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!!