Happy Halloween!

It's been a whole two weeks since I last sat down to write an update. I downloaded pictures from my digital camera yesterday and there were over a hundred, so I knew it had been a while. We are all doing great. The girls are growing and learning like crazy. Tegan is really picking up on a lot of her words and Kelby is learning all her letters by name. I'm not sure what we have been up to, but I know we have been keeping busy. I have been doing a lot of Stampin' Up! parties because when everyone found out I was quitting, they wanted to get one more party in. The girls and I went down to the zoo with some friends last week. On Friday night I got to stay out and scrapbook for 24 hours! It was so much fun. It was an event planned by a church in Bellingham. My friends were great fun and kept me laughing until about 3:30 in the morning when we curled up in our sleeping bags for a little rest. I woke up and got back to scrapbooking at 7:00 am. I didn't even get that many pages done in my album, but the ones I did are really cool! I just enjoying scrapbooking our family memories so much. Really, this entire website is just one big digital scrapbook for me.

As you'll see from our photos, we've been visiting the pumpkin farms again. I just love the colors of the fall. It is beautiful weather here. Usually there is a bit more rain, but not this year. It makes me smile when my mom talks about 6 degrees there when we have sunny sun!

Hmmm, no, there's not really much else to talk about. Kelby seems to be 100% three year old. We have our fair bit of sibling rivalry, whining, and talking back. That's about normal I'd say. The girls are generally very good. For a while there I dreaded taking them out shopping at all because they were so upset when I did. They are doing better these days...and so am I, now that I got my 24 hours away.

I did get to go to IKEA this Monday. That was a blast. If you haven't heard of the store, you'd better find one. It is a big furniture/housewares store. We had to drive over an hour to get there. My friend Cheryl and her mom took Tegan and I. Kelby got to stay and play with Gramma Debbie all day, so she had a great time too. I didn't spend too much money, but I'd love to go back. I am quite the organizational gal, and they have everything I need to do it. If only money grew on trees...

I had this update all written before the Halloween activities, so I thought I'd tell you about that before posting all the pictures. We had a great evening. After nap I got the girls dressed up in their costumes. We visited Great Gramma and Grampa Wright for a bit, then headed over to the church. Kelby played a few games at the Harvest Party they had going on there. We ran into Gramma Debbie for a bit before we headed home for Trick-or-Treating. The girls had so much fun. We have a perfect little neighborhood for it. We made it to several houses before both girls tired out. Tegan didn't understand that the candy stayed in the bucket at first, but she really got into it by the end of the night. Boy, she didn't want any help with carrying her goodies. Kelby only got scared at one house that had a screaming thing hooked up to a motion sensor. Other than that, it was an easy stroll around our block. After the girls went to bed, I went back to our church to help out for a bit at the Harvest Party. It was fun. Things will be settling down here now...until we start gearing up for Thanksgiving and Christmas! I can't wait.

Okay, that's enough rambling for now. Just know that we are still doing great. Thank you for all your prayers. Everyday is a miracle for which to be thankful. Enjoy the pictures.

Time Flies When You're Having Fun!

Well, isn't it wonderful that I don't have much to update you on. We have been doing great. Everyone is happy and healthy. The days have been flying by for me. I'm not sure why, except we are all so happy. The weather has even been wonderful. We went out to search for some pumpkins on Saturday. The girls had a great time. The Century 21 here puts on an annual customer appreciation day each fall and this was the second time we've gone. I put up a ton of cute pictures from that day. We got three free pumpkins. Kelby only wanted one that she could carry and the free ones were pretty much all too big for her, so she settled on a miniture pumpkin we had to buy for her.

I have started really teaching Kelby her letters and sounds. She has learned that "B" makes the "buh" sound and "R" makes the "Ruh" sound. We are working on "S" and "K" this week. I figure if we take two letters a week, she'll really remember them. It has been really fun. I suppose I need to post some sound files of her saying those things because it is really cute!

Tegan has been learning many words lately. She hadn't been saying much of anything, but now she says: bear, baby, dada, mama, and somethings that sound kinda like amen, all done, and cookie. She's a cutie too. Everyone comments on her. At MOPS the caregivers really seem to like her. The room she's in during MOPS is filled with stuff animal chairs and she just loves it in there.

That's the other thing I have been up to lately...just buying the stuff for crafts for MOPS. It gives me a good excuse to go out and shop without spending my own money. I didn't use to be nervous to talk in front of the ladies, but I have been this year. I get all shakey while I'm up in front demonstrating the craft. I think I am just afraid they won't like my ideas. Oh well...nobody else volunteered for the job...so they're stuck with me. :)

Boring, Boring, Boring...just the way we like it. Thanks for checking in on us. Hopefully we are nothing but a normal family for awhile! God bless you all!

Loving Fall

Isn't it wonderful that there is nothing for me to write about? We are doing absolutely wonderful. Since we got home from Disneyland, we've been relaxing, having a little fun, and gearing up for fall. Our MOPS group started up again on Tuesday. I am the "creative activities" lady this year. That means that I get to provide crafts for the gals to do each meeting. So, that's taking up my time lately. It will be fun for me. I also just recently decided to quit my Stampin' Up! business...at least the workshop part. I have just loved being a demonstrator, but I have so much stuff now that I don't really need the income to support my hobby anymore. It is time for me to have that part of my brain back. Every now and then I have what I call a "Stamp-'Til-U-Cramp night" here at my home, and I'll keep doing those. Everyone just comes here and pays $5 to use my paper and stamps and make as many cards as they can before midnight! It is easy for me to do and fun too. Otherwise, I'll not be selling it anymore. I am looking forward to not having to think about it anymore.

As for the girls, they had a great time at MOPS on Tuesday too. They love to socialize...and get out of the house. Of course, that means we'll be susceptable to getting everyone's colds again, but it is worth the risk I think. Needless to say, the girls have a bit of a cold now, but nothing to worry about. They are still playing and staying happy.

The weather here is cooling down. It makes it just right for eating warm soup and baking cookies. I think this is one of my favorite parts of the year. Everything is joyful for me right now. It is just really nice.

God really just grabbed my attention when Kelby's catheter came out. I really am looking at her and at our life like it is normal again. I can totally appreciate the miracle of Kelby's being well right now. Who would have expected that she would be fine right now? Not me...and that is why I was feeling down before. But now, I am realizing how thankful to God I should be right now. We had too choices on how to look at Kelby's situation. One choice was to assume that Kelby's cancer is there and will eventually take her...that way we won't be disappointed when it comes back. This is the route I was taking before. It lead me to be suspicious and doubtful all the time...even though I still believed that she was totally in God's hands and trusted him with the outcome, I didn't want to get my hopes up. The other choice is to realize that she is healed right now. Now I do have my hopes up. That's okay because I know that if the cancer does come back, I can rely on God getting me through it...just like he did in the very beginning. So rather than looking to know what the future holds, I can live thankful for today. It is far easier to say that, than to actually do it. It took God's guidance and that catheter coming out to show me that I hadn't been "appreciating today." I had been, not even worrying, but wondering about tomorrow. Well, maybe I worried a little. Okay, all that to say, we are doing so much better now. Thank you for all your prayers!