The Final Catch Up (Sept. to Now)

As promised here I am with the final post to get all caught up with the events of our lives to date.  Last month we had some adjustments to make with our routine and schedules with school starting.  We go through this every year because of new homework routines that go along with new teachers.  I find that it is also a good time to set some new goals for the new school year and to give new responsibilities to the kids.
We made a goal to start having Family Home Evening each and every week.  Ryan and I just felt that anything and everything we could do to bring our family closer together as well as inviting the spirit into our home was worth it.  It meant that we wouldn't be able to have my niece and nephew over on Monday nights as we did last year, while my sister-in-law, Ashley went to school up at Weber State University.  We did invite them to join us but my brother Rayn is inactive in the church and my sister-in-law is not a member.  They both wanted to make sure to teach their children what they believe while they are young and then leave it up to them when they get older if they want to learn about the LDS church.  Which Ryan and I totally respect, but we will miss having Kyla and O'wyn over.
As far as our Family Home evening goal, so far so good.  I think we have only missed one week, due to illness and things look good for us to keep it up as the kids love having it so much they are the ones to remind us.  Ethan has even prepared the lesson and taught it all on his own twice now.  He did such an awesome job, you can just see what an great missionary he will be someday.
The end of September we went up to Idaho to listen to my cousin Brad report on his mission to New Jersey.  We got up at 5:30 a.m. so we could be in Idaho Falls by 9 a.m. and get to the meeting on time.  Ryan choose to do that as he knows better than anyone that when we get together with any of my family we are always up too late.  So he decided if he was going to be tired anyway he might as well sleep in his own bed.
Brad did a great job with his talk and you could just tell he really loved the people he served on his mission.
We then when up to Julie and Doug's for a luncheon and got to visit with a lot of my family for the after noon.  It was great to see everyone and hear how they where doing.  Holly loves playing with her 2nd cousins, although they had a ruff start, you know how girls can be sometimes.  Ethan bonded with his 2nd cousin Tryson who just happens to be two weeks older than him.  I guess they both like the same video games and books so they had a lot to talk about.
But the best part of the trip, at least for me was seeing my grandpa and while we were there I happen to go out on the front porch.  I found my grandpa and Holly just sitting on a bench visiting.  I guess they had been out there a while and Holly had really fallen in love with her Grandpa the Great, as we call him.  I guess she told him all about her life and he just listened asking questions when needed to keep the conversation going.  I took a picture of them together and now Holly proudly has a copy of it framed in her room.  she asks me all the time when we can go to Canada to see Grandpa the Great.  That right there was worth the trip to Idaho and getting up at 5:30 am for.  I love that my children have at least a little bit of an opportunity to get to know my side of the family even though we live far from them.  It makes me sad that we don't live closer sometimes.  Especially for special occasions like Ethan's baptism coming up, because pretty much the whole program will be made up of Ryan's family.  Don't get me wrong it's not a bad thing, it just makes me sad that we don't have family from my side that are able to participate.  Anyway on to another subject.
Holly has had a loose tooth for awhile now and just a little over a week ago I told her it needed to come out.  I happen to look at it one night and found that her new permanent tooth was coming up behind.  So we tried to tie a string to it and have her slam the door but that didn't work.  We tried to get some floss underneath it and pull it out that way but that didn't work.  At last I just got a hold of it and pulled it forward as fast and hard as I could and out it came.  Holly was a little freaked out because of the blood at first but once it stopped she was VERY proud of the hole that it left in her smile.
She put her tooth in a little bowl next to her bed and the tooth fairy brought her two sliver dollars.  Her Dad quickly gave her two paper dollars for them and now she is still trying to figure out what to spend them on.
Finally this past Sunday we celebrated Canadian Thanksgiving with a full spread.  Ryan had to go to St. George for work on Monday so we had our big dinner the day before.  Can I just say that I love Martha Stewart.  Because of her my turkeys always turn our so great.  I even made sweet potatoes, which Holly helped me make and green bean casserole, which Ethan helped me make.  They each had to have some of the dish they helped with as Ryan doesn't like either and I didn't want to have to eat it all my self.
That brings us up to date with all our happenings.  Now let's just hope I can do better because I don't want to ever have to play catch up like that again.  Whew!