General Conference is coming up and I'm working on things for the girls to do while listening. I hope that the activities I've found for them will help them listen to the messages (as much as developmentally possible for each of their stages...).

In April I made something that I was really excited about using with the girls. It didn't go over the way I hoped it would because we had company watching with us but we'll try again in a couple of weeks.

I found pictures of all the General Authorities of the Church and Presidencies of Auxillaries (Sunday School, Relief Society, Young Men, Young Women, Primary) and the idea is for the kids to find the speaker's picture, glue it into their booklet and then draw or write what the speaker talks about.

I couldn't find a way to upload PDF's to my blog. If anyone knows of a way to do that, let me know! I did a fair amount of research and I guess it's just not possible yet.

But if you're interested in the packet, let me know and I'll email you the files I made. I also have some ideas on how to revise the packet to work for younger kids (I'm thinking 2-3 year olds).

One day as we headed out to run some errands, I told Heidi not to open the door or the alarm would go off. She said, " You mean, the alarm will go on."


A couple of days ago we were playing outside and I noticed that Autumn was sitting all by herself across the yard. She sat there for awhile, just looking around. Then she laid down in the grass for awhile. When I asked what she was doing, she said, "I was looking at the clouds and thinking of their names." (She's been learning about clouds in science this week.)

We're done. Finally. We started moving on Monday and finished cleaning the old apartment late Friday night. Well, Eric actually stayed late and did the cleaning - thanks babe! You're awesome!

I realized this week that since we've been married, we have lived in TEN different apartments. That's ten different homes in EIGHT years. That makes it even more amazing to me that we actually lived in two of those places for over two years. And while I try to justify it all by adding in that many of the moves were inner-city moves -- anyone who has moved a whole household of stuff knows that it's hard whether you're going across town or across country. The hard thing with moving far away is making sure everything is packed well. The hard thing with moving across town is making sure everything is packed. Period. Nevermind the packed "well", just get it all in boxes before the moving help arrives.

So of all the moves we've done, this was the worst. We just weren't prepared enough even though we had ample time to prepare. I could list the excuses, and there are quite a few, but I won't. I'm just going to leave it at that. Next time will be better (ugh! why must there even be a next time).

This was our dinosaur of a week in a nutshell:

Monday:
Move essentials
Comcast transfers service
Cable works
Internet doesn't

Tuesday:
Comcast doesn't come at agreed on time
Move more stuff
Internet kind of works
Call Comcast
Internet works -- cancel technician appt.

Wednesday:
Realize moving stuff is futile
There is always more stuff
Begin packing said stuff and resolve to wait till help moves it

Thursday:
Find out Eric's new laptop will be arriving today, a day early
Call FedEx to arrange to pick it up since we're between the two apts. all day
Agree that it will be delivered to old place between 1-3pm
Pick up UHaul truck at UHaul/Exxon (which is not the same as Chevron like the man said on the phone...good thing we saw the UHaul sign)
Wait for FedEx
FedEx never comes
Call FedEx
Discover laptop was given a 10:30 delivery commitment (being such an awesome computer) which overrode agreed on delivery time
Naturally we weren't there to sign for it
Must now pick up laptop ourselves at FedEx after 5pm
Am feeling more than slightly jaded toward businesses, commercialism, industry....
Finally move almost everything with three mini-vans and a 10-foot truck
I realize I should've gotten a bigger truck
We were so blessed to have all the braun and babysitting help! Thanks guys!!

Friday:
Wake up feeling like we've been hit by a truck
Get ready to do it all again
Get the girls apple dippers at McDonalds and am told at drive-thru to pull up and wait
15 minutes pass
I go inside to investigate
They're out of apple dippers -- why didn't someone tell me?!
We get yogurt parfaits instead
Old apartment still has two mini-vans worth of stuff (how, how, did we get so much stuff???)
Must be cleaned and turn in key by midnight
Eric is awesome and does the cleaning and last van full

Saturday:
Everything is at the new place
The girls want to unpack everything now
I take the girls to McDonald's to treat them to lunch (because we've already been eating oh-so-healthy all week anyway....)
We head to Wal-Mart for who knows what...
At the checkout the register jams
The cashier can't find a manager for 15 minutes
Manager arrives
Manager can't get register to work for 5 minutes
Finally, register works
Discover have been charged twice for comforter
Now must go to customer service
Wait in line for 20 minutes
Get refund
Go home lamenting the lack of "customer service" all over the business world and the lack of employees all over the industry that could actually assert themselves to learn their trade and everything surrounding it
Plug in dryer to run small load for Sunday
Plug sparks
Dryer is on fire inside
LOVELY

And that about does it. What a week. If you made it this far, congratulations. I'm very impressed. Feeling a bit down now? Sorry...some weeks just do that. But the week is over and now I can move on. And I've documented it for posterity. And my own memory. Next time will be different. I really hope.

Tonight Heidi poured water into the trundle bed frame (minus the mattresss) and used a pole to row her boat.

I was not amused.

I think it's funny now. Although I am still not amused.

I realized it's been awhile since I've posted pictures of the girls. So here's what I found on the camera from this last month.



Autumn getting her face painted at the Summer Library Program Party (that's a mouthful). She looks a little unsure about the whole thing. It's really just because she hasn't seen her face in the mirror yet. She was really wanting it to look good. She wasn't disappointed. ;)



Heidi taking her turn with the face painting. One side was enough for her and the she was off to do other things. (Side note -- Aack! Heidi's bangs are still so short since her most recent "scissors" incident over a month ago!!)



Autumn lost her second tooth this month. It came out about a month after the first tooth so you can't even tell she lost another before this one. She's already got her first permanent tooth all the way in.



Heidi tried to give Esther a bath! I took this with the camera on my phone so it's hard to tell - but she has white soap on her forehead and the top of her hair. So nice of Heidi to even wash her hair! :) (although with bar soap...).

Alrighty, for the record (and any who were confused by the last post) -- it's for real! We're having another baby!!!

EDD: March 2, 2009
So...that means I'm 15 weeks today. I thought about posting a picture so everyone could laugh along with me since I already look 20 weeks...what did I expect fourth time around? :)

You know, Family Home Evening seems so much easier with kids! :) I love having the girls remind us about it. I love how excited they get (although I know it's really the treat that excites them the most...). I love how excited they get about helping with the lesson. And the music. And the prayers. It's a thousand times better than it was without kids.

And I love the Family Home Evening chart Eric's mom made for us!