When Stephen and I were first married, his parents were serving a mission in Russia and his grandparents would have us and his other siblings up for dinner at their home in  Bountiful every month. Those were the  dinners where it was hard to know if the company or the food was better.  We loved those trips and having them here and our kids falling in love with them just reminded of the magical spell they cast on anyone they come in contact with.  Andria and Charles (Oma and Opa) have that same magic and every time I saw the kids laugh or snuggle up with them, my heart ached that we live so darn far away.

Well the kids are growing and Christian had his first primary program today.  I might or might not have bribed him with a story of a solider on the way home from church if he sat with his class, said his part pleasantly, and didn't chase a certain eight year old Damon around the church.   He did pretty well, especially considering his neighboring Sunbeam was doing multiple pirouettes.

Simeon is a hoot these days.  He has started giving us the most mischievous look when he has a tight lipped smile and looks in the corner of his eyes.  He's catching up on his speech and much to my chagrin using phrases like "Be nice!" "Gentle!"  Obviously he's heard tehse lines a little too often. He is a typical two year old, but he is getting happier as he ages.

Joshua is growing like a weed on me.  I'm not sure if he smiles more than most kids, but he sure seems full of smiles to me.

Stephen came and returned from a conference early this week.  Apparently sick as sick in a cold hostel with five other guys isn't what he considers a dream come true--thankfully a crazy house with a wife juggling three wild boys is.

As for myself, I'm doing well.  Sometimes I feel overwhelmed with the basics of keeping three kiddos alive---much less moral and upright individuals. The hardest part is the thought that if I feel overwhelmed now with just three, that I'm just not cut out to handle the kind of big family I have always idealized and adored. I guess I'm getting to the point (perhaps a little earlier than more capable women) of needing God a little more than I'm comfortable with.  As hard as it sometimes is, I don't know that life has ever been so sweet.