Family Update

I thought I would do an update on my family. Here goes:

Justin is still in school and so far his classes this semester do not seem that tough. He is not very stressed with homework and I am enjoying this! At the end of the school year (next end of April and beginning of May) he gets to go to ASIA for 2 weeks! They will be visiting many businesses as well as many touristy things. I could go with him, but it costs $7,000 so I have decided to pass and perhaps take a fun family trip next summer instead. After he finishes school next June we are hoping to move closer to SLC (Bountiful ideally) and he is going to apply to different companies in Utah and out of state and just see what else is out there. Although last night he just said he may not apply out of state and just stay living here in Utah which is fine by me! He is still working for Northrop Grumman (7 years now) and is working on a proposal which could send him to LA for 3 months at the beginning of the year. If he leaves, I may board up my house and go with him for a while and we'll stay in an extended stay place. If we get sick of it, we'll come home but I love adventures!

I just finished my diet and as is expected, the weight did not stay off completely. I gained about 1-2 pounds per day for the first few days and have leveled off around 142-143. I am completely fine with this for now since I am enjoying food. Perhaps in a little bit I will work on getting under 140 again. I am really enjoying my kids and they are fun to hang out with. I am working to put together our choir's Christmas program and enjoy teaching the Sunbeams at church. I also enjoy shopping way too much and need to find more hobbies to keep me busy so I shop less! I am also really excited for the Christmas season and can't wait for stores and the mall to start decorating! I know that it is months away but I am just in the mood for it to all begin. In some ways I am glad it is still so far away because I am going to enjoy it for a long time! On the other hand, I am excited for Halloween and that is just right around the corner!

Tim is almost 3 1/2 and just started preschool with our neighbor Sarah Parke. I was a little nervous because we sent him for a summer camp this June and he did not want to go and did not want to learn. As such, I did not send him again to camp in August and went straight to Preschool in September. The orientation was rough but then it was like he did a complete change and really enjoys going and learning! He loves riding his bike over there with his backpack on and shows me everything he did when he gets home. He constantly amazes me with the things he knows and his language makes me laugh a lot! He loves sending things down slides and racetracks and still loves Lightning McQueen. The potty training is slow going and pretty non-existent right now. His diapers are starting to really bother him so hopefully soon he'll be ready. He is getting so big!

Allison is just a doll. She is learning new words every day and acting more like a little girl than a baby and I just love it! We just barely pulled her binkies away yesterday and she is going through withdrawals but she will live. We just hope there won't be an hour of screaming again tonight! She loves dolls and sticker books and brings me the remote and asks me to turn on her show (Baby Einstein) every day. She can climb out of her bed and we are in the process of getting her a mattress and new twin bedding for her big girl bed. For now, I just leave the side down on her crib so she can climb out easily and it works.

Well, there you have it! I am constantly amazed at the blessings in our lives and grateful that we are part of the gospel. We are working on kneeling down for family prayer and holding a regular FHE each Monday night. I enjoy being a mom more and more each day and love seeing my kids and husband happy!