When Technology doesn't work from one source, try another!

My Mom and Grandma and some of my other sweet loved ones had a hard time seeing these pictures sent from my email! These aren't the best photos...because I am saving the surprise to give you later! But they still warm my heart to see my sweet Boys!

So I have posted them here!

We leave Council Bluffs, IA today. Thad has enjoyed his 2 month rotation here. We've learned a lot. It's really been a test for Thad. He has worked with some people with different attitudes and it has helped him to see what he desires for a work environment.

I have especially learned the truth that Home is where you and your family are. No matter where we are, if Thad and Peter are there, I can love it. But I do understand the council given by Prophets today to create a spiritual atmosphere in your home. Here in Council Bluffs we don't have any pictures of the Savior or of Temples or of Family on the walls. I love the spirit those add in our Sioux Falls Home. But we did have the Mormon Channel, or Devotionals or something spiritual playing all day. And we have church DVD's on the table that have pictures on them. But oh how important it is to create an environment that even just looking upon helps you feel the spirit. I love being a woman, a wife and a mother! I know that it is my responsibility to create and mold our home as a Heaven on Earth. And if you just look at Peter's smile, you'll see why I feel like I'm in Heaven 24/7!

Life is absolutely wonderful. Wished you were here.
Love you!
Malinda (Thad and Petey!)

Special Summer Moments!

Peter is growing so fast! I love being a wife and mother!
Here are a few photos from the past 4 months. Sorry I'm slow!
Some special moments:
Mother's Day!
Father's Day!
Peter's blessing : June 6, 2010
Family Reunions in Utah! He learned to roll over both ways!!

More to come! Just wanted to say we love you!
Malinda (Thad and Peter)

We're both really tired














12:12 on March 24, 2010
1 Day Old!!!

























Family Photo














Sharp fingernails. Little bit of scratching

Happy Birthday, Peter!!!

What a great experience. Indescribable!

Here are some quick pics...



Leaving for the Hospital













Admitted in the Labor and Delivery













Who's little guy is this???















I'm hungry too.















First official Family Photo.










We'll post more later.
Uploaded more on Mina's facebook
Love you!!!

Gonna spend more time with my boy.

A New Year Resolution!

This is Thanksgiving Day out at Thad's Grandpa and Grandma Ward's Farm! We have so much to be thankful for. I am especially grateful for an amazing husband! He makes our home complete. He makes me laugh. I love being with him. I cherish the mundane moments and the beautiful vistas we see together.

I love being pregnant!

Hello my loved ones!

This Christmas was very stirring for me as I was unable to go home to Utah for Christmas. I wasn’t able to see all of my brothers and sisters, or even all of Thad’s family. We did get to go to Minnesota to Thad’s house, but due to the snow, there was limited time with family. I thought, how can I tell everyone how much I love them, and hear about their lives? How can I help them to stay in touch with us and to know how we are doing as well? How do we keep family and friends ties close if we never get to communicate?

My cute family and friends are so good at blogging, that is one way. Newletters, emails, letters, calls, cards, skype, etc. are all great ways. Facebook and all those electronic ways have been difficult for me as I have found that my only time to do that is at work, and I just feel I shouldn’t. So the solution for me is to do something! Once a month, do something. It may be a blog. It may be a letter. It may be an email, or a phone call. But I want to do my part to tell all of you that I am thinking about you and that you mean so much to me. So this month…it’s a blog!

My message this month, (you know me, I have to have a message… ) is to cherish the mundane every day moments.

I have been trying to prepare to become a mother and I was listening to a book on contentment my mom gave me for Christmas as I drive to and from work. And it has just reminded me that most of our lives are filled with mundane, every day duties. And we should not take those for granted. But rather we should take time to look at each other, eye to eye, tell each other we love each other, hear about the day, touch each other and enjoy the time we are allotted here in this life. We can get busy and forget to really look at each other and enjoy the cleaning of the house, the cooking and eating dinner, the working and making people better. But if we cherish those moments, we will find our lives filled with joy and satisfaction. I really know that mothers sacrifice a lot for their families, and they must search to find contentment with the roles we have to serve and make home a safe haven!

So I wanted to take time this month and this year, to draw closer to you all and even in the crazy days, remember that these relationships are eternal. I love you. Have a great January! Love Malinda :)
It's the greatest time to have a belly! Especially in the winters of South Dakota! Peter keeps me warm!

Speaking of Warm...Thad makes we wear all this gear so I don't cry in the below freezing weather! I'm so thankful for him!

This is my cute Thad out snow blowing his parent's drive way. We got 16 inches on Christmas! He had a ball out working with his dad!When he was in high school he didn't have the snow blower! He got to do it all by hand! He loves playing out there now!!


We're getting prepared! We've got the crib and the changing table, and cute blankets and toys. Much Thanks to our Moms and Grandmas!

Oh My Heaven's! I'm trying!

Well I feel terrible! I have tried every night to find a little extra time that would allow me to do some blogging, and every night I think about how I am not being able to stay in touch with so many people I truly love, because I have become busy! So tonight, instead of going to play volleyball with the women in the ward, I decided to take some personal time!

How fast time is going! It is November! There are so many fun things happening here, like SNOW. Cathy Nixon calls it "South Da-Snowda!" But I hear Utah had snow before we did! We are having amazing experiences with or without the snow!

If you can believe it, I saw my first live CAMEL in Minnesota at the Martin County Fair!

Thad is in Tractor heaven and loves the midwest farm communities because it reminds him of his Grandpa Ward. His Grandma Ward is still living on the farm. Grandpa passed away a year and 1/2 ago. It is Harvest time here, and now that the snow is officially here, Winter just arrived.

Over Conference weekend, we drove to Mom and Dad Larsons, and on our way, all of a sudden there was a huge road block! I have never seen that on the freeway. No getting through. So we had to drive through the corn fields to find another highway that would connect us some how! Crazy. Just across the barackade it says, "Minnesota Welcomes You!" Yeah, some welcome!

We have been so blessed to have been able to share in the fruits of Mom and Dad Larson's labors. They grew a beautiful garden, and every time we go to Northrup, MN we get to go produce shopping in their back yard! Thad pulled up potatoes, Mom picked the tomatos, I chose the cabbage and beets, and Dad helped with peppers and carrots! It is awesome! Thanks Mom and Dad Larson! Here is a picture that has gone through the ages!

We have been so blessed to find good friends here in Sioux Falls. We are grateful for our ward family and the many wonderful opportunities we have to serve and to do missionary work. One great connection I was blessed with was meeting the Stake President from Sioux City, Iowa, who invited me out to do a basketball camp for two Saturdays for 4th -6th graders. It has led to some talk of me working with a trainer who is developing individual camps and we will see where that takes us. It felt so great to be back on the basketball court and being with kids. I loved them!

We also are loving the humble people that are coming to know the gospel of Jesus Christ is true. We have a new friend named Dennis that has just set a baptismal date! He has been in our home several evenings with great searching of the gospel truths. He is having very trying times. Please remember him in your prayers. Missionary work is what we have been fasting and praying for as a ward, stake and family. There is so much to do to help the Lord invite all of his children to know of his truths. We are loving coming to know so many amazing people!

Thad continues to study very diligently. He is doing remarkably well. I am so proud of him. He is loving learning and really is grateful for this opportunity. He did go hunting for Pheasant last weekend. Although he didn't get anything, he had a great time with some of our friends.

Life is super. I apologize for my delay in message delivery! But I sure appreciate all of the love and support we receive from you are dear family and friends.

Know that we love you and pray for you daily!
Have a great week!

"Come, Come Ye Saints..."

What a crazy week and 1/2! I didn't make my goal to update last week, but I am making sure I get it accomplished tonight! We had a busy week! I started work at Southeastern Behavioral Healthcare and my schedule keeps us up and going. I work 7am - 3pm and I found out this week, I have no Holidays off! I wasn't too happy about that, but after a few days of trying to wrap my mind around it, I have come to realize that maybe it's my turn to serve others on holidays, besides myself. And I did tell them I had to go home for sure at Christmas, so I am taking unpaid days during Christmas, which to me is fully worth it! Then we had Home evening on Monday, Missionaries and a family over for dinner on Tuesday, Young Women's on Wednesday, Enrichment on Thursday, and Date night on Friday! Then on Saturday we got to go to the temple! Wahoo!

We never want to take for granted the wonderful blessing of having a temple close to us. We are in the Winter Quarters Temple district and it is a small temple that was dedicated in 2001. It is 2 1/2 hours away from Sioux Falls. But before, they had to go to Chicago which was 10 hours, and before that it was SLC which was 17 hours. How blest we are!! We actually had a Youth Temple trip that we went with. We thought we would be able to do the adult session as well, but it worked out that in the smaller temples you have to be scheduled and have your name on the list. We had the youth baptisms at 11-1pm, and the Adult session our names were on was at 12pm. The brethren are all needed to do the work in the baptistry, so we wouldn't be able to do the session. We went and removed our names from the session list, and there were people in a standby line, so grateful to take our spot. It is fun to see how operations of these small temples is different and hope that we can share the gospel and help the schedules to be even more varied.

It is a beautiful temple located on the same hillside as the Winter Quarters Mormon Pioneer Cemetery. There is a beautiful memorial to all of those saints who lost their lives on the Exodus to Utah. We also visited the visitor's center across the street and took a tour to learn about what exactly took place at Winter Quarters. I hadn't realized that this was the place Brigham Young had the saints build up to stay for winter. It was getting to be late fall when they came through Nebraska, and he worried that snow would come shortly. So they built log homes and a city to keep them through winter. But due to the disease of Cholera which they received from the infected mosquitos, many lost their lives in the terrible conditions of winter. This is also where Brigham Young was sustained as prophet. The song "Come, Come, Ye Saints" was written here and became the anthem for Saints as they strived to make it through the difficult road ahead.

As we were there I just thought about how all of us will pass through "Winter Quarters." The saints were such fabulous models for how we should continue to stay steadfast in Christ. They had sacrificed all that they had to move West. They didn't even know they were going to the Salt Lake Valley. They only knew they had left their beautiful homes, some family, and lives in Nauvoo and in graves along the way. Yet many testified that they would never take a different course in their lives, because it had made them stronger. And it gave them eyes to see the Hand of God in every step. I want to remember and be like them in my journey here as well. We can do hard things with the help of our God. He is mindful of each of us and the journey ahead. We must just keep our eyes fixed on the goal of going and becoming all that God wants and needs us to be!

Hope all is well in your lives. Know that we are praying for you and love you!
Have a great week!
Malinda and Thad :)