So much to say, no time right now

I am sitting down for 2 seconds while I'm supposed to be making the girls' lunch. But they're happy right now, so I thought I'd steal away to just post this quickly.

I wanted to finish telling you about the thoughtfulness of our secret santas. So, after the first day with 12 candy canes, they brought 11 sweetarts packs and an ornament, 10 packs of gum, a book with 9 stories in it, a pack of 8 mini cereals, 7-layer bean dip and chips, 6 packs of popcorn and a Blockbuster gift card, 5 gingerbread man cookies, 4 mini stockings filled with treats, a CandyLand game age 3+, 2 cans of chocolate covered nuts, and a spiral ham with a few trimmings.

They continued to prove thoughtful about Taryn with the 7-layer bean dip coming with a jar of "dairy free salsa", the gingerbread cookies being made without eggs/milk and one not frosted for Taryn, the popcorn allergy free, and her stocking having non-allergy treats in it. We were so touched by gift after gift being so perfect.

Plus, they gave us the cereal for our stockings that we usually get and the 10 packs of gum were given to Keara "from Santa". It is a gift she enjoys EVERY day! I know, we shouldn't let her chew gum...

Anyway, if you're out there, Secret Santa, I really want the recipe for the gingerbread cookies. Drop it off sometime if you don't mind! They were the BEST gingerbread cookies I've ever had and Taryn could eat them, so I love it!

On the first day of Christmas...

We are honored to be the recipients of the 12 Days of Christmas this year. But more than that, I just wanted to say how touched we were by the thoughtfulness of these secret gift givers. The first day, they brought candy canes. Enclosed in the note was the nutritional information for the candy canes. We're assuming it was so we would know what was in them so Taryn could enjoy them too. And believe me, she did. I almost cried at the thoughtfulness. What wonderful people.

If you're reading this, thank you.

Frosting Recipe

I have to get this recipe posted, both for you and for me. It turned out so well and was great to decorate with. Thanks Mom Moore for giving it to me!

2 Tbs butter
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar, plus more to get desired consistency
2 Tbs whipping cream
2 Tbs milk
1/4 tsp lemon extract or 1 Tbs lemon juice (or vanilla)

Mix together. Add more powdered sugar or milk to reach desired consistency. Enjoy!!

Happy Birthday to You!!

My baby is one! Taryn's birthday was yesterday and we had a great celebration in her honor. Braden's parents came down on Thursday to spend a few days with us beforehand and to get in a long-overdue visit.

On Sunday, I wanted the day to be all about Taryn. She acted like she could tell it was a special day. She was in such a fun mood all morning and was absolutely adorable all day long. That evening, Stacey's family joined us for dinner. Stacey's baby, Asia, is 6 weeks older than Taryn and they have discovered each other in the last few weeks. They are a lot of fun!

(Note that Braden is holding Asia and Stacey is holding Taryn)

We started with a meal with Taryn's favorite foods: sloppy joes, corn, oranges, bananas, and pears. Grandma wanted carrots and potato chips too, and Taryn enjoyed them as well.

Then we played Taryn's favorite games: dancing, tag, hide-and-seek, and duck duck goose. Everyone played and we had a lot of fun. Caden and Kyle (Stacey's boys) enjoyed being able to run around and hide everywhere in the house. It was so fun to have them here. Taryn just grinned the entire time and loved every minute.

Then, we pulled out the cake. Okay, here was both our greatest dilemma and greatest acheivement. Taryn is allergic to eggs and milk. Most cakes have either or both in them, but we have our ways so the cake wasn't really an issue. I tried 2 recipes to experiement and liked both, though one was much more moist than the other. But, how do you make an allergic baby's cake exciting when she can't have frosting? Okay, I realize I could have made her a frosting with margarine or shortening and it would have been milkless, but I refuse to cover my baby's birthday cake in hydrogenated oils and lard. Plus, I refuse to eat it. Hence, the dilemma.

I LOVE the idea of giving a baby their own birthday cake so they can devour it without grossing everyone else out. So, we decided to frost one and leave the other pretty plain. It worked out well and Taryn didn't care that hers wasn't as pretty as everyone else's. Here's Taryn's cake:

The gel frosting tubes I had kind of ran together, so they're not so pretty. My family has a (cruel) tradition where the 1-year-old birthday kid has to chase their cake in order to get it. Sometimes, it fails miserably. Other times, it's a success. Keara didn't care at all about her cake (who can blame her? It was hideous!) but we had faith Taryn would be the opposite. Thank you Taryn for being determined to get it! At first she was confused as to why it kept moving away from her, but then she buckled down and caught it. Once she had it, though, she wasn't sure if she was allowed to eat it. It didn't take long for her to dig in.

After that, we made her stop eating and we pulled out our masterpiece. I know, it's not perfect, but each time, these cakes are at least getting prettier! And this one tasted good too, though it was VERY rich.

It was Braden's idea to do it in the shape of a cupcake. I think it turned out really well. We played a fun game of hot potato where Taryn was the "potato". She got passed around the circle and when the music stopped, whoever was holding her was out. It went until there was one person left and that person got the honor of helping Taryn blow out her candles. Since it was a little lame that Braden won, he gave the honor to his dad who came in second.

After that, we served it up and Taryn got her cake back. She thoroughly enjoyed it!

Stacey gave a generous gift of toy pots and pans to Taryn, an instant hit. We gave her a train and one of those toys with the beads on the metal "tracks" that you move around. Yeah, that made no sense. Anyway, she enjoyed opening the presents and then playing with her toys. So did Keara.

Unfortunately, Taryn now is very interested in the presents under the tree. Oh well. Only 10 more days!

A few things about Taryn at age one:

-She has such a fun personality. She is almost always happy and content.

-She loves to play, by herself or with other people.

-She is very social and will go to anyone, smile at everyone, and play with everyone.

-She is SUPER BUSY! This child NEVER stops moving. It's been funny to us to have both sets of grandparents discover how busy she is by going to church with us. We enjoy it because they hold her during Sacrament meeting, and we just laugh. She is active. Happy, and active.

-She loves food. She has a great appetite and so far loves almost everything. Surprisingly, she did not like Thanksgiving dinner. I served it to her 4 times and she never ate it.

-She is a great sleeper. Lately, she has been sleeping from 8 at night until 8:30 or 9 in the morning. She still takes 2 naps during the day.

-She loves to play with her dad.

-She doesn't like being left out of anything and thinks she can do anything.

-She can stand on her own, but doesn't really realize she's doing it. Keara was the same way. I'm sure Taryn will just take off walking one day, but right now, she has no interest.

-I am in love with my baby. She is my absolute delight and joy and I am SO grateful for her! She is such a light in our family!!

-She is 18-20 pounds and we've moved her to a front facing carseat. She LOVES it!

We love our baby and cannot believe she is a year old! Happy birthday baby girl!

Best Friends

My heart is very sad right now. A few of our dearest friends have moved out of Queen Creek! Yeah, yeah, Phoenix isn't that far, but it's far enough when there have been weeks where you see each other every day.

Anyway, Jeff, Krista, Kloey, and Klaire Reidhead have moved. I just cried and cried when I found out they would be leaving, for a few reasons. One, Krista is one of my closest friends. She and I worked out every morning for a few weeks, helping me lose the last little bit. I love her work out and I love her friendship. She is so easy to talk to and to really open up deep with. I appreciate her spirit, her humor, her personality, and her example. She is SUPER CUTE!

Second, because my sweet Keara and her sweet Kloey are BEST BEST friends! I am so sad for Keara to be losing her bestest friend and she doesn't really know it.

We love you guys so much and will miss you so much! Look, you have me crying again! Thanks a lot...

Family Pictures!

We got our family pictures taken last week! I LOVE them. Our friend, Diana, took them this time and it was so fast that even Braden enjoyed it. We took them at the entrance of our community and it was really pretty. Here are some of my favorites:

Of course, there are no great ones of both the girls or really either where they look perfect and smiling, but these show their personalities much better.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!

Well, not really. But it is cold and gray right now, which certainly helps. Keara is SO into Christmas this year. She doesn't truly understand it all, but is so excited about the lights, the tree, the music, Santa, presents (though she doesn't get that she will be getting presents too or that this is part of Christmas), and the overall magic of the season. It has been really fun for me and Braden to get more into the season with her.

To start off getting into the Christmas mood, besides the music, we took the girls to an outdoor mall where they blow "bubbles" that look like snow. We played on the play area for a while waiting for the snow to start (we were told it was every half hour), but after an hour and no snow, we decided to leave. Oh well.

Our ward had our Christmas party on the 6th. It was SO SO SO amazing! The theme was the Polar Express and the kids all came in their pajamas. They all got tickets to board the "train" and then the commitee put on a great program, complete with clips from the movie, interactive activities, a visit from Santa, crafts, hot chocolate and other INCREDIBLE treats, and a chance to sit on Santa's lap. Taryn was scared and Keara was even scarder (name the movie). So, we have no picture of Keara.

We bought our tree from Target this year and it is big, fat, and beautiful. I love it. Keara makes sure we have turn on all the Christmas lights each morning and the outdoor ones at night. When our neighbors were first putting theirs up, she would ask each day if it was Christmas. Thinking she meant the day, I would always tell her, no, it's in a couple weeks. Then I realized she meant was it time to put on the Christmas LIGHTS. Ahh. So, we quickly got ours hung and now it is Christmas at our house every night. She loves to drive around and see everyone's lights. In fact, that's what we're doing for our Family Home Evening activity tonight.

We also made homemade soap in Christmas colors and shapes with Braden's sister's son, Kyle, the other day. They didn't turn out like I hoped, but it was fun to get so messy doing it!

I also made some really easy chocolate truffles. Here's the recipe:

1 can sweetened condensed milk

3 cups chocolate (chips, milk or semi-sweet, bars, bark, white or dark, whatever)

1 Tbs vanilla.

Melt the chocolate with the sweetened condensed milk over medium-low heat until thick. Add vanilla. Pour into a bowl and let cool in the fridge. Scoop out and roll into 1-inch balls (easiest with a melon baller). Roll in toppings, such as peppermint dust, chopped nuts, sprinkles, powdered sugar, cinnamon, etc. Really good and easy! My favorite are the peppermint ones and Braden loves the almond ones. A great treat for a Christmas party!

Speaking of Christmas parties, we had ours on Saturday. It went well and we had 27 people there. It was sparser than last year and less mingly, but it was still fun. We're thinking of making adjustments for next year to make it GREAT!

A Ticket or Two...

So, after Braden's little fender bender that ended up costing almost $5000 to fix (thank goodness for insurance!), and his ticket in October which he had to do an online course to get it off his record, I think I may have gotten a ticket last week! What!?! I was driving along on the highway in a 65 MPH zone going exactly 65 MPH when the camera van flashed me! WHAT!? I was going exactly the speed limit. I hope it was someone else, but it sure seemed like I was the only one there. We'll see if something shows up in the mail in a week or two. I HATE camera vans. A lazy, money-guzzling alternative to work. It's disgusting.

So, I've heard that you can get a ticket in the mail but if you do not do anything about it, the police/courts cannot penalize you unless they "serve" you a ticket by showing up at the door. I've read a lot about that and Arizona law says that all tickets must be personally served. As in a person hands it to another person, like a cop who pulls you over. But these cameras are mailing them to thousands of people but cannot guarantee anyone is getting them. Those who sign it and mail it back are making it so the city doesn't have to serve a ticket personally, thus not in agreement with the law. So, do you have to send in payment for a photo ticket? Techincally, it is not truly a ticket until a cop shows up at your door and hands you one. What do you think?

Never Saw That One Coming!

Besides the wonderful festivities and activities around Thanksgiving, the GREATEST thing happened on the Monday before Thanksgiving. Keara came in the kitchen where Janae, Enoch, and I were sitting after breakfast. She asked to take her pajamas off. Sure, no problem. Then, she went upstairs and removed her diaper, got a new diaper, and brought it downstairs to me. She handed it to me and said, "Mommy, I don't want to wear diapers anymore." What?! Um, okay! Janae said, "Run with it," so I told her that was great and we'd go buy underwear later that day. Just the girls went on a special trip to buy big girl underwear. She chose princess and Tinkerbell and was proud as a peacock carrying them around the store. When we got home, we tried to get her to sit on the potty.

Keep in mind, this child had NEVER produced on the potty. I had been waiting for her to go at least once before encouraging potty training. Since she had never gone, I was wary about letting her wear underwear. Just the same, she wore underwear during that first day except her nap and bedtime. Still, I got dissuaded when she would kick and scream about sitting on the potty. Is she really ready? I was worried she wasn't. Janae said stick it out, so we did.

She had to sit on the potty every 20 minutes until she would go but it was such a fight. Finally, I felt like she could just tell us when she needed to go and we could stop forcing it. It worked! Once we stopped making her go when she knew full well she didn't need to go, she came like clock work each time and never had an accident. Well, okay, fine, she had 2 or 3...total. The second night, I put her in underwear thru the night. It's been 3 weeks and she wet the bed once. She hasn't been in a diaper since her second day of "potty training" and never used pull-ups (I think they're counter-effective). I don't think we can even call it potty training. There was no training involved!

I'm SO proud of Keara!!!!!

So Much to Be Thankful For this year!!!

We had a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving holiday. It all started a week early when my sister, Janae, and her family came to visit. They arrived on the Friday before and stayed until the Saturday after Thanksgiving. It was GREAT! We loved having the kids around and playing with them, as well as having our kids play with them. Except for the silly face Ryden taught Keara...

We played games, went to the park, made crafts, cooked and baked, watched a couple movies with pizza and root beer to boot, and wore ourselves out. Right before they came, Taryn spent a day throwing up. She felt great by the time they arrived, but apparently the bug hadn't left. Jordan lost his breakfast, and lunch, on Monday. Enoch and Keara spent a night throwing up on Tuesday, and Braden and Aspen did the same on Wednesday. Thankfully, they all felt much better after those nasty episodes, so it didn't ruin any days. Janae and I (and Kyler and Ryden) were SO lucky not to get any of it! Hooray!

We had a great day on Tuesday. First, Janae and I took the kids to the park so Enoch could get some work done. The kids had a great time and Janae and I enjoyed a visit. Then we went to Gilbert with everyone (except Braden). We went to my Aunt Katherine's for lunch and then to her community pool. Only in Arizona can you go swimming outdoors at Thanksgiving. However, it was still cold and the kids had a lot more fun in the showers than the pool. Janae got a great haircut here and looked stunning all week. If anyone's interested, I know a GREAT girl. You just have to come visit. (Thanks Jodi!)

The kids and I made crafts to decorate our Thanksgiving table. It was so fun, at least for me. We made napkin holders with turkeys, Indian headdresses, and Pilgrim hats on them, pinecone turkeys, chair covers, and a turkey bread basket. For Family Home Evening, we all wrote a few things we are grateful for on the "feathers" and stuck them in the basket. Then, on Thanksgiving, we each picked a few out and read them. It was a nice variation on an old tradition.

We had a great meal too. Our turkey was delicious, especially with the cranberry orange sauce our friend's taught us about. The stuffing turned out great, the mashed potatoes were so creamy, the homemade grape juice was delicious, and the pies were great too. There were no disasters and no mistakes. Phew!

It was so funny that Aspen was asking to eat the drumstick all week. She gets the drumsticks at home when they make chicken, which are SUBSTANTIALLY smaller than turkey legs. When we put that thing in front of her, her eyes got huge. She did a great job gnawing away at it!

Thanks for coming!!!

A Voice From the Dust

No, we have not disappeared. Yes, we are back! I haven't blogged in a LONG time because this time of year is SO busy as everyone knows and I honestly haven't had a moment to just blog. So, I woke up today determined that during naps, I would catch up on the last month. Some will be detailed, some will be short. But hopefully I'll get it all in.

Everyday Should Be Thanksgiving

My friend's blog inspired me to focus on gratitude to prepare for Thanksgiving. I feel like it often comes all of a sudden, we say what we're grateful for before we dig in, and then the day passes and we go back to not focusing on our blessings. So, since I only have 1 week before Thanksgiving, I'd better get crackin'. If I don't post any other things I'm thankful for, I thought I'd at least start with this one:

I am Thankful for...Braden

On Sunday, when we met with the Stake Presidency for Braden's new calling, I was interviewed first. They asked me a bunch of questions and then asked 2 very important ones: Is there anything in Braden's life that would prevent him from serving worthily? and Is he a good husband to you and a good father to your kids? I got so choked up at the questions because it was WONDERFUL to be able to answer with the truth!

(excuse this picture...we both weigh about 30 pounds more than we do today. then again, I am 8 months pregnant in it.)

NO, there is NOTHING in Braden's life that prevents him from being able to serve worthily. He strives to be worthy all the time and he is. He holds and exercises the Priesthood worthily, goes to the temple worthily, takes the sacrament worthily, leads our family worthily, and serves worthily. I am SO grateful for that!

And YES, he is a tremendous husband and father. I told the counselor that I couldn't ask for anything better. He is amazing and, though I "nag" him about this and that, he never ceases to amaze me at the incredible things he does for us. He jumps in to help, picks up where I leave off, comforts me, loves the girls, plays down on the floor, jumps up when I need him, and so many things there aren't words for.

A silly example of the kind of person Braden is: when we were dating, he learned I HATED it when he and others cracked their knuckles. Braden had a bad habit of doing that, but he had a worse case of whooped-for-Cheri. So one day, he decided not to crack his knuckles anymore. And he hasn't since. He can be so focused, so determined, and so disciplined to do, become, or excel in anything he puts his mind to.

I'm so proud of his trying so hard to learn this new job, to go out of his comfort zone and do things he isn't used to doing to support our family. In the last 2 years, he has held a dozen odd jobs just to provide and I am SO grateful for that. For 4 years, he worked for BYU Vending Services when he was in school. When he graduated and we moved to Arizona, he started as a server for Johnny Carino's (an italian restaurant). Then when we moved to the valley, he worked for his bro-in-law's landscaping company and then Walmart until FrostBite opened. He worked there for the next year until it closed. At this point, he worked for a few days for a farmer plowing a field, for a friend's landscaping company, and then the post office for 6 months. Now he's working at University of Phoenix and he is happy. And that makes me happy.

When we were dating, he told me about this little book of memoirs by President Boyd K Packer. There's one entry called "The Teacher is Taught" or something like that. In the story, President Packer was Home Teaching this older lady who told him that she and her husband determined to never raise their voices to each other. President Packer testified that this was possible and brought great blessings. From that, Braden determined that he would never raise his voice to me. He has kept that promise and I feel so blessed for it. He is so patient, forgiving, loving, gentle, and kind.

I love bringing our children into this world thru natural childbirth, but I cannot do it without Braden's 100% help and attention. I am so grateful that he is not only willing to stand by my side the whole time and work almost as hard as I am, but also that he defends, supports, and encourages my decision to do this. Because it is important to me, it has become so very important to me. He has NEVER encouraged me to get an epidural or discouraged me from giving birth naturally. I am SO grateful for that.

I love doing projects, often at the expense of dinner, a tidy house, and happy kids. I don't know why, but I love to create and I get all sorts of ideas of how to do things or make things for our home for little or nothing. Or ways to make money thru what I make. There have been many nights that my house is destroyed with thread, fabric, poly-fil, pins, and junk everywhere and Braden overlooks it, enjoys what I'm doing, and encourages me along. He has never discouraged this desire to create! I love that!

There are also many times that I have reached my breaking point, like last night when the kids were whining for hours because I was trying to get my counties done. They were taking way longer than usual and I just couldn't do them and take care of the kids at the same time. So I called an 8-year-old for backup which helped a ton. But when Braden walked thru the door and saw the scene, I just told him, "we're not having dinner tonight." Next thing I know, he's got dinner whipped together with Taryn on his hip and Keara by his side.

One of my favorite sounds in the world (which I haven't heard since Braden's schedule changed) was when I would wake up to the dishes being done. He has always unloaded the dishwasher without me asking and would often do it first thing in the morning. It's a beautiful sound.

Braden isn't perfect. He knows it and I know it. There are some of places he falls short or whatever, but when I stop and remember that none of that truly matters and these things are such blessings, I have to say I could not ask for anything better. He is amazing and I love him so much.

A Couple Other Updates

A few things that don't need their own post but need to be mentioned:

1. We got a treadmill! My friend Jill found one at a yard sale and we bought it for $25. I've used it once, but that'll change!

2. I'm not sick anymore. However, Taryn woke up this morning covered in vomit and has thrown up about 5 more times today.

3. I had a booth at a "farmer's market" which was more of a craft fair this last Saturday and I sold almost everything I had! I started (another) blog to sell them on for the many people who took my card. It's www.dreamsandseams.blogspot.com I'm still working on getting the "add to cart" buttons to work. I was so surprised at how many people loved the pumpkins and snowmen.

4. Braden got a new calling! He is now the 1st counselor in the Elder's Quorum Presidency. Long story short, he has been praying for a calling with more responsibilities because he really feels that he is ready for it. So here it is. I'm excited for him and for the new presidency. I really respect the new president a lot.

5. Janae and Enoch's family are coming in 3 days!! I can't believe its Thanksgiving time already. We're so excited!

6. Braden is now officially on his own at work and isn't prepared for that! But he's excited and enjoying it, so that's worth it. We're hoping he'll learn it all quickly so he can be more comfortable.

7. Braden got in a bit of a fender bender last Friday when this girl backed up into him and scrunched the front of our car. Fun. Not really, so I'm working with our insurance to get it fixed because, go figure, she had no insurance. Apparently, we attract the uninsured.

8. My house is trashed. If you want to come clean it, please do.

9. We have reached a settlement for our lease!!!! This is the most exciting news of all. But basically, we are paying a settlement fee and then will be released from our lease once and for all. I cannot believe it and cannot believe what the settlement is. We are so grateful to not have to file for bankruptcy and lose everything. What a blessing!

10. Taryn's anemia is improving thanks to the formula, she is officially allergic to milk too, and the allergist predicts she should outgrow her allergies by the time she is 5, including the peanuts. Here's hoping.

Bet Your Bottom Dollar You'll Lose Your Blues in Chicago, My Hometown!

Here it is, the post you've all been waiting for. All about the trip I had been waiting for and now its come and gone! I can't believe it. This is a LONG post, so either skim or get comfy.

It all started with me and the girls taking our first airplane trip without Daddy. The flight was relatively open, so I got 3 seats together. But since the people at the airport were all new, no one knew if they could let me take the carseat on for Taryn. So we didn't have it and I sure wished I had it in the end! I vowed that I would make them let me take it on the way back if there was room. If you don't know Taryn well, let me tell you that she is a wiggle worm! She is in constant motion and HATES to be restrained. So a small space is not her friend. It was a long flight, but I was SO excited to be going home!!

We got there on Monday night and got picked up by my sister, Kerri! It was COLD...about 37 degrees and it was PERFECT! I loved the cold. It felt so refreshing. That night, we stayed up way too late talking and playing games and loving being there. The next day, Kerri, Carter, Addison, Keara, Taryn, and I went to this great children's museum where they had so so so much to do that we could have gone back every day and never gotten bored. I had such a great time getting down on the floor with the girls and exploring. I think I might have had more fun than they did. Taryn loved it because she could just roam all over the place and explore without anyone telling her no. After naps that afternoon, we headed to my parents' home. I drove with the girls by myself and enjoyed the scenery and silence of the drive. I felt stupid, though, because I realized how quickly I had forgotten the area. When I turned down my parents' street, I started to cry. It was so stunning with the trees canopying over the road. It was perfect.

It was SO exciting to come home, to finally be home and be able to play, relax, do, see, and be there. It was so good to walk in the door and see my parents and to let the girls get to know them. Keara fell in love with the basement (why don't I have pictures of that!) where my parents have 3 swings hanging from the ceiling, a juke box, disco ball, black and white checkered floor, and plenty of play space! She loved having the juke box play church music and swinging so high that her feet hit the ceiling.

She and Carter, who are 1 month apart, had such a great time together. At first, it was a little rough getting to know each other and become comfortable, but by the end, they were like 2 peas in a pod! It was adorable. For the first couple days, my other sister, Tauna, and her baby, Claire (who is 1 month older than Taryn) were there too. So Taryn, Claire, and Addison (1 month younger than Taryn) got to play together too. It was great to have the cousins together.

On Wednesday, we went to the Lincoln Park Zoo. Since that doesn't mean a darn-tooting thing to most of you, let me explain. One thing I LOVE about Chicago is there are so many things to do for cheap or free. The whole city is based on the idea of having entertainment, parks, and other things available to the public and to families, so there are parks everywhere. They have statues and other amenities that are just for fun. Since the whole city is on Lake Michigan, there are beaches everywhere. For those who think its not really a "beach", it sure feels like it! Lake Michigan is huge so you can't see any of the other shores. For transportation, we just used the "L" train which is cheap enough to jump around the city any time you want. Since there are so many stops, you can go just about anywhere you want. Plus, the kids loved being on the train.

Anyway, the Lincoln Park Zoo is built in the middle of the city (sort of). But literally, its just plopped down right in the middle of people's way home from work, neighborhoods, etc. And its free. And its great. This is no dinky zoo. It is huge, with tons of exhibits and animals. And I hate to say it but I love zoos where the animals are in enclosures so we can see them up close and personal and see a bunch one right after another. None of this natural habitat stuff. It was AMAZING to be walking around the city, seeing all the animals, enjoying the weather, and being with my sisters and mom. I loved that day. My favorite part was as we were walking along this one path, all of the sudden, it opened up to Lake Michigan and Lake Shore Drive. Then, a bit further down, another gate opened to the skyline and the goregous city. Man, I love that city.

We went to the beach in Wilmette with my mom, Kerri, and the boys one morning.

We had the place to ourselves (surprise) and had a great time chasing seagulls, playing in the sand, swinging on the playset, and eating ladybugs. Okay, the last part wasn't that "great". Keara said it was yucky and Addison choked. Kerri and I worked on a few different projects while we were there, like caramel apples, oreo truffles, caramel/chocolate dipped pretzels, and a beautiful blanket for her sons' bed. If I can get a pic of that, I'll post it. Thursday, we relaxed a bit I think. I got to see my high school friend (more like from kindegarten on) Anna Lee. It was SO good to see her. It felt like no time had passed at all. We took Keara and Taryn to my dad's office with some treats for his employees. The smell of his office...ahh. I don't know why plaster, toothpaste, sterilizer, alginate, and the stuff to make retainers smell so good to me! I have always loved it.That night, I had my parents to myself since Tauna had left and Kerri and Steve went to their ward Halloween Party. It was so great to sit up late and talk with my parents. I miss them so much. I loved my last 2 years of high school when it was just me and them. They were (and are) my best friends and I loved (and love) them dearly. It's been quite the adjustment to go from constant contact to rare visits. I miss them so much.

We went to the library for story time on Halloween, which was fun to do with Keara. She was a little unsure of the big group thing, but enjoyed running with Carter after the other kids left. Keara and I also tramped around the yard a bit where she got to experience leaves, real trees, an abundance of grass, and open air for the first time. The weather couldn't have been better. Especially on Halloween where we were able to trick-or-treat without coats or sweaters for the first time I can remember.

We dressed up with Kerri and Steve's family for Halloween. They were Popeye, Olive Oyle, Swee Pea, and a mini sailor. Kerri found Keara a sailor costume, so she and Carter looked like twins. It was adorable. They acted like they knew exactly what they were doing and loved running from house to house, saying "Trick or treat" and a big "Thank you!!". It was magical. I made a costume for Taryn so she went as a can of spinach. It was mostly for the laugh factor and people loved it! She looked great.

We also got to see a family I babysat for years...the Schield's. It was SO good to see them that night and then visit with them again on Sunday. I love the many people who so influenced my life, but the Schields and the Kennedys (another family I babysat for years) were 2 of the most influential in my life. I love them!

Saturday, we went back to the city to go to Millenium Park. There's not enough space on this blog to describe my feelings for this city, so go visit. But Millenium Park is this huge area they built a few years ago. They moved the outdoor ice skating rink there, built a huge grandstand area for concerts, put in 2 huge pillars that show faces and shoot water in the summer, a floating puddle thing also in the summer, and then the bean. The bean is a ginormous silver thing that looks like a kidney bean. It reflects in fun different ways depending on where you stand. Its a huge tourist attraction and really is fun to explore. We also had Giordano's pizza in the city which was a must. Mainly because I bought an extra one to take home to Braden, but forgot it when I flew out. Darn!

Sunday, we went to my old ward. There's hardly anyone there anymore that I know, and they renovated the building, but it was good to be there just the same. Taryn was a nightmare in church and I really missed Braden's help. I was so sad to leave on Monday. It just wasn't enough time. I loved every minute of our trip. I didn't think I would miss Braden as painfully as I did and I was so excited to go home to him, but I didn't want to leave. It was the first time in years I have felt those tender feelings of being home. Feelings of peace, safety, happiness, and the true ability to be myself. I was so happy every minute. I am so grateful I got to go.

Our flight home was a nightmare. It was packed and they didn't even have 2 seats together for me and Keara. A nice gal switched places with me, but that still put us in a row with this 20 year old single guy who "likes kids cause I've got a little brother and sister" but really tried hard to sleep the entire time so he wouldn't have to deal with us. I wished we had gotten a grandma to sit with. Oh well. Because of the laws on liquids, I brought only enough to fill the sippy cups. That was fine until about an hour before we landed when Taryn wanted another bottle and I didn't have anymore water. I didn't want to spend the $4 for a bottle of water and they wouldn't give me their tap water. So I delayed, trying to keep her satisfied. But after another 20 minutes of her squirming and the many "I'm trying to look like I sympathize with you but really wish you would quiet your child" looks around me, I asked to buy a bottle of water. "No, you can't buy anything now. It's all put away." That's when I broke down and cried. I tried not to let anyone see, but Keara did. For some reason, my being sad always turns her into angel child so she was perfect the rest of the flight. Taryn still fought me the rest of the flight and the nice people in front of us tried to help, but I prayed for the flight to end as soon as possible. We made it off the flight and waited for Braden to come get us. It was the greatest sight in the world to see my dear husband who I missed so terribly walking toward us! I didn't want to let go. I was glad to be with him again, just wished it could be back in Chicago!

Thank you to everyone who made that trip possible. I needed it so badly. Unfortunately, it left me wanting more, so I'm ready to go back! I'll wait until its practical or necessary again, and I'll rely on pictures in the meantime. What a bum way to end a trip, and then to get sick, but other than that, it was perfect. The greatest trip I've ever had, if only Braden had been there too.