September iMoments

As of Labor Day weekend, we've been in our house for five years. Five whole years!! That's about the longest Danny or I have ever lived in one house. And in that whole five years, I have never cleaned or organized the cupboard above the computer. I know, it's terrible! So as a gift to our house for letting us live here, and so unorganized to boot...I organized the cupboard above the computer!

It took me about a half hour. I have NO idea why I never did it...but I'm happy with the result! :)

The harvest from the garden is still in full swing. The green chiles produced better than they have in years! My house smelled like New Mexico while I roasted, skinned, seeded, and diced these bad boys. 

So Joey has really started to come into himself. And as it turns out, he's quite the whirling dervish! This kid had been out of his crib for no more than 10 minutes before he found a weapon and started assaulting Johnny while the poor kid was innocently trying to get some milk for his cereal. I think we're in for a whole new toddler experience with this one!

Zucchini is definitely one of my favorite harvests from the garden. And while I love it sautéed as a side for dinner, or spiraled into zoodles...my double chocolate zucchini muffins are kind of to die for. And they are Danny's most absolute favorite thing I bake! I've really tried this year to figure out what I need to do to get consistently perfect and gorgeous muffins every time. And I finally figured it out! I love these perfect little chocolatey zucchini soldiers! Hopefully we can pack the freezer full so we can enjoy them all winter long!

Rose and Tali are both starting at BYU-I this year, and so Jami brought the girls to Rexburg to get them settled. But they flew into Salt Lake, which means they had to come see me! :) We visited at my house the day they came in, and then I met them for lunch the next day before they left for Idaho. We even stopped by Kneaders so they could get their blue elephant paraphernalia in honor of our Lukey. Love these girls!

Johnny's birthday lunch was a little delayed, but we checked this boy out of school and went to his favorite birthday lunch spot. Red Robin! It's all about the bottomless root beer float for this growing boy. :) We loved the time together with just our John Boy.

September is National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. And one of our favorite restaurants, Kneaders, always does a promotion during September. They sell blue elephant cookies and other elephant paraphernalia during the month, and 100% of the proceeds go to the research being done at Hunstman Cancer Institute. The reason behind the elephants is that elephants don't get cancer, so the hope is that there will be clue in the elephant DNA that will lead to a cure. We're obviously happy to support this cause!

I've started what I like to call "Cookie Sundays". On Sunday afternoons, while Danny is at church, I bake cookies. And then when he gets home, he takes a few plates and does some visits around the ward. Sometimes he even takes the kids. Danny says that it's easier for him to get into homes when he has a plate of cookies. :) And I always want to try new recipes, but my waistline couldn't survive all those cookies around! It's the perfect way for me to not only bake like I want, but I get to feel like I'm helping Danny with his calling. It's awesome!

Danny and Johnny, both at 7 years old. I'm a lucky girl!

I can't believe it, but mid-way through September and we're still harvesting!!

These two...they are the best of buddies.

Sophie has been working so hard to sleep through the night in her own bed, and to go to sleep on time. After stringing together an impressive number of good nights, I surprised her by checking her out of school and taking her for a fancy soda at Fiiz. She was so happy! We are so proud of Sophie for all her hard work and perseverance!

Seriously. We can't get over Joey and these SnapChat filters!

BYU vs Wisconsin was Sophie's game. They had a blast and it was a beautiful day for football! We won't comment on the score. :(

Danny and I supporting Childhood Cancer Awareness Month with our elephant tie and necklace, respectively.

Oh Joey. This toddler-phase is unlike anything we've experienced in the past. The kid is constantly making a mess and destroying our house! And I think he knows it, too. And I suspect he does it because he thinks our reactions are funny. We're in so much trouble with this one...

Claire decided to apply for the student council this year. She had to apply and then be nominated by a teacher. Her teachers were more than happy to nominate her, and Claire made it on the council! She's so excited, and we're so proud of her!

Back during a TDY to Seattle, Danny bought me a higher jet cookie cutter. I instantly knew I needed to make Danny cookies to take to work on his birthday. They worked out awesome!!

We have discovered that my chocolate zucchini muffins freeze and thaw like a dream. I love being able to to take them out of the freezer the night before, and the kids love them for breakfast. Especially Joey!

Danny was given some tickets to the Conference Center for the Women's Session of General Conference. I was so excited when my Mom, Jenny, and Isabelle wanted to join the girls and I! We met early for dinner at the Blue Lemon in Farmington, and then left for Salt Lake in what I thought was plenty of time. Well, I didn't account for Comic Con and a symphony performance at Abravenel Hall that same evening! Traffic was unlike anything I have ever seen, and every single parking lot in downtown Salt Lake City was full! I was so mad when we finally made the decision to bail on the Conference Center and find the closest Stake Center we could. In Bountiful. It wasn't the night I had planned on, but the session was wonderful and everyone had a good time together. :)

Cookie Sunday! This time it was Mel's (my new food blogger BFF) "Magic on the Inside" cookies. These chocolate beauties are hiding a soft, creamy peanut butter center! They were delish.

Joey is obsessed with coloring right now. He will sit for quite a long time (for him) and work quietly on his pictures. I love it.

Joey loves Claire so much. He often just wants to be where she is, doing what she's doing. When he saw that Claire was doing some art for a school assignment, he crawled right up there with his own crayon and paper and worked alongside her. 

Joey is growing up faster than I can anticipate. I was getting the kids ready for school one morning, and realized I hadn't seen or heard Joey in quite a few minutes. That's unusual for him in the morning, so I was instantly worried. I found him in my room, on my bed, watching Netflix on the kids' phone. He managed to get the phone open, Netflix opened, and Moana playing all on his own! 

Me and Claire, playing with SnapChat while we wait for our pizzas to be ready. I love my little buddy. :)

I sent Danny into Walmart for a few things...

...I guess now I know what happens when Dad and the kids go shopping! ;)

Sophie's 9th Birthday

Sophie's birthday fell on conference weekend this year, so we got to spend the whole day listening to our leaders and soaking up time with Sophie. :) She loved starting her day off with a cute new outfit. She looks way to grown up!!

Then after the Saturday session of Conference we had Sophie's requested birthday dinner before Dad headed off to the priesthood session...meatball subs and Caesar salad. The girl has good taste! We also had her open her gift from us so she had a present to open on her actual birthDAY. She had asked for her own wallet and messenger bag...which is what Claire got for her birthday this year and Sophie has really really really wanted a set for herself. I stressed and stressed over getting the right bag for my little fashionista, so I was over the moon when she was so happy with her gift!

The next day we had our usual family gathering to celebrate not only Sophie's birthday, but Danny's too. Sophie got so many fun presents! And Danny even got cards from his parents and a new BYU hoodie from my mom. :) They blew out their candles together, and we all enjoyed some cake in their honor. Love my September birthdays!

Happy Birthday, Sophie Anne!! Last year in the single digits, Baby Girl! ;)

To My Sophie, On Your Birthday...

Happy Birthday, Sophie!! I can't believe that I'm writing you a letter again so soon...but apparently it's been a whole year since you turned eight, and now you're nine!! Time is just going by too quickly! I would plead and beg with you to stop growing up if I thought it would make any difference at all. But I know it won't. ;)

What a year this has been for you! Honestly, this has probably been the hardest year you've had so far. Your Dad and I can't quite figure out why...life actually seemed to settle down for us. Maybe you finally had time to process, or sensed it was safe to process, all the tumultuous events in our family's recent past. Toward the end of the school year last year, you really struggled with school. You came home every day from school crying. You said you didn't have any friends, and that you were alone at recess. I talked to your teachers about it, but they said they hadn't noticed you acting any differently and that you were the same social butterfly you'd always been. I couldn't figure out why I had to force you out the door in the morning in tears and then welcome you home in tears at the end of the day, but you seemed to be fine at school. Dad and I knew your feelings were genuine. So even though your day at school might have seemed the same to your teachers, your little heart was in pain. We prayed and talked to you and prayed some more...but we weren't sure what to do. Then you got to the point where you couldn't sleep at night without being next to Dad. You would get so panicky at bedtime. Then the panic attacks started happening at school. We were really starting to worry about you!

We decided it was time to find a counselor for you. Through a set of small miracles, we were able to meet Karson the very next day. You enjoyed your visits with him, and as we focused on helping you sleep we saw progress. I was confident that once we were done with school for the year you would do so much better. In some ways, I was right. But overall, you still really struggled. So we kept seeing Karson, and we kept talking. And as we talked, I discovered some of your fears and hurts. I think a lot has to do with Luke. Not necessarily missing him exactly, but the fact that watching our brother pass away took a lot of the innocence of childhood from you. It was hard for you not to be afraid of separation, of things being out of your control. So we kept talking, and Dad and I kept praying. And you know what? You have made amazing strides!! You are such a strong girl, Sophie. And while it has been very hard for your Dad and I to watch you struggle so much, we have seen you learn more of who you really are. The power that is yours because of your divine heritage as a daughter of our Heavenly Father. We are so very proud of you!!

You were very nervous for the start of this school year, and so was I! But you love your new teachers, and you have really loved learning cursive. Third grade has been good to you so far! Walking home has been stressful for you the last couple of years, because Claire and Grace prefer to take their time coming home. You are LOVING walking home with Johnny! I think that time is good for you and Johnny. You two are still fire and ice, but I know underneath the bickering you two love each other. Claire is still your best friend, and the two of you continue to bond over new shared experiences. Recently, you two have discovered your love of reading and found a series you both absolutely loved...The Land of Stories. It's so fun to watch you find new loves in your life. 

But with all the new things in your life, it's fun to watch some things stay the same. You, my sweet girl, are still the fashionista you've always been. More so, if anything! You know at a glance if something is "fashionable",  and you are very particular about your wardrobe. I had a moment a month or so ago when I feel like Heavenly Father opened my mind and helped me understand you. We were shopping for back to school shoes...particularly PE shoes. This had always been a struggle for us. I have assumed for years that your feet just must be weird and incapable of being comfortable in tennis shoes. As we were negotiating through pair after pair the thought entered my mind: "It's not her feet. She doesn't LIKE tennis shoes. She doesn't think they're fashionable!" It was like a lightening bolt to my maternal mind, and I'm shocked I hadn't realized it years ago! So I asked you if you could pick any shoes, never mind PE, what would they be. You instantly pointed to a pair of ankle boots. They were $20, and I had already found a $10 pair of tennis shoes. Buying both was still in our budget, so I told you that I would happily buy you the booties if you promised to wear the PE shoes on your PE days and when you needed supportive footwear. You were almost in tears as you jumped up, hugged me, and thanked me profusely. I realized in that moment in Payless that you were a creature completely unlike me. And for all of these years I've been trying to force you to do it my way. In the weeks since, I have received prompting after prompting and divine inspiration after divine inspiration that have helped me see your world as you see it. It has made me so happy to understand you more, and has helped me to appreciate your special role in my life. I can see how much you have to teach me, and I'm so excited to see how our relationship grows because of this new insight. You're such a neat girl!

You still love your Dad best, though. That's okay...I love him best, too! Your Daddy has a very special place in his heart for you, and when I get frustrated he is always patient with you. You are so blessed to have a Dad like your Daddy! I know that your relationship with your earthly father has helped you to come to understand your Heavenly Father and His love for you. You have entered senior primary, and are loving Activity Days. Your testimony continues to grow, and we have loved watching your confidence as you give lessons in Family Home Evening. You always spend hours preparing, and your lessons are so comprehensive...and you do it entirely on your own! You have so many spiritual gifts, and I love watching you embrace them.

Happy Birthday, Sweet Girl! I love you so much, and I am so grateful you're mine. I will never forget the first time I got to hold you in my arms and how I instantly fell in love with you. I love you even more today, and somehow I know that love will continue to grow for eternity. I love you, Baby Girl!

Love,

Mom

Sophie's Birthday Party

Sophie has been dying to have a friend birthday party. I'm not really very good at birthday parties, but Sophie didn't want much this year. She really just wanted a late night with her friends. Easy enough!! Joey and I grabbed some decorations, the kids cleaned the basement, and we ordered pizza. Best. Birthday Party. Ever! :)

Sophie has such a great group of friends. Almost everyone that was invited came, and they all enjoyed being together. They started out with some xBox "Just Dance", and pretty much played that until it was time for presents. It was such a hoot to watch these girls eat pizza, dance, and giggle. Something about it just made them all seem so grown up! Maybe it was the fact that Danny and I mostly stayed upstairs and watched the football game. They really didn't need much supervision! Again...Best. Party. Ever! :)

Sophie got some awesome presents, and each of her friends were so excited to have her open their present. She felt so loved! And after the hard year that Sophie has had, it made this Mama's heart happy to see her so full of joy.

We finished up the party with a little photo prop action and then root beer floats and a movie. Sophie chose "Enchanted", and they all loved it...and drank enough root beer floats that they all had something of a tummy ache. ;)

Best. Party. Ever!