Super Saturday

Monday: Maybrie taught her first FHE (family night) lesson. I found a sheet of pictures of the story of Enos from the Book of Mormon. She spent the day coloring it and was excited to stand and hold the pictures while I whispered the story in her ear to share with our family. She has also started repeating the words when we read the illustrated Book of Mormon stories before bed each night. She is eager to learn and participate. Her "reading" at least keeps her focused on the stories instead of jumping on the bed while I read! I went grocery shopping by myself after the kids were in bed, and it was much easier than doing it with the kids. I think it is going to be my new norm.

Tuesday: We went to story time at the library. It was about dinosaurs... which Thomas especially loved. They had two (expensive) "digital littles" baby dinosaurs for the kids to pet. They were pretty cool, and Thomas couldn't get enough of them. We had the missionaries (all 4) over for dinner. We made pumpkin pancakes... so yummy and fall-ish. They were a hit! We always love have the Elders in our home.

Wednesday: Maybrie had preschool and learned about the letter G- groceries. She was pretty excited that they got to grocery shop with real food! It is always nice to have some alone time with Thomas and have a 2 hour break from the kid's fighting.

Thursday: We had a play date at Claire's house. Maybrie and Claire played so well together, which was awesome! Maybrie hasn't been very nice to her friends lately and we have been talking with her a lot about how to treat her friends. Thomas is good at playing by himself, only occasionally trying to be included in the girl's play. It was fun for me to visit with Holly too. I forgot to mention that Brian was called as the 1st counselor in the Young Men's presidency last week. He went to his first mutual activity this week and is looking forward to serving. I got to go in for his setting apart today and hear him bear his testimony to the young men today (Sunday). It was a neat experience. Nothing makes me happier than hearing my husband's testimony and watching him serve faithfully in the church.

Friday: We went out to dinner (a rare treat) to Five Guys Burgers and Fries. I've been wanting to try it for a long time now. I really liked the fries, but was a little disappointed by the burger- the bun was soggy and I didn't know that the regular cheeseburger comes with two patties, I would've ordered a little burger if I'd known. Then we went to the ward Trunk-or-Treat at the church, which was combined with the other two wards that meet at our building. I actually let Brian walk around with the kids while I sat and passed out the candy. I typically don't want to miss a moment of the kid's holiday experiences, but sitting down with a full pregnant stomach sounded like a better idea this year. Thomas climbed into the trunk after they went around... I think he was just as excited about the idea of passing out the candy as he was collecting it. The kids brought plenty of candy home.

Saturday: We had our Relief Society Super Saturday, which I was on the committee for. Brian was supportive and watched the kids all day while I went (it was an even longer day because I had to set up and clean up). He was a super dad and took them to the zoo for an hour, and put up with a lot of crankiness. The project I was in charge of for the activity was temple plaques (I made one with Jessica and Lisa's ward in Pasco two years ago... actually Jess made mine!). It was by far the most popular craft, but the shipment of plaques and prints didn't come in time... cause of my midweek meltdown. I felt so bad about it and definitely shed some tears. The supplies should arrive tomorrow and we are going to do them this Friday night. It ended up being no big deal. The RS presidency tried to compensate for the missing project by throwing in a bunch of extra activities- karaoke, manicures, facials, scarf making, bow making, and card making. I threw together the card making table... which didn't even get touched. Most of the extra things weren't needed, there was plenty to do. I actually only finished one of my projects there and need to finish the rest I started at home. I definitely would've gotten a lot less accomplished if I had been busy with helping make temple plaques. It was a really fun day and everyone seemed to have a good time. It was a lot of work planning/carrying out. I will be glad when the temple plaques are finished this week. I was in a lot of pain by the time I got home from the activity and I am realizing that I really need to be more careful not to push my body too far. I have to constantly tell myself to rest and take it easy. 

 Little mess maker

 Dinosaurs at the library

 Oh, I almost forgot! I made fried rice for the first time, and it was super tasty!

I love Thomas's expression in this picture. It's always nice to find them playing well together when I get out of the shower.

Five Guys

  

 Trunk-or-Treat

 They fell asleep watching football Saturday afternoon... such a sweet sight to come downstairs to!

Halloween Spirit

This week we spent lots of time playing inside. The cooler fall temperatures finally hit us, no more 70 degree weather till spring. Many mornings we just stayed in our pajamas and played. On Monday we built a fort, which Maybrie excitedly called the best pirate ship ever! I finished the final touches on the kid's Halloween costumes and about died from their cuteness when we tried them on for the first time. They love them too, which makes it all the more fun. 

I ran some errands with Thomas while Maybrie was at Preschool Wednesday, and man is it easier and even fun with one! At Michaels Thomas pulled a hat off the shelf and thought it was the coolest thing. I tried a new Sesame Chicken recipe in the crock pot... it was super easy and super good! Maybrie even said it is her new favorite. I love it when I find a good new recipe.

We went to the Children's museum with friends on Thursday, and the outing about did me in! Thomas is so curious and just runs all over the place. My body can't keep up with him anymore! So, I think we won't be back to the museum till after the baby comes. :( Maybrie discovered the art studio in the Playscape, and had so much fun making nature pictures. She is my little artist... I think she takes after me. I still remember saying I wanted to be an artist when I grew up back in Elementary school (of course, that never panned out, but the love of art is still there). We used our free passes to the Haunted House that we earned from the library's summer reading program. We during the lights on hours, but Maybrie still freaked out when we reached the entrance. She totally got scared and started crying. She decided to brave it when she realized she couldn't get her bag with a book and candy unless she went through. It only lasted about 3 minutes, and afterwards she was glad she went. It wasn't very good, there is no way I would actually pay the $7/person they charge for it, but I guess it was kind of fun for free. 

On Friday we went to Zoo Boo with the Kirkwood's, Thayn's, and Pulham's. Can I tell you how much I love having a zoo pass?! We have already gotten so much use out of it the past few months... I think it is Thomas's favorite place ever. He loves animals. The Zoo was cutely decorated and the kids enjoyed wearing their costumes, trick-or-treating through the plains, running through the hay maze, going in the bounce house, pumpkin bowling, and sticking their faces in every picture board they could find. We were really lucky it was sunny and just warm enough to get by without jackets for the kids. 

We enjoyed a relaxing, lazy Saturday, something that hasn't happened in a while. We enjoyed a surprise visit from the Thayn's... they brought puppies they picked up for Andrea's mom and grandma. Boy were they cute, and I'm not even an animal lover! The kids were so excited, it totally made their day! We also watched the BYU game, which I admit was actually quite entertaining... it was close, and we were excited about the win. Go cougars!

Touchdown!

Fall Break

I am 30 weeks pregnant this week! I am excited to be able to count down the remaining weeks in single digits. I am often switching from uncomfortable to painful these days (particularly my constant pelvic pain) and it is just making even regular tasks difficult. While there are still good things going on over the next two months, I am hoping they fly by because I am ready to have some pain relief and get my body back. I can be a little bit of a control freak at times, and it is hard to be forced to take a step back by my body. I am very grateful that our little boy is developing well, and am willing to suffer a while longer in order to bring a healthy baby into this world. Sometimes I am amazed what I and other mothers are willing to go through for our offspring!

The first few days of the week were pretty typical with grocery shopping, laundry, and playing at home. On Tuesday we made it to story time at the library where the kids did a pumpkin craft and the kids played with their favorite toys- Thomas played with the dinosaurs and Maybrie played with the magnetic paper dolls. On Wednesday I taught preschool, the letter F for feelings. I only had Maybrie and Jakoby because Kade was in Idaho. I borrowed some Mr. Potato Head toys from a ward member so the kids could make different faces, and my kids have been playing with them non-stop all week. Maybrie has also been teaching Thomas how to play "trick-or-treat" since our neighbor brought the kids candy pails/baskets. Thomas has a Winnie-the-Pooh one and Maybrie's is Disney princess. Thomas got in some sword fighting with dad (He likes to play with the vacuum extensions). We took our usual evening walks, soaking up the last of the warm weather... it's awesome that it has lasted so long this year. The kids discovered rolling down a grass hill one night. Thomas was hilarious to watch... he wasn't near as smooth as Maybrie! Michael and Maddie have the perfect little hill in front of their home, so now our kids have yet another reason to want to go visit (as if they don't love them enough already!).

Brian's fall break started on Thursday. The Wilson's came with us to the zoo that morning. Maybrie complained that her ear hurt on our way there, and after the dolphin show and seeing maybe two animals she had a meltdown because of the pain. So Brian and Thomas stayed with the Wilson's while I took Maybrie home. It ended up being 75% crying over the next three hours until her doctor appointment. It was awful... for both of us! Turns out she has a bad double ear infection, poor girl. So now we get to battle her morning and night to get the antibiotic in her... she DOES NOT like medicine. We are glad we didn't try to head out of town for the break now.

Friday Maybrie woke up feeling much better so we took the kids to Pioneer Park in Mooresville (20 mins. away). It is one of our favorites. The kids played on the playground for a while and then we took them down on a nature walk by the stream. It was a beautiful day and the kids loved exploring. Maybrie wanted to be the leader the whole time, and was in a very photogenic mood, constantly wanted to stop and pose for pictures. Thomas on the other hand would not hold still for a second! He was on the go... constantly running off the path to tromp through the tall grass and leaves and collect sticks. Brian made the comment that he needs to take Thomas camping, I have no doubt the boy would love it! We had pizza for dinner and attempted a family movie night with caramel popcorn. We watched maybe 30 minutes of Ratatouille while the kids stuffed their faces with popcorn, and then we finally just turned it off and played "Duck, duck, goose" and wrestled on the floor (Brian and the kids... I played referee from the couch!). Brian and I watched Iron Man 3 after the kids were in bed. We both liked it.

On Saturday we drove 2 hours southwest to a small town called Bicknell, IN for the Kirkwood's Fall Harvest Party. Our friends Chris and Holly invited us to Chris's parents' house for the event (Chris is in Brian's dental class). It was a beautiful drive down highway 67 passing lots of farmland and small towns. Chris's parents have a beautiful home and farm. There were about 30-40 friends and family there. There was a lot of food- chili, hot dogs, nachos, cider, and treats. They had a blow up slide, kiddie ferris wheel, face painting, log ride, hay ride to their pumpkin patch, pumpkin decorating, and ponies. The kids had a blast playing all day. It was a fabulous party, definitely the best fall party we have ever been to. Thank you so much Kirkwood family for having us!

All in all we had another good week and lots of fun with daddy at home for four days. Now it's back to school and a busy test week for Brian and the usual here at home for me and the kids. Though we do have several fun Halloween activities during the next few weeks.

Pioneer Park

Fall Harvest Party at Kirkwood Farms