1,2,3,Cheeeeeeese!

I've been pondering another societal norm that I've noticed in the last few years. It has to do with cameras.

What? Cameras?

Let me begin back when I was in 6th grade. A very, l-o-n-g time ago. Not mentioning any years.
We took a little field trip to a national park near our town. I was so thrilled to have a camera to take. I think it was a little 110. Can't remember for sure. I used a WHOLE roll of film! Then I had to pay to get it developed and wait for it to come back. I loved those pictures, even typing on the back of them what they were. Which was good, because years later, if I hadn't had the info on the back I would have had no idea what the picture was of. Was I in any of the pictures? Yes, one. Out of 24, probably. The rest were of the landscapes, wildlife and scenery, and a couple of my friends.

Fast forward to today in our digital imaging age. My young teenaged daughter got a camera for Christmas a couple of years ago, and I've had one for a few years. While I love the ease of picture taking and deleting the not so good images, I hate storing thousands of digital images on my computer that are never going to be printed. But that's not my issue. Here's what I've noticed that has me scratching my head. While I tend to take pictures of my kids and things we do, I've noticed that the teen and early-mid 20's crowd tend to take pictures of . . . . .themselves.

Why is that? It honestly never enters my mind to take tons of pictures of myself in various poses and various states of dress. In fact, if it ever enters my mind to take a picture of myself I quickly throw that thought out, thinking how puffy I look in pictures. But I don't think that taking pictures of myself would be something I would do even if I wasn't 'puffy', if I was not overweight and out of shape.

What drives people to photograph themselves all the time? I believe that it is a product of our 'it's all about me' society. This generation of people has been raised with the notion that they are special, wonderful, important and that it's all about them, individually. Therefore, it follows that there is nothing better to take a picture of than their wonderful self. I also believe that it's a longing to be like the 'rich, famous and beautiful' people who are paraded across the magazines and screens, telling us how we should look, what we should wear, drive, eat and spend our time doing.

Going through my daughter's pictures one day I found a ton of pictures she and her good friend had taken together before we moved. At first, I thought it was nice and that they were cute, but the more I looked at them and thought about them, the more unhappy I became. Not that there was anything risque about them. It was just the dumb poses that they struck, the stuck out lips as if they were trying to make their mouths look more 'luscious' for lack of a better term. Too much sexualization if you really looked at it. I know these girls had no conscious intention to try to sexualize themselves, but because of the society they have been born into and have been drowning in ever since, they did it unconsciously. I have realized that I have a huge responsibility to try to steer them away from such behaviour and if they must have a camera, to teach them some photography skills to encourage them to take pictures of other things.

The end of the story: my daughter's camera was left laying around, of course, and the screen was broken. I'm not all that sad about it, either. I won't provide another so quickly and will do it with much contemplation and if I feel good about it.

A "Measure" of Success....

One of the societal norms that is having an impact on our family currently is the fact that the world has basically one 'measure' to determine if a family/person is successful.

When that measure is held up against my DH and myself at the current time, we are failing miserably. That is painful not only for us but for our children and our extended family.

That measure is this: how much money a man/business makes and spends determines his success and thereby his 'worth'. More money made/spent = successful, good. Less money made/spent = nonsuccessful, bad(for lack of a better word).

One example. I have never understood why the amount of money that a state spends on a child's education is the best measure of how good an education that child is getting. Utah consistently ranks in the bottom of the pile based on that measure. It would seem to me that any entity that can take a small(relative) amount of money and make it stretch and serve as many people as possible and have a high rate of return(graduates) would be considered a great success. In business it would surely work that way. Why not in education? But for some reason, it is touted that more money spent means that a state/school/district is doing better than one who spends less. I don't get it. Probably never will.

Same thing can apply to a family. We have been a one income family for a long time who has tried not to spend money frivolously. We don't take fancy trips, we don't own new vehicles, we don't go to movies or buy recreational vehicles. We live a very simple, family-based life. By the world's measure we are not good parents because our children do not have their own bedrooms, we do not give them every toy/electronic device they want, we will not be able to pay for their college educations, etc. Heaven forbid they should have to work themselves through school. However, they are good kids who are making good choices, we get along very well most of the time with very little anger in our home. There is much music, laughter and fun. As my children get older, they are exposed to more people and different families. My oldest just returned from a mission and thanked DH and I for the home he grew up in. Said he had no idea how many people lived in a home where joy and love were not a part of life. He was so thankful that our home had had fun, joy and that the Gospel was a focus.

I realize that to the world it looks like my DH and I have made some very poor choices, i.e., not getting a college degree, having 8 children, having mom stay at home. What they don't realize is that all of those decisions were not made lightly, but with thoughts of trying to follow the counsel of the prophets and trying to follow the inspiration of the Spirit to do what was best for our family.

The day that my DH went to pick our oldest son up from the daycare center(another societal norm I had swallowed at that point in my life) and found him crying in a corner, in a very stinky diaper, while the 'workers' chatted away ignoring the children, was the day that school went out the window. We chose our children over a higher education.

It seems that perhaps events have coincided to make it possible, even necessary, for him to return to school now. The best part? He is a different man now with different goals. We have different goals as a family. Now he is going back to get a degree in a field where he has great talent and abilities that he did not want to acknowledge before and would not have chosen because it is not as lucrative. He is getting a degree in education and a teaching certificate. This man has a way with people, children in particular, and can be a force for good in many lives this way. A much different goal than the one we had 20 years ago. Money. Yup, we had swallowed that societal norm/measure whole.

Over the years experience has taught us that money does not equal success. We have learned that we would much rather measure ourselves by a different measure. We think that a better measure would be: success equals following our Savior and our Father and doing our part to build up the kingdom of God on the earth. Building a strong family culture. Serving those around us the best we can. Having enough money to care for ourselves and help others as we can is important, but it is no longer the focus. It does not determine what we study, who our friends are, how we raise our children, the number of children we have or how we spend our time. It's just a tool to be used with wisdom and judgement in this life. If we stretch it as far as possible to serve as many people as possible, isn't that good?

Why I do what I do

That title makes me think of Fiddler on the Roof.....

Why do we do what we do?

This is a question I have been asking myself a lot in the last few years. Now I wonder why I didn't ask it of myself sooner. So much time gone that would have been better spent if I had.

I've decided that it all boils down to one thing.

TRADITION!!

That begs another question. Whose tradition? And where did those traditions come from?

When I really started asking myself why I did certain things, the only answers I could come up with were "it's what we've always done" or "everyone is doing it, so it must be right". For me it began with wondering why we just accepted public schooling as the norm and from there I have begun questioning e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g. And wondering why I swallowed it all, hook, line and sinker!

Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. Colossians 2:8

That's why I swallowed it. I was spoiled through the philosophies and deceit of men's traditions, or as I like to call them, 'societal norms'.

I am not trying to say that all 'traditions' are bad. Tradition is a very important tool to help bind people together, particularly families. What would Christmas be without traditions?? However, I have decided that I do not like the fact that I have been conditioned by our society to accept certain 'norms'. It makes me angry to think how my agency has been removed from me in many ways. I think that from this point on in my life I will always go kicking and screaming when anyone tells me I 'have' to do something. I want to know why. I want to know the reasons behind the societal norms. This has become my main educational focus right now for myself. To look at all areas of my life and see how we've been conditioned and to examine, research, study and come up with my own 'norms' or truths. I will no longer accept societal conditioning and have come to know that nearly all these conditionings were never for our good.

And that wicked one cometh and taketh away light and truth, through disobedience, from the children of men, and because of the tradition of their fathers. Doc & Cov 93:39

The conditioning that we have been subjected to has led us away from light and truth and caused us to be disobedient. It's all in Satan's plan to destroy as many of God's children as he can. And he has lots of helpers on this earth doing the conditioning for him.

In some future writings I will share how I, and by extension, my family, am bucking the 'norms' society has put in place.

*note-If you're wondering if I'm including religion in this questioning, the answer is no. I have already gained my own testimony of Christ as my savior. I'm thinking that getting at the truth in other areas of life ought to be a similar search, ponder and pray routine. Not just an acceptance of what we are told by others. In fact, we are encouraged to gain our own testimony, and not to rely on the testimony of parents, friends, missionaries etc. That being said, there is no doubt that there are some 'norms' in the LDS faith that are just traditions and have little to do with the actual truth. Those I have questioned as to whether they are needful for our family. Some we continue, some we don't.

Core Phase Summer

I wanted to write about some of the things rattling through my brain, but I just can't seem to find the time to write about serious things. I am still working on them in my head, but I wanted to post anyway.

During the last year, with so many changes in our family life, it became apparent that this summer was going to be a bit of a challenge. Due to the fact that Dad was not living with us full time from Aug to April, and Mom was often overwhelmed parenting 7 kids alone, some very bad habits were acquired by all of us during that time.

Mom would 'shut down' every night after dinner. No reading to kids, no playing, no nothing. Mostly just vegging in front of the computer or hiding in her bedroom, reading her own books.

The teenaged children would either 'hole up' in their rooms, reading or listening to music or sleeping, or be gone from the house with friends til late.

The younger children were left to fend for themselves and went from room to room creating havoc wherever they went. The bickering and quarreling were constant.

No one did their jobs on their own initiative. It usually required Mom losing her temper to get anyone to move and do anything. The most frustrating part was the fact that the kids would declare they didn't even know what the jobs were, when we've had the same basic daily jobs for years now.

So when the family was finally reunited this spring, Mom and Dad decided that we were going to have a Core Phase Summer. We were going to go back and focus on learning to obey, to work, to be responsible for that work and to contribute to the running of this household. Also to be trustworthy, honest and have integrity in all we do.

We have implemented a 'points system' taken from a pamphlet by LaDawn Jacob. I hesitated to go back to 'job charts' as I much prefer a 'family work' approach endorsed by Donna Goff and Kathleen Bahr. The trouble was that no one was participating willingly in the family work and mom was getting that Old Martyr Syndrome again. We decided that the charts would be used short term (summer) to help kids 'see' their responsibilities and be accountable to mark them for the work done.

So far, it's a mixed response. There are some kids who are not marking their charts even though they do the work and therefore they are not earning any points. Mom has to be vigilant in checking up on jobs done to make sure charts aren't being marked for jobs not done. Points can be converted into money for school needs or minutes of screen time. I'm hoping that as the summer continues they will see the value of doing the work AND marking their charts.

We've had to take a hard stand with some of them. We've had to use the Little Red Hen story to illustrate that if they do not help out around here they will not participate in the bounties of the work. It's very hard to deny a child the ability to sit at the table and eat dinner with the family for not doing any of their work that day. (They are provided simple food and drink so no one is starving.) It has however opened their eyes to the fact that we are very serious about what we are trying to teach them about working and contributing to the cause.

Wish I had known 10-15 years ago what I understand now about the importance of teaching these life basics to my kids. My older boys would not have to be shifting gears in their thinking at 16 and 17. But it's never too late and we will not shirk our responsibility as parents, even though it's hard to start over by unlearning old habits and learning new ones. As with all good things, the work will be worth the final product.

As you can tell by the change in the title of this blog things are happening in my life.
Things that are prompting me to do lots of introspection and reflection.
I'm beginning to question why I do what I do and if I still want to do what I do...
And if I don't, then what do I want to do?

I think that the thoughts and ideas that I have in my mind now have been there for a long time, on the back burner, waiting for the right time for me to examine them.

The right time seems to be now, 2010, and I hope to write about some of my thoughts and ideas and the directions I find myself going.

The family and our life will still be written about but I'm hoping to dig a little deeper into my own mind and heart and address some of those things as well.

Hope you'll stick around.

He's Home After Two Years!!

After two very long and short years, the day we've all been waiting for finally arrived. Elder Welch was flying home from Montana,

due to arrive at the SLC International Airport at 9:10 am on Thursday, May 27, 2010. Here is our little welcoming party.

We weren't able to bring all the kids since they were still in school. It's also not much fun since you can't go anywhere inside the airport to greet them. Just wait at the baggage claim area.

So we left the school aged kids home and told them to make a big banner to welcome him home.

As we parked the car and entered the airport we went past little family groups who had missionaries leaving that day. Lots of tears were being shed and faces were sad. It made me really glad we had listened to the counsel given to us at the MTC about not going to the airport to see our missionary off. Saying goodbye once at the MTC was enough.

It sure felt good to be there to welcome a returning missionary.

I knew there would be tears but ones of joy not sadness.

His bag was the first on the baggage claim carousel. So we thought he would be down quickly. Imagine our feelings as we watched missionary after missionary come down those stairs, be greeted by his/her family, gather bags and depart and we were still sitting there.

I finally saw a pair of feet step onto the escalator and as they descended I saw a young man leaning GQ fashion against the handrail and KNEW it was my son. I think Charlie knew it too because he began walking to this 'unknown' man. Then Soren came flying by, yelling, "Jordan!" and leaped into Jordan’s arms. That's all it took and the awkwardness was gone. We gathered up our son and his things and headed home.

He looks just like we remembered. Not much about him physically changed in those 2 years.

On the other hand, he is so much more spiritually mature now, he is truly a man. It's amazing to witness that growth in your own child.

He has jumped right back into family life. He has easily taken back the title of 'biggest tease' although he's nicer about it now.

It feels so good to be a 'whole' family again.

The countdown goes on.....

Down to 17 days.

We actually got to talk to the 'mish' for a couple of hours last night. It was so wonderful to hear his voice and realize that in a few short days that voice will be booming through the house again.

He took the time to talk to each of the children individually. What a precious gift to his mom. They are all so excited to have him come home. He has, however, promised each of them certain things that will take place when he gets home, such as bike rides and triple dates and such. I hope he's up to fulfilling all those promises.

This month is shaping up to be a very busy one so I'm sure the next 17 days will fly by. Between talks in church, a pioneer vignette for Youth Conference, Activity Days, Father/Son campouts, and just the general end-of-school-year rush, May 27 will be here before I know it. I probably ought to get to work on some of that stuff......Cya!

Lovin that Ticker

Yeah, that one right over there. The one that tells about how many days I have left til I get to see my boy!

I can't wait.

It's going by pretty fast at this point too, which is fun and scary.

Scary cause I'm not exactly sure where we are going to put this 'boy' when he gets home. We're working on it.

Whew! and Blargh!!!!

Criminy, it's been long time since I wrote a word or two on this ol' blog. Last night I GOT to teach a class on cooking with food storage basics to our entire stake. I had about 5 or 6 weeks to prepare, but of course I waited until the last week to really do any experimenting in the kitchen. You see, I HAVE food storage, and I USE some of it, but by no means am I very good at using it all. So I spent the better part of a week, making huge messes in my kitchen and smiling when something came out yummy and getting frustrated when yet again, something I baked turned out like crap!! I AM NOT A BAKER!! I've just accepted that fact. I can cook, but I hate baking. It's an art and I can't do it.

So today I was feeling oh so footloose and fancy-free. I did n.o.t.h.i.n.g. Except change diapers, and fix a couple of meals and do a couple of loads of laundry and play on my Wii Fit. HEAVEN!!

To top off my day, I went to SEARS online to see about using up a gift card I got for Christmas and lo and behold they are having a 12 hour sale. I quickly throw 4 pair of boots in my cart and try to check out. They won't give me the free shipping it says they will at checkout......I keep trying......I somehow lose my browser window and have to start over.....now my cart says it's empty......it won't let me put anything back in it......I want to cry. I was getting such a screaming deal on those boots.......I'm going to keep trying.

No name, but it's mine!

Yesterday I left a comment on Stacy Julian's blog about my greater purpose in scrapbooking. Just between you and me, I was trying to win a free seat in her Library of Memories class.
Anyhoo, she chose five comments and responded to them on her blog. Mine was one of the comments chosen....,.go here and read #5. That's me!

I would truly love to win that seat in her class, I learn so much from her, but I'll keep plugging along trying to implement her system (found in Photo Freedom) on my own.

It's another new year and here I am again...wondering if I will make any progress in improving myself this year. It seems every year I make a HUGE list of things I want to do, to learn, to work on or to change. And every year I rarely make a dent in my list. I sometimes wonder if I'll ever accomplish everything on my list or if I'll just meander through life, taking things as they come and wishing I could have more control over some of those things. Guess for now, I'll keep thinking about it and trying to work on that list. Maybe by the time I'm the same age as C's grandma T I'll have it all checked off. Grandma's Scripture lists and individually typed cards that she memorizes when she is walking on her treadmill. She is such a scriptorian.

Here's her certificate from the honorable governor of the State of Utah for reaching such an auspicious age.

Hopefully, when my progeny comes to help me celebrate my 100th birthday I'll have as many accomplishments to share as Grandma does. (Hopefully, I'll look as good as she does too!)

Project 365 blog

I have started an additional blog where I am posting my one picture a day project. Check it out here on in the links on the sidebar.

christmas 2009 newsletter

MERRY CHRISTMAS!! We are doing well considering our crazy circumstances-Kassie and kids in Monticello and Curtis back and forth between Provo and Monticello working and trying to sell our home. We have been abundantly blessed this year and know that God has worked in mysterious and not-so-mysterious ways to help our family. We are ever thankful for wonderful parents,siblings and friends who love and support us through it all. We are especially thankful for a missionary son and the blessings that come from his service. Jordan is currently in Billings, Montana, braving the frigid temperatures and striving to share the 'warmth' of the Gospel. We look forward to his homecoming in about 5 months. And we still get to talk to him two more times before then. Yay! Montana is a Jr at Monticello High. He was on the Cross Country team and had a good season, improving his times as the season went on. It was very cool to see him head out the door each day for his practice. It's not easy to run at 7000 ft above sea level. He is thisclose to getting his driver's license, finally. He still misses his friends at AHS but is slowly adjusting to life in a small town. Ford, on the other hand, has more friends here than he can keep track of. He just jumped into the social scene and took off. He is rarely home before 6 every night and does his best to find things to do with friends after that hour as well. He is a sophomore and was on the JV football team. He loved playing football and loved making an interception when he finally got into a varsity game. Cambria is in 7th grade, which is in high school in Monticello. She was a bit nervous about going back to public school after homeschooling and nervous about going to high school. But she has made some good friends and is doing very well in school. It was fun to see her name in the local newspaper for being on the honor roll. She is also in band, playing the clarinet, and seems to have some of the Welch talent for music. She was invited to attend an honor band activity where they learned 4 songs in two days and performed them in front on an audience the second day. We love to hear her playing at home, both piano and clarinet. Hannah is a very social 5th grader at Monticello Elementary. She collects friends! She is doing well in school in spite of needing to do some catching up in math. She enjoys Activity Days and hanging out with her cousins who live down the hill from us. She is playing Jr. Jazz basketball for the first time, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was the last time. Not her favorite thing! Sadie is in 3rd grade and is a model student. She LOVES school and tries to be the best student she can. She is excelling in reading and math is not the torture she once thought it was. She is also playing Jr. Jazz basketball and made the first 2 points(and only 2 points) in their very first game of the season. She has made several friends and can say with all honesty, "I have way more friends here than I ever had in Provo." Soren is almost 4 and adjusting to being at home without his sisters all day long. It's been a hard adjustment for him. He has a good friend who happens to be the son of my high school friend/college roommate. He also likes to play with his cousins, or run away from them, depending on the day. Cars still rules his thoughts, but he likes MarioKart as well. Charles is 9 months old and REALLY working on walking. He has no use for rolling over or crawling, just wants to go straight to walking. I suppose he won't be ruined for life if he does things in the 'wrong' order. He has two teeth and loves food. He is a wonderful child and we are so happy that he joined our family this year. I am just trying to keep my sanity and things straight as I try to keep up with the kids and all their activities. I miss my Primary calling, miss the kids and the music. I look forward to someday getting to sit through meetings again when Charles goes to Nursery. I have resumed my work as a nail technician, one appt per day, working out of my sister's salon. It's funner when there are other people around. I am so happy to be 'home' again and be near my sisters and my parents. I've longed for this for years and I'm finally here! Curtis is busy trying to finish up some of the projects in our house. We have listed it and are hoping for a quick sale so he can live with us full time, rather than part time. It has been a hard year for him, being unemployed and underemployed, but both he and I have learned alot. We are thankful for the job he does have but hope to have or create a different one soon. He has kept the road between Monticello and Provo hot! We wish you all the best in the coming year. It seems like it would be easy to get bitter and frustrated and angry when times are hard, as they are in our country right now. Thanks to our Savior, whose birth we are celebrating, we have found it easy to have hope and even joy and peace in the midst of our trials. 'Peace that surpasseth all understanding' is our wish for all!

So Close to Home....it's a bit scary!

This looks a bit too close to my reality right now, as DH and I consider what to do since yet another job interview has come and gone and someone else was hired. I hope that we do not get to the point of losing everything like the family in the movie. I do know that as long as we work together and trust in Him we will be okay regardless of what else is lost. I'm anxious to see this movie when it opens.

Randomness

Just some random photos from the last couple of months... Loyd's Lake XC race and a 3rd place JV Boys finish. Way to go!!

JV football game and some playing time for Ford. Go Bucks!! Kids enjoying their first high school football game. We had the wrong colors on and stuck out in the sea of orange and black!

Sadie’s baptism day, Aug 09.

More to come!!

Thank Heaven!

Last Thursday was my mom's follow-up PET scan after her chemo treatments. And it was.....CLEAR!!!
No radiation is needed. It was the BEST news and we are thrilled for her and we are so thankful to Heavenly Father that the treatments worked and we still have our mom.

Happy Half-Birthday!

Yesterday was Charlie’s six month birthday. I can't believe it's been that long since I was cuddling a sweet little newborn. I was thinking a few days ago that I really don't remember what he looked like that day, either. So sad that my memory doesn't function as well as it should and how thankful I am for pictures to help me remember. This is what he looks like now. His hair is growing back in and it's quite blond. His eyes are changing and we still don't know what color they will be, right now they are rather gray. He is a chubby, happy-when-he's-held boy. He knows how to zip all over in his walker and he knows how to roll from back to front. He will sit up for a few seconds and loves to snuggle. He gives the best baby hugs I've ever had. Yesterday I also got a link to a video of a couple who had a baby with Trisomy 13. It is the most heart-rending, but beautiful, story I've seen in a long time. If you feel like a good cry, go here. You can also read about it here and here. I had a friend who had a Trisomy 18 baby. They also chose not to terminate but to celebrate his life. He wasn't here long either, but he sure was loved. I went to bed last night with tears in my eyes and a tightness in my chest and held my baby just a little closer.

What color are you?

Read about this color quiz over on Karla S.'s blog. Thought it sounded interesting.

I am a 7.

7. Violet: Also an old soul. Intense, cerebral, wise, loving, generous, sentimental, and artistic.

I know for sure that the sentimental part fits like a glove, not too sure about any of the rest of it.

Give it a try.

I think I'll go try it with my maiden name.

What I See Out My Front Window Now and some Thanks!

If you had told me a year ago I'd be where I am today, I'd have laughed at you and silently wished you were right.
Things have been changing right and left for us in the last year. We've gone from employed to unemployed to underemployed. We've gone from home-schooling/private-schooling to public schooling. And we've gone from living in the city to living in a small-town.
(OK, I wish I was still homeschooling the kids, but it seemed like the best way for my kids to integrate into the town and get to know the children, so they are in public school this year and are, for the most part, loving it.)

This picture is what I see when I look out my front window today. Those are the Blue Mountains and they are so beautiful to my eyes. I grew up in this house and have watched those mountains for years. I finally learned to see the 'horsehead' on it's side, I've watched rain and snow storms envelope them and make them disappear. I've watched the maples turn scarlet and the aspens turn gold and I'm thrilled that I get to see them every day again and share them with my husband and children. (I've already drug them up the moutain road to look for deer and wild turkey!)

If there are any of my wonderful friends from Utah County reading this, please know how much your help with packing and loading, as well as your loving concern for our family meant to me. I feel so blessed to be able to call you friends, knowing that our friendship won't end even though miles separate us. Our doors will always be open to you and we'd love to have you come visit.
Thanks so much for so many good memories and years in Utah County. I love you all!

p.s. I'm not missing the traffic. at. all.
But I'm going to have to get myself more organized since I can't just run to WalMart everytime I need something!

July recap!!

We got together with everyone in Bluff. It is so hot in Bluff in July. We were thankful that Grandma had invested in a Slip-n-Slide for the kids to keep busy and cool.

Slippin and Slidin at Grandma and Grandpa's house in Bluff on a hot July afternoon.

Peyton has an interesting technique-floating on the air!

Hannah

We celebrated Sadie's 8th birthday when we returned to Provo. One of our family traditions is to have the birthday person choose what we eat for dinner on their birthday. Some kids always choose the same thing, some choose something different every day. This year Sadie chose Pizza Casserole. We eat it often so it's not really a treat, but it is something she likes, so it's all good.

Sadie's Birthday dinner-Pizza Casserole and salad! 

Sadie will be baptized in a few days by her dad. She is pretty excited for this special day! We are too!

Sadie's checkerboard CupCAKE.