Spooktacular Month of October

Halloween often gets left behind at our house.  Everything usually waits until the last minute, and then it's over in a blink of an eye.  Most of the time I don't mind Halloween zipping by, but this year I decided I wanted to get into the Halloween spirit more and do more activities with the kids.  I wanted to create some fun memories, and create some possible traditions for the future.  This is what we did for Family Home Evening in October:

October 1st-- Witch Hunt
Gardner Village is such a great {free} place to go in October.  The decorations are suburb, and they are quite famous for their large witch collection.  We found a witch riding a bike over a pond, one rafting down the river with TNT, one with a cat and mouse chasing under her skirt, one that had crashed into a barn, one playing the piano, and one pretending to be a fireman. We loved seeing the fall decorations up at Gardner Village and seeing the cute shops.  Lizzy was fascinated with the pumpkins everywhere, including some that fell into the creek.

October 8th-  Candy Apples and Paper Ghosts
We attempted to make candy apples for Family Home Evening during the second week in October.  I wanted to make the caramel from scratch, so I bought all the ingredients and spent a great deal of time making it, but the caramel overcooked and it came out very hard to chew.  It was still yummy, just a little hard on the teeth.  We made paper ghosts while the caramel was cooking.  The kids and Brad had fun creating character ghosts out of tissue, cotton balls, and string.  Scott made a creeper ghost, Emma made a Nyan Cat ghost, and Brad and Emma made Lord Voldemort and Harry Potter battling each other with wands (toothpicks).

Monday, October 15th-  "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1" and Homemade Pumpkin Bread
I did not expect the pumpkin bread to be such a hit, but we ate that bread in almost one serving while watching Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.  It helped that I made honey butter spread to go with it.  We decided to watch the first part of Harry Potter, since Emma was almost done reading the book series with Papa at the time.

Monday, October 22nd-  "Nightmare Before Christmas" and Dirt with Worms
We introduced Tim Burton's "Nightmare Before Christmas" to Lizzy, and she became obsessed with it.  She watched it over and over for the next few days and had a number of lines memorized.  I just about died of laughter when I gave her a bowl of soup and she told me, "What's this?  Frog's breath?"  We made some dirt with jello worms while the movie was playing, and it was a big hit.  Very, very yummy.

Monday, October 29th- Spooky Dinner, Spiders for Dessert, and Carving Pumpkins
I decided to make a spooky dinner on the Monday before Halloween.  I made eyeball meatballs, using ground turkey and olives.  I also made some spaghetti and died it green to make it look more spooky.  It was a very spooktacular dinner.  The spider cookies were yummy, too, and the pumpkins turned out wonderful.  I made a Jack Skellington face, Emma made a cat, and Scott made a Gravity Falls jack-o-lantern.

Halloween Night
For our Halloween costumes this year, Emma decided to be Catwoman, Scott was a reaper from a video game, Lizzy was Red Riding Hood, David was a Little Bad Wolf, and Brad was a woodcutter.  I was boring this year and decided not to dress up.

We had a wonderful time dressing up and going over to Brad's work in the late afternoon on Halloween.  After that, we went over to Bruce and Loralee's house for dinner and trick-or-treating.  Loralee made a delicious Halloween-themed dinner with her famous snake sandwiches, witches brew, deviled eggs, and salad.  It was fun going trick-or-treating in our neighborhood and seeing our neighbors.  I love living here.

The Highlight of My Day: October 2012

Something good happens each day. Here's what happened in October 2012:

Mon 10/1/12: We hunted for witches at Gardner Village for Family Home Evening tonight. We also made some delicious pumpkin spice cookies for dessert. YUM!

Tue 10/2/12: I was very pleased to learn that my mother bought airline tickets to visit me in November! I am thrilled!

Wed 10/3/12: Lizzy, David, and I had a giggle-fest tonight at bedtime. David crawled onto Lizzy's bed, sat on top of her legs, and clapped his hands while we sang songs. Lizzy was surprisingly tolerant of her brother invading her personal space, and clearly thought the whole scenario was very funny.

Thu 10/4/12: My sweet baby boy turned a year old today! We drove to Wheeler Farm tonight and took some cute pictures of him. We had some homemade cake when we came back from taking photos and sang "Happy Birthday" to David.

Fri 10/5/12: Brad and I watched "Temple Grandin" tonight. It was a very good movie, and I loved spending time snuggling on the couch with my hubby. He's awesome!

Sat 10/6/12: General Conference was fabulous today! There were some incredible announcements and talks. My favorites were President Uchtdorf's and Elder Cook's talks. The biggest announcement we heard today was that the missionary age requirements were lowered. Missionaries can now serve at age 18 for young men, and 19 for young women.

Sun 10/7/12: We teamed up with the Bruce-Clan to take Family Photos tonight. Little Lizzy was a busy girl, and wouldn't hold still for very many photos.

Mon 10/8/12: We made tissue ghosts and caramel apples for Family Home evening tonight. After FHE, we watched "The Avengers." I'd say we had a pretty fun night.

Tue 10/9/12: David had a very positive one-year doctor appointment. He appeared to have a great time socializing with his doctor, and he handled all the shots and blood test very well. The best news was that he is no longer anemic and he gained weight.

Wed 10/10/12: Brad, Scott, Emma, and I all got our flu shots at Brad's work. The little ones tagged along, and were both very cute for Brad's co-workers. We had homemade beef stew tonight for dinner. It was delicious and a big hit amongst the children and adults alike. More Merlin tonight, too!

Thu 10/11/12: I began crocheting a red hood for Lizzy's Halloween costume. Looking cute!

Fri 10/12/12: I Love Yarn Day! I bought a bunch of yarn at Michael's, since many brands were on sale today. I worked more on Lizzy's costume.

Sat 10/13/12: We didn't go anywhere today! It was so nice staying at home, watching shows, getting some chores done, fitting in time for some exercise, and crocheting Lizzy's costume.

Sun 10/14/12: I loved it when David tried to say kitty today. He couldn't hit all the sounds and instead made a hissing sound with his tongue and teeth. He likes Sushi a lot.

Mon 10/15/12: We had homemade pumpkin bread with homemade honey-butter while watching Harry Potter for FHE tonight.

Tue 10/16/12: I crocheted Brad's beard for his costume today. The kids thought it was hilarious!

Wed 10/17/12: I got done a lot of shopping today. Lizzy, David, and I had lunch while we were at Sam's Club, then we drove over to Entheos to pick up the Bruce-Clan and take them home. Lizzy was so tired by the late afternoon that she fell asleep wrapped up in a warm blanket inside the coat closet.

Thu 10/18/12: Lizzy came downstairs wearing Emma's beautiful red sparkly dress early this morning. It was much too big for her, but Lizzy did not care. "I'm wearing Emma's dress," she said in sheer delight. "I'm going to the ball!"

Fri 10/19/12: David took his first step today! He's getting to be a big boy! Dan, Marnee, and the girls came over for dinner tonight. We haven't seen them in a while and it was nice catching up with them. We had taco salad and pumpkin pie.

Sat 10/20/12: Had a nice day at home today. Brad got to spend some time typing up ideas for his book, and I enjoyed some time editing photos and crocheting. We also watched three episodes of Merlin and ate chocolate brownies. It was a nice day.

Sun 10/21/12: Bruce and Loralee gave us a surprise visit tonight and brought us chocolate chip cookies. That was nice.

Mon 10/22/12: We had a fun FHE tonight. I made some Dirt and jello worms while the kids watched "The Nightmare Before Christmas." It was a big hit. We'll have to do it again next year.

Tue 10/23/12: Emma, Lizzy, and I went to church for a Halloween carnival for the Activity Days girls. I was in charge of the "Pin the Spider on the Web" booth. It was such a great activity. The girls seemed to have had a lot of fun.

Wed 10/24/12: My little ones were my highlight today. I made chicken soup for dinner tonight. Lizzy took one look at her bowl full of soup, raised her spoon and said: "What's this? Frog's Breath?" I laughed out loud, it was so hilarious! And David learned how to wave and say, "bye-bye," tonight. Made my heart happy. He also began taking more steps on his own today. He's growing up fast.

Thu 10/25/12: David said "Pa-Pa" clear as a bell early this morning. He said it over and over again, too, each time he saw his papa. I love my little boy.

Fri 10/26/12: Lizzy has an incredible talent for remembering lines from movies and lyrics to songs. She cracks me up sometimes. This morning she was playing with her toys right next to me and began speaking in her most evil villain voice, saying: "Well, well, well... what have we here?"

Sat 10/27/12: I made chicken broccoli casserole for dinner tonight. It reminded me of my grandmother's Christmas recipe, which was one of my most favorite meals as a child.

Sun 10/28/12: My Sunbeams were very reverent in class today. They seemed to enjoy my lesson, and I felt I did a good job presenting it.

Mon 10/29/12: FHE Tonight: Eyeballs and Spooky Spaghetti for dinner, spiders for dessert, and we had fun cutting up pumpkins tonight.

Tue 10/30/12: I baked some pumpkin seeds today. Tasted yummy! And I finished crocheting another hat for my mother. 11 down, 9 to go!

Wed 10/31/12: We had a fun and happy Halloween. The weather was perfect for trick-or-treating. We enjoyed spending time with the cousins and walking around our neighborhood. Lizzy was very enthusiastic about trick-or-treating this year. She looked adorable as Red Riding Hood.

David's One Year Stats

Weight: 19 pounds 7 ounces, 7% for his age
Height: 30 inches, 56% for his age.
Head Circumference: 18.1 inches, 38% for his age. 

12-Month David

David is an active, easily-pleased, and eager-to-eat baby.  He loves to crawl, climb stairs, cuddle with his mama, and eat.  Boy, does he love to eat!


New Developments In The Last 2 Months

• He can stand up by himself without support.
• He can throw balls and crawl after them.
• He can say, "Uh-oh," "Mama," "ow," and "whoa."
• He has four teeth!
• He began drinking cows milk at 11 months.  He drinks milk two to three times a day.
• He yells in protest when things don't go his way (particularly with Lizzy).
• He has outgrown baby food. He prefers to self-feed.
• He can understand some words, names, and phrases.  He instantly knows what I mean when I say, "David, do you want to eat Mama?"
• He can walk with some help.

Favorite Foods

Raisins, pasta, bell peppers, chicken, grapes, Cheerios, zucchini, squash, mushrooms, shrimp, cookies, carrots, bananas, maple oatmeal, tomatoes, craisins, eggs, cheese, turkey, avocado, ham.... the big question is, what doesn't he like?

Little quirks:

• His new favorite trick is climbing up on Lizzy's bed.  It's his new favorite spot in the whole house.
• He likes crawling under his highchair, looking for dropped Cheerios.  Sometimes he gets trapped under there and it looks like he's stuck in a cage.
• He loves taking out the sandwich bags and grocery bags out of the cupboards.
• He often watches to see if we leave the dishwasher open.  He likes getting into the silverware.
• He LOVES to be sung to.  He always smiles when I sing, "David, David, da da da..."  He also LOVES the song "Open Shut Them."
• He loves drinking milk from sippy cups, but he's not done nursing yet.  He still likes to nurse.

One Year Old

It's still hard for me to believe that one whole year has gone by since the day my precious little baby boy was born.  I remember a year ago, lying in my hospital bed with fear and anxiety in my heart, trying to imagine what it would be like a year from then, celebrating David's first birthday.  I wanted time to speed up fast.  I wanted to know that my NICU baby would be happy, safe, and healthy.  I wanted him to be free of the pain I knew he was feeling that moment. Little did I know how quickly time would go by!  My baby is a big, healthy, and energetic one-year-old boy, with a happy and enthusiastic personality.  He brings so much light and laughter into our home.  We all love him.  He can make each of us smile and laugh, even when times are hard.

I don't think I have ever met such an easy-going, happy, and content baby as David is.  Really, this boy can react calmly in almost any circumstance, even when getting shots or getting his finger poked.  He just seems to accept unpleasant things and move on, finding joy in the simplest pleasures.  He is an inspiration to me.

I am so grateful to have my son in my life.  He means so much to me.  I hope he always knows how much I love and adore his wonderful personality and his beautiful face.  Love you always, my sweet baby boy.

The Highlight of My Day: September 2012

Something good happens each day. Here's what happened in September 2012:

Sat 9/1/12: Brad and I made some excellent progress clearing out the den today and unpacking some boxes. Little by little our house is turning into our home.

Sun 9/2/12: Brad and I finished "Return of the King" today. When Frodo was attacked by Shelob Lizzy cried out, "OH NO! OH NO! SPIDER!" Then, after Shelob was wounded by Samwise, Lizzy kept saying, "Spider is okay. Spider is okay."

Mon 9/3/12: Today was Aunt Marian's annual Labor Day pool party. Later in the evening, after the babies went to bed early, Brad and I enjoyed talking about our teenage years. I told him he should write down some of his unique high school experiences. They would be perfect in a book!

Tue 9/4/12: Lizzy and David enjoyed our walk along the Jordan River today. It was a nice treat after David's doctor appointment.

Wed 9/5/12: David can stand up on his own sometimes, for a few seconds. He's getting to be such a big boy. I started giving him cows milk today, since Dr. Vierra has been worrying that he might not be getting all the fat and nutrition he needs while nursing. He seems to like milk a lot more than formula. Formula is yucky stuff.

Thu 9/6/12: Lizzy and I drove to Entheos today to bring Emma her swimming suit, which she left behind by accident. Since we were already in the area, we drove to the Jordan River Parkway and went for a walk. Lizzy and David loved us walking along the river. At the end of the walk we stopped at the park so Lizzy could play. We found a little flock of ducks that came running up to us, hoping for some food, but we had none to give. David and Lizzy were very entertained by the ducks.

Fri 9/7/12: Brad and I went on a date to the temple tonight. It was Stake Temple night. We carpooled with Bruce and Loralee while Lindsey watched the little ones.

Sat 9/8/12: Brad and I took the little kids to Wheeler Farm today. David got licked by a little Jersey calf. He thought it was funny. We drove to Marian's house directly from Wheeler Farm and spent the afternoon and evening playing Nerts with Marian and Ann. Lovely, lovely day.

Sun 9/9/12: We went to Stake Conference today. It was a broadcast with Elder L. Tom Perry presiding. We heard a lot of good things that we needed to hear, and we were so glad we went. After conference, we drove to Westbrook 2nd Ward and watched Brad's dad get released and a new bishop called-- Bishop Dabo. It was nice seeing familiar faces at the ward. We've missed so many people.

Mon 9/10/12: Brad and I finished watching Casablanca tonight. I've lost count how many times we've seen it together. It's a classic that we never get tired of.

Tue 9/11/12: Emma, Lizzy, and I made geckos out of beads at Activity Days. Emma made a white gecko with red eyes, and I made a green and yellow one for Lizzy. On the way home, Emma said she was glad I could go to Activity Days with her. I am, too. I love spending time with my girls.

Wed 9/12/12: Scott and I drove out to West Jordan to drop off his birthday party invitations to Quinn, Brett, Jordan, and Jacob. All the boys seemed really happy to see Scott again and didn't want to stop talking to him. It took much longer to drop off those invitations than I was expecting, but it was all good. I loved spending the one-on-one time with Scott.

Thu 9/13/12: I watched more Merlin with Bradley tonight. I've become addicted to this show. The series started out overly cheesy and predictable, and at first I didn't really care for it too much, but now I like it. Season two is definitely better than the first season.

Fri 9/14/12: Tonight was our ward's Soup Potluck and Cake Auction. My mushroom soup won a prize for the fanciest soup. The cakes were amazing! We bid on a red velvet cake with cherries and whipped cream on top and we won. Brad and I ate some while watching more Merlin tonight.

Sat 9/15/12: We had a houseful of geeky boys this afternoon to celebrate Scott's 15th birthday. I made a chocolate cake for Scott and decorated it using a design he came up with himself. Video game logo, of course.

Sun 9/16/12: We invited Brad's dad to dinner tonight. I made Shepherd's Pie. It was our first formal dinner at the new house.

Mon 9/17/12: We celebrated Scott's birthday for Family Home Evening tonight. We had German pancakes and fruit salad for dinner, as well as homemade banana cream pie and presents. The boy has a bunch of painting supplies now. He needs to get to work and become a famous artist!

Tue 9/18/12: Tonight was library night! We had about eleven DVDs that needed to be returned, but then we forgot them and had to come back to the house to get them. I picked up two more DVDs tonight. I'm looking forward to watching War Horse with Bradley.

Wed 9/19/12: I enjoyed having my visiting teacher come visit me tonight. She stayed for almost a whole hour talking to me. I liked that.

Thu 9/20/12: David learned how to say "uh oh" today. He's been practicing all day. We headed over to Aunt Marian's house tonight for pizza and Nertz, and David made sure to show off his new skill there.  Brad and I love spending time with Marian and Aunt Ann. Marian won the Nertz game, which made her happy, because she claims she never wins with Brad and me. We left earlier than we wanted to (school night). Brad and I stayed up and watched the end of War Horse. GREAT movie!

Fri 9/21/12: Brad's friend Dan Robinson came over for dinner. My homemade chili and salsa turned out really well. Brad received a bunch of U2 gifts from Dan: U2 coasters, a Joshua Tree mug, and a magazine with an article about U2. Brad really liked that.

Sat 9/22/12: Brad and I spent most of the day cleaning up the house while looking for our temple recommends. Although we did not find the recommends the way we had hoped, we accomplished a lot cleaning up the house.

Sun 9/23/12: Today was the Brigham City Temple Dedication. Brad and I thought we wouldn't be able to go, because our recommends ended up going through the washing machine. We didn't discover the remnants of the recommends until late Saturday night, but Brother Western came to the rescue this morning and got us new recommends. The dedication was beautiful!

Mon 9/24/12: We gathered rocks around our yard and our street tonight for FHE. We had a contest to see who would gather the most rocks. Scott won the contest and was rewarded with Snicker candies.

Tue 9/25/12: We headed over to the Western's wedding reception at Wheeler Farm tonight. We enjoyed getting our photos taken at the photo-booth; eating cotton candy, popcorn, and ice cream sundaes; and of course it was great visiting with people and congratulating the bride and groom. We liked all the creativity that was used to put together this fun event.

Wed 9/26/12: Today was Grandma Whitcomb's birthday! The little ones and I made a Happy Birthday video and posted it on Facebook. Lizzy had been excited about Grandma's birthday all day.

Thu 9/27/12: Brad and I watched three episodes of Downton Abbey while drinking Martinelli's apple cider. We really like the show so far. Very well done!

Fri 9/28/12:  Brad and I finished Downton Abbey tonight!  Definitely one of our favorite shows!

Sat 9/29/12:  Today was a busy day!  Emmy and I went to practice the primary program at church this morning.  We had pizza and kool-aid for lunch.  I went shopping by myself most of the afternoon, and in the evening Brad and I watched some more shows together.  I love busy days!

Sun 9/30/12:  The Primary Program went exceptionally well today.  I loved sitting with my Sunbeams.  They are so adorable!  In the evening our family went to visit the Bruce-Clan.  Loralee made a wonderful beef and  noddle soup.

Scott's 15th Birthday

Scott turned 15 on September 17th!  Here is what we did for Scott's birthday this year:

Friends Party

We celebrated Scott's birthday by having a party on Saturday, September 15.  Scott made his own invitations and designed his own birthday cake (VALVe style).  Scott's  best friends Jordan, Brett, Jacob, and Quinn came over, as well as his cousins Michael, Jason, Brandon, and Ryan.  We had pizza and cake, and the boys enjoyed playing video games downstairs in Scott's big bedroom.  It was very enjoyable having a house full of geeky boys.

Family Party

We had a small party for Scott for Family Home Evening on Monday, September 17th (Scott's actual birthday).  We sang Happy Birthday to Scott and had yummy banana cream pie and presents.

Scott's 15-Year-Old Interview

Here is what Scott has to say about himself this year:

What makes "15" such a special age?

I guess I get more privileges with my age.

Who are your best friends?

Brett, Jordan, Jacob, Quinn

What do you like to do when you are with your friends?

Play Video Games or talk about them.

What makes you laugh?

Just random things like Gravity Falls (TV Show) or Nyan Cat

What is your favorite class in school?  Why?

Art, I guess I've just always loved it.

What are your favorite books?

The Last Dragon, Harry Potter, Dealing with Dragons Series

What are your favorite movies?

Star Wars, Indiana Jones, same ol' same ol'

If you had a million dollars, what would you do with it?

Buy Art Supplies, Buy a Computer, Buy some Music, Buy other awesome things typically to a teenager.

Describe your perfect day.

Sleep in until maybe ten o'clock, draw/video games, visit my friends, stay up until one o'clock, stay up some more, repeat.

What do you want to do when you grow up?

Be a Graphic Designer or work at VALVe with one of their jobs, like an artist.

What is your favorite family activity?

Probably going to the library or visiting my cousin's house.

What is your favorite holiday?  Why?

Maybe Halloween, it's just fun to dress up and be someone that you're not.

The Highlight of My Day: August 2012

Something good happens each day. Here's what happened in August 2012:

Wed 8/1/12: We drove to Idaho today. I enjoyed swimming with all the kids while Brad rested and watched the Olympics. He came down later and took pictures of us. Fun times!

Thu 8/2/12: We arrived in Oregon today! It was fun seeing all of the younger children interacting with their cousins. I loved watching Lizzy and Binny playing together with their swords. It's so nice having the babies together.

Fri 8/3/12: It was very enjoyable watching my family members playing soccer in the large backyard this evening. I loved watching David and Eric chasing after balls, too. It was a perfect evening.

Sat 8/4/12: Today we made a trip to the Lego Store and Powell's Bookstore. Scott and Emma were very pleased with the purchases they made, and I found some cool things, too. In the evening we put the littlest children, minus David, in a small kiddie pool on the deck. Lizzy had a blast!

Sun 8/5/12: Rachel and I made dinner tonight for the family: Pizza casserole and orange ginger salad. I like spending time with my sister. I wish we did not live so far apart.

Mon 8/6/12: We went to Cannon Beach today! It was a lot of fun window shopping and getting candy at Bruce's Candy Shop. My favorite part of the day was taking the kids on the beach. All the kids had fun, including David. He loved the water the best.

Tue 8/7/12: Laurie, Binny, and Aunt Wendy went with us to Wilsonville Memorial Park, so the little ones could play in the water fountains. It was so cute seeing them play in the water! I took lots of photos.

Wed 8/8/12: We left Oregon today and stayed the night in Boise, Idaho. My favorite part of the day was spending a little one-on-one time with Brad. I am so grateful for my husband. He always knows the right things to say and ways to make me happy.

Thu 8/9/12: We made it home! It was so nice being back in our space again and feeling the normality. Sushi was very happy to see us, too. I love Utah.

Fri 8/10/12: Brad and I went on a date to see "The Dark Knight Rises." I thought it was cool that I was not surprised by the twist near the end of the movie. I blame that on Emma's Batman obsession. Batman the Animated Series has played many times in our home.

Sat 8/11/12: We enjoyed another fabulous pool party at Aunt Marian's house. Lizzy almost drowned when she took her wings off at lunch time and sneaked back into the pool, but luckily we were not too far away and saw her. My favorite part of the day was playing Nerts with Brad and Marian.

Sun 8/12/12: We watched the closing ceremony of the Olympics tonight. I enjoyed some parts of the ceremony more than others. I liked watching Eric Idle sing "Look on the Bright Side of Life." I made David bounce on my lap for some of the music. He loved it.

Mon 8/13/12: My favorite moment of the day was dancing in the kitchen with my husband while the love song "More" played in the background. I love my husband.

Tue 8/14/12: We bought a new computer today to replace our old Dell desktop. Brad had been very stressed about it, but when we actually got it, he felt much better. Hooray for new computers!

Wed 8/15/12: I love hearing David laugh his Ernie laugh every time Sushi walks by him. It's so dang cute! I love my little happy boy.

Thu 8/16/12: I love that Scott and Emma are going to Entheos Academy! Tonight was their back to school night. We saw the Baum family, as well as Loralee and the cousins. It was nice meeting the staff.

Fri 8/17/12: I love being my husband's wife. He makes me feel loved and needed. I'm grateful we have each other.

Sat 8/18/12: Scott and Emma got to spend time with their cousins today-- one of the only times this summer-- while Brad and I got done some shopping. We bought "The Hunger Games" on BlueRay from Sam's Club. Good movie! I enjoyed watching it this afternoon.

Sun 8/19/12: 4 pounds in three days. Wowza! I love seeing the pounds shed off like this.

Mon 8/20/12: It was fun having the girls come over for sleepovers tonight. Baby D received a lot of attention, and Lizzy was very distracted which helped me get done other things. Emma seemed thrilled to have her cousins with her.

Tue 8/21/12: School uniform shopping is officially over! YAY! Scott and Emma tried on their clothes and everything fits right. Tonight Scott asked me to cut his hair for the first time, which completely surprised me! He said he wanted to "look good" for his first day of school. Way to go, Scott! You're turning into a man!

Wed 8/22/12: Emma was very excited to give me a verbal report of her first day of school. She enthusiastically told me her new classroom pet was an eye-dropper. What the...

Thu 8/23/12: Brad and I took the little ones for a walk around our neighborhood tonight. I love spending time with my husband. His companionship always makes my heart happy.

Fri 8/24/12: Brad and I went to the cemetery tonight to visit his mother's grave on what would have been her 67th birthday. We brought some small shabby roses from our yard and placed them next to the nice roses Brad's dad left there. Lizzy loved seeing all the flowers.

Sat 8/25/12: We saw Rosie and Tricky today! It was nice having lunch with the family and spending time with them. It's been awhile since we've all gotten together like that.

Sun 8/26/12: My sunbeams were very well behaved today! I'm grateful that I have a new teaching partner now.

Mon 8/27/12: We talked about work and self-reliance for FHE tonight. It's a topic I always need to hear and work on.

Tue 8/28/12: I took Emma, Lizzy, Rachel, and Kaylie to Walmart tonight. We bought some pillows, baskets, band-aids and fabric. Lizzy loved having her cousins with at the store and was very disappointed when we dropped them off at their house afterward.

Wed 8/29/12: I finished making my homemade child-proof gate for the stairway. I used PVC pipe and furniture fabric. It looks so much better than the old screen door we were using!

Thu 8/30/12: Scott came back from his 9th Grade Adventure trip this afternoon. My favorite part of the day was sitting on the couch with him, talking about a wide range of topics he and I were interested in. I love that boy.

Fri 8/31/12: My highlight of the day was cuddling on the couch with Brad while watching three episodes of "Merlin." Thank you, babies, for going to sleep early tonight!