Rexburg So Far & Thoughts

Yup, we're in Rexburg. Did I even mention that before? The family reunion officially starts tonight, but we got here on Friday afternoon. We had a very pleasant drive, thanks to McDonald's Play Place and Angry Birds. James and I were able to attend the temple that afternoon, which was wonderful.

and I'm blonde!

I had a very enjoyable time at Education Week on Saturday. The principles taught renewed my spirit when I didn't realize it needed renewing. I've been prompted to do something which really scares me, though not for the first time. Still, it's going to require a lot of faith on my part. Some impressions that come are simply undeniable, no matter how illogical they are. I'm starting to think that logic has nothing to do with it, at least not at first. In the end, though, every crazy, inspired idea I've followed has turned out exceptionally well. I'm sure that this one will be no different. I think (and hope) that I'm up for the challenge.

James and I went for a walk on BYU-I's campus Saturday night. It't just as beautiful as ever, though mostly deserted during this 7-week break. We stopped by G's Dairy on the way home, of course. We have many happy memories of Rexburg, and I can't say that it doesn't make me really nostalgic to be here.

The last few days have been really great: family dinners and games, hanging out and talking, a trip to Chick-fil-a with my mother-in-law, snuggling my babies. Joseph is having the time of his life with his uncles and aunts, and he's been really happy to have someone to play with that is closer to his size.

The Heads got 3 big bags of greens from the neighbors, so I've been in green smoothie heaven. (Hey, they still look more appetizing than prune juice!) My father-in-law says he thinks they're pretty good. If I convert him, then he will be my 2nd convert to green smoothies (that I know of.) Haha.

I'll admit it: my family's health is of utmost importance to me, even if it requires me to be a little nutty at times. I don't regret it for one minute.

An Apology

With 3 blogs now, it's really hard to keep current with all of them. I'm still amazed that I've found the time to write at all, but the boys keep coordinating their naps, so that works out really well for me. I'm feeling lazy, so here's a summary of our month so far.

July 3rd: Our 3rd anniversary! We had a sweet, candlelit lunch while the boys were asleep. We then watched a chick flick (The Importance of Being Earnest) and went to dinner with the boys at a Chinese buffet. All in all, a very yummy day. It also included chocolate.

July 4th: We attended the parade in Caldwell. Joseph loved grabbing the candy, even though a lot of it fell in the gutter, which was very wet.

July 6-7th: I went to Other Mothers and bought all the boys' clothes I need up till size 3T at the 25 cent sale. I spent 4.77. I went back the next day to get all the ripped up, stained jeans. I got a giant bag (33 pairs!) for 2 bucks. They will be making 3 jean quilts. Eventually.

Last week: We went to the pool a couple of times, once to the YMCA in Caldwell with some friends in the ward and once to ours. It was a blast. It's only slightly awkward to nurse a baby at the pool. Or anywhere in public, for that matter. I always feel like people are staring.

The same friends (the Pages) invited us for dinner on Saturday night. It was delicious and we got to hang out for a while. Joseph loves playing with their 5-year-old, even though the younger girl is closer to his age.

Sunday/today: James left to go to Vernal to look at housing. We now officially have an apartment! Thanks to the boom going on in the area, a cheap apartment is hard to find. We managed to get a really old, ghetto 3-bedroom apartment for 795 a month. We've been looking for months, but that's the best deal there is. Too bad, no upgrade this time. I won't have a dishwasher or AC, but I think I'll live. This is the sacrifice I make now in order to buy a house sooner in the future!

It's been a little lonely, but I've been reading, blogging, and working on the quilts. I have the twin quilt and one baby (crib size) quilt all designed and ready to go. I started sewing the twin together. It's going faster than last time because I'm doing it the same way and have an idea of where I'm going with it. I'm excited, because it's going to look cool. After those 2 blankets, I will still have 100 squares left! That's enough for another crib blanket, but I think I'll wait and see. The crib blanket is probably going to be a gift for a baby shower, because I have a billion blankets already, but we'll see.

anniversary lunch, complete with chocolate milk

the parade. I love the chubby arm.

a cool display of flags

Kenny's favorite game with Daddy: bouncing!

almost too tall for the Bumbo already!

I can't wait for James to get home tonight! It's going to be late, and I will likely be asleep. Someone named Joseph woke me up at 5:30 this morning. Stinker.

A Little Bit of This and That

I've been crafting a little bit over the last few months. No, really only a little bit. I'm still amazed at how many scraps and random things I end up with, so I still haven't actually bought anything to make these things out of. I'm working on a jean quilt for Kenny, and so far, I have 100 squares. Only about 170 to go!

organization for my thread. ghetto, but efficient.

potholder

table centerpiece thingy

knitted bathroom rug. crooked, I know. 

So Many Thoughts!

Don't you hate when you have a million things to say but have a hard time getting them all down on paper? For that reason, this blog probably won't make a lot of sense. Well, the paragraphs won't have anything to do with each other. That's okay, though, right? I mean, this is my blog, and it's not like anyone's paying me to write it. :)

I love the metaphor of being jealous of others' success as downing a quart of pickle juice. (Thanks, Elder Holland!) I've never liked pickles, and I definitely don't like their juice. I find myself drinking it on occasion, however. It's not always inherent qualities that someone has. It's the fact that "good" things happen to them and "bad" things happen to me. I forget that I'm comparing my trials with their blessings. Common problem? I think so.

Getting up early has been a real blessing this week. I've never loved any time before 7:00. I don't know how I made it through Seminary (with perfect attendance, even) for 4 years. However, a still, small voice has gently nudged me to wake up earlier and read my scriptures. I'm glad that I listened. It's the only time of day that I'm the only one awake. (I love to peek in on my sweet, sleeping boys: all 3 of them.)

Here's a nerd confession, but I really like watching Star Trek: the Next Generation. It's fascinating to me that Data, who is an android, desires to be human, even though he already appears to be perfect. Being human is a wonderful thing. I'm come to realize that our imperfections aren't so much imperfections but rather tools to help us become more perfect. I'm working on it.

I've been inspired to start a new blog after a 6-week experiment of living on our food storage (partially for the heck of it, and partially because we needed to.) You can find it here: http://realfoodstorageforrealbudgets.blogspot.com/. I'm still working out the kinks, because I forgot how little  I know about web design, even while using templates. I aim to post about twice a week, and it's geared toward college students! (Or anyone living in an apartment, really.) I hope it helps someone.