Pillow

I just wanted to show off how cute this is. I am really happy with how it turned out. Look out, ladies. Now that I've got a sewing machine of my own, there's no telling what I'll be making for you!!

Jenn the Homemaker

So, now that I'm an experienced e-bay seller, I decided to get rid of the curtains for the nursery that I had hanging on my front door and make some that actually look like a grown up person's. So, when I sold my pottery barn ones, I made my move. With the assistance of my awesome new sewing machine, I took some fabric I've had stashed since, probably, the first year of my marriage and went to town. (I made two.)

The results are in:

• They're even
• They block any peeping tom's

I guess you could say it was a success!

This is what my front door looks like from the outside. Cute snowman, huh. I took down the pumpkin one I had up about 3 days before Christmas and finally put this guy up. And you can see the reflection of my Christmas lights. Codye surprised me with those all along our little patio. Anyway- the curtains are green and an off-white check. Hooray!

Thanks for making me a real homemaker, mom.

Charity

Today we had such a wonderful Sacrament meeting. Tracy Riley gave a talk on charity. She had the most amazing quote by Elder Ashton. I loved it. I copied it down and wanted to share it with you. At this time of year when we start thinking about goals and what not, it is a wonderful bit of food for thought.

"Perhaps the greatest charity comes when we are kind to each other, when we don't judge or categorize someone else, when we simply give each other the benefit of the doubt or remain quiet. Charity is accepting some one's differences, weaknesses, and shortcomings; having patience with someone who has let us down; or resisting the impulse to become offended when someone doesn't handle something the way we might have hoped. Charity is refusing to take advantage of an other's weakness and being willing to forgive someone who has hurt us. Charity is expecting the best of each other."

Love and appreciate all that you do for us and each other. Our family is so blessed. Hope you are enjoying this lovely time of year when the hustle and bustle is suspended for a moment, and the new year has not yet been born.

Holiday Highlights

We had a party on Christmas Eve. Kelsey, Todd, Jeff, Brooke, Tyler, Mariah, Trace, and all of the children made it. We had dinner, story time, the Nativity, and presents. It was a great evening. On Christmas Day we got to sleep in. Yayyyy!! We loved that. Liz eventually came upstairs and found some loot. She was happy to open presents with Ally. Jenn came with her family about 11. We had a great day. We went in to see the folks about 1. They enjoyed the day. They mostly enjoyed not having to leave their house to come out to our house. We stayed til about 7. It really was a wonderful holiday. We missed our out of staters. We hope they don't get too used to staying away......

christmas pictures!

PUT 'EM UP KIDS!!

Reasons I love my FAMILY

I know I know ..."Tracie is actually posting on the Lewis girls website" but it's happening so everybody pick your chin up off the ground and be impressed. My little Sis Liz made a list of reasons why she loves mom and it inspired me to list some things that i love about my family.

1. Mom reading her Book of Mormon every day. Without fail even if it's while blow drying her hair in the morning. I relied on her testimony as a child but I always knew her love for the gosepl. She's not a "sunday-Mormon" she lives her religion EVERYDAY and has taught us girls to do the same.
2. Bill "make believe" past life experiences. IE..when he was a black CIA female Agent.
3. Lindsay being the little "craft-Momma." she always has cute little holiday ideas to entertain the kiddies and interact with them. She is SO organized!!!
4. I love being an Aunt so thanks to my sisters for having such cute and wonderfully fun children. I feel so blessed to know that our Heavenly Father intrusted them into our families and thank him everyday for their little faces. We are RICH in blessings.
5. When i come to Utah i try and spend as much time with mom as possible; since we share time with my in-laws, so I love our little "driving-talks" while running errands. it makes me feel like I've spent a lot more time with her on my short trips back home.
6. Jen's love of Animals and Nature. I won't be surprised if she finds a way to have the goat she wants at her apartment. (i don't think you can get a Dr's note for that though. :))
7. Fun road trip with Liz to MA! She is great navigator, map in one hand and her cell phone in the other when we got lost. We had a blast learning about revolutionary war locations and scoping out ivy league colleges.
8. Diet coke with lime runs to dairyann with mom. It still makes me smile when we tried to figure out which one still had the lime in it by looking at the bottom of the styrofoam cup.
9. Mom always keeping the sabbath day holy when we were kids and then running to Smiths at 12:01am on Monday morning for goodies. (IE licorice and chocolate)
10. "WHAT IN THE WORLD!!!!!" Thanks to Bill my son now says "Oh my WORD!!" instead of a new phrase he learned at the babysitters.
11. "Lewis girls take NYC!!!" Prego Jen hanging from the tree branches, liz making friends on the scary subway, mom trying to kiss a pix of Sam Waterson, and Lindsay being told how cute her coat is by every gay passing man. AHHH memories!
12. Still talking on the phone everyday to at least 2 of my 3 sisters. & of course MOM.
13. Bill teaching spencer to wave with his hand under his chin. (he still does that by the way)
14. Comedian husbands who surprisingly get a long with each other. (mostly)
15. Spontaneous movie night with mom to see Mamma Mia and then liz to see Twilight.
16. Loving Grandparents who were always involved in our lives. Especially Grandpa Ole making us wear baseball hats while driving long distances to hide the fact that we were girls in order to keep us safe. And of course him threatening any boy who ever broke our young teenage hearts.
17. You are all so cute with my little Spencer. He loves his Aunts and prays for you often.
18. Parents who encourage education and believing in us when we are at our lowest point.
19. Bill's stories & laugh. I still laugh at the gay taxi story in Hawaii. I love watching movies with Bill that i know he'll think are funny because his laugh is contagious.
20. Memories; whether they be childhood or adult, my home is wherever my sisters and parents are. I love you guys so much and am grateful for you everyday. I am so blessed to know that i can be a part of your life into the Eternities.

Finally finished

Well mom, I finally finished the project you gave me when London was born. It's only taken 7 weeks. TADA! Thanks for all the help (and supplies!!) It has been tons of fun, well, kind of. Ok, learning hasn't been too fun, but the final project is cute and I'm glad I did it. I can't wait to start on the new project you sent me!! Maybe not until after Christmas, though...

Where's the Fudge????

I have not tried this recipe, but the person I got it from has a wonderful reputation for being a great candy maker.

In large heavy pan, mix:
4 1/2 C. sugar
1- 13 oz. can evaporated milk
Bring to a boil, reduce heat, but keep boiling. Stir constantly for 8 minutes then pour into a mixing bowl containing:

2- 12 oz. packages milk chocolate chips
1= 12 oz. package semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 squares butter (not margarine) cut up
Beat until smooth

Add 1 lb. package mini-marshmallows
Beat until smooth. Add nuts if desire.
Pour into a buttered 9x13 pan (I line the cake pan with buttered aluminum foil. When the fudge is set, I remove the foil from the cake pan and the fudge is easier to cut).
Refrigerate

Merry Christmas!

I wasn't going to do this because I didn't want anyone to get homesick. I still don't want to make anyone homesick or worse than they already are. I just wanted you to remember Christmas in Farmington. It is OK to be a little homesick. After all, we are homesick for YOU!

Thanks for our presents!

Thanks for all the Christmas presents, Gramma and Papa! They are wrapped so pretty and look so nice under our tree! We can't wait to open them! But we will....

My kids

A few things I have learned from being a parent of 2:
That the dishes do not have to be done before I go to bed
I do not get to shower every day
That I have no control, no matter what I think
People with more than 2 kids are AMAZING (if not insane??)
I never EVER want big boobs
Sometimes you have to let them cry
The laundry is never done
When one child sleeps well, the other is up all night
I am so grateful Max was potty trained before London was born
I always need my mom
we have WAY too many toys
Max doesn't think he has enough toys
I don't have enough patience
I have GREAT friends
I have amazing sisters who have "been there"
That when London is asleep, I would way rather play with Max than clean my house
There is not enough diet coke in the world...

For Mom...

Because you're not feeling well... And because Amanda Ainscough did it on her blog... And because I love you... And because you don't get terribly upset that I spend so much time with my boyfriend instead of talking to you about him... And because I feel bad about that...

Twenty reasons why I love you!

1. You text. A lot.
2. Watching Law&Order isn't the same when you're not around.
3. You don't ground me.
4. You tell me I'm pretty.
5. You've taught me amazing grammar skills.
6. You make me laugh when you text me from Nordstrom and say, "I think I'll just get you a nice blender."
7. You have such good advice, even if I don't want to take it.
8. You trust me.
9. You ratted my hair once and thought it was hilarious.
10. You take such good care of your crazy parents so that we don't have to, even though we should be more helpful...
11. You make my turkey bacon the way that I like it.
12. You humor me when I'm being silly.
13. You're going to teach me how to quilt, whether I like it or not, aren't you?
14. The most beautiful little almost-three-year-old is obsessed with you and it's the funniest thing to watch.
15. You drive an AMAZING car.
16. You could sell your bread and make millions.
17. You have impeccable taste in clothing.
18. You're consistent.
19. You're always there when I need you.
20. You're pretty!

Thanksgiving 2008

We started our Thanksgiving celebration on Wednesday. We had our annual "eve" party at the Sizzler. Everyone that lives in Utah was there plus the Nortons. We missed Trace, Lisa, and the Mathies. We are so blessed to have so many of the kids close by. Liz was busy with her new boy. She had work and a wedding. We had a good meal together. Jenn and Codye had their car broken into. That was not a happy event. We are grateful that no one was hurt, and that it was not any worse than it was. Sorry Jenn and Codye! The little kids had fun getting together. Stefan and Kate had fun playing with the Sizzler decorations as you can see by the picture. It was a nice evening.

Our next day celebration started about six AM. Bill and I were up putting a turkey and a turkey breast in the oven. We went back to bed for a bit. We had many helpers. Everyone pitched in to make it all special. It was a very nice meal. It has been at least five years since I have cooked a Thanksgiving dinner. We had all of the usual dishes. We all sat at the table together. We had Ole and Ida and Lainey, their helper, for the day. That worked out way better than we ever expected that it would. We all did our little "what we were thankful for". Dad said he was thankful that he could still say "thankful". Mom said she was thankful for her family. I was thankful that we were all there. We missed the Mathies. We were supposed to have Jack and Kim from SPA Nails. Everyone was a little upset that I invited them. I was a little surprised that they said yes. Everyone was a little relieved that they didn't come.

We do have so many blessings in our lives. Life is very good for us. It is nice to have a day to reflect on family, testimony, and blessings.

Change

It was interesting that a week or so ago we had a YW lesson on change. I would have so loved to have had it be my lesson because I do so many of those at school. Change is hard. It is often a good thing, but sometimes it is hard. Even though I have taught that lesson at school dozens of times, it was good for me to hear it, instead of give it.

The end of October took us to Phoenix. We were so blessed to be included and involved in the birth of London Lewis Mathie. It was such an honor to be part of that event. What a special week of watching change come over the lives of that sweet family. She is such a blessing in their lives. What a miracle birth is. It never ceases to amaze me. I watch in wonder as young parents go through pregnancy and delivery. When we are young, we think we are invincible. The older I get, the more I appreciate the great miracle that each and every one of those babies represent. Our Father in Heaven has such an incredible plan. Our love grows for our children as we serve them. They need us for everything. Our lives are turned completely upside down. As a result, there is a bond created. How else could we form that beautiful bond? How else would we realize the amazing amount of patience, love, sacrifice, service, and time that we are capable of giving? Heavenly Father truly finds tremendous ways to teach us the things we need to know about ourselves.

While we were in Phoenix, Jenn, Codye, Kate, and John were escaping the confines of the basement. Not exactly sneaking out, and not exactly in the dead of night, but none the less leaving! We have had this sweet family with us for almost a year and a half. John came home from the hospital to this house. Kate learned that she was "wamma's girl" (even though I KNOW she is Daddy's Princess) while they were here. I know that I have done my share of whining and complaining about having them here, but I am so glad we have had that time with them. We have learned from it, and I would say that we are all better because of it. Jenn and Codye would say that they are better for having gone to Logan. I am so glad that they love it there. Our house was very quiet until Tracie and Aaron arrived. We are OK with quiet, but we sure miss them.

Liz is in love. Well, not in love, but very definitely "in like", and very much exclusive. Wow, that change REALLY happened fast. She finally gets her basement back, and WHAM.....who knows what might happen. I am not going to wander any farther down that path.

Life is full of challenges. They help us to grow, and they teach us the things that Heavenly Father already knows about us. They teach us what we need to learn about what we can do. He already knows, but we don't. We are so grateful for so many blessings that we have in our lives. We are blessed to see our children be wonderful parents and good people.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.

Chuck E. Cheese

I have been so excited to come to Utah because I wanted to show Chuck E. Cheese to Gramma and Papa. They just don't get out very much and so this has been something I have been wanting to do for several weeks. We arrived in Utah a week and a half ago. We stayed with the Ogden grandparents. That was a lot of fun. I have three cousins to play with. We went to a dinosaur park. How cool is that! I really loved it. My cousin put his head in the dinosaur's mouth. I am not sure that was very safe. I played it smart and kept my head out. We have been visiting a lot of extra grandparents. Lots of them are having birthdays. While we were at Ole and Ida's, I found Ole's little putter machine. Gramma and I putted for a long time. She told me that she was the best golfer in the whole world. I think she was just kidding. We have been doing a lot of running around. Last night, however, we got to the real reason for the trip. CHUCK E. CHEESE!! We finally made it. I just can't believe how much fun it is. I was so glad Gramma and Papa finally got there. We got a lot of points on the bowling game. I told Gramma that they just had cheese, but this time they had pizza! Today we went to the Salt Lake City Cemetery. My mom is such a nut about history. We found the graves of eleven prophets. WOW!! I have no idea what that means, but my mom and dad were sure excited. I have had a lot of fun. I sure do think it would be fun to live in Utah! I think all of my grandparents think so too!

Only 3 weeks late!

I haven't tied the bows on cuz they're still drying, but I think that'll really complete them. I hate how mod podge makes the paper bubble. What's up with that anyway?

And here are Johnny's blocks. Sorry- can't find my camera battery charger and I'm having to use the old reliable camera phone...

Everything's abuzz at the Cunningham's!

Love to Gramma

Mom-
I just wanted to thank you for coming down to help out with me and my new little baby girl. It was so nice to have you here. Thanks for all you did to take care of me (helping me through my bawling sessions!) and thanks for all you did for London and Max (especially playing with Max at the doctor's office. I don't think I told anyone that you were actually under the table hiding with Max. That was adorable!)You were so great with the kids and we were so sad to see you go. I wish it could have been a longer visit, but I'm grateful that I got you at all, considering how busy you already are. Thanks, too, for all the fun new craft toys and lessons and also for all the newborn gear. You really spoiled us!
Anyways, thanks again for the great visit. We hope to see you again in January! Hopefully we'll be a little bit more put together by then:) LOVE YOU!!

Welcome to the World

London Lewis Mathie!

You beautiful little girl!

Born October 29, 2008

7:29 pm

7 lbs. 15 oz.

20.5 inches

WE LOVE YOU!

Yeah Linds! We knew you could do it!

TRICK OR TREAT

We had our first ever Halloween Party on Friday night. We had a lot of fun. Jenn made wonderful chili. We had a fishing pond, donut drop, and an amazing talent show. The kids all looked so very cute in their costumes. We are going to have to make this a tradition.

Baby Mathie

Hope you like it, Linds. It should arrive tomorrow! :)

NEVER TOO OLD....

The sewn part!The "layout"

When I was growing up I always wanted what I didn't have. I had a best friend who was a "Brownie Scout". This is like boy scouts for girls. She wore the little brownie outfit to school once a week, and I thought it was SO cool. I was always beggin' my folks to let me be a brownie too. They finally consented. I went to JC Penny's and bought my cool outfit. Well..... my infatuation didn't last very long. The outfit wasn't as cool as I thought it was. Anyway it just did not work out for me. My friend and I also liked to play Barbie dolls together. The thing was that her mom sewed all of her doll clothes. I had tons of store bought clothes, but I wanted homemade clothes like Linda's doll had... and like Linda had. They sewed EVERTHING! I had to wear "store bought" clothes...and very nice ones at that. Any way when I got to junior high we had to take a sewing class. It was SO fun! I LOVED buying the fabric and looking at patterns, and picturing how it would all look! I just DID not love putting it all together. Didn't like zippers and sleeves and waists and poor fit! So I gave it all up. I am not a person to spend money on projects that I know I won't do, so I didn't indulge the part of it that I liked. Well now all of that has changed. When Isaac was born, I created my first baby quilt. I bought the fabric and got Wanda Harker to see it all together for me so I could quilt it. Then a bunch more babies came along and didn't get quilts. I had always felt bad about it, but still didn't do anything. Then Lindsay put a bug in my ear about how her boss did quilts for her grandkids and it got me going. Way to go Lindsay! Well Jana Fowers pieced six quilts for me, and I quilted them. Everyone kept saying that they liked piecing, but not quilting. I didn't think for a minute that I could ever do it. Then I decided to get caught up with the latest batch of babies. Toryn, Johnny, Josh, and Baby Mathie. I got some fabric to Jana, and got 2 of the quilts done. Then I started thinking about piecing them myself. That was about a week ago. Since then I have bought a machine, gotten a pattern, and started my first effort. It is definitely NOT perfect, but it is a decent effort for my first try. I am still struggling to see if I can proceed with the "not perfect" part, but I am thinking I will let it stand. WHAT I LOVE is the buying of the fabric, cutting it into the CUTEST little squares, and then playing with it until you have the perfect arrangement. You just have to sew a straight seam....NO zippers or sleeves or waists. It is as much fun as doing my first cross stitch kit. I was hooked when I did that first little X in that funny fabric with all the holes!!

A Perfect Birthday

Thanks to everyone for my wonderful day. I really enjoyed it. The weather cooperated and turned warmer. It was quite upsetting to think that it might snow. This time of year is almost always beautiful, and I was getting a little bit nervous. I got to do my little workout this AM and Bill made me my favorites for breakfast. It was not an early to school day, so I wandered in about 10. When I got there a beautiful bouquet of red roses greeted me. So sweet of my husband. Jenn, Kate, and Johnny came by school with cake from Dick's and cookies from Cutler's. They had balloons too. Does life get any better than that? School was busy, but I am looking ahead to a five day weekend!!! My visit to the Zundels' was a quick one. Dad's phone was broken which I thought was an unanticipated birthday present, but Jenn visited them and fixed it. Jenn....???? I was home and had time to work on my new hobby....piecing quilts. Wow, I had no idea it was so much fun. I actually started sewing the rows together tonight. It is not perfect, BUT definitely a decent start. WAY FUN!! And to think that I have a sewing machine again. I got to knit, crochet, and even stitch a little on Josh's quilt. Life, for me, doesn't get any better. Really every day is pretty perfect for me. Lots of calls from family and friends. So nice of everyone. Liz and Tracie celebrated by visiting John Adam's burial place. Appropriate since I am reading about the election of 1800. Lindsay is celebrating by having a baby in my birthday month. Can't wait to make that trip later this month. So many kind words, so much to think about after 56 years of life. What a blessing it is to have such wonderful children. I can see little bits of myself in all of my girls. We have an awesome family. When people look at my family pictures in my office, they just can't get over how gorgeous you all are. But so much more important is that you all try to be good people and always do the right thing. And you hit the mark so often. I am the one that learns so much from all of you! Thanks for the memories. Thanks for the MANY kind thoughts and words. My birthday was great!!

A Few Things I Love About My Mom

Her advice and objectiveness. I can always count on my mom to have the best and most updated advice available. She is always prepared whenever I have a problem. She knows it all! Which is great for me as a new mom and still kind of newlywed.
Her testimony. Growing up I never questioned my mom's testimony. She always had us to church on Sunday (not easy being single with 4 young girls) and we always had family scripture time and family prayer. I hope I can have the same standards for my daughter that my mom insisted of me.
Her innocence (some may call it naivety), but I love that my mom refrains from watching or participating in things that tamper negatively with her thoughts. I don't even think she watches PG-13 movies. Law and Order is as extreme as she gets.
Her willingness to ALWAYS listen. I can call my mom anytime and no matter what she is doing, she will always listen to me. Sometimes the second I get done ranting, she'll say she's in a meeting and has to call back, but she always lets me get what I need to say said. I love that I can always depend on her to help me with my problems. And she always does call back with great advice:) Also, her objectiveness. Whenever I am complaining about something, she always tries to stick with the fairness approach. She is completely non-judgemental and can always look at both sides of an issue. Even in politics...
Her courage and long suffering. She has been through more than people know and doesn't have one bitter thing to say about it. She knows she has been through the refiner's fire and is better because of it. I look up to her so much for accomplishments through her struggles and hope that I can one day have that kind of faith. She is the bravest woman I know to have done the things she has.
Her thoughtfulness. Not a birthday, mother's/father's day or anniversary goes by without a call and card (love those gift certificates!) from my mom.
Her committment. My mom is one of the hardest working people I know. She is always doing something for everyone, including all of her kids, her grandkids, her parents (which includes their helpers), her husband, her students/teachers, and her young women. She is always working on a project, reading a new book for school, running errands for family, taking Liz lunch, posting messages on my blog, and so much more.

I could write so much more, but I'll leave it with this.
Mom- Happy Birthday. I hope you know how much all of us love you. And I want you to know that I want to be just like you when I grow up, you are really my hero. Have a good birthday "week." Hopefully next year we'll be celebrating in BOSTON!
(side note, Jenn: hold off on baby #3)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!

Mary Catherine Zundel Lewis

During my younger years in Achievement Days, I was asked to pick out a scripture to describe my mother so that it could be typed up and made into a magnet. With the help of my sister [I think it was Lindsay], I picked Moroni 7:45 that says:

"And charity suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things."

This describes Mary Kay to a tee. My mom is the most patient person in the world, most long-suffering, least envious, and just all-around most awesome. She puts up with my friends, complaints about my friends, my obsessions, and my less-than-reputable qualities.

Thank you for the Law&Order marathons, political and history education, pictures of my dog while I'm on vacation, shopping trips, pedicures, birthday parties, chicken and broccoli bake, Cutler cookies, Dick's cakes, Creme savers, rides/drives in the BMW, counsel and words of advice, and wonderful example. I'm sorry I'm not there to help celebrate your special day, but I sure do love you and so does the rest of us. Happy Birthday!!!

Why I am supporting John McCain

Lindsay has done a post about the debate, and she wanted a response. I had more to say than the comments would allow for.

I don't watch the debates. They really don't influence my vote. I am happy when my candidate does well, but that is not always the case.

Some of the reasons that I admire John McCain:

He was a prominent candidate in the 2000 election. He was the darling of the media. He won the New Hampshire Primary, and it was a big surprise. He set George W. on his heels. George W. had to win in South Carolina if he wanted to get his party's nomination. The Bush campaign played very dirty, and they won that primary. It was over for John McCain. He was a bitter man. He went through having melanoma, and having his wife's substance abuse made public at that time. The democrats wanted him on their side. I am sure it was a very difficult period for him. In 2004, John Kerry would have loved to have him as his vice-presidential candidate. They even had talks about it. John McCain stayed with the republicans because he believed in the same things that they stood for, and he couldn't turn his back on the principles that he believed to be true. He campaigned at the side of George W. Bush during the 2004 election, and he made a significant difference for him in that election. Without a doubt it had to be a very difficult thing for him to do. I have had a tremendous admiration for him since that election. He has had many disagreements with George W. and he has never been afraid to go public with them. Beliefs about torture and the surge come to mind. Sad to me that George W. is doing him harm again and this time it is unintentional. The idea that he would be a third Bush term is a very bitter pill. He has shown me to be a man that stands by what he believes in even when it seems his party did not stand by him.

The most important thing for me this year is to elect someone who will bring our country together. I believe that both candidates will say anything at this point to get elected. Therefore, the only way to judge them is to look at their records. So I have.
During the last two congresses, John McCain sponsored legislation with 55% of his cosponsors from the democratic side. For Barrack Obama it is 13% from the republican side. John McCain has sponsored legislation with democrats involving climate change, government spending, torture, patients' bill of rights, campaign finance reform, tax cuts, and gun control. John McCain voted with his party 85% of the time. Barrack Obama voted with his party 97% of the time. Which one will be more likely to "reach across the aisle"? In my opinion, it will be the one that has already done it.

Conference was great, I really enjoyed watching it this past weekend.
But, did anyone watch the debate tonight? I just can't believe how incredibly different these 2 men are! One seems to really know what he's talking about, and the other just seems to dance around questions and ignore answering the real questions. I thought McCain did awesome tonight. I think he really addressed the issues (something he has been constantly criticized for in the press), and I think he was extremely confident in his answers, you could tell he had experience in what he was talking about. He didn't come off as being polished or having memorized answers and I really liked that. Of course, I'm sure according to the press, he lost. He could only win if he told the American people he was going to raise taxes to pay for everyone's health care, deflate the military, and continue to beat down off shore drilling.
Your thoughts family? Mom?

Fall Conference

Without a doubt, one of my favorite fall activities is conference weekend. The world is so beautiful. I have been so ornery about the changing leaves this year. I have been resentful of the colors turning gold and orange. I was feeling like it was the coming of cold and dark. I don't like the cold and dark. I like spring and the world when it turns green. Watching conference this weekend has helped me to remember that I love fall also. It is a beautiful time of year. I love listening to the leadership of our church. I loved when President Monson talked about enjoying the journey. I thought about the years when my girls were little. He talked about the regrets that we have when our children are gone. I have plenty of things that I know I could have done better. But I have so many wonderful memories of good times. The girls and I spent many happy hours together....watching TV late at night, running to movies, getting pizza, and treat runs to Smith's. Sitting together at church and holding hands during the Sacrament, reading the scriptures together, and listening to conference together. I am so grateful for the many memories of good times. It is so fun to make new memories with all of you as you mold and develop your own families. It is such a blessing in my life to see you grow to love the gospel and teach it to your children. Remeber what President Monson said and "Enjoy the Journey".
http://lds.org/conference/sessions/display/0,5239,23-1-947,00.html

Welcome Joshua Welti Lewis

We would like to welcome Josh to the family. Weighing in at 10#9oz. he has made a big impression. Congratulations Jeff, Brooke, and boys. We are so happy that he is safely here, and you are all doing well. Way to go Brooke!!

Thirty-two years young....

THE BIRTHDAY GIRLS

HAPPY Birthday Tracie!! We are so happy that you are part of our family. It was on a beautiful, fall day just like today that you entered our world. We are so grateful for you. You are a great example to all of us. Hope your day is wonderful. You DESERVE it!! Everyone...check out the October Ensign, p.74, and you will read about Tracie in Allentown!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LIZ!!

I hope you had a great birthday! And the celebration continues tomorrow (as the Lewis tradition goes!)
It was fun hanging out for lunch/pedicures! I love getting to spend time with you and am going to miss you when we leave.
Also, I hope you know that this means you are no longer a teenager! Tomorrow will be your first day as an "adult." My "older sisters" advice for you would be this: It's ok to stand up for yourself. Now is the time in your life when you don't need to hold onto old friends, old ideas, and old ways.
Also, make some new goals for yourself and set out to accomplish them. I think you are an amazing young woman and you have so much going for you. Don't settle and don't let opportunities (like a study abroad!) pass you by. It's all about choices, make the right ones. You won't always have so many options and things won't always be so easy.
Love you, little sis!
-Linds

What d'ya Think?

Should I go pro? Or is it just my subject that rocks?

(we miss you Max! Spence, we always miss you!!)

Happy Birthday Constitution!!

On September 17, 1787, our constitution was signed at the Constitutional Convention. That makes it 221 years old. WOW!! This amazing document has kept our government functioning. When it was implemented, there were lots of people fighting both sides of the state vs. federal government fight. We still have people fighting, and it still works! We are so grateful that we have our freedom AND a framework of government that has worked for all of these many years.