Indulge Me

I just got these pictures from our visit to St. Louis in September. I'll spare you putting every single picture up, but they are all precious. I am surrounded by cuties!


Baby "B"




Baby "A"

Stupid is as stupid does

I've been stupid lately. Here is my list of notes to self:

1. Never let toddlers eat chocolate chip-pumpkin muffins in the family room.

2. Lock up the toilet bowl brush and disinfect pumpkin bucket.
3. Juice at lunch = no naps.

4. Buy a lock for the fridge.

5. Get a picture of the cowboy and the Indian together.

All Better

Josh is home. I am better. The boys are over their daddy-deprived wild behavior and the tree outside our breakfast room window is absolutely gorgeous. When Josh got home, Michael would NOT let go of his daddy and stayed up two hours late crying and holding him and saying "Daddy no work!" He said his first prayer with real words in it that night saying "Goo-goo, ga-ga, Daddy no work, Daddy home, goo-goo, amen." Josh and I looked up at each other and just about died from the good feelings we had. This is such a sweet boy and he loves his daddy to death.

In other news, for all of you shoppers out there, when I logged onto my email today I discovered I have won these earrings from FabulousFunFinds.blogspot.com. All I had to do was write a comment on the post of an item I liked. They had a drawing and I won! Woohoo! Their giveaways go through the end of this week so check it out. It's a great idea for Christmas presents, too.

The Real Purpose Driven Life

"When I'm worried I clean the house. It doesn't solve any of my problems, but at least when I'm done the house is clean." - paraphrasing Penelope Keeling in R*osamunde P*ilcher's "The Shell Seekers." That's why I vacuumed, did laundry, dishes, and swept the kitchen floor tonight when I wanted to fall asleep in the middle of the mess of toys on the family room floor.

I wasn't worried today, but I was sick. Josh is out of town and I have a bladd*er infection. This has happened before when he's gone out of town. It's giving me just enough pain and fatigue to make my tasks difficult and my temper short. That and the air conditioner isn't working so I'm sweating my way through my chores, adding to my dehydration.

They boys were sweet the first half of the day and then tonight they decided to test me. They threw their dinner all over the place and then begged for food at bedtime. They pulled the tablecloth off of the table with all of the food on it. They screamed all the way through our Book of Mormon chapter. To add to my frustration, I made a difficult trip to the fabric store today to buy supplies for my sewing class that starts tomorrow morning. Tonight I went to wash the fabric and realized they didn't give me the pattern. I'll have to try to make another trip and I just don't want to make the effort.

After the boys went down (the second time) and I finally had a minute to think, I thought that the reason I always get sick when Josh goes out of town is because it's all a trial to see what I will do without him here to help me. Will I get angry like today? Will I drowned my sorrows in ice cream and stay up too late watching TV? The moment I realized this situation is a trial I calmed down. I want to turn to the source of strength and peace and endure it "well." I know this is a miniature trial. It's the kind I need to learn how to pass before moving on to the much more tumultuous ones I'm sure my future holds. Women all over the world, and many of you, have husbands who are often gone on business travel, but for today, for me, it's a test.

I am grateful for this perspective on life that helps me see purpose in the hard things we have to do. There is someone who has felt every pain we ever feel and who understands every situation we go through so he can help us do our best through it. Aren't you grateful, too?

And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people. And he will . . . take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities. -Alma 7:11-12

Thank you, Grandma

This morning before breakfast Sam and Michael opened their package from Grandma. Well, Michael opened it. The books are darling and they love them! I hope you can get this video to play. I am terrible at taking movies, but at least you can hear them say "thanks." They also keep saying "Grammy" for Grandma and Michael thought he saw Moroni on the back of the ABC's book, so he keeps saying "Ni" which is Moroni's nickname at our house.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Three Guesses

I'll give you three tries to guess what Michael is going to be for Halloween.







One.









Two.








Three.





Hiya, Cowboy! He's just discovered this hat and can't leave it alone. He puts it on first thing in the morning and it's the last thing he says goodbye to at night. He wears it outside to ride his bike. He loves it and and I am so excited because I've been planning on him being a cowboy but didn't know how I would get this hat-hater to keep the cowboy hat on. He took care of that problem himself and I can't wait to see him with a little bandanna tied around his neck.

Sam, of course, is going to be an Indian!

This is Dedicated to the One I Love

Have I told you how much I love my Sammy? As he grows closer to age two, he is getting more and more creative. He can entertain himself so well and always calls to me, "Mommy, watch!" He is going to be so smart. I know he'll be able to pull the wool over my eyes a million ways when he's older if he wants to. He has so much enthusiasm. He plays hard until he gets tired and then he gets slap happy and turns into Slap Happy Sammy. Then he sleeps hard! He has a hard time waking up, much like his mother, and is happy to spend a few minutes in my arms each day when he wakes up from his nap.

Here's his favorite project. Maybe he'll be an engineer. He finds out how much weight this tractor can pull. He finally succeeded at getting it to pull the dump truck while having "Moe," his trusty friend, drive the whole thing around the kitchen. He was absolutely giddy, jumping up and down that it finally worked!

We picked up this easel at a yard sale Saturday and it kept Sam and Michael busy for the better part of Conference.
Too short to sit at Daddy's place? Sam ran and got the bathroom stool to make himself a booster seat. He then watched his reflection in the window as he pretend to eat Daddy's food.



He found an old costume skirt of mine and wrapped it around himself like a vampire. Too bad I hate scary Halloween costumes. He's a natural Dracula! No one would deny him a kiss, either!


During Conference Saturday afternoon he put one hand on each of my shoulders and pulled my head back over the side of the couch to give me a big kiss on the lips, 3 times! He is always busy - in a good way - and is outgoing, friendly, and generous and we love him to death!