The Highlight of My Day: September 2015

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

Tue 9/1/15:  My mom was so amazing today-- she washed my carpets for me again.  She did Emma's room, my room, the upstairs hallway, and the kids' room.  I had to clean everything really quickly to get everything off the floor in the kids' room.  It was so nice walking barefoot on the clean carpet.

Wed 9/2/15:  We started dog-sitting for the Harmans today.  We'll be taking care of the dogs and the house while they are in San Francisco for a wedding this weekend.  Marian, Natalie, and Collin dropped of Collin's puppy, Sieg at our house this morning.  The plan is for Sieg to stay at our house during the day today and tomorrow, and spend the night at Marian's house in her crate.  Sieg is a border collie/German shepherd mix.  She did not want to have anything to do with me and David at first, but she gradually got used to me as the day progressed.  I think she's starting to like me.

Thu 9/3/15:  Today was a busy, busy day!  Right after Lizzy went to school this morning, I drove to West Jordan to take care of the dogs and water Marian's plants.  Then I drove Sieg back to our house, walked David to preschool, and then went to the gym.  After the gym, I picked up David from school, cleaned the house for my mom, and quickly got ready to volunteer for Discovery at Entheos.  Lizzy had a great time at her Discovery class today.  I think gymnastics was her favorite Discovery class so far. I carpooled everyone home after school. I was a little bummed that I got home too late to see Scott off to his new job.  Scott started his first day of work at Banzai Teppan Yaki.  My mom washed the dishes for me while I was gone, which I was really grateful for.  The kids and I got ourselves all ready to go to Marian's house after my mom left.  Sieg, of course, came with us.  We picked up a Papa Murphy's pizza for dinner on the way.  Brad joined us for dinner, then we all went swimming afterwards.  The day ended with us driving back home late from Marian's.  Brad picked up Scott from work at 10 pm.  Scott had a great first day.  He brought home some Japanese soda for us to try.  It had a marble inside, and you had to make the lid pop to open the bottle.  It was a toy and a drink at the same time.  No wonder the Japanese kids love it.

Fri 9/4/15:  My day took an unexpected turn for the worst, unfortunately.  I had so many plans for today, but everything changed drastically in a matter of seconds.  I was in a terrible car accident on my way to Marian's house this morning.  It happened at the intersection at 9000 South and 3400 West.  I was approaching the light when it turned yellow.  I decided I had enough time to drive through the light, so I did, and I hit a Mazda that was turning left onto the SLCC campus.  My van was totaled.  David and I were okay, except for a few minor scrapes, bumps, and bruises.  Brad left work as soon as he got my phone call.  The rest of the day turned into a blur of doctor visits, insurance drama, and lots of tears and stress.  But I am so incredibly grateful for Brad.  I told him today that I was very glad that he and I were on the same team.  It was nice eating In-and-Out together and hanging out with the dogs.  I have fallen in love with Seig.  She is my little shadow.

Sat 9/5/15:  I was very relieved when morning came after my sleepless night.  I am feeling better today than I was yesterday, but still not normal.  Recovering slowly.  It was nice having my parents and the Hydes come over for an early dinner this afternoon.  Lizzy and David had fun swimming with Valeen.  I liked the company of my parents, Roxana, and Gordon.  Brad and I watched a lot of My Little Pony, Season 5 today when we weren't hosting guests.

Sun 9/6/15:  I slept better last night than the night before, which was a relief for me.  We went to church at our home ward this morning.  It was nice receiving love from other ward members who had heard about the car accident.  I spent the afternoon and evening recovering at the Harman's.  I made my first "real" meal at Marian's house-- spaghetti with chicken.  It was very yummy.  I began learning to play "It's Impossible" on Marian's piano downstairs. It's a beautiful song, and I am learning to play it well.  I wish we had a piano at our house.

Mon 9/7/15:  The Bruce-Clan joined us this morning for swimming and lunch!  Mom and Dad came, too, as well as Scott and Emma.  We had sandwiches, salads, chips and salsa, and a potato casserole for lunch.  The potato casserole was definitely my favorite.  Thanks Mom!  It was nice spending Labor Day with our extended family.  The kids liked being with their cousins again.

Tue 9/8/15:  It was nice sleeping in our own bed last night.  Things are starting to feel back to normal.   Brad and I picked up our new rental van from Enterprise today--- a brand new Kia Sedona.  Very luxurious, with lots of special features, including a rear camera.  After getting the van, we drove to West Jordan to say our final farewell to our Honda Odyssey.  It made my heart break to see it looking so sad and smashed up.  We cleaned out some of our last remaining items, I took some photos, and then we walked away.  We stopped at Walmart on the way home and bought a new car seat for David. We told David it was a Spiderman car seat, because it was red and black.  That got him excited.

Wed 9/9/15:  My highlight of the day was getting some down-time at home for the first time in a while.  I enjoyed watching some vlogs on YouTube.  My favorite vlogger channels are April's Life, J House, Shaytards, and Sam and Nia.  April's Life is my current favorite.  I find that I can relate to April's and Davey's family the most.  Sam and Nia are on a hiatus right now.  Things turned sour for them after they went viral, unfortunately.  I hate that the world has become so anti-religion lately.  Christians are being attacked left and right, just for standing up for their beliefs.

Thu 9/10/15 to Fri 9/11/15:  I did not write.  :(

Sat 9/12/15:  Brad and I took the little ones to Liberty Park today, in hopes of playing in the splash pad before it closed for the season.  Alas, we were too late and they closed it last weekend.  So we walked a little around Liberty Park, then headed downtown to City Creek.  We went to the Disney Store, which is always a fun experience for Lizzy and David.  We had some frozen yogurt at Roxberry Juice Co., went window shopping at Go! Games and Toys, then we went to the water fountain in Richard's Court where the kids had fun getting wet and watching the water show.

Sun 9/13/15:  We visited our old ward this afternoon, to listen to Jordan Turner speak in sacrament meeting.  Jordan is going to be serving a service mission in the publishing department at the Church Office Building in downtown SLC.  Scott was thrilled to spend time with his old friends, Jordan and Brett.  It was nice spending time with the luncheon at Jordan's house afterward.

Mon 9/14/15:  I did not write.  :(

Tue 9/15/15:  David dressed up like a cowboy for preschool today.  He wore a plaid shirt,  my large brown cowboy hat, and Lizzy's big red boots.  He was so darn cute!  He was the best dressed cowboy there.

Wed 9/16/15;  I enjoyed watching Lizzy and Valeen play together after school today.  They put on a rock "concert" for me, using my old guitar, Valeen's plastic Dora guitar, and dressing up in Lizzy's dress-up clothes.  They were very stylish.

Thu 9/17/15:  Scott's birthday

Fri 9/18/15:  I did not write.  :(

Sat 9/19/15:  Celebrated Scott's birthday

Sun 9/20/15:  Hobbit Day... Moon family

Mon 9/21/15 to Thu 9/24/15:  I did not write.  :(

Fri 9/25/15:  Got the settlement check this morning for just over $2700.  That means it's time to go van shopping!  We decided to look at a white 2000 Honda Odyssey in Riverton.  The owner had dropped the price by $500, it had only 102,000 miles on it, and it was closer to us than a few other Odyssey vans we were looking at.  Brad and I drove Lizzy and David to Riverton.  We prayed to have inspiration while looking at the van, and we were ready to walk away if something didn't feel right, which is ultimately what happened.  We took the van for a test drive, and something just felt off.  So we did not end up buying it.  Lizzy was very disappointed.  She liked how the van looked. It reminded her of our old van.

Sat 9/26/15:  We bought our "new" van today!  It's a 2004 silver Honda Odyssey EX.  Brad and I felt we had the Lord's hand in helping us get this van.  When I first saw the ad pop up on KSL a few nights ago, I immediately felt a connection to it-- like it was the right one.  I should add that this was the FIRST time I had felt that feeling after looking at many Honda Odysseys in the last few weeks.  I was disappointed last night when we called Wendie (the owner) and she said she had another interested party coming to view the van this morning.  I wish that we had not gone to see the white van last night, and that we had called Wendie earlier.  The only reason why I hadn't was because Riverton was so much closer than West Point, which made the white van more appealing.  Brad and I prayed.  We hoped that something would happen to make us get the silver van.  And something did!  After we got back from the gym this morning, I saw that Wendi had called us back.  Sure enough, the other party canceled their appointment.  We drove up to West Point (50 minutes away), and fell in love with our new van.  We took it for a test drive and decided it was the right one for our family.  Brad drove it home and we took some photos.  Lizzy and David are looking forward to trying out the new DVD player in the van!

Sun 9/27/15:  We had dinner at my parents' house again tonight.  We went there last night, too.  This time the Loveless family joined us.  It was cute seeing Lizzy and David play with Jacob and Helen.  It was my first time meeting Helen.  She's an adorable 18-month-old with curly blond hair.  Jared and Stacy are going to be staying at my parents' house for three days this coming week, so they can attend a training session at a place in Bluffdale.  It was nice seeing Jared again.  He was such a dear friend of mine in my young adult years.  I am glad to see him so happily married with children of his own.

Mon 9/28/15:  Brad and I registered our new van and got our new license plates today.  Hooray!  I drove the van for the first time this afternoon when I went to pick up the carpool kids from school.  David, who did not get any coaxing from me, grabbed "The Nightmare Before Christmas" DVD, and put it in our new van's DVD player.  The kids loved watching the movie as we drove home.  We took our first family trip tonight to the library. I checked out a bagful of DVDs tonight at the library.  A lot of them were musicals I used to watch as a child, like Annie, Sound of Music, and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.  I want to introduce them to Lizzy and David.  Maybe they will even get to watch them in the van.

Tue 9/29/15:  I loved that Brad came home from work early today.  I was surprised to see him, and it was nice having his help with car insurance and medical insurance issues.  I am grateful to have him as my partner.  Brad went with Scott to his parent/teacher conferences at Hunter in the late afternoon, and later he went with Emma to Emma's seminary parent/teacher conference.  After the conferences, Brad, Scott, and I watched the very first episode of Marvel's Agents of S.H.E.I.L.D, Season 3.  So glad good shows are coming back this season.

Wed 9/30/15:  I did not write.  ;(

The Highlight of My Day: August 2015

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

Sat 8/1/15:  I had my first big vegetable harvest today!  I picked a bunch of green beans, tomatoes, and a few peppers, too.  I decided to cook the green beans and have them for lunch.  Yummy!

Sun 8/2/15:  My body is getting healthier and stronger every day.  I like seeing changes that make me feel like I am going to get the desired results I want.

Mon 8/3/15:  Today I went to Walmart and purchased some Clomid and an ovulation kit.  We'll see what happens in the next few weeks.  I am fine with either way.

Tue 8/4/15:  Today was day three of my cycle.  I started taking Clomid today.  Whether or not it works, I am so happy that my body is getting so healthy and strong.  I love going to the gym every day and eating healthier.

Wed 8/5/15:  Registration day

Thu 8/6/15:  I stopped at Entheos

Fri 8/7/15:  Brad came home early from work this afternoon.  We were originally going to go camping with our ward at Rockport Reservoir, but the giant rainstorms scared us off.  So we spontaneously invited the Moons to have dinner with us instead, since we knew they weren't going either.  We set up the tent in our backyard, so the kids could play and have a picnic.  We had chicken stir-fry for dinner, with juice boxes.  Then we made a fire in our fireplace and roasted marshmallows for s'mores. We ended the night watching My Little Pony.  I loved the "Filli Vanilli" episode, with Fluttershy singing as Flutterguy.  Fluttershy is my favorite MLP.

Sat 8/8/15:  Provo Falls

Sun 8/9/15:  Today was Michael's missionary open house at our home.

Mon 8/10/15:  My highlight of the day was collecting more yummy, delicious produce from my vegetable garden, and watching the season finale of MLP, Season 4 with Bradley.

Tue 8/11/15:  I uploaded a bunch of photos tonight, of all the fun little family adventures we've been having lately.  I love having two cameras.  Scott takes some pretty awesome photos using the little red camera.

Wed 8/12/15:  I am excited that my sister, her husband, and her puppy are in Utah!  I can't wait for Lizzy and David to meet Fabio.  They are going to love him.  Susie messaged me a few times while they were on the road, and each time she sent me one, it became more and more real that she was coming.  I am very excited to see her tomorrow.

Thu 8/13/15:  Wheeler Farm

Fri 8/14/15:  Positive LH Surge today. I arranged for Lizzy and David to have a surprise sleepover at Grandma's while Brad and I went on a date to Macaroni Grill for dinner and spent the evening alone at home.  It was a lovely Friday night. We watched "Equestria Girls."

Sat 8/15/15:  I had another fabulous day with Brad.  This afternoon we had a small, private swim party at Aunt Marian's house.  I invited my parents and Susie and Chris to come, too.  Susie told Brad that she and Chris are thinking about moving to Utah in a couple of years.  Oh, I HOPE SO!!!  I would be so happy if my sisters moved here.

Sun 8/16/15:  Dinner at our house.  Scott and Emma home.

Mon 8/17/15:  Susie and Chris came over this afternoon to make tie-dye shirts with us.  Susie showed us how to make them, and did a good job keeping things orderly and neat.  I helped Lizzy and David make their shirts in a swirl pattern.  David was very dye-happy, and had to squirt the dye all over his shirt.  He chose blue, green, and red.  Lizzy's shirt was very rainbow-y.  I think she used most, if not all of the colors.  Scott and Emma decided to do a different pattern with theirs.  Scott made his purple and blue, and Emma made hers red and pink.  Scott made a Fluttershy shirt for Brad, too.  I think they're going to look neat when they're all done soaking.  Can't wait to wear them tomorrow.

Tue 8/18/15:  David started preschool today!  He's going to school at Riley's house, across the street from us.  He seemed to enjoy his first day of school.  He was a little shy at first, but still very confident and happy.  No tears from him, or from me this time.  Later on in the afternoon, our entire family headed to Thanksgiving Point, to spend time with my parents and the Alcudias at the Gardens.  We wore our tie-dye shirts--- they were awesome!  It was a beautiful outing to the gardens.  We celebrated Susie's birthday at mom's house in the evening.  We had mom's homemade lasagna and lemon cake.

Wed 8/19/15:  Today was the first day of school!  This morning was such a rush: waking up children, making sure Lizzy brushed her hair and had her homework folder ready, and making sure I got a few photos in before Emma left for Seminary, and Scott walked to school.  Only now do I have some time to reflect.  It's hard for me to imagine that this is Scott's last first day of school (other than college).  It's also hard for me to grasp the idea that this is Emma's first day as a Freshman.  Where has the time gone?  Lizzy is in first grade now, and David has started preschool.  All of my kids are growing up so fast and I feel like I can't keep up with them.  A small little selfish part of me wants them to stay young and cute forever, but I am also excited to see how amazing they will be as the continue to grow and mature.  I am grateful to be a mom, even on my emotional days.  I feel blessed that I get to experience all of this with them.

Thu 8/20/15:  I volunteered to accompany Lizzy and other first graders to their Discovery class today.  They learned Karate at the Kearns Oquirrh Park Fitness Center.  I loved watching Lizzy learn some new Karate moves with her class.  She did very well listening to the instructions from her instructor.

Fri 8/21/15:  David impressed me once again with his swimming skills.  He really likes diving deep into the water to retrieve pool toys.  He can't do it without help, because he's so light that he just ends up floating on top of the water, so I have to push him down hard for him to go to the bottom.  He was doing it in the deep-end of the pool at Grandma's house.  There were some children at the pool that were amazed by how well he can swim.  "He's only three?!?"  Yes, my son is awesome.

Sat 8/22/15:  I did not write.  :(

Sun 8/23/15:  Brother Bekins came to me after Sacrament meeting, letting me know that Bishop Johnson wanted to see me after the block.  My immediate response was, "Oh no."  And I was right.  Next week I will be released as the CTR 5 primary teacher and will be called to serve in Relief Society as the Activity Night leader.  I thought for sure they were going to call me to be the primary chorister, since Sister Jeppson can't do it now with her new baby, but I was wrong.  I am relieved that I was not called to be the chorister, but I am sad that I will be leaving primary.  I am a mixed bag of emotions tonight.  At least David was around to cheer me up.  He looked so cute parading around the house wearing a black cat Halloween costume and a Curious George apron.  He's such a funny boy.

Mon 8/24/15 to Mon 8/31/15:  I did not write. :(

The Highlight of My Day: July 2015

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

Wed 7/1/15:  I did not write.  :(

Thu 7/2/15:  Not pregnant.  Oh well!  I am actually relieved, because I want to lose a little more weight before I get pregnant again.

Fri 7/3/15:  Dinner with the Moons

Sat 7/4/15:  Face painting-- dinner/lunch at Grandpa North's

Sun 7/5/15:  My hormones were getting the better of me today.  It helped having Brad love me and take care of me.  He always makes me feel better when I feel down.

Mon 7/6/15:  I am feeling much better today!  I missed going to the gym over the weekend, and I think that may be why I was feeling down yesterday.  My body, mind, and spirit have really come to embrace my new routine of being active.  I feel happier when I am moving my body.

Tue 7/7/15:  I did not write. :(

Wed 7/8/15:  Brittany Jenkins asked me to make a super cute bearded hat as a gift for a newborn baby.  I finished the hat this morning, and it looks adorable!  The hat was blue and white, with a black beard.  I am looking forward to seeing photos.

Thu 7/9/15:  I took the kids swimming at Grandma's house today.  I am amazed at how quickly Lizzy and David have learned how to swim.  They are doing so well!  My mom invited three other children to  join us a the pool, and all of them were surprised at how well David can swim.  One of the boys said, "Wow, he is so small, he doesn't look like he can swim that good!"

Fri 7/10/15:  My parents came over for dinner tonight.  We had BLTs and potato chips.  I gave my mom an adorable  "Fluttershy" purse I crocheted for her.  It turned out darling!!!! I want to make a line of My Little Pony purses to sell.  This is the second one I have made so far, and I have ideas popping in my head for how I can make more.

Sat 7/11/15:  I did not write.  :(

Sun 7/12/15:  I taught the lesson in my CTR class today.  The kids were almost perfect today, which made me happy and relieved, especially since Sister Richardson sat in for the lesson.  The kids really liked the missionary story I told about my father.  I told them about how my father was introduced to the church by a 10-year-old boy when he was in his mid-twenties.   Lizzy knew right away that the story was about her grandpa, even though I called him "Jonathan."

Mon 7/13/15:  I am being super strict at what I eat today.  For breakfast, I had egg whites and spinach sauteed in olive oil spray.  I then spent the rest of the day eating a very "clean" detox vegetable soup.  The soup only contained onions, carrots, celery, mushrooms, cabbage, tomatoes, water, and a dash of Mrs. Dash for seasoning.  I am hopeful that my body will respond well to my nutrition intake.

Tue 7/14/15:  The scale said I dropped 3 pounds this morning!  YAY!!!!  I guess all the hard work yesterday paid off today. Crossing my fingers I can keep losing more!  Dinner at Chic-Fil-A.

Wed 7/15/15:  I did not write.  :(

Thu 7/16/15:  Swimming at Grandma's--- watching My Little Pony

Fri 7/17/15 to Wed 7/22/15:  I did not write.  :(

Thu 7/23/15:  I found the perfect Applejack yarn at JoAnn's today!  Started working on the new purse tonight.

Fri 7/24/15 to Sun 7/26/15:  I did not write.  :(

Mon 7/27/15:  Today was Brad's and my tenth dating anniversary!  We went on our first date exactly a decade ago today.

Tue 7/28/15:  Watched more MLP with Bradley tonight.  I am almost done with making another Fluttershy purse.  It's going to be super cute!

Wed 7/29/15:  Poor Scott had all four his wisdom teeth removed this morning.  He was feeling pretty miserable today, and had to stay laying down all day.  I was his main caregiver.  I helped him remove his gauze, helped him drink his nutrition drinks and water, gave him painkillers and antibiotics, and I kept him entertained by playing Tomb Raider III.  I spent all afternoon and evening playing video games.  I think I'll be dreaming of shooting giant cobras, finding medi packs, and jumping off cliffs tonight.

Thu 7/30/15:  Scott is definitely looking better today, but he's still pretty uncomfortable.  We spent more time playing Tomb Raider today.  We finished level two yesterday, and level three today.  I really like the jungle levels on TR3.  I went walking with Roxanna this evening.  We walked over 3 miles around our neighborhood.  I was exhausted by the time we came home, but happy with what I accomplished.

Fri 7/31/15:  I dropped another pound this morning!  Whoo hoo!  I was very happy to see the scale move.  I have been doing so well with my fitness goals lately.  I have been strict with my nutrition, but not too strict all of the time.  My exercising routine continues to challenge me.  I love going to the gym five days a week.  I love going swimming with my kids at Grandma's house.  In the evening, Brad and I took the kids to ToshoCon at the Viridian Event Center in West Jordan.  The event was really only for teens, but Brad and I dressed up, and dressed up Lizzy and David as well.  We went as Studio Ghibli characters.  Scott wore his black hat, trench coat, and blue scarf.  Emma wore her Studio Ghibli cats shirt.  We had a fun evening at the event.  I bought a Totoro keychain.  After hanging out at ToshoCon for about 40 minutes, we headed across the street to Veterans Memorial Park, so Lizzy and David could play.  Scott overexerted himself when he played "cop and prisoner" with an autistic boy who approached him at the park.  While I felt bad that Scott basically crashed from exhaustion after playing with him, I was so proud of how Scott handled that experience with the autistic boy.  Scott has a natural gift.

The Highlight of my Day: June 2015

*I apologize for posting this incomplete post, but I felt I needed to add it.*

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

Mon 6/1/15:  So happy no more afternoons

Tue 6/2/15: Celebration of Learning

Wed 6/3/15:  Brad's birthday

Thu 6/4/15:  Last day of school

Fri 6/5/15:

Sat 6/6/15:  Lagoon

Sun 6/7/15:

Mon 6/8/15:  Trek, walking with Rosie, swimming at Grandma's

Tue 6/9/15:  Lizzy's birthday-- dinner with the grandparents

Wed 6/10/15:  Storm made it cooler-- went to the park after the gym-- Scott and Emma came home

Thu 6/11/15:  Got the camera back -- repaired

Fri 6/12/15:

Sat 6/13/15:  Lizzy's party, When Marnie Was There

Sun 6/14/15:  Pearsons

Mon 6/15/15:  Went for a walk again-- Lizzy rode her new scooter

Tue 6/16/15:  Talent show artwork

Wed 6/17/15:  Bradley made my day begin perfectly.  Definitely my favorite anniversary morning, ever.  The rest of the day turned out to be pretty memorable, too.  David thought today would be the perfect day to learn how to swim.   We went to Grandma's pool, and David held his breath under the water and swam from me to the pool steps, and then back to me again.  He practiced over and over again for about three hours.  Lizzy saw all the attention David was getting, so she decided she was going to learn how to swim today, too.  She started holding her breath and doggy paddled in the shallow-end of the pool.  She would swim a few strides and then bob up to catch a breath, then go back under again.  I am so incredibly proud of my kids!  They are wonderful.  Brad and I took the kids out to dinner at Subway tonight, to celebrate our 9th wedding anniversary.  It was all around a very fun day.

Thu 6/18/15:  My dad posted up a video on facebook of David swimming in the pool yesterday.  David and Lizzy were so excited to see the video, they watched it over and over, laughing and giggling the whole time.

Fri 6/19/15:  Father's Day weekend has begun!  Brad, the little kids, and I went over to pick up Scott and Emma after we went to the gym.  Then we headed over to the new Cinemark theater in West Valley City to watch Pixar's movie, "Inside Out."  It was very well done!  We all appreciated the incredible details that made the movie great.  We headed over to Grandma's house in the afternoon and swam together as a family.  Lizzy and David loved showing off their new swimming skills to their dad and older siblings.  I loved watching watching Brad, Scott, and Emma play Marco Polo for the first time.

Sat 6/20/15:  I did a lot of photo editing this morning, as well  as some gardening in the front yard.  We headed over to the Harmans in the afternoon for our annual kick-off pool party.  The Pearsons were still in town, so we got to visit them some more.  There was a giant float called a shocker rocker that everyone had fun playing in.  Brad enjoyed being there with the Harmans, Natalie, and her boyfriend, Colin.  David later went in, too, and so did Scott.  Scott said it was one of his most favorite pool parties at Aunt Marian's house.  I agree--- it was lots of fun.  I loved seeing all the kids have a fun time with their cousins.  Brad and I played "Bubble Talk" with Bruce and Loralee, and later with Emma, too.  The food, as always, was delicious.  It was nice having more healthy options, like quiona salad, watermelon, and a squash and zucchini dish,  but it was nice having the usual evil stuff, too.  Chips and dip.  YUM!

Sun 6/21/15:  Today was Father's Day.  It was adorable watching Lizzy and David sing "Daddy's Homecoming" in front of the congregation during Sacrament Meeting.  We had been practicing all week, and David had the hand gestures down when it was time to sing.  He was very cute.  After church, I made a delicious orange chicken dinner with rice and spinach.  We had FHE, then gave Brad a new Star War's t-shirt.  After that, Emma and I made peanut butter cookies to take to Grandpa North and Grandpa Whitcomb.  It was fun visiting with the grandpas.  We took Rosie with us to both homes.  We stayed over an hour with Grandpa North to watch the FIFA World Cup in women's soccer.  Canada played against Switzerland.  Canada won with one goal.  Then we headed over to my parents' house.  Grandma gave us some ice cream, then we went for a walk with Rosie and the kids around the neighborhood.  Rosie scared a black cat up a tree.

Mon 6/22/15:  I did not write.  :(

Tue 6/23/15:  Oh man.  Scott dragged in me back into video-game land.  It's been years since I've played Tomb Raider, and now I remember why.  It's too addicting!  Scott and I are trying to finish "Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation."  We started playing it years ago, but we never finished it.  We are near the end of the game now.  Lara Croft is in Egypt.

Wed 6/24/15:  I did not write.  :(

Thu 6/25/15:  I did not write.  :(

Fri 6/26/15:  Lizzy came up to me earlier this afternoon, asking me to make some paper crowns for her and David to wear.  Together we found the perfect crown templates on Google, so we printed them off, cut them out, and stapled all the pieces together.  As I was putting the crowns on their heads, I enthusiastically said, "Here you are, Queen Elizabeth, and here you are King David."  In my mind, I immediately began to think, 'wow, their names sound very royal.'  It took me a second to remember why.  I guess I never really thought too much about their names being the same as famous kings and queens in history.

Sat 6/27/15:  I did not write.  :(

Sun 6/28/15:  After about a month of searching and pleading with David, my missing cellphone has finally been returned to me.  Silly of me for not thinking of sifting through the ashes in our fireplace.  I am glad David found it and gave it back to me.  I laughed out loud when he plopped it in front of me, covered in ashes.

Mon 6/29/15:  I did not write.  :(

Tue 6/30/15:  I am feeling happy and positive!  I love my routine of going to Vasa Fitness every morning.  I love seeing the changes in my body, as well as in my mind as I exercise and eat better foods.  I have not lost a lot of weight, but my endurance level has increased dramatically.  I LIKE working out.  I LIKE feeling awake and alert.  I loved it when I went to my annual physical exam today and the nurse told me I had the best vital signs she had seen all day.   It is kind of addicting, working a little harder each day and seeing the results.  I want to push myself a little more.  I want to do a little better.

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.