Summer Half Over!!

We've been enjoying every minute of summer, especially now that my brother Bryan and his wife Sarah are living with us.  Fun!

Our patio is done in the backyard, and we've had several bar-b-ques to initiate it.  It looks great!  There are three zucchini in the garden as of this morning, and the tomatoes are really taking off.  We have 6 in rows that are doing great, and five extra tomato plants have sprouted up randomly all through the garden, so we're encouraging those.  I want to have enough to can.

We're gearing up to do In Vitro soon.  As part of the medication cycle, Walt and I started taking an anti-biotic a few days ago.  Yesterday morning was the first time we remembered to take it in the morning.  We didn't want to forget, so first thing after we got up we each downed one.  About thirty minutes later I was bending over the toilet and Walt was looking green.  We learned the hard way that it should be taken with food!  We went downstairs to eat breakfast, but our stomaches were rebelling, our appetites were gone, and it was all we could do to swallow a few bites each before heading off to work.  We felt great a couple hours later, though. The whole incident was so funny!  We kept giggling about it even while we were feeling sick.  

I have a baseline ultrasound on Sunday, and my shots start on Wednesday morning.  Apparently I can give this first round of shots to myself - one in the morning and one in the evening for 10 days - in the stomach.  Lots of women do this every day.  No big deal. (right?)

We're heading down to Cedar City on Monday for the bi-annual Stevenson family reunion.  I love those.  We stay in the dorms on SUU campus and hang out together.        

Illinois Reunion

We got back on Monday from a Johnson family reunion in Illinois with all of Walt's siblings (there are 6 kids). It was so fun! We wished we could have had many more days together. The first several days of our trip was spent at Walt's Dad's house with Anna and Charlotte. We did some yard work and cleaned out the storage room. We also got all the boxes of things belonging to the kids and went through them. It was fun to find Walt's baby book and some grade school assignments and high school year books. I wonder if we would have liked each other if we'd known each other in high school.

The second part of the trip was spent in Nauvoo, Illinois, where Andy and Stan's families met us. Jim's family drove down, too, so we were all there. We toured the old city and learned a lot about life in the days of the early pioneers. We toured the Jonathan Browning gun shop (Walt and I are both related to him), visited the brickyard, blacksmith shop and bakery, and spent time in the Pioneer Pastimes area (playing pioneer games) and the Family Living Center where they showed us how to make rope and candles, how to weave. etc. We took two wagon rides and watched a short video about the temple before taking pictures in front of the temple. Lastly we walked the Trail of Hope where all the pioneers lined up to wait their turn to cross the Mississippi, hoping that the new life ahead would finally be free from the intense persecution they'd endured in Missouri and Illinois. They could look back and see their temple up on the hill, and I'm sure it was somewhat discouraging to think of all the work they put into it only to have to leave. I am so thankful for their faith that God's promises would one day be fulfilled.

We went to Carthage Jail on the way home, which is always a solemn and reverent experience. I know that Joseph Smith is a prophet of God.

School Year Ends

Yeah for summer break! I'm a little burned out with work, so this will be such a welcome break! Walt and I have three family reunions to attend this summer - in Illinois, Cedar City, and Seattle. What a great way to spend the summer.

The other thing we're really excited about is the new patio we have in the backyard. It is a 14 x 16 foot slab. We prepared the ground by cutting away the sod, digging the dirt down, and moving the sprinkler control box over about 10 feet. Then a crew came and poured it yesterday, and today it is hard enough to walk on. We've been looking forward to eating breakfast or dinner out on the patio and hosting Barbeque's. Come on over and take a look!

Mothers Day

For Mothers Day Walt was very sweet and made me scrambled eggs, toast, bacon, and fruit smoothies for breakfast. Then he presented me with a set of grapefruit spoons and a cute green watering can. I wasn't expecting anything, so it was such a fun surprise! He wrote me a sweet note and I felt so special. Most of you know we're having difficulty getting pregnant. We'll be trying IVF (In Vitro Fertizilation) this July, so we're crossing our fingers and praying that it works! We can't wait to be parents.

We're getting the backyard ready for a patio. The weather is so nice and we're really excited to have a place outside to sit and relax and eat breakfast or read. We (well mostly Walt and my brother Alan who spontaneous volunteered to come help all day! Thanks Alan!!) rented a sod cutter on Saturday and pulled out the grass where the patio will be. Then we cut out some grass in our yard that was full of weeds and replaced it with the grass from the patio area. We tried to break out the small concrete square that is out there right now, but it turns out that it is at least 12 inches deep, so even a 16 lb. sledge hammer wouldn't budge it. We'll rent a jackhammer. We also have to move the sprinkler box which is in the way. So still a bit of work left to prep the area, but we're getting there!

Ranger Cookies

Last weekend my brother, Bryan, graduated from BYU with is Masters in Accounting. An exciting day! Made even more exciting by his announcement that evening at our family party that he and Sarah are expecting their first baby this next December. Yippee! Walt's sister-in-law also called that week to tell us she is expecting. We can't wait to be a new aunt and uncle twice over again! Bry and Sarah announced their news by baking ranger cookies, wrapping them individually as party favors and including a recipe, the last steps of which said "Bry and Sar have their own little cookie baking in the oven. Bake 7 more months at womb temperature. Makes one little Graden." :) Walt and I think "Ranger C. Graden" would be a great name for a boy! (C. is for Cookie, of course). Ha!

Heather, my step-sister, moved in with us last week for the month of May. It's been a blast having her here. I'm getting big circles under my eyes from staying up so late talking with her. We 're loving it!

Today I attended BYU Womens Conference with my Grandma Stevenson, Aunts Kim, Kelley, and Su, cousin Kara, and sisters-in-law Liz and Sarah. SOOOOO fun. I love being with my family. I attended several great sessions. I'll post my notes here in a couple days.

"Expelled" Gets Two Thumbs Up From Us!

We saw "Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed" last night. It was Fascinating! Very well done - and eye-opening about what is happening with science education and research about evolution . If you can, go see it, and support Ben Stein in his effort to create acceptance for open dialogue about Intelligent Design. Has anyone else seen it? What did you think?

Our bedroom is all painted, and we LOVE it! The color is "ivory sampler", but it seems much darker than an ivory to us - more like a very light brown. We also rearranged the furniture, and now it feels like we have an entirely new room. Funny how a couple simple changes can be so exciting and feel so different.

Spring Break Week

It's Spring Break! Wahooeee! Rocky's surgery on Monday went well. The vet recommended lab testing be done on his tumor. We decided against it. We'll just let things run their course and hope the surgery took care of it. Rocky was a little mellow on Monday, but he has acted totally normal since then, and he's not scratching or biting his stitches, so we're doing good!

On Saturday we painted our garage floor. It looks awesome! It is a gray paint with speckles. Should make it much easier to keep clean - you can wipe grease off it.

Today I'm painting our bedroom! But I still haven't decided on the color. I really like a color for a couple hours, then I decide I'd like something else better. Then I worry I won't like that color and decide on a different one. I haven't been set on anything for longer than a few hours. Hmmm. Indecision is one of my vices.

We're excited to go see a movie my sister-in-law Jen told us about. "Expelled" stars Ben Stein (sp?) and comes out this Friday, April 18th. It's a documentary on scientists who support, research, and/or dialogue about the concept of Intelligent Design and the discrimination they receive because of it. He advocates for including this concept in our dialogue about evolution and the origin of man. Definitely something we want to support.