October 2014

A lot of events happened this year in the month of October.  I think it might be turning into one of my favorite months of the year for a number of reasons.  The weather is still somewhat nice and warm.  The season is in full force with the Autumn leaves and pumpkins and corn mazes and haystacks and candy and donuts and just Fall stuff all around.  Also, my sweet Emily's birthday is October 8th and we celebrated it this year in full force.  We opened presents in the morning and Scotty spoiled her silly with balloons and Dr. Pepper.  After work we drove to Surf n' Swim in Layton and invited some friends and family.  We swam and had donuts and cider.  Earlier we took her to Golden Corral so she could have jello and corn for dinner.  We had a really great time with everyone and still to this day she keeps talking about who was there, what we did and what we ate.

This little fatty fatty poo poo patty is 3 months now.  He is so adorable I can hardly stand it.  His smile melts you and he is happy if he is outside, you are holding him or he is asleep.  Otherwise he seems to cry most of the time.  But we are enduring and hoping for the day when he can keep himself happy playing with his sister.  I love him to pieces.  

We had a special day for him on October 12.  Scotty blessed him at church.  My whole family came for it except my Dad and we had a lot of friends and family from Scott's side as well!  It was a great day.  We had chili and cornbread afterwards and just so many wonderful memories.  Grandma Veda and Uncle Brent were able to come all the way from Provo.  It was fun to have so many people that we love together in one place to celebrate Ray's life!!

The last thing that happened in October was Halloween.  Scott went as a male cheerleader, me a hula girl, Chicky a shark, and Ray an X-ray.  It was awesome and fun at the Mountain Ridge party and we trick or treated with Matt and Alyshia's family.

Happiness Just Bursting

We named our son after this wonderful wonderful man, Uncle Raymond Ornellas from my home on Kauai.  Last week Sunday, before Conference, I received a phone call and it was Aunty Val.  She said they were just leaving Twin Falls and wanted to stop by and see us.  I was so excited.  They showed up with all their happiness just bursting and I was so unbelievably grateful that we were able to introduce our children to them.  Aunty Val taught me 8th grade History and also seminary and has been in my life since we moved to Kauai in 1997.  Uncle Raymond, the same.  He was in the Bishopric while I was growing up and feels like my second father.  They are kind and wise and supportive.  After a wonderful two days with them; we had Sunday dinner, went on a long walk to Utah State and the Logan Temple the next day and went to Mo' Bettah Steaks for lunch, Scotty commented that these are the type of people that make you want to be better.  They left and both Scott and I wanted to be kinder, more giving, and more open to life.  They are the kind of people that change your life just by knowing them.   We feel honored to know them and have them in our life.
   

All last week, myself, Emily and Ray were sick.  We had sore throats, coughs and runny noses.  Luckily, Ray had a tiny cough and a little runny nose, but not much worse.  Emily, on the other hand, gave us a little scare.  She woke up about the 4th day of being sick and was intensely playing with her Easter Eggs and Legos when I noticed she was wheezing pretty bad.  I watched her pretty close and then a little before noon she wanted to watch a show on our bed.  She fell asleep, which was very abnormal for her.  When she woke up she was still having a hard time breathing and seemed to be out of it and getting worse.  We decided to take her to the doctor to make sure it wasn't something serious.  Turns out she was having a small asthma attack and the effort of breathing had made her extremely tired.  The doctor gave her a treatment while we were in his office and then sent us home with some steroids and albuterol in case she had another.  Grateful it wasn't more serious!

What can I say about conference?  I think having kids makes conference a whole different experience then it used to be fore me.  Maybe being married, having a stressful job; life as it is puts conference in a new light for me.  Before I was married and living on Kauai I looked forward to conference with so much excitement.  That was before you could watch it or listen to it almost anywhere.  We had to make a special trip down to the church to watch the broadcast of each session.  It was important and felt like a large drink of icy cold water after a long, hot hike.  Now, conference is still that icy cold drink, but with....lots of tiny little floaties put there by my wonderful child!  I can't even really tell you what the Prophet spoke about or anyone else for that matter.  My focus was on a hundred different things.  Nursing the baby, bouncing the baby, changing the baby, keeping Emily busy, getting her juice, getting her snacks, listening to her whine, telling her no, driving to Layton, getting settled at Lana's, figuring out the TV at Lana's, getting toys out for Emily at Lana's, driving back to Logan and so on.  I almost would rather wait until the written talks get put up on the Internet and then in the dead of the night when I can't sleep I'll read them and ponder them and enjoy my icy drink of water in peace.  Life changes so quickly. 

Daily Life

Well, here I am again.  Up.  Been up since about 4am lying in bed trying with all my might to go back to sleep.  I really do try so hard for wonderful sleep to overtake me, but sometimes it is just impossible.  It's thundering and lightening right now and I so wish that Scott didn't have to work at 7am on a Saturday, that the kids would magically just keep sleeping late into the morning and then we could all leisurely wake up together and have waffles and strawberries in bed together.   Wouldn't that be wonderful.  No crying, no leaving, no dirty diapers and nothing we have to do.

Chick's favorite pose with Bro.

Emily loves to help me with Ray.  In all ways, all shapes, and all forms.

This week seems to have flown by, but also crept by with the speed of a really slow snail.  Scott has been working so much.  He has been gone all week and I feel like we haven't spent much time with him.  He will come home and we will eat dinner, take showers and go to bed around 9pm so he can wake up around 6am and do it all over again.  If he's lucky he can sleep until 8am.  The kids and I have kept a pretty regular schedule and I'm worn out. 

We usually go for a long walk in the morning with Sue.  It takes at least 15 minutes to get everyone ready to go and finally get out the door.  I've told many people we see along our walk that I feel like a circus act with my toddler, my newborn and my dog.  I love it so much and almost never want the walks to end, but oh the freedom when Scott stays home with the kids for 20 minutes or so.  I feel as though I could fly if it's just me and Sue.  The absence of the gigantic stroller and my precious baby attached to my chest leaves me feeling a tad bit naked, but also really skinny and light.  Almost like I could possibly, maybe even run...a little bit...but I don't.  Shin splints.

After our walk it's breakfast time.  The dog.  The cat. The babe.  Emily and...oh...me.  Sometimes when I eat first before everyone else does, I feel somewhat guilty.  Like my enjoyment of my breakfast burrito is a bad thing.  Especially if I haven't fed Emily.  I hope she will one day eat on her own.  I swear if I didn't intentionally feed her Cream of Wheat and her Chunky Monkey shake she would just go on living life as skinny as can be never experiencing the pang of hunger that I seem to have every 15 minutes.  Ray is a great eater and I don't worry about him at all.  The dog and the cat will never let me sit down to my breakfast burrito until they have been fed.  Oh man, it is quite the circus at our house.  At least I don't have a snake who I have to feed little pinkies to.
  

Emily makes dinner in the sand box.

and then she eats it.

 Later in the day, after cleaning the house up, endless laundry, about 20 diaper changes, 6 or 10 or 4 nursing sessions, 7 books read, 3 naps, cooking food, putting together puzzles, coloring 100 sharks, watching Cats for the 3rd time, and teaching a piano lesson or two, we head out on the bike to the sand box.  There is a sand box at the park and also at the Middle School a few blocks from our home and Emily would marry a sand box.  She leaves this earthly existence and basks in the sand, literally.  She lays down on her stomach and rubs her cheek and face and hair and hands in the sand like the sand is hugging her back.  She could play for hours and hours and hours in the sand box and never wants to leave.  I like taking her and pretending we are at the beach.  I like taking her to the Middle School sand box if the sun is setting because I can pretend I'm standing on the Giant.  I love giving Emily something she loves that is so simple.