November Notes

Wow, I feel like I am behind on EVERYTHING.  Do you ever fee like that?  Seriously anything that I could be behind on, I am.  From house work, to church callings, to picture uploading/editing/blogging, to mail sorting, exercising, organizing, meal planning, grocery shopping, email inbox, I could go on and on!  I don’t know if having 3 kids and therefore less time, has just caught up with me after 5 1/2 months or if it was the holidays… maybe it has something to do with buying a house? (we’re under contract now! cross your fingers for us!!)  Anyway, sorry this blog has been neglected, I would love to be more on top of it but there are too many other things that take priority and life is so crazy full lately.  Enough with the excuses, on to November!

Just some pictures from regular days at home.  Jacob is 4 months old in these pictures and his hair is ridiculously long, it took me awhile to come around and admit we needed to cut it.

Dan was asked to (study for and) take the bar in Wyoming.  He went up and took the bar when Jacob was a couple days old (which is why I was induced).  Anyway, he passed, YEAH!!  So here’s a few pictures from the swearing in ceremony we drove up for.  We figured why not?  Dan had to drive up there anyway, we might as well go as a family and spend the day together. 

Poor Sophie was miserable, I thought she was just cranky because of how early we had to get her up and get on the road but we later learned that she had strep throat and a double ear infection! So, forgive her for her cranky pictures.  We spent the 2nd ceremony in a break room down the hall from the court room Dan was in with Sophie crying and just rocking in pain holding her ears with her hands, it was so sad!  I must say that the people in Wyoming were so nice!  We had so many people try to help us, offering coloring books, suckers, even unopened McDonald’s happy meal toys!  One lady saw me in the break room with the girls and offered me her office so Sophie could lay on a couch and I could hear the ceremony.  Seriously, how nice is that?  They let Dan hold Jacob (who stayed asleep thankfully because I was down the hall with the girls) up in the area meant only for those being sworn in.  They joked that now he’s sworn in in WY as well. Afterwards I had a guy give me his card so I could email him for a recording of the ceremony, he felt bad I had to miss it… truth is I wasn’t too worried about hearing the speakers, I just wanted to be there to support Dan.

Despite all the drama, I was glad to be able to go and am so proud of Dan and all of his accomplishments.  He’s such a wonderful husband, father, and provider for our family!

Had to get a picture of the girls both wearing some of my “sassy boots,” as Dan calls them.  Tessa and Sophie both nurse their babies since they seem me feed Jacob.  I think it’s funny.  Tessa asks, “Is Jacob going to eat your tummy?”  I could teach her the correct names for body parts, but I’d rather not… some things are too cute to correct, plus who wants their 3 year old walking around talking about breasts?

We drove home for Thanksgiving.  The night we got into town we drove straight to see Jonathan sing with the Madrigals for a local church.  They did great!  My girls still talk about seeing uncle Jonathan sing.

My mom seemed pretty excited to have grandbabies around!  This is Elliott and Jacob, she’s about 6 months older but just a petite little thing… unlike my Jake.

Grandpa wasted no time in getting my girls outside to play.  That’s why they love him so much, he’ll wait on them in the back yard for hours.

My parents let the girls play with this scooter around the house, they were in heaven!

We went to Thanksgiving dinner at my Grandma’s church.  There were a lot of my cousins in town from far away, so that was really fun for me!  I had a great time catching up with them and seeing my kids run around the gym like wild Indians just as I remember doing with their parents (my cousins) when I was their age.  I was too busy chatting to take many good pictures…

I did get this picture of everyone though.  I love how much Dan sticks out in my family, he’s so tall (see him on the back row on the right side), and my family’s just not.  Funny.  What a great family I have!

The next day we met the Wells at the museum, it was fun.  I finally got to meet my nephew baby Ray!  He’s 2 months older than Jake.  What a cutie, as you can see the boys were very unaware of each other.

But the girls are aware of each other!  They are such good friends.

That afternoon the girls enjoyed helping grandma put up Christmas decorations.

Sophie is an… intense girl.  Auntie Ann can play along!

The older girls were playing together and we couldn’t find Jaycee… then we heard the toy bar from Jacob’s car seat in the front room, she was all by herself just lounging in there.  I thought it was hilarious, what a chill girl!

Some pictures from the next day… just hanging out.

After arriving home, we put Jacob in his bumbo for the first time, had to document!  He looks so big sitting up like that.  Notice his crazy hair in the picture with the towel, so scary.

Here’s the girls after we put up our humble tree, Sophie giving her really sincere smile and Tessa the pirate one, what a crack up.

Also, another random November note, Sophie’s preschool teacher emailed me this picture of a sweet tower Sophie made at school.  I was pretty impressed!  Sophie really enjoys school and counts down the days until her return on a chart whenever she has a break.  I love her teachers, they are so awesome.