An update

I haven't updated my blog in a while or even checked up on new updates posted by friends lately. It is fun to finally get a chance to do both.

Last month I read all three of Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series, the first two Harry Potter books, Jane Eyre, and Villete. The last two weeks I've spent reading Wuthering Heights and finally got through it today. It was tough to get through Villete and Wuthering Heights but I'm glad I read them and did enjoy some parts of them. I'm not much of a reader but I'm trying to repent of that and make up for lost time. I ran 4 miles for the first time ever. I usually run 3 miles for a workout and was getting complacent. The goal is to run the Wasatch Back 100 next spring. The team will consist of 12 rotating, participants with the goal of completing 170 miles in 24-30 hours. It's ridiculous, I know, but it's one of three things I want to do before possibly having another kid. I must clarify that the three things are not the reasons for delaying having another baby. They are just things to shoot for in the meanwhile. The topic can be another blog but perhaps no one would care to read about my thoughts on that topic.

C has successfully passed all CPA exams and is currently waiting for his license in the mail. Hurray!! He enjoys playing on a soccer league with his work colleagues. He has been working out quite a bit and really enjoys it. Work is busy, things are changing, and seems to be enjoying all the challenges. He has an amazing work ethic and a gift to work efficiently and well with others. My dad and brothers are hard laborers and are able to do just about anything from fixing cars to dealing with miserable plumbing problems. I grew up with my dad and brothers often working side by side to fix something on one of our properties and doing all the labor on their own to save money, to learn, and because they were capable of it. So it was always a turn off when someone I was dating was incapable of doing something I thought a man should be able to do like dealing with a flat tire or didn't demonstrate a trusting work ethic that I would possibly be relying on in the future( I wasn't a good judge of that because all guys I dated seem to have successfully gained a respectable profession). I hope I'm not sounding critical and I tried not to be critical. It was just that these silly notions instilled a feeling of insecurity about my future and I knew then that, that person wasn't right for me. I guess I wanted to stick with the familiar. And C is that for me. Come to find out, his family was the same way!!

K came home from school with a bloody scratch on his neck. This week he's been thrown against the fence twice, so he says. And when I volunteered on Halloween day for the festivities, I witnessed him being thrown down onto the floor and he hit his head on the ground. Koji instigates this kind of ruff play. He wants to wrestle and so they do that sometimes. Sometimes they pretend to be whatever super hero or villain and play fight. Regardless, I put my foot down and told him he was to no longer rough house or play fight because he could get hurt and it leads to other problems. He was so disappointed and as he fought back tears, he struggled to say, "but mom, it's the only other thing we like to do when Ty doesn't bring his football." So, C and the boys went out and bought a football to take with him to school everyday and after having consulted with his teacher, who is a friend, hopefully we've solved one of the many problems I'll have to deal with for the rest of my life. I'm sure I'm sounding like a naive mother of a kindergartener who thinks she can solve any problem that he might encounter and protect him every minute he is away. Stop there, I already know what your advice is going to be. :)

L is humongous. He guzzles it seems like a gallon of a combination of things everyday. He definitely has viking blood in him or at least the appetite of one. We took off his training wheels because they were unbearably broken and useless. To our surprise, L took off on his bike!! He loves going to school and is never afraid to tell me he got time-out. But, the reasons for his time-outs are vague. I'm curious though and wish I could get a glimpse of what he's like away from home. I'm sure he gets time out for the same reason he gets time outs at home but I'd still like to know the details. He absolutely loves his time at speech therapy. I watch him sit still, participate, and even sit quietly engaged in a project for a good length of time. He adores his teachers and they are really adorable. He is a determined, persistent little fellow. If he wants something he will persist until he either gets his way or someone gets really upset. It is a good quality to have as long as its used wisely and hopefully we'll be able to work out those chinks.

A is now nursery age. He's usually pleasant and fun to be with. He enjoys sitting on my lap while I read to the boys. I'm very happy about this because L wouldn't sit through a book for the longest time and I don't have to worry about that with A. Like L, he's turned out to be quite the helper. He throws stuff in the garbage, goes and gets stuff upon my request, he gets a strainer and goes out to pick strawberries on his own accord, puts toys away, drys up spilled water, grabs his own shoes when we're heading out, tells me when he wants a diaper change, and joins in when I'm tidying up. He has quite the agreeable personality. I'm really enjoying him and the other two.

The three together are really good friends. I love that. I want to cultivate a good relationship between them and provide lots of opportunities for that. One day they'll have less and less time with each other and eventually go their separate ways but hopefully their close bonds will be strong enough to keep them united and loyal throughout their lives. Family bonds are eternal and will be desired with cultivation.

Some fun stuff we've done lately is go out to dinner and a Jazz game on the firm. Recruits...they come in handy sometimes. We also went to the Alta/Bingham semi-final football game with the kids. They were excited. While there, a man bumped shoulders with me and asked if I was an E. I said yes and nudged for Chris' attention. Sure enough he was our very own Steve E. whose children attend Alta. I asked him how he found us in the crowd. He was sitting behind us and saw L and thought he looked alot like Bobby when he was little!!! It's the hair do; it's the same exact hair style C, Loyd, and Bobby had. He met the boys and vice versa. L was excited to find out that one of Steve's kids is also named L, a family name. He was a very kind, pleasant person and even brought a basket of french fries for the boys which made the last few minutes of the exciting game more bearable for the kids. Alta won!!

Pictures are to come.