Miss Aubrey is ONE!

Holy cow, where did the time go? We just celebrated our baby's first birthday. She brings us such joy and we are so grateful for her and the happiness she brings to our family.

Here are some pics from a really bad photo shot I attempted. Our house is so dark and it has been rainy and overcast so no great light here, but they are cute and we had fun!

We spent the day at home, opening gifts, taking pictures and eating cake!

We love you Aubrey and are so glad you are apart of our family!

Fall Update!

Ok, ok, so we have been bad bloggers… but alas we are finally seeing the light and wanting you to catch up with us…. So I have the top 25 exciting things that have happened to us since we got settled into the new house.

(No particular order of excitement – just random thoughts that have come to my head)

1. We have a new pet, his name is Lewis – Hayden named him. He is a pheasant that has decided to call our back forest a home. You often find Abby sitting for long periods of time with Hayden’s binoculars watching for him. He has a big brother named Billy, and a girlfriend name Lucy that we see ever so often. We see Lewis daily, he finds our bird food quite delectable, since we have plenty of blue jays that spill seed over so he can easily get food from the ground. The boys often rush home from school to see if Lewis is out there. What a good pet for us!
2. We get to celebrate Thanksgiving twice this year, which I don’t mind since I like turkey dinners. Any holiday that revolves around food is ok in my book. Canadian thanksgiving was on October 12th, and we celebrated with a great family from our ward named the Penny’s. We look forward to hosting the American version in November for the missionaries, since they are the only “American’s” we know.
3. We are finally getting use to the metric system, and can safely drive 100 km and are ok with buying milk in 1 litter bags. (not jugs, bags, which you put in a pitcher to pour – I know I know)
4. The boys have built strong muscles hauling firewood into the garage so we can use the fireplace this winter to help warm the house.
5. Hayden started Basketball season and we hope he enjoys it!
6. Aubrey can now say uh-oh, Mama, Dada, na, na, na (no, no, no – which of course she still shakes her head) and has recently added WOW!
7. We had three glorious trips to the apple orchards – once for Abby’s preschools field trip, once with Lori for a great photo shoot, and once with my Dad. We came home with a new love for honey crisp apples, and have made plenty of applesauce and apple crisps!
8. We added stickers to our world map that tracks Ben’s world adventures as he went to Chile and Argentina. We now get to add Australia, Mongolia, China and Singapore (well the China and Singapore are just long layovers but the kids think that counts!)
9. The kids started back to school – Hayden is in Madame LeBlanc’s grade 4 class, Ethan is in a 1/2 split class with Madame Gallant (yes they call them Madame, since they are both French speakers) and Abby is in Mrs. Allerston’s preschool at the Triefes Israel Preschool at the Jewish Synagogue downtown.
10. Aubrey is pulling herself up to things, crawling up the stairs when no one is watching her and getting into a mess everywhere she goes. We need some gates and locks fast!
11. Hayden, Ethan and Abby finished ice skating lessons. Trying to be like the locals, we will have the boys skate for a year before they attempt playing Hockey! We had to buy skates for them all, and when purchasing them Abby looked up at the guy who was trying to find her some skates that would fit her tiny little feet, he grabbed the smallest skates he had (which were hockey skates), she then looked up to him and said, excuse me, don’t you have any girl skates? We walked out with Hockey helmets, two hockey skates and one pair of figure skates.
12. Aubrey after eating one Oreo (which we had to smuggle good American ones from my trip to Maine, the Canadian ones are gross – what a shame) figured out how to pull it apart, lick the frosting and chuck the cookie onto the floor! She didn’t learn that from me, but is a crack up to watch such a little thing do that! She loves them!
13. Ethan started Karate lessons. He loves it and looks to cute in his uniform. It’s a crack up because his teacher teaches in French and Japanese, both which he doesn’t know, so it’s all new to him. For all he knows they are speaking Greek!
14. Aubrey is cutting all four top teeth right now, fun for us!
15. Lori and Ashlyn came up to visit with us! What a treat for me, we had a blast – thanks Lori for keeping me company while Ben was in Chile!
16. The kids are continuing to make friends, and it’s interesting not having friends close by. Abby came home with a little scrap of paper in her pocket with preschool scribbles on it, and told me, Look Mom, I have Emma’s number, can we call her. How sweet, she is trying so hard to make new friends. She had the right idea, just not quite there. Good thing I had her number and we could arrange for a play date!
17. I was invited to a Mom and Me playgroup, which I am so glad to have a time to get to know more friends. It gets lonely with no one to talk to. I gladly go to playgroup on Mondays and enjoy a time with them sipping hot cocoa or Diet Coke while they enjoy their coffee. (They are so sweet to cater to my non-drinking coffee and always accommodate me!)
18. We had a glorious and colorful fall, and oh man was it pretty. I was in photographer heaven and got some great pictures. Thanks to Lori having impeccable timing on her trip to enjoy the colors in their fullest we had a fun photo shoot and now have priceless memories! Unfortunately it lasted about two weeks and now it is barren and dead, waiting for the snow to fly. Mark your calendars to come visit during that time; it would be worth the trip….
19. With fall, came pumpkins, and I have an almost one year old who is petrified of them. Gladly soon the pumpkins will soon be replaced with pinecones and holly, so the terrified screams will soon be over!
20. We no longer have boxes, which is a miracle, but it is nice to be settled and know where things are. That was a chore, but will gladly do it again in three years, but not again after that!
21. The boys both had birthdays and we now have a 10 year old and a 7 year old. Where has the time go! We now have more legos, wii games and a couple of extra pounds due to lots of cake, but we had a great time!
22. We had a wonderful visit with my Dad, who came in October to make sure Canada was an acceptable place to be. We had a great time at the apple orchard, beach, chocolate river and even had a lobster dinner! I am so glad to have had such a good visit and I am sure the kids will never forget it! We love you Dad!
23. Abby’s new favorite snack is Challah Bread, which she gets to eat each Friday at school. It is fun to see her learn about other cultures and religions since Challah bread is a Jewish bread they eat on their Sabbath, which starts on Fridays when she is at school. She even knows a new little song about helping mom make bread. To bad my bread doesn’t come with a song or I might get more help making it!
24. We both got new callings in Church. Ben is the new Ward Mission Leader and I am the Enrichment Leader as well as on the Activities Committee. Ben keeps up with the two sets of Elders, and one couple missionary set in our Ward. While am frantically helping put on a Christmas card class and plan our Ward Christmas party! It’s good to busy.
25. We figured out we are approximately 10% done with our three year commitment to Canada! 90% more and we can head back home!

Aubrey's New Trick

She is crawling. I knew she was close, but I was secretly wishing she would at least stay put until we had the unpacking done, but no, there is too much to see and explore, so off she goes. Now where did those baby gates go... a house full of stairs and hardwood floors are not a good match for a nine month old baby...

Settling in...

Well the week has gone, and we have done a lot. We got all our stuff back, hurray, it's just in 600 plus boxes, most of which are labeled wrong or not placed in the right room. It's all here, but where is a different story.

We have suffered from what is being told to us as a "heat wave" this week. Not good timing to leave a comfortably air conditioned hotel to a large house with no AC. Getting use to the humidity is one thing I hope not to do, just bear it for a couple years and just plan on showering twice a day and not ever spend the time straighting my hair. No just remembering to close chips and crackers out so they don't turn to a soggy mess is an important thing to remember.

The kids have had a fun time exploring the forest we call a back yard and making cities out of boxes. The forest didn't last as long as we had hoped, since they discovered mosquitos the size of honeybees that live there, and after one day, and a bodies covered with welts, they decided to admire it from afar until we figure out how to control the mosquito population.

Hopefully soon we will have no boxes piled high, we will know where I put the dishes and find the box with our socks, but for now, we are here, enjoying our new adventure and missing you....

Love from Canada.....

oh p.s. the pictures are of the box city the kids built in the backyard, our first dinner in the new house (pizza of course) and Abby showing of her stickers from the boxes and furniture (her job her dad gave her!)

House Tour

Well it's finally time to get into our house here in Moncton. We close tomorrow but tonight was our final walk through with our realtor. The house was clean and ready to move in. We took the kids and let them run around through the house and the woods while we examined every detail of the house and garage. We discussed ways to improve the yard and small things we will do to change the house around a bit. We are sooo excited to get our stuff back. We have been living out of our suitcases for 19 days and I think we are all sick of wearing the same stuff, doing laundry every few days, and trying to keep 4 kids entertained in a two bedroom hotel. Wish us luck and the next pictures should be of us unpacking in a few days. We miss our family and friends and hope you are all enjoying the summer. Here the temperature has been quite warm (low 90's and 100% humidity. It reminds me a lot of my mission in Virginia and it is not any more comfortable now than it was then. My sympathies go out to Melissa and Kimball in Atlanta as well as Nate and Melanie in DC.

Love from Canada,
Nat, Ben, and Kids

What to do in Canada on a hot summer day...

You go to the beach.

We went to Parlee Beach today, about 20 minutes from our house. It was a wonderful hot sunny day with a tempurature around 32 degrees - yes that is hot enough to go to the beach - it was close to 90 something I think... The kids had a blast, the boys caught hermit crabs and Abby collected sea shells. Apparenltly it was "the thing" to do, since it got crazy busy after lunch time and we ended up heading home around 3 so the baby could take a nap.

We went to the ONLY Mexican restaraunt in town tonight for dinner. It was called Mexicalli Rose, a California Mexican Restaurant. I didn't know that California was known for their fine Mexican food. It wasn't Cafe Rio, but the chips and salsa went quickly, or maybe because they wern't equiped for a family that likes chips and salsa. It was good non the less, and I am sure since it was the only one in town, we will go again.

We are getting anxious about our house, but we are enjoying our "vacation"

We made it to Canada

We finally made it! Hurray. We left early Monday morning (12:50 a.m. to be exact) and landed in Atlanta at 6:30 a.m. and was welcomed by my sister Melissa and my new little niece Emma! Thanks Melissa for making such an effort to come see us, I am sure it was a lot of work, but we appreciate the visit even if it was short! We met Emma for the first time and she was an absolute doll, and the kids enjoyed sharing a cinnamon roll with her!


After a long long night on the plane, we arrived in Portland Maine, where our car transport guy was waiting with both of our cars. After resting in Bangor, we headed towards the border after a final, sad, goodbye trip to Target, where we bought a much needed GPS unit and then headed to customs. After about 3 hours, we walked out with immigration stamps and a work permit for me, and two cars legally imported to Canada. What a pain.

We made it to Moncton and checked into our temporary house called the Marriott Residence Inn, room 602. The kids think they have died and gone to heaven, with our two bedroom suite, unlimited Wii, a pool, breakfast buffet, someone to make their beds, and view of the "Chocolate River" (the one that goes in and out depending on the oceans tide). Boy are they going to be in for a rude awaking when we have to cook our own meals, do our own dishes, and make our own beds.

We have been busy working out all the details, like opening bank accounts, getting cars registered, new drivers licences, new cell phones and sign up for Medicare. I am sure the kids will be grateful for not having to stand in lines with us as we discuss what internet options we want, give out vin numbers or hand over a collection of passports.

I went grocery shopping the other day whiched proved to be more difficult than expected. I need a crash course in French so I can read labels and isle names. I just need peanut butter and jelly, is that too much to ask?

We are learning a lot about the Country. We figure that our coin jar is going to be worth more than in the states, since we are not use to holding on to 1 and 2 dollar coins. (which for some odd reason they call lunies and tunies) I still have no idea why the queen of England has a role in the goverment is nor do I know who the prime minister is, but they gave me a licence, and I am going to be eligable to get "free" health care. (You pay enough taxes they should let us do anything, right?)

We had our only taste of home last night as we went to Costco to get a membership, bought diapers and wipes, and ate a hot dog and Diet Coke. We felt like that was the only thing normal we did all week. That is sad.

We drove past our new house yesterday and are getting anxious to have our own space back. Hopefully things go as planned and we get sometime early next week.

We love all of you, and miss you sooo much.

Homeward Bound from Dubai

Hello Everyone,

I am so excited to finally be heading home. I have spent the past two days with Christa, Guy, Laura, and Laura's two cousins in Dubai. It is an amazing city. It sits all by itself but has a huge number of sky scrapers and other buildings of all shapes and sizes. We started our tour of the city by buying a tour bus ticket. We rode the double decker bus around Dubai and stopped at all the popular sites. It is very hot here but luckily the bus was air conditioned so we did not die of heat. Part of the bus tour included a boat ride on the Dubai creek where a traditional boat showed us various sites up and down the riverfront. After the river tour we took a taxi to the Mall of the Emeriates. This is a HUGE mall! We wondered for a bit but the real reason for the visit was for Guy and I to try Ski Dubai. It is an indoor ski resort with one chair lift and two different runs. By the fact that Guy and I have seen snow before we were in the upper level of experience. The fact that we had skied before made us experts. We bought a two hour pass and instantly went from a desert to a 28 degree ski slope. It was very fun to see some of the locals in ski gear and full arabic robes and headgear.

The next day we visited the Atlantis waterpark. We rode water slides and enjoyed a day of relaxation in the sun. Once again, it was also very interesting to see a range of arabic swimsuits from a bikini to full robes. I think it would be very hot under those black robs in the summer.

I am currently sitting in the Atlanta airport and so excited to have Natalie and Abby picking me up in a few hours. I love you all and look forward to seeing you soon.

Love,

Ben

Word from Tanzania

I am traveling through Tanzania right now. Today we are going to be taking a ferry from Geita to Mwanza. It is such a beautiful country full poverty. Yesterday we were driving about 130 kilometers per hour (maybe 65 or 75 MPH) down a dirt road. When I asked my safety guy who was driving why he was not slowing down he indicated that the road was filled with bandits and if we go to slow we were at a higher risk of being robbed. At each end of the road they had armed police guards who would stop all traffic at 4 PM because the risk of driving the road at night was too great. The area is heavily forested and the forest connects to the Rwanda and Uganda areas. The fighting there has lead to refugees fleeing into the forest and unfortunately criminal elements have taken advantage of that. As our South African General Manager said, this area is “Real Africa”. The ladies are carrying pots of water or baskets of fruit on their heads, the little kids are herding goats or cattle, donkeys pull carts full of charcoal and many of the adult men are living in other places to find work. My local guy indicated the unemployment rate is around 50% and the poverty is just amazing. My hotel last night costs $20,000 Tanzanian shillings (about $13 USD) and while I was trying to talk to Natalie and frog came in under my door. I had to chase the frog back out with my sandals and decided that I would barricade the bottom of the door with a pair of dirty Levis. I am looking forward to seeing everyone again, being able to sleep without a bug net, drink cold water, and taking a small vacation with the family.

More pics from Tanzania

Aubrey at the pool

We spent the afternoon today at Aunt Jennifer's pool taking in the only sunshine we have had all week. Jennifer was confinced that Aubrey would like "her pool" so we took her up on it. The kids had a blast and I'm sure Aubrey will not be wearing out her swimsuit this summer!

Pics from Africa

Here are some picture that Ben sent from what he called "REAL" Africa - enjoy

Hello from Africa

Hello everyone!

It has been a couple of hectic days here in South Africa. On Tuesday I flew from Cape Town to Johannesburg, South Africa. We have an office here and several projects. We spend Tuesday afternoon in the Pretoria office and catching up with the people who work there. I stayed at the same 10 room hotel where I stayed last year during my training course. The same guys were working, the same dogs sleeping on the same couch, and I even stayed in the same room. It was good to see those guys again and the remembered me from the last visit. On Wednesday we woke up early and drove to a gold mine about two hours outside of Joberg. We visited the clients and rigs and then came back to spend some time working with Wayne, our Southern Africa Safety Manager. We went to a African restaurant for dinner called Chief Boma’s. They had African drum players and all sorts of game steaks and other local food.

Today I woke up and spent a few hours with our General Manager reviewing our systems and determining how we should proceed on a few things. He dropped me off at the airport and I am on the plane flying to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. I will be spending the night here and then have a six AM flight to Mwanza in the morning. I am not sure how reliable the communication will be in Tanzania so if I cannot update the blog for a few days I apologize.

I love you all and I am excited that we are now on the downhill slide. I will be home in 8 days and I am counting down the time!

Love,

Ben

Tuesday

Ok, so we made it one week, we survived and all is well.

We have lots of generosity and kindness given to us today. We had a neighbor call today to offer her house and her daughters to come and babysit for me so I can get a break - apparently my dear husband talked to her and told her that poor little Natalie was going to be home alone for three weeks and could use some good babysitters! So sweet!

We also had a neighbor and his little brother come and mow our lawn today, looks like Ben took care of everything for us! Great to have the long grass short again, and I am sure it will grow back fast with all the rain we are getting.

Granddad came and took Hayden and Ethan to Hayden's baseball game, so I could stay home with the girls, so I took Abby out for ice cream and made a "date" of it. Thanks Jim for the out - I really needed it.

So, I bought the kids some new toys, first to have something new and exciting to look forward to, but also keep the kids on their best behavior for at least a couple of days... So Hayden is been huge into these Bacugans...so I bought him a three pack. Hayden, Ethan and Abby's prizes are sitting on top of the fridge waiting for them to earn 15 "points". They get points for taking on extra jobs and doing things without being asked. The score so far.... Hayden - 9, Ethan 0, and Abby 3. Poor Ethan keeps back talking so he has toggled in the negative for a day or so - but he will learn. Sweet Hayden spent his afternoon free from homework doing chores without being asked. He weeded the garden, swept the kitchen, emptied the garbage's, folded laundry and even made my bed..... what a good kid, he must really want those Bacugans! Here is a picture of his attempt to make my bed! I sure love him!

Sunday at home (Day 6)

Ok, so going to church alone isn't all that it is cracked up to be.  We ended up taking two rows, in the back and I wish I could have a quarter for each time I said "shhh"  They actually did great considering we were all fasting and no food in my boys equals some grumpy kids!

So I was feeding Aubrey today, ran down stairs for a sec, and this is what I found!  I actually think she ate more this way, licking the bowl then when I feed her with a spoon, she cried when we took the bowl away, but what a mess, she had to have a second bath for church, but who doesn't love a clean smelling baby!

The boys spent most of yesterday with Grandpa, helping clean his toy closet and helping out in the yard.  I went to target while they were there and I got call after call from Hayden telling me he "earned" enough money to have me buy them a Bakugan, a little ball toy that opens up to become a creature when placed on a metal card.  So when I came home with ones for each of them, they were happy little clams.  They have been playing with them all yesterday and today!  What ever floats their boats, right?

I was so proud of Abby that she could stand up in primary and say her article of faith all by herself today.  It was her assignment to repeat the 6th article of faith, which just so happen to be her favorite one she memorized while we worked on them with the boys.  We have the boys repeat them each morning during breakfast in order for Hayden to memorize them for his Faith in God Award.  One day, the boys each took their turn saying it without looking, and Abby says, I want to try, can I look at the paper Mommy?  Ethan jumped all over that one and said, "you can't even read!" So I said sure, your turn, and sure enough, she had it down word for word!  So when her assignment was that exact on we just passed off at home, I knew she could do it!  All of the other sunbeams need their moms to help, and you couldn't understand a word they said, not Abby, she stood right up, with out me, and repeated it word for word!  What a smart little cookie! 

Happy Sunday everyone! - Natalie

Sunday in Africa

Hello Everyone,

 

The day started out at 6:00 AM in Cape Town.  My hotel had an excellent view of Table Mountain which apparently is quite the attraction here in Cape Town.  Wayne Lindsay and I met our Southern Africa Regional Manager, Greig Rodgers, and a Canadian expatriate driller named Sheldon for breakfast and then a 700 kilo (approximately seven hour) drive to a drill site near Gamesburg, South Africa.  We spent the day talking about the politics of Africa and the LDS church.  It appears that I am the first member of The Church that most of these guys have ever met.  Even though the drive was long and cramped we arrived safely and I enjoyed the conversation.  We arrived just in time to meet the crews heading back towards our camp.  The guys on this project live in a camp that Major Drilling built three years ago.  I was picturing a camp that Indiana Jones would have stayed in but the camp is actually fairly nice.  It has concrete floors, tin sides and roof, beds for about 80 guys, and a grill that cooked a great t-bone steak for dinner.  I had to buy a coat since the weather in the camp is around 50 degrees during the day and close to freezing at night.  I am currently wearing my t-shirt, a long sleeve shirt, my fleece jacket, and my only other long sleeve shirt.  I cannot believe that right now I am freezing and in a few days I will be sweating to death in Tanzania. 

 

We are going out to the rigs early in the morning and then leaving by noon to drive the seven hours back to Cape Town.  The experience of staying on site in the camp and traveling these great distances makes me appreciate the ability to sleep in a warm bed and get a snack whenever I am hungry.  I am almost half way through the trip and will be home before you know it.  I hope everyone had fun at the birthday party for Guy, Mike, and Nate.  I love you all and will look forward to talking to you tomorrow on the phone. 

 

Love,

 

Ben

Hello Everyone!

I hope you are all doing well. I hope you are enjoying your weekend and can have some fun today.

We spent the day driving over bumpy roads in the middle of nowhere. We left Swakompmond early on Friday morning and drove to a uranium exploration site. We visited with the crews and spent some time with a supervisor named Raymond. He has been in the drilling industry since before I was born and was a nice guy. When we were done he took us through a dry river bed to the next mining site. We saw some Kudu ( a large animal that looks like a grey elk) and lots of birds.

We ended the day by driving to the capital of Namibia, Windhoek. As we drove here the terrain started changing from Desert to grasslands with trees. On the drive we saw a (herd, flock, tribe, group?) of baboons, a few girrafe, and alot of antelope.

We visited our local office for a few minutes then went to check in at the hotel. We went to a local place for dinner called Joe's. It was an outdoor resturant that specialized in different game meats. I had a great Orynx steak and since it is cold here (55 at night) we sat by a huge fire pit that was probably 4 or 5 feet across. It was a great meal an interesting experience.

I am staying at the Safari Court, a really nice hotel by local standards. It seems to be a jumping off point for safari groups in the area. Staying at the hotel there was a group of fifty or sixty American tourists who were headed out on a bus tour to some local game parks. I am going to be flying back to Cape Town on Saturday and then headed up to a mine site about eight hours drive from Cape Town called Black Mountain. The idea of driving eight hours to do a rig visit does not sound appealing but the client there and the crews seem impressed that someone would travel all the way from the States to visit so away we go.

I love you all and hop you are doing well. Nat, I hope the scrapbook night went well and the kids enjoyed their sleepover at Grandpa's house. I miss you all very much and wish you guys were here with me. I hope the kids remember who I am when I get home this time.

Love,
Ben

Day 4 at home

Lets see, I'm feeling a little like our life at home is quite boring after hearing Ben's adventures in Africa, but hey this blogging is for all of us, so I am sure Ben will appreciate the update, plus who doesn't want to hear all about our day here in Syracuse!

Let's see, I spent the morning packaging prints for Kaysville Jr High officers... our first "job". Bella Road Photography is up and running, so bring on the clients!  (www.bellaroad.com)

The girls and I went and had a "date" with Jennifer and Josh.  Abby was so excited to go to the rainbow chair place (Cafe Rio) and sit by Joshy!  It was fun to see them and hear about the life of an almost 16 year old!  We followed that with a trip to the beauty salon to get Abby a haircut for the summer!  Oh what fun it is to comb a 4 year olds long long hair!  We cut about 5-6 inches off, and we walked out of their both mother and daughter happy!  I love it long, but the tears over combing it are just not worth it.  I still think it is pretty cute, and it is still long enough for me to play with!

Tonight we had Hayden's baseball game, which my dad willing came with.  I was so proud, Hayden had two runs, stole home, and one great hit!  It was so fun to see him on first base, with a big smile and doing the happy dance that he got a hit!  Ben - he wanted to call you so bad, but to explain to him that it was 4 in the morning where you were put a little damper on it.  We celebrating by going to get shakes at Artic Circle!  It was quite the ending of the day, thanks Hayden for making me so proud and happy for you!

I'm grateful for friends and family to help and support me! I defiantly don't know how good I actually have it!  Thanks Dad for coming to baseball with me! 

Uranium & Quads

Hello Everyone,Today has been another day in paradise....

We started by driving about one hour east to the Rossing Uranium mine. The pit is very deep (about 2,100 feet) and a bit longer than a mile. The equipment they use is massive and the terrain was rocky and barren. We have five rigs on the site and the visits took most of the day.

Late in the afternoon we decided that we were going to take a few hours for a "team building" exercise riding four-wheelers through the sand dunes near the coast. We rode for two hours and ended up finishing the ride along the ocean. Unfortunately the fog came in and the last half of the ride was cold and visibility was low. We ended the ride with no injuries and enjoyed a good dinner afterwards. The break from the rig visits was fun and it gave me a chance to get to know our safety team a bit better. We are starting early tomorrow so my post is not too long tonight.

I love you all and hope you are having a great time. Boys, keep playing hard in your baseball games and take care of Mom. Abby and Aubrey, keep giving Mom lots of kisses and hugs for me. Nat, I hope all is going well. I hope the love and support of family and friends is helping you out and you are in my thoughts and prayers. Have a great night and I will write more tomorrow. For some reason I cannot get the photos to upload so I will send them in tomorrow nights message.

Love,
Ben