Help!

Okay everyone! I need to take a poll. Hopefully this will help convince my husband to name our baby what I want! So, after hours and hours of scouring name lists, I finally got that special feeling. Are you ready? I want to name our new baby boy Palmer Allan Brandt. Rob is not a fan but I'm sure I can convince him if the rest of the world is on my side! I want honest opinions here. And if you don't like it, feel free to share your brilliant ideas! Because we are at a standstill!

Rotten

When I was little I remember a motivation technique the was used often. Whoever was in charge would motivate us to be somewhere or do something by saying, "Last one to the car is a rotten egg!" or, "Last one to get ready for church is a rotten egg!". You get the picture. Anyway, I started using that one day with my boys because I was getting desperate to get them to listen. I thought I would make it fun but I think they got a little confused. You see, my boys LIKE to be rotten. I figured this out early on and instead of saying, "LAST one" I say "FIRST one to get dressed is a rotten egg!". When I say it that way, they both clamor to be the first one. Usually Adam wins because he's the oldest, biggest, and fastest of the two. He'll gain victory and shout, "I'm rotten!" Then Lincoln will droop his head and cry, "Oh man! I wanted to be rotten!" He gets really upset so I have to say ," the next one is rotten too!" This usually makes him happy and then he'll run and do whatever it was I asked of him. Well, today I was trying to get the boys to come down for dinner. They wouldn't come, and wouldn't come. So I yelled up the stairs, "First one to the table is a rotten egg!" Of course, Adam has to win so he comes bounding down the stairs. Lincoln on the other hand was not responding to my motivation technique this time. Because Adam is the oldest, he feels it's his job to make sure everyone else is doing what they are supposed to do. He was getting very frustrated that Lincoln would not come down. I overheard him yelling up to Lincoln, "Lincoln! Don't you WANT to be rotten?" No answer. I guess not!

A Tribute to My Mothers

I have been so blessed to have the most wonderful mothers in my life. I want to thank my own mother, who bore 13 children into this world, baked thousands upon thousands of loaves of bread, used old-fashioned cloth diapers for ALL 13 children, and did countless other things to care for her children, for always believing in me. Mom, you have always been my biggest fan in everything I've endeavored to accomplish. Thanks to you, I have inherited your love for music and hopefully can instill that in my children. Thanks to you, I pretty much believe I can do anything I put my mind to. Thanks to you, I am a better mother as I remember and utilize the things you taught me. Thanks to you, I have the gospel in my life and am sealed to you for all eternity. Thanks to you I truly have a testimony of our Savior Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father's plan for us. I love you Mom!

I want to thank my wonderful Mother-in-law for so many things. I love you like I love my own mother. Thanks to you, I have the most amazing husband a girl could ask for who has given me two (almost 3) beautiful children. A man who takes his patriarchal role very seriously and treats me like a queen even when I'm not. Thanks to you, your son had the gospel in his life and was worthy to take me to the temple. Thanks for listening to the spirit all those years ago when investigating the church. Thanks to you, I know I'm always cared for. I don't know what I would do without you when I have my babies. Thanks to you, my boys have made many memories of playing endless hours of hide-and-go-seek, various make believe games, building forts, etc... I cherish our friendship and feel very fortunate to have you in my life!

Treasure boxes

A few weeks ago, we had a visit from Rob's Great Aunt and Uncle Dorothy and Lyle Feisel. So they would be our boy's Great-great Aunt and Uncle. They live about 1 hr and 30 minutes south of us and it has been such a joy getting to know them. They have become so dear to us and we are so grateful to have such wonderful people in our family. Growing up, my dad always made a huge effort to help his children know the legacy and heritage that we came from. Even to the extent of a 16-18 hr. ride with 9 kids in the back of an S-10 Chevy pickup truck. We spent that trip playing with cousins, visiting gravestones and bonding with the generations that have gone before. I remember sitting at the feet of my Great uncle Paul as he told us stories about my Dad. And listening to my uncle Roger sing us silly songs while playing the guitar. I can't speak for my siblings, but the memories that I still have of those summer vacations/reunions are of the importance of knowing where you come from. Rather than the long miserable car rides throwing up from motion sickness and trying not to kill each other in the process. Since then, I am a sentimental fool when it comes to learning about my ancestors. I want my children to have a strong knowledge of the legacy that they have come from on both sides of the family. With that said, you can imagine my joy when Great Uncle Lyle shows up with the most special gift for my two boys. Lyle is an extremely gifted woodworker. He made a treasure box for each of my boys. In the inside of the box was this picture of Rob's Great Grandfather Clyde Feisel Holding Rob's dad Steve when he was a baby in about 1954. I cried when I read the story below the picture. Here's the story:
About 1935, Clyde Feisel and his family were renting a farm about three miles southwest of Tama, Iowa. It was the depth of the great depression and while farmers were well supplied with food from their own labors, there was no market for crops or livestock so there was no cash available to pay the rent. The farm was owned by the Meskwaki Indian nation and they were very happy to barter for the rent since no one else had any cash, either. They made a deal with Clyde that if he would cut down trees on the farm, have them milled into lumber in a nearby sawmill and then build a barn, they would accept that in lieu of rent. Clyde cut the local hardwoods-elm, ash, cottonwood and hickory-for the barn. At the same time, he cut and had sawn some walnut trees that he didn't use in the barn but instead stacked and dried for later use. As the five feisel boys grew up and went to high school, they all used this walnut lumber for shop projects. A small amount of this lumber still survives and Lyle now uses it for inlays in projects for the descendents of Clyde and Clara.
Clyde Feisel is Adam and Lincoln's Great Great Grandfather.




The diamond in the center of the lid is the remnant of walnut that is spoken of in the story.
Thank you Dorothy and Lyle for sharing this incredible gift with us! We love you guys!