Army tanks, green beens and other random thoughts

I have to rave about Sam for a moment. A week ago him and I sat down and we set a goal together. And when I say we "set a goal together" - I mean I bribed him. At any rate, we agreed that if he could be polite and behave while at school for an entire week then he could chose a Toy on the weekend. Well...he DID IT!!!! Every afternoon when I would pick up Sam from School I would ask his teacher how he was that day and each and every day she told me he had been just GREAT! Yahoo!!!! This was such a relief to me, mostly because it confirms to me something that I have always known about my son. Sam is perfectly capable of controlling his own behaviour.

He'd just doesn't always want to - that's all. ;)

Needless to say, John took him down to the local dollar store and Sam came home a very happy man with a cheap army tank transformer in his little hand. He earned it!

That's not to say he doesn't still have his moments. When he is not at school, he continues to make us laugh with his crazy ninja moves, monkey imitations, and methods of torture that he chooses to inflict on both of his sisters. Oddly enough though, I'm Ok with that!


Nate has been a bit sick this week. I've gone through the usual debate of "Is he sick? or is he Teething?" I never know. This morning though I finally got a glimpse inside his mouth and sure enough - he's got MOLARS coming up! Poor little bug. He's walking so much now, and has started to wave and clap even if nobody is around to praise him for it. It's been funny to watch him eat lately. For the most part he is a GREAT eater.However, put a pile of green beans on his tray and he has absolutely no time a day for them.

As in not interested at ALL. This usually results in a green heap of bean right below his feet.

I tell ya, he's lucky he is so cute!

My sister in law Rachel is expecting her first child (a BOY) in just a few short weeks. (Ok, who am I kidding - we all know that those last six weeks before a baby comes are the most tediously slow weeks ever.) On Saturday her husband's sister hosted a baby shower for her in Lethbridge. I enjoyed attending, and it was especially nice to get to visit with family and friends.

Lana pulled it off beautifully! I was so happy for Rach and excited for her new addition very soon (but really in like forever) and I can't wait to see Rach as a MOM. She will be such a good one.

I must confess I walked away feeling somewhat sheepish that I was not the one doing this for her. But that's alright, I could not have done as good of a job. Besides, I may not be the most supportive sister in law, but I'm determined to be a much better AUNT! I'm pretty sure all it will take is a whole lot of candy, and an endless supply of Dollar Store Toys. That seems to be my winning approach with kids lately;)


This has been a very hectic week for John. He's definitely adjusted to the back to school routine, and I think he is enjoying things. This week was extra busy however, as it consisted of stake young men's meetings, activities, and Volleyball commitments that were scheduled back to back or even in a couple of instances at the same time. This really had John scrambling and juggling. I remember one particular morning as John was saying good bye to the kids, he told them he would see them...um...well.. the next morning!! And sure enough the kids did not see him until the next day. (Not that they didn't fight me at bedtime and attempt to play the whole "please let us stay up late to see Daddy" card. The little punks!) John handles the busyness really well though, and we both know that things will calm down in a couple of months.

As far as things go for me, I am still waiting for this whole arthritis thing to clear up. It has been a bit frustrating that although things are improving, progress has been so.darn.slow. Still- things are improving! This is shaping out to be a very interesting and tutoring experience for me personally. One that has been both debilitating and facilitating all at the same time! On one hand I find myself wishing that I could just do all of the normal daily tasks that I used to do with such ease. From running, to eating to getting on my knees to pray - everything takes a little more time these days, and involves a little more ache then I'd prefer. On the other hand though, I feel that this is taking me in a direction spiritually, that I should have perhaps been going in a long time ago. It is almost as though this challenge has been tailor made to draw out all of my weakness and is making me change who I am and how I handle things. Definitely an exercise in patience. (And believe me, I have never had any desire to be patient before, so this is a good thing right?)

My thoughts keep going back to something my Bishop taught us in a combined Priesthood and Relief Society meeting a couple of weeks ago. In short, he cautioned us to not let ourselves get into a rut where we expect life to always be convenient, or comfortable, and certainly to not let those become factors that determine how we live our lives on a daily basis. His words have continued to resonate with me in a lot of ways. Not only that, but I've also had the sobering realization lately that there are people around me going through much worse. I don't mean that in an abstract "everybody has trials" sort of way but in a literal "people I know and care about are going down much more difficult paths then this" kind of way. More and more I find myself thanking God that this is ALL I have to deal with. Besides that, I always have the reassurance that this is all very Temporary.

That pretty much sums up this past week in our family. The leaves are beginning to turn yellow and I am anxiously dreaming of future drives out to Waterton. Waterton in the fall is stunning, and it isn't busy, so I feel like I get to enjoy the park all to myself! (What can I say, I'm greedy like that)

I absolutely LOVE the fall!