Adventures in Seattle!

It's funny how we still live in the Northwest, but it feels so different. Colder temperatures are starting to freeze me to the core every day now. Gorgeous scenery all around Seattle though - even in the cold. Most of our summer weekends were spent exploring the areas around Seattle. The "beach" is a far cry from the beaches we are used to in Oregon or California. While the cold-factor is the same the waves are totally different. Instead of soft smooth sand to walk on & dig in, here there are tiny pebbles and small rocks.

The kids have made some really great friends in the neighborhood. Evelyn is the baby and they all wait on her like she is a tiny queen squealing out orders. Elijah will talk in a "mommy"like voice asking what she wants, then come at me & Ryan demanding her care. LOL - it's adorable, endearing, and makes me laugh. Recently she has become extremely interested in babies and excitedly points them out whenever she sees them. It is not unusual to see her appear around a corner wearing mommys shoes (or someone elses on occasion too). She finds herself super entertaining and will clunkily walk to the full length mirror to giggle and smile at herself. Elijah is learning to read and write, as well as having some basic math memorized. Bouncing, rolling, jumping and climbing are just a few of his favorite ways to pass time. Since we moved we have also been doing what I call, “Slurpee Fridays!” where Elijah can earn a slurpee at the end of each week if he has kept his room clean.

Ryan's been having fun learning more about consumer safety and inspections of seafood. He’s been working really hard to support our family while becoming the primary grocery shopper and cook at home. He's been making tons of new friends. His calling in the Elders Quorum Presidency has been keeping him busy and involved with families in the ward.

I have been busy working at Comcast as a Direct Sales Rep (aka knocking doors). The "back to school" season kept me very busy working 50+ hours some weeks. Customer service is super important and I'm getting to use those mad skillz on a regular basis now days. Definitely learning more about what it means to work on a team - it's really like having family around everyday. Most the team lovingly refers to me as "mom" - it's kinda fun as long as I get to be the cool mom.

Life has been crazy busy in Seattle, but definitely the adventure we were hoping for. We are looking forward to the upcoming Holiday season and are more excited than ever before to spend it with our extended family.

The Rumors are True - WE ARE MOVING!

It's Official. We are moving. So incredibly scared outta my mind! Ryan has been applying to jobs since he earned his Bachelors degree in science last year, and this job offer seems like the best path for him to follow. So here's the juicy details:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Space_Needle002.jpg

WHO: The job is a government job through NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration).

WHAT: The position is as a Consumer Safety Inspector for Seafood.

WHERE: Seattle, Washington - near the University of Washington

WHEN: Start date is Monday, February 11th, but Sara won't move until after tax season ends.

WHY: Because it seems like the right thing to do. It pains our stomachs to think about it, but it seems like the  best path for us to travel. Short term it's going to be really painful, but long term we know it will be beneficial.

Aw crap this is going to be CRAZY hard! I am feeling really excited and curious to experience a new kind of life. All Ryan and I have ever known is awkward airport schedules, and  Ryan not home until midnight 4 days a week, plus a long commute. So this will be a whole new world for us to share together. We've been married for 8 years, and he's worked at Horizon Air for 9 years - so it's the only schedule & life we know. Also my mom (aka my boss) is also going to have to transition the CPA firm without me there. We have already hired an awesome guy named Sterling to hold it together after I'm gone.

As for my own ambitions, I've been looking into partaking of the apartment manager lifestyle so I can stay home with the kids... but if that doesn't work out it will be back to a regular 40 hour a week admin job & daycare. Yikes! Timing for my move will probably GREATLY hinder on my finding something work-wise in Seattle.

So. Let's talk Seattleness:
Interesting Stuff I'm looking forward to Experiencing:

• Pike Place Market
• Space Needle
• Woodland Park Zoo
• Seattle Aquarium
• Olympic Sculpture Park
• Museum of Flight
• Seattle Waterfall Garden
• Discovery Park
• SeaHawks
• SEAFOOD!
• Klondike Gold Rush National Historic Park

All the Things I'm NOT looking forward to:

EARTHQUAKE HAZARDS!

SEATTLE SEISMIC HAZARD MAP
"USGS has produced a new series of earthquake hazard maps for the City of Seattle. These ‘urban seismic hazard’ maps provide a much higher-resolution view of the potential for strong earthquake shaking than previously available. This new view is particularly important for Seattle, which sits atop a sedimentary basin that strongly affects the patterns of earthquake ground shaking and therefore, of potential damage.

These hazard maps for Seattle depict the hazard for ground shaking at frequencies of about 1 cycle per second. Generally speaking, buildings of 10 stories in height are most sensitive to ground shaking at this frequency, so these maps show the hazard to medium-sized buildings." - http://earthquake.usgs.gov/regional/pacnw/maps/seattle/


MORE CRAPPY NW WEATHER!


No where near enough SUNNY DAYS! This is going to be super sad and irritating. I realize it could be worse, but still so NOT looking forward to that.

http://www.komonews.com/weather/blogs/scott/132403448.html

NO FAMILY IN TOWN!

I am going to be so lonely without my family around. I mean it will be nice to have some alone time, and it will be great to not feel obligated to attend every little family event, holiday, and occasion, but really the daily life stuff I am going to really miss. I think Elijah is going to have a super hard withdrawal period because he is used to spending 2 or 3 days every week with Grandma Sharon & Papa Mark. I will have a hard time leaving the house I've spent so many hours "prettifying". Hopefully the next renters enjoy it. Ryan I think is excited for something new, and thrilled to feel like he's doing something he's really mentally interested in. It will be hard for him to leave all the awesome friends he has at Horizon Air. Oh and those FLIGHT BENEFITS! That will SUPER SUCK.

When it's all said and done though, I feel in my gut that even though this journey is going to be tough in the beginning, it will be better for us long term than staying with the status quo. So OFF WE GO!

I Choose the Right

I recently was called to be the Primary Secretary in our ward (LDS - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints). This month we are preparing for our sacrament meeting program, and I was SUPER excited to find this awesome "Choose the Right" personal statement. So awesome I had to share!!

Found at: http://primaryinzion.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/ctr-program-invite-page-1.pdf

via:

http://primaryinzion.wordpress.com/2012/09/10/children-inviting-teachers-coaches-neighbors-to-primary-sacrament-meeting-program/

Our baby girl Evelyn: a birth story...

I know, i know. Everyone always wants to tell their birthing horror stories, and you've already shown bravery in reading this far. Well the day Evelyn was born was pretty exciting for us, and since this is my webpage I will write whatever I want.

It seemed like an ordinary Thursday on April 19th 2012. Just a few days after tax season had officially ended, I  went to work as usual - showed up late, and worked til 5:30pm. Daniel informed me when I walked in that today was "The day". "I wish!" I told him. After work, I picked up Elijah from Mark & Sharon's house (Ryan was at work). Starving, I picked up some eggrolls and Elijah fell asleep in the car on the way home. I carried him in, ate my dinner and began to feel a little back pain. Now please keep in mind I'd been feeling back pain off & on sometimes accompanied by random contractions so this time really seemed no different. I decided a nice warm bath would help.

AT 7:54pm I texted Ryan, "I just had 3 contractions really strong about 15 min apart.. Will see if it continues... I'm taking a bath - I'm in pain. youch!"

AT 8:08pm Ryan texted me, "Sounds like a plan keep me informed :-x"

AT 8:51pm I called Ryan and said something along the lines of, "SO I might be in labor - I'm not really sure... If you leave work a few hours early & come home now, will you get in trouble at work we find out I'm not really in labor?? I want you to come home but I'll feel stupid if it turns out this is false labor". He said, "No Sara it's fine. We are slow I'll just come home now." Okay. Ryan is on his way home from the airport. I hurried & got dressed, woke up Elijah got him dressed & made sure my hospital bag was truly ready to go.

AT 9:06pm-9:12pm I called Ryans parents, Daniel & Katie, and my mom (who was with her new BF Matt). As I was desperately trying to control my out of breathe voice and intense cramping, I told them all the same thing I told Ryan, "I might be in labor, we're probably going to the hospital. Ryan is on his way home now". To which they all asked if I needed help, or wanted them to do anything for me. I said no and told everyone not to worry about it until we could find out for sure. LOL then after each call I took about 30 seconds of time to scream some ouches, hold my abdomen, and continue to reassure Elijah that mommy was okay.

AT 9:14pm Ryan got home and Daniel called to offer help coming to the hospital and watching Elijah. THIS is when I realized I was in real labor. I was trying to climb into our new tall SUV talking to Daniel telling Ryan I was okay, and the look on Ryans face as I was all in pain and breathy said it all. It was the kind of look I get all the time from Ryan that says "oh Sara you really aren't thinking clearly".... hahaha. So Ryan took the phone and finished talking to Daniel while I tried to breathe and realized I needed drugs for this kind of pain.

AT 9:30pm(ish) Ryan drove up to the front doors of the hospital and said, "well I'm gonna drop you off here, not sure where the maternity ward is exactly. I'll meet you in there after I park". doh! guess i should have walked in the hospital to jog my memory where the maternity ward was in relation to the front doors.

AT 9:32pm(ish) I waddled my way to the front of the line of people waiting to talk to the night guard of the hospital. I didn't have time for common courtesies like waiting in line! I demanded to know where the maternity ward was to which the faces of the people in line softened. He told me which way to go, and told me to wait & he'd call for a wheelchair. But I was already waddle-stomping off toward the elevators as I hollered back to him, "no thanks - i don't have time for that!"

AT 9:40pm(ish) I was pushing the paperwork back at the maternity ward lady saying I really didn't have time for that ish! and said something like, "I think I'm in labor. It hurts a lot, can I get an IV and drugs soon please??" To which the lady calmly told me I'd have to be examined first. THEY WERE TAKING FOREVER! So slow and like they had all the time in the world. Finally I went into an exam room shed my clothes as quickly as possible and the lady asks me to pee in a cup. ARE you freaking kidding me!? okay I tried. but not really. Ryan came into the room - OH THANK Goodness he was here to be my advocate. HA!~ Just as 3 racecars come buzzing into my feet courtesy of Elijah. oh dear.

AT 10pm(ish) The triage nurse came in and said she was gonna take a look. As her head came up she looked confused and in more of a hurry. "Uhm Sara you're dilated to a 7 or 8 and your baby could be coming very quickly, we need to get you an IV and checked in to a room." NO ISH! I thought. Politely I believe my response was, "okay, can I please have some drugs and an epidural as soon as possible PLEASE?"

AT 10:10pm-10:45pm PAIN. and more PAIN. some humor. Daniel & Katie were first on the scene. I'm screaming and begging for drugs and I see them walk in front of my bed. Katie's eyes revealed her sympathy for me, and she half waved and hurriedly grabbed my poor little WIDE eyed and spacey looking Elijah who was sitting just a few feet away from Ryan and I. They quickly directed his attention elsewhere and took him out of the room. A few minutes later Ryans parents & my mom arrived, Mark looked sick and a bit uncomfortable in the room I was spreading my legs and screaming in. Elijah wanted Nana Krystal's attention so she stayed out with him most the time. Sharon offered a quick hug and asked if she could stay- Sure! I really didn't care what happened during those moments as long as someone was either giving me drugs, or getting an anesthesiologist in there. FINALLY the guy arrives apologizing that there were 2 or 3 other women also in labor (well at least someone was getting some pain relief that night). As soon as he sets up his horrific tool kit on a tray next to me, I feel my water break. Aww Sh!!!! I exclaimed (as I reflect on this whole labor I realize Ryan's mom probably saw a whole new side to me that night- lol).

AT 10:46pm The nurses said all the usual BS "Sara you can do this!" "You're a strong woman we can tell". "You got this!" "It's okay to scream, just push!" AHHHHH!! I'm like, "You don't know me. I'm not strong like other women. I can't do this. I'm not strong. I need drugs." Of course they said it was too late & baby would be here any minute and I just needed to focus on getting her here. So I did. I forced Ryan to hold still and act as my focus-point. Boy I loved him so much in those moments. And I knew how much he must love me. To be able to stand there and look into my grimaced face, messy hair, fading makeup, and my eyes revealing my intense pain. Yep that's true love right there.



AT 10:49pm (about 3 hours after first signs of labor) My sweet little new baby girl arrived. We welcomed her to our earthly reality and held her so warm and beautiful. Ryan kissed my forehead, and held my hands as they wrapped around my new little baby. The nurses congratulated me, my family members felt more comfortable coming back into the room. Elijah met his new sister. And I fell in love with my daughter.


AFTERWORDS....
Baby slept well that first night & so did we. We were reminded of the routine that goes along with having a new baby around. And Ryan and I spent the next 24 hours trying to determine what her name should be out of the list we had previously come up with. We agreed that Evelyn suited her best. And sometimes we call her "Evie" like E-V, like her initials! We also gave her the middle name of one of my grandmothers: Lyda (pronounced like Lie-duh). That little girl sure has a lot to live up to with a name like Evelyn Lyda Vendshus!

EVER AFTER- aka NOW:

She's getting big fast. She's already holding her head up pretty good and almost rolling over. Ryan and I are tired but good. In her short little 6 weeks of life she's already been to 2 big birthday parties and 2 weddings where mommy was a VIP. Ryan and I are almost finished with her girly baby nursery room (which you'll get all the before and after details of in my next blog post). Ryan goes back to work next week when his maternity time ends. I started working again a few weeks ago. We are looking forward to Ryan's graduation ceremony, his 30th Birthday in Vegas and Evelyn's first family vacation - all in the next month.

Let the good times roll.

My Love - XOXO

Valentine's Day reminds us of the things we hold near and dear to our hearts. As this February 14th approaches I have found myself reflecting on all the beautiful facets of love I feel in my life. The various ways I feel love in my life range from the gigantic chunks of obvious pink diamond rocks, all the way down to the slightest shimmer of a single eye shadow sparkle. Whether big or small, all of the ways love is expressed is meaningful and incomparable to any other feeling.

The largest most obvious pink diamond rock of love in my life is of course my husband Ryan. He is my best friend. He listens to me. He goes out of his way for me. He advises me. He motivates me. He inspires me. He understands me (or at least does a great job pretending to). It's really quite fascinating- The big things he does to make me feel so loved are often expressed by the tiniest of actions. He'll take out the garbage. He'll bring me or make me dinner. He'll pass me a Tums in the middle of the night. He'll drive so I don't have to. He blow dries my hair. He tells me I'm beautiful when I feel disgusting. He acknowledges the work I do and the things I accomplish. By his loving example, he is teaching our son to love, admire and respect me. Yep, Ryan is my very large extravagant - sink straight to the bottom of the ocean  - pink diamond.

My sweet little Elijah-bug. *deep sigh* He is one of the best teachers I've ever had. In a recent Sunday school lesson at church we read in 2nd Nephi Chapter 4. In the beginning we read and discussed how parents are held responsible by God to teach their children, "[...]love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, to teach them to love and serve one another, to observe the commandments of God and to be law-abiding citizens [...]". -The Family - A Proclamation to the World.  Then a few minutes later we went on in the chapter to discuss how knowing our own shortcomings can lead us to despair but as we recognize the Lords blessings in our lives we can replace despair with hope. And the scripture 2 Nephi 3:13 especially screamed out at me "And out of weakness, he will be made strong [...]". So now you're thinking - okay Sara 2 seconds ago I was reading your blog about loving your son - where the heck are you going with all of this?? Well let me tell you! Here's my thought process behind all this. In the last month Ryan and I have had a super tough time trying to get Elijah to go to sleep at night. We have spent hours each night attempting to reteach him how to go to bed, stay in bed, and fall asleep. It's been excruciatingly difficult for us. We have followed countless pieces of advice to no avail. We go through our standard bedtime routine every night. We have tried adjusting his bedtime hours a few times. We have tried giving him zero attention or interaction while he is inappropriately still awake. We have tried lots of love, discussions, & attention during his tantrums. And we've tried a little of something in between. And I can't even begin to describe the feelings of inadequacy, frustration, anger, then guilt after especially rough nights if I lose my temper. That Sunday school lesson made me realize something incredibly comforting: my son is teaching me to be a better person! Through this experience and time of opposition, I am learning to be more patient. I am learning to try new things and ask others for help. I am learning to be more loving and more compassionate. I am so thankful and fortunate to have Elijah in my life. He shows me he loves me in such sweet innocent ways every day. I love him so much!

Okay now onto the lighter more fluffy loveys in my life! I love my dog Mercedes - she is the best snuggle buddy ever! I love my mom - she is a bit crazy this tax season time of year, but the work ethic and big heart she has toward her clients is inspiring. I love my brother and sister in law - they are so fun to hang out with and it's awesome that they randomly show up on my doorstep for no other purpose than to say hi and to do nothing together. I love my in-laws... they are those people in my life I know I can call at any moment for any reason and they will be there for me if I need them. AND When they're out of town it makes me appreciate them being in town so much more. I love my dad and step mom - what great examples they are to me that you can change anything about yourself if you put your faith in it. I love my extended family and friends - every person and relationship is unique, and every single one shows me love and gives me the opportunity to reciprocate love. I love Jamba juice & Cinnabon - what would I do without you when I'm running late to work and need to redirect my co-workers attention to something more fun than my tardiness? :-) I love photography & Kodak gallery - they provide me so much happiness and endless hours of productive (sometimes wasteful) enjoyment. Since I've been pregnant I also love 7-11 - their Slurpee's make my back-achy-bath time so much more fun! I love decorating things - my house, cookies & cakes, parties, my blog - really doesn't matter what I decorate just as long as I have something to decorate, I am a busy happy girl. I love being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints - so many blessings being part of this church and of course eternal happiness. I love working, shopping, and all things shiny and sparkly.

So there. My Love Love Loves. Happy Valentines Day. What do you love???

XOXO - Sara

Livin la vida loca...

It seems like forever since our little family has had a weekend off without any plans, obligations, or stuff to do. We are livin la vida loca! It's been a great time and all, but I'm really ready for a few weekends full of no to-do lists. We went to some Halloween parties in late October, and had an awesome time trick or treating. We went to Disneyland in the beginning of November, where Ryan and I celebrated 7 years of marriage, and I celebrated the last 20something birthday I will ever have. Last weekend we got my side of the family together for some family photos, attended an engagement party for some good friends, and then yesterday carried out my obligation as the Fanno Creek Ward Relief Society Meeting Coordinator by throwing a festive Holiday dinner and program for the sisters in our church - Here's to "Keeping CHRIST in Christmas". Next up: Ryan's parents return from Africa next week, Thanksgiving dinner, Black friday shopping, and the following week I'll have my gender-revealing ultrasound, followed by a ward Christmas breakfast, and finals week for Ryan. *deep sigh* As I said "livin la vida loca".

So now for some dirty details! The Halloween events we attended included: The Pumpkin Patch on Sauvie Island with the Richmans. Fanno Creek ward halloween party, Horizon Air work halloween party, Griffith Park ward halloween party, and of course Halloween Night trick-or-treating ! The pumpkin patch was super fun. We always get a kick out of watching Elijah interact with his little gal-pal Leah Richman. One minute they're driving each other crazy and the next they're hugging and pulling the other over to play. It was also exciting to see how Elijah acted around the Richman's baby Stacy. He was curious, but cautious. I do wonder how he will do when mommy and daddy are holding another baby all the time in a few months. Should create some interesting times. Anyway the other Halloween parties were all somewhat similar in that we got to see Elijah interact with the other kids. He loves to run and play, but he is clearly not used to sharing "his" toys... or candy. lol. Pumpkin carving didn't go nearly as well as I had hoped. Last year he was all about scooping out the yucky stuff, so I assumed since his dexerity has increased this year he'd be really helpful getting all the goosh out. Not so. He touched it and then put it back making a yucky frowny face. Then went to go find the i-pad to play with. Ryan and I still had a good time carving though.

Halloween night - ha! Who would've thought I would get tired before Elijah!?My back was so sore and I was so cold. Elijah did fantastic though! Everyone thought he was so cute. He always got extra candy. They'd say "just take 2 or 3" and he'd take a huge handful of 5, they'd laugh but frequently didn't move the bowl of candy away fast enough and Elijah would be grabbing another handful.They just thought it was cute. Ryan & I were just embarrassed. oh well. It was a good time, he is still learning, and we still have lots of candy. lol.

Disneyland was awesome. It was the first time we have ever been on a vacation with just our little family of 3. Which was good and bad. Mostly good though. Elijah got to ride most the rides we wanted to. There were only a few we wanted to ride that he couldn't. And since I'm pregnant there were a bunch of rides neither of us could ride so it worked out well. Elijah & I rode the buzz light year ride a few times while Ryan rode the Star Wars ride, and we made it work. We were very disappointed that 2 rides we knew Elijah would love were out of service: Pirates of the Caribbean and Small World. Well I guess we'll have to plan another trip to Disneyland in a few more years. :-) The first day was nice and sunny, the 2nd day was rainy and we seriously considered not going. Decided we didn't care much for California Adventure park. All the good stuff is in the Disneyland Park. It was a fun little trip, but kind of a busy vacation.

Last weekend the family got together for some pictures before we're all grown up & move away. Since Daniel & Katie are considering moving to go to a dental school for Daniel, and Ryan is considering joining the Navy, we thought it would be good to get in a good professional family photo session. It was fun, and we got some really great pictures. I LOVE the ones of Daniel and Katie. They're such beautiful people! Anyway. There were lot's of good / fun ones.

As the Holiday season approaches and since I just finished a whole Christmas program  last night, I have to say how glad I am for the Spirit of Christmas coming our way. Excited for Elijah's little face to light up with joy seeing Christmas lights, and the good times to be had with family and friends. The hope that just maybe our house will see even a dusting (or several inches) of snow. Ryan will be finishing his very last days of school at PSU in early December. I'm so thrilled to get to see more of him again! He is graduating with a Bachelors degree in Science. Then the end of December looks like it will be good happy free time for our family to enjoy each other before the New Year and tax season begins. And that is our crazy life. :-)

Pregnant with Baby # 2 !!!

Ryan & I are expecting another family member! The baby due date is April 17th 2012.Just a few days after tax season deadline day.  So today I am about 11 weeks - 2 months along. Elijah's birthday is April 21st, so I'm really hoping the next baby comes early or maybe a week or two late would be okay too. I'm super excited we are going to have another little one, I just hope the next one is born on their own Birthday, so they don't have to share their special day with anyone else. Also everyone keeps asking if I'd rather a boy or girl. Healthy is my knee jerk response. But really it would be kinda nice and convenient to have another boy since we're already prepared clothing-wise... which of course probably means it's a girl ! LOL.

We had our first ultrasound and doctor appointment in August. We brought Elijah with us and had a super early morning appointment so he was still a bit tired and very snuggley. We pointed to the monitor and said, "Look, see ? There's a baby in mommy's tummy!" and he just stared at my tummy and then stared at the monitor. Then he looked over at the technician and exclaimed, "See it!? Baby in mommy's tummy!" it was super sweet. The technician said the baby has a really good strong heartbeat already, and that I was 7 weeks along at the time (giving us a more accurate due date).

Heartbeats recorded are the little lines at the bottom of this pic

Another question I keep getting asked is, "how are you doing?" Horrible is usually my answer. I know I was sick with Elijah, but I don't remember it being this bad. I feel nausea and light-headed every day for most of the day. It's also been a challenge to find foods I can keep down. I mostly stick to fruit, juice, and pre-natals vitamins. Grocery store shopping sucks because the smells are so disgusting, blended, and yucky! It takes longer to grocery shop because I will go down a few food isles then RUSH over to the laundry detergent isle to escape the horrid food smells. Oh! And I dream crazy dreams every night. Last night we were in a movie theater where we had to pick up our feet because there were Alligators that lived there too so if you didn't want to get bit you had to sit on your feet or something. And then I got up to pee. The next dream I lost Elijah when we went for a walk down the street - I was panicked and couldn't find him anywhere - it was awful. Like I said: CRAZY DREAMS! Ah the joys of pregnancy!

Our next ultra sound is scheduled for October 4th & where we should be able to find out if the baby will have any early detectable problems or issues. I'm excited to see that little baby and how much it's grown / developed by then. I decided to go with a female doctor this time because I've heard male and female doctors treat their patients differently, and I'm kind of curious to know if that's really true or not. So far our new doctor is great - Dr. Brodsky (http://www.whallc.com/find-a-provider/provider-details/Trina_A_Brodsky_MD.aspx). Our last doctor, Anthony Taitano was great too, I'm just curious to see how similar / different the experience is male vs. female.

In other news, Ryan started school this week so our schedules are back to Super-sucky, instead of just sucky. LOL. He seems to like his classes so far, and I'm glad my work schedule works well with his schedule and Ryan's mom is able to watch Elijah a few days a week when we are both at work/school.

We are looking forward to the month of October because we have lots of fun stuff planned. Beginning with General Conference this weekend (check it out at: http://lds.org/general-conference/watch?lang=eng). SO THRILLED! I try to make it a party when we watch / listen. Saturday sessions I usually pull out all my Halloween decorations & decorate while I listen. Sunday sessions Ryan & I like to make it a breakfast-in-bed kind of party with yummy breakfast & snacks for the afternoon as we watch on the internet in our pajamas. Then later in the month Ryan & I have a SPA weekend planned where we will get to have a day off together to relax & get pampered. We will be visiting the pumpkin patch, picking & carving pumpkins, eating corn on the cob & carmel corn - YAY ! Then I have another Relief Society activity to prep for, followed by Halloween parties and Trick or treating! Looking forward to the next few weeks, and of course the next 9 months & beyond ! I'm excited - Can you tell?