Owen is crawling! (7 months old)
Catching a snail family with a baby and all. The boys named them Leaf, Fred, Stinky, etc.
Conference weekend we made caramel apples between sessions. Delicious.
Merritt surprised me with this beautiful bouquet of flowers for our 6th wedding anniversary. He arranged it himself. Weren't they beautiful?
Merritt's family at the airport anxiously waiting for their missionary to return home.
Elder Mitchell returns, greeted by all eight of his siblings and parents! So good to all be together.
My boys having fun during our first family night in our new apartment!
Merritt and my brother Ryan finished Jill's basement, and we moved in last week. I unpacked the last box last night. There's still cleaning to do and closets to organize but it's actually starting to look and feel like home. The kids seem to be adjusting to the move just fine. I think it's shown them that things can change but your family stays the same. No matter where you go, you always have best friends when your brothers are around. In fact, Luke has started to refer to Collin as his best friend. The other day he was looking for Collin and said, "Mom, where's my best friend Collin?" So cute.
Collin seems to be really enjoying kindergarten. I've been amazed at the improvement in his handwriting and reading. He can read simple books all by himself now. I'm so excited for him. What a gift it is to be able to read!
Luke is really enjoying the home preschool I do with him and his friend, Haylie. He seems to be soaking it up. He loves to read stories, do art work, and learn science. He pretends to read and write (probably because he wants to be like his big brother). He recognizes all the letters and most numbers now. So we're working on learning the sounds each letter makes. We've talked about plant life cycles, the sun and moon, and how to make observations using our five senses. It's great fun.
Owen turned 7 months old and is crawling all over the house. He pulls himself up to a standing position on furniture too. He's quite mobile, and I'm constantly fishing stuff out of his mouth. It's definitely time to childproof the house.
Merritt and I have been given callings at our new church, which has also helped us feel like we're settling in. Merritt is serving on the ward activities committee and I've been asked to teach Sunday school to the 12-13 year old youth.
I love my new calling. I love working with the kids and I love learning from the scriptures. I have about 8-11 kids that show up every week (almost all of which are boys) so it's a relatively large class. Last Sunday was my first time teaching and I think it went pretty well.
Of course, everything would be even better if Merritt could actually find work. He's still unemployed and spends hours each day job searching and networking and emailing applications and resumes. He's been here over a month now and hasn't been invited in for a single interview. But we're trying not to get discouraged.
Merritt seems most hopeful about working as a nursing home administrator. He's looking into AIT (administer in training) programs locally and in California. As for me, I'm starting to teach at a preschool once a week with a woman who uses primarily science for her curriculum. We're also hoping to start writing a book together some time within the next couple of weeks. She's a published author and professor at Weber State University. I'm excited to have found such a great mentor with whom I have so much in common.
I really enjoyed general conference last weekend. It always sustains and uplifts and refreshes me to sit at the feet of living prophets and apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ. I learn so much and enjoy feeling the Holy Spirit teach and testify and reassure me of God's love. I find myself always wishing that the whole world could hear them speak. It's such a life-changing experience every time. I feel so much love for the leaders of the church and I look to their example to guide me.
This weekend we actually had company in our new place already. Merritt's parents came up from Monticello to visit. It was so fun to see them. And it was Mark's first time meeting Owen. They were picking up Merritt's brother at the airport whom they had not seen in two years. He has been serving as a missionary in Georgia. Merritt's other brother, Adam, leaves for his mission in a couple of weeks. He's been called to serve in Chile and will be learning Spanish.
The whole family came to the airport to greet Peter as soon as he arrived at the airport. While we were waiting there were other missionaries reuniting with their families as well. It brought tears to my eyes to watch their faces. What a reunion that must be for parent and child! I couldn't help but think that it will be my turn someday to send my sons away and then receive them back again. Velinda commented to me that she sends them away boys and they come back men...and not just men but heroes deserving a hero's welcome. So true.
Luckily for me my heroes are still little, and they stay home with me and I can talk to them and hug them and kiss them whenever I want. And they make me smile every day. Actually, both Collin and Luke are turning out to be quite the characters. The night Merritt's parents were staying with us, Collin pulled a prank on Nana.
Collin had been playing all afternoon with one of those little plastic spider rings you see around Halloween. Well that night when we gathered for family prayer, we all closed our eyes and reverently bowed our heads. All except Collin that is. He quietly slipped the spider onto Nana's lap while she had her eyes closed. When the prayer ended she opened her eyes and squealed, much to Collin's delight. It was pretty hilarious. Thankfully she had a great sense of humor about it. After all, she has raised four boys.
As for Luke, he is developing quite the comic timing as well. Grandma introduced the boys to Mickey Mouse shaped chicken nuggets, which they love. And one night she asked them if anyone needed barbecue sauce. Later that evening, Luke was trying to enter an adult conversation and very seriously interrupted everyone to ask, "Does anyone need any barbecue sauce?" For some reason it struck us all as funny and we shared a good laugh. Well, ever since Luke has continued to occasionally ask whether anyone needs barbecue sauce. What makes this so entertaining is that he does it just enough to make it funny every time.
For example, we all went to the movie theater to watch the new Ice Age movie, Dawn of the Dinosaurs. Grandma and Grandpa were there. Amy and Mitch were there, as well as our entire family of course. The movie was at a slow point and I remember thinking to myself, I hope this picks up soon. And then, just when the theater was at its quietest, Luke leans over in his seat to face the row of family members and whispers, "Does anyone have any barbecue sauce?" And it became one of those moments when you're laughing in public and shouldn't be, so it makes you laugh even harder.
Life is never dull when you have three boys. It's great. It really is.
