Lake Huron

Jumping--they're actually jumping from a four and a half foot ledge. Looks like they're stepping out onto sand for some reason. Luke's buling pull-up. Amazing how much water fits in those things. Elyse

Paul in the sand

Getting ready to sail

Matt's been mentoring a resident who bought a tiny house right on the beach of Lake Huron. He invited us up for an afternoon to play in the sand and sail on his little sail boat. He lives close to Bay City, which is, you guessed it, on the bay between the thumb and first finger of Michigan. It's incredibly shallow there, so the water is way warmer than anywhere else on the lake. It had to be in the low eighties. None of the kids hesitated jumping right in. And speaking of jumping--Aunt Katie, I'm including a jumping pic of the kids just for you.

Laotion Food

Working a shift last week with a new med student, Matt found out the guy came over from Laos when he was twelve and it gave him a chance to brush up on his old mission language skills. Matt was going to take him out to lunch, but the guy ended up coming to our house instead to show us how to cook a few Laotion dishes. He took Matt shopping for all the right stuff and then showed us how to make authentic chicken satay, fried rice, fried noodles, and chicken curry. We literally made enough for four different dinners and barely put a dent in it. Delicious. And the best part is Matt took notes and insists he's going to learn how to cook them for us. I think he may need the next few weeks to practice a lot, which gives me dinners off once or twice a week. Anyone want to come over for dinner?

Little Brothers

Luke is absolutely in love with his little brother. He regularly asks to hold him and likes to snuggle up next to him. His favorite helping jobs are taking Jarom's dirty diapers to the garbage for me, singing the ABC song for Jarom, and saying bless you every time the little guy sneezes. Today he accidently dropped a paperback book on the baby's head and it broke Luke's heart. He cried long after Jarom had finished crying over it. I think he'll be a great older brother.

Toads

Elyse found a toad with five babies in the yard. The kids went giddy over holding them. Paul's poor frog is lucky to still be alive--he kept dropping it and picking it up none to careful over and over again.

Kindergarten Graduation

Paul graduated from Kindergarten this week. Here he is with his awesome teacher, Ms. Kern, and one of his friends, Anthony. It was probably the highlight of the Kindergarten year for me because Paul actually sang the songs. I've been trying for years to get that kid to sing: in the car, in primary, for family night, etc. I thought all he knew from beginning to end was "I am a Child of God" and "Happy Birthday." This is the kid who got a zero his first trimester in music this year. He not only sang with gusto, but did all the actions, and was making sure we were watching him the whole time. It was the best night ever. When I told him I didn't know he knew that many songs he said, "Well, Mom, we practiced!" Ya, like we never do that at home. I'm glad Matt took a short video clip of one of the songs as proof that this kid can learn to sing.

Jarom's Baby Blessing

We blessed Jarom while my mom was still in town. Papa Deibel and Uncle Adam stood in the circle with Matt.

Introducing Jarom Lee Deibel

Hey friends and family. Our baby is finally here! My doctor decided to induce me early thanks to my high level of amniotic fluid and the chance of a big baby. After seven hours of labor, a few pushes, and one great epidural, he arrived May 30th, at 5:02pm. He's twenty inches long and 9 pounds, 4 oz--my biggest baby by over a pound.

Matt and I had a hard time picking a name and decided to go Book of Mormon instead of New Testament this time around. So his name is Jarom, as in the Book of... and his middle name is the same as my dad's. He's doing great other than being jaundiced and getting several pokes on his feet. He wants to eat ALL the time and I can't wait for my milk to come in and he actually gets a full tummy. The kids love him and constantly ask to hold him, especially Luke. To me Jarom looks so much like his three-year-old brother as a newborn that I want to keep calling him Luke. We're all so glad he's here and that he's pretty healthy. I'm doing excellent and am thrilled to no longer be pregnant. I can't wait to sleep in my own bed tonight--on my stomach!