Updates Sans Pictures

I cannot believe it is almost November!  Where does the time go?

We have been constantly busy, but it seems not much is really happening!  We're trying to get some damage in the condo repaired (gotta love an HOA Manager who is great at avoiding and putting off, an upstairs neighbor who is great at reassigning blame and ignoring correspondence that would suggest liability) and get it sold.  There are too many things to manage without adding a condo on top of it, and our mortgage is high enough that it would cost us every month to have someone else manage it.  So - lowering the cost to less than what we paid for it, paying agent fees on top of it, and getting out while we're still above sunk is the only thing to do! :-)

Other than that, the kids are growing up so much!  I am reminded time and time again that they are WAY older than their 2 and 4 years.

Dave brought home a plant someone was getting rid of at work.  He told the kids it was a houseplant, and they ask me every day if we can plant our new house yet! LOL!  Get it?  House plant!

Abby reminds me every day that this is not our house and we are going to get a new one that is going to be better and have room for horses, chickens, cows, and roosters! (And a dog - but I'm not convinced on the dog yet!)  About three months ago, I took them out looking at various properties, dreaming about where we want to live and what our house might look like.  And she has HELD ONTO THAT dream with both hands!  I love it!

Isaac is determined as ever!  Yesterday I had them down for a nap and was just (thankfully) falling asleep myself when I heard Elder Bednar BLARING from the iPod downstairs.  Yes, Isaac had snuck out of his room without a sound, down the stairs, out the door into the garage, in the car for the toy I had taken away from him (because he climbed to the top of the closet to get it), turned on the iPod (thinking it would be too soft for me to hear) and was scared when it was so loud and started to cry!  When we went shopping for winter clothes/shoes at the local thrift store, Isaac nonchalantly took his "old" shoes off (even though he had been told repeatedly not to) as soon as we were distracted with the girls, put his "new" shoes on, and lost his old shoes.  I looked everywhere for them only to be told by the workers that someone else probably bought them - what do you expect from used shoes lying around in a thrift store? LOL!

Then today they had their FIRST Primary Program.  Last year, Isaac watched as the kids in the Lancaster Primary walked up to the stage and excitedly asked to join them.  I told him he would get a turn next year.  And there they stood in front of the entire (incredibly large) primary.  Their parts on the program were at the VERY end, so they had to keep reverent the entire time before it was their turn.  Isaac had his part memorized, "I can keep the Sabbath Day holy by listening my home teachers!"  He was so proud to say it!  Abby's was, "I can keep the Sabbath Day holy by reverence in Primary."  We found a suit and a gorgeous dress at the thrift store for them - cost us $11 for both!  And they looked so good!  I can't wait to take and post pictures.  We were going to get some today, but our Home Teacher came over right after church and by the time we had time, they were done with church clothes!

After the Primary Program, we took the kids to Primary.  Abby immediately started to cry and put the brakes on!  "But Mommy, I already sat and sang and sat and sang and sat and sang - now I'm done!  I want to go home!"  She has always struggled with that part of Primary for some reason, even last year she would cry about having to sit so long and sing so much. :-)

Isaac, on the other hand, didn't tell us he didn't want to go to Primary.  And it wasn't until I looked up from playing with kids and getting things out in Nursery and realized we had an extra large child playing in there that I got the hint that he was done as well.  I have NO IDEA how he got out of Primary undetected, but somehow he did!

The even more classic Isaac ingenuity and determination stepped in about 15 minutes later.  The Primary President brought him to me and said, "Um - we're handing out gummy bears, and he told me that he doesn't eat sugar because it makes him sick and needed to come and find his mom."  I was stunned!  And he wasted no time with her and I distracted by conversation to jump back in and start playing with the kids.  After I asked him about it and got the same reply she had - that he doesn't eat sugar because it makes his throat hurt and his tummy sick - I sent her back and said I would bring him.  Then I offered him marshmallows if he would sit all the way through Primary and not sneak out again.  It worked!  I guess the sugar in marshmallows and the sugar in gummy bears affects him differently! ;-)

Brianna is keeping up and then some!  In one day, she learned to climb out of the pack and play (her bed), turn on the light switch, and open the door!  If she can apply that same determination to potty training, we'll be set!  We have finally moved her into a toddler bed (for the most part) as well, and we moved her and Abby into the toy room to sleep with Isaac alone in the "boy" room.  Lots of changes all around, but I think we've almost worked through all the kinks.

Other things that have been going on?  Dave spent a week in Tuscon, Arizona for work training.  Then he came home and took the GMAT the next weekend.  It was actually horrible!  Guess what section he bombed?  Math!  When an Engineer bombs a business-school entry exam math test, you know something is up!  In our case, it felt like the Lord was telling us it wasn't quite the right time for Dave to start school again.  He had planned on starting in January - and with our little boy coming in December, that timing would have been hard, all around!  So - for now - we're firmly planted in just working and living and enjoying life!

And that was our other BIG news!  We found out that we are having a BLUE Christmas this year -- a baby blue Christmas, to be exact!  Our little boy is measuring at 36 weeks, so he'll be born sometime between December 10-17th.  As long as it isn't the 15th, I'm okay with whenever!