November started out slowly for us. We tried to have a quiet, normal week to recover from Halloween. And we prepared for our whirlwind trip to Washington for Katie and Eric's Wedding. The drive both ways went surprisingly well considering we were traveling with children ages 7, 5, 2, and 3 months. Mommy sat in the back seat so it was easier to dispense treats, love, and discipline as needed. The kids loved having me back there with them and they did amazing. We spent the night at Grammy and Grampy's house in Meridian to help break up the drive. Tommy slept in the same room as the girls. After all his night wakings lately we were a little worried about this situation. But it turned out great. He went down happily and slept all night for the first time in weeks! The kids loved their time with Grammy and Grampy - plus Grammy gave us some fun books and activities for the car which were a big hit with the kids. It had been almost a year since we had been to Washington and the kids were so excited to stay at Puna and Papa's house again. They were away decorating the church for Katie's reception when we arrived so the house was empty. Tommy searched the whole house for Puna and Papa. After checking the upstairs he came down the stairs and with a very confused look asked us "Why Puna not home?" The next morning we got everyone dressed and made our way to the temple. Our friend Diane Coleman came to tend the children at the temple while we witnessed the sealing. It is so fun to go back to the temple where we were married and see more members of our family be sealed there too.
Funny story about the sealing. It was supposed to be at 11:00 a.m. We weren't even escorted to the sealing room until 11:30 a.m. Then the sealer was a bit of a character. He seemed distracted and I felt he was a bit irreverent. He had Katie and Eric kneel at the opposite ends of the altar rather than the sides where couples usually kneel. Katie and Eric could barely reach each other over the altar. When it was time for them to kiss "over the altar" Eric had to get up and walk over to Katie in order to reach her. I could tell Eric was not very happy about that. Oh well! At least they are married now.
The colors on the grounds were beautiful. We really enjoyed taking the kids for a walk through the gardens after the sealing. And thank goodness the weather cleared up so Katie could get some pictures on the grounds.
Lily and Annie loved their new dresses and kept spinning and skipping everywhere they went.
I love my beautiful cousins!
And my beautiful girls!
The canopy of colors was magical for the kids. They loved running and exploring the temple grounds.
We tried to get a good family picture, but the high sun made it hard for the kids to look at the camera. I love how fiery the girls' hair always looks in the sun.
Papa secured a place in Tommy's heart by sharing his train. All the kids had fun at the dental office. Tommy was so excited to watch the train. Papa even lifted him up for a closer look.
We put leaves on the Thanksgiving tree too. It was fun to read that so many patients are thankful for Papa and what he does for them.
Little Joey was just along for the ride. He has started chewing his fists. Lily and Tommy both did this a lot at this age too.
The luncheon was fun. The girls and Tommy took off their shoes and ran around with the cousins. After we finished eating we went home for a rest - and then the reception. Everything was beautiful. Katie and Eric were glowing. I loved seeing old friends and my family. It was hard to get up early the next morning to leave again. I think we spent more time traveling to and from Washington than we spent in Washington. It was worth it.
The kids surprised us yet again on the drive back. Good moods, no potty accidents, lots of resting. The boys had a good snuggle at a rest stop while the girls went potty. They loved getting crowns at Burger King. We hope they enjoyed the crowns because the food was so gross we won't be going back for a long time. Why do children love fast food so much? Yuck!
We made it back to Rigby just in time for the kids' Primary program in Sacrament meeting. It was a sweet program. Lily's part was: "I like going to church on Sundays because I love the church." Annie's part was: "I feel Heavenly Father's love for me when I feel the Holy Ghost." They did great and they loved getting to wear their new dresses from the wedding.
Mommy needed to make a trip to the distribution center near the temple. We made a stop at the temple visitor's center so Mommy could feed Joey. We were the only ones in there and the senior missionaries spoiled us. They played on the interactive computers with Annie and Tommy, gave the kids coloring sheets and crayons, did a special presentation about Jesus for the kids, and gave us Tootsie Rolls. It was a great place to stop and rest during a busy day of errands. We love our Idaho Falls temple!
Annie is doing excellent in dance and gymnastics. She loves dancing and loves it when Mommy can actually watch her.
Lily is getting ready for a clogging performance in December. She still loves clogging and has improved so much since last year.
Annie's preschool teacher taught the kids about the Mayflower and Thanksgiving last week. She was so proud of her ship. Look at that cute little face!
One morning all the kids were snuggled together on our bed before Lily had to leave for school. I ran to get my camera but by the time I got back, Tommy didn't want to be in the photo. He is SO two years old! He wanted to wrap himself in the cozy blankets from the bed. He created a little nest for himself and stayed in there for a long time.
Joey turned three months old this week. He is doing awesome - although he spits up a lot more than we would like. He almost sleeps through the night - usually waking around 2:00 or 4:00 a.m. for a feeding. He has learned to blow bubbles and "razzberries" with his mouth. He is smiling all the time and lights up when he sees Mommy or Daddy. He is almost wearing size six month clothes and is getting really chunky. It is so fun to finally have a chunky baby!
We have decided that we won't allow the kids to have sleepovers with friends. There is just too much easy access to evil in this world and we don't want to let our children spend the night and stay up late without supervision in other people's homes. So we have decided to allow late-overs. This Friday we had our first one with their friend Shaeley. She was able to stay until 9:30 p.m. The kids did Thanksgiving crafts with Mommy and helped put up some Thanksgiving decorations. Tommy had fun playing with the girls too. He especially loved making his own Thanksgiving crown. They made popcorn and watched a movie and played lots of games too. We even had time for manicures. It was a fun night and the girls were really tired the next day. Which meant Mommy and Daddy got a little bit of time to sleep in.
Tommy accidentally broke a dozen eggs right after a trip to the grocery store on Saturday. Life with a two year old boy is never dull.
Monday morning we got a light dusting of snow. Annie was out the moment there was enough to play in. The rest of the kids joined her a little while later but they got cold fast and decided there wasn't enough snow to make it worth their time.
To warm themselves back up they piled up the snow gear and jumped on the pile over and over. Tommy kept yelling "cannon ball!" with each jump. They had more fun playing with the snow gear than they did playing in the snow.
Jeremy came down with a cold Saturday and had to stay home from church on Sunday and work on Monday. Hopefully he'll be feeling better soon.
So now we're all caught up. The kids are counting down the days to Thanksgiving!
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