December 27, 2009
Dear Family and Friends,
Merry Christmas! I love Christmas, it really is my favorite time of year. I hope I am doing all I can to make it special and meaningful to my children too. Monday we had a festive day. M had a free day, no work because of all the snow. We used the day to play in the snow more, building snow tunnels, and sledding. The boys went night sledding right before dinner. We did get out and run a few errands. We also made two batches of our cheese ball, and then delivered it to some friends. That was our Family Home Evening. We delivered things to our Home Teaching, and Visiting Teaching families. B-man would hand us a bag, and then one or all of us would trudge up to the door to drop it off.
Tuesday was another bonus day for B-man. No school for him, but M did go back to work. B-man has taken full advantage of the snow. He would play in it all day if I would let him. I try to let him play a lot but there is a limit to how long I can be outside, and a limit to how much he can be outside without me.
Wednesday was another quiet day. We really tried to avoid the stores, but usually we found we were missing some ingredient and would need to run to the store anyway. We live by an outlet mall, and so the traffic around our house getting to the normal stores has been pretty horrendous all week. At night M and I have been watching episodes of season three of 24. We hope to be done soon so I can go to bed at a normal time!
Thursday was Christmas Eve. During the day things were pretty quiet. M worked a half day. We specifically didn't go do anything so that the evening would be as calm as possible and we wouldn't feel rushed to get B-man and J into bed. We had tacos (with homemade shells, and guacamole) for dinner. Then after dinner we read the Christmas story. B-man didn't want to dress up. But I guess I don't blame him since he is the only one. We also read a bit from the Book of Mormon and its prophecies/signs of Christ's birth. We then opened a few gifts, (jammies, and an ornament) and then got the boys in bed. M put an empty dresser blocking the top of the stairs so that B-man couldn't wake up and go downstairs without us knowing.
Friday morning we all got up around 7:00 a.m. We didn't go downstairs until about 7:45 a.m. We all had to be dressed, hair and teeth brushed, and beds made. We waited for J to wake up, but finally gave up and woke him up ourselves. B-man was thrilled that Santa came. He brought him a bunch of Legos, and "guys." (The Legos action figures...) B-man first emptied his stocking and then focused on the Legos. We all investigated our prizes, and then had a breakfast of red pancakes and a smoothie. B-man was so focused on his Legos that we spent the rest of the morning playing with them. He and M had a little Legos production line going. They built about four or five things, and by the last one B-man did it by himself with only verbal help from M. While the boys were playing I relaxed, made soup, and took a cat nap. Finally around 2:00 (after hearing us talk about how he hadn't asked to open presents) he decided to take a break and open some presents. We opened up a bunch, and then had to stop and go to dinner. We had dinner with some friends. There were three families there, and together we five of the seven children were two or under. We were able to eat dinner relatively peacefully, and then when we tried to play Spoons the kids all went crazy. We abandoned the games, ate dessert, and then headed home. When we got home we had a few last presents to open. It was a great day. I love being able to stretch out the gift giving all day so that it lasts longer.
Saturday morning we woke up to lots of rain. It melted a lot of the snow which is great, but it did cause a few problems around the area. I did a little shopping in the morning and then we went to the church and met some friends there. We let the kids run around and play. The men taught the kids dodge ball, and the adults played a few rounds of "Lightening" before heading home for a very late lunch. That afternoon B-man got to watch "Star Wars Episode 4, A New Hope." It was a gift from one of my brothers. He was so excited. He is pretty sensitive about movies, so there were a few times we just fast forwarded. Or we would stop and explain what was going on so that he didn't get scared. He loved the movie, and we talked about Hans Solo, and Luke Skywalker the rest of the night. He kept forgetting Chewbacca's name, so he would just say "You know the brown guy with all the hair..." We had dinner right after finishing the movie. Then read a few books and he went to bed.
Today has been business as usual. M had meetings this morning. He also went to visit with one of his home teaching families, and took B-man with him on the visit. Since we didn't have church last week because of the snow, we did last week's Sacrament Meeting and young women's lesson this week. It was a great day with lots of wonderful music, and the chance to reflect on the birth of the Savior. After church we came home and had a replay of our Christmas Eve dinner. We then read books before getting the boys in bed.
We love you all! Merry Christmas!
R, M, B-man, and J
What do you do when two feet of snow fall?
M and B-man walked to Home Depot for a snow shovel. We tried the night before to buy one buy they were out, but they told us a shipment was coming in on Saturday. B-man said today that when he was almost to Home Depot he "didn't want to go anymore, but it was too late 'cause we were almost there." They walked through VERY deep snow to get there. I had hot cider waiting for them when they got back.
Take a lot of pictures of just snow.
Shovel the deck.
Have B-man shovel the deck again the next morning.
**B-man obviously chose this snow get up.
December 20, 2009
Dear Family and Friends,
We survived the blizzard of 2009, but more on that later. Here’s a quick rundown of our week. Monday was a normal day, but for FHE we went to Costco and got some prizes for some people. We talked about gratitude for others.
Tuesday was another uneventful day. We are still doing our breathing treatments four times a day. That night I went to mutual. We were combined with the Young Men and went caroling to some families in our ward. Somehow I got put in charge of starting us out at each house. After a few houses one of the young women said “Sister Clark you must be a soprano.” When I insisted that I wasn’t she said, “Why are you starting the songs so high then?” Umm, because I am not a trained singer, and I don’t know what I am doing?
Wednesday I took B-man back to the doctor. He is getting better. We are also able to cut down on breathing treatments, and we are almost done with the antibiotics too. Hooray! We went to our clubhouse to go see Santa. B-man was pretty excited and told Santa that he wanted a lot of Lego's. The rest of Wednesday and Thursday were pretty quiet. Wednesday night B-man went to see Santa at our community clubhouse. J was freaking out about all the noise and people, so we went home.
Friday afternoon the big outing of the day was to Costco and the grocery stores. Between Christmas, and a storm that was supposed to hit on Saturday the stores were a ZOO. It was slightly a nightmare. People were buying tons of stuff. Sadly I kept forgetting things (the hazards of shopping without a list) and so I made a few emergency trips later that night. M met us at Costco, so we still had a good afternoon and evening despite the traffic and crowds.
Saturday morning we woke up to a lot of snow. It kept snowing too. All day long the snow just dumped. B-man was so excited. We all were. B-man played outside, built a fort, sledded, etc. I spent my time cooking and baking. We had hot cider when they came in for lunch, and had just a fun snowy day. M cleared off the car and tried to unbury the cars as much as possible before the snow got icy and hard to remove. We heard about three in the afternoon that school was cancelled for Monday and Tuesday, and about thirty minutes later we heard that church was cancelled. We also spent some time rearranging furniture in our basement. The layout is much better now. We still have too much furniture for the space, but at least now I can be in the room without having a panic attack.
Today has been a strange Sunday. Today our “ox” was in the snow. We spent the morning just relaxing and having fun. M made waffles, and we enjoyed the sunshine and feet of snow. We had two feet of snow fall in one day. It was amazing to look at! A little before lunchtime the guys headed outside to finish digging out the cars. It was amazing to see all our neighbors outside working on shoveling snow around. One problem is where you put all that snow… The snow from one car and parking space makes a huge pile. M also helped our neighbor. They are getting back today from being out of town, and was being nice. When J was in bed I headed out to help shovel too. It was a lot of work, but fun too. It’s a nice way to get to know your neighbors. B-man loved being outside all day. I had to come in at a certain point and work in the house. M finally came in frozen like a popsicle. He helped me finish the last preparations for dinner, and then we had some friends over for dinner. I was trying out two new recipes, and the dinner recipe could either have been great or terrible, so needed some brave people. After dinner we got the boys in baths and then in bed. They were all tired after such a busy, work day.
We love the snow. It is so fun, and since we don’t need to be anywhere and can stay home it is a lot of fun. M just found out that work is cancelled tomorrow too. I wish we could go somewhere fun! Who doesn’t love a huge snowstorm right before Christmas?
We love you all!
R, M, B-man, and J
December 13, 2009
Dear Family and Friends,
Christmas season is in full swing around here! We love it! We’ve had a quiet week by comparison. Monday was M’s first day back after being out of town so he worked a little extra. We had a short FHE that night after dinner.
Tuesday I ran a bunch of errands during the day. I am so happy that J is getting easier to take on errands. Whenever I leave a store with him still in his car-seat (instead of me carrying him) I get so excited. That night I went to mutual. We had a combined activity where we made ornaments and then played a quick game.
Wednesday I decided to keep B-man home from school so that I could take him to the doctor. He was on day ten of an antibiotic and was absolutely no better. In fact his cough was probably worse. I was so glad that I decided to take him in. I am happy to take my child to the doctor, but I hate to go and have them say he just needs to take it easy. After listening to him breathe and cough they realized that something was wrong. They gave him a nebulizer treatment, took his “pulse-ox”, and then sent me to get a chest x-ray to see if he had pneumonia. There is a kind of pneumonia that presents with no fever. He hasn’t had a fever the whole time, which has made it hard to figure out how sick he really is. After all that we went home. The doctor called later to say that the x-ray was clear. (That was good.) We all spent a couple hours at Costco while they figured out medications, before heading home for dinner. Now four times a day we do a nebulizer treatment and he is on a new antibiotic. I am hopeful that soon he will be cough and congestion free… Now if we could just get all of us well at the same time for more than a few days. That night M went to help build a manger for our ward float in our town’s Christmas parade.
Thursday and Friday were both slow, frigid days. Friday morning I had a follow-up appointment for B-man. He is slightly better, and they want to see him again next week too. That night I went to an Ornament exchange hosted by a woman in our ward. Saturday we were up and going early. M went to go walk in the float for the parade. We had the basic Nativity and then two sets of missionaries in their traditional missionary attire. Then the people walking behind the truck were handing out pass along cards and throwing candy. Apparently it went really well. Everyone is excited to do it again next year. Originally I was going to skip the parade since I had two sick boys and it has been so cold. But B-man was devastated, so instead I drove to the end of the parade, and missed the first few floats. We were still able to see the most important things, M, and Santa. Luckily the weather was cooperative and slightly warmer with no frigid wind. We came home and had a fun lunch, before splitting up to do various errands. M and B-man were together, and I had J. In between the evening I also made some Challah bread. It finished just in time for me to run one loaf next door before heading off to see one of the girls in my class perform in a local theatre production. I went with another leader and had a great time. The show included appetizers and dessert, and then had lots of little skits from various other productions.
Today has been a busy day. M had meetings in the morning, and then when he came home I left to go to a meeting for Young Women. I came home and worked on my lesson. Then we all went to church together. After church, (which had some excellent talks on tithing) we went to a little Christmas party that was thrown by some friends. It included a little white elephant gift exchange and was a great evening. Lots of kids, food, and fun. We got home way too late, and tried to get everyone to bed quickly.
We love you all!
R, M, B-man, and J
December 6, 2009
Dear Family and Friends,
This week has seemed so much longer than normal. Mostly because M was out of town for the first half of the week. Those three days felt like three weeks seriously. I was such a wimp this time. I’m glad it went very quickly. Monday was a normal day for us. I did decide to take B-man to the doctor because he has had a very pesky cough that had gotten worse that day. The doctor said he had the beginnings of bronchitis and sinusitis. Hopefully the medicine will help him feel better soon. We did a Costco run and then headed home for the rest of the day. That night we had a small FHE before heading to bed.
Tuesday B-man stayed home from school since he was “sick.” B-man doesn’t really act sick unless he is REALLY sick. So he mostly acted like he normally does, but frustrated that he couldn’t be outside playing. In the afternoon we did make a grocery store run, and spent a little time outside.
Wednesday and Thursday were unremarkable days. B-man went to school, came home, etc. I spent a lot of time working on stockings. We were all so excited to have M home for dinner on Thursday. We were all going a little crazy that last half hour waiting for him.
Friday M took the day off. He had worked so many hours in the last two weeks that he didn’t need to work that day. M started off the day by going and helping in B-man’s classroom. I had originally signed up, but then B-man wanted him to do it instead of me. I went to play basketball in the morning too. It was great to be playing again. After basketball I headed home and we all had lunch together. We had a lazy afternoon. The highlight was getting our Christmas tree at Costco. Some people go out and cut their own tree, but we go to Costco, get some samples and then pick up our tree on the way out. I love it! The only problem is that the trees are all bound so you could be a little surprised when you unwrap it at home. We stuck our tree in a bucket of water outside to “hydrate” and then headed off for dinner. Whenever M gets home from a trip we go to dinner. That’s our new tradition. We tried a barbecue place close to our house. B-man wanted cat fish. We were all a little surprised, but he got the cat fish, and ate all of it.
Saturday was a busy day. We woke up to snow. It was just barely starting to stick, but then the rest of the morning it just kept snowing and snowing. B-man was so excited. We broke out all the snow gear. M and I spent the morning getting ready to head to Charlottesville for the day. One of his coworkers was getting married down there, and we had planned on going. We dropped off B-man at a friend’s house. They have a boy B-man’s age and they were SO nice to watch him for us. We then drove off in the middle of a snow storm. I was a little worried about the drive starting off, but it went fast and J slept the whole time! It was great. We first went to a little local shop we love to get some fun treats before heading to the campus. The couple got married in the chapel on the campus of UVA. We had to walk a little bit in the snow across campus, and it brought back some good memories of treacherous walks across BYU’s campus in the snow and slush. The wedding was fine; I was super stressed the whole time about J being quiet. We sat in the way back, and as soon as J started to get antsy M stood in the back with him. I think we did a good job and he was pretty invisible. (There were other children there.) After the ceremony we walked back to the bookstore and made a few purchases before heading to the reception. There was a little cocktail/appetizer hour while we were waiting for the bridal party. Then we headed into the ballroom for dinner. The bride had organized some sitters to be on site for those with children. It would have worked wonderfully, J just sleeping in the pack-n-play, but the other children kept waking him up. (Understandably.) The sitters would text us when he would wake up and then I would go rock him back to sleep. It worked pretty well. Eventually he got too awake so he came to the party for the last thirty minutes or so. We then headed back home. The drive went really well. All the roads were clear and the snow had stopped. It was nice to be able to chat with M and not worry that B-man was listening. We picked up a sleeping B-man from our friend’s house and then we all headed home to bed. B-man had a great time while we were gone. He played in the snow, and went to the ward Christmas party.
Today has been great. We all slept a little late and then we got up and got going. M worked on his lesson, and we went to church extra early for tithing settlement. When we got home from church we ate and then started to decorate the tree. B-man was a great helper. It was nice to enjoy one more year of putting ornaments on in any order. Next year J will be able to pull them off.
We love you all!
R, M, and B-man
November 29, 2009
Dear Family and Friends,
Happy Thanksgiving! What a great week and holiday we’ve had. We have really kept busy around. Monday the big event of the day was me getting a few cavities taken care of at the dentist. Originally he said that they were tiny and wouldn’t need any numbing. But he just numbed me anyways, and then I got extra because it didn’t work the first time. I was numb the rest of the day. We had a quick FHE and then put the boys to bed. My project this week has been working on John’s Christmas stocking. So every night after the boys are in bed I have worked on getting it done to hang up with the other stockings.
Tuesday Benjamin developed a bit of a cold. That afternoon we took John to the doctor for his belated four month check-up. He is 27.5 inches (95%) and 17 lbs. 10 oz. (75%). He looked good to the doctor and got four shots as a parting gift. Poor little guy. That night for mutual the boys and girls went to a homeless shelter nearby to decorate their cafeteria for Thanksgiving. We had a big work crew and the job was done very quickly.
Wednesday Benjamin had the day off. We played games and had a quiet day at home. Thursday morning we were all up at our usual time. Benjamin and Matthias hung out together while I started working on my assignments for dinner. I made an apple pie and a salad. Everything was going very well. Benjamin was a great helper peeling the apples and mixing things up. The pie went in looking wonderful. After cooking I pulled it out, took off the foil and the pie had collapsed! It was supposed to be “mile high” but it was not. I was a little panicked but after calling my mom we figured out the problem (the apples) and figured that it would still taste okay. I have made that pie a lot, but never had that problem! We had no other choice but to bring it. We headed over to a friend’s house that was hosting a few families from the ward for dinner. There were six families, and eighteen children. Thirteen of the children were boys. The dinner was great! It was amazing how well all the kids played together (and stayed out of the way) during the evening. And thankfully the pie tasted great. Although once I cut into it the consistency was more like applesauce. Such a strange pie I made…
That night poor John had a miserable night. It was his worst night ever by far! He only slept about an hour max at a time and kept waking up and crying. I really don’t know why, but it was miserable. I left early that morning to do a little shopping. It was all things for our house, but I wanted to take advantage of the sales, and since Matthias needed to go into work I had to go out early. The stores were predictably crazy, but I was able to get through things pretty quickly. After I got home, Matthias left for work and we stayed home to have fun. We did a few more errands that afternoon in between John’s naps. That night was pretty quiet too.
Saturday was another quiet day. We all slept in. (John included!) Our big project of the day was setting up the Christmas decorations. Benjamin was so excited to do it, and he actually helped for a while. Then he found the Fisher Price Nativity and he played with that for the rest of the day. I have come to two conclusions, I don’t have enough decorations, but I also have too many for my current home. I don’t know if that makes sense, but it does in my mind. That night I went to dinner with some friends to celebrate the birthday of one of the women. Dinner was great and I was so grateful to Matthias for taking John so I could really enjoy the time.
Today has been another quiet day. John has the cold that Benjamin had. So we both stayed home from church. Matthias didn’t have any meetings this morning. It was great to have him home for a little extra time. After church we made pizza for dinner before getting everyone ready for bed.
We love you all! We hope you had a safe and happy Thanksgiving. We have so much to be grateful for! At the top of the list are our faith, families, and friends.
Love,
Rebecca, Matthias, Benjamin, and John
November 22, 2009
Dear Family and Friends,
What a great week. It has gone by so fast, which is a good and bad thing. Good because it means that M got home from his trip fast, but sad because the time with my mom went so quickly! Monday was a preparation day. I did some shopping and did my best to get the house cleaned up.
Tuesday morning I dropped off B-man at the bus stop, and then once he left J and I drove to pick up my mom at the airport. We were picking her up in Baltimore, and despite the drive time we could not have planned the timing any better. I drove up right as she was walking out to the curb. I was so happy to see her. We had lunch with B-man, and then after J’s nap we went to the outlets nearby and did some shopping. B-man was pretty done with shopping by the time Mom and I were done. That night I also went to mutual for a quick appearance.
Wednesday morning we got up and going early. Once B-man got home we all drove downtown to the district. We had to do one lap around the National Mall before finding a parking spot. I was so glad to have my mom there because it was a tiny spot, and with her help directing me we made it in. We then went to the National American History Museum. It is a great museum. We saw a few of my favorite exhibits (Julia Child’s kitchen, the dresses from First Ladies, the Star Spangled Banner) before heading up to an exhibit on Lincoln. I was surprised by how much B-man was interested in the Lincoln exhibit. He also loved the invention exhibits where he could play with various objects. After several hours in the museum we headed back to the car and went home before the traffic really hit.
Thursday was a low key day. We stayed mostly at home, and did run to Costco and a few other stores. After J’s afternoon nap we did go to Chucky Cheese’s for a few hours. B-man loves that place and was so excited. It was a good trade after dragging him along on so many shopping trips.
Friday was much of the same. In the morning we went to see all the Kindergarten kids put on a Thanksgiving play. It was so cute, but B-man was acting very strange after the play and didn't want any pictures. (Or smiles for that matter.) I also got to see how his class does shared reading and writing everyday. It was fun to sit behind B-man and watch him work. The kids were so cute doing their work with the parents sitting and helping them. I did have a very kind friend offer to watch B-man so that Mom and I could have some time without him. We used it by going to lunch and hitting some more stores at the outlets. It was a great afternoon! The time all week has just flown by. That evening we made pizza and then after the boys were in bed we worked on a little project while eating some treats.
Saturday morning we had a pretty leisurely morning. I made pancakes and then we all visited with Grandma until she was packed and ready to go. We made a few stops before finally getting on the road to the airport. I was so sad to see my mom go. I tried not to sob since B-man was in the car. The drive home went smoothly. I spent a lot of the time trying to find a babysitter for an Open House for our new church building that I needed to work at. After a mildly slow afternoon, I then took the kids to a friend who was kind enough to watch them for me while I did my hour at the Open House. I was in the Young Women’s rooms, and when people came in I explained a little about the Young Women’s program and personal progress. There was a great display and some of the young women were there too to help explain and show how cute and normal we are. I was surprised how many people came. After picking up the boys we ran a quick errand, ate a quick dinner, and then I put the boys to bed as fast as I could. I was exhausted!
Today has been another fast and furious day. We got up and going in the morning. I worked on dinner and my lesson before going to get M from the airport. We were happy to have him back with us. When he got home we all finished getting ready, ate lunch, and then went to church. Church went well. I had to teach the 14 and 15 year old girls too. I really wish I knew what the girls thought about my lessons. I need some feedback! They are tough to read because I think a lot of them act like they aren’t listening/don’t care when they really do. Oh well. After church we spent a long time helping set up chairs and various things. We then went home and finished the dinner preparations. We had a friend and her boys over for dinner. (She watched B-man and J yesterday.) B-man was so happy to get to have people over. After dinner we hurried to get the boys bathed and ready for bed. Then while I was getting B-man to bed he went to the dedication of the new chapel. I’m still waiting for him to get home.
(M was in Santiago, Chile for the week at a cartography conference. Just before returning on Saturday, he was able to see a Chilean mission companion that he hasn’t seen for almost ten years. )
Love,
R, M, and B-man
November 15, 2009
Dear Family and Friends,
We started the week still in Utah. Monday was mostly a play day because all the festivities were done. We first met Emily for lunch before we went back to BYU and spent some time with Tammy at her work. We also went to her apartment and spent a little time there. It makes me so happy and sad at the same time to spend so much time with family. I hate knowing how long it will be before we see them again. B-man loved being able to play some more with everyone, but especially with “little David and M.” That night M helped change brakes on one of the Hulme’s cars and I got to enjoy more time with family.
Tuesday morning we were up and going early to be packed up. Late in the morning we drove up to Salt Lake City to see Emily. We had a fun fall adventure by helping rake her leaves in the front yard. B-man loved jumping in the leaves over and over again. Cute M made us some lunch and we had just enough time to eat lunch and then Emily drove us to the airport. The flight home was pretty uneventful. We had a layover in Chicago, and got in a few minutes early. When we checked the board we saw that there was a flight that left in about thirty minutes, and would get us home two hours earlier. We walked over very quickly and were able to get onto the earlier flight. We were so happy! A friend met us at the airport and drove us home. We immediately put all the kids to bed. We then ate a simple dinner with what we could find in the house before going to bed.
Wednesday poor B-man was up early to get to school. Cute M took him to school so that I could get a little more sleep. The rest of the day was pretty low key. M had the day off because of Veteran’s Day. We first went to the airport to pick up our luggage. We then met B-man at the bust stop and had a very quiet afternoon. M also went to the dentist later in the day.
Thursday and Friday are a blur. We spent most of the time trying to get unpacked and readjusted to the new routine.
Saturday morning our family went to go clean the church. We had a couple of good families with us and so we finished relatively quickly. Later in the day we went to a moving sale and ended up buying two dressers. We have been looking for a new one for us and B-man. They aren’t especially fancy, but they are really well made, and were a good deal. We spent the rest of the day dealing with the new dressers. We had to get the picked up, then get them inside (thanks to the help of a good friend), moved to their new spots, and then changeover all of the clothes. They are both much bigger than we are used to, so we were able to put three dressers worth of clothes in the two new dressers. We haven’t gotten rid of the old dressers yet, so we have a lot of extra furniture in our home right now. We also worked on a few other projects before going to bed that night.
Today has been a good day. M had meetings this morning, and I worked on my lesson. After lunch I drove M to the airport. (He has a business trip for work.) We then drove immediately to church. It was the day of our Primary Program, and the chapel was all abuzz with the excitement! B-man did a great job on his part. He said “My mom makes me Mickey Mouse pancakes, waffles, and cookies.” He spoke nice and clearly. My Grandpa Dyer would have been so proud, because even he would have understood what he was saying. I’m not exactly sure how that fits into the gospel, and how families are forever, but at least it was what he said… It was a little interesting teaching my lesson while having J. Another leader held him for me and ended up walking him out in the halls because he was being so loud. I felt so bad about making her take care of him. After church we headed home for a little dinner before bed.
We love you all!
R, M, B-man, and J
November 8, 2009
Dear Family and Friends,
What a great week this has been! Monday and Tuesday B-man had no school. We had our first parent teacher conference with his teacher on Monday. It was strange to be on the other side of the table. There weren’t any surprises, he is doing great overall, which is very comforting. We had a few good laughs at his personality. Tuesday we voted. The rest of the time was spent cleaning, doing laundry, and packing so that we could leave town for L’s wedding.
Wednesday morning we were up early and to the airport. We flew standby and had no problem getting on the flight. It was nonstop and very convenient. I LOVED having M fly with me. It happens so rarely… We were picked up by L at the airport and then drove down to Orem for the rest of the day. We spent the rest of Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday getting ready for the wedding. We had a lot of fun doing it, and I was able to sneak in some time with my family. Some highlights were… shopping at Costco with Nate, eating pizza and hot dogs with the family, and in general being together.
Friday night after setting up the chapel for the luncheon/reception we stayed with my sister in Salt Lake. It is very convenient to be able to see so much family in one spot. I just wish we had more time!
Saturday morning we left B-man with help, and then drove to the temple. We were so grateful for the family that helped to watch J and B-man while we were in the temple. The sealing was wonderful, and the bride and groom looked so cute and happy. After the ceremony we headed outside for a few pictures and then up to the chapel for the reception. The whole week we had enjoyed absolutely beautiful weather; it was hard to believe that it was November in Utah. The luncheon was wonderful, and the clean-up went pretty smoothly. Although B-man did not love the process. He was walking around in a daze asking to go back to “play with D and Legos.” That was B-man’s theme for the weekend. He LOVED having two boys to follow around and play Legos with. After spending some time with my sister (and the new bride and groom) we then packed up and headed back to Orem.
Sunday morning we were lucky enough to be able to go to the farewell for M’ grandparents. They both did a great job on their talks, and it was great to see all the family again. Sadly, somehow I ended up on a big middle bench all by myself. I must have looked a little odd to the rest of the ward. After church there was a delicious lunch and then more time to chat and visit with family. We have really been lucky to be around so much family for the last several days.
We love you all!
R, M, B-man, and J
Dear Family and Friends,
Happy Halloween! This week has mostly centered on Halloween festivities. We did a horrible job of recording it through pictures though. For a family that is notorious for taking a million pictures we really dropped the ball on this holiday. Oh well. M spent the day at B-man’s school being a Watch D.O.G. (a program designed to gets dads into the school to help out and be visible to the kids) He loved being in B-man’s classroom along with all of the other classrooms, being able to help the kids. Monday we started things off by carving our pumpkins for FHE. B-man wanted a really scary pumpkin. He loved the process, but he loved watching us do all the work, and giving us instructions. When do they start doing the actual carving? We saved some of the seeds and had a great time roasting them and snacking on them. I kept forgetting to get the proper candles for the pumpkins so we were using birthday candles and Chanukah candles that we stuck into the bottom. They worked really well, and they burned down really quickly so we didn’t have to remember to blow them out at the end of the night.
Tuesday night was mutual. It was funny/horrifying how many of the girls came that were obviously still sick. Our ward has had a serious case of the swine flu, and apparently the teenagers don’t understand the rules about when to be out and about. All of the leaders were laughing about it and trying to keep the room well ventilated. Thankfully none of us got sick from our exposure to all those germs.
Thursday B-man went to the dentist. He was very brave, and the dentist was super quick. I was in and out in less than thirty minutes. When B-man got to choose a prize from the “treasure chest” he chose a very large beach ball. It has been surprisingly fun to have around our house. Even J loves it. That night I had book club. It was a smaller group, but it was still a fun way to get out of the house and see other women. I wasn’t that thrilled with the book we read this month, but I am really excited for next month’s discussion.
Friday we had a fun day getting ready for the ward “trunk-or-treat.” B-man went as “Dark Vader” aka Darth Vader. He has never seen any of the movies, but somehow he knows who he is and wanted to be him, even though he is a bad guy. He likes to be told stories during any down time (eating, brushing teeth, etc.) and one night I told him how Darth Vader turned into a bad guy. It might have been my best story ever in his opinion. We dressed J up as “Tigger” and he was very cute. The ward party started with a little carnival inside. Our ward is so big, and the new building is so small that we all barely fit into the cultural hall. I was busy working a booth for the young women the entire time, but M did a good job of making sure B-man was still in the building. J fell asleep in the stroller (sitting up) despite all the noise and commotion. Then when M went outside to get our candy ready for the main even he woke up! He did really great considering how late everything was for him. B-man loved running around to all the trunks. On the way home he was quite adamant about not using his candy for the trick-or-treaters on Halloween. We did that last year with some of his gross candy and he didn’t appreciate it apparently. The boys went straight to bed when we got home, and then we watched a movie about a man that tight roped walked in between the World Trade Center towers right after they first opened. It was a documentary and very interesting, and perfect for getting us ready for bed.
Saturday we were very productive. The weather was warm and cloudy, and I decided that I needed to get the rest of the yard work done while I still could. I planted pansies in the front empty flower bed, and then planted some new tulip bulbs in the back. B-man was my helper. Our neighbors were having a garage sale and B-man found a nicely framed picture of Spiderman. He was carrying it home before he even asked if he could buy it. Luckily it was only a dollar, so now he has to do work to earn it. It’s a very funny picture because it is framed so nicely and then has a 3-D picture of a super hero, plus it was being sold from a man with no children. Strange. While I was working on the flowers, M and B-man were mowing and edging the lawn. I think we are now officially ready for the winter weather. Then since J was still sleeping I worked on a spray painting project. It was a frame for a nice picture, and I am SO happy at how it turned out. I love spray paint! With all the outdoor work done we came inside to get cleaned up and ready for Halloween festivities. First B-man and I went with some friends to beg for candy at the outlet mall nearby. M met us right at the end with J who had just woken up. We then had dinner and went to claim seats for the Halloween parade. Our town LOVES parades and it was a pretty decent one. Several high school bands and both of the people running for Governor were there in person! They threw out a ton of candy, and it was fun to see all the fun costumes that people were wearing. After the parade we came home, and passed out a little candy, but really the night ended very early. (Not a bad thing.)
Today has been a great day. M didn’t have any meetings and it was great to have him home all day. I have really been working on getting J to take longer naps. He is the king of the cat napper, and we have started to see some results. We’ve had several days in a row with naps that lasted longer than thirty minutes. It is so nice! It makes him so much happier too. Hopefully we can continue with this trend. Church went well, but it is always amazing how little time gets left for the lesson in the third hour. After church we had dinner and then played some games before we started the bed routine and M went to do some home teaching.
We love you all!
R, M, B-man, and J
(This is from last week. I wrote it up and haven’t sent it out yet…)
This week has been a little rough. I’ve been sitting in bed the last three days…while R is doing everything. This isn’t too abnormal, during the day at least, but at least I can help during the time that I am home in the evening.
On Monday morning we went to breakfast at one of our favorite breakfast joints (Puccio New York) in town. Then, after loading ourselves with breakfast sandwiches and omelet’s we went looking at different armoire’s that we had been scouting out over the last few days. We saw some very expensive armoire’s that we passed by and then found one for the right price. With the help of our friends we were able to walk it around to the back door to squeeze it in the door. Thankfully we were able to spend some time with them, while the kids ran around the neighborhood, and then we had a great FHE. R taught us all about “tricky people” (think stranger danger) trying to help B-man realize the importance of being careful.
Tuesday
It started to rain Monday night and hasn’t let up since then. We really need the rain, but it’s hard when B-man is cooped up all day. R went to an activity tonight, meant to teach the young women about eating politely. Thankfully she was able to feed J right before leaving for the activity and then I put him to bed. Then, after getting John to bed I got B-man (who had a late nap due to being sick) to bed also.
Wednesday
B-man stayed home again today. His fever and coughing has been back and forth. It seems like we pick the wrong days to keep him home. But, who would know that a flu can be so fickle. I went over to watch a football game with some friends later that evening, and came home to late.
Thursday
R was able to get to the farm and back before she had to pick up B-man from the bus stop. Apparently she was the first person to show up, perhaps because of the constant rain, and pickup the food for herself and friends. With all of the rain, she didn’t even attempt to do the U-Pick…probably a good idea.
Over the last few days I noticed a growth on my leg (been there for months) get bigger. I’ve had our ward-dermatologist look at it over the last few months. He thought that it was a dermatofibroma and thought that it wouldn’t be a problem. I dropped in to see him on Thursday after I saw that it was bleeding a little, and he extricated it. I’m glad that it’s out, but instead of a growth I’ve got a large wound that stitched together.
Friday
I slept in today and stayed in bed with flu like systems while R did everything around me. While John was napping in the afternoon R went to a consignment sale, and unfortunately found nothing worth purchasing. Later in the afternoon my fever started to climb and I slept a lot more. R dropped B-man off at a birthday party and was able to go to the mall to exchange a few items. After she came home we watched The Office on Hulu and then I went to bed.
Saturday
Once again I slept in and had B-man and R take care of me. R took off to look at a Craigslist-dresser (not what we were looking for) in the morning and then later went to Reston to finalize the stroller transaction. I paid bills and did other lazy activities all afternoon. It’s good to get all those things done.
Sunday
R went to the meetings this morning, while I had my counselors go to the meetings for me. We flip-flopped church spots this week and took the boys to church while I stayed home and slept. R came home from her meeting and immediately came to bed. She stayed in bed sleeping all afternoon while I played with the boys and got dinner going.
October 25, 2009
Dear Family and Friends,
I feel like the fog has slowly lifted and we are resuming life as we know it. I spent the first part of the week still feeling crummy. Functional enough to take care of the basics at home, but not much else. All day Monday M felt pretty good, but then in the late afternoon his fever came back which meant that he had to stay home again on Tuesday. The good news was that all day Tuesday he felt great, and so Tuesday afternoon he felt good enough to change out the door handles on the front door.
Wednesday and Thursday were quiet days for me. M had a much needed Presidency meeting on Wednesday and got a lot accomplished. Thursday night he had the Stake Priesthood meeting and came home very excited about the speaker.
Friday morning I watched two of the children of a friend. It was kind of fun to see what life is like with four kids. Most of the morning it went pretty well, but it was slightly crazy getting B-man from the bus stop. That afternoon we ran a few errands and then spent the rest of the day getting ready for a Halloween party. We had to do a little last minute scrambling because our sitter came down with the flu. (It has really been going around our area.) Luckily we took the sitter from someone else that had to cancel last minute due to sick children. We took J to the party and put him to bed in a pack and play, and B-man had a great time at home. The party was great! Costumes are not optional, and it is always exciting to see what people come up with. M and I went as gymnasts/ribbon dancers. The party went a lot later than we expected, but it was worth the late night.
Saturday was a very slow relaxing day. We all worked together to take out the garden and prepare the flower beds for the winter. The weather was warm and cloudy, a rarity these days, but it made for perfect gardening weather. That afternoon while I ran an errand M cut B-man’s hair, and then started cutting his own. I helped him finish up the cut. That night after the kids were in bed M went to watch the first half of the BYU football game.
I was excited today for several reasons. One was that I could go to church! And the other was that I could finally go to church in our new building. It was great to be able to be back in church, even if it was super noisy. After church we had enough time for dinner and some stories before the kids were in bed.
We love you all!
R, M, and B-man
October 11, 2009
Dear Family and Friends,
Here are the highlights from the week. Monday is a complete blur. I can’t remember anything that was noteworthy. J caught the cold that B-man and I had last week. Luckily it didn’t seem horribly bothersome to him.
Tuesday we had a fun afternoon. M knew he would be working extra later in the week and so he took off half a day. That afternoon after lunch we went to a “farm” in the area. It was way different than the farm we go to normally. This farm is only open for the fall season and it is really not a 
Wednesday was a quiet day. I haven’t been going anywhere unless really necessary so that I can get J into a routine of sorts. Thursday after B-man came home from school we went to the farm. We had a picnic and then played with some friends from our ward that just happened to be there at the same time. Then we picked our pumpkin from the pumpkin patch and went home. For a while B-man was more interested in the big dog that was with the farmer driving the hay ride. He told him about Scout our family dog that just died. It was a very B-man conversation to be having with a stranger. Eventually he came and actually picked a pumpkin, although he always made sure he knew where the dog was. (Not because he was afraid.)
Friday was picture day for B-man. I gave him three options for shirts and he picked my least favorite. Then he insisted on wearing shorts that didn’t match, but I decided it didn’t matter because you wouldn’t see them in the picture anyway. He has been going through a spiky hair stage, and I tried to convince him to do the “wave” hair, but he insisted on spiky. In the end I think we compromised enough so that it looked like we did care about pictures. About five minutes after getting home while I was working on lunch he was laying on the carpet by the sliding glass door saying he wasn’t hungry. Since that isn’t exactly his normal behavior I checked his forehead and discovered that he had a fever. He had also been coughing. I immediately put him in pajamas and made him lay around for the rest of the day. I’m pretty suspicious that is swine flu, I know of quite a few cases in the area… That night I went to a fondue girls’ night out. I made a chocolate fondue with bittersweet chocolate. It was delicious!
Saturday morning I got up before anyone else and headed out looking for deals at garage sales. I shopped until J needed to be fed. Then I came home and fed him and headed out again. M was very nice and not only took care of a sick B-man and J, but he also managed to completely reorganize our storage room to utilize the shelves that I had purchased that morning! It was a fun surprise to come home to. The rest of the day we spent at home trying to keep B-man away from J. If he was by himself for too long we would hear him call out “Mom, I’m lonely!” and then we would go and try to be by him more.
Today B-man’s fever has been gone, but we didn’t want to take him to church until it had been a full day with no fever. So M went to church without us. It was kind of a bummer to miss the first week in the new chapel. After church we had homemade pizza for dinner. Normally we do that on Friday but since B-man was sick we kept pushing it back, and he made me promise to do it on Sunday. It has been hard to keep B-man away from people today when he has been lying around for three days. He is ready to get out some of his energy now that he is feeling better. Tonight he was talking about Darth Vader and when I asked him what Vader says he exclaimed with a lot of vigor, “You don’t know the power of Jesus!” Well said, B-man well said.
We love you all!
R, M, B-man, and J
October 4, 2009
Dear Family and Friends,
Time continues to march on by. My main activity of the week was fighting off a cough that came with my cold. It has been a long time since I’ve had to deal with such a gross cough. Now poor J has the cold. We did have a few noteworthy things this week. Monday night for FHE M gave B-man a blessing to start the new school year. We had been speaking to B-man about it for several weeks. It was a sweet experience for all of us.
Tuesday night we took both of the boys to a “Back to School” night that was solely for the kindergarten classes. It was great to hear from the teacher about what they do every day, and what will be going on the weeks before our first parent teacher conferences. B-man was so cute and quiet during the whole meeting.
Wednesday night I had book club. We discussed Catching Fire and had our largest turn-out ever. Book Club night is my favorite night of the month. The next day after B-man got home from school we went to the farm and met some friends there. The weather was beautiful, and we had a great time.
Benjamin showing off his “spiky” hair. Watch out it’s sharp…
Friday was a busier day. I got my haircut which meant a lot of coordinating with M to make sure that someone was home. I was so happy to be getting my haircut. Then as soon as I got home we started trying to get dinner on the table.
Saturday morning (as every morning) we were up and going early. We went looking for things at a community garage sale nearby but didn’t find anything too exciting. We came home to have lunch and get ready for Conference. We loved being able to sit and watch Conference all day! In between sessions B-man and M took turns playing with a new remote control car that we found at a garage sale. It is a very fast and maneuverable car. That night M went to the Priesthood session and then went to get food with members of the ward that wanted to go.
Today has been another great day watching Conference. We’ve had a great day of listening to our leaders, food, and friends. It makes not being closer to family bearable.
We love you all!
R, M, B-man, and J
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