Dan out of town :(

This week was a bit crazy...  It started off well enough.  We had a busy but normal Monday, laundry, grocery shopping, school, after school sports, piano practicing and homework.  All sorts of fun!   For Family Home Evening - we carved pumpkins - the kids had a great time!

Tuesday morning, I went to Becca's house and we mostly did a bit of planning for next week, but still had a great time!  After school, was soccer for Anna, and Dan took Eileen down to the temple.  When he got back, we did a quick dinner and then Dan and I headed to the temple.  My mom drove in to help out while Dan was gone.  Thank goodness for my mom - I would not have survived this week with out her.  After the temple, I quickly grabbed David and headed to the church for Institute.  

Wednesday morning, Dan left for Philadelphia.  In the evening, Anna had a soccer game, I had choir, Eileen had mutual and Aaron had cub scouts.  I dropped Anna off on my way to choir and my mom got to deal with the rest of the craziness.  Also our house officially went on the market.  

Thursday, we weren't supposed to have our house open for showings until Friday, but we had a request to have some one come view the house in the morning.  David had a doctors appointment anyway, so we agreed.  I took David to his appointment - his 4 month check up.  He is doing great!!  He was 15lbs 11oz - so he's a big boy compared to my other babies.  He's healthy and growing and developing right on track!  After, I headed home, then picked up the kids from school.  James had a dentist appointment in the afternoon, Eileen had band, and Aaron had drum lessons.  It was all rather crazy busy.  

Friday, we had showing scheduled for most of the day.  Mom and I went out to lunch, and I ran some errands to kill time.  The kids were able to get piano practicing done, then after we got Anna from robotics, we headed to Chick fil-a for dinner and then I dropped Anna and Evie off at activity days.  Eileen and I wandered Hobby Lobby and my mom kept the boys at Chick-fil-a to run and play.  Finally around 6:30 - we were able to head back to the house and head to bed.  

Saturday was crazy.  Eileen had flute lessons.  We had piano lessons - but Sister Hendrickson was able to come early to do lessons so that the kids and I could head to the church at 10 for the primary activity.  The kids had a great time and enjoyed eating ice cream.  At 12:30 we had to be out of the house for an Open House for most of the afternoon.  We took the kids to the mall food court for a late lunch, then I took Anna to Robotics, then I took the other girls to our eye appointments.  We got them all checked and glasses frames picked out, then headed home to dinner.  By this point, my mom and I were exhausted and we had already gotten a couple offers on the house and we were ready to tell people - get your offers in this weekend - and we will decide by Monday.  In the evening - I tried David's first solid meal - he had rice cereal and loved it - he has taken to solid food much more naturally than he took to nursing.  He devoured all I gave him!  It didn't help him sleep better though - he hates it when Daddy is gone.  I was up with him again around 2 and my Mom was also having a hard time sleeping, so she started her drive home early.  - Really early.

Church was wonderful!  The talks and lessons were great.  Choir went really well - the kids were mostly well behaved.  Eileen made a friend during young women's - she found a praying mantis on the window sill and made friends with it.  By that evening, we were ready to talk to our real estate agent and pick an offer.  We made our choice and we are now under contract.

Changes

This week has been long and tiring.  We are officially moving at the end of the year and as a result we have tons of stuff that needs to happen.  Much of this week was spent getting the house ready for pictures to prepare to list it for sale next week.  This week was also Spring Break for the kids, so it's been kinda crazy! 

Monday, we headed down to Colorado Springs to spend some time with Sister Cottrell.  We met up at her work and had lunch, then went downtown to see the Humpty Dumpty Statues - the kids got a kick out of them!  

After, we went to a mining museum and the kids had a lot of fun learning and panning for gold and doing a little scavenger hunt.  It was a great little museum - my favorite kind of museum - interesting, fun and cheap. :) 

David rolled over this week - but he only did it once.  I couldn't get him to repeat it.  :(  This was him thinking about doing it again. 

Wednesday was choir and activity days, and cub scouts and young men and young womens.  Busy night, as usual.  Thursday was the big push to get the house ready for pictures, then on Friday, the real estate agent came to take the pictures.  In the meantime, I took the kids to the Fall Festival at Nick's Garden Center to get them out of the way.  They had fun doing the maze and getting timed on it - and I had fun taking pictures of my cute kids! 

Now we are working at getting the kids into the habit of keeping the house clean so that it is ready to be seen at any time.  Saturday was busy with music lessons, robotics, grocery shopping, and such.  Dan and I went to go visit with Dwayne and Nicole for awhile and had a fun time! 

Today was wonderful, but hard.  It was the primary program Sunday.  Anna's last primary program.  The kids all did a great job!!  I got to substitute in Nursery with Kay and we had a fun time playing with Alec and chatting. 

After church, we had lunch, then ward choir, then back home to feed David and practice with Lydia, the I had to get ready and go to the Temple Workers devotional to sing with the choir.  The fireside was wonderful as it always is.  After was the hard part since it included telling Christina the we are moving.  I knew that would be hard for me - I knew that spending that much time thinking about how much I would miss singing with the Chorale would be hard - what I didn't anticipate was getting to see a sweet little couple who have been coming to Chorale concerts as long as I've been in the chorale - some of my earliest memories of Chorale Concerts include their beautiful smiling faces.  They are just some of the sweetest people ever.  After the fireside, I went to say hi and the husband told me that he had been practicing and was going to audition for the Chorale and sing with me.  At which point I lost it. 

Busy busy busy

My mom came out and tried to help out, but was also stressing out trying to figure out what was going on with Grandma Penny.  Dad was in Scotland and Pam was unable to travel, so my mom, unable to figure out what was going on, finally resolved on going out to Utah.  Monday morning, we got snow, so in the evening, I hit Walmart and Goodwill for some winter gear for the kids. 

Tuesday, she took the kids to school, then I went to Becca's for a bit, then I took my mom to the airport so she could go to Utah.  

Wednesday, with some help from the sweet amazing people in our ward, we managed to get kids to activities and me to choir.  Evie also had a class event that day and I had to get an allergy shot.  Evie's class was inviting parent to come see what the kids had been writing - Evie loved having David an I come and see her and talk to her!  

 Thursday, the kids had early release day.  So the morning was drop off kids, drop off James, pick up kids, pick up James (with David and I getting a little nap between.)  Dan got home in the afternoon and we spent the afternoon cleaning up and being together!  In the evening, was the school's Skate City night.  We all went and had a fun time skating!  Eileen even let me skate with her!  It was lots of fun! 

Friday, was mostly just recovery - it really felt like a Saturday though!  Anna still had Robotics, but otherwise, we had our day to ourselves to get stuff done, run some errands and such.  My mom was supposed to get home Friday afternoon, but she ended up delaying her return until Saturday.  In the evening, Eileen and Anna and I went to Natasha's bridal shower and had lots of fun!  

Saturday was kinda insane.  In the morning was flute and piano lessons, the robotics for Anna and the rest of the kids went to Tina's so Dan and I could to go the temple for Natasha's wedding.  The wedding was so beautiful and wonderful!  Being at weddings always makes me so grateful to be married to such an amazing guy!!!  After, we got the kids and picked up my mom from the airport, then met up at the reception.  The food was yummy and there was dancing after.  Dan and I had lots of fun dancing with Evie and James and even a little bit of dancing together.  Eileen and Anna complained that the music was too loud.  :) 

I am married to the most amazing guy in the world.  After getting the kids all to bed and heading to bed, Dan and I realized that it was my mom's birthday on Sunday, and he went out at 11:00 at night to get a card and some flowers for her.  My mom headed back to Texas early this morning. 

Today was wonderful!  Church was great and I got to do a musical number!  David was mostly good - though James struggled a bit.  Choir went well and then we had some fun and rest in the afternoon together. 

on Friday, we gave the kids some news that they promptly spread to everyone that they talked to.  We will be moving back to Texas at the beginning of the new year.  The kids are alternately excited and sad about moving - and I guess I am too.  Eileen told everyone she spoke to today at church, so the ward isn't happy with us... :(  We will really miss all the amazing people we have come to know and love here. 

Dan out of town :(

Dan got a blissful 3 months off from travelling after David was born - it has been wonderful, but the number of shows in October meant that he had to do some travelling this month.  He took off on Wednesday and will be back next Thursday. 

Here are some goofy pictures of Evie and James. 

Monday was a fairly normal day - laundry, grocery shopping and piano practicing.  Anna had soccer, and we had a family home evening lesson on the first article of faith.  

Tuesday morning, I went to Becca's as usual and we had some fun making a coffee table for the dolls.  In the afternoon Evie had her 8 year old check up.  She is growing well and doing awesome!  

Wednesday morning, Dan left for California for a show.  The kids had school, David and I had errands and in the evening was all sorts of craziness.  Tina came to help with the kids and getting them to activities.  I went to choir and had a wonderful time.  

Thursday was more of the usual busy-ness.  School, piano practicing, band, soccer...  

Friday was once again more of the usual.  Anna had robotics after soccer and in the evening, we had a mostly quiet night together.  

Saturday was rather crazy.  I had to drop Anna off for a soccer game in the morning, then get Eileen and go take her to flute lessons, then there were piano lessons.  Sister Cottrell came up to help out.  She watched the kids while I took Eileen to flute and then let me go watch some of Anna's soccer game - they are getting so much better than they were during their first game!  Then Anna had robotics in the afternoon and I had to run to the grocery store.  Then in the evening, I had a fireside that I was singing at with the Chorale.  I took Eileen and David and Sister Cottrell stayed with the other kids.  Eileen helped with David while I sang and then I could still nurse him in between.  The kids love having Sister Cottrell around and she was so much help!!  

Sunday was rather crazy with Dan gone.  David wanted to be held all through church, and all through choir too, and then all night also... so by the end of the day I was exhausted.  I had another fireside int he evening, but this time I needed Eileen to babysit the younger kids, so I took Anna to help with David - but he was inconsolable, thankfully there were some wonderful women there who helped her so I could sing.  She was amazing, but David seems to have realized that daddy was gone and was missing him.  My mom drove out to help out while Dan was gone, but while she was on her way out, we found out that Grandma Penny had had a heart attack and was in the hospital.  

General Conference!!!!

This week has been busy as usual.  Monday morning, I went for an allergy shot, then spent the rest of the morning doing laundry and working on my computer.  In the evening, Anna had a soccer game - her first this year - and we all went to watch her for FHE.  She had fun - and the kids had fun running around the rest of the field that wasn't being used.  

Tuesday morning, I went over to Becca's house, and we had a fun time trying out making a jewelry box for our dolls.  They came out good - though I didn't get mine finished.  :)  In the evening, I got to go sing the national anthem with the Colorado Mormon Chorale.  I took Eileen with me.  We rode the light rail down town and had a fun time together.  When we got on the light rail, we heard "this train is broken, we are expecting grand delays, but we are still accepting passengers at this time" but we were already on, so we sat it out and ran a bit late.  It was a bit of a fun adventure though!  After, we grabbed a bit of dinner to eat on the way home.  It was a fun little night out with my oldest daughter!  

Wednesday, I went to the allergy clinic again - got another allergy shot and had an appointment.  Ran into Kay there!  Then headed home.  Anna was supposed to have a soccer game, but the other team cancelled.  I took Aaron to cub scouts and then Dan dropped off David and James to me and took Anna and Evie to Activity Days Girls and he had young men's.  Evie was SO excited for her first Activity Day girls activity.  She had a blast!!

Thursday, Dan and I went out to lunch together.  It's been a lot of fun getting to see him more at lunch time.  Now that James is in school - it's easier for Dan and I to go out for lunch - so we are doing it once a week!  After school, Anna had soccer, Eileen had band and Aaron had drum lessons.  Then we had a quick dinner and Dan and I headed to the temple.  We did sealings since we needed to get back to David, but it was WONDERFUL!  We got to get a lot of sealings done that we've been waiting awhile to do - including my great grandma - it was such a powerful experience to feel like she was there waiting and grateful!!!

Friday morning, David and I took it nice and easy.  After school, I picked up the kids - all of them for once - and dropped off all but Anna and David at home.  Eileen babysat while I took Anna to her doctor's appointment.  She was so cute playing with and reading to David - he just LOVED it!  It was so cute!!!

Friday was supposed to be the school carnival - and the kids generally love going - but Dan and I really didn't want to try to make it work this year - between Anna's doctor's appointment and the cost and everything else, We decided that instead of the carnival, we would take the whole family to Nickle-a-Play.  We had a fun time playing games and collecting tickets.

Yesterday and Today were General Conference.  It was so amazing!  The talks were so wonderful!  The kids were mostly well behaved, so I got to listen to most of it!  Saturday morning, Eileen had flute and Anna had a soccer game, then we all sat down to watch Conference.  In the evening, during priesthood, Crystal and Lydia came over for Ice cream and fun.  Becca and Jeremiah and little Laura came over for the last session and dinner tonight.  Then in the evening, we got to spend some time chatting with Gene and Ann.  Between sessions, Dan took some of the kids and the dog for a walk.