The Latest

Well, it has been a while since I had time (and a computer) to write. So - an update on us!

The Thursday before Easter, Isaac started to Army crawl! That's right -- in literally a matter of hours my baby boy became mobile! And he hasn't stopped ever since. I should have known when he came out with a wrinkled brow that suggested he was trying to solve every mystery in the universe before his first birthday that I was in for a non-stop ride! And what I am sure is going to be just that for the next -- FOREVER -- has already started. He gets this look on his face when he decides he wants something, and within seconds, he's after it at mock 20! If you've seen him, you're laughing because I am NOT EXAGGERATING ONE BIT. If you haven't seen him, you are laughing because you think I'm just a new mom and don't understand yet that he's a typical boy. Whatever the reason, I assure you that my little man IS A PROBLEM SOLVIN' GENIUS who already DRIVES HIS MOMMY CRAZY in the best way EVER! But as soon as I start singing and he decides it's time to join in, he melts my heart!

And Abby -- well, Abby is just DYING TO JOIN HIM in his crusades. She's more into solving the world through wise and calm observations than tackling it literally HEAD ON! She watches him move around and, after a few moments, tries so hard to follow -- she just doesn't quite have the knack of moving forward yet. But she gets excited and kicks her legs and babbles and pivots and rolls around to get as far as she can. And what a talker! She makes sounds I didn't know existed until recently -- some of them I discovered just today, actually! Her eyes get wide and her legs start going and . . . . They're both so cute!

This house isn't big enough for Isaac to explore. And when they both get mobile, it's going to be day in and day out at the park for us. I don't really care which one; any will do, really. They just are going to need to be OUT for playtime and to explore the many crevices in this SMALL LITTLE WORLD and IN for naptime. I decided on yesterday's walk that being out for snack time isn't bad either -- I mean, the sidewalks make great landing marks for cracker crumbs, much easier to clean up than my kitchen or living room floor! ;-D

We went to Dave's parents' for Easter. We were joined by is sister Sarah and her family and his sister Elizabeth and her finace, Clinton. It was fun, especially when we went out shooting and they handed me a gun that was bigger than me by a few inches and had quite a lot of KICK to it! Okay, maybe not quite bigger than me, but it was BIG, friends, REALLY BIG! A shotgun or something like that. And I actually had a really fun time. Pictures pending -- prepare to be amazed! The cutest picture, though, is probably of the babies with noise-protection on their ears. They are adorable! Again, pictures pending!

Other than that, well we're just going going going going. I've been working on editing a dissertation for quite a while now. I think we're nearing the end of the first four chapters -- only two to go after that. It's quite fun, really, when I have time that I don't feel guilty giving up with the babies.

We also found out that Dave doesn't have to complete an internship in California this summer, so we'll be here in Moscow. He'll finish his internship at Schweitzer and then we'll have one more year before he graduates and we move to California for a year. Then, if all goes well and is in the Lord's plan the same way it is in ours, we'll be back here for Dave's M.S. After that -- the sky's the limit! We'll see where it takes us.

What else? Well, I started a new blog: The Mommy 15. It's fun! When I have a computer, I find myself researching and thinking about all sorts of questions revolving around health and and fitness and weight loss and nutrition and all sorts of things. I think some people read it, but I mostly just enjoy researching, discovering, and working really hard to put into practice what I read in hopes that I will someday be totally successful!

I've been serving in the Stake Primary Presidency. Tonight was our last night at Stake Council as a presidency, since the President is moving when her husband graduates in May. It's been a lot of fun, though I have a few regrets in the sense that I feel like so much has happened in the last eight months that I haven't given it my all. I know I could have done so much more! And that's not a feeling you want to have when you leave a calling from the Lord. But I guess that just fills me with a determination to do more with the next calling! And I will -- and my babies are getting to a point where I think I will be able to, I think Dave and I are managing things a lot better now than we did even two months ago! That's a good feeling.

On a final note: My uncle passed away on Monday. He has been battling diabetes for more years than I can remember. Finally, his heart started to give out as well, and his wife was left with the difficult decision of whether they should operate, with no guarantee he would make it through it, or just let him go. They decided to stop dialysis and not operate and just let him go. Unfortunately, it took 18 days for his body to let his spirit call it quits. I can only imagine how hard that must have been on his wife, children, and grandchildren. I know it really affected me, and I wasn't even there with him, watching him each day. He was a great man, an avid reader, a die-hard scouter, witty, full of random facts and a lot of knowledge about money and camping and dutch-oven cooking and just life in general. He always had good advice for you, whether you were standing in the back yard or washing dishes, facing large life decisions or just getting ready to go to a movie - he just had good advice and wanted to share it to keep people from making the same mistakes he did. He was just a good man.