Because I'm very apt to not keep them shortly after I make them! In my last post I said I wanted to add blogging to my Sunday afternoon activities...well, obviously that didn't happen! In my defense, though, it's been a little busy...
I was in Georgia to help my sister after the birth of her new baby. They are adopting a precious little girl who was born on October 30. Moriah was diagnosed with pneumonia the morning after her birth and was in the hospital for a week, so I went down to help take care of her other two girls. I won't lie -- it was exhausting at times -- but I am so glad I was able to be there to help. My time in Georgia included making two tutus for my nieces, hours of Spongebob Squarepants (I hate that show -- honestly, I hate it...I cringed every time the girls asked to watch it!), watching them play outside, supervising school work, and helping with crafts. And, oh yes -- snuggling babies! Not just Moriah, but my sister Erin's baby, Parker. SO much fun to snuggle babies! It is one of the great joys of life. I am convinced that people in the world would be so much happier if they would just spend 30 minutes each day snuggling a beautiful, perfect, sweet baby.
Brienna's volleyball season wrapped up on Saturday. One of her coaches said she was the most improved player from the beginning of the season. By the end of the season she was starting almost every game. We could see her improving every week. She loves volleyball. Both of her coaches wanted her to try out for club volleyball (travel team). Unfortunately, though, it turns out that all of their games are on Sundays. So when Brie's coach approached her about playing on a club team (one of her coaches is on the board of directors for the club program), Brie asked what days they play on. The coach told her they played all of their games on Sunday. Brie immediately replied that she wouldn't be able to try out, then, because she doesn't do sports on Sunday. SO proud of her -- she didn't even think twice about it. We're going to look into some volleyball camps for her for next summer (maybe one at BYU), as well as taking her up to the local volleyball center for their open gym playing time, and whatever else we can do to keep working on her skills during the off season. I have a feeling her high school years will be filled with volleyball.
And now that volleyball season is over, basketball season is beginning. No rest for the weary! LOL Brie is playing on a team and Mark will be helping to coach a team at church. He took this year off from coaching high school sports because of my work schedule, and I have a feeling he really misses it. So this will help him keep his toes in the water until next year when he will start coaching high school sports again. For the next 8-12 weeks, then, we will be a basketball family. Mark will be helping with Brie's practices and games (when they don't conflict with his games), plus coaching his boys' team at church, so we'll be busy. One thing that I like about the basketball league is that parents *must* volunteer to help (or pay an extra $40 or so in registration fees). So I'll be helping with score keeping, time clock, etc., etc., etc. Too bad Alyssa isn't here -- she was Mark's clock and score book person for his high school team for a couple of years -- she's very good at it!
Alyssa is doing well at BYU and it seems she has found her footing and rhythm there. She has a wonderful roommate and I love that they go to the temple together each Saturday morning. How awesome is that??? She's doing better than we are on that front...we haven't been yet since we moved. We need to do that soon. She is doing well in her classes and has enjoyed going to BYU football games. She gets to spend time with her cousin Jordan and his wife and sweet baby, and will be spending Thanksgiving with Mark's family -- a first! We've never been able to spend Thanksgiving with Mark's family because of coaching schedules, so this will be neat for her. I love that Alyssa calls home frequently, usually on her way back to her dorm for lunch. :-) We miss her terribly but we know she is where she needs to be.
We escaped Hurricane Sandy's wrath. Really, down here there wasn't much storming going on at all. We had worse rain and wind during several storms in Georgia. But better safe than sorry. It could have been so, so, so much worse if the storm had come ashore farther south than it did. We were well-prepared for the storm and it was a good exercise in preparedness and got us thinking about the things we would need in case of a serious emergency. I think we may buy a generator next year.
We will be going to Georgia for Thanskgiving...just a quick trip...but we're all excited to go home again and see our family (and especially those sweet babies). I wish the drive wasn't so long, but it's do-able. And then we'll be back down there for Christmas. :-)
The weather here is gorgeous today...blue sky and sunshine with light, wispy white clouds. I see fall colors outside and am reminded of how beautiful this area is. My menu and grocery list are filled with soups and stews...fall always makes me crave soups and stews. So off to the grocery store I go...
