"I Want To Be A Missionary Now"

Another Wallace has entered the MTC. I thought it was so great that Tucker went into the MTC on Taysom's birthday! It was a quick visit from the time he got off the plane to leaving him in Provo, but we loved hanging out with Tucker the past little while. He is so ready for this and is so chill about it all! I was in awe. Talk about a sweet, studly guy. In 2 years, the ladies better watch out. He'll be such a blessing to the people in Indiana! Love you Tucker! Love you Wallaces! Thanks for sharing him with us!

Cousin Connection

Every couple of years the Hinckley side gets together again. Originally a family of 8 children, and then 49 grandchildren, it has since multiplied until there are currently almost 300? Is that right mom? So obviously it's hard for everyone to get together even on a semi-regular basis. This year we had about 2/3rds of the family meet up for an evening at Ensign Peak. We rode the bumpy wagon, ate yummy food, caught up with cousins, learned more about Grandpa Hinckley and watched a movie about the old farm. It was so fantastic! For the longest time I've been wanting to show Richie my grandparents house up on 12th Avenue, but the timing was never right. This time the stars aligned and the man living there now even let us come inside and walk around the backyard to check everything out. Maybe it's just because I'm overly emotional, but I held back tears the entire time until I could get in the car. :) It's a pretty special house, full of wonderful memories.

Another great thing about the reunion was that we got to hang out lots with A and her kids, Russ and Nat and their kids, and mom and dad! We spent Saturday morning up on temple square and thereabouts. We toured the conference center and snapped a quick photo next to Alonzo Arza Hinckley in the hall of the apostles, (my great-grandpa). We checked out a little of City Creek Mall and tried to stay out of the rain as much as possible. What a fantastic way to spend a weekend! I tried to steal pictures from my mom's blog, but it's not working, so for now all you get it this one.

Here we go again!

I feel like the blog has taken on more of a "family log" role rather than more of a journal feel. I guess that's all well and good, it's still our family's history, but sometimes I wish the ol' blog muse would come sit on my shoulder and help me write something fun and entertaining in addition to being informative. It just hasn't been happening, and I suspect it's because every source of spare energy has gone into making something else.



Yep,I am with child again! This picture was taken at 10 weeks ladies and gents. 10 weeks and already showing, that's how I roll on baby #3 I guess. In this picture I had just finished canning about a million green beans and it was some crazy hour of the night/morning, hence the tired/disheveled/crazy person I look like. I walked into the bathroom and caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and thought, "Hey, I actually look pregnant!" So I ran and grabbed the camera. I am now 16 weeks and showing even more. To most people it still looks as though I'm just gaining weight. I really hate this stage. If I want anyone to think I'm pregnant and not fat, I have to wear certain clothes, have eaten a certain amount through the day, get me at the right angle...blah blah blah. I'm ready for that obvious bump to appear.

We've hesitated announcing it on a bigger scale since it's taken us so long to get a baby to finally stick around. We had a miscarriage at 5 weeks last October and another miscarriage at 8 weeks in March. However, I feel confident enough a this point to announce it publicly and just hope and pray I don't have to eat my words later. We had a Dr. appointment last Friday and everything looks great, he even guessed it would be a girl at this point! Really?? I guess I'm just not anticipating a girl, I have my mind wrapped around a house full of mostly boys, but I'll be over the moon about boy or girl.

Now that I'm 16 weeks, I feel almost normal! Hooray! Despite how great I feel now, I'd say this has been the hardest pregnancy up to this point. That first trimester was a little rough. This was the first time I had definite food cravings. Like Gwen's pregnancy, in the first tri I had an aversion to processed foods and chocolate. How's that for a diet plan? Driving by billboards of cheeseburgers made me queasy. After a few weeks went by, things switched big and all I wanted was processed fatty foods! I would hear a commercial for KFC on the way home from the gym and just HAVE to have it! I never did, "I'm a good girl I am", but I would have Richie make me special grilled cheese sandwiches instead, complete with garden tomatoes and pickles grilled right along with the cheese. YUM. Sending me grocery shopping for a few months had it's downside. I bought all sorts of junk that we don't normally buy, like limon potato chips. I'm happy to report I'm back to normal, which means I can resist most food wants, unless it's Nutella and graham crackers.

We're so ready for this baby to be here! Ha! Tell that to March 8th, an eternity away. I told the kids I was going to the Dr.'s last Friday to check on the baby in my tummy and Miles said, "Oh! And you're going to squish the baby out today?" I told him no, not yet, and he whined. The kids know what's happening and are very excited. They've wanted another baby for a long time. Let's hope it stays that way once the baby gets here! Miles wants a boy, Gwen wants a girl, we just want a healthy baby.

End of August

Blogging...HA! I feel like there isn't any time for this ol' blog of mine lately. So here's a few pictures to prove that we are alive and well in the Garner home.

I had a good thrift store day earlier in August and found Miles some "new" clothes. My mom and dad have been de-junking their house lately and they found this gem that Gwen is wearing. It is actually a baby dress that my Aunt Peachy and Uncle Roland brought home from Germany for my oldest sister Jenn, back in the day. I think it's the cutest, and made Gwen squeeze into it for an impromptu photo shoot. I knew that was the only time she'd fit into it, so I snagged the opportunity. Dang, my kids are cute.


We've been getting in as much park and outside time as possible. Before we know it, we'll be stuck inside! Miles has mastered the climbing wall at Riverton Park.


And the real reason there hasn't been any blogging lately:






We've been canning up a storm here with all of our lovely garden produce. Hallelujah! We've also gotten plenty from the Garner and from free sources we find around town or on ksl. It's like a dream come true watching all those shelves fill up with full bottles again!! Mom, I even channeled Grandma Hinckley while I did some peaches the other day and made sure only the pretty sides were showing and carefully placed each one in the jar to maximize the aesthetics. We've also been gearing up for school! Both our neighborhood joy school group and the class I'm teaching professionally. We've had all of our trainings, meetings, parent orientations, and yesterday was the first official day. I was so nervous, but I think it went as well as could be expected. I've got 10 girls and 3 boys! (yessssss!) and all of them can hold a marker the right way! (score!!!) Richie's also started back to teaching and is glad to be back in the swing of things. He even picked up an early morning class this year. That means all of us (meaning me) are going to bed earlier. I must really love this guy.