Babies and Love!

What a week!

For most of the last 7 days I was either preparing for my sister to call me to help her through labor, helping her through labor, or recovering from helping her through labor.  Yeah, and I didn't get emotional at all.

We have a wonderful new niece in the family. What a joy she has been in her four days of life. I am so thankful to Jess for reminding me of those sweet spiritual highs that come with new life.


And tell me if this isn't the most special picture:

Jess and baby #2, just minutes old

It makes me cry.  It is the very definition of love.

We all love her:

When we weren't in baby mode, this is our last week:

1.  Bugs took first place in the Science Fair.  Yes, I'm serious.  And I literally did nothing.  He did a group project with two other friends, they did the experiments and wrote up their data, another mom cut out some lettering for the title and printed a few pictures.  Sa-weet!

2.  Strider and I attended the Northern Utah Marriage Coalition's annual marriage conference on Friday at Weber State.  We had such a wonderful time at the workshops and it was a fun way to strengthen our marriage and our resolve to keep our relationship our highest priority.  I highly recommend it (it is always the weekend before Valentine's Day). 

A couple we know well is splitting up and for the last few weeks it has been very difficult for us to process.  We have been married about the same time, have kids about the same ages - just seems to hit close to our hearts.  We really needed to hear the things we learned in these classes.  We already know we have a strong marriage but we also know we must be proactive in order to stay that way.

3.  The kids wrote out all their classroom valentines.  Didn't you love this part as a kid?  I sure did.

4.  Potter's school was selling roses last week as a fundraiser.  He got this one - from anonymous.  Hmmm.

5.  Bugs made an iPod Touch Valentine's Box.  All by himself.  The other kids' classes just use boring paper bags for valentine deliveries, but his class is having a contest.  What do you think?

 

Lots of love, everybody!

I'm off to make the angel food cake for our traditional family fondue night!