My family in August 2007

The Love Of My Life, Dan.

I realized as I wrote about my kids that I hadn't mentioned my sweetheart. How I love that man. I still get giggly inside when I see him across the room. He is the bishop of our ward and so each week I sit right down in front with my kids so that I can look into his face during the meeting. I am often overcome with emotion of how blessed I am to have him love me. He is patient with me beyond words. And I certainly have tried his patience! He seems oblivious to my many faults and has on only a very few occasions criticized me. He is constantly trying to see to my needs and to provide whatever service he can to lighten my burdens. It doesn't matter how tired he is, my needs come first. He is a true example how a man should love his wife. I love him.

The Dust Has Settled!

The wedding is over and the honeymooners have returned. Life is heading back to normal. Danya married Sam in a whirlwind romance that began with a Family Home Evening Date and ended in the Mesa Arizona Temple. It's funny that during the busy planning stage of the wedding I didn't think to much about missing her. In fact, I kept thinking that it would be one less person's laundry basket that I would be doing. Laundry is a big deal at this house. Still. Even with 1/2 of my children gone. But it hit me this morning. She is not mine anymore. Well, she is but not the same. She is now Sam's wife. My little middle child has her own home now. I am so happy for her yet my heart aches a bit. I will miss her joyful spirit in our home. I will miss her tender dealings with her little brothers. I will miss the silliness that she and Emily engaged in. I will miss her sweet face and her scary hair in the mornings. I will miss her.

My home has changed in the last 7 years. I have 5 daughters and 6 sons. Their names and ages are: Adam 30, Amber 28, Katie 26, Bonnie 24, Spencer 22, Danya 20, Layne 16, Emily 14, Riley 11, Ammon 9, and our baby, Banner 6. As you can see, for so many years our home was female dominated! Things have changed! Now our home is male dominated and it just is different. Not better or worse. Just different. I guess I had better just suck it up and learn to enjoy scouting. And camping. And dirt. And all sort of things gross things that little boys love. I sure love my family. They have such dynamic personalities. And they all have an opinion about everything. My home is noisy! I wouldn't have it be any other way.

Joining the sisterhood!

Today is the day! I finally joined the wonderful sisterhood of bloggers! It is amazing to me that I can peek into the lives of so many women that I have never met and find myself feeling like I know them. I was introduced to the mysterious blogging world through my daughter in law Susan. Her blog is so creative and fun to read. Then I invited myself into my sister Annette's blog and couldn't help but feel a longing to create. My daughter Katie started her own blog and that was the final morsel of temptation that I couldn't resist. I had to start my own blog! But wait....will there be little blogging fairies that will come and leave clever and creative blogs? No? Sigh. Now I remember what kept me from starting before! Well, here goes. Come on brain. Work for me today!