October General Conference '13

We finally had a much more chill week. I think that overall I have just come to accept the reality of my very pregnant limitations and am cutting myself some slack. I have a tendency to be too hard on myself and get frustrated if I'm not tackling some project or taking the kids out on some outing. It is good to remind myself that taking care of two children, growing a human, cooking meals, and keeping my household running are enough... and that that alone is worth a pat on the back! It was also a much easier week because Brian didn't have a test. This meant that he got to actually play with the kids and help with the bedtime routine when he got home from school. Yay! We always love having daddy home, and his help always brings me comfort and a needed break. Brian is very good at trying to use his time wisely while he is at school so he doesn't have to study again till the kids are in bed. These non-test weeks definitely help us push through the test weeks.

The kids and I spent a lot of time playing at home (which usually means them playing and me dozing on the couch!). I am sorry to admit that they are watching more movies than I would like right now, but my tired body simply can't entertain them enough without them. Also, it is the only way I can get Maybrie to leave me alone during nap time. We did make it out to the library, though we missed story time (thanks to a fit by Maybrie, sigh). I was able to pick up my new book club book Hush, Hush and the kids had fun picking new books and movies and playing in the kid's area. Thomas especially enjoyed listening to stories on the phone in the tee pee this time.

Maybrie went to preschool at Kade's house on Wednesday and learned about the letter E and Electricity. Thomas and I took the opportunity to go to the fabric store to get fabric for Maybrie's Tinkerbell costume. I was going to make Thomas's Peter Pan costume too, but I found a costume to borrow from our neighbor instead. I'm grateful to save the time and money, and Thomas looks adorable in it. Brian came home early from school and we were finally able to put together a little storage cabinet we bought off criagslist a while ago. We put it in our half bathroom. It will be great to store paper goods and stuff.

On Friday the kids and I went to playgroup at the Walser's home. We were supposed to have a water party in the backyard because it was going to be 85 degrees, but we got rained on instead. The kids still had a blast playing inside, and when the rain stopped, my kids were ready to go out and play in the kiddie pool. Thomas was so eager he stepped in his clothes, with his socks and shoes on! The kids had fun and I always love getting out and visiting with the other moms. We are truly blessed with so many awesome friends here. That night Brian and I were able to go out on a date, which was great since we didn't make it out once in September (mostly thanks to illness). We went to Teddy's Burger Joint for dinner with a groupon we bought a while ago. The food was good, especially after such a long wait... the line was really long. Brian finally got to take me to the dental school to take a look around. It was nice to see exactly where he spends so much of his time. Thank you Maddie for watching our kids so we could go out! Later that night we went to the Burrow's to watch the BYU football game. I left at half time cause I was so tired, but Brian stayed for the whole game and enjoyed it like always.

On Saturday and Sunday we got to watch General Conference. One of the highlights for me was listening to Thomas say "watch the prophet" and "see the temple" over and over both days. He also loved dancing during the songs! Watching conference with kids is always a little tricky and frustrating at times, but overall I actually heard most of it. On Saturday I worked on Maybrie's Halloween costume. I made my first tutu, which was super easy, and a leaf apron/skirt to go over it. I was proud of myself because I really haven't sewed a lot and I like how they turned out. Now I just have to sew a few small leaves around the shirt collar and the kid's costumes are ready. I'm so glad I got it done early because I seem to lose more steam every day! On Saturday night Alanna and Amber came over for a girl's night during the priesthood session. We had fun chatting. This morning we went over to the Woolf's for waffles. They were delish and the company was even better! The one bummer of the day is that Brian discovered his school lap top had crashed after the first session. So he had to drive up to the north end of Indy to the Apple store. He was stuck there for 3 hours. Gratefully he took my iPhone and was able to watch most of the afternoon session on it while he waited. The flash drive died so it has to be sent in and he won't have it back for a week. Luckily he can borrow one from the IT department at school to use in the mean time, and he only has a 3 day week because of fall break Thursday and Friday. It's still a pain and especially annoying to have to deal with something like that on a Sunday. Conference was great and uplifting like it is every time. There were so many excellent talks, I could go on and on. I will mention Elder Holland's talk on depression though. It really struck me because of my personal and family struggles with mental illness. I am quite sure that was the first time an entire talk has been dedicated to the subject and I thought he addressed it so eloquently. I love how "to the point" he always is.

We had a good week and starting the new week off on a spiritual high from conference is always nice. This next week should be a good one since we get to play with Brian during his fall break!

 Thomas loves to collect sticks! Every time we go outside he picks one up. There is one playground in our complex that backs up to a wooded area, and it is Thomas's favorite place to gather firewood!

 Thomas loved helping daddy

 They had to play in it like a "choo choo train" in the middle of the process!

 Thomas thought putting any screws he could find into the holes while daddy nailed the back on was awesome. I love that he is sitting inside it! I think he would enjoy a tool set.

 Playgroup