I'm A Wuss

The other day I was trying to carry a mattress up the stairs by myself and didn't quite make it. I know, I really need to hit the gym. But It wasn't all bad, Gavin had a lot of fun with it. Ever since then he's been asking us to put the mattress back. My friend Emily is here with her kids, Kaija and Luukas, so we decided to let them have some fun. Steve brought out the mattress (because you all know I couldn't do it) and they went for it. I really wish I could get this much joy out of something so small. Fun, fun!!

Steve Atwood The Saint

Any of you who know my husband knows he'll do anything for his family and friends. And this weekend Steve proved it. His friend Kelly was moving to Seattle with his family for a new job. Steve offered to drive with him in his U-hale to help him unload the truck when they got there. They were suppose to leave at 5pm on Friday and just drive straight through. This would have been about a 13 hr trip. No big deal, right? WRONG!! Kelly didn't pick Steve up until about 11:30 pm. They drove through the night in questionable weather. Finally pulling over at about 8:30 am to get a little sleep in Burly, Idaho. They slept for 3 uncomfortable hours in the truck and set off again. A few hours later they had to pull off the side of the road again because the snow got so bad they were required to have chains. And of course what U-hale comes stocked with chains. They sat there trying to wait out the weather, but began to realize it was just going to get worse. So they decided to brave it. They drove for who knows how long at about 5 mph and so on and so on.... Anyway they finally reached their destination at 9:30pm Saturday evening. Now I'm not great at math but doesn't that make what should have been a 13hr trip into a 22hr?

At this point they were way to exhausted to unload the truck so they decided to call it a night. Steve cuddled up in his cozy blanket on the hard floor and tried to sleep. They got up early this morning and started unloading the truck. This took them the entire morning and most of the afternoon, because it was just Steve, Kelly, and his teenage stepson.

Steve is now at the airport waiting to see when or if his delayed flight is ever going to leave. And through all this all he has said is, "This kind of sucks." Are you kidding me! If it was me, Steve wouldn't hear the end of my complaints. This is just one of the many reasons I love this man. He is soooooooooooo patient! And so willing to help others. What a trooper!!

Deceptively Delicious

I may have found an answer to my prayers. I recently bought Deceptively Delicious off Amazon. It's a recipe book designed to help your kids eat their fruits and veggies without knowing it. Any of you who know Gavin know what a picky eater he is. And veggies with him are next to impossible. So I tried my first recipe tonight, Mac & Cheese with butternut squash puree. He had no idea is was good for him and munched it down. Gavin's eating habits have been such a struggle for me. I hope the rest of the recipes we try will be a success. Tomorrow's menu is:

Breakfast
French toast
(with banana puree)

Lunch
Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
(with sweet potato puree)

Dinner
Spaghetti Pie
(with broccoli and carrot puree)

Wish me luck!!

Classifieds

We're selling our Town home in Provo, our Toyota Sequoia, Honda Civic, and Honda Accord. We realize it's not the best time to be selling a home or cars right know. So we need all the help we can get. Please keep your eyes and ears open and let us know if you know of anyone who would be interested in any of them. Our renters are moving out on Friday and we are getting a little nervous. I'm sure a few prayers couldn't hurt either.

Need a Painter?

I've got your guy. These pictures don't even begin to do the painting justice. You have to see it in person to get the full effect. Gavin just loves playing in his new cottage with his friends. It adds so much to their make believe play. Dan Hathaway in my painter. He's a friend of my brothers. This took him hardly any time at all. This is his design and it's totally free hand. He is such a talented guy. I wish he had a web page I could refer you to, but he doesn't. Let me know if you are interested in him and I'll get you his contact info.

The Things Kids Say

Gavin has a hilarious personality and is always cracking me up with the funny things he says. I just wanted to share a couple.

The other day he walked into the kitchen and asked me to make him a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Keep in mind I have never been able to get him to eat a PB&J before. So I asked, " Since when do you like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches?" His reply, " I grew up mom. I'm four now." and gives me a look like, duh.

Today in testimony meeting a child got up and told us about how his family decided that instead of getting presents for Christmas they would give presents to needy families. Gavin asks very loudly "Why did they give all their toys away?" Steve bends over and whispers the explanation in his ear, and then asks him if he would ever want to do that. He says, "sure." I look over at him and can see his little mind working, and then he almost shouts. "But not my pirate ship! That pirate ship's for me!" The people around us are trying not to laugh as we assure him we wouldn't give his pirate ship away.

ALL ALONE :-(

This morning I woke up at 6:20 to take Shawn, Lisa and the kids to the airport. The beginning of September was the last time Steve and I went more than a couple of days without people staying with us. I thought this would be a welcomed break from company. But Gavin and I are both little off today without our playmates. Gavin new that Keely would be gone when he woke up, but he still wasn't ready for it. He has already expressed many times today how much he misses her. Even though the day before Keely and he were ready to pull each other hair out. Gavin told me that Keely has informed him that she's going to buy enough stairs for them connect our houses so they will be able to walk to each others homes whenever they want. Keely makes a lot of promises she can't keep. I think she told him she was going to buy him 20 different toys for his birthday. Apparently Keely's loaded! Steve and I are excited to have the house to our selves for a while, but will miss our family like crazy! Wish they didn't have to live so far away!!