Merry Christmas!

Guess what . . .

We're having a BOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We are so extremely thrilled and can't wait for our little man to join our family.

Wahoo!!

We're Expecting!

"Everywhere in nature we are taught the lessons of patience and waiting. We want things a long time before we get them, and the fact that we want them a long time makes them all the more precious when they come."

Joseph F. Smith

And on that note . . . WE'RE EXPECTING!!!

The fertility road has felt long and tiresome, but what a feeling now! It almost feels like all those hard times are a blur. We are so grateful that my pregnancy is going smoothly so far and are thrilled to welcome this darling angel into our home this May!

Happy Birthday, Mikey!!!

Happy birthday to my sweet husband who loves life, family, memories, music, the gospel, fun, Lake Powell, Oregon, kids, learning, Pepsi, the Jazz, the Cougars, driving, and crazy adventures!

I love you, Babe!

"Always and Forever"

Last Friday was a special, sad, happy, and sacred day. My sweet Grandma Jensen passed away in her home with family around. Mikey and I had the opportunity to make it up to see her and say "good-bye" within the hour that she passed and were just in the other room when she went. We will miss her so dearly, but it was a sacred experience to be in her home while angels attended to her and to our family.

My Grandma Jensen was the cutest woman ever. She loved to throw parties and did so often. In fact, she just had her 85th birthday on June 23rd and she was able to attend her big birthday bash where there were 80 guests! Grandma made everyone feel at home and loved. She loved beautiful things and she always looked her best. Even last week when she had visitors coming over to give her their love, she made sure she was sitting up on the couch with lipstick on and her hair done. She loved sharing special moments with her family and friends.

Grandma was also very determined! She never let grass grow under her feet. About 15 years ago--if that--she wanted a new piano, but she hadn't really played the piano in years. My Grandpa Jensen told her that if she could learn to play "Autumn Leaves" and play it at a family party, he would buy her a new piano. She did just that! Grandma then took piano lessons for years! Just last week I was sitting with her and she told me that not being able to play the piano has been one of the hardest things about getting sick. She became very good at the piano and had a lot of songs memorized.

Grandma was a world traveler. Just this past September, my grandma visited my parents on their mission in Mongolia! Can you believe that? Then a few months later she went with her friends to Hawaii! She was very determined to live life to the fullest and say, "Yes!" to life.

I love her so much and want to be just like her when I grow up! I am so thrilled I am part of her eternal family. She always signed every letter and email, "Always and Forever." And that's the comforting part of all of this. "Always and forever!"

Here are a couple other perfect tributes to my perfect Grandma:

The Dockter Crew

The Thatcher Fam
The Speyer Family

Grandma's Obituary

We're meeting our new niece today! . . .

. . . and she's sixteen! And doesn't speak English!

This is Victoria! Mikey's sister (Kerry) and brother-in-law (Spencer) have just adopted beautiful Victoria from the Ukraine. Kerry and Vika (her nickname) are flying in as we speak! I'm so anxious and excited to meet her. What an adventure she has in store. She's coming home to three new darling little brothers, she doesn't speak any English, and she is leaving any family and friends she does have to move to across the world. We can't wait to welcome her into the family and get to know her. She seems like such a sweet girl.

Tidbits #1

It's almost March! Yikes! Well, here are some tidbits from the past few months. We'll cover Thanksgiving now and then go from there. :)

Thanksgiving was a lot of fun. We spent it with Mikey's family and Mikey smoked his first turkey. Oh.my.gosh. Delish! It definitely became a fast tradition. And it was so much easier than we thought it would be. (Well, he did most of the work, so it was really easy for me!)

It looks a little burned on the outside, but underneath that . . . heaven!

Our little smoked turkey was more of a side-dish, so Colleen also roasted a larger turkey in the oven. TWO turkeys?! Doesn't get better than that! Hello, Leftovers!

Mikey and Grandma Pete. Love her.

Darling nephew Cole

Alain "sneaking" some smoked turkey before dinner

...and the Dinner Crew (going clockwise starting from the far left): Michelle, Cole, Colleen, Russ, Pat, Grandma Pete, Mikey, Karie, Alain, Riley, Sydney, and Luke

Successful dinner! Fun day!