The Tree

I don't know if anything has symbolized moving back to the Northwest more to me than picking out and cutting down our tree. I definitely was not prepared; everyone else had on rubber boots, and had their kids wearing boots. Lily was wearing her light up Sketchers. At least I had them wearing coats!  We drove through beautiful countryside to get to this tree farm up on a hill. Then we went on a "hayride" pulled by a tractor, to get us up to wear the trees were. We just got a Douglas Fir this year; maybe next year we'll go for a Great or Noble. But we like our tree. It's kind of crazy it's $24, compared to the $300 fake ones you have to buy for a nice one in Texas!

 After Robby cut it down we lugged it back to the road and they picked it up and took it down and shook and bailed it for us and tied it to our tree. I guess I should have gotten pictures of all that.

 I just really liked this tree!

 Santa Claus was there afterwards. Lily asked for purple Hello Kitty Lipstick and said Lance needs a truck.

It doesn't rain ALL the time

     Just most of the time.  But we can usually snag a little bit of dry weather for the kids to ride their bikes or go to the park or something. I did get my BOB stroller but I need a rain cover for it.  It really does look sunny and then will just start to rain. Lily started preschool on Monday; she goes 3 days a week from 9:00-11:30. It's very nice for both her and me. Lance has been a good sport about it all, though on Monday he cried and cried saying, "My Bubba, My Bubba! You can't leave my Bubba!" It made me feel pretty terrible. He still calls her Bubba most of the time.
       I haven't really made any friends yet. At least no one to hang out with; no phone numbers exchanged. I'm a pretty social person so it's kind of been a long week.  I do have access to a gym through the city, though, and so we've done that a few times. They have a good spin instructor which I was really happy about, because that's one thing that doesn't seem to add stress as far as being pregnant. I do have this Belly Band thing-Fit Belly-that really helps things, especially when I run.
    For Thanksgiving we went down to Janica's and had a great time being with family. Our good friends who we moved to San Antonio with just moved to Tacoma, so they drove down and met us there, and then stayed with us Thursday and Friday. Lily loved having a slumber party and I loved having a friend here!
   

Seriously, tile counter tops?

Why would you make a kitchen with tile counter tops? I hate it. It's so hard to clean and things are constantly in those cracks. You can't roll out cookies or bread or rolls. I really hope we don't buy a house with it; all of the houses around here have it.

We made it!

I will probably post a few different time about the move; I tried to once from my phone and it all got deleted. We've had WiFi in our house but not with our computer, so I haven't been able to write anything. The move went pretty well, other than a few hiccups (a drunk guy loading up our stuff-Robby told the other guy to send him home) and we're hear safe in Hillsboro, with all of our things, and one box of someone else's things. Including an army helmet and play station. We've contacted the moving company but they haven't came to collect it yet.
   Leaving Texas was pretty painful, especially the house and all my friends, knowing that I was moving someplace where people don't know Emily. Robby hated leaving the house empty (it hasn't sold yet); he felt like he was leaving someone behind. Hopefully it will sell soon. It's the slow season so we're trying to be patient.
     We flew from San Antonio to Denver, and then from Denver to Seattle. In Denver we landed at the same time as another Southwest flight that slid off the runway.  It made us happy we don't have to fly again any time soon. By the time we got to my mom's we'd been on the road 13 hours.  Compared to the 5 hours it will now take us to drive to her house.
      We enjoyed relaxing at Mom's and then were happy to be able to leave the kids at Janica's for a couple of days while we got moved in. It was so nice to have my mom here helping us, and to not have kids under foot. It made it so we got unpacked within a few days.  We enjoy the house; it's smaller than ours but fairly well designed with lots of storage space. And we kept quite a few things, like China, vases, photo albums, baby toys, etc in their boxes so that we don't have to pack it all up again in 6 months. My biggest complaint about the house is there is carpet in the dining room. At least there's a bar so the kids eat their breakfast and lunch there, but I hate having to vacuum after dinner! I'd so much rather sweep and/or mop.
    Lily and Lance are sharing a room, and we took the railing off Lance's crib so it's like a toddler bed, and they are adjusting pretty well to that. It takes them longer to fall asleep but I think it helps them not be scared.
  Lance needs me; I will write more later!

House hunt

We're on our way back from finding a house in hillsboro. I have to say I really enjoyed what I saw of the city. I think to some people it's big but coming from San Antonio our perspective is a bit different. And of course you have trees everywhere obscuring the city feel a bit. It was really fun to get a bit of the fall feel seeing all the leaves change. We ended up going with the house we really liked online and almost had Janica go up and see for us. It could get a bit tricky come May when they may put the house on the market but hopefully we'll be able to find a house by then. We were able to meet Janica and kacey for dinner; I'm so excited to be so close. I was getting sad yesterday thinking no one would be around to help me remember Emily's Angel Day and then I remembered that she would be here and felt better.
Yesterday we went out to the Oregon coast, after Robby had watched most of the BYU football game. It was very wet and windy but fun to see where we went on our honeymoon. We ate at a good pizza place that we'd eaten at right when we'd got to cannon beach on our honeymoon. Today we went to church in a ward with tons of young families; it's not our ward but there are apparently tons of members in the area, which will be nice I think.
We have great friends who have been watching the kids; I'm excited to see them tonight. When I told lily we found a house her first question was does it have stairs? She was very excited it does.
Overall it was a good trip and has made me excited to get to know the area, though it really will rain a lot! And that will take a bit of getting used to again.

We're Moving!

So this will be quick, and not tons of people read this blog anyway (which is totally fine) but we're moving to Hillsboro, Oregon! And are super excited about it. It's 20 minute from Portland and just over an hour from Janica!  I am so excited to live so close to my twin sister!  We'll be about 5 hours from both parents. WooHoo!!!! I'm so beyond stressed; we're trying to have our house ready to be on the market by Monday, which means the realtor and photographer are coming Friday to take pictures. I broke down tonight and asked several friends to come help me tomorrow, which is huge. Because I am also over (along with one other girl) Super Saturday for church, which is on Saturday. I can not even tell you how happy I will be when that is over and I can check out. We're planning on moving around November 5. Robby starts work November 19. He will be the Human Resources director for the city of Hillsboro. We've loved the people we've met here, and I really do love San Antonio, but I'm so excited to be in my idea of good weather (not a Texan's idea of good weather, that's for sure-Texan's think we're crazy to move where it rains so much!) and to be close to family. We already have a camping trip planned with some friends for next summer, to the Oregon coast. Which is where Robby and I went on our honeymoon. Anyone who wants to escape the Texas heat is welcome to come and see us!

Baby News

So I guess I should document some of being pregnant with baby #4. I'm 13 weeks now, due March 21st. We're excited to have a boy! I'm starting to feel better, though I know I shouldn't complain because I don't throw up. I can tell when it hits 5:00 for when the nausea and dry heaving start in earnest. Especially if I'm hungry. Though a lot of times I just feel blah all day. At least I can always function. Especially in the mornings, since that's when I get stuff done. Come 2:00 I just feel done and am lucky if I get dinner and laundry done. And I've been known to take naps at 8:00 pm so that I can function from 9:00-10:00 and finish cleaning, etc. But like I said, I really can't complain.
  I have NOT liked chicken this pregnancy. Yuck.  I have grilled several very tasty steaks though. I think I've finally learned how to tell if it's done to medium. And it really is better to keep the lid up, not down.  I have really liked apples and cheese for a snack. It has to be Tillamook cheese though. None of this generic garbage.  And cereal. I like cereal as my before bed snack. Because I tend to be starving by then and if I don't eat I have a hard time sleeping because I'm so hungry.  My cookie dough cravings are gone; I don't tend to crave sweets when I'm pregnant, other than ice cream. Ice cream always tastes good. I'm exercising still like normal; this is the first time I've been going to classes at the gym while pregnant and so far so good. Mostly I just go to Boot Camp and Spin. I have friends who went to spin until a few days before they had their baby. I don't know if I'll be quite like that but we'll see. And then I run about 3 times a week. Though I am getting slower.  I am not weighing myself this pregnancy. I hate seeing that number go up, and there's nothing I can do about it. So I'm enjoying being pregnant and eating what I want (though I still try to eat healthy) and not worrying about that dang number. I'll have to worry about it in April! But at the doctor I turn around on the scale and tell them I don't want to know. Feel free to judge; I know I shouldn't care but I do.

Child Martyrs of Kabul (my Dad's bodyguards)

The Child Martyrs of Kabul

I felt like this was worth sharing. It's from my mom's blog. I found an article that I posted below that explains what happened. My dad was in the United States at the time; he's now back in Kabul. He has shopped here many times. He loves the children there and has always tried to buy scarfs and things when he can to help them. 

From my Dad:  Unfortunately, the bombing victims from the blast near the ISAF entrance in front of the carpet store injured or killed each of the kids I had bought things from--including my bodyguards. The bomber was an outsider who the kids had confronted. They probably saved some Americans who ultimately were the intended victims. All those killed or injured were Afghan civilians--and all but 2 victims were under the age of 15. At least 3 of those killed were girls.

From my Mom: (These are the girls that Dave has been buying skarves from for a long time.  He used the word bodyguards, because, if you will remember about a year ago Dave was walking to work, and the 2 little girls, ages 7 and 10, said, "Where are your bodyguards?" And he told them he didn't have any.  They said, "We will be your bodyguards."  And when he would see them, they would save their prettiest or best skarves for him, and they would chatter to him in English and walk with him part way. Dave really did love them, and talked to us about them when he was home.  So he is heartbroken.  Perhaps these little girls are still his bodyguards, only from the other side.)

http://daveandjilladventures.blogspot.com/2012/09/the-child-martyrs-of-kabul.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-19528417

Kabul attack: Bomber kills children near Nato base

The BBC's Jonathan Beale in Kabul says he heard an explosion followed by sirens

Continue reading the main story

Taliban Conflict

• Marching forwards
• Taliban fighters switch sides
• What lies ahead?
• Nato's exit strategyWatch

A teenage suicide bomber has killed at least six people near the headquarter of the Nato-led international coalition (Isaf) in Kabul.

A number of children are among the dead. There were no reports of casualties among Isaf troops.

The police said the attacker was a boy, 14, on a motorbike, who detonated a bomb near an entrance to the HQ.

Kabul security has been tightened as supporters of an anti-Taliban warlord mark 11 years since his assassination.

Ahmad Shah Massoud - a hero of the 1980s war against Soviet occupiers, and later of opposition to the Taliban - was killed by al-Qaeda suicide bombers on 9 September 2001.

Following Saturday's explosion, the Isaf HQ, home to some 2,500 personnel, was placed "on lockdown", the Isaf spokeswoman said.

'Child hawkers'

Child street hawkers are believed to have been caught in the blast and witnesses quoted by Reuters said small bodies could be seen being carried to ambulances.

A police official speaking on condition of anonymity told AFP news agency: "Most of the victims are young children who gather around Isaf to sell small items to soldiers leaving or getting into the base."

The US embassy, the Italian embassy and the presidential palace are also located near the site of the attack.

The Taliban have claimed they were behind the attack, but say it was carried out by a man in his 20s, targeting a building used by the CIA to train Afghan spies.

But the BBC Jonathan Beale, in Kabul, says there is also speculation that it could have been the work of another insurgent group - the Haqqani network - which carried out a series of coordinated attacks in the city earlier this year.

Scores of dignitaries were attending commemorations of Massoud's death in Kabul on Saturday, which is a national public holiday in his honour.

Poor Lily!

It looks like Lily was wrong. No little sister!  I guess I'll have to get her a doll!  She was a bit sad about it; she'll tell you she doesn't like it, though she likes looking at the pictures. I was happy; this ultrasound was 13 weeks, for a chromosome screening, and everything looked good. And it was so fun to see a little hand in the mouth, and these little arms and legs moving. I think he had the hiccups, he kept kind of jumping. So we both saw the little boy part; she said 80% its a boy. I don't think they'll tell you for sure until that 20 week ultrasound. So hopefully things continue to go well!

3 Girls in our Family

 Lily is very excited to be getting a little sister. That's what she says her mommy is pregnant with. A few weeks ago she said, "Mom, there are 3 girls in our family.  One in Heaven, one here (and pointed to herself) and one in your tummy."  So we'll see if she's right! I've tried to tell her she could be getting a little brother but she insists Heavenly Father has told her she's getting a sister. I'm happy either way. Robby would love for Lance to have a brother, since he didn't have any, but if Lily's right it'll be 4 girls and 2 boys-that sounds like a lot of people!

Chromosome 18 conference

 This is not a great picture of our Ring 18 family, but it's the only one I got-facebook has some better ones. At the beginning of August I had the chance to volunteer at the Chromosome 18 conference that was held in downtown San Antonio.  It was one of the highlights of my summer. The last time I attended this conference was 6 months before Emily passed away. It was wonderful to be with all of these kids who were just so great, and their amazing parents. And to know that even though only one of the parents there had experienced a loss of a child, they all could put themselves in my shoes-no "I just can't imagine." It was just good for my soul to be with these wonderful people.

 We went to Morgan's Wonderland, a park devoted to people with special needs. I just loved being there with everyone, though it was so hot, and being about 7 weeks pregnant at the time I felt terrible!

This little guy has Ring 18 like Emily, and is similarly affected as far as the things he does. He loves kicking his legs and rolling around like Emily did. He's 3.  I got to play with him one morning when he was happy like this and listen to his giggles; it just did my heart good. 

 We had some of our favorite people (though they are Ute fans) stay with us for a night.  I loved watching Abby play with Lily; Lily quite looks up to her like an older cousin.  And it was so nice to have grown up conversations. My life is so different now then it was with Emily, it's nice to have that connection to her and to have friends who I know can relate.

 And our little guy Deakon walked for us; he went to Sea World and was very happy to tell you about the ride he went on; steeper than Splash Mountain and he loved it.  I just loved every minute of getting to play with him!

 This is our little friend Emarie. I really loved the fact that Lily and Lance got to meet friends who were similar to Emily in different ways.  It did my heart good to see them play with the kids in the daycare.

Overall a great week that I hope I can experience again. I'm glad I've stayed involved in the Society even though Emily's not here-she was here in Spirit that week, though! I think maybe that's why it meant so much to me; I was able to connect to my Emily and feel like I was somehow doing something for her, even though she's not here.

The Plates

So tonight while we went to read scriptures Lily found her Book of Mormon (usually we use the illustrated version) and brought it in so we told her to go ahead and read for us. She opened to a page, asked where we were at, which I responded right where she opened and she proceeded to say, "There was a prophet who went and got the plates.  And then he went and got the forks and the food."  Ummm, apparently there is a family night lesson in our future about what the "plates" are.  I tried to explain it was hard metal that the people wrote on instead of paper, and showed her a picture, but I'm pretty sure she still doesn't "get" it. But I sure got a good laugh out of it!

Happy 8th Birthday, Em!

Emily's 8th birthday is today. It's crazy to remember.  Two nights ago I started reading my Emily journal-I have one journal that took me through the 4 1/2 years of her life. I read through about the first year and cried and cried. And it was for a different reason than I thought it would be. I obviously miss Emily like crazy, but reading about those first days after she was born and that first year just brought back how hard it was. It was so, so hard. I can't describe it. We were certainly blessed beyond our own strength because I read through it and think, "How did we do it?"  We of course didn't have a choice, But I was so positive and full of faith. I look back and think of the things I know now, and if I would have known them then I think I would have given up. Like her seizures. They started at 4 months and never stopped, until a month before she died. I'm glad I didn't know that. And her vision. We kept thinking it would improve and we'd figure out what she was seeing and we never did. And then there's just how tired we were. And stressed. It's no wonder I was so skinny.  I remember after Emily was born hearing other people complain about their healthy babies and thinking, "you have no idea. None." And now that I've had two healthy babies I can understand more where they are coming from. It's hard work. And exhausting. I could barely function with Lance.  And they drive me  crazy at least once a day.  But I think when you're children are healthy you know there's a light somewhere at the end of the tunnel. And you know other moms have gotten through it so you can to. Or you can at least get sympathy and advice. But I was the ONLY person I knew going though what I went through. I forget how lonely it was.  It's good to remember those feelings but hard at the same time.  I don't mean this to be gloomy. I am so, so grateful for my Emily and all that she taught us. I'm amazed at the different mom I am because of her. And I am grateful for my Savior. In my journal I wrote (multiple times) about being just so consumed with worry for Emily that I couldn't enjoy her.  And then I'd pray and ask Christ to help carry that burden and he would.  And because of that I was able to enjoy all those sweet moments I had with Emily.  What a miracle! I could go on and on and on but I think I'm done for now. I just know I'm a lucky mom. 

 Emily's first bath.

 Her first outfit, thanks to Janica. 

 This was after she'd come off the ventilator and we knew she was going to live. (the first two pictures are before she went on)

 I sure am a lucky woman to have him in my life. 

 This was about 2 months before she passed away. 

One of my favorite newborn pictures. 

All By Myself!

I haven't gone anywhere by myself, overnight, since Janica had Akaila and I went to help her. And the time before that was about 6 years ago when Mom, Sarah and Dad were getting ready to move to Turkey. I would rather be on vacation with my little family, or with Robby and I, then by myself, but can I just say, it was the most wonderful weekend being all by myself!  Having no one to account to, it was quite amazing.  My aunt and uncle just got home from being mission presidents in Cambodia so all my brothers and sisters were getting together, though Parker ended up not being able to come since Jess has been in early labor.  I really felt like it may be my last chance to visit with Grandma Chlarson, which was my biggest reason for coming. So I'm sorry to anyone who reads this who lives in Utah, I really didn't visit anyone other than relatives, and two friends I hadn't seen in years and years.  I know I"ll see a few of you in a few weeks, and I"m sorry for those I missed. But I didn't have a car and tried to be with Grandma as much as possible. 

 On Saturday we were up at our family's condo in Solitude, Utah. Mady, John's girl, went down the slide about 20 times. It was rather surreal to be able to sunbathe with Sarah, and not be chasing around my kids.

 We got to see our great friend Jen, who I haven't seen in probably 7 years. We've both gone through some tough times since then and it was so fun to catch up a bit. 

 My hero. I love this little lady.  She's staying at my aunt's house for awhile. 

 Robby, brave soul, took the kids to the circus by himself. Apparently Lance cried for  the first half. He saw fireworks and anyone who's been around Lance lately knows he hates fireworks. He will say, "Fireworks scare me." But after they got their snowcone they were happy. 

 My beautiful little sister. 

 The view from the condo. 

 On Monday I took a different path running and ran up to Solitude Lake. It was so amazing to be up there all by myself. Definitely a highlight of the trip. I've skiied down the area in the background (not the cliff part) and then got stuck hiking across that lake when it's covered in snow. 

 The biggest highlight for me was seeing all my family and being able to talk to them uninterrupted! I've forgotten what that was like. It was so great to have real conversations with these people I love! We have 23 cousins in this picture, we're missing 10. 

 The family, minus Parker and Dad. 

 My bestie, Becky Burden (Now Bekah Sabey), and her little boy Max. Who is younger than Lance though twice as big. We haven't seen each other in 2 years, since our boys were babies. 

While I was gone Robby also did the backsplash to our kitchen. He's turned into mr handyman. I missed my kids, but it was so nice to relax and know they were in good hands, and I hope I can do it again in less than 5 years!

So my children will know who I am.

So this week was a tough week. Robby's Grandpa Read passed away last week and his funeral was Monday, so he went home for the funeral in Washington and was there Friday night-Wednesday night.  And I had some things happen while he was gone that just weren't fun.  Which just seemed lame because he almost never goes on trips!  This was nothing compared to when he went to a BYU football game and Emily ended up in the hospital and Lily was 3 months old, but it gave me a chance to think about some things and I've realized a couple of things about myself.

1. I have delayed reactions to things. I can usually handle things fairly well in the moment, but then later will have a total breakdown. I remember when my best friend, Becky,  left for a semester abroad while I was engaged.  We'd been roommates all through college and it was my first time living without her. I was sad she was leaving, but didn't even really cry until about 3-4 weeks later and lost it to Robby one night for no real reason. When he asked what was wrong it was just, "I miss Becky!"  When people move I tend to be like that. I'm not always emotional at the time, but then later on it hits me. Or when a child is hurt, or when Emily was in the hospital. So I guess it's my coping mechanism.

2. I deal with things in a physical way.  I love to read, but after Emily died I didn't read a book for 6 months (other than my scripctures) I just couldn't sit still that long.  We had a meeting on Thursday for church talking about emotional health and this came up; how you deal with things like stress, grief, etc. And mine is all physical. Like on Tuesday, I hadn't worked out since Friday and had had a bummer last few days. So I got to the gym, cranked my music, and ran as fast as I could for a mile. And then did my boot camp class as hard as I could. And it felt so good! But it's made me worried about how I will deal with things when I can't deal with them physically. Like if I get injured or get a disease or something. How else can I deal with stress?

 I did have the thought that I enjoy playing the piano and that de-stresses me, too. So I want to start practicing the piano more. Robby just put a ceiling fan in our piano room so its much cooler in there. It was our only room in the house without a ceiling fan and so it always felt much warmer than the rest of the house and made me not want to be in there when it's so hot outside.  I'd also like to get better at my theory so I'm a better piano teacher.

3. I need physical affection.  My "Love language" I guess. All Reid's are like this; we're pretty sure it's from our dad.  But like this week I really hadn't seen anyone since Saturday. And I had a friend come over and give me a hug and I didn't know i needed it until I got it. It was like I could then acknowledge my emotions.  The same thing happened on Easter, when I was missing Emily. I had a friend give me a hug and those emotions flooded out; how much I was missing her. And it felt so good to have a good cry and get that out.

4. I'm an extrovert-I need people! Not too surprising I guess when I need physical affection.  In our meeting on Thursday the way it was put was "How do you get re-charged? By being with people or by being by yourself?"  And mine is definitely with people. I like being with people. I think that's one of the main reasons I try to do things with my kids.  Its for them, but it's so that I can get out of the house and be around other adults! I don't think I'd last very long on a desert island.  Like on Friday I was feeling really down in the morning. I took the kids to the gym and by the end of the workout felt so much better. I think it was partly the workout, but a big part of it was just being with others. So, that's what I've learned about myself this week. I'm pretty sure it's stuff I already know but I felt like I wanted to write it out so others (like maybe my kids) can understand a bit better what makes me tick!

What we do in Texas

So here's just a few pictures of what we've been up to the last 2 months. In May we went up to Landa Park and rented a paddle boat, which was fun, though hot and sticky. But everything is here. 

 I thought this tree was pretty cool; it's one of the oldest in the hill country, supposedly.  It's an Oak tree.

 Lily played soccer February-April.  We will try again next year; it was not her favorite thing but we stuck it out until the end! 

 We love the San Antonio Temple. This was on our 10th anniversary. I took Lily inside for the first time, which is why she's all dressed up.  She can just go inside the front part but it's really beautiful to look inside; she was impressed!

 At the end of May I went to the Chromosome 18 golf tournament and released a balloon for Emily. They release balloons at the start of the tournament for children and loved ones who have passed away. I'm always amazed at how emotional I get when I go. There was another mom there who lost her daughter close to the same time as I lost Emily and we had a good cry. 

 Last Friday we took the kids bowling. Lily had been asking to go and Robby was supposed to be going to Washington but he got bumped off his flight, so we took advantage of it and did something fun.

 This was my attempt at a picture with the kids on Mother's Day. 

 We got granite put in over Memorial Day weekend. I love it!

 A craft I did from pinterest. I'm not a crafty person, but this was fun. I still haven't figured out where to put it, though. 

 Last Friday while Robby was gone I took Lily to the Magic Theatre for the first time to see Knuffle bunny. These are her good friends who went with us. We really had a great time. 

 Last Saturday we went up to Fredricksburg and picked peaches. They are so yummy; we got 25 lbs and probably gave away around 8 lbs and ate the rest. I didn't even freeze them like I'd planned on. They are one of my favorite things here in Texas. 

 I was trying to get a family picture on my phone. All these pictures are from my phone, actually. I love that iphone; so convinent! 

Peeing, biting, etc. etc.

Warning, these stories contain bodily fluids

So my call to Robby this morning; "do you want to come home and switch places?"  Or maybe that's what I said yesterday and thought today.  The kids have been on quite a roll/terror this week. It actually makes me laugh; they seriously know how to entertain. Or maybe I'm just entertained very easily. On Monday we had some friends over and a little boy, who knows better (he's three) took off his clothes and peed in Lance's crib.  His sister and Lily ran to tell me. So I wasn't super happy about that but what can you do?  So then that evening Lily tells us she's going potty and looks super mischevious, Robby even commented on it, but I didn't think much of it, until she then came into the living room and told us she and her friend had peed in Lance's room. I knew they hadn't in the morning, so I asked her if she had tonight, and she took me in and showed me where she had taken off all her clothes and peed on Lance's floor, 30 seconds previously. I was not a happy mommy and she knew it. So she cried and cried.  I later told her I was glad she'd told me what she'd done, but it was still very naughty.  She said she was sorry that she did it on purpose. You think? 

   Lance thinks he can go to the bathroom, but he never really has success. But the same morning, Monday, he had his diaper off and started peeing on the floor. I told him to stop and got him onto the toilet, and he went so I was super proud.  But then he proceeded to go more on my kitchen floor before I got a diaper back on him. sigh.

This morning I was trying to clean Lance's room, which was a mess, and Lily started screaming.  I ran in to ask her what happened and she told me, "Lance ate my heart."  "what?"  "He ate my heart." me, "Did he bite you?" Lily, "Yes."  and he had, a big bite mark on her chest. So Lance then went to time out for that, which he cried and cried about and did not want to apologize for. When I got him out of time out I told him he needed to go and say he was sorry for biting Lily, and he threw himself on the floor and screamed some more.  So I left him him there. Eventually he calmed down and told her he was sorry without me saying anything else. He likes being able to give kisses when he has to say he's sorry.

Any time he stubs a toe or does anything he wants me to kiss it better. And kiss his cars better if they get bumped. I draw the line there!  He calls Lily "Bubba." Which is quite funny since she calls him "Lancey Bubba."  He'll say things like, "Bubba sleeping." Bubba hit."  It cracks us up. If he wants to get out of doing something he puts his head on his shoulder and says, "Sleeping."  

   This afternoon, about 2 hours after I'd put him down for a nap, I was in the kitchen and saw this little blond boy walking around the corner. He'd gotten out of his crib, and opened his door, by himself!  My life as I know it is over. Luckily he likes to sleep and so hopefully even when we turn his crib into a toddler bed he'll still take naps and go to bed. As it is right now he loves sleeping on the floor. Any time at night when he wakes up we just bring him into our room or Lily's room and put him on the floor and he's just fine.

Lily loves playing on this Friend website that I have bookmarked for her, from the church magazine The Friend, which is for kids. She loves playing matching games, singing the songs, and coloring the pictures.  She also loves these videos about the temple. One has a girl who's 11 singing I love to See the Temple and talking about being excited to turn 12 to do baptisms for the dead there. On Monday I asked Lily why she liked the video and she said, "To be reverent."  I'm not sure what that meant but I'll take it. And then yesterday she turned around to me and said, "Mom, our body is a temple!"  And then today she said, "Jesus wants us to go to the temple. Can we go right now? I can go inside with you."  I took her inside the temple a few weeks ago, just right inside the doors. She thought it was pretty special, though she did say in her loudest voice, "Mom, Look!" Before I could stop her. The water that's flowing inside has lights on it that makes it look like it's on fire which she was fasinated with.

It just kills me how she takes everything so literally.  On Sunday we were coming home from a friend's house and she said, "I'm going to give you a talk.  There was a boy, David Michael, and he took his grandma's money, and flushed it down the toilet!"  Of course to her the money was literally flushed down the toilet. I talked to my friend later who said there was a talk from a Bishopric member about stealing money so I'm guessing that he must have said that in some kind of context in his talk.

I think that's all of there little moments so far this week. I'm trying to write them down so I don't forget.  They are just so much fun; I really am a lucky mom with a terrible memory, so hopefully these will help me. If you made it to the end of this you must be a relative or really, really good friend!

Funny sayings and pictures

My kids make me laugh. They're always saying funny things. Today Lily told us she was going to give us a talk about a kid names David Michael who threw his grandma's money down the toilet.  I'm sure she heard it in Primary; but she literally thought he threw the money in the toilet. She likes playing princess and having you kiss her to wake you up like my little sister did.  Lance threw my necklace in the toilet this week, giving it a swirly. He also put a toothpick thing in the toilet and then in his mouth, and while taking these pictures took some chewed gum off the side of a garbage can while I was looking at Lily and stuck it in his mouth. He's not sick yet, so fingers crossed. So gross!

 My friend and I went downtown to the missions this week and she took these pictures of the kids. I haven't edited them yet; I have photoshop but have the dickens of a time trying to figure it out. Like simple things like how to whiten teeth. Drives me crazy. But I thought they turned out pretty cute. The red wall was at a closed down gas station; we were on the South Side of town, so lots of colorful things. :-)    I know I"ve been terrible about blogging, but nothing exciting is going on here. Which I guess is a good thing. We're managing the heat pretty well so far. It's nothing compared to last summer, which I am very grateful for!