Great Grandma comes to visit

Great Grandma Henrichsen came to visit for uncle Spencer's graduation from high school. She got to meet Evelyn for the first time. It is hard because we haven't been out to see her in several years, and don't really plan to soon as she lives in Pleasant Grove. But it is a huge blessing she is able to come!! We braved mosquitoes and had a cookout.

Grandma Mclean also came that week to bring back Great Grandma Lucas who had been living in FL for the winter. I think it literally saved her life because our winter was so awful here. Aren't Tyler's home made benches awesome?!

Ava has taken a great interest in photography.

Here she is reading to Midas at the local library. She devours books!! I am so happy for both these interests. She also has a pretty good group of friends she has made at school. 

Baby is crying. Gotta Run!

Tastes like chicken

Today we ate a chicken we raised and harvested. I have to admit it was a little weird, and made me want to gag a little. The taste was fine, but remembering that cute little chicken and then seeing it on my plate was a different experience. It is one of God's creatures I am thankful for!

You can see our coop in the background above with the grape vines.

The boys from church helping so they know what to do "just in case."

Sabbatical!

It is SO sad I haven't blogged in over a year. It is something that I love to do and I believe is really important for our family. Our family grew, then shrunk, then grew again over the past year. Thanks to my amazing aunt I got a new-to-me computer that is amazing and can do all I want it to do! I'll just catch up where I left off. Maybe I'll write a little bit more so my kids can read over and over what an amazing family we have and what they are a part of and how much we love them and know how special they are.

The past year has been a time of growth in many areas:
Emotional - Foster parenting, and being the mom of a newborn again, and Tyler and I celebrating our 10 year anniversary
Physical - I learned I had a few underlying medical issues that prevent us from getting pregnant easily. It has led to a real lifestyle change for me for the better!
Spiritual - I feel like I need a little kick in the pants in this area. Now that Ava is baptized it is really game-on in the parenting area. Especially in this department.

Now to discover how to read my friends blogs again since Google Reader is no more.