Day #181 - Eryn has a friend

Anna has always had close friends over to play, have dinner and go on family outings. This year Eryn is finally getting her turn to have a close friend to spend lots of time with. They are quite the wacky pair. :)

Day #179 &180 - Joseph

Two things I want to share about Joseph. He really makes me laugh and smile on a regular basis.

#1 - The other day I passed the street I was supposed to turn onto and I said, "Shoot, why do I always do that." Joseph responded to my question from the back of the car, "Because you don't eat Smarties." **Add his funny way of saying "Smawdees" and you'll laugh even more.

#2 - I found him in this position the other day. I promise that the laundry underneath him is clean. :)

Day #178 - CLEAN

I literally cleaned from sun up to sun down today. Sometimes I hate to clean, but I loved it today. We had a little water mess in part of a room in our basement this week. So we have had furniture pulled out and carpet pulled back, workmen in and out, hoses and fans running etc. Needless to say I am very grateful that my house is clean and in order tonight with no damage from water or mold or anything else!

Day #177 - One Full Week Home

Joel spent his first entire week home in a very long time this week. It was overall wonderful! I say overall just because certain things suffer when he is around, like my blog for example. :)

Day #176 - Book Club

I am a member of a great book club. The women always choose books I like and they make great company and conversation. I appreciate the encouragement it gives me (the slowest and most distracted reader I know) to read more often.

Day #175 - The Temple

Joel and I had the opportunity to attend the temple tonight. The spirit was so strong. I could not hold back tears. I look forward to the opportunity to go back.

Day #174 - Almost done with Isaiah

We are almost done reading the Isaiah chapters in 2nd Nephi. So thankful. :)

Day #173 - Anna Prays

The other night I reminded the girls to say their prayers before bedtime. Anna responded by telling me that she always says her prayers. I thought that that was so sweet. I told her that that was good and to keep it up. She went on to say that she prays that she won't have any nightmares and then she just says and the "you-know-whats." I asked, "What does that mean?" And she said, "You know. Sounds. Shadows. Scary things." What a funny girl. I think sometimes I forget about those childhood fears. I am glad that she can seek comfort in prayer (and the hall light). :)

Day #172 - Sunday Drive

My dad took us on a lot of Sunday drives growing up. Those created some great memories for me. Hawaii was a beautiful place to drive with the windows down. So much natural beauty. Anyway, today we took a Sunday drive with the kids. At the last minute two other families joined us (a little caravan). We took a drive around Antelope Island. It was nice. We saw buffalo, antelope and deer. There was also this (seemingly) beautiful beach area along the Great Salt Lake. It would have been beautiful if it weren't for the sand that whipped us like crazy in the wind!

Day #171 - Dance

Lily "performed" in her first dance recital today. I put that in quotations because I basically pushed her around on stage to music while the other kids actually danced. We were mostly there to support the other kids in the class. She has been in a wheelchair dance class with three other girls with spina bifida at the U of Utah. She is the youngest in the class and probably too young to get the full experience. But it has been such a great opportunity for her to have these three great girls in her life. Just for her to be able to see other girls moving so well in their wheelchairs has been awesome. The dance experience has been very sweet, too. The teachers do a wonderful job.