November 4th, 2012

November 4, 2012

Dear Family and Friends,

It's NOVEMBER! How is that even possible.  I can't imagine it.  Monday school was cancelled because of hurricane Sandy.  M was one of the few unlucky government employees that had to still go into work.  The weather was rainy, but not too windy in the morning so I took the kids and ran to the grocery store one last time before the storm.  The rest of the day was pretty relaxed.  B-man's good friend in our neighborhood came and spent most of the day with us.  Once the wind really started picking up his mom wanted him home.  The kids were pretty oblivious to the storm, but as the day went on the storm got much more intense.  That night for FHE we talked about the story of Jesus calming the seas with his disciples.  The wind and rain were very intense, so the kids really got the lesson.  That night I put the kids to bed.  I ran fans/humidifiers for the boys to try and break up the sound of the wind on the house.  B-man took slightly longer to fall asleep, but he once he was asleep he really slept fine.  M drove home during the worst of the storm.  I was so grateful that he had been transferred to a different office in case the power went out in the afternoon when things were quieter.  His second spot was much closer to use, and on big clear roads.  He made it home early because of that.  We then checked on the boys and went to bed.  I was in bed for about five minutes with earplugs when I realized I would never fall asleep.  So I hopped out of bed and slept in the guest room.  It is on the opposite side of the house and much quieter.  I fell asleep fast and went right to bed.  M had no trouble sleeping in our very loud bedroom.

Tuesday morning things were much calmer.  Once the boys woke up I immediately went and checked a few problem areas to see if we had lost any siding.  Everything had held together and we never lost power!   I was so grateful.  We did lose a few shingles and will need a little work on the roof, but we feel grateful that it wasn't worse.  Once again B-man was out of school, and M had to go to work.  The day was much calmer, although cold and wet.  B-man played with his friend again for most of the day.  I took the little boys outside for a few minutes to burn off some energy, but it was too cold to stay out for long.  I was a little grateful when J tripped in a puddle and got wet so I could take him in for a hot shower.  That afternoon I took B-man to piano. 

Wednesday the sun was shining.  B-man had an hour delay to school.  M didn't have to work, and it was nice to have him home for the day.  We ran a few errands, and mostly just enjoyed a relaxing afternoon.  Because of the storm and M' work schedule we never carved our pumpkins, so as soon as B-man got home from school we had a little carving party on our kitchen floor.  The boys did so great this year, they all helped clean out their pumpkins, and B-man designed and almost cut out all of his.  That's a lot of progress for him.  Everyone had a great time.  We then ate an early dinner and changed into our costumes.  While we were waiting to trick-or-treat we video chatted with some family.  The boys especially liked seeing Uncle Scott in the operating room with all his gear on.  We had originally intended to all stay together for the trick-or-treating.  But since B-man (and his friend) are so much faster, it didn't last that long.  I passed out candy at home, and M walked with the little boys and a friend, while B-man walked with his friend and his, mother.  The boys came home excited about their "haul."  We video chatted some more, they each indulged in a few candies, and then it was bed time.  RM loved trick-or-treating and really would not let go of the candy that people were giving him.  That can cause problems fast since their hands are so little... but he made it work.  That night M and I watched old episodes of "X-Files" to keep our Halloween mood.

Thursday was a normal day.  B-man had a full day of school, we ran some errands.  One of which was to pick up a large world map that we had framed with some metal behind it so that the map is magnetized and we can mark where we (or M) have been.  It was such a long story finding a shop that would finally do it for us, but when we finally found the right one they did a great job and were very professional.  We had a little lunch date at home and then that night M went to mutual.

Friday M was back at work.  I had lost my voice.  I hate losing my voice but I am grateful that I don't feel more sick.  That night for our family party we used some free things and went to McDonald's.  Then we came home and watched "Tangled."   I had never seen it before, and thought it was very fun.

Saturday was a busy day.  M had to work again.  He dropped off B-man at the church to help in the Scouting For Food activity.  I met him at the church and brought him home.  We had just enough time for him to clean his bathroom and practice his piano before we left for swimming lessons.  It was his first one in a long time, and he surprised me with how well he listened and how hard he was trying.  Not that he doesn't normally listen, just sometimes he is very much a boy and is in his own world.  After the lesson we ran to the grocery store and then home.  I had totally forgotten about a person coming to look at an item on Craigslist.  Thankfully she was patient and came back when I wasn't home!  The rest of the day I tried to work a little in the yard.  I have a lot of flower bushes that need to be trimmed for winter, but I hate to do it while they are still producing flowers.  Any day now they will be dead, because although we haven't had a hard freeze yet, the weather is super cold.  That afternoon we went to the surprise party of a family across the street.  It was the husband's birthday.  The kids all had a great time, and after almost two hours the little boys decided they had had enough and wanted to go home.  B-man stayed a little longer while I helped the boys warm up and then get ready for bed.  I worked on my lesson for Primary.

Today has been a good day so far.  M has to work all day, the first time in six months with his job that he hasn't been able to find someone to cover his shift.  We were grateful it was on a fast Sunday, so he at least wasn't missing a bunch of meetings.  Primary was an adventure with no voice, but I made it through.  We are home now and planning on a very simple dinner.  (I'm thinking scrambled eggs...)

We love you all!

The C Crew