It All Comes Out in the Wash

James likes to put random things in his pockets. Here are a few things that I've found in the washer:
chocolate chips (surprisingly, they didn't melt in the wash)
quarters or other loose change
rocks of various sizes
a matchbox car
dead dandelions
small sticks
crayons
a variety of hard candy
stickers
You gotta love little boys and their treasures.

Blessing Day

Adam's family.

All tuckered out.
Sleeping beauty.

Ruby was blessed today in church. The day started out pretty crappy-- literally. James woke up at 4:00 this morning with diarrhea and had managed to get it all over his blankets, clothes, sheets and crib. He never went back to sleep; hence, we all look a little tired in these pictures. Good times.

My Hero

The following is an extract taken from an article that appeared in the church news this week. Elder Richard G. Hinckley spoke at the Salt Lake City North Stake Conference and part of his talk was quoted in this article about his father President Hinckley. I miss President Hinckley!

The focus of Elder Hinckley's address was an offering of gratitude for the love the Lord has shown to His children. "Specifically, I have felt within me a renewed sense of awe and wonder for the keys that He has restored in this dispensation, and, even more specifically, for the keys and authority made manifest in the ordinances of the temple."
He said that just over a year ago, members of his family were in Salt Lake City for the sealing of his sister's youngest daughter, the 24th of 25 of President Hinckley's grandchildren to be married.
"This was the last sealing my father performed in mortality," Elder Hinckley said. "As is customary, he made a few informal remarks before beginning with the actual sealing ordinance. His comments were unrehearsed and spontaneous. He talked for a minute or two, then paused and looked around the small sealing room, filled primarily with family and a few friends of the bride and groom. He then said something that struck me with such force that I vowed to remember it always.
"He said, speaking quiety, almost as though speaking to himself, 'It has just occurred to me that I have sealed all five of my children and all 24 of my married grandchildren in this temple.' He then paused for a moment or two and concluded, 'I think that is the finest thing I have ever done.'
"I thought of his 97 years, and of the tremendous, untiring efforts he had made to bring the kingdom forward in the earth, yet when all was said and done, just eight months before the end of his long and productive life, in the quiety privacy of that sealing room, he reflected that the finest thing he had ever done was to bind his family--his posterity--together for eternity."

Ruby, Don't Take Your Guns To Town

James, showing off his tatts.

Looking a little cross-eyed.
James, looking like a suave British businessman. Ruby, looking like she's being strangled.

How long would you last?

www.bunkbeds.net/velociraptor/ I would last 51 seconds.

Cat Strikes Again

Ok, so I have another cat story. Different cat this time but part of the same family, sort of. Again, my sister related this story to me. My sister's husband's brother-in-law went to visit his in-laws in Arizona. His mother-in-law decided to make tuna casserole for dinner (ew!). The prepared dish was sitting on the counter waiting for the guests to arrive when the mother-in-law found her cat eating from the dish. Instead of throwing it out and starting over (like any sane, normal person would do) she decided to serve it to her guests anyway. After the dinner party was over and all of her guests had left she opened her front door and found her cat dead stiff on her doorstep. Well, she panicked and assumed the cat had been poisoned from the casserole. She immediately called all of her family and told them about the cat eating the casserole and they ALL went to the hospital and had their stomachs pumped. Well, the next day, her next door neighbor came to her house and told her that she had accidentally run over her cat and killed it. Oops! Oh well, who doesn't enjoy a good stomach pumping once in a while?

Ruby Lulu

Here's our little Ruby. She was born August 28 at 10:45am. The labor and delivery was so easy. I think I could have twenty kids if all I had to do was push them out and I was able to skip the nine months of hell leading up to it. She was 7lbs 4oz. She's healthy and a pretty mellow baby. James is a very sweet big brother. He always wants to give her kisses and help take care of her. We feel very blessed to have her in our home.