Substance of Faith: I love Conference Sundays (but that's not the subject of this post)...

I feel like I did a half ass job last week on my post. It was late on a Sunday, and really, I was watching Bones, so I was a bit distracted. And you know what? I don't think I'm going to do much better this week, because right now I'm watching the afternoon session of General Conference. And my boys are super hyperactive, so I've got my hands a bit full. Unfortunately Dave is working (albeit, from home), so it's just been kind of a hectic day. And because I know a lot of people will be talking about it anyway- the announcement changing the missionary age from 19 to 18 seems like a fantastic idea. I love it.

I want to start by saying I love Conference Sundays. It's just such a relaxing day. At least I want it to be. :) Friday, I had a friend, who was recently married, ask me what some of our conference traditions are. We used to go out to breakfast at the Cracker Barrel, but then we had kids and it took some of the fun out of going, and then it got expensive. So we haven't had much of a plan for Conference Weekends this past year. Anyway, that conversation got me thinking about what our traditions are, or what we want them to be. This morning was a great morning- we got up and we all cooked breakfast together (Ethan helped pour and flip the pancakes). So I think I like that idea... And then I was really craving some chocolate cake (surprise, surprise), so I decided tradition #2 will be making BTC Cake (BTS Cake, but renamed in honor of Conference).

I'm amazed at how quickly time passes now. I used to say "Long Days, Short Weeks." Now even the days are short. I had a doctor appointment on Monday. And you know what? I'm already down to 2 week appointments. I was so surprised when my doctor told me that. Shocked almost- I can't be that far along yet! But yet, I am. Time marches on. (For my friends that are not mommies- you see the OB/GYN about every 4 weeks for the majority of the pregnancy, and as you get closer to your due date, the appointments- obviously- get closer together until you see the doctor weekly). Aside from the surprise that I am indeed in my third trimester (only 11 weeks to go!), I also failed my 1 hour glucose test. This was not a surprise for me (I failed the first 2 as well). So that means I have to go back from a 3 (4) hour test in the next week. (Again, for my non-mommy friends, at the start of the third trimester, moms have to get tested for gestational diabetes which can produce super sized babies among other complications). With the other boys, I passed the longer test, so I'm hoping the pattern repeats itself here. Honestly, aside from the fasting, sugar syrup drink, and the pokes, the 4 hour test shouldn't be too bad. I'll be kid free for so I just need to grab my book and my ipad and sit back and enjoy myself for a few hours (bright side). On the other hand, if I fail this test, it means a strict diet, frequent blood sugar checks, and more ultrasounds to monitor the growth of the baby. It also means a very grumpy and hungry mommy for the next 11 weeks.

So let's see- some updates on the boys... Emery's vocabulary is growing like mad. I understand more of what Emery says at this age than when Ethan was this old. I don't know if it is that Emery has had more help (from Ethan) with talking, or if learning Ethan's language the first time around helped me to adjust to Emery. But Emery does have a great vocabulary and he routinely surprises me with what he says and understands. Emery has even started to put some words together for some rudimentary sentences (if you ask where Ethan or Mommy is he can answer "There s/he is"). The boys chase each other around a lot and we can hear Emery laughing and calling to Ethan "I'm going to get you." And just this morning Emery said to "Watch" and he did something silly. It's pretty awesome to see him turning into a little boy right in front of my eyes. It seemed like with Ethan, he was my baby until I had Emery to compare his size and growth to. With Emery it seems like he's turning into a little boy in advance of having a baby to compare him to. Emery wants so badly to be a big boy like Ethan. Emery cries every time we drop Ethan off at preschool because he doesn't get to go in, but Ethan does. At night when I fold the boys' clothes, they are responsible for putting them in their drawers. We just started having Emery do this (with Ethan's help) and the joy on Emery's face as he grabs his clothes and puts them away- like a big boy- still makes me laugh. Em also got his first hair cut on Saturday! His hair is so fine and light I've been hesitant to get it cut, but he looks a lot better now.

Ethan is rocking at Preschool. He still loves it. He loves having friends and being a big boy. Ethan can also point at letters now and tell us what they are. Ethan wakes up every morning and tells me he is getting bigger. Sometimes when he wakes up too early (thanks to Em), he tells me he's not done growing bigger yet. For fun, I had Ethan and Emery stand against a wall in our bathroom and marked how tall they were so now Ethan has something to compare his height too. I wish I had done it earlier for Ethan because he's grown so much in the past few months and he would love to see that. Ethan also loves singing. When my mom watches the boys on Mondays, she spends extra time with just Ethan teaching him songs. And then when I get home, he likes to sing for me. It's such a joy to watch him learning. And he loves learning. Ethan is also working on becoming more independent. He wants to do everything himself. So I've been trying to give him more (some) responsibilities. Ethan is still such a good big brother. It cracks me up how much I've come to rely on a 3 year old to help me with Emery. To be honest, sometimes I forget that Ethan is only 3 years old.

Dave is still trucking away between work, school, his calling (as Primary Teacher), and the boys. I just recently read an article that talked about the plethora of studies that are occurring now that confirm that dads are necessary. The article cracked me up, because it basically said "Duh- yeah Dad's are necessary- we needed a study to tell us that?" Anyway, I think about it because there is no way that I could do this without Dave. Frankly, about 90% of the time I think Dave is the better parent. He's so patient with the boys, truly shares his time and attention with them, and takes the time to teach them life's lessons. Sometimes I feel like I'm just a warm body to make sure the boys don't burn down the house until Dave gets home. The 10% of the time that I feel like I am a good parent, it's usually when I drag the boys to the park or to the Zoo or some other adventure. Anyway, back to Dave. Dave is just all around awesome and I grow to appreciate him more and more every day. He's got his plate full and he's rocking it. :)

Otherwise, life just goes on. We went to the Zoo on Friday with Ethan & Emery's cousin, Sophie, and my sister in law, Julie. We had a great time. I've been spoiled the past few weeks because whenever we've gone we've basically had the park to ourselves. Friday must have been field trip day though because it was packed with little kids wearing name tags. I was annoyed, but the kids seemed to enjoy it still.

The weather has also turned cooler. Oh my, I love it. I can open the windows during the day and get some fresh air without heating the house. I'm finally not overheating. We've had to turn on the furnace for the cooler nights. And today the boys and I went out and pulled our garden because we had our first freeze last night and I knew the plants were done for.

Saturday was the highlight of me week. My good friend, Jamie, got married at Sundance. As I was telling Dave, it was his chance to wine & dine me on someone else's dime. :) It was a fantastic wedding. The setting was amazing and Jamie looked beautiful! Her dress was amazing, the vows were amazing. I loved being a part of the day. As a fun bonus, there was a cello arrangement of one of my current favorite songs (the Lumineers Ho Hey). (Actually, all of the music was amazing). I was so excited for Jamie- she has been looking forward to this- and we had talked about her plans in advance, so I was excited to see how it all came together. It was by far the best/fanciest wedding that Dave & I have gone to together (or probably ever, for that matter). There was also a movie moment, where during the first dance, the bride & groom were serenaded by the wedding party- "Love is all you need." It was great. Dave is amazing to take to a party because he talks to everyone. I am not good like that, I just kind of stand around until I get sucked into a conversation- unless I know someone else there, then I just talk to that person). There were a few of my friends from work, which was awesome for me. And Dave got to know the other people at our table (one of which, it turns out, he went to high school with). We drove down to Sundance with my friend/Boss, Lynn. She cracks me up. Lynn is super talkative and friendly on a normal day, but last night she downed a few glasses of wine and she was hilarious. We had fun sitting with her and carpooling with her as well.

And that brings us back to today. I'd like to say that we've had a spiritually uplifting day, but I've already yelled at my kids at least three times and I need nap #2 already. Em got stung by a yellow jacket on his finger, so for a while he was pretty angry, but seems to be fine now. It's just been another busy day with boys in the house.

Hope you all are enjoying your weekends, conference (if you watch it), and the general march towards the holidays- Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas will be here before you know it. And here are the weekly pictures...