I have been dying to blog. Positively dying. So many things to say and pictures to post! Here's a little Valentine's Day recap. Leah felt a little left out with all the big kids' school party plans, so when we got a package from Gramps and Grammie in the mail, it was just what the doctor ordered. Bryn took cupcakes to school and had some leftovers. We saw to it that nothing went to waste. And the rings provided several minutes of entertainment. This baby loved the cupcake. Valentine's day is a little underwhelming having just finished up Christmas and all, but we tried to make it a little bit special. For example, I made pancakes with chocolate chips in them!  People, this does not happen in our household. We're talking B.D. - Big Deal. And zero people, count 'em zero (well, except for me) liked them. What is wrong with this family? Anyway, we spent all day cleaning the house in preparation for a visit from our realtor (BIG NEWS: WE'R...

  After a very long time, a whole lot of effort, and a gracious mentor, I am proud to announce that our very own Nate is published! Buttons are bursting left and right! Everyone run out and buy the book today! It's on Amazon ( http://www.amazon.com/Zion-Canyon-Reader-Nathan-Waite/dp/1607813475 ) and has been sighted at Deseret Book, and it will be at the gift shops at Utah's national parks. Hopefully Barnes and Noble and other bookstores in the area will pick it up too. A blurb (copied and pasted from Amazon, let's be serious) on his book, A Zion Canyon Reader,  which was published by the University of Utah Press: Zion National Park is one of the country’s most-visited and best-loved national parks. For the first time, lovers of the park have in one volume the best that has been written about the canyon. A Zion Canyon Reader is a collection of historical and literary accounts that presents diverse perspectives on Zion Canyon—and the surrounding southern Utah region...

We spent last weekend in St. George. Nate was invited to give a presentation to the community on Carl Bloch, a famous artist that he just wrote an article on a few months ago. The presentation went great, and his grandparents, uncle, siblings, and parents (and me) were all able to go. Here he is 'neath the all-seeing eye in the St. George tabernacle where it all went down. Addison and Bryn had the best time in St. George. They always love getting spoiled by their grandparents. They slept for at least half of the drive home, but when Addison woke up he was pretty adamant that we needed to turn around and go back to Grandma and Grandpa's house. Luckily we'd just stopped in Scipio, which has a petting zoo complete with a zebra, so that distracted him long enough for us to get him back in the car. Nate spent a lot of the time there preparing for the presentation and also doing research for another presentation he's got coming up in a few months. On Saturday, though, he was ...

Nate works and goes to school really far away. And he is involved with the production of books, which takes a really long time. So it's nice for the stuck at home far far away wifey to see some fruits of his labors every once in awhile. Here's his latest article that just got published in BYU Magazine , which may or may not have gotten on the cover of the magazine. Follow the link and click on the one called "The Master's Hand" to read it. It's about the art exhibit at BYU's Museum of Art featuring works by the Danish artist Carl Bloch. We haven't been yet, but hear it's a must-see and are planning a trip down that way in March. They even have ipad-guided tours. Pretty sweet. Also, remember this post about Nate where I mentioned that he'd applied to present at a couple conferences? He just got accepted to present his work on an environmental look at the Book of Mormon at the Association for the Study of Literature and the Environment in India...

Heads up: I almost titled this post "A Big Fat Brag on Natey." So get excited. Nate is insanely busy these days. It seems like we are always thinking our lives cannot possibly get busier and then they do. I daresay, however, that Nate is really becoming quite a pro at balancing all his responsibilities. He's taking two graduate classes on top of a full-time work week plus a daily commute time averaging two hours and twenty minutes. And he's the elder's quorum secretary at church. I'm ready for bed just thinking about it. As far as school goes, we're beginning to see a light at the end of the tunnel. One more semester. One more class. And it is NOT a night class. HOOrah! He met with the graduate advisor a few weeks ago and he has officially applied for graduation in May! I will now insert a shameless brag: She did a double-take when she saw the results of the portion of the MA exam that he took last spring. Apparently he passed with honors, which is quite u...

Just taking a moment to brag on the hubby and refer you to a great article in the most recent issue of BYU Magazine. It takes a look into the lives of German members of the Church during WWII. Check it out!

I just wanted to point you in the direction of a few recent(ish) articles in the Church Magazines written by my very own hubby. They're even true! Some of you may not know that he also interned as an editor for the Liahona a few summers ago, so his writing is in other places in the magazines too, just not with his name on it. The illustrations in the magazines themselves are great. Too bad they're not included in the online version. Enjoy! Lost on the Ledge Sunday Best in Brazil