February

We started out the month with Stake Conference and Matthew getting set apart as the first councilor in a new Elder's Quorum presidency. Tuesday evenings are now dedicated to his responsibilities in that calling. There was an awesome ward activity where we all went out in search of inactive members, and we were able to attend the baptisms of our friends Cora and Scott. We closed on the Pajarito land and then the next day Matthew's truck got crashed into and totaled. Matthew was able to go hunting and fishing with his buddies, and he and I went on two long walks together. I went to a girl's night at the Flying Star, read a story to Abraham's class, and hosted my book club. Mercy had so many play dates (mostly with Riker, Olivia, and Kinzlee), we met up with friends at the park a couple times, and we got together with other families for dinner a couple of times. It's been a very social month full of lot's of friends and food.

Hyrum has been such a good boy these past several weeks. He sets and alarm and gets up all on his own at 6:00 am every school day. He reads his scriptures and does his school reading, then goes down to practice piano for an hour. He does his chore, makes sure his bedroom is clean, then gets his backpack and everything he needs ready for school. He works hard to get any homework he receives done on the bus ride home so that he can spend his whole afternoon playing or reading. He and Mercy have been getting along well lately and he has been quick to offer his assistance when I need help around the house. He really is such a good, diligent, and all around awesome kid!

Abraham has great days when he gets up early and gets all his daily tasks done without complaint, and then he has trying days when the simple act of putting on socks takes ten minutes and just as many reminders. This behavior is mirrored at school. He's either really great or really hard. We have a meeting set up with his teacher to discuss getting him tested for the gifted program where he will hopefully not get so bored and be so disruptive. Night time potty training is going well. He slept on the floor in our room for just about two months using the alarm system and just a couple days ago we moved him back to his own bed. He still wears the alarm and so far he's been able to manage it on his own and hasn't had any accidents. Hooray!

Mercy is as social as ever, asking every day if there's a friend coming over or if she can play at someone else's house. She has been my walking buddy a number of times and we have fun skipping and trotting and walking backwards along the paths around our neighborhood.

Matthew's current obsession is hunting. He ordered this gilly suit so he can hide from turkeys and coyotes in the wilderness. If the shooting doesn't work out, at least he's ready for Halloween.

Mission Prep:
I went to the Temple once, by myself, to do a session. I did not keep very good track of when I went on walks, though I know I didn't make it outside as often as I did last month. Upon further consideration of my health goals, I've come to the conclusion that while walks in the sunshine make me happy, they are not going to do much for my physique. I've started doing some more intense workouts inside on the treadmill or bike, then using the walks (or sewing or trying new recipes) to fulfill my daily requirement of doing something that brings me joy.

Meals:
Chicken noodle soup
French toast
Chicken fingers and asparagus
Pulled pork sandwiches with coleslaw
Chicken and green chili chili
Carrot soup and salad
Italian sausages in buns
Chicken and green chili enchiladas
Pancakes
Sloppy Joe's
Hamburgers and homemade frozen custard
Steak and mashed potatoes
Homemade french fries
Breakfast burritos
Hamburgers and onion rings
Chicken and rice with broiled broccolini
Reuben sandwiches