Release as Relief Society President

Well, today was a day of mixed emotion. I was released as Relief Society President of the Riverside Ward. I had been it for just over a year and with expecting baby #5, being on bedrest and Jon's busy 3rd year schedule, the Bishop decided it was time. I feel a great sense of relief from the responsibility that is no longer mine, but I also feel a sense of loss and sadness.

It has been such a great experience - one where I have received far more blessings and service on my behalf than I gave to others! The sisters in this ward are incredible and faithfully serve in their callings and as visiting teachers, so it made my responsibilities easy. I loved the friendships I made, the funny stories and experiences, the spirit that comes from working with amazing Priesthood brethren, and the memories I will always have!

Not to be too sappy, but a super big thank you to all of the great women in the ward! To my great Presidency and others serving in Relief Society! To my dear friends who would watch the kids for me while I was in meetings (Kirsten - for those 8:30 Sunday mornings to have 4 kids dumped at your house for 2 1/2 hours!), Beth for all times you came to my house to be here with the kids as well! To my great kids - who were dragged to visits, meetings, oftentimes left to care for themselves while Jon was sleeping - while never complaining! And to Jon! For being willing to be a full-time dad on those precious days off so that I could do the things I needed to do. You are all my inspiration and my great blessings!

A Blissful Week for Mom

We just finished a great week - one I would happily repeat at any time! Emily, Lindsey & Jack went to Jodi's camp (at our local rec center) from 9:30 to 1:30 every day. They took their sack lunches and had a great time. They would come home so happy! Becky and Kate ran on lots of errands and went to some fun places, so that left me home alone in the La-Z-Boy! Add to that, a full box of Ding Dongs and the remote control, and really, does life get any better than that? A long time ago, a friend's dad once commented "Jeannette has always had it easy." How true that is!

To add to the blissfulness of the week, Kate has started to self-potty train herself. She announced one day "I burped in my pants", used the potty and has been dry ever since. What a gal!

I went to the doctor's again today and everything is still going great. There is no sign of protein and the doctor said that she'll induce me on August 8th if everything keeps going well. So, just 6 weeks from today! Yikes! We switched the kids beds around, so we even have somewhere for her to sleep.

Hip, hip horrah for modified bedrest!

Raindrops on Roses?

Last night was one of the longest thunder and lightning storms I think I've ever experienced. It had rained previously in the afternoon and early evening, but about 11:45 last night, the big storm rolled in. Jon was at work and I had just dropped into bed when it started. Bright flashes of lightning and loud booms of thunder, were followed by the tornado siren going off. Several minutes into it, Emily came in my room from being woken up by it. Then came Kate (who we've recently switched to a toddler bed) and then a little while later, in comes Lindsey. During this time too, the baby got really active and my stomach was moving everywhere. I'm sorry to say that I didn't break into a version of "My Favorite Things" from The Sound of Music, but rather tried to find adequate space for my three visitors and my belly. Somehow Jack slept through the whole thing. Thankfully the power only went out briefly once, but the storm kept going and going. I think it lasted until almost 2:00 in the morning and we must have seen at least 100 flashes of lightning.

Piano Recital

Emily and Lindsey had a piano recital tonight and they did GREAT! They have both been practicing a lot and sat right down and played perfectly. Lindsey played "Saturday" and "A Child's Prayer" and Emily played "Latter-day Prophets." I don't know if any other parents are like me, but I'd actually sort of like to burn the music and be done with it forever. No, all kidding aside, they were great and we are so proud of them! Their piano teacher, Andrea Jeppesen, is absolutely amazing - so patient and so sweet with them.

Lindsey at the piano and Emily's thrilled look after finishing (I had a matching look!)

Kate and Becky (two very devoted fans)

Happy Father's Day Dad!

The kids woke Jon up today for breakfast in bed! We made him almond poppyseed muffins (brought in from Utah), bacon, pancakes, hashbrowns, eggs and orange juice. He was a great sport about eating while 4 hungry wolves, I mean kids, watched. He was showered with gifts, including a toy Kate had insisted we wrap up. Jon is such a great dad and his kids love him so much. It's an exciting moment when dad gets home! We love you Daddy!

Love your #1 fans,
Emily, Lindsey, Jack and Kate

Our Great Dads!

Our kids are so lucky to have 2 wonderful grandpas! And so, today on Father's Day, we honor them.

Grandpa Jack Bowen is Jon's dad. He's the dad of 10 kids, 21 (almost 22) grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren. Jack grew up in Gilbert, Arizona, served in the Navy during WWII and served an LDS mission in Brazil. He has a PhD. in psychology, taught at a college in Greeley, CO and is the kindest man you'll ever meet. We were honored to name our Jack after this great Jack! We love you Grandpa Bowen! (This picture shows what a good sport he is - he went outside to watch the kids play and we could only find a pink hat for him to wear).

Grandpa Steve Sorenson is my dad. He's the dad of 5 kids and 4 (almost 5) grandkids. He grew up in Salt Lake (in the house he still lives inn today). He went on a mission to Helsinki, Finland. His dad passed away while he was at the LTM (Learning Training Center) and his mom passed away before he married my mom. He went to law school and is a US Attorney. He is the funniest, most genuine man you'll ever meet. We love you Grandpa Sorenson!

Dr. Jon Bowen to the rescue!

Jon did his first stitches at home this week! Our incredible friend's little boy, Ethan had fallen off his bike because of his shoe lace getting caught in the chain and had split his chin. Ammon (Ethan's dad) graduated from medical school 4 days earlier, but stitching up your own child is pretty rough, so they came over and Jon did it. Ethan laid on the couch, Ammon held him down and Jon put 4 stitches in his chin. They did deaden the area, but Ethan was so brave about it. He just closed his eyes and held Ammon's hands. I was proud of Jon for doing such a quick, good stitch up job. All our kids would choose Ammon to stitch them up too, but hopefully we won't have to keep trading services back and forth!

Kate's Artwork

Kate seems to find the one pen I leave in the living room once a month and can quickly draw various pictures in a matter of 4.2 seconds. Thank goodness she is cute (tomorrow is garbage day and it's a bit tempting to sticker her and put her out on the curb), for rubbing alcohol (I only buy the 32 oz size now) and for the fact that we've given up on owning anything too nice.

Baby Update

We're several days into "modified" bed rest and so far, so good! Actually, so far, so great! I'm 30 1/2 weeks along and had another doctor's appointent today. She's seeing me weekly all ready to keep an eye on things.

For those who don't know...I had Jack 8 weeks early because of pre-eclampsia. I had protein in my urine and the environment turned really bad and Jack wasn't thriving any more. With Kate's pregnancy, I had traces of protein in my urine the entire pregnancy. At 30 weeks, my doctor put me on bedrest. I could be up to shower, eat and then 1 hour a day. I also went in weekly for nonstress tests. Kate was delivered at 37 1/2 weeks and everything went great.

At the beginning of this pregnancy, we assumed that the protein could happen again, so the doctor planned on bedrest again at 30 weeks. So far, there is no sign of any protein. So, at 30 weeks, she started me on modified bedrest. It's definitely not as restrictive as before, so it's been wonderful. Becky (my sister) is living with us and is absolutely incredible! I am so spoiled! She takes the kids to do fun things, makes dinner and is so much fun to hang out with. I'll still see the doctor weekly, so as of today, the modified bedrest will still be enough.

Now, we just need to come up with a name for this little girl! We may have to draw a name out of a hat (but hey, it worked great for Kirsten & Ammon!).

Last Day of School

Emily and Lindsey successfully finished 2nd grade and Kindergarten yesterday! Summer has officially begun! The girls both had amazing teachers and a great year at school.

Lindsey loved being at school and loved her teacher, Mrs. Holland. She asked me the other day if she could be held back just so that she could have Mrs. Holland as a teacher again. Lindsey was a fun, little helper in class and learned so much. For the class gift, I made a salt water taffy quilt for her. I stitched each child's name into a taffy. The parents in the class donated to help buy the backing and have it quilted. Then we presented it to her yesterday. She loved it. It was so fun to give someone who was so loving and patient to her class, a fun, memorable gift.

Emily also had a great year. Her teacher, Mrs. Kuhman, has been wonderful too! She attended Emily's baptism in the fall and has just been so sweet too. She is a huge Ohio State fan, so I made her an OSU quilt (and the other parents donated to have it quilted). I stitched the names of the kids in one of the borders. She was speakless and loved it too. It was a fun day to celebrate the end of another school year and to thank these 2 amazing teachers!

Smothered in Sunscreen

I've never known a kid so excited about summer and swimming at the pool! Kate has been asking every day for several months if we can go swimming today. She loves putting on her swimming suit and this week, felt like she should put the sunscreen on too. We were on our way home from somewhere and she wanted to hold a little bottle of sunscreen that was in the van. I told her she could, but that she couldn't open the lid. (How many years have I been a parent? How many 2 year olds have I had?) You would think I would be much, much smarter than that and sure enough when I opened the van door to get her out, this is what I saw. It's good to have 4 year olds around though because Jack's comment was "Mom, you shouldn't have let her hold it." Oh, so true!