Beautiful Weather

Well here in Oregon it has been beautiful lately! Nice weather, about 65 degrees, sun shinning, cool breeze, clear blue sky! Glorious! I went for a walk with some friends yesterday, and Levi had a ball! I found out one of my friends, Robin, is pregnant! Yeah for her! I think most of my friends or family is pregnant now! That is so awesome for everyone! I have this sneaking suspicion that my sister-in-law Nia is pregnant too, but I'm sure she would protest this idea! I'll try and get some pictures of the trees around here that leave you speechless!

Today I made chocolate covered marshmallows, and caramels from scratch. My friend's caramels came out perfect, but I cooked mine a bit too long, so they are a bit too hard. They'll be good to dip apples in and such, but not for eating. I'll try another batch some other time. Hope you all are having a wonderful fall and Halloween!

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Hectic Week!

What a week! So much has happened I haven't had too much time to keep up with it all!

On Wednesday I decided that I had a lot of stuff to get done around my apartment, and I needed to get as much done as I could that day. So I spent most of my day, cleaning, organizing, doing laundry, and the like. I brought dinner to a friend of mine who just had her baby, and saw the little guy! It just makes me want another one so badly! My time will come, I know.

Thursday was not as busy, but I found myself still doing some laundry and cleaning. I spent the evening at my parents house, and a friend of mine stopped by to hang out for a bit. Its nice to have those things break up the monotony of life.

Friday was interesting. I had promised my mom that I would take two cats to the humane society for her because they were becoming too much trouble. Well, that day had finally come. Both cats were inside and I was able to catch them with my mom's help. While helping me, my mom reminded me of how hard it was for her to give away two cats, especially to the humane society. Well, this allowed my mind to fill with all sorts of not nice things about the cats being put to sleep and such. So while I was driving, I found I couldn't do it. So I went to my house and let the cats go there. Now I have two cats, and am desperately looking for a home for them. Justin and I decided that if we can't find them a home in one week then he will be taking them to the humane society (which I found out is a no-kill place). But in the mean time, we have two cats. Levi loves it, especially when they howl. He is nice to the cats for the most part, he just loves to chase them. Friday night was our ward's Halloween party and Chili Cook-off. Our family dressed up as Betty, Barney, and Bam-Bam Rubble from the Flintstones. Levi was a perfect Bam-Bam! We tied for best costume in our ward. The other family was quite deserving as they were dressed up as Peter Pan, Wendy, Tigerlily, Captain Hook, and Tinkerbell. They looked awesome! I hoped our chili would win too (I got my sister's recipe and added my own special touch). Although everyone there told me how much they loved my chili and thought it was the best, I didn't win. Our Bishop was one of the judges, and he had told me how much he really liked mine, so I asked him why I didn't win. He politely said there were some other great chilies there too, but that mine would have won if other things hadn't prevented it. He left it at that, but I took it to mean that if I hadn't won the costume contest I would have won the chili contest. I was fine with that, and since I didn't set out to win the costume contest I was very happy with what happened! We unfortunately missed Neil's game that night because of the party, but his team won again, and we caught most of it on the radio. Since they won this game they became their conference champs! Way to go Neil!! Now on to State!

Saturday morning we headed over to Justin's parents for breakfast because his grandpa was in town for Neil's game. It is always nice to catch up with him, and he loves seeing Levi. He said his neighbor up in Bremerton (who we met a couple months ago when we were up there) keeps asking about Levi. How sweet! Justin spent the afternoon watching football, while I napped. Oregon beat USC, Oregon State beat Stanford, BYU was postponed, Nebraska lost, and Michigan won! It was a good game day. There were a lot of games that were close and fun to watch. When Levi woke up he took him to the park since it was such a wonderful day! That evening was my sister's ward Halloween party, and since she was in charge, we were invited. We dressed up differently because our other costumes would have left us quite cold. Her party was at a member's barn. She did a great job, and everything turned out wonderful, I think! Everyone there seemed to have a great time.

Today Levi finally made it through most of Sacrament meeting, and adjusted quicker to Nursery. We had our ward Primary Program, so I think that helped keep Levi's attention. But whatever, it was nice to have him quiet most of the time. This evening we carved pumpkins as a family. Levi was hesitant and didn't really want anything to do with them at first. He tried to help out a bit later, but mostly wanted to take pictures with my camera or drive his cars through the pumpkin muck. I carved his pumpkin for him, and I tried to do one as goofy as I could think of. My mom had these great lights for pumpkins that change colors, so we used two of them for Justin and my pumpkins. Levi's is the one without the special light.

Another Catch Up...

It's been a while. I'll try and remember everything! Last Tuesday Levi got his flu shot, and so did I. Levi was a bit upset at first, but surprisingly he calmed down pretty fast. He didn't seem to have too many side effects of it in the next couple days either. He seemed sick one morning, but it didn't last more than a couple hours. He has been more irritated than usual, and I don't know if he's growing, getting more teeth, or if it is an effect of the flu shot.

This last week we also heard back about a law suit I decided to participate in. A few months ago I received a letter stating a man in Oregon was suing Staples because he felt they disobeyed laws in regards to work hours, breaks, and such. I had to agree with him, as I was asked to skip my lunch on occasion. In addition if I worked 12 hours, I only had one break and it was half an hour. I don't know the law very well, but I think that was not enough. So I sent the letter back saying that I wanted to take part in the settlement. The letter was sent out to everyone who worked for Staples in Oregon in 2004-2005. Those are the years I worked for them. So, as I said I heard back from them in the form of a $320 check! I was thrilled!! What a blessing!

On Friday we went to another game for Justin's brother. It was another shut-out, 56-0! They are such a great team! We only stayed until halftime, but right before we left Neil made an awesome play! He ran straight through the line and sacked the QB for a big loss! Way to go Neil! We also found out my sister Mirinda is pregnant! So now my brother's wife, and my sister are expecting! I am so happy for them!!

Saturday was busy! Justin went fishing with my sister's husband on the Alsea River. They had a great time and Jim even caught one fish! Justin keeps trying to hit more and more people up to go fishing with him. Levi had woke up early that morning, so no sleeping in for me! But he did take a great nap later on. Neil came over later in the day so I could take his Senior pictures (the first round anyway). It was raining on and off, which made it annoying. We got a few good shots I think, before we called it quits. We're going to take more another time. My Grandma was in town, so we all gathered to my mom's for dinner. Levi loves playing with all his cousins, and it was great to sit and relax doing a crossword with my Grandma!

On Sunday both Justin and I had lessons to teach in church. I was teaching Sunday school for 13 & 14-year-old kids, and Justin was teaching in Elder's Quorum. My class went well, and I was reminded just how snotty that age can be. They really weren't bad, but I could have used more participation from the kids. Justin said his class went well, but ended kind of slow. He said the last half of class people didn't really participate too much, and he was left feeling nervous and curious as to why they weren't talking. Levi did better in Nursery, and I think in a few more weeks he won't be screaming at all when we leave him there. After church we went to my sister Alicen's for dinner. My cousin Josh, his kids, Jim's parents, and my grandma were all there. It was Jim's birthday, so when we had cake a few more families showed up as well. The dinner was great, and the cake was excellent!

Monday morning Levi woke up early again. I had been awake for a couple hours already, so I just got up with him. I laid in his bed with him for a while, and watched some really cute behavior! As we laid there he would whisper all sorts of things. Then he started singing and doing motions to 'Hot Potato' by the Wiggles. He was still whispering, and it was the cutest thing he's done in a while! Later on that day Levi had a visit from a friend from Nursery. His family will be moving soon, so I was babysitting so his mom could get some packing done. Levi had a blast! He loved it! They ran up and down the halls talking gibberish and laughing at one another! I even caught them jumping on Levi's bed (which I have never seen Levi do before). It was great he had a little friend!

Well that's all the catching up! Hope you all are wonderful too!

More Cuteness of a Boy

So today in church, Levi did a couple cute things! While a member of our bishopric was giving announcements, he would pause briefly in between announcements. Levi took this to mean we were sustaining people, as he has seen us do before, and would raise and lower his right arm. He did it every time there was a pause. He had me, Justin, and my dad cracking up. He also had discovered Justin's tie, so Justin pointed out Levi's tie to him. Well, this was not the best thing because then Levi remembered he did not like his tie and wanted it off. So he would pull and tug at it, and then just pulled and pulled on it screaming 'Pull, pull, pull!' in the middle of the meeting. Needless to say he was taken out. Speaking of which, our new found technique (thanks Alicen) of punishment for disobedience to Sacrament meeting rules, seems to be working. Basically we have a list of ten rules, and if someone intentionally breaks one of these rules they are taken out and put in 'confinement'. Confinement is just Justin holding Levi's arms and legs tight enough so he can't squirm, but loose enough so he can breathe obviously. You then talk soothingly to them and explain what they did wrong and why that is not okay. You then help them calm down. And, when they are completely calm they are welcome back into the meeting. The first week we did this Levi was taken out probably ten times. But today he was taken out twice I think, and was mostly wonderful when he was in the meeting, and obeyed most of the rules. Nursery was another story. He screamed and cried so much! However, the people in the Nursery were troopers and said they would not bring him out unless he was injured or something of the like. I think that worked the best because when Justin picked him up he was fine. I had checked in on him a couple times and he was still fussy, but apparently the constant lack of momma and daddy helped him get past his worries and just enjoy himself. Hopefully as weeks go past we will have less and less screaming and more and more enjoyment!

Updating

What a Week! I was sick for a few days this past week, and so was Justin. Levi luckily escaped it all! I'm not sure how, since he wanted to cuddle up next to me a lot when I was sick (what a sweetheart!). But we made it through!

On Tuesday a cat that my family has had since winter of 1993 passed away. She was my family's last pet that we brought from Nebraska to here when we moved in 1994. She was old, and it really was time for her to go, but it is still a little sad all the same. So here's a photo in memory our my cat Moushie (She's the white one).


Wednesday was a day full of me feeling miserable! I was at the peak of being sick, and not liking it one bit. Levi was great, and obviously sensed there was something wrong with me. He would snuggle with me, and constantly want to be wherever I was. It was a nice change of pace! Unfortunately with me being on the couch sick, Levi watched a lot of TV. Not my ideal situation, but what are you going to do? We did go over to my mom's house for a bit, where Levi helped her make a fire. He loves the billows!


Thursday I was feeling a little better, and I was able to get a lot of things done that needed to be. We were able to watch my neice Sofia perform some cheerleading moves. She had gone to a workshop that day and then had a performance. We also went to Neil's football game because they didn't have school on Friday. They were playing my old high school, Crescent Valley, who is not known in the last seven years or so to be a good team. Needless to say, West beat them 34-0. It could have been more, but after half-time they put in their second and third strings who didn't score the rest of the game.

By Friday I was feeling much better. So on Saturday I was back to normal. Saturday morning we left Levi with Justin's parents and headed up to the temple with my sister and her husband. We did a session and then ate lunch at Claim Jumper. For those who have never been there, it is like a classy cabin setting, with a very large menu. Their food was good, but I wasn't fond of their prices. They were a little more expensive than an Olive Garden. But we were being treated to lunch, so honestly it was great! When we returned home and picked up Levi, we then headed to Lone Pine Farms by Junction City to pick out our Halloween pumpkins. We get to go on a hay ride which the kids love. They also have so many play things there for all the kids, so its great! They also have the best carmel apples ever! However, their pumpkin prices were a bit high, so we probably won't go back next year.



As for Saturday Football, we were pleasently surprised! The Beavers WON!!! They were playing Cal, which was ranked #2 in the nation. It was a tight game, but they won 31-28!! I was very excited. Oregon, Michigan, and BYU won yesterday as well. And Notre Dame lost... so it was a great game day!

Hope you all are well!

Out With The Old, In With The New!

So last Saturday Justin and I bought (with help from my mom for temporary financing) a "new" entertainment center at a garage sale. We got it for $30, which was an amazing deal! I promptly listed our old TV stand on Craig's List yesterday. Within two hours I had two responses, and one person was very interested. Well they saw it this morning and bought it for... any guesses??? Yep, $30! So we did an even trade for a E.C. that will serve our needs 100% better! For those who saw our old one, you would know it was an open framed TV stand. Levi would constantly get into DVDs, play with the VCR, push buttons, etc. All of which can be expected from an 18-month-old. However, our new one... as you can see... encloses everything so no sticky fingers can touch it! Yet another great garage-sale buy!

My Project

So I finished my sample of the project I will be teaching for Enrichment Super Saturday. It is two wards worth of Relief Society, and they think my class will be packed. So if you are in the area, and want to know how to do these, you'll have to come to the class!

Are You Ready For Some Football?

So on Friday night we went to Neil's game vs. Corvallis. They won 33-14! Neil had a lot of tackles, and just did an all around great job. They play my old high school, CVHS, this week.

On Saturday we were a little upset because some of our teams weren't doing so well. Notre Dame won... boooo!! But Michigan won! Oregon and BYU didn't play this last week. But the biggest upset was USC losing to Stanford. No offense to you Stanford lovers, but seriously... Stanford?!? It was a huge shock! Justin and I went to the OSU game and watched them play for the first time in their orange jerseys (which we both think look the best out of all their jerseys). They beat Arizona 31-16! The first half was a great game to watch, but they didn't score at all in the second half, and so that was upsetting.

Sunday was General Conference for my church. We loved it. There were so many great talks! Elder Eyring became our newest member of the First Presidency, and Elder Quentin Cook of the presidency of the seventy became an Apostle. The Relief Society President gave an amazing talk for women. It was very moving and touched me greatly! There were so many other talks well worth mentioning, but you'll have to look them up on LDS.org for more! We had Justin's choice meal with all my family over that evening. He had asked for a hot dog bar, so that's what we did. I called my sister who lives in Chicago to ask what entails a true Chicago hot dog, and we made ours as close as we could. Everyone enjoyed it and they tasted great! I just wish we could have had someone to tell us how close to a true Chicago dog they were. We ended the evening by watching the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition because it was the episode they filmed in Corvallis where Justin, me, and my brother-in-law helped out. Justin was hoping he would be on TV, but they seemed to just barely cut him out of every shot he could have been in. Still a great episode to put Corvallis more on the map!

Our week was great, hope yours was too!

Catching Up

On Monday night Levi and I went to a group FHE that some of the young families in our ward at church were putting on. After this one, which was a great success, they decided to have it once a month! It was great getting to know the other young families from church, and the kids that Levi will be playing with at church. Levi had a blast and I think he really enjoyed playing with all the kids.

Tuesday was laundry day, but Levi was pretty cute. Every time I would lay down he would jump on my back and ask me to take him around like a horse. He would got nuts every time I did it!

Wednesday I babysat one of my friend's little girl. She is just a few months younger than Levi and quite the little doll. She made me miss my niece from Chicago, although her personality is nothing like Ashlie's. The little girl's name is Lucy, and she is so peaceful and yet so fun! She didn't fuss at all while her mom was away! Besides, Levi was in heaven to have a playmate at home.
With my new calling I am preparing to teach a class in November to the ladies of the church in my area. I will be teaching them how to decorate clear glass ornaments. I've done it before, and it is fun learning new ways to do it. I am also self-appointed to be in charge of a playgroup for my ward. I am excited about this one, because with the rainy months coming, Levi will need to get out more often. I hope to have it twice a week, but we'll see how my response is from the young mother's in the ward. I think I am also going to suggest that if anyone wants, they can bring kids they are babysitting, grandkids who are visiting, etc.

Thursday was Justin's birthday and it was a full day! I let Justin sleep in (which is only about an hour past when he normally does) and made him breakfast in bed. I served a egg scramble with tomatoes, turkey, cheese, onions, and well, eggs! Then once we were up and ready we went for a hike as a family, one of Justin's favorite things. We then came home, relaxed, Justin did some homework, and Levi napped. My mom then treated us to lunch. Afterwards I took Justin fishing. He has been dying to go fishing for a long time now, so I thought it would be perfect! He had a blast, even though he didn't catch anything. Perhaps we can go a little later when the steelhead and river salmon are more in season. After fishing I made chicken fajitas for dinner (Justin's favorite meal). We then just relaxed and ending the evening with a movie of Justin's choice. All in all, I was pleased with how smoothly the day went!
Today, Friday, Levi and I spent some time with my mom, as we usually do on Fridays. Justin came home from school and crashed. We all had a few busy days, so I am catching up on some blogging while he sleeps. We have another game for his brother to go to tonight, so we'll see how it all works out! Go Bulldogs!

Same Old...

So as a quick update, Justin's brother Neil won another game (yea!) against their rival team (31-0). He had several great tackles, and after the game another scout stopped by and chatted with him, as well as the local newspaper. He had another article on Saturday in both the Albany paper and the Oregonian. As for college football Oregon and OSU lost. But then again, Michigan, Nebraska, and BYU won. And, Notre Dame lost! So it wasn't a horrible day. We had Justin's younger siblings over for the afternoon, and it was nice to spend some time with them. Levi loves seeing his aunt and uncles.

On Sunday Levi had fun trying on my shoes and walking around. He was quite the big boy! He now knows how to count to ten by ear. If you go through it with him, he will count with you. He is quite proud of himself too! His vocabulary seems to double daily! However, his tantrums seem to double too. He usually does alright in nursery at church, but yesterday he just kept throwing a fit and wanted me or Justin the entire time. I have a feeling we'll see more of this before we see less. We did start some new Sacrament meeting rules yesterday, and although Justin still took Levi out three or four times, I think it might actually work! I was impressed with his behavior while he WAS in the meeting!

Well I am preparing this week for Justin's 25th birthday. I have a few great ideas, and I'm sure this will be a birthday he won't forget! (And I don't have to try and top it until he's 50! Just teasing!)