The Highlight of My Day: May 2015

Something good happens every day.  Here's what happened in May 2015:

Fri 5/1/15 to Wed 5/13/15: I stopped writing.  :(  I am getting out of the habit.

Thu 5/14/15:  David went potty on the toilet today!  He definitely has been showing more signs of wanting to use the toilet by himself lately.  Lizzy has been helping him.  He was very excited to wear his Spider-Man underwear, too.

Fri 5/15/15:  I did not write.  :(

Sat 5/16/15:  Brad and I took Scott and Emma to find clothes and camping equipment for Trek at the DI and Walmart today.  The DI is always an exciting adventure every time we go there.  We always find something a little out of the ordinary there.  For example, Scott and Emma found an old VHS tape of "Kiki's Delivery Service."

Sun 5/17/15:  My CTR class loves the story of Nephi and Lehi from the Book of Mormon.  Today we talked about Nephi getting the Brass Plates from Laban.  Lizzy became so excited by it, she kept talking about the story all the way home from church, and even helped give a FHE lesson about it.  What was her favorite part of the story?  The part where Nephi found Laban drunk in the road.  Lizzy has been on a big Word of Wisdom kick lately.

Mon 5/18/15:  The gym has become a regular part of my routine now.  Today I began working out on the elliptical again, after not being on it since March.  I am starting off slow, for 12 to 15 minutes.  My heart rate still climbs up too high when I am on the elliptical, so I try not to overdo myself.  I still use the treadmill or cycle on the bikes on days when I use the elliptical, just so I can keep my heart rate high for at least 30 minutes.

Tue 5/19/15:  Lizzy has been improving so much in school lately!  She went from not being able to memorize letters and numbers at all, to identifying all numbers between 1 and 10, and also learning how to read words.  I was incredibly impressed with her tonight as we were going over her sight words on her first word list. She went from previously knowing only 2 words on the list ("mom" and "I") to knowing 15 out of 20 words in a matter of weeks, plus more.  Now she knows how to read "me", "my," "can," "like," "he," "look," "up," "at," "the," "see," "to," "it," "is," "away," "feet,""play," and "girl," plus she's learning how to read more.

Wed 5/20/15:  I finally got around to working on my garden beds today.  I tore up a bunch of grass and weeds around the boxes, and then worked the soil and weeded one of the boxes.  Lizzy helped me plant 6 tomato plants (2 large ones, 4 grape ones), 2 bell pepper plants and 2 Anaheim peppers.  We found all sorts of bugs while we were working on the garden.  Lizzy's favorites were the ladybugs and the butterfly chrysalises we found buried in the soil.

Thu 5/21/15:  I cleaned up the living room, dining room, kitchen, and hallway today, while listening to fun upbeat music on my new iTunes playlist.  It's nice having things clean-- even if it's just temporary.

Fri 5/22/15:  I am happy to have Scott and Emma home for Memorial Day weekend.  Glad the unnecessary drama this past week did not prevent them from spending the holiday with us.  Lizzy was so happy to have them home tonight.  I made a beef and bok choy stir-fry dinner tonight.  One of Scott's and Emma's favorites.

Sat 5/23/15:  Brad, Scott, Emma, and I had a fun round of "Ticket to Ride" this afternoon.  I was happy to win with about 129 points.  Scott tried to block me to one of my destinations, but he ended up giving me more points in the end.  Sister Western brought over the most adorable little balloon people and animals tonight, for the kids to play with.  Lizzy and David were thrilled, of course.  Sister Western often makes extra balloon creations when she's practicing her craft, and it was very sweet of her to think of Lizzy and David to give the extras to.  Lizzy and David were very happy.  Lizzy kept calling them her "babies."

Sun 5/24/15:  Brother Hyde highlighted our family in his Sacrament talk this morning.  His talk was on living in harmony with our families and making a Christ-centered home. Sister Ruff came back to church today and taught the CTR 5 class.  I am very happy to have her back.  Our family hung out with the Bruce Clan tonight.  Lizzy and Scott had permission to have a sleepover, which made Lizzy extremely happy.  She packed her pillowcase full of fun stuff, like her Rapunzel hair and dress, and one of her balloon babies she got from Sister Western.

Mon 5/25/15:  Today was Memorial Day.  We dropped off Lizzy and David at Grandma and Grandpa's house while the rest of us went to watch "The Avengers: Age of Ultron."  The movie was okay.  Lizzy and David had a fun morning with Grandma and Grandpa at the park.  We had lunch at Grandma's house: roast beef, potatoes, and salad.  We had dinner with the Bruce Clan later in the evening.  Loralee made some delicious cheese and ham rolls and some lemon meringue pie.  It's going to be sad when they move away to Vernal.

Tue 5/26/15:  I took Emma to the dentist today, and she was cavity-free.  Yay!  It was a super quick trip, too.  We were in and out of there in about 15 minutes.

Wed 5/27/15:  I found "My Neighbor Totoro" at Target this morning!  I had been looking at Walmart and Best Buy for it, but they didn't have it in stock at the stores near our home.  I want to give it as a gift for Eric and Claire for their birthdays.  The two of them liked watching it with Lizzy and David when they came to Utah a couple of weeks ago.

Thu 5/28/15:  My mother flew off to California today, to spend time with the Montgomerys and Susie for a few days.  It's kind of weird not talking to her on the phone.

Fri 2/29/15:  Brad and I bought a new camera today, since David dropped my camera a few days ago (it's getting repaired at Forsters Camera Shop).  My new camera is a red Nikon Coolpix.  It can take photos with 20.1 megapixels, which is pretty impressive for a $75 point-and-shoot camera.

Sat 2/30/15:  Today is Grandpa North's birthday.  We had a celebration at Grandpa's house this afternoon and evening.  We thought it was going to be a farewell party as well, but Grandpa and Silvia have decided they are going to separate after only being married for a month.  Only Silvia will be returning to Chile-- not Grandpa.   I was sad that they are splitting, but I am also relieved that Grandpa will be staying in Utah.  It was a mixture of emotions.  My highlight of the evening was watching the kids play croquet in the front yard.  Lizzy and David had fun playing on their own while their bigger siblings and cousins played two games.  It was nice spending time with Rosie and Tricky, too.  We are looking forward to puppy-sitting Rosie for a month while Tricky is in Costa Rica.

Sun 2/31/15:  I did not write.  :(

The Highlight of My Day: April 2015

Something good happens every day.  Here's what happened in April 2015:

Wed 4/1/15:  My nephew, Michael received his mission call! He's going to serve in Provo, Utah!  (Not an April Fool's joke)  We are so happy for him.

Thu 4/2/15:  Lizzy, David, and I spent time with Grandma and Grandpa Whitcomb today.  We went walking along the Jordan River, and stopped to play at Germania Park and Millrace Park, and even got to play with a little English Bulldog puppy named Bruce.  Lizzy learned how to swing by herself at the park.  She was so proud to learn this new skill.

Fri 4/3/15:  Today was the Neighborhood Easter Egg hunt at Hunter Ridge Park.  Lizzy and David had a fun time collecting eggs and playing with other neighborhood children.  David took a particular liking to a young father there, who was playing with his daughters, as well as with all the other children.  David kept calling him Papa.  He kept following him everywhere like a little puppy.

Sat 4/4/15:  Brad and I woke up early this morning, to watch a lunar eclipse from our roof.  It was beautiful to watch, but also very cold.  The eclipse was a special one, because it could be seen from almost all over the planet.  I got another amazing view of the eclipse a couple of hours later, while I was driving to Walmart.  I ended up having to take multiple trips to Walmart today.  David and Lizzy both ended up getting pink eye this morning, and David is covered in hives.  I had to pick up a prescription for them at Walmart.  We used a Darth Vader Pez dispenser as an after-medicine-treat for Lizzy and David, after they got their eyes squirted.  It made it for a much better experience.

Sun 4/5/15:  After General Conference today, we headed over to Grandpa North's house for an Easter celebration.  It was nice watching the kids having fun with their cousin in Grandpa's backyard.  Brad did a good job hiding the plastic Easter eggs.  Dinner was delicious, as usual.  The desserts were fantastic, too.  My favorite part of the night was going through some of Brad's mother's keepsakes.  Amanda had put together a bunch of papers, photographs, cards, and letters for all of the siblings, as well as clothing, dishes, knick-knacks, and other things for us to choose from.  We inherited some silverware, cookware, clothes, hats, a suitcase, and Margaret's sewing machine.

Mon 4/6/15:  Lizzy woke up very ill this morning.  I was already going to keep her home due to her pink eye, but then as the day progressed she ended up having a fever as well as a bad cough, so I was glad I kept her home from school.  I picked up the last Hobbit movie from the library tonight.  Brad and I watched it, and it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.  It helps having low expectations.

Tue 4/7/15:  The HISHE version of The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies is hilarious!  It's definitely worth watching the movie so you can see the HISHE version of it later.

Wed 4/8/15:  I played chauffeur to Scott, Emma, Kaylie, and Brandon this evening, driving them to their various trek activities.  It's always fun hanging out with those geeky, funny kids.  Lizzy's fever continued to flare up, unfortunately.

Thu 4/9/15:  Lizzy was much better today, but I kept her home from school anyway, since she still had a little bit of a cough.

Fri 4/10/15:  Today ended up being a busy day.  After dropping off the kids at school, I went to the gym with David.  I watched "Music and Lyrics" while I walked on the treadmill for 40 minutes.  After the gym, David and I stopped at McDonalds and had breakfast.  David had fun playing on the equipment while I finished my oatmeal and Egg White Delight muffin.  After breakfast, we went back to Entheos to pick up Lizzy.  Then we headed over to shop for groceries at Harmons and Sam's Club.  We had pizza and salad for lunch at Sam's Club.  Then we went to play at Cougar Park for an hour before picking up the Emma and the cousins from school.  The cousins came over in the evening and had a pizza dinner with us before we took them to Art Night at Entheos.  It was fun seeing the girls' artwork on display around the school.  Lizzy and David had fun eating popsicles and popcorn with their cousins.

Sat 4/11/15:  Lizzy's fever returned today.  I probably should not have taken her to the park yesterday.  I am feeling pretty poorly, too, and so is David.  Today ended up being a stay-at-home day, with only Bradley getting out of the house to run errands.  Good news is our van passed safety and emissions today, with flying colors!  That's always a relief.

Sun 4/12/15: I spent most of the day watching All Creatures Great and Small with Lizzy and David.  We found a channel on YouTube that has all the episodes, so I kept watching one after the other all day.  Brad took Scott and Emma to Stake Conference.  Lizzy, David, and I all have pretty bad coughs, so we stayed home from church.  Scott began teaching Emma how to ride a bike this afternoon.  Emma needs to learn how to ride a bike so she can participate in Entheos' Pedals for Hope activity.

Mon 4/13/15:  We went to the Hunter Library tonight, since we did not have any holds to pick up at Kearns Library.  We got there just in time for a small bird show performed by Scales in Tails.  I absolutely loved seeing all of the birds they had in the show.  They had a white pigeon named Moe, a small Green Aracari Toucan named Chiquito, a European Starling named Mozart, a Laughing Kookaburra named Zoro, a Rainbow Lorikeet named Charlie, and a Green Wing macaw named Chicken.  Lizzy and David loved listening to Zoro laugh, watching Charlie dance, and getting splashed by Mozart when he took a bath.  We got to pet Zoro at the end.  He was very, very soft.

Tue 4/14/15:  We had a huge wind and mud storm this afternoon, after a perfectly beautiful sunny spring morning.  It was fascinating, and a little scary, driving the kids home from school.  Scott came with me, because he thought he was going to help Grandpa North work on his yard.  Plans changed pretty quickly when the dust storm hit us hard and mud began falling from the sky instead of rain.  There were tumbleweeds everywhere.  I ran into a few of them by accident, then intentionally hit one on the way home.  Scott said I would score 10 points if I did.

Wed 4/15/15:  SNOW!  Lots and lots of snow!  We had a huge blizzard today that dumped beautiful snow all over Northern Utah.  After hardly getting any snow this winter, it was a welcome surprise.  Lizzy, David, and Valeen had a wonderful time playing in the snow this afternoon.

Thu 4/16/15:  We watched the new Star Wars trailer today!  It looks like it's going to be awesome.  I loved seeing the shot of Han Solo and Chewbacca at the end of it.  Brad cried when he watched it.

Fri 4/17/15:  I woke up this morning with my eyes swollen shut.  I can't believe I got pink eye!  I thought I had escaped it, since it was more than a week ago that Lizzy and David had it.  I look absolutely terrible with my red, swollen, gunky eyes.  My parents stopped by to drop off some goodies, which was very nice of them.  My highlight of the day was Brad picking up Mockingjay, Part 1 from the Moons.  At least I had some good entertainment to distract me from feeling miserable.

Sat 4/18/15:  I am still pretty ill today.  It doesn't help that my cough, which I have had for a week, has become worse.  My eyes are clearing up, though.  Thank goodness for David's eye drop medicine.  I had enough energy to drive Emma to the park by the Kearns Recreational Center.  She had a fun time hanging out with her friend, Rachel Hayden, and her cousin, Kaylie.

Sun 4/19/15:  I missed church today, due to my cough and pink eye.

Mon 4/20/15:  Brad's Dad got married today, to his lady-friend from Chile, Silvia.  They had a civil ceremony at the SLC County Clerk's office, then a reception in the evening at Dad's house.  My highlight of the day was seeing friends and family members at the reception.  I love Brad's family.  Amanda did a fantastic job preparing and arranging all of the food.  I took lots of photos of every one, even though I was still feeling pretty sick.

Tue 4/21/15:  Bradley made my birthday a special one this year.  He made me breakfast in bed, so that I could rest and recover from our busy day yesterday.  He also gave me The Hobbit to read while I rested, which I haven't read in years.  At around lunch time, we dropped off David at Grandma and Grandpa's house and had a Subway picnic at Murray Park.  After lunch, Brad and I went to buy a mulberry tree at Glover Nursery in West Jordan.  We spent the rest of the afternoon cuddling and resting at home, which was lovely.  In the evening we headed back to Grandma and Grandpa's house to pick up the kids and have dinner and cake with them.  Mom made a delicious roast and a cheesy potato casserole.

Wed 4/22/15:  I got done a bunch of photo editing today, of David's and Silvia's wedding day.  The photos turned out really well.  I enjoyed posting them on Facebook this afternoon.

Thu 4/23/15:  My tree arrived today!  Horray!  Mom and I planted it in the hole Brad dug up for me on my birthday.  Even though the tree does not have any leaves yet, it still makes my yard look so much nicer than before.  Every yard needs a tree, I think.

Fri 4/24/15:  I forgot to write.  :(

Sat 4/25/15:  Brad and I went to the gym this morning!  It was nice going together.  For lunch, Brad and I made sloppy joes and corn-on-the cob, which we ate while we watched our newly bought Blu-ray disc of "Wreck it Ralph."  We decided to buy the movie after the kids kept checking it out from the library over and over again.

Sun 4/26/15:  It was nice being back at church today!  My lesson in CTR 5 was on the Word of Wisdom, which was a big hit with the kids.  They loved talking about good foods and bad foods, and taking care of our bodies.  I brought sliced apples and oranges to class, which they also loved.  Today was Michael's farewell party and talk.  We are so happy for Michael's decision to go on a mission.  It's nice having two Elder North's in the family.  It is exciting to think that Scott might be the next one.

Mon 4/27/15:  I decided to get some gardening done, since I am feeling stronger today than I have for weeks.  I planted some zucchini and corn in little planters, and have them on trays so I can move them in and out of the garage, in case the weather goes bad.  I also planted some lilies and dahlias in the front flower bed, by our new tree.  In the afternoon, I took Lizzy and David to the "mountain park" to play.  I enjoyed reading The Hobbit while they dug in the sand and played with other children.

Tue 4/28/15:  I took Emma shoe shopping this evening while Brad was doing visits with the elders.  Our goal was to find Emma comfortable walking or hiking shoes, so that she can wear them when she goes on Trek.  We found some nice black FILA shoes, and a really awesome Batman-Starry Night t-shirt, too.  Emma was very happy with her purchases.

Wed 4/29/15:  I forgot to write.  :(

Thu 4/30/15:  I forgot to write.  :(

The Highlight of my Day: March 2015

Something good happens every day.  Here's what happened in March 2015:

Sun 3/1/15:  We got ourselves a puppy tonight!  Technically, she's not really our puppy-- she's Nicole Goodwin's nephew's golden retriever puppy.  She's a darling.  It was nice having my face licked while Brad and I finished watching the season finale of Downton Abbey.

Mon 3/2/15:  Lizzy and David absolutely love having Nike, the puppy, staying out our house.  I love how David calls her "Dog" all the time.  "Dog?  Dog? Here dog!"

Tue 3/3/15:  We had the biggest snowstorm of the season today.  It snowed almost the entire day, giving us several inches of snow.  David and Nike spent most of the day playing in the snow, with Lizzy joining them in the afternoon.  It was cute watching Lizzy trying to make snow angels with Nike jumping all around her.

Wed 3/4/15:  Today was Lizzy's first day playing indoor soccer.  She doesn't have a clue what she's doing, but I could tell she had a lot of fun.  She kicked the ball a few times.

Thu 3/5/15:  Tonight was the first Game Night of the month at our Stake Center.  Brad played the first half of a chess game with my dad, then played a 4 player chess game with some men from our stake.  I finished Brad's game with my dad.  He won, of course.

Fri 3/6/15:  Brad and I had a lovely night with the Moons and other members of our ward at the temple.  We had dinner with the Moons first, at Rumbi Island Grill.  Then we drove up to the Jordan River Temple to do sealings.  We were challenged to bring names, so Brad and I took names from my side of the family-- the same names we did endowments for last month: Joseph Willard Whitcomb and Venetia Wise.  The Jeppsons brought a whole bunch of names, too.  It was a beautiful experience.

Sat 3/7/15:  Brad and I are in the process of signing up for a gym membership at Vasa Fitness.  We took a tour of the gym today, before Lizzy's soccer game.  I am excited at the thought of attending a gym again.  It has been a long, long time.

Sun 3/8/15:  The family history bug hit me pretty hard again today.  I spent most of the day on Family Search and their partner website, Relative Finder.  I found out that Brad and I are 9th cousins, once removed.  I also found out that I am related to Heber C. Kimball, Walt Disney, and Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain).  It's been a fun day!

Mon 3/9/15:  I have become quite attached to having a little puppy around.  I absolutely love having Nike in our home.  She has made me her alpha master, following me everywhere like my little shadow.  I really want to have a dog now.  I do not want her to leave.

Tue 3/10/15:  My mother came over today, to help work in my yard.  Together we tore out the old ivy vines and bushes that have grown quite wildly in the center of my front yard.  Nike and David helped us.  Nike was great at digging up the roots and tearing out the garden fabric and vines.  She reminds me of a little fox sometimes.

Wed 3/11/15:  This week is Spirit Week at Entheos.  Lizzy and Emma had fun participating in their crazy hair day at school.  Lizzy wore her Merida wig, and Emma wore fox ears.  I had to snap a photo before they went to school.

Thu 3/12/15:  Tonight was Game Night again at the stake center.  I enjoyed throwing some hoops with my mom and Lizzy and David in the cultural hall.  My mom still knows how to handle basketballs very well.  She made quite a few baskets.

Fri 3/13/15:  I went to the gym today. It was my first time since before Lizzy was born.  I dropped David off at Vasa's kid center, then headed inside the gym to walk on a treadmill.  I only walked for 25 minutes, but I felt so good afterwards.  My heart rate was up the entire time.

Sat 3/14/15:  Brad and I spent an hour at the gym this morning.  I tried using the elliptical for the first time, which was both fun and challenging.  My heart rate was up in the 150s and 160s while Brad stayed consistently just below 120.  I can't wait to see how I improve as time passes.  While I have become committed to exercising more, I have not yet committed to eating extra healthy.  Today was Pi Day, so we had pizza and pie for dinner.  YUM!

Sun 3/15/15: Cuddling with Brad was my highlight of the day.  I love Sunday afternoons!  Thank goodness for 9 to Noon church times.

Mon 3/16/15:  We had an Irish meal tonight.  I made corned beef and cabbage, complete with carrots, celery, and potatoes.  I bought some Irish soda bread, and we had 7-Up to drink, as well as green desserts following dinner.  It was fun having my parents join us for dinner.  My mother worked hard on clearing out my garden bed all afternoon, so she deserved a nice good meal.  After dinner, my parents went with us to the library.  I found some cute fish books for my mom to share with her Sunbeam class on Sunday.

Tue 3/17/15:  I made a green dinner for my kids tonight, since today was officially St. Patrick's Day.  I made green pancakes, green eggs, and green milk.  At first, Lizzy was hesitant to eat green food, but I convinced her to, and she was so happy about it she asked me if we could have a green dinner tomorrow, too.

Wed 3/18/15:  I got done a lot of laundry today. I felt like I had accomplished a lot, which made me happy.  It's nice seeing my mountain of dirty laundry shrink to a more manageable size, and seeing some clean clothes where they belong.

Thu 3/19/15:  Taco salad always makes me happy.  Yum!  Tonight was game night at the Stake Center again.  I played chess with Brother Carbine, from the 8th ward.  It was a fun and challenging game.  I was pretty happy that I won.

Fri 3/20/15:  Bradley was my highlight today.  Yes, he indeedily was.  I like it when I have his undivided attention.

Sat 3/21/15:  Brad and I sent Lizzy and David to Valeen's birthday party this afternoon.  We stopped by the Moons' on our way home and dropped off a bag full of crochet hats and Del Sol t-shirts.  Michelle and Brad were nice enough to give my Brad a nice set of used golf clubs that Michelle didn't want anymore.

Sun 3/22/15:  We headed over to the Harmans' after church this afternoon.  We enjoyed looking at Aunt Marian's photo albums, and having a delicious roast beef dinner.  We always love hanging out with the Harmans.

Mon 3/23/15:  This morning, while David and I were climbing into the van after leaving the gym, I told David, "David, can you sit in your seat and put on your seat belt?"  He replied, "Yes."  I sat in my seat, then turned to look at him.  He was standing directly behind my seat, staring out the window.  I repeated my question.  "David, can you sit in your seat and put on your seat belt?" "Yes," he instantly replied, but did not move.  Finally, I decided to make my request a little more direct and polite, and said, "David, will you please sit down in your seat and put on your seat belt?"  He began to move.  "Of course."  And within seconds, he climbed into his seat and fastened his seat belt.

Tue 3/24/15:  Tonight was Lizzy's Discovery Recital at Kearn's Jr. High.  She performed a very cute little number with her classmates called, "Interjections."  Lizzy is very good at performing in front of a large group of people.  I think she likes the attention.

Wed 3/25/15:  Lizzy was feeling a little off tonight, so we skipped her soccer game.  It was nice relaxing at home for a change.

Thu 3/26/15:  Brad and I took Lizzy to her Student Led Conference at Entheos.  Lizzy is still struggling in school, but she's definitely making progress, and I am very proud of her.  Lizzy showed us her little chicks that hatched from eggs.  Lizzy, David, and I got to hold them.  They were so cute,  and soft and fluffy.  I liked hearing their little peeps.

Fri 3/27/15:  We picked up some tacos after Emma's Student Led Conference this afternoon.  We ate while we watched the stop animation production of "The Boxtrolls."  It was a very different, unique movie.  I think Scott would appreciate it.

Sat 3/28/15:  Today was Lizzy's last day of indoor soccer.  She received her team pictures and her trophy.  Lizzy was so incredibly proud of her trophy, she had to put it on display for everyone to see.

Sun 3/29/15:  I am fragile of spirits today-- although not for any particular reason.  I broke down in primary and had myself a good cry in the ladies' restroom during the last hour of church.  I did not intend to make a scene, but several people noticed that I was not happy.  I had a good pep talk with Brad after church, and he did make me feel a lot better.  Mom and Dad came over for a ham dinner, and I told them about my sad day at church.  My highlight of the day was feeling loved by Sally, Michelle, Bradley, and my parents.

Mon 3/30/15:  Sally brought me purple carnations today, after my meltdown in church yesterday.  It was very sweet of her.  I talked to Roxana about my unhappy experience yesterday, too.  I am feeling much better now.  It's nice knowing that I have people who love me and care about me and my family. Tonight the kids and I dyed Easter eggs for FHE.  We dyed about 20 eggs all together.  I love seeing how all the kids, big and small, get creative and have fun.  Scott did the traditional "Ugly Egg."  It's always my favorite.

Tue 3/31/15:  Brad, Emma, Lizzy, and I went to see the new live action movie of Disney's Cinderella.  It was a very sweet movie.  I liked the theme of the movie:  "Always remember to have courage and be kind."  I also did my visiting teaching on the last day of the month.  YAY!

The Highlight of My Day: February 2015

Sun 2/1/15:  We headed over to Murray to celebrate Grandpa Whitcomb's birthday with my mom and the missionaries.  One of the elders was from Texas, and the other one was from Germany.  We enjoyed talking about family history and all of the neat discoveries we have uncovered about Scott's and Emma's German ancestors.  Scott made the birthday cake for Grandpa.   He impressed the elders with his baking skills.  The cake was made from scratch, since we ran out of all our boxes of cake mix.  It was very delicious, and Scott received lots of compliments.

Mon 2/2/15:  Cake for breakfast.  YUM!

Tue 2/3/15:  Tonight was Brad's and my Stake Temple Recommend interviews.  We were interviewed by President Sarmiento.  President Sarmiento promised us that if we are worthy, and attend the temple frequently, that we will blessed and taken care of in all aspects of our lives.  I am excited about going to the temple with Brad!  We haven't gone in such a long time.

Wed 2/4/15:  I thoroughly enjoyed watching Bradley dance with Lizzy and David in our living room tonight.  Gosh, I love them!

Thu 2/5/15:  Scott got accepted to go to Japan!  He received his acceptance letter while we were having our dinner tonight, which turned out to be a perfect meal for the occasion.  I made an Asian stir-fry with bok choy, chow-mien noodles, and beef.

Fri 2/6/15:  Brad stayed home from work today.  We took the little ones over to Grandma and Grandpa's house to go to the park, and to have lunch together. While Brad and I were talking to my parents about family history work, and that Brad and I were going to the temple tonight, my dad told me that he has a couple of names for us to do.  He gave us the names Venetia Wise and Joseph Willard Whitcomb to do endowments for.  Brad and I learned a few things about them on Family Search before we went to the temple.  It made for a very special, spiritual night at the temple.  After we left the temple, Brad and I had a late night meal with the Sandersons at Applebees restaurant.  We went to the same Applebees in Jordan Landing where I used to go with my mother-in-law every Wednesday.

Sat 2/7/15:  Brad and I took Emma and the little ones to Michael's and Barnes and Noble today.  Walking into those stores always makes me wish I had a lot more money than I do.  Scott came back from winter camp with the scouts in the early afternoon.  He was just in time for Marilyn and James to come.  They were here helping Brad and I with family history work.  In the evening, Scott and I hung out for a couple of hours, making a fundraiser page for his trip to Japan.  We also spent a lot of time talking about our dream houses, and looking at fun pictures on Pinterest.  Scott and I have a lot of the same interests.  It's fun hanging out together.

Sun 2/8/15:  My highlight of the day was watching Downton Abbey, Season 5, Episode 6 with Bradley tonight.  So relieved that Bates didn't kill Green!  I wish Edith would tell her family the truth about little Marigold.  Nice to see Mary getting on well with Charles Blake.  Love Rose's new romance, too, especially when Violet found out he was Jewish.  Violet always has the best lines.

Mon 2/9/15:  I made something new for dinner tonight.  Yummy cajun stew.  It was delicious!  I am definitely going to add it to my regular dinner recipe menu.

Tue 2/10/15:  I colored my mother's hair today.  It was my first time doing it, and I thought it turned out very well.  My mom is going to look so pretty on her Caribbean cruise.  She leaves on Thursday.

Wed 2/11/15:  I am starting a new afghan for my sister, Rachel and her husband, Craig.  It's going to be a Christmas present for them later this year.  It's the same colors as their favorite soccer team: LA Galaxy.  The colors are navy blue, gold, and white.

Thu 2/12/15:  I was thrilled when Scott came home with my new Studio Ghibli tin-pins!  Scott made the tin-pins for me in his graphics class at school.  They looked so awesome!  I immediately decorated my new purse with them and took pictures.  Afterwards, Brad and I took Scott to an open house event at Paradigm High School.  Scott has been wanting to go to Paradigm for over a year now, but an agreement about how that would happen had not been reached until recently.  We had expected Scott to be enrolled while we were there, but it became clear during the orientation that Paradigm was not the right school for Scott. Scott wants to continue going to Hunter, due to the number of art classes, and now Japanese classes, that Hunter has to offer.  Later in the evening, Brad and I took Scott to his first Japan trip meeting at Matheson Jr. High.  Scott is so excited about the opportunity he has to go to Japan.  He would have never been able to go to Japan if he was attending Paradigm.

Fri 2/13/15:  Tonight was our stake's annual Valentine's Day dance at the stake center.  Brad and I went there, and ended up hanging out with the Hydes and Bekins from our ward.  I had a very enjoyable time dancing on the dance floor.  I had forgotten how much fun dances can be.  I went to so many when I was a young single adult  It's particularly more fun being married and dancing with my husband.  No stress-- no pressure-- no one to try to impress.  I can just head out on the dance floor with the man I love and dance the night away.

Sat 2/14/15:  Brad, Scott, Emma and I were thrilled to receive tickets from Brother Goodwin to attend RootsTech at the Salt Palace in Salt Lake City.  We conveniently bumped into the Bruce Clan while we were walking there, so we ended up spending the afternoon with them.  We attended seminars and classes.  We heard inspiring messages from Al Fox Carraway, Noelle Pikus Pace, Elder Neil L. Anderson, and Elder Quentin L. Cook.  We also got to watch Studio C and David Archuleta perform live.  It was definitely a Valentine's Day worth remembering.  It left us with a desire to do more family history work and keep better records.  So glad we went!

Sun 2/15/15:  After church this afternoon, Brad, Scott, Emma, and I telephoned Wisconsin to talk to Marlene Duvall about Scott's and Emma's family history.  We spoke to her for almost an hour, and received lots of helpful information from her.  Brad and Scott took notes throughout the entire conversation. It was neat listening to her talk about her childhood, living in the woods near Ironwood, Michigan, with her stepfather, mother, and siblings.

Mon 2/16/15:  For dinner tonight, Brad took the girls on a Valentine's date to Culver's while I took the boys to a Japanese restaurant called Banzai Teppan Yaki. Scott ordered beef ramen for himself and David to share.  I wish I had brought my camera, because David looked so cute slurping up the noodles. I ordered some shrimp tempura, which was also very delicious.  It was fun talking to Scott about Japan, and how much he's looking forward to it.  For dessert, we ordered tempura ice cream, which was also extremely tasty.

Tue 2/17/15:  We went to the library as a family tonight.  Brad and I have cut back on the amount of TV Lizzy and David watch during the day, so they were only allowed to check out two movies from the library.  After we came home, I helped Lizzy with her homework, then Brad, Scott, and I watched Marvel's Agent Carter together.

Wed 2/18/15:  Scott took a date to his YM activity tonight.  He borrowed the Toyota car to pick up his friend, Amber, and stopped by our house on the way to church so we could meet her.  She was super nice.  I both love and hate how quickly Scott is growing up.

Thu 2/19/15:  Lizzy is obsessed with bacon.  We had breakfast-for-dinner tonight, and Lizzy, as usual, went nuts over the bacon.  I lost track how many slices she ate.  Lizzy does not care if it's real pork bacon, or low-fat turkey bacon.  She's a huge fan either way.

Fri 2/20/15:  David and I spent the morning shopping at Walmart and visiting Petsmart while we waited for Lizzy to get out of Kindergarten early.  We bought Lizzy a new Batgirl shirt.

Sat 2/21/15:  Brad and I took the little ones to the Salt Lake City airport tonight, to pick up Grandma and Grandpa Whitcomb.  They had just returned from their week-long Caribbean cruise with the Montgomerys.  Lizzy and David were thrilled to see their grandparents again.

Sun 2/22/15:  It was lovely having dinner with my parents tonight.  I invited them over, since I knew they did not have much food at their house after their trip.  I made chicken with Jamaican seasonings, sweet rice, and black beans.  It was fun hearing all of their stories from their Caribbean cruise.

Mon 2/23/15:  We picked up some fun movies from the library tonight.  One of which was Maze Runner, which Brad and I had not seen yet.  We watched it after the kids went to bed.  It was good!  I want to read the books now.

Tue 2/24/15:  Brad and I enjoyed watching the season finale of Agent Carter. Lizzy and David ended up watching it with us, too.  We ate chocolate revel ice cream while watching it. We are looking forward to season 2 now!

Wed 2/25/15:  I decided to have Lizzy ditch school today, so that we could go to the Hogle zoo's last free Wacky Wednesday of the season.  I invited Valeen and my parents to come with us.  The kids loved seeing all the different animals at the zoo, especially some of the bigger animals, like the giraffes, elephants, zebras, and lions.  David surprised me by taking a great interest in some of the smaller animals, too.  He really had a great time looking at the little burrowing owls in the reptile house.  He thought they were so funny, turning their heads back and forth.  He would watch and wait and laugh at them whenever they moved their heads.  I think he thought they were playing with him.

Thu 2/26/15:  I brought my mother with me to the Stake Relief Society dinner at my stake center tonight.  We sat with Loralee and the Bailey family.  Mom loved talking to people about her cruise.  I can tell she was very impressed by the ship's accommodations.  The dinner and program was very well thought out.  After our haystacks dinner, we broke off into three groups.  Our group had our photos taken first, then we went to a self-affirmations workshop, and then we danced in the cultural hall (which was my favorite part).  It was a fun evening, but not my favorite part of the day.  My highlight of the day was coming home to my family.  Lizzy was very grumpy when I arrived, but I was able to coax her out of it.  She, David, and I sang "Do You Want to Build a Snowman," and then "Let it Go" at the top of our lungs.  My kids are so good at remembering lyrics.  I ended the night with a lot of husband snuggling.  That was the icing on the cake of my happy day.

Fri 2/27/15:  Emma, Lizzy, David, and I all had breakfast at Entheos this morning, in celebration of Dr. Seuss' birthday.  Donuts and colorful sweet rolls were served.  Lizzy and I read Dr. Seuss books while we were waiting for Lizzy's class to start.  "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish."

Sat 2/28/15:  Brad and I took the little ones to Sam's Club today, and had pizza for lunch.  Lizzy wasn't feeling very well, but she did enjoy riding around in the Sam's Club cart.

The Highlight of My Day: January 2015

Something good happens every day.  Here's what happened in January 2015:

Thu 1/1/15:  We welcomed 2015 with our annual Harman/North family get-to-together at the bowling alley.  Lizzy and David played their own games this year.  David ended up ahead of Lizzy with 109 points.  We enjoyed having lunch with the Harmans, and playing games.  Brad and I played two new games with Marian and Gordon: Once Upon a Time (a storytelling game), and Bubble Talk (kind of like the game Apples to Apples).

Fri 1/2/15:  I had a lovely afternoon with Brad at the Jordan River Temple, and then later at Romano's Macaroni Grill. This now makes two childless dates, two weekends in a row.  One of Brad's vendor at work gave him a $100 gift card to the Macaroni Grill for Christmas, so we ended up not spending any money on our date.  I think free dates are the best.

Sat 1/3/15:  All I can thing about is TOMORROW IS DOWNTON DAY!!!  Hooray!  I have been waiting a whole year for this.

Sun 1/4/15:  Brad stayed home with the little ones today while I went to church with Scott and Emma.  It was nice coming home after church at noon instead of later in the day.  I had put some ingredients for beef strew in the crock-pot before we left for church, and it was almost done by the time we got back.  It made the house smell lovely, and it was very tasty, too.  Tonight we watched the first episode of Downton Abbey, Season 5, and it was fantastic!  I love all the drama.  Can't wait for next week!

Mon 1/5/15:  Poor little Lizzy burned her hands today while Emma was making hard candy for her Science Fair Project.  Emma knew right away what to do to help Lizzy, which helped a lot in the end.  I am grateful for Emma.  She's such a good big sister.

Tue 1/6/15:  I woke up feeling sick (again), but thankfully I was well again by the end of the day.   Michelle Moon sent me some cute photos of a crochet peaked hat she would like me to crochet for her.  I told her it would be fun if we could trade off some homemade crafts.  She's making me some bracelets and a bag.  I'm making her the hat and some headbands.  This is going to be fun!

Wed 1/7/15:  Brad introduced me to power posing tonight.  I was amazed by how much body language effects the chemicals in our body, and can help us or hinder us in becoming more confident and happy.  If we stand up with our hands on our hips and our legs stretched out, like a Wonder Woman pose, our testosterone increases while our stress chemicals decrease.  I want to do more power poses.  I can always use a little more confidence.

Thu 1/8/15:  I love "Papa" loving me. Are we really not considered newlyweds anymore?

Fri 1/9/15:  Scott and Brad had a wonderful evening at the McLean's house with our next door neighbor, Matthew Stewart.  They were doing some home teaching. Scott drew a "Bat-Olaf" for Moira, Kella, and Enna McLean, which turned out to be a big hit.  There was a lot of geeky talk when they came home tonight.  I always consider that a good thing.

Sat 1/10/15:  Brad and I sneaked out of the house and went on a mini-date to Walmart while Scott and Emma took care of the little ones.  It was so nice getting out of the house and getting some one-on-one time with Brad.  We brought home some pepperoni pizza, which was delicious.  After dinner, Scott and Emma got all dressed up for their youth dance tonight.  It was Emma's first time going.  She looked very pretty in her maroon dress from her Aunt Rachel.  When she got home, she told us that she danced her first every slow dance with Dante Richardson.  I thought that was awesome.

Sun 1/11/15:  Brad, the little ones, and I went to Grandma's house for dinner tonight.  My favorite part of the night was talking to my mom about babies and pregnancies.  My mother had such hard time with her pregnancies.  It's amazing that she had me and my sisters.  I shared my experiences with pregnancies and labor, too, and how difficult it was to have David in the NICU after he was born.  I still get anxious when I think about it.  But you know what?  I still want to have another baby, despite how hard pregnancies and babies are.  There's nothing quite like bringing a baby into the world, and I long for repeating that process.

Mon 1/12/15:  My highlight of the day was finishing Michelle's peaked hat.  It's so darling.  Now I want to make one for me, too.  I absolutely love the pattern.  I started working on her headbands next, while Brad and I watched "X-Men: Days of Future Past."  Such a good movie!  If it didn't have the F-word and Hugh Jackman's bare butt in it, I would consider owning it.

Tues 1/13/15:  I love it when Lizzy has "easy" homework.  She's a much happier camper when she knows how to do the work.  She still struggles with identifying numbers and letters.

Wed 1/14/15:  I liked snuggling with Bradley early in the morning, as well as late tonight.  He kept me nice and warm.  Mmm, he's lovely.

Thu 1/15/15:  Saw a pretty doe attempting to cross the street while I was driving the kids to school this morning.  It was my first time seeing one alive and close up near our home.  My guess is that they follow the train tracks from the mountains in search for food when it's cold.

Fri 1/16/15:  I posted my finished hat and headbands on Facebook today.  I good a lot of good feedback from friends, including 5 more hat orders.  Michelle is very excited.  I'm looking forward to seeing the cute things she's making for me, too.

Sat 1/17/15:  Brad and I did a lot of cleaning today.  I was actually surprised by how much fun it was to spend time with him cleaning.  He's a good husband, and fun to talk to and be around.  We finished watching "The Return of the King" after we were done with our chores.  Gosh, that movie still makes me cry.  There's no way for me to count how many times I've watched it.  I'll never be tired of it.

Sun 1/18/15:  It was nice going to Jake Richardson's Court of Honor tonight.  He got his Eagle at only 14 years old.  I was very impressed.  Brad and I took the little ones over to Bruce and Loralee's house afterward, to spend some time with them before Bruce leaves back to Vernal in the morning.

Mon 1/19/15:  I love my mother.  Today she showed up at my house at 7:15 in the morning to help me clean my house.  We spent most of the morning deep cleaning my kitchen-- washing the floors, reorganizing my appliances, and cleaning every inch of my counter tops.  As she was pulling out the microwave, to clean up the crumbs hiding underneath, she was quite surprised to spot a HUGE freakishly-looking spider perched on the wall, staring back at her.  I instantly recognized it as a Halloween decoration, but my mother did not.  I tried to tell her it was not real, but she took one look at it, jumped about 3 feet, and screamed.  Then, of course, she laughed hard when she realized what it was.  I was laughing, too, and had to grab my camera to capture the moment with some photos.  I wish I had taken a video instead, because right after I snapped a few shots, the spider "jumped" off the wall and landed next to her hand.  She of course, proceeded to scream again.  It was hilarious.  I don't think I'll ever forget that.

Tue 1/20/15:  It was lovely having Scott and Emma home tonight.  I can always tell that they're happy to be home after they've been gone for a while.  Brad stayed up late laughing and talking with Scott tonight.  It makes my heart happy to see them together.  They are such geeks.

Wed 1/21/15:  I always love seeing how excited Lizzy gets when she sees Valeen in the van when I pick her up from school.  She squeals and runs to the van.  Wednesdays are always called "Valeen Day" at our house.

Thu 1/22/15:  Brad has been playing church basketball with other men from our ward.  It's nice seeing him get more into the athletic spirit.

Fri 1/23/15:  Emma watched "The Giver" with Brad and I tonight.  I did not have high hopes for it, because of the reviews I saw prior to watching it, but I was pleasantly surprised.  It was very similar to the book.

Sat 1/24/15:  Brad and I cleaned some more today, but it was fun, because we did it together. I like to hang out with my husband.  We took a break in the afternoon to watch "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes."  I liked the story, although it was quite depressing.  My highlight was working on the hats for my previous Long Beach neighbor, Karen Suasti.  I'm crocheting five hats for her.

Sun 1/25/15:  We had another home-run for FHE this afternoon.  Scott gave us the lesson this time, and he did an awesome job.  We had a lengthy discussion about seeing Heavenly Father's hands in our lives.  I brought up how Brad and I found each other almost 10 years ago, and how everything fell into place for us to find each other in the perfect time and place in our lives.  I know Heavenly Father helped guide me to Brad.  I am grateful for my marriage and family.

Mon 1/26/15:  My lovely mother spent the day with me again.  We cleaned the house, took the kids to the park (it was actually warm enough!), and made some delicious bread pudding together.  It has been very nice having her come over to help me.  She says she wants to come over next Monday, too.  I think she's spoiling me.

Tue 1/27/15:  I am really enjoying the new Marvel TV show, "Agent Carter."  It's a fun show, and I have been looking forward to watching it every week.  I love Peggy Carter's hair and dresses she wears.  The 40's were a fun decade for fashion.  I would love to see that style come back again in full force.

Wed 1/28/15:  We had a neighborhood scare today.  One of our neighbors on the next street south of us was attacked by a 19-year-old Hispanic man, who also lives nearby.  We had police officers swarming our neighborhood.  The police even took a K-9 unit into our backyard in search of the criminal.  It scared me pretty bad when I saw them.  But they found the young man, with the help from members from our ward.  I am thankful for my Relief Society group page on Facebook, and for the network of sisters I have in my neighborhood who keep me informed when events like this happen.

Thu 1/29/15:  I am addicted to Family Search!  Brad introduced me to it over the last week, and I finally decided to dive into it and discover my family history line.  I spent the entire day researching my Whitcomb side of the family, where most of my nobility lines are found.  It was neat to discover that I am descended from kings and queens of Europe.  I became very excited when I found out one of my lines goes all the way back to Richard I of Normandy, and then to kings and queens of Sweden in the 1st century.  That was so incredibly awesome!

Fri 1/30/15:  The family history bug has hit me hard.  Today my dad challenged me to find some Scottish bloodlines, so I spent the entire afternoon combing through names and places on our family history tree.  Most of our ancestors immigrated from England, but I finally found some Scottish immigrants.  James Johnston traveled from Scotland to Massachusetts in the late 1600s with his two sons, John and Alexander.  John and Alexander married two american girls, and each had sons.  My great grandfather George Collier Wise is descended from the two brothers from two different lines.  His father is descended from John Johnson and his mother is descended from Alexander Johnson.  So my great, great, great grandparents were distant cousins, and probably didn't even know it.  I thought that was pretty neat.

Sat 1/31/15:  Brad and I had a 4-in-the-bed morning with our two early-rising, happy and squirmy children.  There's nothing quite like frozen little toes on warm flesh first thing in the morning.  But it was nice to get warmed up with lots of cuddles, snuggles, and tickle fights.

The Highlight of My Day: December 2014

Mon 12/1/14:  Christmas is in the air!  It was fun driving to the library and watching Lizzy and David get excited when they spotted houses with their lights on and their Christmas decorations up.

Tue 12/2/14:  I'm now driving to Entheos every morning, since Loralee's van is out of commission.  It's nice hanging out with Emma every morning, even on days when she's not at home.  I love my Emma-girl.

Wed 12/3/14:  Valeen and David are getting along very well while Lizzy is at school.  Today they were holding hands while they played around the house.

Thu 12/4/14:  I'm still getting over this nasty cough that I've had for the last week, but I'm glad I'm starting to feel better.  I have been practicing the song "Gift of Love" all day today.  I think I've finally gotten the first alto part down.  I practiced with the other Relief Society sisters tonight, and I think we're going to sound great tomorrow.  I'm singing with: Sam Bennett, Scerinda Johnson, Sundee McIntosh, Laura Timmerman, Brittney Jenkins, Nancy Olsen, Emily McLean.

Fri 12/5/14:  I spent the entire day building a gingerbread house for our ward Christmas Party tonight. It was my first time making candy windows.  I burned the first batch and ruined our garbage disposal in the sink when I poured the sugary goo down the drain (oops!).  The second batch turned out perfect.  The Christmas party was lots of fun!  The "Gift of Love" song turned out beautifully, and my gingerbread house won the "Most Traditional Award."  It was nice having my parents there, too.  I think overall, this was one of my most favorite ward Christmas parties ever.

Sat 12/6/14:  I had a lovely time doing laundry with Bradley today while the kids were at Rachael Bekin's birthday party.  Seriously, it was the most fun I have ever had pulling sheets out of the dryer.  I love my husband.

Sun 12/7/14:  I am in love with my husband, and I am so very proud of him, too. Today he bore his testimony in church for Fast Sunday.  He is always so eloquent when he speaks in church, and it was good hearing the things he had to say about the gospel in his life, and his family.  He is an incredible man and I am so very grateful that I married him.

Mon 12/8/14: We all went to the library tonight as a family.  We checked out two new movies, "Maleficent," and "The Secret of Kells."  Brad, Scott, and Emma were able to stay up late watching "The Secret of Kells" tonight.  I'm afraid I only watched the first five minutes of it before I fell into a coma-like sleep.  I think the days getting shorter in December gets me sleepy earlier at night.

Tue 12/9/14:  Lizzy absolutely loves the movie, "The Secret of Kells."  Her favorite character is Aisling.  I anticipate her watching and rewatching this movie over and over again before we return it to the library.

Wed 12/10/14:  I loved spending the morning with Susie and Chris!  First, we went to Germania Park to play boomerangs.  Lizzy was still at school, but David and Valeen loved watching the adults throw the boomerangs, and they had running to find them.  I went to pick up Lizzy from school, and we all went walking along the river.  We walked on the "jungle" trail, which took us over an hour, with all the little ones.  We were exhausted when we were done.  I invited everyone to my house for dinner tonight.  I made vegetarian soup, which was very yummy.  After dinner, we headed to SLC to see the lights on Temple Square.  It was lovely.  The weather was perfect for December.

Thu 12/11/14:  We had a fun Thanksgiving dinner at Grandma and Grandpa's house tonight.  It was nice hanging out with Susie and Chris.  After dinner, we watched Fairy Tale Theater's production of "The Dancing Princesses."  It was nostalgic for Susie and I to watch.  I love the music the best.

Fri 12/12/14: Tonight was Brad's work Christmas party at Energy Solutions Center.  The food was spectacular this year!  Roast beef and pork chops, with delicious potatoes, beans, salad, and meatballs.  And the cake was superb, too!  Brad liked chatting with his co-workers, and introducing me to new people.   The Jazz lost their game, but I didn't care.  It was a lovely evening.

Sat 12/13/14:  Brad and I had the whole morning to ourselves.  It's nice having the kids sleep over with their cousins.  My husband is really fun to hang out with.  Gosh, I love him!

Sun 12/14/14:  My highlight of the day was being in my primary class with Sister Ruff, Kella, and Makayla.  We played a game today, and I told them some funny stories about my sisters and I when we were little and used to fight about silly things, like who got the white plate at dinner time, and who sat in the front seat in the car.  I love my calling.  Today, Sister Ruff and I got our new manuals for the new year.  I am excited about teaching Lizzy's class again.

Mon 12/15/14:  David had a rough night last night, wheezy and coughing, and not letting any of us sleep.  I took him to the doctor first thing in the morning.  David's oxygen level was dangerously low, and he needed breathing treatment right away.  Luckily, David responded very well to the neutralizer, and his wheezing improved drastically in a matter of minutes.  Thank goodness!  My highlight of the day was seeing David perk up and act more like his normal self after receiving treatment and getting a blessing from his dad. Brad gave him a priesthood blessing with our home teacher, Brother Hyde.  I am grateful that my husband is a righteous priesthood holder and can bless our family when we are ill.

Tue 12/16/14:  David was feeling so much better today!  His doctor was relieved to see how well he responded to the Albuterol and steroids.  I am grateful that he's such a strong little guy, and that he's recovery so well from his asthmatic episode.  On the sad note, directly after David's appointment, I received a call from Lizzy's school saying that Lizzy was feeling ill and needed to be picked up.  Poor Lizzy had a rough afternoon with a stomach bug.  The only good thing about kids being sick is that they like to cuddle more.  Poor things.

Wed 12/17/14:  I mailed off the Christmas cards today.  YAY!  And Lizzy and David are both well and happy again.

Thu 12/18/14:  I spoke too soon... David and I both woke up this morning throwing up.  Looks like we caught Lizzy's stomach bug.  I spent all day in bed. Brad took off of work in the morning to make sure we were okay.  My highlight of the day was talking to my mom on the phone for over an hour.  It does not matter how hold I am, when I feel sick I always want my mommy.

Fri 12/19/14:  I felt strong enough to make it to Walmart today, although I was exhausted when I got home.  I picked up a new family poster for our living room.  I love that we take new family photos every year.

Sat 12/20/14:  Brad and I watched "It's a Wonderful Life" today, while I worked hard on crocheting Olaf hats for Eric and Claire.  It's mine and Brad's favorite Christmas movie.  Brad came down with the stomach bug today, poor guy.

Sun 12/21/14:  Scott and Emma were the only ones who made it to church today.  The rest of us were still a little sick, so we stayed home.  Brad and I watched some more Christmas movies.  We watched "Meet Me In St. Louis," and "Shop Around The Corner."  Later that night, we went to Grandpa North's house for our annual Soup and Hot Chocolate party.  The soups were good, as usual.  My favorite part of the night was singing Christmas carols.  We sang all the religious songs with my dad accompanying us on the piano.  Then we sang a cappella for the fun songs.  David's favorite was Frosty the Snowman.

Mon 12/22/14:  I worked hard on finishing off my Olaf hats today.  Didn't quite make it.  I watched the mid-season finale of Once Upon a Time this morning, which I really enjoyed.

Tue 12/23/14:  Today was my big shopping day!  I think I finished all of my Christmas and grocery shopping. I spent about two hours at Walmart, trying to pick out the perfect stocking stuffers.  I brought home some pepperoni pizza from Sam's Club for dinner. All of us ate dinner together, minus Emma, who was still feeling a little ill from the stomach bug.  We watched "Mr. Kruger's Christmas."

Wed 12/24/14:  We had a lovely Christmas Eve!  I mailed off a package full of Christmas gifts for my family in California.  I stopped by Grandma and Grandpa Whitcomb's house to drop off presents and pick some up.  (They both ended up getting our stomach bug, unfortunately).  Then we had dinner at Grandpa North's house with Grandpa, Marilyn, and James.  I made a honey ham, cheesy potatoes, and a salad.  Marilyn made Christmas cake.  We later read Christmas scriptures together, which was very nice.  Grandpa, Marilyn, and Brad each took turns reading out loud.  When we got home later that night, the kids opened up their Christmas jammies.  They were all Batman-themed pjs this year, which turned out to be a big hit.  Lizzy and David left out some pie and milk for Santa.

Thu 12/25/14:  Our Christmas morning was magical.  We had a white Christmas.  It was exciting to see the snow outside, since it hadn't snowed all month until now.  We got up nice and early and opened up all our presents in our jammies.  Lizzy and David were thrilled to get their new Toy Story toys and binoculars.  Scott and Emma loved their Studio Ghibli shirts and Batman wall art. Brad surprised me with a new crock pot and a couple of CDs.  I surprised everyone with our new DVDs: "Downton Abbey: Season 4", "The Cat Returns," and "From Up on Poppy Hill."  My sister, Rachel, got everyone wonderful gifts, like a Tinkerbell dress for Lizzy, Spiderman slippers for David, a DC book and Batman sunglasses for Scott, Harley Quinn and Batman figurines for Emma, and a gift card to Olive Garden for Brad and I.  My mother was very thoughtful and got us things that we needed, like clothes, socks, a heating pad, and a new kitchen mat.  It was lovely.

Fri 12/26/14:  It was nice staying home and recovering from after Christmas.  Brad and I did some chores and watched a lot of Downton Abbey.  I began working on some Baymax hats for the Nelson family in our ward.

Sat 12/27/14:  Brad and I had a lovely date today.  We had lunch at Olive Garden, using Rachel's gift card.  Then we went to see the new movie/musical: "Into the Woods," starring Meryl Streep, Emily Bunt, Johnny Depp, Chris Pine, and other great actors.  The music was fantastic.

Sun 12/28/14:  My highlight of the day was being in primary again.  It was my last day with Parker, Mikayla, and Kella.  I am going to miss teaching them.  David looked so cute sitting with his Sunbeam class during Sharing Time.  His name was called to open the envelope to see what song we would be singing.  It was fun watching him get excited to participate.

Mon 12/29/14:  It snowed lightly most of the day today.  The little ones and I decided it would be nice to shovel the driveway for Papa, so he would not have to do it when he came home from work tonight.  Lizzy and David took turns using the giant red shovel, although they did not get far.  They had more fun playing in the snow (and eating the snow), while I worked.  Brad was very happy to see the snow gone when he came home tonight.

Tue 12/30/14:  Today was an icy-cold day.  I broke out the crock pot this morning, and chopped up some veggies and opened up some cans of chicken broth and tomato soup, then let them simmer all day.  It was lovely coming home from Sam's Club this afternoon and smelling the delicious aroma of my vegetable soup throughout the house as I carried in the groceries.  Mmm!  I love having a crock pot.

Wed 12/31/14:  I used my crock pot again today.  I am absolutely in love with it!  I made a creamy ground turkey and potato soup today.  It was an instant hit with the little ones.  We had fun staying up late for New Year's Eve.  Lizzy and David enjoyed playing with some pop-its and sparklers outside in the cold before they went to bed.  Brad and I stayed up until after midnight watching the movie, "Salmon Fishing in the Yemen," which turned out to be quite good.  I loved kissing my husband at midnight-- and before midnight-- and after midnight.  He's wonderful.

The Highlight of my Day: November 2014

Something good happens every day.  Here's what I was thankful for in November:

Sat 11/1/14:  Today I am thankful for lazy Saturdays that I get to spend with my husband.  Brad and I spent the afternoon relaxing on our couch, munching on Halloween candy, and watching the last four episodes of Lost, season three.

Sun 11/2/14:  Today I am thankful for a husband and teenage kids, who know how to make delicious breakfast-for-dinner meals when I am not feeling well.  They did an awesome job making french toast tonight.

Mon 11/3/14:  Today I am thankful for fun shows to watch while I'm crocheting hats to sell.  I almost finished making an entire Olaf hat this morning while I was watching "Once Upon A Time," "Biggest Loser," and "House Hunters."

Tue 11/4/14:  Today I am thankful for my growing ability to crochet.  It's neat being able to look at a photo, mapping how to create it in my head, and then making it.  Today I saw a photo of the new Disney robot character from the movie Big Hero 6, and I knew exactly how to make character hat of him.  It's looking good so far.  I think it would be cute to make a hat for David to wear when we go watch the movie in the theater.

Wed 11/5/14:  Today I am thankful that my parents live close by.  They showed up at my house today, when Mom heard I was sick.  Mom brought me a loaf of homemade pumpkin bread, a casserole, treats for the kids, and medicine for my cough.  Their move to Utah has definitely been one of the greatest blessings I could have received.

Thu 11/6/14:  I am grateful for our nice warm house that we live in.  It's so nice knowing that even though it's freezing or below freezing outside, we have a nice house to keep us comfy and warm.  I am grateful to be a homeowner.

Fri 11/7/14:  I had an amazing night with Brad tonight.  Today I am thankful for my marriage and all of the benefits that come from being married to such a wonderful man.  We had an enjoyable time finding new ways to spice up our marriage tonight.  I feel like I'm on a second honeymoon!  Who knew making crossword puzzles and word searches in front of the fire could end up being so fun and exciting?

Sat 11/8/14:  I had another fantastic and memorable day with Brad again.  Can't I just say that I am so incredibly lucky and blessed to have him in my life?  He is INCREDIBLE!  Anyway, today I am also thankful for fun autumn memories I get to create with my kids.  We went over to Grandpa North's house to rake leaves today.  Lizzy and David had so much fun playing and jumping in the leaves with their cousins, Charlotte and Aksel.

Sun 11/9/14:  Today I am thankful for having such a sweet teaching partner in primary.  Sister Ruff brought me some vitamin packets to help me get rid of my cold.  She noticed I was tired in church today, and that I still have my cough.  She wanted me to feel better.

Mon 11/10/14:  I can't stop thinking about my husband!  I am infatuated and obsessed with him this week.  Today I am thankful for love notes and how happy they make me when I read them.

Tue 11/11/14:  Today I am thankful for homemade turkey soup.  I made some for my family and the Bruce-Clan tonight, since Loralee was feeling ill today.

Wed 11/12/14:  I am thankful for our fireplace!  Especially when I get to spend some time with my husband in front of it.  I am so completely in love with him this week.  I shared some of my fantasies with him today, which led to a lot more fun conversations and one-on-one time.  I love trusting him, and him trusting me.

Thu 11/13/14:  I am grateful for the parent-time schedule that allows Scott and Emma to spend more time with us during the week and weekends.  It's nice having them home every other week, the entire time, instead of broken up in pieces.  I can tell they love being home with us.

Fri 11/14/14:  I finished making two Big Hero 6 hats today!  They look so cute on my kids.  Today I am thankful for awesome family-friendly movies that inspire me to create cute character hats.  Disney and other movie companies have gotten so much better at telling good stories.  I am looking forward to watching Big Hero 6 with my family!

Sat 11/15/14:  Today I am thankful for fun, good written shows that I get to watch with my family.  We had a "Agents of S.H.E.I.L.D" marathon.  The second half of the first season was awesome!

Sun 11/16/14:  I missed church again today.  I had a fever all day yesterday, and I did not want to risk anyone catching my illness at church, so I stayed home.  Today I am grateful for Sprite and Gatorade.  They are tasty to drink, and good at hydrating my sickly body at the same time.  I feel much better tonight than I did last night.

Mon 11/17/14:  I am grateful for Monday night routines.  It's fun going to the library every week, and watching Studio C as a family.  I picked up the fourth season of Lost tonight at the library.

Tue 11/18/14:  I am grateful for good health and strength!  We have been having a rough season this year with illnesses, but I am still grateful for the many blessings my family and I receive in regards to being healthy.  It was nice having energy to get things today.  We are very blessed indeed.

Wed 11/19/14:  I felt very sick again, unfortunately. This time with digestible issues.  Today I am grateful for good books that keep me entertained when I am too ill to do much.  I've been reading a novel called Fire, by Kristen Cashore.  It's a fun fantasy book that my sister, Rachel recommended to me.

Thu 11/20/14: Today I am grateful to be a mother of four incredible children, even if I only gave birth to two of them. Today was Emma's 14th birthday.  I stopped by Harmon's on the way to pick her up from school and bought a delicious slice of cheesecake for her.  That made her happy.  In the evening, I had a special moment with David.  It was time for bed, and Brad sent David over to say goodnight to me.  David came up to me and gently put his hands on my cheek.  He whispered "I love you," to me, then began kissing my cheek over and over again very tenderly.  It totally made me cry.  I love being a mother!

Fri 11/21/14:  I am grateful for acetaminophen.  I was in terrible pain today, from what I thought was a sore throat. I think it ended up being some kind of infection behind my left tonsil and tongue.  I took some acetaminophen, gargled salt water and mouthwash, and within the hour I felt a lot better.  It was such a relief to be able to talk and swallow again.

Sat 11/22/14:  We had another lazy Saturday, to recover from our various aliments this past week.  Brad may or may not have a broken or dislocated rib, poor guy. Today I am grateful for the annual Hill Family Pie Night at our old church building.  It was fun seeing all the Hills and other old friends from the Westbrook 2nd Ward, and to eat some delicious homemade pies.  YUM!

Sun 11/23/14:  Today I am so very grateful for my wonderful 14-year-old daughter, Emma.  We celebrated her birthday with Grandma and Grandpa Whitcomb tonight.  I made taco salad and a delicious homemade carrot cake.  Emma seemed to love spending time with everyone.  I think she really enjoyed roasting giant marshmallows in front of the fireplace with her dad and siblings.

Mon 11/24/14:  Today I am thankful for the precious moments I get to witness with my children.  It was lovely hearing David laugh with his big brother, Scott, while they played the Spiderman video game together in Scott's bedroom.  David has turned into a HUGE Spiderman fan lately.

Tue 11/25/14:  I am thankful for Studio Ghibli movies. Tonight Brad, Scott, Emma and I finished watching "The Wind Rises" together for the first time, and we all agreed it was a beautiful movie.  I love that every member of my family appreciates Studio Ghibli movies.

Wed 11/26/14:  Family photos were taken today!  I am thankful for my beautiful family, and that we have the tradition of taking family photos every year for our Christmas cards.  I love having up-to-date photos of my family.

Thu 11/27/14:  Thanksgiving was fantastic this year!  I am so incredibly grateful that I married into Brad's family.  They are WONDERFUL!  The food was amazing, as it usually is.  Amanda made the turkey, turkey stuffing, and butternut squash for dinner.  I made the green bean casserole and a large turkey veggie tray, and Brad made corn pudding (under my supervision).  Marilyn made mashed potatoes and her usual delicious homemade rolls.  And Lorlaee made some yummy cream pies and some cranberry sauce.  David decided to run away and scare us right before dinner, but luckily we found him pretty quickly.  He ran down Tuscaloosa, almost to Dixie Drive before Brad found him on his knees, crying near the Fenton's house.  I am grateful Heavenly Father looked out for our family and helped us find David.

Fri 11/28/14:  I am grateful for Disney's new awesome movie, "Big Hero 6."  We watched it together as a family today, and it was fantastic!  Lizzy and David looked adorable wearing their new Baymax hats in the theater.  They got some fun attention after the movie.

Sat 11/29/14:  I am grateful that we live so near the Bruce-Clan.  Loralee and Bruce needed some time alone last night, so they sent Brandon, Ryan, Kaylie, and Rachel over to spend the night.  It was nice having them here Saturday morning.  All my kids love their cousins.

Sun 11/30/14:  I am thankful for dinners at my parents' house!  It's so nice that my parents live so close by.  My mom had decorated her house, out front and inside, with all of her fabulous Christmas decorations.  Lizzy and David were very impressed.  After dinner, Mom, Lizzy, David, and I went for a walk to see Christmas lights while Dad, Brad, Scott, and Emma stayed behind and told stories.  My Dad is a good story teller and kept everyone entertained.

The Highlight of my Day: October 2014

Something good happens every day.  Here's what happened in October 2014:

Wed 10/1/14:  I love crisp, autumn mornings in October!  The sunlight always seems to have more of a yellowish glow in October.  This truly is one of my favorite times of the year.

Thu 10/2/14:  It's nearing Halloween and the decorations are coming up everywhere.  David loves spotting pumpkins and spiderwebs on peoples' houses.  He calls spiderwebs "Spiderman," and he likes to growl at pumpkins like the pumpkin did in his favorite Halloween book by Margaret Wise Brown, "The Fierce Yellow Pumpkin."  He has also become very fond of skeletons.  He likes to call me a skeleton when I wash my face before I shower.  I guess he associates white faces with skeletons.

Fri 10/3/14:  The weight is coming off slowly, but the fact that I can easily slip out of pair of unbuttoned jeans that I couldn't even come close to buttoning 3 months ago is a really good sign.

Sat 10/4/14:  Little D turned 3 years old today!  He's such a darling.  Scott and Emma blew up a bunch of orange balloons today, while Brad and I went to buy Papa Murphy's pizza.  Lizzy and David LOVED the balloons.  Lizzy had fun drawing pictures on them, and David had fun making the jack-o-lantern balloon growl like "The Fierce Yellow Pumpkin.  We had a small lunch and birthday cake with Grandpa North.

Sun 10/5/14:  I loved watching Scott and Brad get geeky together and play Dungeons and Dragons after General Conference.  They looked like they were having fun.  Grandma and Grandpa Whitcomb came over for dinner.  I made chicken and vegetable stir-fry.  It was yummy.

Mon 10/6/14:  Tonight was the first episode of Studio C season 5!  Some of the sketches were very funny.  I loved the opening sketch the best: "Studio C Secrets Revealed."  Can't wait to see what other fun stuff they come up with.

Tue 10/7/14:  Whoo hoo!  Brad is getting a raise!

Wed 10/8/14:  My highlight of the day was working on the Totoro hat I am making Brad for Halloween.  I finished the ears and the eyes.  He's starting to look more and more like my favorite Studio Ghibli character.

Thu 10/9/14:  David and I gave my parents a surprise visit today.  I thought it would be a good day to go for a walk by the river.  Mom joined us, and we walked to the park by her house, then walked along the paths by the river.  David got his shirt wet at the park, so I took it off and he spent all of his time walking shirtless.  He pet a couple of dogs, and he liked seeing two white horses trotting on the horse trail.

Fri 10/10/14:  I was in good spirits today.  I did a lot of grocery shopping this morning with Lizzy and David.  In the afternoon we headed over to Brad's work to get flu shots.  Lizzy and David got the mist sprayed up their nose again instead of getting the shot, which made them happy.  Lizzy does not like getting shots, but she enjoyed watching me and her dad get shots.

Sat 10/11/14:  We headed over to Murray this evening, to attend a western-themed party with my parents' ward members.  They had a chili cookoff, pumpkin growing contest, and lots of food and family activities.  Lizzy liked panning for gold, and David liked roping and sitting on the rocking horses there.

Sun 10/12/14:  We had dinner at Grandma and Grandpa's house tonight.  Mom made us chili and potatoes, leftover from the party on Saturday night.  We went for a walk around the neighborhood, looking for Halloween decorations. David especially was very excited to see the pumpkins and scary things.  He's  REALLY into Halloween this year.  Mom and I visited one of her ward members on the walk, and got some delicious home-grown veggies from their garden.  Murray is a good place to grow a garden.  Everything is so green and healthy there.

Mon 10/13/14:  Brad and I took the little ones to Pumpkin Point Farms tonight.  David was ecstatic to see the pumpkins everywhere.  He wanted to pick up every small pumpkin he could and put it in the wheelbarrow.  We finally settled on 5 pumpkins, paid $15 for them, and then had a fun time exploring the corn maze, saying hi to Mater the truck, riding in the hay ride, and watching Lizzy and David climb in various tractors.  It was a fun evening.

Tue 10/14/14:  U2's Songs of Innocence album was released today on iTunes.  Brad of course, was thrilled beyond thrilled when he found out that the album was free and automatically sent to his iTunes account.  U2 graciously gave away their new album to everyone on iTunes.  It was pretty awesome.

Wed 10/15/14:  As I anticipated, Brad and I have been listening to a lot of new U2 songs today.  They are starting to warm up on me, and I am liking them more and more as I continue to listen to them.

Thu 10/16/14:  Lizzy, David, and I went to Grandma's house this morning, to see the baby snake Grandpa Whitcomb caught a couple days ago.  The snake was of course very shy, but my dad held it up for the kids to see, and I got to hold it a little, too.  It was very cute, and the kids loved seeing it.  We also enjoyed walking to the river later, and playing at the park.

Fri 10/17/14:  After a month of thinking my wedding band made its untimely end, falling into the abyss of my kitchen sink, Lizzy found it tonight hiding under the big brown leather seat in our living room.  My heart is happy!

Sat 10/18/14:  We harvested our fierce yellow pumpkin today!  It has gotten very orange, and David couldn't leave it alone any more, so he pulled it off the pumpkin vine.  It's sitting on our kitchen table now, awaiting its fate.

Sun 10/19/14:  I hinted to Brad about what I want for Christmas this year.  A signed copy of The Piano Guys newest album.  I think he's going to get it for me!

Mon 10/20/14:We had a fabulous FHE on the topic of marriage and families today.  We talked about making righteous choices when we date, and looking for someone who makes us want to be better than we are ourselves.  We especially talked about the warning signs of dating someone who may have personality disorders that lead to divorce.  For example, don't marry someone with a victim-like personality.  They are nothing but trouble.

Tue 10/21/14:  I love autumn!  I'm not ready for winter to come just yet.  The weather has been pretty mild for the most part.

Wed 10/22/14:  Tonight was YW in Excellence at our ward building.  The theme was pink and purple, so I wore my purple sashay scarf with a plain black shirt.  Emma sat with us some of the time, but she seemed to like hanging out with her cousins best of all.

Thu 10/23/14:  Date night!  Brad and I dropped off Lizzy and David at Grandma's house after Lizzy's Student Led Conference this evening.  We grabbed some Subway, then headed home after Emma's conference and watched some BYU soccer while we ate dinner.  We LOVED spending time alone without children.  Brad started a fire in our fireplace for the first time.  We roasted marshmallows and drank martinellis in the dark while writing sexy love notes to each other.  It was so much fun!

Fri 10/24/14:  Scott and Emma came home this afternoon, after being gone for most of the month. Scott told us it was too long to be away, and he was happy to be home.  Brad started another fire, and we all roasted marshmallows together.  I love spending time together with my family.

Sat 10/25/14:  Our neighbors and ward members put together an excellent little "trunk-or treat" event at the park tonight.  Lizzy dressed up in her Kiki outfit and David dressed up as Tombo.  Scott and Emma didn't want to wear costumes.  Lizzy and David loved getting their candy from each decorated vehicle.  They also enjoyed having balloons made by Sister Western.  Lizzy asked for an "Elsa" balloon, and David ended up with an orange snake with yellow eyes.  My favorite part of the activity was trying everyone's homemade chili.  I tasted every one of them, and they were delicious.

Sun 10/26/14:  I enjoyed giving my lesson in CTR 5.  The lesson was on making wise choices, so we focused a lot on the wise man and foolish man parable from the New Testament.  The kids were very focused on the lesson and participated a lot during it, which made me and Sister Ruff happy.

Mon 10/27/14:  Studio C was fun watching tonight, especially with Scott and Emma home.  My favorite sketch was probably Halloween Prank Gone Wrong.  I loved watching Mallory and Matt react to Whitney possibly being a serial killer.

Tue 10/28/14:  We carved pumpkins tonight!  I helped Lizzy with her little jack-o-lantern.  She wanted a traditional scary-face one.  David painted his little pumpkin with acrylic paint.  He did an excellent job covering most of his pumpkin with muddy purple paint.  Scott carved  two pumpkins-- a Two Face pumpkin and a Nightwing-ish one.  Emma's pumpkin focused more on her passion for RWBY-- an American anime show.  I tried to carve a Totoro pumpkin, but it came out looking like Turnip Head from "Howl's Moving Castle."  Papa carved his jack-o-lantern to look like Margaret Wise Brown's Fierce Yellow Pumpkin.  David was very excited to see that.  "Grrr... in the dark!"  That's David's favorite line to quote.

Wed 10/29/14:  Our family, minus Emma, went to crash Westbrook 2nd Ward's Halloween carnival tonight.  It was fun seeing old familiar faces there, and watching Lizzy and David participate in the fun activities.  Scott enjoyed visiting Brett and Jordan. The Polaks showed up at the end of the night with Grandpa North.  Zach dressed up in his awesome custom-made Compact Disc costume.  He was an instant hit at the party.

Thu 10/30/14:  One more day until Halloween!  I crocheted a darling red bow for Lizzy to wear with her Kiki custom.  She's going to look so cute.

Fri 10/31/14:  We had a fantastic Halloween!  I took the little ones to Brad's work to go trick-or-treating in the middle of the afternoon.  Lizzy and David are always so very charming with Brad's coworkers.  After that activity, we headed home and I made a spooky 7 layer dip for the Halloween party at the cousins' house tonight.  Loralee, as always, made a fantastic dinner consisting of Slime Punch and Sandwich Snakes.  My parents came to the party, and so did Grandpa North, Scott and Emma, Sterling, Marilyn, and Loralee's neighbors.  We went trick-or-treating after dinner.  The funnest part of the evening was watching David get genuinely excited every time we stopped at someone's house.  David appreciated every Halloween decoration he saw, and he was always very polite.  He received a lot of attention from everyone.

The Highlight of My Day: September 2014

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

Mon 9/1/14:  I woke up at 5:00 this morning thinking, 'It feels like September.  I need to start crocheting hats.'  Before I knew it, ideas started popping in my mind a mile a minute.  Now it's time to get out the yarn and crochet hooks!

Tue 9/2/14:  It was nice having FHE with Scott and Emma tonight.  We talked about our week and what we're looking forward to.  Everyone is mostly excited about Comic Con.  Scott officially finished putting his cosplay costume together today.  The last thing he needed to do was sew on a brown patch over his pant knee.

Wed 9/3/14:  The thrill and excitement for Comic Con is in the air!  That's all everyone keeps talking about over here.  Two more days.

Thu 9/4/14:  More legal stress today, but I have faith that everything is going to be okay.  I think harder times makes Brad and I stronger as a couple.  I like being on the same team as him.

Fri 9/5/14:  I finished crocheting my first Olaf hat today!  He turned out to be incredibly cute.  The hat was a special order made for Jacob Goodwin.  Can't wait to see how cute he looks in it.

Sat 9/6/14:  I crocheted all day long today while Brad, Scott, and Emma had a wonderful time at the Salt Lake City Comic Con.  It was fun listening to their exciting tales when they got home.  They all dressed up in costume.  Brad was Ned Flanders from The Simpsons, and Scott and Emma were Pazu and Sheeta from Castle in the Sky.  They really had a fun time meeting Kevin Conroy (voice of Batman) and getting his autograph and photo.  While they were away, I finished the Anna and Elsa hats I've been working on.  They look so cute!

Sun 9/7/14:  Today was Stake Conference.  It was a broadcast conference, with the topics mostly focused on family and prayer.  The main speakers were Elders M. Russell Ballard and Dallin H. Oaks.  It was nice coming home at noon and then visiting with the Bruce-Clan afterward.

Mon 9/8/14:  I took Lizzy and David to Oquirrh Highlands Park after picking up Lizzy from school.  I played with them the entire time

Tue 9/9/14:  I loved spending the day with my wonderful husband.  He took off work to go to court this morning.  The results of the hearing went well for us, with a few bumps here and there regarding child-support.  It was fun watching the thunder and lightning storm while we were waiting in the courthouse.  Brad and I had lunch together, and watched Lost while eating some yummy angel food cake.  We were also able to listen to U2's newest album, "Songs of Innocence" for free on iTunes.

Wed 9/10/14:  Finished another Elsa hat today.  I made the braided hair a little longer on this one, which turned out perfect.  I'm going to make another Anna hat, too, and make some minor changes.  Tweaking patterns can be fun.

Thu 9/11/14:  I took Lizzy and David to Oquirrh Highlands Park again today.  I would love it if Rachel bought a house over here someday.  It's such a fantastic neighborhood. The view at the park is lovely.  I've been looking at the prices of houses there, and they would be ideal for Rachel's family. I'm hoping Rachel will move here someday.  We'll see how things pan out.

Fri 9/12/14:  Tonight was our ward's annual soup contest and cake auction.  I ended up making a cake and not a soup this year.  My cake was a "Happee Birthdae Harry" cake, from Harry Potter.  I was going for something geeky and easy.  Worked out well.  The Bekins family ended up buying it for $19.

Sat 9/13/14:  I had an over-abundance of tomatoes today-- my biggest harvest yet.  Looks like I'm going to need to make some salsa and spaghetti sauces soon.

Sun 9/14/14:  My Downeast Basics dress fits me now!  YAY!  I wore it to church today and received some nice compliments.  I love it.  It's beautiful!

Mon 9/15/14:  My husband has been going through some hard times lately, but I am grateful that we have each other to lean on.  I support him and love him with all my heart.

Tue 9/16/14:  I officially finished my second round of Frozen crochet hats this morning.  I took some photos and edited them, and posted them on Facebook, where they received a LOT of attention.  They are cute!  Lizzy modeled the girl hats, and I had fun doing a photo shoot with her.  She's a great model.

Wed 9/17/14:  Scott turned 17 years old on the 17th!  Can't believe he's growing up so fast.  I bought him a delicious cake with chocolate swirls for his birthday, and we sang to him after he came back from Young Men's tonight.  I love that boy.

Thu 9/18/14:  I woke up with a cold and sore throat today.  No fun.  I caught it from Lizzy and David.  My highlight of the day was being loved by Brad.  He's such a wonderful husband.

Fri 9/19/14:  Brad has been loving the new U2 album.  I think we've both agreed that our favorite song on the album is "Every Breaking Wave."  It helped when Brad told me the meaning behind the lyrics.  Now I love it.  It's a catchy tune, and falls right in my voice's sweet spot.  It's fun to sing along.

Sat 9/20/14:  We drove up to Silver Lake this afternoon, to see the pretty autumn leaves.  The weather was perfect.  I enjoyed taking photos of the kids, and Scott enjoyed taking photos of the scenery.  We hiked around the lake and up the mountain a little bit.  Lizzy looked so cute in her red cowboy boots.

Sun 9/21/14:  We celebrated Hobbit Day, a day early.  I went all out in preparing a delicious feast-- fit for any hobbit.  I made a roast turkey, bacon potatoes, lumbas bread, homemade white bread, and sauteed garlic mushrooms, with pickles, carrots, and fancy cheese on the side.  My mom and dad came and brought some yummy sweet bread and apple cider.  I made a delicious birthday cake for Scott.  We invited Michael, Brandon, and Ryan to come over to celebrate with us.  It turned out to be a lovely day.

Mon 9/22/14:  My son, David, loves the book "Goodnight Moon."  It has become a new favorite, and Brad has been reading it to him every night.  They've also started reading "The Fierce Yellow Pumpkin," by Margaret Wise Brown.  Brad and I have noticed that David has been talking more now that he's being reading the same books every night.  He loves books.

Tue 9/23/14:  I had a blast editing photos today.  I took some really nice ones of our Hobbit Day feast, and our mountain excursion on Saturday.  It was enjoyable posting them on Facebook and reading people's comments.

Wed 9/24/14:  I am grateful that I didn't marry Terry.  He'll always be an important person in my life, and a part of me will always treasure the good times we shared together, but I'm glad it didn't work out between us.  I talked to him on the phone this morning, for the first time in years.  He's going through a very hard time right now.  After listening to him tell me his sad story for almost an hour, I came to the conclusion (again) that marrying Brad was the best decision I have ever made.  I have an amazing husband.  I love our marriage.  I love our family.  I love the bond that we share.  Today I am not taking it for granted.

Thu 9/25/14:  I had the pleasure of being taken back in time today.  It's amazing how listening to music can do that.  I was having an enjoyable time listening to various musical artists on Grooveshark this morning, when I came across some good ol' Backstreet Boys.  Immediately I was taken back in time to when I was a teenager, playing Tomb Raider 2 on the Playstation with my sisters and Raven Roberts.  I could almost smell and taste the flavor of pepperoni pizza and buffalo wings.  Mm mm!  I'm craving junk food tonight!

Fri 9/26/14:  I invited my mom to come over for dinner on her birthday.  I made chicken chili and homemade salsa.  My gift to her was a pretty orange shirt that Lizzy and I picked out for her birthday.  Lizzy had fun entertaining Grandma and Grandpa.  She invited them out in the backyard and the front yard, and we enjoyed looking at the lightning bolts high in the sky.

Sat 9/27/14:  It rained all day today.  My highlight of the day was attending the women's session of General Conference with my mom at her stake center.  I am glad that my mom is being well taken care of by the sisters in her ward.  I can tell that she is well loved.  My favorite speaker of the night was President Uchtdorf.  He gave a wonderful talk on living the gospel joyfully.  We had yummy treats at the end of the night: veggies, spinach dip, grapes, and eclairs.

Sun 9/28/14:  We had dinner at Grandma Whitcomb's house tonight.  She made a yummy enchilada casserole with salad, chips and salsa, and apple juice on the side.  She then fed us ice cream sandwiches, cookies, and vanilla pudding.  Way too much food in my opinion, but it was still fun being there, especially when the thunderstorm arrived.  Brad, Dad, and the little kids went outside to look for bats.  It was too cold and wet for bats, but we saw an amazing lightning show instead.  It sure did make for a fun ride home.  The temperature dropped, and the rain poured on us, and we even saw snow on the side of the road.  SNOW!  Scott and Emma were not pleased that it was snowing in September, but Lizzy and David loved it.

Mon 9/29/14:  I cut David's hair this morning.  He needed one really bad.  He looks adorable now, but also older.  Can't believe he'll be three in a few days!  We had a real Family Home Evening tonight.  We talked about the importance of prayer, and had yummy doughnut holes for dessert.  I am proud of Scott and Emma and how grown-up they're becoming.  It's nice having adult conversations with them.

Tue 9/30/14:  I love my husband so much.  He had a really stressful day today, but it ended well for him.  I am grateful for our friendship and the love that we share.  I know how to make him happy.  On the side note, some awesome looking black boots arrived in the mail for me today.  I tried them on and they look fantastic!  Thank you, Zulily!  I'm addicted to you now.