Busy May

In addition to welcoming Jolie into our family we have had a very busy month. Austin (in maroon uniform) has been playing in his soccer league and having a great time. We had a great visit from my sister and brother-in-law, Amelia and Brent, who are currently living in South Carolina. It was wonderful to see them after having them live so far away. The visit was only overshadowed by the sad news of Brent's mother passing away a few weeks earlier. Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family.


Following the birth of Jolie, my family visited. My parents, Val and Brenda, and my youngest siblings, Michael and Keshia, stayed with us for a few days before taking Michael to the Missionary Training Center (MTC). He is going to be serving in the Geneva Switzerland Mission, which includes Switzerland, France, and a couple of the smaller countries in that area. We wish him luck and know it will be an amazing experience for him.

The rest of May will thankfully be quiet, but June will be busy with Kurt having work trip, Kurt's mom, Karla, and sister, Elaine, visiting, birthdays, and summer activities. We are looking forward to, well, most of it. :)

Jolie Madsen Richards

She's here!! Jolie was born May 15, 2008 at 4:49pm at Jordan Valley Hospital. She was 7 lbs. 9 oz. (a whole pound lighter than my others!) and 21 1/2 inches long. She is adorable, and sweet, and very calm. She's eating and sleeping and growing well.

Austin, Nyah, and Olivia are also doing well, though a bit more emotional than usual. Olivia, especially has moments of jealousy and attention seeking, but thats to be expected. We also have had a few more kids up at night than just Jolie, but they should settle down, preferrably sooner than later, but for now sleep is very precious to us all.

We are grateful to my Mom for staying with the kids while we were at the hospital, doing dishes, laundry, clean up, and making meals, and taking excellent care of us all. We are grateful to those of my family who have visited and played with Austin and Nyah for seemingly endless amounts of time. And we are grateful for all the meals, cards, calls, and well-wishers who have sent their love! Thank you all!!