The Table!!

I have a few new posts coming - it has been a VERY BUSY month! Here are a couple pictures of our table after we refinished it! We love it and it was totally worth the work we put into it! Not bad for a $40 tag sale table!

Another Novel. =)

Awhile back I was driving along and listening to some High School Musical 3 (it has been playing over and over since September! You don't have to say it. I know I'm awesome.). It's so cute to hear Kes in the back singing along! Anyway, I was listening to track #4 - Can I Have This Dance and thinking of Nathan and imagining the two of us in an empty field waltzing (since we totally know how to waltz! haha!) and I started wondering if Nathan ever hears songs and thinks of me. Well, the other day he told me that he has a new song for me! It was a lump in the throat moment. I'm grateful for Nathan and that he loves me - flaws and all! Here is his new song for me:


I hear that it's fall in other places - but not in San Antonio! I walked outside to take Anika to school this morning and it was muggy and hot! There was a day a couple weeks ago when it actually got chilly. I opened all my windows, lit my harvest candles and then sat on the couch and closed my eyes and pretended I was in my Maplewood house. If I were to look out that window I would see trees that look like this:
our backyard would look like this:


Our favorite parks would look like this:


I admit it - I'm homesick for Connecticut. I've missed the berry picking, apple picking, the pumpkin patch and the leaves changing. I'm sad that I've already lost touch with friends that I thought I would always stay in contact with. I need to be better. There are a lot of positive things about being in Texas though! We are having gobs of fun and we've made some wonderful new friends! We love being in a bigger home (even though we miss the coziness of our Maplewood home and our neighbors). We love how there are tons of Targets, Walmarts, Costcos, Sam's Clubs, Hobby Lobbys, and Sonic burgers all over the place! We love some of the NEW places that we've found - Charming Charlies is a jewelry paradise! Taco Cabana? So tasty. We love that there is a DOLLAR THEATER!! I can't help but smile every time I drive by the HUGE pair of cowboy boots off of the I-10 (or is the 35?). It's fabulous living so close to Brooke and Scott and their boys! It's so nice to be within driving distance of AZ and ID! I am loving my calling at church! AND I have a feeling I'm going to be pretty grateful to be here come January and February! The winters in the northeast start to get really old right around then. =)

Anyway, what have we been up to?! Let me catch you up!

Nathan and I have spent every free minute working on our table! We are almost done and I think it's beautiful! It's our $40 tag sale table that we got in CT and we decided to refinish it. It's a project I was going to start before me moved but I am so glad I didn't! It's been a lot of work! I'll take a picture soon and post it!

Nathan is loving his pedo program! His schedule is SO fabulous. He leaves around 7:30 and is home by 5 or 5:30. He is on call once every 8 weeks. I can't complain AT ALL! He caught a nasty flu bug a little over a week ago. His mom and my mom think it was the swine flu. Cool, huh?! The rest of us have remained flu free and hopefully it stays that way! We did find out that Tamiflu is super pricey. It was worth it - he recovered so much faster than he would have without it!

Anika is loving Kindergarten! For awhile she would make "books" and then have us write down what she told us. But for the past week she has been attempting to write her own sentences. They are darling! Her teacher said that she is the only one in her class that is sounding out books and writing sentences! I was so shocked! I guess most of her classmates are still learning their letters and the sounds. She is having some temper problems. I swear I have a mini teenager in the house! I'll ask her to do something several times and finally I'll have to get after her for not listening and she LOSES it. She stomps around and kicks things and screams things like "I DON'T CARE ABOUT YOU! I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU SAY!! I'M NOT GOING TO LIVE IN THIS HOUSE ANYMORE!" and then she makes crazy threats. I don't know what to do with her. I think the best way to handle it is to just give her extra love. More positive reinforcement. At least that's what I've been feeling as I've prayed about it. Luckily, her fits of temper don't last too long. Wish me luck. She is still so much fun and a blast to talk to! She always has tons of stories to tell and she talks a million miles an hour! A couple weeks ago she got bit on the ear and it really SWELLED! They even sent her home from school because of it. Poor little thing! Check it out:


My concern with Keslie is a little different. She's gone from being the outgoing child to the introvert. She is such a little doll at home but when we go places or get together with friends she will hardly smile or play. I hope it's just a phase she's going through! I want everyone to be able to enjoy the fun that is Keslie! Hilda and Saul sent the kids a package with their favorite things ever inside. Stuffed animals!! Keslie has had her piggy with her every second since she got it! She was about to do his hair(ears) in this picture. I should have taken a picture 5 minutes later because every clippy we own was attached to his ears!

Brenan just had his 9 month check up at 11 months. =) I was a little late what with the move and all. He weighs 23 pounds! The doctor said that he is the length of a normal 18 month old - 31 3/4 inches. He's long! The doctor checked his ears and found 2 MASSIVE ear infections! Who knew?! He's been his normal, mischevious self - sleeping great, no fever, not anymore grumpy than usual. I felt horrible! She said that she normally doesn't treat ear infections but that these ones are bad enough that she would. I guess I'll have to keep an eye on him - he obviously has a high threshhold for pain! Have you ever had an ear infection? I had one a couple years ago and the pain was IMMENSE!! Anyway - this kid is into everything. He's climbing under and over chairs, up the stairs and then trying to come back down (which is why I don't want him climbing them!), he throws everything, he's discovered how to unroll the toilet paper, he empties the dishwasher as I load, he shakes the book shelf (I think he has a death wish!), he screams when he wants food, he charges at things like a bull, and for the life of me I can't get him to hold still during a diaper change! He is all boy! And we love every inch of him. He is snuggly and smiley and a wonderful sleeper and he still has the best laugh ever!

Here he is - on his way up the stairs. He wasn't quite fast enough! I caught him at the bottom! He still felt pretty proud.

I am being overwhelmed with projects! I love this time of year and the motivation that comes along with it! I've got Christmas projects galore, goals to accomplish, birthdays to plan, money to make (has anyone ever donated plasma? I'm seriously contemplating it!), parties to plan, and more. I love being busy though. I love it!

We thoroughly enjoyed General Conference this past weekend! There were so many wonderful, uplifting messages! My three favorites were:
*Elder Bednar's talk - It is titled 'More Diligent and Concerned at Home'. I loved what he said about being consistent in our homes and expressing love.
* Elder Holland's talk titled 'Safety for the Soul' - his testimony of the Book of Mormon was SO powerful! The entire talk is wonderful but the second half is AMAZING.
*And I loved President Monson's closing remarks in the Sunday afternoon session. He talked about service and it really hit home for me.

To read/listen to/watch these (and other) talks click here!! To learn more about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and what we believe, go here.

Have a great day!!

Kes just started a little dance class last week! She was so excited about it! When we got there she became quiet and shy but I think she loved it. Hopefully, she'll come out of her shell a bit as the weeks go on! She loves this kind of stuff - her latest thing is that she is an acrobat at a circus. She'll be famous one day. =)

It's actually been a little bit cool in the mornings so we've ventured out to the park a few times! We've discovered that Brenan really digs the swings!

Don't these pictures make our backyard look green?! It's amazing what a little rain will do! A few weeks ago our backyard was nothing but dirt. Now it's a plush jungle of weeds! Anything is better than dirt though!

This is why it's never a good idea to buy Wal-Mart diapers.

The tabs were still stuck together but somehow the important part wiggled free! NICE. =) Do you like our fancy greenish/blue tile? It's awesome.

Bodess has been a little bit accident prone this past week! We were finally getting rid of her goose egg on the left when she ran into the corner this morning and got a new goose egg on the right! THEN when we dropped Anika off she reached in to grab a piece of paper right as I was sliding the door shut and got her arm squished. Poor little thing! I think we will do something fun today since her morning has been so rough!

Catching Up Again!

I keep falling behind on this blogging business! Remember the days when I posted at least once a week?!

First of all, Nathan talked me out of the private thing. It wasn't hard to do since I don't feel too strongly about it. It was fun to get all the comments though! It's nice to know that people still come by sometimes!

My birthday was fantabulous! Nathan spoiled me all day - I got to go to a spa and wander a book store all by myself in the morning and then that night we went out to dinner and a movie. Dinner was delicious and the movie was awesome! You really should see Star Trek. =)

The girls made cards for me and the words inside were priceless! They went straight to my treasure box. =)

Here is my super fancy cake. Yes. Tea lights again! I've got to get some candles before Keslie's birthday next month!

Brenan thought it was tasty! He is going to be FUN when his birthday rolls around!
Isn't it cool how I have 3 eyes??!!

The fire ants wanted to join in on our celebration! In honor of my birthday they made their first appearance (in a big way!!) in our backyard. This picture does NOT do them justice! First of all, you can't see the millions of ants crawling around or how far they expanded! They were EVERYWHERE!

On Labor day we met up with Brooke, Scott and the boys at the lake! They got a boat!! Wahoo!! We had such a fun day! I got to drive a boat for my first time. =) It was a blast and we can't wait for our next lake trip! I didn't get many pictures - here are a few:

Do you like Keslie's goose egg? You should have seen that it when she first got it! It was HUGE!!

Brenan is growing so fast! He is 10 months old!
I think he needs an update. He:
* weighs 21 pounds - hasn't gained much since he was 20.5 pounds at 6 months!
* Decided he was DONE nursing at 9 months. Little pill. =)
* Is into everything! He especially loves to help unload the dishwasher!
* Climbs stairs like a champ - since 9 months. He especially loves climbing since he knows it's off limits!
* Loves to clap and is starting to wave!
* Loves picking Anika up from school. He is SO jolly the minute we load up - it's like he knows!
* LOVES taking baths!
*He loves his mama!

The girls and I were supposed to go on a Mother/Daughter campout with our stake last weekend but it was cancelled due to rain! Yay for the rain! Bummer that we didn't get to go camping! We had a little girls night instead and had some friends over for soup and pedicures. The girlies LOVED getting pampered!

Happy Birthday!

I just want to wish a very happy 2-8 to my one and only! You're my very best friend and I can't imagine what my life would be like without you in it. Hope you have a wonderful birthday!
Love, Nathan

Happy 50th To My Mom

Today my mom would have been 50 years old! The last big post I did about my mom was on the 10 year anniversary of her death. I think that her 50th birthday deserves to be remembered also. My mom was an amazing person - full of laughter and fun! I think she would have welcomed her 50th birthday and partied the night away with everyone! I know the phrase "I wish" is pointless - but I wish we could throw her that party! My aunt wrote a fabulous post about my mom - you should check it out - www.carrollcompany.blogspot.com.

A few more memories of my mom:

*Does anyone remember the tan van? =) It was a beauty. We drove it up to Utah one summer and the ac broke. She spent the trip rubbing cold water on our arms and our legs. It's just a little memory but I love it. I don't know if it was on that same trip but one time as we were driving she saw wheat (I think) growing wild and we pulled over so that she could pick some to use in her wall decor. I always want to pull over and do cool spontaneous things but I never do! I need to be more like her.

* When my mom was pregnant with Joseph she went into the hospital a couple times at the end and they sent her home. Well - she really wanted to have him so we went on a walk one night and when we got to the corner she had an attack of IPC's as she called it. Involuntary poop contractions! She was walking around on her tippie toes in circles trying to hold it in and I about died because I was laughing so hard!

* My mom saw The God's Must Be Crazy 2 at the dollar theater over and over. She thought it was hilarious!

* When I turned 12 there was a special night at our church and all the parents got a turn to get up and talk about their daughter. She cried the whole time she talked about me.! I don't remember if she cried on my first day of kindergarten but I do know that she cried when she sent me off to girl's camp for my first time. Now I know why she was crying because I get like that when I talk/think about my kids!

* She could laugh with anyone. One time we were driving along and there were some teenage boys next to us. The kid driving stalled big time and my mom died laughing. The boys looked at her and started laughing and we were all laughing and then she waved at them and we all went our separate ways. She could make friends with anyone anywhere!

* When my mom found out she had cancer I was at a youth conference. A man in our ward asked me about it when we got home (I hadn't seen my parents yet). He didn't realize that I hadn't been told yet. Anyway - I was shocked to say the least! When we got home my parents brought us all to their room to talk about what was going on and what the treatments were going to be like. Everyone left and I laid next to her crying(which was rare because I wasn't a touchy feely lovey girl). She told me that she worried about me most of all because I didn't talk to people about what I was feeling. She used to do crazy things to get me to say I LOVE YOU. I was just so shy about it. I think her saying that made me realize that I need to be more open. I don't have a problem saying I love you anymore and I am SO glad!

Those are just a few more glimpses of my mom! I love her. I'm so grateful for the life she lived and that I was able to have her in mine - even if it was only for 15 years. Happy Birthday Mom!!

Private it is.

Hey everyone! I know. This is a shocker. I'm not a fan of private blogs (I like the content - I just forget to check them!). Now that Anika is in school and away from me I just want to go private though.

Here is my solution. Leave this address - www.nbakbeautifullife.blogspot.com - on your google reader and blog list. Every time I post something new to my private blog I will also post something at that address telling you that I posted and include a link. If you are already signed into google reader you won't even have to sign in - just click on the link!

So - don't change anything but DO leave me a comment if you want me to invite you!! Don't assume that I'll know to invite you! I'll do the switch over in a week! Thanks!

Kindergarten Girl

Anika started Kindergarten yesterday! She was so excited and has loved school so far. When I dropped her off I tried the whole "kissing hand" thing. I kissed her palm and told her that if she missed me during the day she could look at her hand and there would be a kiss waiting for her. She made quite the funny face and said "that's kinda weird. But it is a nice way for you to show your love for me." Anyway, I think she was ready for school! She does come home a little bossy but were working on that.

I just can't believe she's in school. It's hard to let her go out in the world - she's been so sheltered. I hate it that now someone else is with my child for more hours of the day than I am. I know it's good for her. I know she loves it. I know all children do it. I just can't stand how fast she's growing up! We've missed her sweetness during the day but I think Keslie is enjoying some one on one attention. =) Here is a picture video of Anika through the years with a song that says it all!

A Mother's Prayer - Celine Dion

I pray you'll be my eyes,
And watch her where she goes,
And help her to be wise,
Help me to let go.

Every mother's prayer
Every child knows,
Lead her to a place, guide her with your grace,
To a place where she'll be safe.

I pray she finds your light,
And holds it in her heart.
As darkness falls each night
Remind her where you are.

Every mother's prayer
Every child knows.
Lead her to a place, guide her with your grace,
Giver her faith so she'll be safe.

Lead her to a place, guide her with your grace

Most Excellent Trip

Brooke and her boys joined us for a cross country trip (okay, not cross country but it was a LONG drive!!). We stayed super busy in AZ seeing family and friends and then headed up to Utah for Erik and Jessica's wedding! I am so glad we were able to go to that! We even got to see Nathan for a day!! After the wedding the kids and I headed up to Idaho! I LOVE Rexburg in the summer! I have about a million pictures. What's a girl to do?! I have to post them all!

We stayed with Kel for a couple nights and partied like a bunch of crazies! =) It was so fun being there. I love that girl plus Tess and Kens were there and it just so happens that I love those girls a lot too. =) We played Dr. Mario and watched High School Musical 3. Um - I pretty much loved that show. Best of the 3. Kelyn was an angel and cut and colored my hair and then gave me a pedicure! She's a saint!
Kel and Anika got a hold of the camera. Crazies.
We visited Grannie and Papa!

Grannie had us go through some stuff of my Mom's. My mom would have turned 50 this Saturday so she thought it would be special to give us the dolls she had been saving for us. I got the doll that my dad sent my mom while he was on his mission. It looks like a real baby so when I get baby hungry I can just rock this one. For now. =) Aunt Shaunna also brought over some stuff that she had - a few quilts and the many hats my mom wore around town. Minus the Zorro hat. That one was classic. I don't know many women that could pull off these hats but she TOTALLY did! =) Thank you Grannie and Aunt Shaunna - it meant a lot to me to be able to see these things and think of my mom.
We modeled a few of the hats:
I hung out with Mandi all day on Monday. It was glorious to say the least! Nicholas described it best when he said "this is the best playdate of my entire life!!". I agree! I always love being with my Mandi girl!

Mandi and Thomas - so cute!Anika, Nicholas, and Matthew
We had another playdate on Wednesday and I got to see the lovely Heidi! We had so much fun! I always look forward to our traditional cousin playdates.
We spent the Tuesday at Annies house! We made bread and ate at Panda Express. It was great to see Annie and her kids and also my family!

We went to Aunt Sharla's for a fabulous dinner and got to see the whole Kivett family (except Aunt Jolee and Stephanie and the boys!! So sad about that). It was SO good to see all of these wonderful people!
Here we are!
Grammy and Me and Brenan
Kelyn and Spencer. Can you believe she cuts and colors her own hair?! Sheesh.
Aunt Sharla, Chris, Grammy, Kens, and Dad
After this party Brooke and I hit the road! We drove through the night. I highly recommend it if you have a car full of kiddos! We spent the weekend doing wedding stuff, seeing Grandma West, and having a water fight at Grandpa Campbell's house. It was a blast!! I don't have any pictures of the actual water fight yet (I was too busy being in it!). I'll post some as soon as I get some copies. I didn't get many pictures from the wedding. I was always holding Bren. It was beautiful though!
Nana and Papa with their grandkids:

Carolyne, Taylor, and Keslie
All the cousins with Nana and Papa and Great Grandma West!
The kids with Great-Grandpa CampbellBrenan chillin' with Jordan and Marshall

Nathan and Brendan - these guys are so funny when they get together!After the water fight the kids and I bid good-bye to everyone and headed up to Idaho. On the way to Rexburg we stopped in Pocatello to check out Britt and Dusty's new digs!

Brayton and Raylee tried to stowaway with us! =) I'm convinced that there is no family as wonderfully fun as my family. =) Seriously. You've never played the Animal Game until you've played it with us. =) We played that along with several other laugh till you cry (literally - if you know me then you know what I'm talking about!) games. Like UHRUM:
We also did A-tootie-ta:
I got to see Brandon for a minute before he went on his California adventure. What a stud!
Brenan loved going on walks! Here he is with Aunt Baylie:
The lovely Lyssa Loo and the miserable Carly (nasty swimmers ear!) with Bren:
The girls helped in my parents MASSIVE garden. Keslie loved the peas!

We went to the zoo! Carlie and Anika:

Hannah and Keslie
Everyone that went to the zoo - minus me.
Dad, Hannah, me
We went to the sand dunes! It was a blast and the lake was super shallow so the kids were able to just wade around!

Amber and Keslie. I love that Amber girl. Seriously - I have the best siblings. All of them are fantastic!Keslie, Anika, Taylor, and Drew in their new outfits from Nana. We were just about to load up for Texas! It's nice to be home but we sure did love the trip!! Thanks everyone! Brooke - I'm waiting for you to post our road trip picture. It's so beautiful of us and I can't wait to steal it. =) Thanks for being my travel buddy - you rock - truly. I'll always think of you when I listen to our road trip cds. Thank goodness for those! Love ya!

I'm "SO IN LOVE" with these kids of mine...

"So in love" is Anika's new phrase and it is SO DANG CUTE! This morning she and Nathan were talking about her new school clothes at breakfast and she told Nathan that she is SO IN LOVE with her new kitty shirt because it's soooo cute! She cracks me up! =) I can't believe she is starting kindergarten in ONE MONTH!

I am SO IN LOVE with my Nutrimill!

I am SO IN LOVE with fresh whole wheat flour! I am SO IN LOVE with baking with my girls (and my bosch)!

I am SO IN LOVE with using beans in my recipes instead of oil!
I am SO IN LOVE with this banana bread recipe! I've tried it a couple times now and the first time it was good but this last time it was DIVINE. AND HEALTHY to boot!!

Good for you Banana Bread

3-4 ripe bananas, mashed
1 1/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2/3 cup plain yogurt or applesauce (I used yogurt this last time)
1/3 cup pureed white beans
1tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1tsp. baking soda
1tsp. salt
1 cup chopped pecans (optional)
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 2 8 inch loaf pans or 4 mini loaf pans with cooking spray.
Mix the first 6 ingredients together until blended. Add the remaining ingredients and mix. Pour into pans. I baked the mini loafs for about 40 minutes. The larger loaves should be done in about 50 minutes. The 3 of us girls devoured the four loaves right away! We are such piggies!

Here is a picture of Brenan and me. He's been a little grouch these past few days...
which is why I am SO IN LOVE with these things:
I despise teething. Nathan informed me that (according to one of his pedo professors at UCONN) there is nothing that proves teething causes: fussiness, drooling, runny noses, diahhrea, or fever.
WHAT??? and WHATEVER!!

Anyway, it should be a fun day today! We get to go swimming! =) We are having a great time here in Texas! I'm so excited for winter - if it's anything like AZ (I've heard it is!) the weather will be fabulous at that time of year! I've been doing a little research on different states. I love Texas but I really, REALLY love trees and green! We want to seettle somewhere in the west to be closer to family. We don't want to live somewhere that is cold from September - May - which I think rules out Idaho and Colorado. Utah and California are no's. Utah - too many dentists. California - too expensive. AZ and Texas are super close to family but aren't as green as I would like and there aren't as many outdoorsy things to do. I guess we could go camping but I have NO desire to go when there are FIRE ANTS and SCORPIONS and it is SCORCHING hot! What about Flagstaff? Is it still a tiny, little town or is it starting to develop? Those of you that live in WASHINGTON and OREGON - are there any areas that are not cloud covered the whole year? How cold does it get? How much snow/rain? How do you like living there? What about Colorado? We've heard Fort Collins is great from several people but that it stays cold all the way through May. Thanks for the tips!

Have a great Thursday!

We had an awesome time with Mom and Dad West and the Gordon's this past weekend!
On Friday night we watched Galaxy Quest - always a winner! =) Then on Saturday the kids played with Nana and Papa while we went to the Temple. I love the San Antonio temple - it's beautiful and I loved being there! We all headed to Olive Garden after that - it hit the spot SO much! Then we went to Seaworld for a couple hours. We had enough time to ride Atlantis and catch the Shamu show! The kids were WASTED by the end but it was a blast! On Sunday we said our good-byes - we dropped Dad West off at the airport and then headed up to Austin for dinner and to drop Mom West off. Thanks for the fun weekend guys! We love you!

Walking back to the car after the Shamu show

The gang waiting to see Shamu!

Poor baby! He was SO sleepy!

Big stuff happening over here!

Brenan got his first tooth last Monday - June 29th! He also started scooting last week! Go Brenan! He'll take off crawling any day now!

Show everyone your toofer Bren!!

Nathan got a massive sunburn - this picture only shows a tiny part of it

His upper legs were scorched! Poor guy! Nathan and Scott floated down the river and FORGOT sunscreen! They stopped at a gas station to get some and all that was available was 15 SPF! Anyway - the consequences were dire indeed. Some good came from the whole thing though! I have NEVER, never peeled such cool skin! I always thought the best sunburns to peel were the kind on the shoulders and back. I was mistaken. Legs take the cake!! It was a big day for Anika to say the least. She's her mother's child - that's for sure. =) Besides peeling Nathan's sunburn, Anika had a couple other important childhood experiences this past weekend.

She caught her first lizard! Meet Buzzy! She set him free before bed (her own decision) but woke up later that night sobbing because she missed him. She has such a tender heart.

Which brings me to her next big experience! She watched HEIDI for her first time on Sunday. Poor little thing. Every time Grandfather rejected Heidi Anika's little chin would start quivering. Such a good (long! Who knew it was so long?!!) movie!

AND of course we had all the 4th of July festivities! Nathan taught the girls about caring for the flag and the girls wanted to listen to Lee Greenwoods - I'm Proud to Be an American song over and over! We went to a little neighborhood parade in the morning. We decided to watch rather than be in it - my back was having issues again this weekend! Then that evening we had some friends over for a BBQ! We had a great time and the kids loved the poppers! That's about as crazy as we could get out here because I'm pretty sure anything with sparks would have set our backyard on fire! The grass is pretty much DEAD. I'm grateful that it rained a little bit last night! Maybe we will see some more of it! After the BBQ we headed off to see some fireworks! We had a great 4th. I feel so blessed to live in our country!

At the parade!
This is my version of the Family Fun hats! I couldn't find any red, white and blue bendy straws. Heidi - where did you find them?! Anyway - we liked this version too! The girls would wiggle their hats for the parade marchers in hopes of getting candy!

The girls love little Miss Hallie!

Throwing poppers with Hallie and Landon.
We found Brenan just chillin' right here. He wasn't complaining or anything. I don't think it looks very cozy!
Nathan with Aaron, Aaron and Lucas! I just cant bring myself to post the picture with the girls. Heather and Sandy are beauty queens - I'm not sure what was going on with me! =)

Um...

Okay FIRST -

It is NOT okay with me that the girls went downstairs last night around 9 (we were upstairs in the office) and came back up and told us that there was a MAN standing at the door who waved at them (our front door has some window things on it) and then turned around and left. I've tried to think of reasons that someone would have been standing out there - UPS man?? No, not at 9. Someone from the ward? No - they would have knocked or rang the doorbell - and there were no cookies out on the step. The only logical explanation is that it was someone scoping out our house. I've got the creeps. My imagination has kicked into overdrive. I've seen one too many episodes of CSI and LAW and ORDER SVU. Please give me some comfort!! I'm FREAKING out here!!

Second:

I'm not okay with our bug situation. We have ANTS crawling all over our kitchen floor. I try to keep them at bay by wiping them up and keeping the floor swept and mopped but they just keep on coming! They come through the door and a couple cracks in the tile grout. Nice. I'm not okay that we've had 2 huge roaches in our house. Nathan just vacuums them up and then I have nightmares that they are crawling out in the night - does he not understand that these are the creatures that can survive a nuclear bomb??!! Our roley poley (pill bug) situation is out of control. I feel happy that they are nice bugs and that they don't carry disease but I'm tired of waking up to 30 little roley poleys crawling all over the place downstairs! Then they die and I have to sweep them up. It's just lovely. =)

So, last night my dreams were filled with bugs and murderers. FUN!!!