Welcome Jared!!!

Jared was born at 6:45 this morning. He weights 7 lbs 12oz and he is 20 inches long. The labor and delivery went well. Kelsey did an amazing job. I am so proud of her. We love our son and are glad that he followed his mother's counsel and decided to come out. I have gained a greater appreciation for modern medicine and the talented medical staff who have been helping us. We are excited to be parents and we are thankful to our Heavenly Father who blesses us so abundantly.

From Dad

Dear Jared,
Although your mother and I think that you should come out, we also think that it is important that you understand both sides of an issue before you make a decision. Here are a few reasons why you may want to stay inside.

• It's going to feel really cold when you come out
• You will feel hunger because your food won't be delivered directly to your stomach
  
• Your existence right now is like living in jumping castle, you will have to give that up
• As of now, no one can tell you "No". That word will be a big part of your life for the next decade.

I hope you feel more prepared to make a decision now that you have considered both sides of the issue. We love you a million and hope to see you soon.

Love Dad

Dear Jared,

You've been a pretty good baby so far. You didn't give me morning sickness, you aren't a huge baby and your hiccups have become more occasional. I know life on the inside is pretty great, but I've compiled a list of reasons why you should come live on the outside with the rest of us.

1. Colors- we have a much greater variety out here than you do in there.
2. Music sounds better when you are not underwater- I try to play you some good classical music and also sing to you regularly, but you really aren't getting the full effect.
3. Affection- there are a lot of people who want to give you kisses and cuddle you. You really can't have that until you come out.
4. You are gooey- I'm sure it is not comfortable, so we'll give you a bath.
5. Singing/crying- you'll love it (trust me), but again it doesn't work when you are submerged in fluid.
6. Good looking people- your grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins, and your dad and me are all pretty easy on the eyes. You can come see us.
7. More space- you're cramped in there and everyone knows it. You get your own room.
   
8. Parties- there are a lot going on and you're really not officially invited until you are born. You wouldn't want to wait a whole year to experience the 4th of July, would you?

That's all I can think of right not, but it is a pretty great deal out here. Love you and see you soon!

Love,
Mom

Utah Valley Marathon!

On Saturday Ken and I ran the Utah Valley Marathon! Just kidding! Well we did "run" it in the sense that we volunteered. The marathon starts up the Provo Canyon and weaves its way through Orem and Provo and ends at the Provo Towne Center. We were at our intersection from 6:15 to 8:30. It was really fun to cheer on and see all the different runners on that blustery June morning. We volunteered for the marathon last year too, but it was quite a different experience since it was so much smaller. This year the number of runners was 6 times greater than it was last year!
Anyway, it felt great to help out an event that made us feel like part of the community and maybe even a little athletic (I think osmosis applies here). If any of you are interested in running or volunteering next year, check out their website for more information.

Stroller

I spent a lot of time looking around on the internet for strollers and eventually found my favorite. So I picked up this stroller and put it together myself! It felt awesome reading through that manual.


Now that we have a carseat, I'm getting a dangerous idea in my head that I could basically have the baby now. I can't think that way if I want to stay sane!

A "Mother Heart"

I've obviously been thinking more lately about mothers and motherhood than I have in the past. I've thought about whether motherhood is biological, circumstantial, emotional or whatever. Since I started thinking about it, I remembered a address give my Julie B. Beck (former counselor in the YW general presidency, current President of the RS) in 2004. In it she described a woman with a "mother heart." As I reread it, I was really struck by the truth of it all. I thought I would share someof my favorite quotes from it here:

Her talents and skills are shared unselfishly. She gains as much education as her circumstances will allow, improving her mind and spirit with the desire to teach what she learns to the generations who follow her.

Often people ask me what I plan on doing with my degree. Usually, I answer that I'm going to be a mom. In response I get a vague "Oh, that's nice." I suppose it is. I'm not doing anything directly with my degree unless God sends me a child with a communication disorder, but if nothing else I've certainly improved my mind and gained a desire to learn and to teach over the past four years.

To nurture and feed them physically is as much an honor as to nurture and feed them spiritually. She is not "weary in well-doing" and delights to serve her family, becasue she knows that "out of small things proceedeth that which is great" (D&C 64:33).

For mother's day, I considered writing my mom a poem about my favorite memories of her. I didn't. But I did spend a lot of time reflecting on all my childhood memories and how they all fit toghether. Which ones were the most important to me? I can't really say. There are no big memories that stand out above the rest. I just like the little ones! Doing homework next to her while she paid the bills. Making pasta on our (now dusty) pastamaker. Her special remedies when I wasn't feeling well. The thousands of tiny things she did with me and for me is what makes her such a marvelous mother.

She knows that the influence of righteous, conscientious, persistent, daily mothering is far more lasting, far more powerful, far more influential than any earthly position or institution invented by man... There is no limit to what a woman with a mother heart can accomplish. Righteous women have changed the course of history and will continue to do so, and their influence will spread and grow exponentially throughout the eternities.

I hope I never minimize what I do or lose the vision of what I can do. This is the biggest and hardest thing I've ever even thought of doing and I think understanding the potential of my work will be key to finding joy and meaning in the darker moments.

Good Veggie Salad

This is one of my favorite salads and helps Ken and I get our vegetables when I'm sick of plain old Romain lettuce with tomatoes. I made it this weekend so I thought I would share!

Black Bean, Corn and Tomato Salad

1 (14 oz.) can of black beans, drained and rinsed
2 fresh tomatoes, chopped
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
1 jicama, peeled and diced
2 tsp garlic powder
1 pinch salt
1/4 cup lime juice
1 tsp dijon mustard
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1/2 cup olive oil

Mix the beans, tomatoes, bell pepper, corn and jicama in a large bowl.
Whisk the remaining ingredients together to make a dressing and pour over the vegetables.
Refrigerate overnight.

So, this is my modified version from the recipe I found on allrecipes.com. You can also add a minced jalapeno or feta cheese, but for me the first is too hot and the second is too expensive. Also the jicama is just to add some crunch, so you can substitute diced celery or even cucumber.