Garden 09

Mike must be pregnant. All he can think about is the garden (and chocolate). Here's a few pictures of the backyard metamorphisis.

Square foot gardening makes a lot of sense...until you realize that you've built 170sqft of new boxes that need to be cultivated and protected from deer, dog, chickens, and Samuel.

The bees have been busy. Last year the runty tree put-out three petrified pears. Now there are over 30.

Planting 9-rows of potatoes, pumpkin, carrot, and one cucumber bush.

We're doing flowers too. The green in front of the bulbs is wheat.

Making sure that the deer have plenty to eat.

It turns-out that climbing roses do a lot better when they have a place to climb.
Cucumbers, apple tree, tons of strawberries, raspberries, and watermellon in the background.

Bad picture of a very good thing. What once was a junk pile is now a cool privacy screen.

Puppy

Ready...Fire...Aim...!



Now we have a dog. Its worth more than our cars.

Samuel in the Snow

Samuel turned two in January. He spent the day playing in the snow.

Cousin Camp 2008

Here's Mike carving for all the cousins.
This is only half of them. It was taken just after they recieved their shirts.

Samuel walked off to be alone in the underbrush.
Meals were served here.
We sang from the fun songbooks from which my brother Erik played his guitar. Here was the wash station. You know....latrine's.

Unfortunate Events

Hiking was fun. Unfortunately we did not realize it was a "Red air" day. With all the factors in place, it caused Samuel and Mom to be in the hospital for a few days. Samuel had conjegestion on Sunday. Monday, Mom was away at an "emergency"idiotic meeting(long story) and Samuel climbed up onto the table at or after dinner and ate some of the alfredo sauce mom made for half of the family. Tuesday, we were in the bad air and that night Samuel was having a hard time breathing. It was asthma. There is a drastic story to tell. Such as the E.R. gave him croup medicine, and tried to give him anitbiotics in case it was a childhood disease. After three hours they gave him medicine for his lungs and transfered us in an amblance to Primary Children's. Once they got there they heard me tell them that Samuel has food sensitivies/allergies and then they started to listen to mom more. It was as if the Dr.'s watching us after being admitted needed to learn that mom has things under control and didn't need them to solve the problem. Samuel just needed help in his lungs. Asthma.

Jacob's First Catch

Our Opa and Oma were visiting when we went to our Grandpa Dean's property in Bluffdale to try our hand at his fish. We have never tried but heard how easily the fish bite. We were hoping for a wonderful trout but if they were there, they were not biting. As soon as we used the local food (grasshoppers), the carp started biting. Jacob was so excited about this. He said he battled the fish for two minutes and his pole almost broke. Opa did great helping. Jacob didn't care it was carp and needed to be left.

Children are such blessings.

Every where I go my children come with me. So lately, each time we are out running about a store or someplace, some tells me what beautiful children I have. I couldn't agree more. This picture captures their beauty. I feel it is their inner beauty which emanates their true selves. They are innocent and pure and without guile. How blessed I am to learn from them in this role of motherhood. I know they are truly a gift for my husband and I to learn and grow in this season of our life. They, in turn, will receive "blessings" and "gifts" from God which will bring them true joy. It will be their chance to learn what God wants to teach them, through little ones. Blessings, Katie
We were listening to the Symphony from the hall.
And seeing the beautiful flowers at Temple Square.
They do this for pleasure, you know.