Petition for Prayers

Chris was in Billings with his dad yesterday visiting various doctors with him. They have found several tumors throughout his upper body and he began chemo yesterday. He has a hard fight ahead of him and any prayers on his behalf would be greatly appreciated.

We love you Lloyd!
You are in our thoughts and prayers.

The Updates...

Here's the rundown of what each of us have been up to the last couple of weeks....
First...the most EXCITING news.
Chris was hired for the 3rd grade teaching position here in Lovell! We are now referring to him as Mr. Edwards around here, I told him it was time he started getting use to it. This was truly an answer to our prayers. We had begun applying near and far (not too far, only in the state of Wyoming), but I really couldn't imagine the feasibility of selling our house and moving before school started in the fall or trying to live apart for a while until we were able to sell our house and move. Being hired here was definitely our top pick...we love our community and it would have been hard to leave for many reasons.
We will be selling our business this summer. We were blessed to have the business all these years while our children were young and not in school. It gave us lots of freedom and flexibility to spend time with each other, but Chris...I mean, Mr. Edwards... has always dreamed of teaching. As our children started entering school, it seemed like it was time to make the change. Mr. Edwards will be working in the same building with them and will have summers off to spend with us.
He will have a lot of work to do this summer as he gets the business ready to sell and prepares for the upcoming school year.

Grace has nearly finished the 2nd grade and has been quite obsessed lately with doing "string tricks." She gets up nice and early, but still misses the bus occasionally because she just can't stop playing with her string. I think this particular "trick" is called the Eiffel Tower.
Emma is almost done with kindergarten and, while she also likes doing string tricks, she can more often be found jumping rope. She has also just started reading chapter books.
Lily still changes her clothes a minimum of 30 times a day, however, it's usually not princess dresses anymore...she has decided that dressing in pink from head-to-toe is the height of fashion.
Owen has been busy staring out the kitchen window at what I fondly refer to as "the big yellow babysitter." They were installing a manhole on our sewer line last week and Owen spent the better part of 2 days staring out the window and excitedly pointing at the trachoe as it dug. It was quite a relief from the constant counter climbing and escaping to the great outdoors through any unlocked door routine that normally fill his days.Don't you wish this was what your backyard looked like?
As for me, I had a wonderful Mother's Day. I am so thankful for these sweet little spirits that have been entrusted to me and I am grateful to have them in my home. They bring so much joy and endless smiles. I am also thankful for the mothers who have influenced me in my life including my own mother who is an amazing example of strength and selflessness. I am thankful for the example set by Chris' mother, she too, amazes me with her strength as she battles with her health. I can honestly say that amid all she faces, I have never heard her utter a single complaint and every time we are with her, she is positive and loving. She is truly an inspiration. I have been blessed with the examples of incredible grandmothers who have accomplished much as well as the example of other mothers around me who inspire me to be better. Thank You Mothers!

A Spring Hailstorm

The other day a quick hailstorm blew through...

Owen was amazed. He kept picking up the little ice chunks, calling them balls and throwing them.

Just a quick disclamer...it was Saturday and the girls dressed themselves.

Scrapbooking

Marsie spent the weekend before her wedding at our house. She is so much fun to have around and extremely helpful. While she was here, the girls worked on their scrapbooks.

Emma mastered the art of cropping...this is one of her first pages. By the end, she was just cutting her adorable little face out of each picture and pasting her tiny head on her page.

Happy #9!

Today was our 9th anniversary. It's hard to believe that it has been nine years since we held hands and embarked on a life together. We were young and uncertain what the future would hold and didn't know what lay ahead.
I didn't know how soon you would truly become my best friend, the one who would always listen, even long into the night and calm me when I worried. I didn't know what an amazing father you would soon be, or just how much you would love children...not just your own...and how you would volunteer hours of your time to build up the next generation. I didn't know how you would soon work tirelessly all day and even night sometimes to make sure we were taken care of. I didn't know that you would tell me I was beautiful everyday even when I wouldn't believe it. I didn't know that you would soon prove your loyalty by forsaking some of the things you love, (golf, city league basketball, softball, hunting) for the things you love more (us).
Looking back, there isn't much I would do different, but I would do a better job of telling you just how much we appreciate all you do and what you stand for. So, that is my goal, I hope to be better at telling you and showing you how much we love you and appreciate all you do. I want you to know that I notice the "little things" and that I couldn't do it without you.

Happy 9th Anniversary!
I Love You Forever!

A Wedding in the Windy City

(Owen, wearing Chris' shoes and talking on my cell phone, in our hotel room)

We spent the weekend in Casper for my sister's wedding. It turned out beautiful and as always it was so fun to reconnect with family. I have to admit though, that I was the biggest slacker and only took one picture all weekend and it wasn't even at the wedding.... It was of Owen in the hotel room. It seemed like I spent the whole weekend on the run, helping where I could, and chasing kids in between. But, there were two photographers on the loose up there, so I am expecting to see some pictures soon.
My sister was married on Casper Mountain at a cross country ski lodge. The ceremony was held outside on one of the trails...in the snow! I was a little worried at first because the snow was deep and I thought we'd all be sinking in to our knees, but the trails were groomed and the snow was so packed you could walk without worrying about the snow caving. The weather was beautiful on the mountain...no wind, but still cold enough that the snow wasn't melting and making a muddy mess.

We came back only as far as Worland Saturday night because it was stake conference and my dad was speaking. He shared a story I had never heard about when he was a little boy and he really disliked school. He was shy and was always thinking of ways to avoid going to school. He wished for snow days, and when it would snow, he would go out early in the morning and pile up the snow in the middle of the road in hopes that the bus would get stuck. He tried this on several occasions improving his methods a little each time by mixing rocks in with the snow and making four seperate piles to stop each tire, but every time, the bus's big tires would drive right through his little barricades. The bus doors would open to a smiling bus driver who would park strategically so they would have to climb right over the piles of snow in order to board the bus. My dad said this made him quite unpopular with his older sisters. He went on to say that serving in the church can be difficult for some of us who may be shy or insecure, but emphasized the importance of going out of our comfort zone and doing the best we can. He also mentioned that sometimes the meek can make a greater impression. That was a very poor summary, but I wanted to remember what he spoke about...I really should have been taking notes.
I am so thankful for my dad's example. Many of you know that he is not my biological father; he adopted me when I was five. My biological father was an alcoholic and drug addict and died when I was in high school at the ripe old age of 36. He was in and out of my life and, at times, caused much turmoil and pain. Mike never spoke ill of him (my biological father) and always loved me even when I was less than lovable to him. He has the most patience of anyone I know and I can honestly say that I have NEVER heard him swear, or even yell. It's only now that I realize just how hard it must have been for him to step in and love me like his own. I am thankful for his testimony and unwavering example. He truly is one of the most Christlike people I know and I feel so privileged to be able to call him my dad.