2014 :: week 38

September 21

It was hard to capture, but Lauren was very animated as she led us in two songs she had sung in nursery earlier that day. Lauren loves to sing and she loves being in charge so she was having a great time. Her current favorites are "Popcorn Popping" and "Book of Mormon Stories."

September 22

Will got new glasses! He picked out the frames himself. He really wanted blue because all his favorite sports teams are blue--Royals, Red Sox and BYU Cougars. His prescription only changed slightly but these new lenses seem to have improved his vision. His (baseball) hitting has really improved since he got the new glasses. In this picture Will is practicing writing letters in his work book, which he often does while I am making dinner or working in the kitchen.

September 16

We got a new furnace installed on Tuesday. It was such a relief to get it in and to have the search and decision-making over. A few weeks ago we had a plumber come fix a leaky toilet and broken valve (which we have since learned we probably could have done ourselves). When he went into our basement to turn off our water he noticed some condensation from our AC leaking into our furnace and suggested we get it checked out. We did and found out that in addition to some rusting, the heat exchange was cracked. This is dangerous because it can cause carbon monoxide to leak into our house. Because our furnace was 18 years old it made more sense to replace the entire furnace instead of just the heat exchange. Over the past two weeks we meet with several consultants from various HVAC companies who told us a variety of conflicting things that we HAD to get done with prices ranging from $2500-$9500. I hate spending money so it has been a stressful few weeks with the decision hanging over our heads. We feel good about the choice we made and are so relieved to get the new one in before it gets cold. Oh, and that we didn't turn on our furnace this winter and die from carbon monoxide poisoning.

September 17

And so it begins, the trees in our yard have begun to shed. At this point it is mostly acorns. Occasionally, when the wind blows it sounds like someone is throwing a handful of rocks at the back of our house when half a dozen or more acorns fall off and hit our deck at once. Every other day we sweep them off the porch as the acorns are hazardous to small feet who "forget" to put shoes on when they go out back.

September 18

I found a small bike at a garage sale while out walking Thursday afternoon and ran home as fast as I could to get some money so I could buy it. I've been looking for a bike that Will could use to practice riding all summer and really wanted to get a 12 inch bike. I was about to cave in and buy a bike online, so I felt like this was a tender mercy because I was feeling stressed about money after all the unplanned expenses we've had this past month (furnace and car repairs).

September 19

On Friday we had lunch with the Diggins. The kids had a fabulous time playing together. It was the first playdate we've had in awhile where there were no fights and everyone shared, took turns and generally got along. Of course I had to ruin the good feelings we had as we were driving home when I shut Lauren's fingers in the window. In my defense she kept yelling "All the way closed!" while her fingers were stuck, so I kept hitting the up button over and over thinking she wanted me to close it all the way. Apparently she meant, she wanted it all the way OPEN as her fingers were stuck inside. Other than a nice blood blister and some Mommy-guilt everyone has recovered.

September 20

Saturday we spent in the temple with our friends Lori and Vince. Lori and I work together on the RS activities committee, but we got to know them better over the summer as they came to temple prep class. They asked us to be their escorts as they went to the temple for the first time to receive their endowments and then were sealed to each other. It was a great day!

2014 :: week 37

September 7

I really want to learn how to make good rolls. Roll making is something that has intimidated me for years. A few months ago we had a relief society activity where each step of making a roll was demonstrated. The past few Sundays I've been practicing and am getting better (I think).

September 8

Anthony's team at work won an award for innovation in government. Maybe he can get on here and share about it because I'm not exactly sure what they did. His face is the picture behind the "now" on the "Register Now" button.

September 9

This is the view from our front porch most evenings if Will has his way. Tuesday was the last nice day this week. It's gotten progressively cooler each day.

September 10

 When Lauren eats a popsicle it's a messy affair. No shirt and a bib.

September 11

Lauren turns 3 next month. She is really blossoming and I feel like a lot of changes are just around the corner. One of those changes is the transition to a big bed. She often asks to sleep on the big bed in her room, and if I'm going to get serious about potty training she's going to have to be able to get out of bed herself, so I've been letting her try to take naps on it. She's got her crew with her (Penguin Baby, Red Sox Santa and Bunny).

September 12

The kids and I met up with my friend Amber and the girl she nannies at Monkey Bizness. It was the perfect day for Monkey Bizness--we wanted to get out of the house because it is pretty cold and we are currently without a heater but it's too cold and wet to enjoy planning outside for long. The kids jumped and climbed for a solid 1.5 hours. Will reminded me of Miley while he played on the swing and I struggled to stop chuckling about it.

September 13

Saturday night the Single's Ward in our stake put on a dinner to raise money for the Red Bag Christmas Program, a local organization that provides Christmas gifts to foster children in the KC area. We enjoyed visiting with the Chase family while we ate and then listened to a short program. The Christmas decor paired with the cold weather has reminded me that summer really is over, fall is here and the holidays are just around the corner.

2014 :: week 36

August 31

Now that the weather is cooling off we've started going on more walks in the evening. Watching Lauren run stresses me out. With every step she takes it looks like she is about to trip and fall. She barely lifts her legs off the ground. It's only a matter of time.

September 1

Monday morning our ward had its annual Labor Day picnic. Anthony brought a bat and ball, and as soon as he and Will started playing kids came over and started to play with them. I took this picture when things were just getting started. Will told us that it was the best Labor Day picnic ever. Everything is a best or worst. Not a lot of middle ground in his life.

September 2

Will had an eye appointment Tuesday and had to get his eyes dilated, which he had been dreading for days. His eyes have improved in the past year since he started wearing glasses. His prescription has changed slightly, and will be getting a new pair of glasses in the next week.

September 3

Wednesday was a stressful day for me for a variety of reasons: we found out we had to replace our furnace, Anthony was in DC, it was really hot, and the kids were super whiny to name a few. After dinner I couldn't take it anymore and told the kids we were going outside until bedtime. We pulled some weeds, played with sidewalk chalk and rode bikes. 

September 4

Sometimes I have to bribe/reward the kids to get what I want. Thursday I really wanted to go to the gym and I wanted it to go smoothly. Often when we go one or both of the kids complains about having to go in the first place, not getting to swim or not playing in the explorer room long enough. After I worked out and picked them up from the child watch I set the timer on my phone and told them if they left when it was time to go without complaining I'd give them an applesauce. I didn't have much faith that they would comply, but they actually did!

September 5

Will is getting increasingly independent. Though they aren't too fancy, he makes a pretty good PB&J.

September 6

Saturday morning got off to a rough start. I had a hard time falling asleep the night before so I was groggy and slept in later than I usually do. When I checked my email I realized Will had purchased a season of Caillou on amazon prime for $24.99. Anthony came to the rescue, called the customer support line, and got our money back. We needed to get out of the house so we headed to the Lenexa Spinach Festival. It was a beautiful day to be outside. Will "fished," as he has for the past several years...but this year he actually caught something!