Not much of an update

The month of September was a quiet one. We really don't have much to report about. We got together with family a few times during the month and said "Goodbye" to Matt's brother Eric and his wife Julia (we miss you guys). We went to a luau birthday party and all of us dressed up. Yes, even Matt, the good sport, even though he only had to put on a Hawaiian shirt and a lei. Belle even had on a miniature coconut bra. It was a blast. We tied for 1st place in the costume contest with this kid that dressed up like a Samoan fire dancer. Unfortunately I didn't get pictures. I need to get copies from our friends so that we can show off how terrific we looked. It was pretty sweet. Man am I mad we didn't get pictures.

We also went up to my parent's cabin to spend some time with dear family friends, the Lambsons. The mom of the family has the most beautiful accent in the world. She is french and I could listen to her speak all day. We had so much fun. We played 5 crowns late into the night and Matt got in as much fishing as he could.





The trees were gorgeous. They were just starting to change color, which is how I love it. The top picture is what they looked like.



The kids have grown up a bit over the last month. Belle has some of her molars and another new tooth. She also is trying to say most words. She already is trying two word sentences. Beckett can "read" Green Eggs and Ham. I tried to post a video of it, but it took like all day and it still wasn't loaded. If any of you have tips on how to upload a really big video file, please feel free to leave a comment. Beckett is talking better every day. I can't believe how much he has improved in his speech just over the summer.

Something else that happened in September was we took a road trip to Logan. Matt forgot to return keys to a car that he had taken pictures of one day and so we had to take a little drive up Sardine Canyon and return them that night. While we were there, we decided to get a treat and bought some Jamba Juice. I was going to buy a small smoothie for the kids too split, but the workers told me they could just put the leftover smoothies into little cups for the kids. I didn't know how "kid size" they really were until they handed them over. Aren't they adorable?







The kids loved them and sucked happily on them the whole way home. It was a wonderful treat. Thank you Jamba Juice, for accommodating to the little people.

March Update

Hey everybody. Sorry it has taken so long to update you all. Things have been crazy since we dropped Mom Jacob off at the airport. Anabelle had her first birthday last week. I can't believe it has already been one year. She is such a fun baby. She loves to cuddle all the time. I love to cuddle, but she seems to only want to do it when I have to make dinner or some other household chore. She is also a walking nut. She loves to walk. The first time we took her outside to walk, she loved it. And now whenever the door is open, she tries to go outside. She thinks it is a blast and that she is such a big girl. For her birthday, she got her first pair of shoes. The first time she wore them was at a park. It was also her second time walking on grass. She didn't move. She was really freaked out by the shoes and then by the uneven ground. It was really funny. She wouldn't even move when we held her hand. Here are some pictures of her eating her cake. I guess she didn't really eat her cake, she mostly smooshed it.

Beckett has grown up a little this past month. He is starting to enjoy books now. My mother lent us "One Fish, Two Fish" by Dr. Seuss and this book is what did it. He wants to read it almost every day before his naps and before going to bed. It is great. I was worried that he was never going to like books, but I have high hopes now. He has also started to become more mischievous. One day I was at my mother's house and I noticed that the kids weren't around and that it was kind of quiet. I started to search for them and started to hear giggling in the basement. I went down there thinking they were just playing in the little toy room under the stairs. No, they were in the bathroom splashing away in the toilet bowl. I thought I was going to die. YUCK! So gross. He also loves his new independence. He loves that he can get into the cupboards all by himself. He will get the cereal out or the crackers, and then after he has gotten his spoils, he will leave it on the floor. Belle will then proceed to dump them all out on the floor. I guess they have become partners in crime.

Matt got fired a little over a month ago for being an honest guy, and then last week got a better job that fits him perfectly. He takes pictures of cars for dealerships and then puts them on the Internet with the facts on each car. So it all turned out for the better. I just want to say thank you to everyone that helped us stretch our finances and for all of the prayers. We have been truly blessed.

So, during the month that Matt was out of work, we had a camping trip in our living room. We set up our tent in the living room, put in the mattress that goes on our hide-a-bed and some camping chairs, got out our camping lamp, and made smores bars (made from Golden Grahams). Christa, my sister, came up and spent the night with us. We watched "Kung Fu Panda", one of our family's new favorite movies. Then Matt, Beckett, and I slept in the tent that night. It wasn't that bad. I think Beckett only woke up once. It was really fun. A nice way to shake it up.

There hasn't been much new going on with me. I am reading the Chronicles of Narnia and am really enjoying the series so far. A friend's blog has inspired me to do something special this month. I have decided to blog each day this month about something I am grateful for. It is the month of Easter and I want to honor what our Savior did by showing my gratitude. Today I am grateful that Matt has a job. I already started talking about it, I just want to expound a little bit more on it. I am grateful for it because now we don't have to sell our home and move back in with my parents (which is what Matt and I had started talking about if Matt didn't get a job by the first part of April). I am grateful for it because I can go to the store and buy some non-necessities and not feel guilty. I can cook whatever I want because we now have an in-come, not just an out-go (pun). I can now go to the Treehouse Museum with my kids and feel okay spending the $5 it takes to get us in. I can pay our bills with confidence. It is amazing how easily I can breathe now that we have money coming in. What a blessing work can be! The children and I will miss having Matt around more, but as soon as school is out, we will see him more again. Plus he now has something we haven't had for a long time with Matt's jobs - paid vacation - so we can take advantage of that too. I am grateful for Matt's job.