3 weeks in

Nathaniel's version of the plan of Salvation

He is a pretty good cartoonist I think. I'm really glad he knows how to draw all this stuff since technically my kids are not allowed to watch adventure time. Good to know these things are applicable to the gospel. You know these missionaries are amazing, but there are subtle reminders that they are also 18 and 19-year-young men:)

My letter to him this week:

We all thoroughly enjoyed your last email. Sarah got some pretty good laughs out of you teaching about chastity and then having it be your teacher. I learned what ROFL means. I'd be afraid of aliens in Mexico City too. If there were going to be some that would probably be the place. 

I was soo glad you are enjoying teaching. You also sound like you're doing awesome in Spanish, which I knew you probably would. Hermano Hernandez sounds awesome. Loved all the pictures, especially of the elders with their homemade playing cards. So funny. I wouldn't worry too much about getting fat. You'll be in Peru in 3 weeks walking everywhere. 

YOU ARE HALFWAY THROUGH THE MTC-- but you probably already think about that every waking minute. Aaron came over today and I was reading him some of your email and he was like "oh man, I so remember feeling that." He thought it was funny but also not funny since he knows how it feels. I haven't really talked with a lot of people recently who loved the MTC. I think everyone has similar feelings to it being a bit like a prison because it kind of is in a way. I think you'll do so much better when you get to Peru.

Dropped some pics by Nancy's this week. I sent Sarah to the door but we just ended up leaving it under her window. She got it and texted to thank me. 

Thanks for the bipolar shout out by the way. Not good to hear you feel your whole life is a roller coaster of emotional conflict but I don't think any of this is abnormal. Aaron thought your comment was hilarious. You know I have no control over my genes, right? Besides you are very likely not bipolar. Unlikely being the key word:) John on the other hand . . .

There is very little news this week to speak of. You know the one thing I was thinking you are not missing out on is John. He has shockingly not improved since you left. (Ha) Our family scripture study continues to be a lesson in patience and non-violence and now Will is getting kind of hard too. When I'm screaming at John at night I think of how you'd tell me it isn't helping.

We went to stake conference on Sunday. It was really good-- a regional one with Elder Nelson and Elder Scott as speakers. It was funny because Elder Nelson said he felt prompted to ask one of the wives of the men he was with (there was also members of the seventy) to speak but didn't dare call on anyone impromptu but his own wife so he did. I actually liked her the best:) She talked about preparing for General Conference and doing family history work to help us avoid temptation. There was the regular stuff that makes me want to be better than I am right now.

Wondering if you got the letters from Sarah & Rebecca yet. Sent those stamps and camera cord off last week. I have no idea if the cord will get there. Rebecca wanted to send you a tie but I told her she'd have to wait until you got to Peru.

We think about you all the time. Can't really avoid it because there is this giant hole in our family all the time. It is seriously so weird. The thing is I know this is just the way things are going to be now that you're all getting older. Good thing we had Will to keep us company in our old age. 

We are all getting colds thanks to school being back in session. Will hurt himself somehow on the tramp with John (another story that makes me really mad so I won't go into it) and we are not exactly sure what the heck happened. I took him in for x-rays immediately but nothing was broken. He still wouldn't walk on it for almost a day and a half--like at all-- but now seems to be doing ok.

You really do sound like you're making tons of progress. Keep on keepin' on.

I Love You In Great Quantities

Mom

Camping at Bear Lake

 Went camping right after Labor Day weekend. We had never been to Bear Lake before, partly because I hadn't really heard about it before. The campground is reserved well in advance so I made reservations back in July. I can't remember the last time I went camping. It was just Peter, myself, John & Will. 

Peter's not always accommodating when I want to take pictures.

Will helps pack up.

Best parts: The lake. Kids love water and playing in the sand. Camping food. We did dutch oven chicken and yams one night and that was pretty dang good. Porcupine campground was really nice and there was basically no one staying there.

Less than best parts: Keeping Will out of the fire and having him scream until 2am the first night and then waking up with a raging bladder infection and having to call my doctor to beg him to call in a prescription to the tiny pharmacy there. 
I officially love my doctor now. Like I owe him forever.

Rebecca goes to Salt Lake Comic Con with Aaron

 Aaron & Rebecca Aaron made this costume himself.

Rebecca is Amy Pond and Aaron is, well, a fox.

 Effie & Caesar from Hunger Games

 The Doctor & Amy

(I don't actually know who any of these people are. 

I just know from Rebecca they are from Doctor Who.)

Craaazy with the costumes.

Comic Con was definitely an enlightening sociology observation for Rebecca.

Nathaniel's mission blog

Before he left Nathaniel asked me to set up a blog for his mission. Now that I have a couple of letters and actually have something to post I set it up today. You can see it here.

This is my favorite picture.

This week is going better than last, which is what I was hoping was going to happen. I wanted to cry when I read his email. (But I didn't. Good for me.) I got it when I was out and about today and had to pull over to read it. I've only read it a few dozen more times since then.

Bottle blues

 Rebecca drew this on the back of a church program

Dear William,
You are pretty cool I guess. You don't really do anything and you treat me like your slave but I still love you.

Rebecca has such a way with words:)

Will's sleeping pattern is still junk. Peter brought him into our bed this morning at 5:30 and then went and slept in Nathaniel's room. (Great!) I kept going in and out of the room and he was sleeping in a different spot almost every time.

The whole floor thing? I don't know. It didn't even phase him when the flash went off.

Took him to the doctor today because I'm a loser mom and have never taken him in for his 15 or 18 month check ups. He's in the 40% category weight and 95% for height. He'll probably be tall like Nathaniel.

His speech is way behind right now. Since it's free we are going to have him evaluated. They test to make sure they are hearing sounds clearly because if things are sounding garbled for some reason this could obviously cause a delay in speech. I'm not sure how they are able to test this on a 2-year-old. Personally, I think he'll talk when he dang well feels like it, but always good to know I guess.
Doc also says the bottles need to go. I knew she was going to say this. We ruined his front teeth letting him have juice in bed around 6 or 8 months old so of course I feel awful about that. I know we need to ditch the bottle. No big deal. Only his most beloved of possessions. 

Being that this is my fifth child you'd think I'd be better at parenting a toddler. Unfortunately you'd be mistaken. We let him stay up waaaay to late (especially this summer), we can only listen to him scream for so long in his room (he's been going hoarse) so we keep letting him come into our bed, and we love the bottle because it makes him sooo content. Peter and I always like to joke about him being a very well-hydrated child. We change a lot of very saggy diapers.

Curious George + bottle + blanket + fist full of hair =

Happy, quiet, Will.

Nathaniel and Will watching some Curious George 

on my bed back sometime in July.

I love it so much.