political process affects our communities and nation today and in the future.

Latter-day Saints as citizens are to seek out and then uphold leaders who will act with integrity and are wise, good, and honest. Principles compatible with the gospel may be found in various political parties.

Therefore, in this election year, we urge you to register to vote, to study the issues and candidates carefully and prayerfully, and then to vote for and actively support those you believe will most nearly carry out your ideas of good government.

The Church affirms its neutrality regarding political parties, platforms, and candidates. The Church also affirms its constitutional right of expression on political and social issues.

Sincerely yours,

Thomas S. Monson
Henry B. Eyring
Dieter F. Utchdorf
The First Presidency

There you have it...straight from the top! Get on out and register....then do your duty to God and your country....GO VOTE!!!

Come One, Come All...

to the Civil War Reenactment right here in Caldwell County! The main event is scheduled for June 5-7 2009. But, there will be a preview (mini) event this October. If you want to be a vendor contact me! We need em! You can sell period correct product or modern product...You will just be in a different area of the camp...they are trying to achieve a really authentic camp and battles. It should be FUN!! I can't decide if I want to vend or reenact or both! This stuff is just so exciting!

Pears!!!

On Tuesday morning Jenna and I joined the
Grove family to pick pears! Yum!

We picked for about a half an hour and will probably get at least 100 qts of pears! We're thinking we may try Pear Sauce and Pear Butter. Any favorite Pear canning recipes would be great! I found a lovely website that has tons of great Pear recipes just not for canning...anyhow, we had a great time and the kids really enjoyed each others company! I LOVE canning!!! It is so rewarding. Unlike making dinner, where, as soon as your done the food is gone and then you get to clean up! When you "CAN", you get to see the beautiful food on the shelf for a long time! and in the winter when fruit is expensive, you have yummy nutritious food to feed your family. Not to mention the happiness I get from my kids loving the canned fruit WAY more than the store bought kind!!! Yay for canning!! I will probably be doing this for a few days so you know where I am!!! Oh and if anyone knows where I can get green beans and apples...that would be GREAT!! (Of Course, any other fruit or veggies would be great too! :) Just let me know! I'm on the prowl....ha ha ha ha

Do you hear the people sing???

On Friday, Gramma Fish called! She said that she and Grampa had tickets to see Les Miz but weren't going because of the storms...and did I want them??? Are you kidding??? I was so thrilled to get to go. So, after much talk and planning I invited my friend Sasha to go with me. It was terribly stormy. The aftermath of hurricane Ike was blowing through. Many of the roads were flooded, there were tornadoes in the area and driving rain so bad we could barely see the road! We were assured though that the show would go on...So, off we went. We had dinner at Chipotle (it is amazing!) then we went to the theater. (we were a tiny bit terrified from the drive) but, we found our seats and waited excitedly for the show to begin. The curtain begins to rise and a man steps out...Everyone is applauding, he says,"You're not going to like what I have to say...the sound equipment is wet so the show has been canceled." Oh my, you have no idea how sad we were! They said we could use our tickets for a different night though so, we decided to go to a movie. We saw Mama Mia...it was alright but, I wasn't that impressed! (sorry mama mia fans) Well, we went home and decided to try for the next night. (We actually consider it a bonus that we got to go out two nights in a row...when does that happen???) So, we get to the theater again...BUS LOADS of people...It was a packed house! We sat in our ponchos, in the rain, and enjoyed the best play I have seen in a long time. It was AMAZING!! The actors are from the Broadway cast...the scenery was beautiful...Their voices were perfect. I LOVE LOVE LOVED IT!!!! I need the soundtrack now! I had the hardest time not singing along at the top of my lungs!!! It was so much fun! I would go again in a heartbeat. I am seriously considering selling something just to get season tickets..hahhahha! Thanks so much Gramma and Grampa! It was a fantastic night!!!

Basil Pesto!

Today I took a chance and made Basil Pesto! I am so amazing! I used basil from my own garden and got a recipe offline...Now we just have to see if it tastes good...Yay for trying new things!!!

Sams Twelve!

Sam has had an extended birthday this year...and he has milked every minute of it!! "Mom", he'll say, "I am still the birthday boy!" He thinks he's pretty funny (Smart)! So, for his birthday this year (his dad was in Milwaukee, I will post about that later!) I took him and the rest of the kids to Red Robin for dinner. That is his favorite restaurant and he got to order off of the grown up menu! He loved it! He had endless refills of root beer and steak fries. He got the chili cheeseburger, the crew came and gave him a balloon birthday hat and sang happy birthday Red Robin style! That of course came with a birthday dessert which he shared with all of us (in truth, he was just too stuffed to eat it all himself!) After that we went over to Target to hunt down a birthday present. He picked out a Lego's set and a pack of football cards. Football cards are his current retirement plan...He thinks they will be worth "A LOT" of money when he is old!! :)

Fast forward through the week to this Sunday...He was ordained to the office of a deacon! It is so exciting and awe inspiring to see your children grow and change. He really is a sweet kid. We worked hard all week memorizing the last three articles of faith so he could earn his Faith in God award. He was really nervous about getting the priesthood. Somehow I think he knows what kind of responsibility comes with it, and I think he still wants to stay a kid. He did great though and had a wonderful day. After church we had the family over for lunch and Sam got a few more gifts! He had a really great day! Thanks so much to all the men who participated in the ordination, and to those of you who came for the lunch it was a special day for Sam!

MY LITTLE SAM...IS GROWING UP

He has been such a fun kid to have around...We loved him the moment we knew he was on his way to earth! And he is so much fun! He is constantly making jokes and trying to be funny...(almost like a never ending cartoon!) He is so full of crazy stories too, he cracks me up with the things he comes up with. He is an excellent student, and a great friend. He has been a fabulous big brother (most of the time!) and a pretty good helper to his parents! We love you so much Sam, thanks for choosing us!!

...on a side note, for you non-believers...Sam was a VERY FAT BABY!!! SEE!! It all came right off as he started walking but, take a look at those rolls...AMAZING!!!

My Latest Project

So, my latest home improvement project occurred during the week that Erinn was gone to Milwaukee. I figured, he isn't here to argue and its a great surprise right?? Well, Monday morning after dropping him off at the airport I moved all the furniture and rented a steamer! My mom and dad showed up to help (They are AMAZING!!!) We stripped off all the wallpaper and found a box for a light switch! I had thought that I would never get a light in this room so that was awesome...We pulled new wiring in by drilling holes in the walls and ceiling (I am only a little bit bruised from the drill..Ha ha ..I dropped it on my face!) We mudded and taped and sanded for days....My mom and dad worked waaaay harder than they should have but it was so much fun! Then it was time to paint (finally) I had decided that I wanted to paint the room a really dark navy blue but, when we put the color on the walls it was like a bold clown blue so we started dumping paint into a bucket until we got this color...I LOVE it! It fits perfectly with the house and the trim...everything I have looks better now! It was the same with the ceiling we just combined old paint until we found a color we liked...It looks so great...matches the walls and the house. We got the job done by Friday, just in time for Jake and Al to install my new ceiling fan! They were so great...they came over after a hard days work and put it up for me...Thanks guys it looks great! And thanks so much to mom and dad...without you I couldn't have done it! Thank you Thank you Thank you!!! I love my new room!!

The two pics at the bottom are just so you can see how bad it was before!!!

Thought for the day...Believe

"The Lord has promised us that as we 'search diligently, pray always, and be believing, . . . all things [will] work together for [our] good' (D&C 90:24). That doesn't mean that everything will be perfect or that we will not have any trials, but it does mean that everything will be okay if we just 'hang in there.' Ours is the opportunity to 'be . . . an example of the believers' (1 Tim. 4:12), and the Savior has promised that 'all things are possible to him that believeth' (Mark 9:23). So believe in yourselves. Believe that you are never alone. Believe that you will always be guided."

Elaine S Dalton, "Believe!" Ensign, May 2004, 110

I enjoy getting these little thoughts in my email and thought I would share this one with you. I love it. Have a great day!

Scattergories

I don't usually pay any attention to these little games but, I thought it looked fun, so here you go...

Use the 1st letter of your name to answer each of the following. They have to be real places, names, things.. nothing made up! Try to use different answers if the person in front of you had the same 1st initial. You CAN'T use your name for the boy/girl name question.

WHAT IS YOUR NAME? Natalie

4 LETTER WORD: Nice

BOY NAME: Nathan

GIRL NAME: Natasha

OCCUPATION: Nurse

A COLOR : Navy Blue

SOMETHING YOU WEAR: Necklace

BEVERAGE: Nesquick

FOOD: Nuts and Noodles

SOMETHING FOUND IN A BATHROOM: Nail Polish

A PLACE IN ILLINOIS: Nauvoo

REASON FOR BEING LATE: None of my kids were ready to go...No one told me what time to get here...

SOME THING YOU SHOUT: Now!!! (I have a bit of a problem with patience!)

All right I finally did one...Enjoy!