Blessing Day

  What a great day.  It was so nice to have all the Watson’s come as well as Grandma and Grandpa Uzelac for the blessing of Maddox.  Maddox did so well, not a sound.  He just laid there in their hands enjoying all the wonderful things Cordell blessed him with.

After the blessing we all came home for lunch and let the kids run wild.  It was fun to have everyone in our home and share this great day with us.  Maddox is our last child so it meant a lot to us to have the support from our family for his special day.

Here are more pictures from that day.

 

Happy Birthday!

Happy 2nd Birthday Talmage!

Talmage turned 2 last weekend. So to prepare him for the big day we talked to him about having a birthday and a party. I told him we were going to have an Elmo cake there. So all week anytime we mentioned his birthday he'd just yell out "Elmo Cake!". We went to a park with the Watson side for a bbq and presents. From the looks of it he was very excited for his party. He fell asleep on the way to the park. He woke up after we had all eaten. We were just hanging around waiting for the birthday boy to wake up to do presents and cake. What a party pooper. We love him and I still can't believe this little guy is already 2 yrs old! Where has time gone?

In a Jam

What else is one to do with a flat of fresh strawberries that were just picked from the fields? We get the best strawberries I've ever eaten just down the road from the strawberry patch. They pick them right from the field, put them in a box and load them in your car. You couldn't get any more fresh unless you walked in the field and picked them yourself! These babies taste like candy they are so sweet and soft!

With the help of a wonderful lady in my ward she came over with ingredients and supplies to help me learn how to make jam. Yes, this is my first experience making jam. We ended up making 18 jars of jam and I'm thinking that wasn't enough. I may be doing it again next weekend while the strawberries are still good and the homemaking bug is in my system. This jam is just so good. I decided to make bottled jam vs. freezer jam because I just don't have that much space in my freezer for jam. This way the jam can sit in food storage for a lot longer and doesn't require electricity to keep it good. The other thing I like about this recipe is that it takes A LOT less sugar which makes it taste like strawberry preserves and not like strawberry candy. We used the Pomona brand in case you were wondering.

Now I'm excited to make other types of jams and bottle fruits and vegetables when the are at their freshest. Mmmm!

Beautiful fresh strawberries!

Jars ready to go

Cooking in a pot

Just finished in the steamer

The finished product!

Mother's Day

As you all may know, if you have kids in school they really do a good job helping kids understand and appreciate the different holidays. This mother's day was no exception. It was Walker's first year in preschool so it has been full of fun events all year long. Although I have to admit that this one was the best! They invited the mothers to come to school for a Mother's Day Tea Party. I walked into Walkers class and he eagerly greeted me, took my hand and led me to the table where we'd be sitting. He pulled my chair out and sat beside me and gave me a gift. What a gentleman. Who's teaching him this stuff? The gift was a necklace he made in class that was a compilation of a porcelain heart a few beads one being the shape of a cat that is classic. Then we had lunch. They served the mom's salad and a roll and the kids had chips and mini corn dogs, followed by lemon pound cake. Then they read us a story and we could go home from there. I really had a good time with Walker. It is VERY rare that he and I spend time alone together. I need to do more of that because we enjoyed ourselves and it was fun to do something just for him. He's such a great boy and I love him dearly. Here's to many more years (so long as the school system probes them to do something) of mothers day celebrations.

Easter Fun

So Easter came and went this year much like many of the holidays that are consumed with candy, gifts and kids asking if there was another holiday next week. Thank goodness all we have to look forward to the next few months are birthdays but with 4 kids now it seems to never end. I thought I'd share some of our easter weekends events.

Easter Sunday

Easter Festivities with the Watson cousins

The loot left by the Easter Bunny

My favorite picture! While the kids were busy hunting and picking
up easter eggs, dad was busy hunting and picking up weeds!

Introducing....

Maddox Clayton Watson

April 7, 2009
8 lbs. 14 oz.
21 inches long

We are so glad that he is finally here to complete our family. I delivered on my due date and all went very smoothly. Now we're trying to adjust to a fourth child and getting a routine down. The other three kids absolutely love him and want to hold him all the time. Life is good for this Watson family!

The Name Game

So Cordell and I have been racking our brains the past few weeks trying to come up with a name for our baby boy that will be coming into the world in a few short weeks. We have had such a hard time and have turned to the internet and baby naming books for ideas. When Cordell received this book in his office the other day, it gave a completely new insight as to possible names to give your child. If you have a chance it's really the best baby book EVER!!! A book I'll be giving to every new mother at her first bay shower! Here are just a few of our favorites.

Beau: It's time to take a look in the mirror. Beau literally means "handsome" and everybody knows it. So you're gambling. It's like being bald and stuck with the nickname "Curly." You know what everyone's thinking when you're introduced. They're thinking "Hey! That guy's named Curly, but he's got no hair!" And that kid's named Beau, but...why tempt fate?

Greg: If it weren't a name it would refer to skin tags. "Eeew. I"ve got more gregs growing on my butt again, honey. Can you get the lighter and burn off these gregs?"

Graham: Likely nickname: The Cracker. Not a funny nickname if you happen to be a Southern racist.

Oliver: Insurance rates run higher for Olivers since they are more likely to get beat up.

As for some girl names we thought a few of these were particularly funny.

Betty: Bettys wear aprons and spend far too much time worrying about spots on their silverwares. Bettys live in ranch-styles houses and make pot roast on Thursday. I wish my mom were a Betty.

Blair: Means "flat". That's going to hurt come puberty.

Callie: Try saying this name without sounding like you have a speech impediment. Now what are going to do when she really does? Don't tempt the gods of irony.

Cheyenne or Dakota: How arrogantly chic to name your daughter after a nation of people your country conquered.

And lastly the reason why I have chosen to go by my birth name at the age of 19!

Becky: Nobody names their kid Becky. It's just an unfortunate thing that happens to girls names Rebecca.

Now please help a lady out. Send me any boy names that we can take into consideration. We are particular to last names that we can use as first names. Our other two boys are Walker and Talmage. Here's your chance to have a child out there that you named.