Time to Get Back to it!

So I promised Maegan I'd start keeping up on my blog and it's probably about time I start doing that.  Since the last time I posted was when I was 12 weeks pregnant with Ashley, clearly a few things have taken place since then. For one, Ashley was born.  Ben became a big brother. Ryan started kindergarten. Paul got a promotion. And I... well, I am trying to hang in there with three children.  I guess I should try to fill in a few of the blanks....I definitely need to start documenting my children's silliness again.  I really do want to keep up on this blog, I just need to get back into it.  Try to make it more of a habit.  I'm going to try.

12 Weeks and Doing Well!

You can see the face.....definitely alien looking....I hope she/he grows out of that ;)

Well, after having wondered and waited for the last four weeks to see if I really would miscarry, I had my 12 week appointment. I was really kind of nervous about this appointment, mostly because the last appointment wasn't ideal and I was nervous that maybe the doctor wouldn't hear a heartbeat. Paul usually accompanies me to this appointment since it's usually when we hear the heartbeat for the first time. Well, Paul couldn't come this time because he was in Colorado.

The boys and I spent the night at Kendra & Graham's last night and Kendra watched the boys while I went in this morning. Nervous as I was, I was also excited that I'd made it to 12 weeks to begin with so I felt pretty sure I was in the clear......

Dr. Carn got out the doppler and started looking for the heartbeat...and then he kept looking...and looking....and looking.....the longer it took, the more nervous I got. After a good 5-10 of solid searching, he finally stopped. I think he could see my worry because he quickly explained that it doesn't mean it's not there, the next step would be to get an ultrasound and make sure it was still a viable pregnancy.

The nurse was able to set up an appointment for a hour later at the hospital so I called Kendra and asked her if she wouldn't mind holding on to the kids for a little while longer and then, after a quick visit to a nearby friend, I headed over to the hospital. The first thing the technician said to me after I got hooked up was, "Yep, there's a heartbeat." WHEW!! I was surprised she could tell that so quickly but I could see that there was a baby so it wasn't too hard to believe her. I never did get to hear the heartbeat but she was able to tell me how fast it was beating (156pm) and then she started taking all the standard measurements. I ended up measuring only 2 days smaller than expected, so basically, the baby was right on target!!

I felt so much better after that appointment and I've been pretty excited ever since. Paul called around 12:45 to ask how the appointment went and it was really nice to be able to know the conclusion of the ultrasound by the time he called so he wouldn't have to spend the rest of his time in Colorado worrying while he needed to focus on other things. I finally feel like I can start expecting an actual baby in August. Yay!

It's still too soon to know if it's a boy or girl but of course, we're all hoping it's a girl. The boys have already named her and started referring to her by that name. I keep trying to help them understand that it might be a boy but they've got their little hearts set on a girl so I really hope they're not wrong. And I got the earliest picture I've had of any of my babies out of the whole ordeal!

What Would Ryan Give Jesus for Christmas?

So in during singing time in Primary on Sunday, the primary chorister had an activity set up where the kids were helping to prepare the baby Jesus' manger by adding hay. As they added hay there were asked to tell what they would give the baby Jesus for Christmas. The chorister was so tickled by Ryan's response that she came up and shared this with me afterward. As Ryan put his piece of hay in the manger and was asked what he would give baby Jesus, she was surprised to hear him respond with........a bath! Gotta love that kid!

The Miracles of Poster Board, Duck Tape & Spray Paint

SO, for Halloween this year, I had decided a long time ago that I wanted to go with a Wizard of Oz theme. I would be Dorothy (of course--I being the only girl in the fam) and Paul would be the Scarecrow, Ryan, the Tin Man, and Ben, the Cowardly Lion. Of course, being the procrastinator I am, I never really pulled it together......

**
So of course, on Halloween day I had to come up with a costume for Ryan (we already had the lion costume for Ben so that was easy). But not willing to give up on the Tin Man idea, I rushed about, day-of, and gathered what I felt to be the easiest things to create Ryan's costume: poster board, duck tape & spray paint.

**

I hurried home to put my brilliant idea together.....it wasn't--unfortunately--as easy to work with the duck tape as I would have hoped but I pulled it together anyway. (I later learned what would have been the easier, less complicated way of making it not only work, but actually look better, but I'm not that smart on my own and the advice came too little, too late--thanks a lot Lissa, next time could you get me the info on time please? ☺)

**

Anyhoo, I had a time limit as the ward party began at 4:00 and we had to be ready. I put the pieces together, Paul got it painted, and Ryan got to try it on! Of course, to be the Tin Man, the finishing touches, such as the face paint and hair color, are somewhat an important element so at about 3:20, after having finished making the costume, I ran out to get the hairspray...(I did have the face paint already). I made it back within 20 minutes! (Paul was shocked I made it back so quickly, I think) and got to work getting Ryan ready. We suited him up in some grey sweats and then put the costume on Ryan--it took both Paul and me to get it on and off him every time--I sprayed his hair, painted his face and we put his "hat" on and......VOILA! The Tin Man, here now for your viewing pleasure! Along with the Cowardly Lion,

of course!

(Needless to say, Dorothy and the Scarecrow never made an appearance.)

We're Still Alive!

Okay....I guess I've been out of it for awhile.....well, we're still alive and well! But even now it's getting late and I don't really have a lot of time to type much...since I really should get some sleep and rest up for tomorrow. We're going to Lagoon tomorrow for the first ever Digis Family Picnic! We're pretty excited about it! I'm not pregnant this time so I can actually enjoy more than just Laguna Beach. The boys are so excited they can hardly wait! And we're pretty excited to see their reaction when they realize what "Lagoon" actually is!

Anyway, now that I've made it this far, (getting started--or in this case REstarted, is always the hardest part) I promise to come back and write in a few updates and try to be more consistent.

"Thankful for Ryan"

A few nights ago Paul, Ryan, Ben & I knelt down to say our family prayer before putting the boys in bed. It was Ben's turn. For some reason, Ben has stopped self-starting his prayers. He always wants help now and lately, Ryan enthusiastically volunteers to help Ben say his prayers. The other night when Ryan was helping Ben he went through thanking Heavenly Father for everyone in the family. Ryan would say, "Thankful for Daddy," and Ben would repeat, "Thankful for Daddy."
Ryan: Thankful for Mommy. Ben: Thankful for Mommy.
Ryan: Thankful for Ryan. Ben: Thankful for Ryan.

And everything went fine until Ryan said, "Thankful for Ben."

Ryan: Thankful for Ben. Ben: Thankful for Ryan.
Ryan: Thankful for Ben. Ben: Thankful for Ryan.
Ryan: Thankful for Ben. Ben: Thankful for Ryan.
Ryan: Thankful for Ben. Ben: Thankful for Ryan.
Ryan: Thankful for Ben. Ben: Thankful for Ryan.

And you may think typing it so many times is excessive but the truth is, this went on for several minutes--a lot more than five times...(Paul & I were laughing too hard to interrupt!)...but Ryan started getting frustrated that Ben wasn't getting it, (that he was supposed to be thankful for Ben) so we finally stopped them and explained to Ben what Ryan was saying so Ben finally said, "Thankful for me," and then Ryan was happy.

Ryan frequently likes to help Ben say his prayers so that time has not been the only time the same thing has occured but it was the funniest! It's fun watching my boys learn to pray and I love their enthusiasm. Any time it's time to pray they both beg for the opportunity. In fact, just tonight we had our home teachers over and when we knelt to say the prayer before they left, Ryan jumped in and started praying before Paul even had the opportunity to invite anyone else to offer it! It surprised us all but it was really sweet. I really am thankful for Ryan!...and Ben too, of course!

Christmas in California!

So we had a wonderful Christmas this year!! We got to see everyone, stay with both Tim & Amanda for a couple days and Doug & Becky for a few more. We got to see Paul & Christa's new house. AND we got to take a huge family picture with all of us there! Lots of fun! On Christmas Eve the kids all made cookies for Santa and that night each kid put a cookie on the plate for Santa and then Keilana put the plate on the piano. They were so cute and excited!
Ryan, Dylan, & Ben all LOVED each other and had so much fun hanging out while we were there. You'd think they saw each other everyday.

Doug also took us for a tour of McDermmott which was AWESOME! Very impressive. Maybe someday we'll have an opportunity to go and play some laser tag or something!

Home for Christmas....Are We There Yet?

WOW! What a year for everyone to be home for Christmas! I'm so excited we get to be home for Christmas!! We got to leave Friday the 19th and stay a night in Vegas before arriving in California the next day. We've kind of been making the stop in Vegas more of a habit and tradition to help break up the trip for our boys and just so that we don't feel rushed while we're traveling...that's gotten us in trouble before. And it's just been fun because the boys love it!

I called Paul's mom to let her know we were finally on the road and she said, "Where are you now?" And I said, "Orem." Then she laughed and said, "No, really. Where are you?" And I had to tell her, "Really, we're in Orem still!" We had been hoping to leave a bit sooner than we actually did; we didn't get on the road until 2:30. It had already started to snow before we left but fortunately by about Springville we had already outrun it and we had clean roads the rest of the way to Vegas.

Ryan was so excited for "vacation". After we finally left Orem we repeatedly had to try and explain to him that vacation is a time, not a place....all the way to Vegas he asked when we were going to be at vacation! I think he equates vacation to a hotel room. But the drive went very well. And except for Ryan asking "are we there yet?" every 10 miles (Paul & I had always wondered when that was going to start!) the boys did really well. They took turns napping and we stopped for dinner in St. George on the way and we still made it to the hotel in Vegas at a decent hour.

The boys watching football (what else is there?!) in the hotel room.

Then Saturday we got a late start out of Vegas and ended up driving straight up to Fresno for Paul West's birthday party! That was fun because we got to see Christa's new house and new baby right away--BOTH VERY CUTE!--Mom & Chuck and Doug & Becky & family were all there, and a few other people I wouldn't have seen otherwise. Ryan was so excited the whole drive that he would get to see "[HIS] Keith" that evening! And for the most part, I think the boys all played well together! (And it appears I didn't get any pics at Christa's BUMMER!!)

Then we made our way southbound again to Amanda & Tim's. They also have a very cute little house! And a nice backyard. The boys slept in Clayton's room.

Sunday we got to go to church in Tulare where everyone but Doug's family and Brad also attended that day. President and Sister Dredge were the speakers and I felt like I really scored! They are just such wonderful people. Janae was there visiting from Arizona with her family and it was really good to see her.

I remember thinking during sacrament meeting, after the Young Women sang a beautiful Christmas song (they sounded like angels!) that I really wanted to go to Young Women's that day. I totally forgot that Mom was the Mia Maid adviser! After Sunday School Christa and Lissa both told me they were going to Young Women's with Mom and I thought "SCORE! I get to go to Young Women's today!" So the three of us crashed Mom's class for the third hour. It was so great to be in there with the girls I used to babysit 10-15 years ago!! Anyway, it was great fun and I look forward to the rest of the week! So far this trip is off to a great start!

Poly Pellet Fiasco

The same day Amanda had her baby, I was getting ready to put together "I Spys" for both my kids and my niece and nephews. We don’t usually worry about presents for our nieces & nephews but I figured since most of the things I wanted to put in them were sold in bulk, so to speak, I may as well use the extra things I would have to make an I Spy for all the kids instead of just mine.

After gathering over 100 things to go into each of the pouches, I shopped all over the place for poly pellets which are tiny, whitish little plastic pellets used for helping to hide the items in the I Spy. The thing I didn’t realize is that they are very popular around here this time of year. I called and visited several stores before I finally actually found any. Even then I wasn’t sure if I had enough. I cleaned out the last two stores that were carrying any and I had just under half of a 2-lb bag left of Evelyn’s and prayed they would be enough.

That afternoon, after we got home, I was getting the lists ready to go so I could go over to Evelyn’s house to put them together that evening. Ryan and Ben were excited to go to Grandma’s house and Ryan especially, had been telling me every 10 minutes how we had to go to grandma’s house…...so imagine my surprise when I was finally ready to go and I walked into the front room to find poly pellets, about 3 of the ten 8-oz bags plus the bag Evelyn had given me, scattered all over my living room…in the shag carpet! I was so upset (it’s not like I could just go out and buy more!) that I sent the boys to bed immediately. NO Grandma’s house, NO dinner, nothing! Ryan didn’t take me very seriously, I guess, because he kept opening his door, turning on his light, and challenging my authority. So to get him to take me seriously, I went into his room and thought, You think you're so smart? Well guess what! I'm SMARTER!! And I took his light bulb! (I was seriously upset!) Then I put him in bed again, told him to go to bed, and shut I the door. After that he went to sleep.

I called Paul, who was already at his mom’s waiting for us, and let him know we would not be over there. I knew it was going to be tight on pellets before this little fiasco and now after, I was sure there wouldn’t be enough. Paul came home right away and patiently helped me to clean up the pellets…I had been picking them up by hand but he, being the intelligent man he is, cleaned the vacuum out and then vacuumed most of them up….but I’m pretty sure there’s still at least half a bag of pellets still in my carpet. After vacuuming them up, Paul rinsed and sifted and dried them for me and I think we recovered the majority of them.

Meanwhile, Evelyn, who heard about my problem before Paul left her house, took Kendall and they went out looking for poly pellets everywhere she could think of. She didn’t find anything except for some pellets that were more like real glass and were about $12-$13 per 8-oz bag as opposed to the $2 per bag I paid. The next day she asked around at the high school where she works and found someone who had a 2-lb bag who said she’d sell it to me for what she paid for it! It is SO NICE to have a mother-in-law who cares and has connections! We finally got the bags put together tonight and we used all the poly pellets...and there were just enough! THANKS MOM!! I just hope all the kids love them!

The finished product! If you look closely, Evelyn was able to sew each of the kid's names into the fabric on the back! I was able to personalize them a bit too so they're all slightly different on the inside! It was fun!

Tuesday night I went downstairs and found hundreds of my pictures scattered all over the family room. Talk about frustration! I thought Monday night Ryan would have learned his lesson… Just Sunday I think is was, I found Ben with a black Sharpie…yep…coloring all over the copy machine and cabinet in the room downstairs. It seems like lately they’ve just been acting up like crazy and I just can’t figure out why!! And it’s both of them!! Anyway, I hope this doesn’t keep up for too long. They’re driving me nuts! But hey! We get to go to California tomorrow! YAY!!

More New Babies!!

Becky gave birth to the newest member of their family Kylie Clark, on Friday, December 12th. She weighed 9 lbs, 11 oz and was 21 inches long. Keilana & Dylan were very excited to meet their new sister. Mom & Kylie are doing well!

Amanda & Tim VanderArk had a new addition to their family as well, December 15th. Claire June VanderArk weighed 8 lbs, 12 oz and was 20 inches long.

CONGRATULATIONS!! Christmas is going to be so much fun with so many babies!!

So far I don't have pictures of either of them. But Becky has pics up already of Kylie on her website....the link is listed <----- over there.

Busy Sunday!

Today we were privileged to go to Clark's baby blessing. When we got to the church Lissa & Nate weren't there yet and they attend a ward in a double-chapel building so we went into the north chapel like Melissa told us. After we'd been sitting there a few minutes or so, the bishop of that ward came up and introduced himself to us so we let him know we were there for Nate & Melissa McDonald's baby blessing. After thinking about it for a moment, he asked if we were sure we were in the right chapel because he didn't recognize the name McDonald. I told him she told us the north chapel and then explained that they were pretty new to the ward and since she had just had a baby, they hadn't been there much....then he thought a little more and emphasized a little more that he was fairly certain there were no McDonalds in his ward and suggested that we try the south chapel because he didn't want us to miss the blessing.

Just after we left the north chapel, Nate's family showed up and asked where we should be. They had understood the north chapel as well but we told them we were going to check the south, thanks to the bishop. Upon entering the south chapel, I noticed one of Lissa's good friends, Amy, right away. She and her husband also live at the U and I knew they were in the same ward. So we all sat down and waited for Lissa & Nate.....sacrament meeting started....Nate's dad, Curtis, started getting a little nervous and got up to see if he could find them and then they showed up a little after that. I was glad that they made it to the correct chapel too! ;)

The blessing was very nice and we all went to Nate's parent's house afterwards for a very yummy ham dinner! Ben & Ryan enjoyed their house and it was fun to see them all.

Prior to knowing about the blessing though, we had already invited Paul's parents over for dinner that evening and we didn't want to cancel on them last minute so after a little bit at the McDonald's we had to get home....where we had yet another yummy ham dinner, though not as yummy as the first.

Overall it was a busy, but enjoyable sabbath day!

Fun Thanksgiving Ideas

A Fun Thanksgiving!

So I watched a segment last week on Studio 5 on KSL and they had some really cute, really fun ideas that are pretty inexpensive so I thought I might try a few of them for ThanksgiVing this year with the kids. I think the kids will really like them!

Paul's cousin Jennifer and her kids, Breanna and Payton, are staying with us for the week and that's been a lot of fun too! The kids all get along really well and our boys are having a blast having extra friends all week. It's been a lot of fun talking to Jen! She's great! AND we have dinner lined up for every night this week! Thanks, Mom!!

I don't know why but I am just so much more excited about the holidays this year than in years past! Getting to visit family and watching my kids playing with their cousins. And I like the idea of adding little fun crafts for the kids that could become great traditions!

Thanksgiving first...Christmas NEXT!

Bronco Autographs!

Last night was the final "Bronco Mendenhall Show" of the regular season this year. We hadn't been back to a show since Ben won the jersey because we've had cub scout den meetings on Wednesday nights and have not had time to go. But we didn't have a den meeting last night because we're taking the boys to the fire station tonight.... so we got to go! The boys were so excited! We got dinner and new T-shirts at the show. And then when Bronco Mendenhall showed up, people started lining up to get things signed.

Ryan saw people getting their shirts signed and wanted his shirt signed too so during a commercial break Paul took him up there to get it signed. His face was priceless! He was so happy to get his shirt signed and to be able to say hi to Bronco Mendenhall!! I wish I could have gotten a picture at that moment.

Of course, after watching Ryan go up there, Ben wanted his shirt signed too so on the next break, I took Ben up there. He said "Hi!" to Bronco and then told him, "Thanks!" when Bronco was finished!

And I won a Lehi Roller Mills gift basket from the drawing! (Sugar Cookies, Pumpkin Spice Bread, and Gingerbread!)

It's a GIRL!!

Christa had her baby!! Of the four babies being born these past and next few weeks, Christa's was the only one that we didn't know the sex of. And the verdict is in: it's a GIRL!

Alexandra Bailey West

was born just after 10am yesterday morning, weighing 6 lbs, 13 oz and reaching 20 inches long! Christa had a successful VBAC, YAY!! And from what I hear, mother and baby are doing well. I still don't have pictures yet but I'll post one as soon as I do!

Tally so far: 1 nephew 11/6/08, 1 niece 11/16/08
Still to come: 2 nieces (unless doctors are wrong but I really doubt that), 12/12/08?? and 12/15/08!

Thanks Chuck!!

So in the middle of all the busyness, I suppose Chuck felt he wasn't busy enough because while Mom & I were cleaning Lissa's apartment, Chuck was painting mine! Anyone who's seen our front room would agree that, although a beautiful color, it was too dark and it was too much for that room. I was never offended that people didn't like it....it didn't take us too long to figure out we didn't like it either (well, for the whole room, I mean, so much of it; I still always liked the color) but we just didn't really have the funds to change it. Anyway, Chuck never liked it. And since he's a painter by trade, I'm sure it bugged him more than others. So he painted it! He and Paul picked out a color, a much lighter blue, and started Friday night. It was a surprise for me. I really like it. And of course we got to talking about what we would want to do next.....and before I knew it Chuck was working on painting our kitchen too! Seriously, I never expected any of it. Not to mention, the first thing he did when he got here was fix our leaky shower valves so that we can finally take care of the huge hole in our downstairs bathroom. So here are the results!

New Baby, Great Visit!

This past week/week and a half has been very busy, but very wonderful!!

Saturday, November 1st: Paul & I (along with some of Nate's family) helped Lissa & Nate move into their new apartment at the U.

Monday, November 4th: Lissa, Peggy (Nate's mom), and I worked on getting the baby's room unpacked, along with some boxes of books.

Wednesday, November 5th: Mom & Chuck got here, Lissa was admitted to the hospital. Mom & Chuck showed up at about 1:30 in the morning and since they kept Lissa's key to our house after their last visit, we didn't have to wake up to let them in which was nice. The next day was spent recovering from their drive and then that night Mom, the boys & I had planned to spend the night at Lissa's apartment so we could be close first thing in the morning and work on cleaning the apartment in the meantime. We went up to LDS Hospital with Lissa that evening as she was admitted to be induced (at already a week and a half late). We hung out at the hospital, played a very quick game of Monopoly (Mom won!) and I ended up coming home with Paul & the boys that night instead of going to Lissa's apartment while Mom and Chuck stayed at the hospital the whole night.

Fun side note here: Melissa was checked in by one of Mom's Young Women from Sacramento!! She used to babysit us as children. She and Mom hadn't seen each other in 20+years!! Turns out she only works about 2 nights a week there and she wasn't even supposed to work that night but ended up going in anyway! She and Mom talked all night long from what I hear. It was a fun surprise for both of them.

Thursday, November 6th: Lissa called me at about 9:30am to let me know she was at a 5 and her water had broken and after getting my car registered (finally!), the boys and I made it to the hospital at about noon.....just after they took her in to do an emergency c-section. I was really bummed to hear that when I got there. Turns out the baby was face up and every time she contracted his heartbeat dropped dramatically. She never got past a 7. So that makes 4 for 4 for the Clark girls and c-sections. I'm really hoping Christa can make the VBAC work. C-sections really are no fun! When they finally brought Lissa back to the hospital room, Nate was following her with a baby!

Clark Abram McDonald -- 7 lbs 8 oz, 20 inches

Friday, November 7th: Friday night Mom and I did spend the night at Lissa & Nate's so we could get it cleaned up before she got home since she didn't have a lot of time to unpack that week. She treated me to dinner Friday night and that was fun. (I took her to T.G.I.Fridays; she'd never been there before but she loved it!) By the time we got back to the apartment it was pretty late so we didn't get anything done Friday night and it ended up taking nearly all day Saturday. Mom was up by 6:30, I was up by 7:30 and we started working by 8, if not before, and besides taking a few minutes to eat some breakfast and take showers, we worked non-stop til about 6pm. We didn't even stop for lunch because we were making such great progress and we kept hoping we could get it done sooner. We were hoping to spend more time with Lissa at the hospital that day but hopefully she was grateful to go home Sunday and feel like she could actually rest without having to worry about unpacking still. Too bad we didn't get any before pics to share!

Happy Halloween!

Last night started the first of the 3 Nights of Halloween trick-or-treat treat this year. We had a ward Halloween party complete with a chili/soup dinner, a carnival for the kids (where they got really cool glow-in-the-dark bracelets!), and then some trunk-or-treating. We got the boys all dressed up in their costumes, Wyan the Wion and Ben the Great Pumpkin! They did fantastic trick-or-treating and said thanks to everyone. Ben exclaimed somewhere in the middle of the trick-or-treating, "I love Halloween!" And Paul reported that as he buckled Ryan in to go home that Ryan told him, "Trick-or-treating is awesome!" They're both very excited to go again tonight. I told Ryan as I put him to bed, "Tomorrow is Halloween!" And he said, "Again?!" So I had to explain that last night was the fake Halloween and today is the real Halloween.

We usually go to Grandma's ward trunk-or-treat every year on Halloween night so that's the plan this year. And Saturday night (I know, weird) the Cosmo Kid's Club is doing their Halloween party on BYU's campus for kids club members.....which (naturally) my kids are. And Ryan is so excited about trick-or-treating with Cosmo that we'd really let him down if we don't take him. So that's it, 3 nights in a row of trick-or-treating!

Happy Birthday Mom!

This is MY MOM! Today is her birthday and I just thought I'd let everyone know what a great mom she is! She has been a huge support to me throughout my life as well as a great roommate, a personal/spiritual advisor, a fun grandma, and most of all a best friend! She is incredibly talented and has always been a wonderful example to me of faith, hard work, endurance, and love.

I love you, Mom!

Sorry!

So I know it's been a very long time since I've posted. Sorry about that. (Side Note: Has anybody else noticed my posting habit? It goes 1, then 6, then 2, and then repeats all over again? That means next month should be a good month! (Well, that's when I was only thinking I'd have one post for this month. I guess I kind of messed that up since now there are/will be officially 4 from this month.) Anyway, we've been busy, busy, busy between Cub Scouts, Enrichment, (I'm both Wolf Den Leader and Enrichment Leader in our ward. It makes for some busier moments for sure.) and Halloween! And preparing for Mom's visit and this weekend we're helping Lissa move..... Anyway, busy is good, I really do get more done, I think.
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So for the last couple of weeks Paul & I have made a goal that I get up with him every morning so we can read some scriptures together before he goes to work. It started of pretty well and then a week into it, his schedule got changed and now he's going in half an hour earlier...7:00 instead of 7:30. Which wouldn't be such a big deal if it wasn't already hard enough for me to get up at 6:45; now it has to be 6:15! But even through the schedule change I have continued to get up with him and I must confess, even though it's hard for me (anyone who knows me well knows I'm not much of a morning person), I actually like it....sort of. Tuesday, Paul, trying to be considerate, allowed me to sleep in and to be honest, I kind of wished I'd gotten up. I told him thanks for the thoughtfulness but I think in the future I'd prefer he just get me up! And I meant it!!.....I KNOW! If I have a night where I really just don't sleep well, I'd still prefer to get up and then just take a nap later. It's only been about 2 weeks I've been doing this but it really has made a difference for me. I've been able to take time after Paul leaves (and if I'm lucky, before my boys are up but most of the time now Ryan gets up to see Daddy off in the morning) to read scriptures personally and really take time for personal prayers in the mornings. It took less time than I thought for my spirit to adjust to that....now if I could just get my body to adjust!
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This month Ryan and Ben have been watching a lot of home videos from when he was born, birthdays, Halloween and Christmas last year, and just random recordings. It's been so much fun to watch how much they've progressed and how much they enjoy watching the younger versions of themselves. They will watch them over and over and over again and never get tired of them! I'm so thankful we took the money when we had it to invest in such a worthy toy. I will always be able to treasure the memories we make as a family and they've meant more to me than I ever thought they would have.
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Thus far this year we've been able to take the boys to 3 BYU football games. It's been fun but it's a lot of work at the same time. I'm really embarrased to say though that 2 of the three times I had my camera on me and I didn't get any pictures. I'm still learning to be in the habit of taking pictures. Anyway, we took the boys to one game with Grandma & Papa and then two games with Kendra & Graham. Ryan did awesome! He sang the fight song everytime we scored and appeared to have fun. Ben on the other hand, thoroughly enjoyed the stadium and the experience, but wasn't as big a fan for sitting for 3-4 hours straight. At the first game we took him to, by half-time he was done. I took him down to get something and he refused (and I mean reFUSED) to go back up to the seats. So we walked up and down the ramps the entire second half of the game. For his second game, I was able to convince him to stay for 3 quarters before we walked the ramps, and then the third game I was able to keep him in the bleachers the whole game. I think he had the most fun at that game too because he actually danced and sang the fight song when we scored and was more attentive that time. I had a camera (thanks to Kendra) for that game but then the batteries died before I could get his little dance recorded. Oh well, there's always next year!
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In other news, Lissa and Nate came and hung out with us Sunday night and that was fun. I figured since she's supposed to be having a baby any minute now that we'd better have them over one more time before we probably won't get to see them down this way for awhile. So we ate chicken & rice (or as my family has always called it "Sunday Chicken") and then played Settlers of Zarahemla. I've never been very lucky in that game because I always manage to position myself on numbers that just don't get rolled very often. It can be a lengthy game but Nate was apparently positioned perfectly in the first game because that one lasted, what, 20 minutes, I think? And he beat us so bad I don't think anyone else had more than 2 points by the time he won. The second game took a little longer and was more of an actual challenge. Lissa & I both made it down to the end and were tied right before going out...Fortunately for me, due to Lissa's over-development (she didn't have anymore cities that she could place which would have won her the game) I was able to pull off my first win ever in the game! It was very exciting! I later learned I may have made a somewhat shady deal so I'll have to be more careful next time, but I considered it part of my strategy....and it worked!
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Other than that, I'm sure there are several little things throughout the month I probably said I needed to blog about but since I never did it, I probably don't remember what half, if any, of those instances are. I really do want to make sure I don't miss the special little things that make day-to-day life so enjoyable (my boys are SO FUNNY!!), and I've received some rather pointed comments for not blogging enough, so I will make a renewed effort to blog more. Please forgive me.