Behind

I didn't realize how far behind I am. I think I have a valid excuse though! I had quite a bit of help this past week so that was nice. My mom came three of the days and Brian's mom helped out on the other two. Thank you! It was so nice to have that help. One day that my mom had them, they got to pick out their own baby doll at Target. They spent the rest of the day making pillows and beds for them. My mom made them little bags for a diaper bag and they cut fleece for a receiving blanket and flannel for burp cloths and baby wipes. They spent all day playing with that and changing diapers. It has provided much entertainment for them this week. On Thursday--I am not sure what we were thinking--but we ventured out to Hobby Lobby. There are some fabric flowers that I want to make to put on headbands, so we went looking for that stuff and a few other things my mom needed. It actually wasn't too bad and we survived.

This week was a little weird in that I had Libby home sick on Monday and Eliza was home on Tuesday and Wednesday. Happily no one else got sick and I think we are back healthy now. On Monday, Ruby had her first appointment. We went to the other office this time because we are going to start seeing my neighbor who is a pediatrician. A month or so ago, I was out front and his wife came over to chat and she mentioned that her husband had said that if we wanted to see him, he wouldn't balance bill us--he would just take whatever our insurance covered. I was nearly speechless. With a few kids, this will be a huge blessing--not having to pay anything at the pediatrician's office. So it's a little further, but it'll be worth it in the end. Anyway...I took Ruby to her appt. and she was 7 pounds. I told him my theory in that I don't think she really weighed 8.1 when she was born. He thinks that might be the case. And she was shorter than she was in the hospital. I think baby's heights are all relative, too, since they squirm around and it's hard to get an accurate measurement. But he said she looked good...no complaints. He had them do her 2nd PKU test so we didn't have to go back at 2 weeks.

Let's see...what else. I enjoyed watching conference last weekend. Some of my favorite talks were Elder Bednar, Elder Watson, Henry B. Eyring, President Monson's one about service, and Elder Holland's. His was SO powerful.

Eliza started soccer again. She played last week and yesterday. She scored a goal in her first game, so that was fun for her. Yesterday evening was our ward's youth standard's night. It was out at the White Tanks and Brian had to go, but I got to join him. It was a bit crazy getting everyone where they needed to be. Eliza went to a birthday party, Ellie and Libby spent the afternoon/evening with my parents and I got a babysitter for Hattie. Ruby came with me. First they had dinner--the bishopric BBQ'd burgers and chicken. Then they had the program. I thought it turned out great and was a great experience for the kids. Of course, Ruby slept all the way out there and through dinner, but right when the program started, she started crying! So I hurried to the car and sat in there and fed her. So I missed most of it, but here is the gist of what they did. Someone started by talking about the Anti-Nephi-Lehis and how they buried their weapons of war. Then they had several of the youth talk about each one of the standards and how its opposite can be a weapon that they can bury if it's a weakness in their life. So they could bury the sword or weapon of disobedience or immorality or contention. Then that youth had a wooden sword with that word written on it. At the end of their talk, they threw the weapon in the fire. Then each of the youth that were there got their own wooden sword and they wrote on a little slip of paper that was attached one of their "weapons" (or one of the standards they are struggling with) and then they each threw it in the fire symbolic that they would bury that weapon and not pick it up again. Brian had to speak a minute before they put their weapons in the fire and he talked about how fire can purify and cleanse and how by getting rid of those things in their lives how they can be purified, too. Then he had them look at the city lights behind them. Where we were situated, you had a great view of the city lights. And he talked about how they can be a city set on a hill and how if the fire were big enough, all those lights or people, could see them and would wonder what that light was. When they put their weapons in the fire, of course it got bigger, and it was so neat to think of them as an example to the world. The night ended with cobbler, then we came home. It was a great standards night and one that hopefully the kids will remember.