December 26, 2010

December 26, 2010

Dear Family and Friends,

Merry Christmas! I am so sad that Christmas is already over. It went too quickly this year. We tried to pack in a lot of Christmas cheer this week. I hope B-man feels like we were successful. Monday B-man was still in school. I spent the day making bread and I also managed a trip to the grocery store. A friend and I are going to start trading babysitting while we go to the grocery stores. Hopefully it will work out well. That night for FHE we delivered things to some of M’ home teaching families.

Tuesday was another baking day. I did more bread and cookies. I made a big mess in the process and of course someone called to come see the house. Luckily I had enough time. We got everything done and out of the house in time. We spent the evening at Costco. The realtor was supposed to call when they were done, but never did. So the boys got to bed a little late.

This is what the boys did while I was baking…

Wednesday was B-man’s last day of school. He had a great day at school and was excited to be on “Winter Break.” Thursday we had two showings of the house. We are really surprised to be having people coming through this week. It wasn’t what we were expecting. Shortly after the showings M got home. It was so fun to have him home early for the fun.

Friday was Christmas Eve. We took the boys to do some shopping for each other. M helped J, and I helped B-man. We then came home and took turns wrapping. B-man was really excited to help wrap. J loves having the tree and presents under the tree. Of course that means that all of the ornaments have been making a slow migration up the tree to where he can’t reach, and only one present was a victim of his early opening. We had another showing that day, (I was mostly annoyed by that) and then that evening we had a tasty dinner and some fun activities. We read the several scripture accounts of the birth of Christ, and the boys were able to open two packages. One was pajamas (which they loved) and the other was some great pears for the tree. J REALLY liked opening up a present. The boys went to bed easily. I did a bunch of cooking after the kids were in bed to make it easier on Saturday. Poor RM had a hard night. All of us have colds, and he was having a hard time sleeping well.

Christmas was a fantastic day. We take things really slow and stretch it out as much as possible. Plus we had the bonus of being able to listen in on two missionary phone calls, and lots of video chats with our family. We let the boys see what Santa brought at about 7:30. They were thrilled. We then took a break to eat breakfast, play with the new toys, chat with family, eat orange rolls, etc… We were in no rush. J took a nap. After J’s nap we then opened up the gifts under the tree. Mostly J and B-man opened up every present. It was so exciting for both of them. We ended the evening with a video chat with my family as they were chatting with one of my brothers on his mission. It was a great day full of family and love. (Even if we were all under the weather.)

Early Sunday morning RM woke up very distressed. M and I were both a little distressed too. He sounded awful, and we were worried that he wasn’t breathing very well. I went downstairs with him to look up some advice on the internet. By the time I was done RM had calmed down and was breathing more easily. I then went back upstairs and we both went to bed. He did a little better the rest of the night, but Sunday morning I wanted to make sure he was okay so we went to an urgent care very close to our house. The doctor’s office was very crowded with lots of coughing people. I hated being there, and of course by that time RM was acting like he just had a cold. Why does that happen? I really hate it. I am not one to go to the doctor at the first sneeze, but it is hard to explain what is so concerning when the baby isn’t doing it at the time the doctor sees them. Oh well. I was planning on staying home from church, but had to meet with a bishopric member at the last minute before church. We all drove in two cars, met with the bishopric member and then I took J and RM home. I am being released from my calling in the Young Women. I am really sad about it. After Sacrament meeting M came home and then I drove to the church so that I could teach the Beehives. (Also a last minute discovery.) When I arrived at the church I discovered that I had left my lesson stuff at home. I immediately turned around and went home to get it. Luckily I live close and had enough time. After church B-man and I came home immediately. The rest of the day was very relaxing. We had leftovers for dinner, and were able to listen in through video chat when my youngest brother called from Argentina on his mission. We were able to speak with all of the missionaries in our family! It was great. While we were chatting with them RM started doing his funny breathing again. We were on the video chat suctioning out his mouth and nose. It was a little distracting to us, but it did help him a little. We are hoping that we all get better very early in the week.

We love you all!

The C Crew

Christmas Eve

We are pretty excited for Christmas around here. Maybe a little too excited. Last night (December 23rd...) B-man came into our room THREE times. On one occasion he mentioned to M on his way back to bed that he had heard a "clickety-clack." Turns out it was just his clock. But at least he knows what to listen for tonight...

Merry Christmas!

December 19, 2010

December 19, 2010

Dear Family and Friends,

This week has been a little slower, but still very fast and full. Monday was bitterly cold. For FHE we went to get our Christmas tree. The only problem was that because it was so cold I stayed in the car with J and RM while M and B-man chose the tree. Really B-man chose the tree, and he loves it which is really important. I kept telling myself not to ruin it for him by commenting on how small the tree is. It was too late to decorate it that night by the time we got it in and ate dinner.

Tuesday after school B-man insisted on decorating the tree. So we did. Of course J started taking off the ornaments about as quickly as we were putting them on. He broke one ornament while we were taking a break to work on dinner and even cut his hand on the crystal. Luckily it wasn’t too deep. We were all a little nervous about what would happen the rest of the week. The bottom of the tree is pretty bare where he can reach.

Wednesday I finally made it out to the grocery store. Just as I got to the store and had on item in my cart the realtor called and said that a couple that had been through our house previously wanted to come back. The only problem was that they only gave me about forty minutes notice, and of course I had assumed that no one would be coming when I left the house. I rushed home and put J in the high chair with cheerios while I ran (no exaggeration) through the house. I even managed to put a dust ruffle on a bed that I had taken off to wash. I am not sure how I got the mattress off and then back on again by myself, but somehow I did. Of course they came five minutes early, so I was still there. I quickly gathered the boys and headed to the bus stop to get B-man before heading back to the store to finish my shopping.

Thursday we got several inches of snow. B-man even got out of school two hours early because of it. Snow is always fun here. That afternoon we went to look at a house. It had some really good things, but also some big costs involved. I LOVE looking at houses. I don’t think I would ever get sick of it.

Friday after school we got some Thai food and had dinner with some friends. It was a good way to be out of the house and keep it clean.

Saturday morning I was up early to go play basketball. When we got to the church we discovered that the gym was set up for a ward Christmas party. So I headed back home. At least it got me up and going. The rest of the day was fairly normal. M left to get the car wash, and of course right when he left we got a call that someone wanted to come see the house. So once again I rushed through getting things ready. (I was so happy that J was sleeping this time.) M got home just as we needed to be out. We packed up and then headed to Costco. That is always a good place to kill some time.

Sunday was a good day. M had meetings in the morning and then came home. We made sure to leave the house in perfect condition in case someone called while we were at church. But of course no calls… After church we went to a friend’s house for dinner. We had a delicious dinner and then a fun little gift exchange for the kids and adults. The adults’ was a white elephant, and it is always hilarious. After staying too long we had to get home so that B-man could get enough sleep for school. It seems just wrong that he is still in school.

We love you all!

The C Crew

House

I have figured out a sure fire way to get showings on our house...

Assume that surely no one will come because of various reasons. Then work on other projects that are messy.

Seriously... I am 100% on this. If I try to keep the house spotless no one comes. If I allow it to get to a normal living state someone is sure to call and say they will be there in thirty minutes!

December 5, 2010

Dear Family and Friends,

This week has absolutely flown by once again. Most of the week was fairly quiet. At the beginning of the week our realtor came to take pictures of the house. The house really looks great right now.

I also had several doctor’s appointments. It is s

uch a pain to go and find someone to watch the kids. I really hate asking people even though I know they don’t mind. I also took J to the doctor. He had a lingering cough and I thought it needed to be checked out.

Friday morning some window washers came to work on our windows. They were super fast and did a great job. They were very nice and kept making comments about how nice the house looked.

Saturday we spent the morning prepping for the open house. We had a cleaning lady, and son, come spend a long time at the house cleaning. They were both supposed to be working, but it was mostly the mother. They took way longer than anticipated, and were still working when the open house was supposed to start. We left that in the hands of our realtor since he had set it all up. We figured that was his problem. R started to get really nervous that they were taking so long and started to try and pitch in. It at least made her feel a little better. While I stayed home with RM, M and the boys went to a baptism of a friend. We went into DC and spent the afternoon at the Natural History museum. Since it was so cold, it was the perfect way to spend our time.

Sunday was a slow morning with M home from meetings. It was a great day to relax after the previous crazy day.

We love you all!

The C Crew

Open House

Wondering why we have been so busy? Well it's because our house is officially on the market! There's an open house Saturday from 1-4. Feel free to swing on by and look through the place. We won't be there, so we won't even know... Know anyone looking for a new home? Feel free to send them our way.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving morning I woke up laying on my side facing the middle of the bed. I heard J's little earnest grunts and prods. He was trying to lift up the covers and peek under them. He thought he would find our new little baby under the sheets and he was anxious to kiss him and snuggle with him. (The baby was in the cradle.) That's a good way to start the day as a mom. We have a crazy, loud, and sometimes frantic house. But we are richly blessed, and we know where we need to direct our gratitude.

November 21, 2010

It has been a crazy week here. More to come on why it has been so crazy lately. But here are some cute shots of the boys.

Grandma E with the boys. We were SO sad to see her go home.

B-man reading to J.

This is where J stands to lead the music. He does this a lot. He starts swinging his arm around and we sing a Primary song.

November 14, 2010

November 14, 2010

Dear Family and Friends,

Time is flying by! On Monday we had a day that was just our little family. We spent most of the day working on laundry and other things around the house. Then that night we had FHE and talked about the Holy Ghost. Late that night M went to the airport to pick up his mother that had flown in to help us. We were so excited to have her here!

Tuesday was a fairly slow day. We went to go check out a back yard of a house in the afternoon. We were working on some things around the house too.

Wednesday was fast and I can’t remember anything…

Thursday was a fairly slow day. That evening M took B-man to an end of the season soccer party. B-man was THRILLED with his trophy. Seriously he has been looking forward to his own trophy for several months. It is just a cheap trophy, but he was so happy to get it. It was a fun evening and he had a great season.

B-man with his coaches.

Friday we worked on lengthening some drapes in our front room. We bought some fabric and then E worked her magic. The altered drapes are so beautiful, and I am so happy that I had her expert hands doing it instead of mine! That night we watched “Inception” and all really enjoyed it. I feel like I need to watch it again to really understand it all though…

Saturday was another workday. M went to a church broadcast in the morning, and then we worked up until E and I went to the same broadcast in the afternoon. I was a little drowsy during the event. That night we worked on another set of drapes, and then we all went to bed pretty early.

Today has been another quick day. M had a council meeting this morning, and then they went to church extra early to set up chairs for the Primary Program. I went to church a few minutes late with RM. We slipped into the back in time for the Sacrament. B-man delivered his line very confidently and clearly. His grandfathers would have been proud. After his great delivery E, J, RM, and I left to go home. The rest of the day we spent working on dinner, taking family pictures, and working on homework. It was a wild end to the night, but we made it through.

We love you all!

The C Crew

November 7, 2010

November 7, 2010

Dear Family and Friends,

You’ll have to forgive me if trying to recall the week is a bit of a blur. That’s what happens when you are on newborn time… Monday B-man had school off because of parent teacher conferences. My conference was that morning. Luckily my mom was there to watch the boys while I ran to the school quickly. I had a great meeting with the teacher. She really gets B-man and understands him. It was a good chance to visit with her and talk about all the normal school stuff. It seems he is doing well. There is always room to improve, but he is really making progress. After the conference the rest of the day is a blur. J and B-man were both fighting colds, and we didn’t really go anywhere or do anything. The boys had a bunch of energy at the end of the night as a result. For FHE we had a lesson on the pre-existence and how Heavenly Father knew each of us before we were born.

Tuesday was very similar to Monday. Not a whole lot going on. My mom is a laundry master and has been keeping us all in clean clothes. It’s amazing how much laundry is added by one tiny baby. That night B-man had soccer practice. My mom took him and he was able to get out some energy. He really needed to run around and get some of it out.

Wednesday was a very exciting day. It was the day that M got home. We hadn’t heard from him at all on Tuesday, so we weren’t quite sure what time he would be coming in. I was surprised when he called an hour earlier than I thought letting me know he had landed. I tried to be fast and get myself dressed and out the door with RM while my mom helped B-man get off to school. M had to wait a little, but I was doing my best! It was so great to see him, and for him to be able to see RM. Later M went to B-man’s school and met him for lunch. B-man was so excited to have M at school. The rest of the day was pretty quiet. I had a few visitors, but mostly it was nice and quiet. It is so nice to have three adults. It means that we were able to get a lot more done. (Like shower every day.) That night M went to bed early and my mom and I ran a fun errand. My brother has been temporarily assigned to an area in a mission that is only thirty minutes from our house while he waits for his visa. My mom made a big batch of rolls, and we drove up to his apartment to door bell ditch them. The only problem was that he hadn’t told us his apartment number, and we didn’t know that until we were staring at his building. Mom and I sat in the car for about twenty minutes using our deductive reasoning skills to figure out which apartment we thought they were in. (There was no picture of Christ visible in a window.) Since we had to be sure it was the right apartment I took the rolls and RM and bravely knocked on the door. (It was almost ten by this time.) Luckily we guessed right because a missionary came to the door. I asked if Elder Dyer was there, and then had a very quick conversation with my brother. I got to show him RM, and made him promise not to get distracted. It was so fun to see him, and to see how excited he was about getting his visa that day, and also committing a family to baptism. What a great day for a missionary! I then walked down and tried to get in the car. Somehow I managed to set off the alarm, twice! So much for keeping a low profile. My mom saw my brother peeking out the window while the alarm was going off. I hope he was laughing like we were…

Thursday morning was pretty slow. There was no soccer practice that evening because of rain. That night after everyone was in bed I went to book club. We discussed Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. It was a small turn-out so I am glad that I went. I really enjoyed the story as well.

Friday was another slow day. I ran a few errands with my mom during the day, but other than that it was a quiet day. That night my mom was very kind and insisted that M and I go out on a date. We went to a place in town that we had never tried before and had a great time with great conversation. While we were gone all the boys were having a dinner date with Grandma. B-man was thrilled, and J was just too tired to appreciate how fun it was. RM slept like a good boy.

Saturday was slightly busier. My mom was busy packing her suitcases, and we had a semi-relaxed morning until it was time to go to B-man’s soccer games. They were further away than usual and there were two of them, which meant that my mom had to be ready to go at the same time. To complicate matters further it was VERY cold outside and so we were scrambling for coats, hats, etc to keep everyone warm. We made it to the game barely on time, and after some parking changes ended up with a spot on the street right next to the game. That meant that mom and I could sit in the car with RM while M cheered from the sidelines. Even J had to take a break from the cold a few times. It really worked out quite well. B-man played very well, and was really working hard. After the game we visited for a while before taking my mom to the airport. It is always sad to see her go. We then drove back to the soccer fields and watched B-man’s second game. J and I hung out in the car together until he was too wiggly and then he went outside with M. It was pretty cute watching him toddle around the field with his little coat on. We made the trek home, and made a few stops for provisions on the way. I realized when we got home, that I had spent the entire day sitting in the car. I wasn’t even complaining about it; I just was amazed. That night for our family party we had pizza and watched a series of Tom and Jerry cartoons before getting people in bed.

Sunday was pretty typical. No meeting for M since it was Fast Sunday, so we could really relax and take our time. Plus the extra hour gave us lots of time to get ready for church. M took J and B-man to church. I thought he was going to come back and bring J so that he could focus on Elder’s Quorum, but he decided just to keep him. I spent the time sleeping! It felt great to get such a long nap. When they got home we hurried and got dinner ready. After dinner we played and read books until bed time.

We love you all!

C Crew

October 31, 2010

October 31, 2010

Dear Family and Friends,

Happy Halloween! This has been a big week here for us! Monday was a pretty normal day. I did a small amount of shopping and a few other errands, but mostly I stayed close to home. That night we had FHE and B-man invited a friend at the last minute. We talked about another fundamental of following the prophet. I have no idea what the little boy was thinking, but it was kind of fun to have him there asking questions that an adult might be too shy to ask about prophets.

Tuesday morning started out like every other day. Except I was a lot more achy and was having some contractions. Mostly I was in denial and tried to get things crossed off my list. I took the car for its safety inspection, vacuumed the car, and ran to Wal-Mart etc. I did take a nap while J was sleeping, and woke up feeling better. We ate lunch and then went to deliver something to a friend. We stayed for a while until it was time to go get B-man at the bus stop. After a snack we went downstairs and chatted with M on the webcam. While we chatted for about forty minutes I had three contractions. They were painful enough to make me wince and show M how uncomfortable I was. We made some plans on how to get him “just in case” before signing off. We then went upstairs to work on homework and I made a salad for dinner. We then headed off to dinner at a friends’ house in our ward. They live super close in our neighborhood but I really didn’t want to walk and have any more contractions come. Dinner went really well. Although most of the time I was having contractions. There was no clock visible so I couldn’t really time them. I tried to sit down all of the time. The contractions really started to hurt, and I started to get really anxious. Before I left I admitted to the family that I was a little nervous I was in labor, and asked for a blessing. We then went home (6:30 ish). Once I got home I decided that I at least needed to go to the hospital and make sure. Mostly the thought of getting the boys to bed just was undoable at that point. I started calling all the people that I needed to. I called a friend to watch the boys, she ended up driving over. I called my mom, M’s mom, and my friend who was going to come to the hospital. I started throwing some pajamas in a bag for the boys and packing my bag. While I was doing this my friend was here helping to watch the boys. During this it was getting hard to walk or talk during the contractions, but I still had no idea how far apart they were because I was too busy getting everything organized. My friend asked several times if I wanted a ride to the hospital and I always refused. I was sure I would be okay and this was a false alarm, but at the last second I changed my mind and hopped into her car. The last thing I did before leaving was wake up M and let him know that I was going to the hospital. I was kind of a basket case during these thirty minutes of packing. This was not how it was supposed to be happening. She drove straight to the hospital. While on the way I got a phone call from my friend who was going to be at the hospital letting me know she would just come right away instead of waiting for an update from me. I’m so glad she did. She pulled up and after a little debate I decided just to walk in. The boys were still in the car and we couldn’t leave them alone, plus it was super close. I just hurried in in-between contractions. While I was walking in I could tell I was further progressed than I thought. I waited a few minutes for help and the contractions started coming very close together. Luckily the doctor was at the hospital already and was able to come right away. When he checked me (I had been at the hospital about 5-10 minutes) I was at a 9. He was so cute and helped me get in the wheel chair and wheeled me down to the room. Then everything started happening super fast. I called M to let him know I was going to be having the baby and left him on speaker phone. My friend arrived a few minutes after getting into the delivery room. The room filled with people, they broke my water, and four or five contractions later I had little RM. M was on speaker phone the whole time during the birth and for several hours after the delivery. I was so anxious about having the baby without him, but once RM was here I was very relieved that everything had gone okay and it was over. For the worst case scenario everything went really, really well. My kids were covered, I had M on the phone, and my mom would be coming soon. Apparently it was a VERY busy day, because they let me hold and keep RM for almost four hours after the delivery. It was wonderful. M and I were on the phone until he had to go to work. I felt bad for him that he was so far away. We were so thankful for technology! If I had planned better we could have had him on the webcam…

Wednesday was recovery day. A few friends visited me during the day. The boys were brought that evening by a friend. They were so cute with RM. B-man just wanted to hold him, and J was most excited to sit on my lap and eat a roll. Once he noticed the baby he got really excited and tried to feed him some of the roll that he was eating. I really missed seeing my boys during the day. I was so grateful to all the people that were helping. I’ve never been in a situation like that before where I just had to accept the help and had no control over what was happening. I don’t know what I would have done without the wonderful friends I have made through the gospel. That night my mom arrived. Of course her flight was delayed, but I was just happy to know that she was safely on the ground in the same city!

The next morning I started getting things organized to go home. M and I finalized the birth certificate, and then I packed the bags. My mom got B-man off to school, and then a friend came and got J so that my mom could help get us home without another little person to worry about. Getting home went very smoothly, except that they forgot about me for a while and left us waiting for the last little check-off to leave. Eventually we made it out to the car and then drove to get J. When we got home he went to bed for a nap. The rest of the day was pretty quiet. My mom took the B-man to soccer practice in the evening and we had a late dinner.

Friday is a blur. Most of the morning was spent at the doctor’s. I took RM for his first little checkup and they wanted another check for jaundice. I knew he didn’t need it, but I had to comply. I went to the hospital, but they sent me to another place because of insurance. I hated having RM in that germy place. At the second place I got the distinct feeling that the first fellow had not worked with a three day old very often. I got really nervous when the heel stick didn’t work and they started talking about finding a vein on his arm. They even looked but of course couldn’t find one. Luckily they didn’t stick him. The other worker came in and after a double heel stick and almost an hour of squeezing the heck out of his heel they finally had enough. I was SO happy to finally take him home. He was such a champ and even fell asleep during all that squeezing. Later that night we carved pumpkins. B-man wanted a Darth Vader pumpkin and my mom did a very good job with his request.

Saturday was nice and slow. B-man had a soccer game and my mom took him while J was sleeping. It was a very cold day, but he played hard and had a good time. The rest of the day was pretty quiet. Later that evening my mom took the kids to our ward trunk-or-treat. At the very last minute (unbeknownst to me or my mother) B-man invited our next door neighbor to come along. It worked out okay, but we had to have a chat about asking adults before inviting friends somewhere. I had meant to go and pass out candy during the trunk-or-treat portion of the activity, but by the time I got there the activity was over. It’s probably better anyway.

Sunday morning was nice and quiet. My mom took the boys to church, but didn’t get to enjoy the last two hours because of J and his wiggles. After church we had dinner and got ready for trick-or-treaters. B-man was thrilled to be the person passing out the candy. It worked out perfectly because he never even complained about not being able to go out trick-or-treating.

All the rest of our time has been spent snuggling with our cute new little baby and trying to snuggle with my other children so they don’t feel displaced.

We love you all!

R, M, B-man, J, and RM

October 24, 2010

October 24, 2010

Dear Family and Friends,

Monday was a pretty quiet day. Not a lot going on. I wasn’t feeling too great, and spent most of the morning and afternoon trying to figure out how to get rid of my sinus headache. Thankfully by the evening I had found a little relief. Not a lot, but a little. We had FHE and B-man chose an article from the friend for our lesson. I was happy to comply with his request.

Tuesday morning I had a presidency meeting. We had a productive meeting, although it feels weird to know that a lot of the upcoming things I am going to be out of commission for since I will have a new tiny baby. I hope I am ready! The rest of the day I worked on things around the house. Then that evening we went to soccer practice. The field was wet and it was pretty cool outside, but it didn’t slow B-man down much.

Wednesday morning I had a doctor’s appointment. Everything looked good and we were able to talk about dates and things in the next couple of weeks. I also met with the birth certificate registrar at the hospital so that I would have less work when I have the baby. That evening we went to dinner at a friend’s house. It was a great way to spend the evening. We had no mutual that night because of a youth temple trip on Saturday.

Thursday was a very busy day. I spent most of the morning working hard to get the house clean. Mirrors, sinks, picking up toys, etc. Then in the mid-morning I watched a child for a friend while she went on a field trip with her other child. Most of the time both of the kids were asleep so it was a very easy swap. Both J and his friend woke up about the same time and so we had a fun little lunch with them and then they played for a little before my friend came to collect her child. The rest of the day I spent finishing up the house. Right after B-man came home I met with our realtor and a home stager that went all through the house and each of the rooms and told us what we needed to do to make the rooms look their best. Thankfully the list is not too long or difficult. We then ate a quick dinner and headed off to soccer.

Friday was a nice slow day for me. It was kind of nice to have a super clean house and to be able to relax and enjoy it. I was most excited to finally get a couch out of my house. It was listed on several sites for free, and I finally had someone actually show up to get it. I can’t believe how often I was stood up over it. I ran a few errands just to get out of the house. That night I went over to another friend’s house for dinner. We had pizza from a local place. It was a great night, but J was so hungry that by the time we ate he kind of refused to eat anything. Kids are so strange sometimes. He did a fair amount of screaming, but eventually he calmed down enough to eat something.

Saturday morning we had a relaxing start. B-man even slept past seven which is something he rarely does. (Perhaps because he was sleeping in my bed…) Our first outing was to B-man’s soccer game. He played great, and had a good time learning how to play offense and defense and the difference between the two. After his game we rushed over to the church. I was hoping to make it to at least a portion of a baptism for two children that I know. Sadly the meeting was over, but people were mingling and visiting so I could at least congratulate them. I left B-man with a friend and then ran to Costco quickly before heading back over to get B-man and his friend. We then drove to the airport in our city so that we could watch an Air Show that was being put on. Admission was free, and it was a pretty impressive show for such a little airport. I think we all had a good time. I should have brought some water and snacks, but the kids made it through okay. We left a few minutes early to beat the traffic and get B-man’s friend home on time for some things that he had going on. We then went home and relaxed and played. Eventually we were able to chat with M and see how he is doing. Having the webcam makes it a lot easier for the boys and M.

Today has been a good day. The morning was low key and relaxed. I worked on things for dinner and we were able to chat with M. Sometimes on Sunday’s it is hard to work out a time to chat. Church went well. I am happy that next week I will have my mom here to help and I won’t have to do all of church by myself. Those three hours can be exhausting. After church we came home and did a few final preparations before two families came over for dinner. Both of the families have been so helpful while M has been gone and I wanted to try and do something in return. B-man was in heaven to have so many friends over.

We love you all!

R, M, B-man, and J