October
Usually Andy and I travel for some big race in October that takes up a lot of time. The other part of October is usually consumed by planning and throwing a big Halloween Party. Well, this year we decided not to do either of those things. I was not hardly in the mood to even put out any Halloween decorations. I did, however, make a new little something for my mantel during the month of October. It made Katie and I laugh pretty hard that I could not resist. (It says, "Keep whining I've got a spell to fix that")
I had been wanting for some time to get my eyes fixed so that I can wake up in the middle of the night and not have to struggle to find my way to the bathroom. Well, after the miscarriage in April and not having another surgery in the near future that left us with quite a bit of money in our Flex account we needed to use before we lost it. So we looked around, did a few consults, and decided to finally bite the bullet and do the Lasik. I was so nervous because I thought once they numbed your eye that you were literally unable to move your eye and then see this blade come at your eye and not able to do anything... sorry to those who have a weak stomach. That is NOT how it happens. I was so pleasantly surprised when the worst part was afterward and it felt like I had a small piece of dust in my eye and it was just a bit irritating. I thought that part would feel more like an eye infection... it wasn't at all! It was probably the best money we've ever spent! I LOVE my new eyes and being able to not only find the bathroom in the middle of the night, but being able to see everything whenever I want. It's amazing! If anyone out there is considering Lasik, don't consider, just do it!
Three days after I had my Lasik we had news that was as exciting to me as having new eyes. We had negotiated with our home owners and they finally replaced the carpet throughout the entire house!!! They were installing the new carpet and I could hardly wait. They did it in 2 days so that we didn't have to move any furniture downstairs. We moved half the upstairs into the other half while they installed that portion. Then we moved everything back into the rooms that had new carpet while they installed the other half. And they installed the carpet downstairs, on the steps, and hallway in the meantime. Then we were able to finally move everything into it's proper homes.
Now I need to back up for a minute. We knew they were going to install the carpet so I wanted to spruce up a few of the rooms with some paint before the carpet so that I didn't worry about spills. The girls decided with our permission that they wanted to share one room again. We never use the crib and hardly have house guests. So we took down the crib and moved our guest room from the large room upstairs to a smaller one. I painted over the nasty mustard yellow (that was in the house when we moved in) to a mint green. The girls helped pick the paint and after it was all done I was so happy. I am currently trying to refinish a dresser that was given to us so that it will be white and match the beds... I also want to refinish the bunk bed so that it also matches the rest of the furniture. In addition I took the end tables that came with the dresser and refinished them black so they matched the bed in the new guest room. It was a lot of work, but I am so happy how they turned out. The only things I had to buy were new handles because I didn't like the old ones. Both end tables cost me only a lot of elbow grease, time, and about $12 for new handles. Not bad if you ask me. And my mom thinks they look as if I bought them from a store.
We also did a remodel of the master bedroom the week before the Lasik. Our friend, Jason, built a headboard for our king size bed and then I sanded, caulked, and painted it. I love the way it turned out. I painted the bedroom warm flannel gray... I was going for a gray with a touch of purple, but it turned out more purple with a touch of gray. At first I kept thinking, "Oh boy that is purple", but once it was all done it really grew on me. I will have to do a whole post on home renovations later when I have all the pictures downloaded. I took a bunch of pictures of the master bedroom last night and for some reason they didn't get saved on my phone. Bummer. I'll have to try again later.
My little brother, Brinton, also left for his mission to Cochabamba, Bolivia. The funniest line before he left came from Ashley. She asked Brinton where he was going and when he answered her response was, "Hey! We had a babysitter from Olivia!" (We had a girl named Olivia that used to babysit them before she moved.) Brinton laughed and said, "No. BOlivia." We miss him around here but we are glad he is doing good in the world. Just before he left you could tell it was starting to sink in. He would ask to take out the girls on an uncle/niece date. He loved to take them to the movies and spoil them.
Halloween has always been a favorite holiday around here, but this year we kept it low key. We went to our ward trunk-or-treat, and then went trick-or-treating as a family on Halloween night. The girls were not allowed to "dress-up" for Halloween at school, but instead they were asked to dress up as what they want to be when they grow up. Lame! (Insert eye roll here) Katie wants to be a fashion girl/rock star, Sammy wants to be an artist (there are paintbrushes in her apron pocket and one behind her ear), and Ashley and Gracie both want to be moms when they grow up.
For Halloween night Sammy was a Flamenco Dancer
Ashley was a flapper girl
It was really funny to see people's reaction when they would ask Katie what she was going to be for Halloween and she would respond, "I'm going to be Brave". They thought she meant the personality trait, not the movie character. I had to clarify that she was going to be Merida from the movie Brave. I loved seeing her wig bounce when she would skip away from each house.
Out begging for candy...
Checking out the goods and figuring out the "mom tax".
All in all it was a good night.
November
We had the opportunity to attend the open house of the Boise Temple. The Boise Temple was remodeled, then they had an open house and then had a re dedication. It was a unique experience for our whole family to be there and we also brought along Gracie.
Above they are checking out the new pool that was added in the remodeling.
That weekend Andy and I traveled to Eastern Idaho for the burial of my Grandma Inga Baker. She married my grandpa some time after my mother's mom died and she is the only grandma I ever knew. She battled Alzheimer's disease for a long time and finally gave it up to leave this world. Before the disease took over her body I remember her being this spunky lil' firecracker. She was always playing games and joking around, but when the time called for it she was stern and serious. She always had tins full of oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. They were the best!!! The funny thing is so many of my cousins and myself have tried to make them like she did without success. It will always be her secret recipe. She was a great cook! I especially loved her potato salad and roast beef sandwiches on rolls. (Insert drooling here) I remember one trip out to California with my sister, Brigetta, and my cousin, Vanessa. I think I was about 11 and we stayed out there for about a week or so. Grandma and Grandpa took us to Disneyland and near the end of the night the lines had disappeared. We rode Thunder Mountain over and over. We kept yelling at grandma to run and she would yell back, "I AM!" She was constantly teasing me, but I dished it right back to her. It was our fun little thing we did. When she had started to lose her short term memory Andy and I took a trip out there when Sammy was about 3 months old. Grandma would ask me about every 15 minutes or so, "What's your baby's name again?... Are you sure she's your baby? She's too cute to be your baby." She will be missed, but I know she is her happy self again and that is a wonderful thing.
After the burial service we each took a balloon and wrote a note to Grandma Inga and then released them all at the same time. It was really neat to see.
Afterward we all went to a nearby church and had a luncheon. It was so great to visit with my cousins whom I haven't seen in many years. Of my siblings Nate, Shiloam, Ben, Brigetta, Tanis, and Ashana all attended with their spouses/families. My mom was there as well. After the burial my Grandpa stayed at my mom's house for about 2 weeks. It was fun to spend some time with him since we don't head out to California nearly as much as we would like to. I think I've been 3 times in the last 10 years. One night we played Hand and Foot for a few hours with my mom and grandpa. Grandpa thought it would be a good idea to play guys against girls... In all fairness Andy did warn him he wasn't a very good partner. Mom and I beat them so badly my grandpa had to up the ante. After they finally won a game and we left my grandpa said, "I thought Andy was quiet." My mom laughed and said, "Nope. Once you get to know him he opens up quite a bit." It was fun to get to see my girls interact with him, too, since they really only know of him.
I have to insert this little bit... When I work on my linen cross stitches I have one of my children in mind. There is meaning behind all of them that pertains to each child. Anyway, a long time ago I started a cross stitch and thought, "If ever we have another baby this one works well. It's colorful and it's not gender specific." I ended up putting it away for a long time. I picked it back up after my 4th miscarriage and started working on it again. Tears came to my eyes as I noticed it was entitled "In the Arms of an Angel". I felt that was a tender mercy from the Lord and I worked on it till it was done. I was so excited when I received a coupon for Michael's framing for 75% off! I quickly ran down that day and picked out what I wanted and anxiously awaited the finish product. I then added vinyl underneath that says, "In the arms of an Angel". It's a reminder to me of our sweet baby we lost that is very much a part of our family, but is just in the arms of someone else for now.
Sometime during the month Katie lost her first tooth. She was so excited it was loose that she wanted Bryce to come over an pull it out. His kids don't let him touch their teeth so when our kids let him... he brings them a dollar. When he rang the door bell Katie started saying, "He's here! He's here! He's here!" Then she had to call her Uncle Adam and Aunt Cindy and tell them all about it.
Soon after she lost her second one! She was so excited and had to tell everyone!
My sister-in-law, Amy, gave us her BSU tickets just before Thanksgiving. I am always saying I would rather stab myself in the foot than to watch football. Andy tried to convince me to go but I wasn't interested till he told me how good the seats were. They were about 15 feet back and literally on the 45 yard line... plus they was an overhead heater.
We took that picture and then sent it to Mindy who is a HUGE BSU fan and said, "Smiling and no body parts are stabbed." We also had some friends that attended the same game and we played "Where's Waldo" to find them in the crowded seats. It was so cold that day and even though we were covered and had overhead heaters we left early. BSU won and it was a lot of fun to be there together.
My little brother, Brinton, also left for his mission to Cochabamba, Bolivia. The funniest line before he left came from Ashley. She asked Brinton where he was going and when he answered her response was, "Hey! We had a babysitter from Olivia!" (We had a girl named Olivia that used to babysit them before she moved.) Brinton laughed and said, "No. BOlivia." We miss him around here but we are glad he is doing good in the world. Just before he left you could tell it was starting to sink in. He would ask to take out the girls on an uncle/niece date. He loved to take them to the movies and spoil them.
Halloween has always been a favorite holiday around here, but this year we kept it low key. We went to our ward trunk-or-treat, and then went trick-or-treating as a family on Halloween night. The girls were not allowed to "dress-up" for Halloween at school, but instead they were asked to dress up as what they want to be when they grow up. Lame! (Insert eye roll here) Katie wants to be a fashion girl/rock star, Sammy wants to be an artist (there are paintbrushes in her apron pocket and one behind her ear), and Ashley and Gracie both want to be moms when they grow up.
November
We had the opportunity to attend the open house of the Boise Temple. The Boise Temple was remodeled, then they had an open house and then had a re dedication. It was a unique experience for our whole family to be there and we also brought along Gracie.
That weekend Andy and I traveled to Eastern Idaho for the burial of my Grandma Inga Baker. She married my grandpa some time after my mother's mom died and she is the only grandma I ever knew. She battled Alzheimer's disease for a long time and finally gave it up to leave this world. Before the disease took over her body I remember her being this spunky lil' firecracker. She was always playing games and joking around, but when the time called for it she was stern and serious. She always had tins full of oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. They were the best!!! The funny thing is so many of my cousins and myself have tried to make them like she did without success. It will always be her secret recipe. She was a great cook! I especially loved her potato salad and roast beef sandwiches on rolls. (Insert drooling here) I remember one trip out to California with my sister, Brigetta, and my cousin, Vanessa. I think I was about 11 and we stayed out there for about a week or so. Grandma and Grandpa took us to Disneyland and near the end of the night the lines had disappeared. We rode Thunder Mountain over and over. We kept yelling at grandma to run and she would yell back, "I AM!" She was constantly teasing me, but I dished it right back to her. It was our fun little thing we did. When she had started to lose her short term memory Andy and I took a trip out there when Sammy was about 3 months old. Grandma would ask me about every 15 minutes or so, "What's your baby's name again?... Are you sure she's your baby? She's too cute to be your baby." She will be missed, but I know she is her happy self again and that is a wonderful thing.
After the burial service we each took a balloon and wrote a note to Grandma Inga and then released them all at the same time. It was really neat to see.
I have to insert this little bit... When I work on my linen cross stitches I have one of my children in mind. There is meaning behind all of them that pertains to each child. Anyway, a long time ago I started a cross stitch and thought, "If ever we have another baby this one works well. It's colorful and it's not gender specific." I ended up putting it away for a long time. I picked it back up after my 4th miscarriage and started working on it again. Tears came to my eyes as I noticed it was entitled "In the Arms of an Angel". I felt that was a tender mercy from the Lord and I worked on it till it was done. I was so excited when I received a coupon for Michael's framing for 75% off! I quickly ran down that day and picked out what I wanted and anxiously awaited the finish product. I then added vinyl underneath that says, "In the arms of an Angel". It's a reminder to me of our sweet baby we lost that is very much a part of our family, but is just in the arms of someone else for now.
Sometime during the month Katie lost her first tooth. She was so excited it was loose that she wanted Bryce to come over an pull it out. His kids don't let him touch their teeth so when our kids let him... he brings them a dollar. When he rang the door bell Katie started saying, "He's here! He's here! He's here!" Then she had to call her Uncle Adam and Aunt Cindy and tell them all about it.
My sister-in-law, Amy, gave us her BSU tickets just before Thanksgiving. I am always saying I would rather stab myself in the foot than to watch football. Andy tried to convince me to go but I wasn't interested till he told me how good the seats were. They were about 15 feet back and literally on the 45 yard line... plus they was an overhead heater.
That Sunday we were able to take Sammy and go to the Boise Temple Dedication. It was a sweet experience for Andy and I to have with Sammy. I didn't know this till just before that it was also Andy's first dedication to attend. I guess growing up in Utah I didn't realize how rare those opportunities are. Afterward we watched our friend's little ones so they could go together with the older kids and then we headed off to Utah for Thanksgiving.
The drive to Utah was long and many frequent stops for bathroom breaks. But, we got there just about the time the girls were dozing off to sleep.
We almost always spend Thanksgiving with Andy's parents and whatever siblings can make it as well. This year 5 out of the 10 siblings were able to come and we had a great time. We arrived first and shortly after the Moss family showed up. Andy did the "fun uncle" thing one day and took the 2 younger Moss kids and our 3 girls to the dinosaur museum down in Lehi. They all thought it was pretty cool even though Sammy's face says, "I hate this". I laughed pretty hard when I realized Ashley gave herself bunny ears in the picture.
One day we visited my sister, Shiloam, and her family for about an hour and played games with them while the kids played hard together. Saylor makes me laugh. She was telling me all about how mean Andy is (because he teases her). By the end she was calling him all sorts of names, laugh, and then come to me crying if Andy tried to tickle her. After the rest of the family arrived at Andy's parent's house there was lots to do. We played games, went shopping, ate LOTS of food, and enjoyed the company. At the end of the week the girls were begging us to stay just one more day. However, since I was sick with a nasty head cold (all week) and Andy was getting the start of one we said our goodbyes and headed home.
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