Birthday for Linda C.

Linda's 60th birthday, July 14th
was celebrated at Jim's paradise.




The palatial gardens took our
breath away from every angle.

Linda, Jim, Kay

Carol, Kay and I spent four wonderful days. Enjoyed dinner by the pool, surrounded by the virtual Garden of Eden.

Miracle Baby, McKenna

Plenty of love for

McKenna

Born:
Friday July 18
10:16 p.m.
7 lbs. 4 oz,
21 inches

Tough delivery left
pretty bad head
wound.

SISTERS.

Aren't they beautiful?

Mother and baby.

Amazingly,

I can't help but notice

a sweet resemblence

of baby to her mother

when she was an infant.

It will be fascinating

to watch her grow.

Kate and Dallin stayed

up until nearly 1:00 A.M.

to hold their new sister

the night she arrived home.

Sunday, July 20, 2008.

My view of all of creation has become more vividly beautiful today. I am counting my many rich blessings ever more sweet by having this little child in our midst.

The circumstances leading to this day have been miraculous, so much more than coincidences. There is no doubt the Lord's hand was in every detail from the decision to go together as a family to Alabama to Laura attending Women's Conference on a moments notice, and there suddenly choosing to go to a different class that led her to be with the biological grandmother where she learned of a baby coming, and then, miracle of all miracles, the biological mother's decision to pick them when all past placements would say the baby should go elsewhere! And, these are just a few of the many incidents day to day which witness God's tender mercies.

Our joy is untold. All of us are profoundly moved as we have been part of an experience witnessing one's exquisite sacrifice ending in another's exquisite joy. We love McKenna's birth mother in a deep and spiritual way with gratitude beyond ability to express.

Memories of Enid

Mommy's and Baby's first outing --at the pool! For the past two and a half weeks we've made cookies, gone swimming, played games, played dress-up, put puzzles together, made dinners, gone to church, picked up, gone to the dollar store and been just happy being together.




















Bouquet in an airplane for the pilot's daughter.














Baby's finally home.















Emmaline twelve days old














Isaac getting ready to build a Lego Batman contraption.














Looking across park toward St. Mary's
Hospital where Emmaline was born.
















The park commemorates the rush into Oklahoma
to homestead new land in 1893.















The children romped, ran, and as shown here, took a
moment(very short one) for quiet contemplation.





Goodbye, Enid

Wise Advice

Thought I'd share a few tidbits of some important things I've read.

From Jeff, wise advice for those of you having children marry (which will happen in a very few short, short years) or it's just good advice for any of us no matter where we are in the continuum of marriage. He heard it from his stake president who said that his future father-in-law asked these things of him when he asked for his daughter's hand in marriage. First he said will you live worthy of the Holy Ghost. Will you respect my daughter and third will you promise to never be lazy in the gospel. As I reviewed these requests the thought came to me that they are a failsafe formula for having a marriage be successful. (for that matter for having a life be successful) First of the all, living worthily, thereby close to the Holy Ghost will assure the actualization of the second two requests. I hope you'd incorporate these inspired thoughts into your thinking and then actions. I'm going to try ever harder for myself.

Now from our Senator Crapo's monthly newsletter.
"On this Fourth of July, please take a moment to reflect on the brave men and women of our military who have sacrificed so much to protect our way of life and the freedom we cherish. We all owe our dedicated troops our gratitude for stepping forward to ensure that every day continues to be Independence Day in the United States of America!

"The Ten Cannots" by William J.H. Boetcher bring to mind the vision that our Founding Fathers had for our country
You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.
You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.
You cannot help small men by tearing down big men.
You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich.
You cannot lift the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer.
You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than your income.
You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatreds.
You cannot establish security on borrowed money.
You cannot build character and courage by taking away a man's initiative and independence.
You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves.
When I read Boetcher's wise words, I not only think of the initiative and independence that made this country great, but also acheiving energy security that will help keep us a great nation. The time has come to stop pointing fingers and playing games. We have vast, untapped energy resources, and are more than capable of reducing our dependence on foreign oil. We can acheive energy independence if we have the political will to do so."