Early Christmas

Reed and I both got some early Christmas presents this year. I got myself a new sewing machine. My hand-me-down has served me well for the last five years, but it had gotten to the point where it was very frustrating to sew, and I didn't want to be frustrated while I was sewing my Christmas pajamas. So I looked around and tried to find a mid-range sewing machine that had good reviews and everything I wanted.

I got this Brother CS6000i computerized sewing machine. It came yesterday, and I already have two pairs of pajamas made! Reed was nice and made dinner so I could play with my new toy. So far, it absolutely perfect. It is easy to thread, the bobbin is a breeze, it is SO QUIET compared to my old machine, and it doesn't make my table bounce when I go fast. It has speed control, which I also love, and the stitches are so smooth and perfect. I am in love.

Reed and I stopped in to the Men's Warehouse so Reed could "get his measurements," and we ended up finding some really good deals. We really weren't going to buy anything, but then our nice sales lady mentioned that she had some stuff in the back that was 75% off because it had slight damage or had been returned. We ended up getting a $700 brown suit (their best brand) for $130, a navy suit for $100, three dress shirts (originally $60 each) for $15 each, a suede jacket for $20 ($100 off), a pair of slacks for $20, and brown dress shoes for $25. We saved $1058! So the moral of the story is, find out if your local Men's Warehouse has a stash of 75% off stuff in the back of their store!

Missionary Work

In my last post, I mentioned that I have been talking to Adrian, the man I have been tutoring in English, about the church and he has been reading The Book of Mormon. Well, he met with the missionaries last week and he also came to church this week! He really liked church, even though it is different from anything he has experienced before. Last night he met with the missionaries again, and he is coming again tonight. He says he has prayed and he has a good feeling about The Book of Mormon and the church. He still has a lot the learn, but it is really exciting to be able to participate in teaching him about the gospel! The scriptures talk about the joy we will receive when we bring just one soul unto Jesus Christ, and I now know how true this is! I did not go on a mission, so this is the first time I am experiencing this wonderful feeling!

I Skipped October (so sorry, it's a long one!)

I realize that it has been like six weeks since I have posted anything, and that is because I have been quite busy for the last month, and when I wasn't busy, I was forgetful. I did forgot the camera several times, but I did manage to get a few shots from this month.

Reed had his first grad school class in October, and many evenings were spent on papers and the like. That, in combination with the ward Halloween party, kept us very busy for the month of October. He did great in his class though, and got an A. The class was actually easier than we had anticipated, and I was trying to make his papers more academic than they needed to be, but we survived the first class, and his next one is in December.

The biggest change in our house is that the missionaries moved in to our basement in the beginning of October. That would be my fault. I was sitting in Ward Council, listening to the bishop stress how much they needed to find a new place for the elders, and all of sudden I was raising my hand and saying, "We have a basement?" Even though we have heard tons of horror stories, it has actually been fun to have them here. We immediately started seeing the blessings come in, and the hassles have been quite minimal. They come in the back door and go straight downstairs, so we don't really see them all that often. They will be here until the end of the year.

One of the blessings we have seen is that I have had a lot of inquires for tutoring. Many of them don't work out, but one man contacted me and wanted to sign up for five hours a week of tutoring. He is from Mexico, and he is staying with brother and trying to improve his English so he can pass a test and apply for teaching jobs. I am having a great time tutoring him, and this is providing us with the extra cash we needed for Christmas. The best part of all though, is that I have had the chance to share the gospel with him during our conversations. He was very curious about the church, and so after just our first week of tutoring, I gave him a copy of The Book of Mormon, and he has already finished 1 Nephi! We talk about the church almost every day, he came to our Halloween party and really enjoyed it, and I have asked him if he wants to speak with the missionaries, and he says he wants to read a little more first, and then he might. I have been able to bear my testimony several times, and I am finding great joy in sharing the gospel with him.

We managed to do a few fun things last month, like carving pumpkins.

Reed and I enjoyed it because we hadn't carved pumpkins in many years, but Patrick was not as interested as I thought he would be. He did like the end product, and the lights we put inside the pumpkins.

I was really excited to try roasting pumpkin seeds, and I found a recipe that sounded great, but I got busy getting Patrick ready for bed and I didn't keep a close enough eye on them, and the were a little too burnt to taste good. Oh well, there is always next year.

I mentioned our ward Halloween party. That was one thing I forgot my camera for. I am very happy with the way it turned out. We had even more people than I was expecting, but things still went fairly smoothly. We started with a chili cook-off, which was really popular since our ward hadn't had one in several years. We had 21 people bring chili! Which was overwhelming, but probably good since we had more people come than expected. Reed's chili was excellent, but he was disappointed that he didn't win. We had carnival-style games set up around the gym for the kids to play and win prizes. There was a cake walk, candy corn catch, eyeball bounce, pin-the-wart-on-the-witch, doughnut on a string, and pie-eating contests. After games we had our trunk-or-treat outside. I think everyone had a great time, and even though I was exhausted, I was happy to put on such a great party. My fabulous in-laws came and helped me set up and supervised Patrick during the party and even took him home with them to spend the night, which was the most helpful thing in the world. They are great!

I don't have any costume pictures, sorry, but maybe next year when I don't have a party to plan. We had originally planned on being a family of deadly ninjas, but the costumes were not working out for me, and so Patrick was Mickey Mouse, I ran out of time for a costume, and Reed came as the ward activity director's husband, which was actually really funny because he scribble marker all over himself and put band aids on and pinned a to-do list on his apron.

Patrick is great. He is pushing limits a little more now, but thankfully tantrums don't last very long. Of course, he still has lots of sweet and silly moments. He frequently requests toast for breakfast, and he likes to eat the jam by itself, and one morning he had some on his chin for like 10 minutes and I finally had Reed get the camera and take a picture of it.

Another morning we had pancakes with strawberry jam and whipped cream. Long ago, Grandma Haight taught Patrick how to eat whipped cream our of can, and now it is his absolute favorite. I couldn't quite capture the look he gets when he tries to open his mouth as wide as he can. Quite funny.

Patrick still loves books. If anybody is dying to get him a Christmas gift, books would be great. He is just starting to read the books out loud when he is by himself. This particular time he was looking at an animal book and telling me, "rhinos splash in the mud." I love that he loves books. His vocabulary has gotten quite large, it seems. He is in the phase now where he repeats everything that we say, which is still cute, for now. He is up to 3-4 word sentences, and most of the time we can understand what he wants. Unfortunately for him, just because we can understand him, doesn't mean his always gets what he wants.

One of the best parts of last month was our anniversary! We hit the big 5-year mark this year. How is it that that can seen really long and not long at all, all at the same time? The actual night of our anniversary we were busy with school, but we snuck our for a quick dinner and some free ice cream at Pinkberry, which is a very unique frozen yogurt place. They had free sample of their new flavor, pumpkin spice, just for our anniversary. How nice of them. The following weekend we were able to go our to a movie and lunch by ourselves. (Can I just say that I love the matinée, because we were able to get two tickets for $9, which is less than one regular ticket!) We have had a fabulous five years, and I know that the next five will be even better!

Sorry if you had to take a bathroom break in the middle of reading this post, but I think I have pretty much caught up. Here's to remembering my camera and trying to post more frequently during this busy holiday season!

Putting Utensils Away

Patrick is getting pretty good and helping with small chores. He can put his clothes away in the hamper, pick up toys, water the flowers, help set the table, and put away the clean utensils.

More on the Walls!

Our house is definitely staring to feel like we live here. In the last couple of weeks we have gotten more decorations up on the walls.

I found these cute letters at Hobby Lobby and used scrapbook paper, Modge Podge, ribbons and buttons to liven them up.

Then we got that mirror hung up:

And my cross-stitch that my mother-in-law so generously and beautifully framed for me.

I love that our house is coming together, and I can't wait to sew some curtains this winter and be on the look out for cute little things to add.

Color!

We have had a BUSY weekend painting. I have been waiting many years to be able to put some color on my walls, and now I have it! We painted the living room and hall a pretty green, and then the long wall in the living room that goes into the kitchen and the kitchen itself are red. Really red.

All the walls in the house were brown, so it is FABULOUS to have some color in our house. I have a mirror to hang behind the front door, and some pictures and other decorations to hang, too, and once I get curtains up it will really look like our home.

It was a lot of work, but it sure was worth it. I LOVE IT!

Master Reed

Reed got a phone call this evening informing him that he has been accepted to Argosy University to begin his Master's program in Marriage and Family Therapy! Whoo Hoo!

Argosy is a small private university here in Denver (one of many locations). That offers programs for working adults. The classes are every other weekend, with each class lasting 2-4 weekends. We have been really busy this summer working on Reed's certification for his BCABA (Board Certified Associate Behavior Analyst) and now with the seminary calling, applying for school has been pushed back, Luckily, the process when very quickly, and now he can get started! It will make things much more hectic and busy, but the sooner he starts, the sooner he will be done. Hooray!

A Work In Progress

Here are some pictures from this weekend's efforts. Please ignore the mostly dead grass; that will be revived next spring.

We put rock down in front. It still needs to be smoothed out a little and eventually we will get some big colorful pots to sit here.

Here is the berm we made. A vast improvement on the chunk of dead ground that was here before. This afternoon I planted 40 bulbs (daffodils and tulips) and added the mulch. Theoretically, next March/April there should be a lot of pretty flowers in there.

The hedges in the background were also trimmed (a lot) and shaped by my wonderful mother-in-law.

I have a cute little row of mums right in front of the porch that will eventually form a small hedge.

So excited that we are making progress! Next up -- painting the living room/kitchen. We bought the paint this morning!

Patrick Knows His Letters!

I finally got Patrick to sit still so I could get a video of him reciting his letters.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjNmqt8D4Mk

Laboring for Labor Day

I'm not sure what we are supposed to celebrate on Labor Day, other than the unofficial end of summer, but this year we celebrated by laboring in our yard. We love our house, but it came with a lot of potential. In other words, we have a lot of work to do. Our yards, both font and back, were basically blank slates when we moved in. Fast forward nine months, and you have a jungle that has filled in that blank slate. I didn't take any before pictures, but it looked something like this:

With the help of our loving family, we got a really good start on our front yard this weekend. Before we bought the house, the previous owners had to fix the foundation because of water damage, so we had to create drainage around the foundation. We got dirt rototilled and plastic laid down for drainage, and then rocks on top of that. Eventually we will get some large pots to set on top of the rocks so it isn't so bare. On the other side of the house, in front of the porch, we formed a nice berm with some bushes, mums, and bulbs that will come up in the spring.

We trimmed some hedges on the side of the house, and our nice neighbor even helped us pull out two huge stumps. We still have like a dozen more to pull out, but we really feel like we accomplished a lot this weekend.

The other thing we celebrated yesterday was a WIN FOR BOISE STATE! They played Virginia Tech last night, and even though the second half was a nail-biter, BSU was able to pull off the last-minute winning plays. This was their biggest game of the season! I am so excited that they have a real shot at the championship this year. I will be rooting them on all year.

Mockingjay

I received the book Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins for my birthday. This is the third in the Hunger Games trilogy, for those of you not in the know. It was fantastic, and I highly recommend this series. Even though it is labeled as young adult fiction, I really think it is best suited for older teens and adults. The stories are very compelling and hard to put down, and even though Mockingjay was a little dark, I think the author was true to the characters. I can't say much more because I'm sure there are people out there who are reading it or who want to. But definitely a must-read.

New Adventures for the Haight Family

Reed and I both have new adventures starting. First, Reed was called this morning to be an early-morning seminary teacher for our stake. It was a little surprising, but I think Reed is excited because he has always wanted to teach seminary. The timing is a little interesting, but then again, it always is with callings, isn't it? He is teaching his first class in about 9 hours, and doesn't have any information other than the time, what building, and that it is Doctrine and Covenants. This will be a fun few weeks!

My adventure isn't as big, but I am excited about it. I really wanted to find another job that I could work from home, but when I thought about what I loved to do, I really just wanted to tutor, because I loved it so much when I did it at BYU-Idaho. So a couple weeks ago I put some ads on Craigslist just to see if anyone was interested. Luckily, I got a hit in only four days. I had my first tutoring session last Thursday, and I am so excited to be doing it again. I am tutoring a man from India who has lived here about 10 years, and his English is great, but he wants to move up at work to a manager position, so he wants to polish he grammar and writing skills. Which is awesome because grammar is my favorite. So glad I kept those books from college.

So life here is getting busier, but we are super happy about it!

Saying Prayers

A little bit about our Patrick boy. He is talk all the time now, even though a lot is still gibberish. This week we have started helping him say our nightly prayers, and sometimes it makes me tear up it is so darn cute (and sometimes we giggle). He usually just says the last word that I say, but tonight he did a really good job repeating. We are very proud of him.

He also thinks he doesn't need a nap before church, and then is too exhausted to last through nursery, so we end up holding him/pacing until he passes out. Luckily we only have four months left of 1pm church.

He is currently obsessed with owies. If he gets the tiniest scratch, he wants a band-aid and limps for an hour. If he sees anything on you that looks like it may be an owie, he gets very concerned, puts on a sad face, and kisses it better for you. He is a cross between very sweet and kind of dramatic.

Pretty soon I will get a video of him doing kung fu with daddy. Hilarious.

The Big 2-4

Again, I don't have any pictures, so you will have to take my word that I had a great birthday. I am 24 this year. It is pretty nice right now actually, to not feel really old or young. I spend the day with Patrick, and then Grandma came out to babysit so we could go to Rodizio's for dinner. I had a post a few months ago about how we love the food there. It is even better when I get free birthday flan (and a buy one get free coupon)! Yum!

Thank you to everyone who sent cards or wished me happy birthday. I really enjoyed it. My favorite cards, though, were from my brother and sister. They made me the sweetest cards that brought a tear to my eyes because I could feel the love. They are awesome. My parents sent me a BSU snuggie, which is awesome, because Reed and I always make fun of snuggies (who doesn't?) but I think I will actually use it because I always need a blanket when I am on the couch, and it will be perfect for game days.

Speaking of which, our opening game against Virginia Tech is next Monday! I'm very excited and only slightly nervous!

More Family!

August has been quite busy with family and friends visiting. Reed's sister, Stacy, and her kids, Jack, Lily, and Eva, came to Grandma Haight's house for a visit this month. They used to live here, so it was fun for them to see all their old friends. Most of the neighborhood was over at Grandma's house all week! We were able to do some fun things with them while they were here too. Unfortunately, my camera is taking a siesta this month. : (

We all went to the zoo one day, which was fun, but we managed to pick the hottest day of the week, so we spent a lot of time in the shade. Patrick had a fun time dragging his cousins around the zoo, since he thinks he is the King of the Zoo (even though they have been just as many times as he has)! Patrick really loves his cousins. Jack and Lily were very nice to walk around with him. Lily is very sweet with him, and Jack is a good sport to let Patrick drag him around and show him everything.

We spent a warm Saturday at the pool, which was very fun. I thought Patrick would be more interested in the small wading pools, but he wasn't. He got excited when we went to the "Lazy River," where you float around a circle on inter tubes. He thought that was the best, and we spent most of the day there.

We had a lot of fun with the Sorensens and are happy that we were able to see them twice this year. Hopefully we can make visit more frequent in the future.

Another Fun Visit

Last week we had another fun visit with friends. Andrew and AnnMarie came from Rexburg to see us. We feel really blessed this summer that all of our family and friends have come to see us! And we have had such a good time with them too.

I was really lame and didn't take any pictures this time. This was a really low-key visit, and I think we all enjoyed that. While Reed was working during the day, I would take Andrew and AnnMarie to the zoo or the splash park, and then we would come home and all take naps, and then have some more fun in the evening. I think this was the first time in a long time Andrew has taken naps during the week!

On Wednesday we had the missionaries over for dinner because one of the Elders in our ward is from the same area as Andrew, and we really wanted the two of them to meet because they say and do a lot of the same things. And it was entertaining to listen to the two of them talk about North Carolina and all their favorite obscure sport facts. We smoked a huge 12 lb pork shoulder for dinner, and it turned out fabulously. Combined with Reed's BBQ sauce, and it is heavenly. Combine that with my coleslaw and some fresh fruit, and it was a fabulous summer dinner.

We also went to a small county fair on Friday night. We always love going to the fair (who doesn't enjoy fair food?), but our county fair cost $15 just to get in. Each! So we heard that this Larimar County fair up in Loveland was free, so we went and loved it. It wasn't super crowded, and it had just enough stuff so we could experience all the great things we love about a fair: people watching, fair food, free petting zoo, pig races, fair food, 4H animals, and a small fireworks show. Patrick had a good time, and would still be at the petting zoo if I didn't drag him out. Sometimes I wish he had just a sliver of fear so he wouldn't race head first into a crowd of goats. I was afraid he was going to come out with one less finger! But he loved seeing the animals because he just ran from one to another say its name or making its sound. He kept coming back to the piglets and trying to pet them through the little fence.

We pigged out on junk food. We ate the ice cream first, and then fried chips, and kettle corn. The fireworks were short, but it was perfect for his short attention span. I love sitting on the grass at the end of the night and watching fireworks, feeling the summer breeze, and smelling all the fair food. That is the memory I reach for in the dead of winter. I'm glad we got to go to a fair this year.

We are really glad Andrew and AnnMarie came to visit us. We haven't seen this in a year and a half, and it is always great to reconnect with friends. We are all thankful to have our house, and a basement with space to keep house guests. We have used it four times this year!

Patrick's Checkup and New 'Tude

Patrick had his two-year checkup last week. He is now 25.5 lbs (18%) and 34 inches (36%). Still kinda skinny, but proportionate. He is healthy, developing appropriately, and happy. But he has a new 'tude. An attitude.

I won't say this is the terrible twos, because my child isn't terrible, but I have noticed a change the last few weeks. It seems that we have a combination of factors that are all brewing together to make a Mr. Hyde version of my sweet Patrick boy.

The problem factors are: 1) teething and growing are just rough. 2)Patrick can communicate with us now, but not perfectly. 3) when I do understand what he is saying, that doesn't always mean he will still get what he wants. 4) He was getting a little too hooked on movies, and so last week we cut him off cold turkey. We now have a once a week family movie night. The withdrawals this week have been rough.

When these factors combine, I get a day full of lots of short (thankfully) dramatic tantrums. The biggest problem is that when he is frustrated he now wants to hit me, and that is not acceptable.

The good things: 1) He knows how to do time-out -- where to sit, how long, how to say sorry. This works for a while, until the next fit. 2) His tantrums are not very long, a few minutes maybe. 3) He still has sweet moments when he just wants to sit on my lap and read books.

This weekend has been rejuvenating. I am hoping the same for Patrick.

Patrick Dancing

Here is a short video of Patrick dancing to one of his new toys. Yes, he took his dance lessons from his mommy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eK5jhVl622o

Crash

Patrick had a little accident yesterday when we were walking out to the car. He found out that running down hill doesn't work very well.

Patrick is 2!

Our sweet Patrick boy is two years old! We had a really fun day with him on Friday. In the morning we went to a great big park to play on the equipment and splash in the water.

Tyson had fun climbing on everything!

After nap time we had fun playing in the yard and setting up for our party. His big present from mommy and daddy was a fish tank for his room. We were actually able to keep it a surprise, so he was excited to come back from his walk and find fish in his room!

He also likes the ceramic turtle. I'm pretty sure he thinks it's real.

He knew just what to do to help me feed his fish!

No party is complete without lots of balloons! Sariah helped decorate with balloons and streamers.
We had goulash for dinner again this year, which was a hit because Patrick has not been in to eating dinner for the past several weeks, and for his birthday dinner he had thirds!

He got the ball house for his birthday last year from Aunt Amy, but it has been put away since we moved, so it was like it was new all over again!

Miles and Patrick really enjoyed the ball house. Patrick got many balls for his birthday.

Play dough!
He got a bowling set to use in our long hallway.

He used his teeth when he couldn't get the paper off.

Grandma and Grandpa Cook got him this cute little trike.

This is definitely my favorite picture.

Since he loves balls so much, I made his birthday cupcakes into baseballs and basketballs (and the wrappers were soccer balls). Yum!

Patrick had three cupcakes worth of frosting.

Patrick was spoiled and had a fabulous birthday! We love this little guy so much! He is almost always happy and is learning and growing every day. He surprises me with 2-3 new words every day now, and is starting to put more words together in to sentences. He is very thoughtful and watches and copies everything we do. He is very easy going and plays well with other kids.