Right now

We had a great lesson in Sunday school yesterday about Family History. I took from the lesson that I need to be more diligent in preserving our young family's life as well as my own thoughts and feelings. Some of them I share here because it's stuff that I want our family that lives far away to know. Things that are more personal I find don't get written down because I don't have another place to jot them down. So after dusting off an empty journal on the bookshelf and updating here I am renewed in purpose. There are many things I have been remembering throughout each day that I feel need to be written down. You know the little things that tell a story of right now. Today. So over the next couple days I am going to add to this list of my life right now.

The Mister came home from the men's priesthood meeting at church a month ago inspired to have our family focus on being strong; strong in mind, body and spirit. We talk each night about what one thing we did that day to strengthen our minds, bodies and spirits. One night last week I was heading the discussion at the dinner table since the Mister had a late night at the office. It came time to talk to Mr. Cooper about what he did that day.

Mom: "Did you do anything for your spirit yet today?
Logan: " Mmmm, when I go to church my spirit hears the talking even when I plug my ears."

I had an awful, vivid dream about Toby dying last Thursday night and woke up in tears. I didn't settle down for awhile and finally drifted back to sleep 30 minutes before it was time to wake up. You better believe I kept Toby close to me all day. We played and he was happy to snuggle me in bed that morning. I love lazy mornings.

We are working with Mr. Cooper on staying out of people's personal space when he wants attention. "Stay out of his/her bubble!," is something Mom and Dad say a lot. Mr. Cooper loves his little sister so much that he has a hard time keeping his hands off of her, too. She is starting to get so sassy when he won't leave her alone. When she has had enough of him touching her face she blows up. "(s)Top it, Lo-gan! Go 'way!," she snaps in her adorable, almost 2 year-old voice. It's pretty cute.

Speaking of almost 2- I can't believe my baby is going to be 2 in a couple months. She is sure acting like a 2 year old though. I can't leave her alone for 2 minutes without marker showing up on her body, someone's water they left on the table being spilled all over the floor, or finding a chair she dragged anywhere in the house to explore and make a mess. She is quick these days.

I was greeted by this little gem on my way home last Thursday morning. One of our tenants managed this feat before going to work. Please explain how one's car can go from parked next to a concrete parking barrier, on a generous incline no less, to up and through the fence. I didn't even get an explanation. It's almost better that way. The owners of the two cars he hit with the fence didn't call the cops to file a report for the body damage, so I'm assuming the guys Chinese is really good. Between stuff like this and the owner's other properties, we are keeping Tom and his new contractor's license busy.

Jessie likes to stay after church with me to sing in the choir. Yesterday when we got in the car to come home she asked what we were going to have for lunch. I told her Dad was home getting lunch started. J said, "We're probably going to have chicken strips again then. Why do we always have chicken after church on Sundays?" Because it's fast and easy and everyone likes them, I told her. Then she hits me with this goodie.... "We always have chicken on Sunday. Is it like a sexual Sunday?" Wha-huh?!! "You know, something you do all the time." Oh, a ritual? Nice Freudian, eh?

I don't remember the leaves changing colors so late in the season last year. It's going on mid-November (which I also can't believe) and most the trees here in the bay area are just getting their fall colors. They are beautiful! I love this stretch of road up the street by the Mister's parent's house. Every year I look forward to driving down this road because the entire street is lined with trees that show amazing colors.

Sydney just walked up to me with her hands FULL of 7 pacifiers and squeeled "Binky!" like she hit the jackpot. She somehow found the stash of binkies that Dave had tucked away in one of the little drawers in the roll top desk. I don't even know how she knew they were there, but she pulled a little chair up to the desk to get onto the big chair and up to the drawers. See what I mean about 2 year-old trouble??? We are so close to getting rid of the binks all together (she is only allowed to have them in bed) and she is going to fight it every step of the way. Syd is sitting on my lap with her lap full of binks and taking turns sucking each one as she counts them , "oonne, twooo, fweee." Time to find a new spot for the binks, and Yes! I totally put them back in the drawer and waited for her to go for them again so I could sneak some pics.

Logan likes to call Syd "Gwinny" instead of Squiddy like the rest of us call her. She answers to him too. Pretty cute.

Jessie is a sweet big sister, usually. She loves to step into the Mom role and does so even when Mom is home. When she is happy and willing to show some patience with her siblings they have a really good time together. She shares her Littlest Pet Shop toys with mostly Mr. Cooper and Squid, who love to play with them.

My Jessie is growing too fast. She is very moody and short-tempered lately, a sign that her preteen years are too close. Apparently, I'm getting my payback from when I was a girl. Yesterday Jessie suddenly announced to me that she wished her name was just Jessie because she hated the name Jessica. I didn't tell her that very rarely I wished we had named her something else too. Her name is too common for her age. I didn't realize that when she was born.

The Mister looks mighty fine with his new facial hair. He is growing a moustache this month of Movember to raise funds and awareness for prostate cancer. The scratchy smooches are something to get used to, but I like the change. By Saturday morning his face was looking pretty shaggy as he had been growing out a full beard all week. Toby said, "Dad, you really need to shave your face. You look fuzzy."

Toby seems to fly under the radar most the time at home. He is a sweet, tender-hearted, lovable boy who loves to spend time with his Dad. All the kids have been taking turns having a date with Dad late Friday night after the other kids go to bed. Toby and Dad had their turn last Friday when they went to the store to get milkshake supplies, actually milk-less shakes since they are both allergic to milk, and played games together all night. Toby is becoming more interested in big boy things like shoot-em-up video games, Legos and army games and fighting. We are working on improving his reading and spelling which he does not have a long attention span for. He is doing well though and has great handwriting when he concentrates on it.

I am constantly trying to find balance between keeping up with housework, doing fun activities with the kids and fulfilling my need to create stuff on my own. I have started to ban myself from the computer because I inevitably suck up too much time browsing after writing emails. Now that I mention it, I gotta go. There is much organizing and moving to do in Jessie's new room. More on that later......