Friday, December 21, 2007

Away in a Manger

Away in A Manger

FAMILY 2007 TOP TEN LIST

WELCOME TO THE OUR FAMILY BLOG!
If this is the first time you are visiting, we are happy to have you! If you are visiting because I stuck a sticker on your Christmas card, consider this you newsletter... (I see no need for redundancy) Anywho, this is a quick look at our year!

10. Wade was born on March 16th, 2007. A fabulous addition to this wild and crazy home. He is nine months old now, and crawling all over the place. He is a charmer, and keeps us very busy. see post: Santa Baby


9. Abby Started FIRST GRADE! She LOVES going to school, spelling tests, and hot lunch?? (Seriously, I have never seen a kid want hot lunch sooooooooo bad.)


8. Abby lost her first tooth! See blog post: Abby's first Tooth

7. Jaxon was finally formally diagnosed with ASD. Autism Spectrum Disorder. He is a great fun loving boy, with his own set of challenges, but hey, don't we all have challenges?
See post: Day of Miracles
or post: Our Kid Jaxon
but especially post: Bubba Dub


6. We went on a great trips to Sun River, OR. and Salt Lake City Utah! (For Pix, click on the corresponding photo link to the right)


5. Peter lost 55 lbs! (I kid you not!) The picture that you see to the right was taken back in August, when he had lost about 30 lbs, so, since then, he has lost about 25 more! His transformation has been fabulous, and he weighs as much as he did when we got MARRIED! (I wish I could say that!)


4. Abby fulfilled a life time dream of being in the CIRCUS! (No kidding) To see her performance, click on the video link to the right. :)


3. We are now the proud owner of THREE HOUSES! I know, it seems excessive, but actually, we our trying our hand at real estate development as well as being landlords... I will let you know how THAT is working out next year. As for right now, I spend 60% of my day being a general contractor, and landlord. Of course, I spend the other 40% doing laundry...


2. We just received a new calling to teach the Marriage and Family class at church! You think I am joking? We thought they were joking too. Obviously, we have something to learn.


1. WE DIDN'T MOVE THIS YEAR!!!! That is right! We are still living in the same home that we lived in LAST YEAR, and we don't have plans to move! It is a CHRISTMAS MIRACLE!


We wish all of you a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS, and a Happy New Year. We love you, and hope that you will stay in touch! Love,

Peter, Lindsey, Abby, Jaxon, and Wade

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Fun with FOOD!


Oh... this stage of babyhood is the absolute messiest.. I can't decide if letting him feed himself, and get COVERED in whatever it is he is eating is better or worse than having to feed him spoonful, by spoonful. Why can't they just go right into feeding themselves with a spoon, and using a napkin! I guess it really doesn't get that much better... Abby and Jaxon still get food on their clothes, in their hair, and on the floor too.

I couldn't resist taking a few pictures. I mean, the kid was using Chicken and Broccoli like the latest hair gel trend! It is pretty hard to see in the picture all of the broccoli that ended up in his hair, but just imagine it. I think it was the perfectly placed piece of rice on his nose that made me run for the camera, or maybe it was the smattering of broccoli on his right eye, it is hard to say.

Enjoy! Oh, and Enjoy the new recipe link to Butterscotch Bark. I saw it on-line today and I had all of the ingredients to try it out. It was fun, quick, easy, and yummy, so check it out!

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Have a Very Elfish Christmas!

Myspace Backgrounds - Christmas Lights


http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1305699702

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1315163830

Friday, December 7, 2007

Santa Baby

Myspace Backgrounds - Christmas Lights
This is what happens when you put a Santa Hat on Wade..

At first, he wants to chase after you because you have the camera...

So, you don't get a clear shot...

Then he notices that he has the Santa Hat and tries to pull it off..

Then, it is a battle to keep the hat on..

Then you enlist your older daughter to help..

Then it becomes a wrestling match...

And so, it doesn't really help..

And so you give up..

Merry Christmas!

The Blessings of Missionary Work


After our 11 hour car ride home from Utah on the Saturday after Thanksgiving (yes, we shaved an hour off by only stopping for one meal) I had to re-group quickly and head over to Seattle(a 4 hour car ride) for a very special occasion.

Andres Bennin, who I taught when I was a missionary 11 years ago in the Washington DC South mission, was getting off his mission in Tacoma, WA. For the past two years I have written him letters telling him that SURELY, SOMETIME, I would be in Seattle and I would drive over to see him, and take him to lunch or dinner, and visit. Well, two years seemed to go by in a flash, and I never did get over to Seattle.. I guess with moving from Sandpoint, and having a baby, and dealing with Jaxon issues... I didn't have much free time on my hands.

Anyway, my loving and very supportive husband, sucked it up and took care of the kids for a couple of days so I could go over and see Elder Bennin and his mother who came from DC to get her boy. It was the last chance I was going to have!

It was an amazing and wonderful experience. One that I don't think I will be able to put words to. But I am going to try...

I entered into the transfer meeting and was able to hear his final testimony of the gospel. It was an amazing meeting, and I almost wanted to go out tracting after...but that is another story..During his testimony, he stood and pointed out that the missionary who taught him the gospel was in the back, sitting next to his mom. I almost turned and looked myself, because it seems like a dream that I had long ago. He reminded me that they were found while we were tracking in the blizzard of '96. Truly... it was called by all of the media outlets the BLIZZARD OF '96. I really don't remember how much snow was on the ground, it was a lot.. but mission rules are, if there is snow on the ground with un-plowed roads, you must leave your car parked.

I was companions with a sister I was training at the time, Sister Petty, and we were not in the area where the Doris Larbi and her boys lived, but my next companion was.. and Doris and her boys were found during that week because Sister Burgess and her companion were hoofing it, and tracting, because that is all we could do. I was too, but not in that area.. I was blessed enough to meet up with Sister Burgess the next transfer where we followed up with Doris and her boys to teach a first discussion. I know sister Burgess and I were blessed for tracting during that blizzard! Doris and her boys were baptized two weeks later.

The ward family was very upset that we wanted to rush their baptism along, stating that they had not come to church enough times, and that people fell away too often. This was a ward that had not had a baptism in their ward for a few years... and it was easy to see why at times. The bishop called me and insisted that the baptism be postponed, and to make matters worse, church was cancelled the Sunday they were to be baptized because sludge was coming up through the pipes in the Stake Center. It sure seemed like hell was combining against us. A quick call from my mission President to the bishop, and a relocation to another Stake Center and they were baptized that Sunday. The following week James (the older of the two sons) gave his first talk as a youth speaker at 16 years old. I remember laughing, almost out loud in the back row of the church because he bore the most powerful testimony of the gospel of any new member of the church that I had ever heard. I was laughing because it was a testimony to me, and my companion at that time that the work had not been thwarted, and the Lord's side had won! It was so amazing to hear that testimony.

I came to find out, on this trip to see Andres, that his brother had no notes for that talk, and he had quoted Book of Mormon Scriptures as well as scriptures from the Joseph Smith History... and that he had gone to each ward in the Stake as a speaker with the Stake Predsident....amazing. Now, 11 years later, James has graduated from BYU TWICE and is now an Attorney in North Carolina. He also served a mission in the Los Angeles, CA. mission. He was married in the DC temple about 3 years ago, and just had his first daughter. Andres graduated from BYU in Molecular Biology before he left on his mission and now is planning on getting his JD as well.

I had probably 100 missionaries come up to me after Andres' final testimony, and tell me how knowing him had changed their lives. His nickname in the mission was the rain-maker, because he would baptize in every area... even if there had not been baptisms for years. He baptised over 100 people and had 7 people scheduled for baptism as he was leaving the mission.

Many of those Elders who knew him thanked me... for finding him... But I thank Doris and the boys, for being humble, and prepared, and Heavenly Father, for showing me for years and years the amazing miracle of missionary work, and what a blessing it is in not only your life, but the lives of others, and not only for 18 months, or two years but for a lifetime, and an eternity. I love you guys, thank you for keeping me a part of your life.

More Thanksgiving Memories

Myspace Backgrounds - Christmas Lights
What would thanksgiving be without a little Guitar Hero? Well, not much by my family's standards. We had a great time in SLC, and to prove it, here are a few pix. Thanks for the memories!
Trevor and Peter strutting their stuff with guitar hero.


Enjoying the fab food at the Grand America Buffet. I think I may have eaten my weight in shrimp.




Here we are decorating gingerbread houses. Did I mention that a Stewart will use any excuse to put frosting in their mouth? Cool trick hills. . .

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