I know, you've missed me

I thought I should probably let everyone in on what we've been up to the last little while.

I've been working like a crazy person (no surprises there). It actually hasn't been that bad the last week or so. The calm before the final storm, I think. I'm glad I love what I do or I'd be miserable. On we trudge toward April 15th.

Two weekends ago, Toby was blessed enough for me to allow him to fly to Vegas for the day to go to one of the BYU games at the Mountain West Conference Tournament with one of his mission buddies. He had a GREAT time. Do you think he took any pictures? That would be no. He's been sufficiently chastised for that. He and Brad had a blast at the games and took in a few of the sites along the strip. Can you believe Toby had never been to LV before? Hard to imagine, I know.

The day after he got back from that little trip, Toby took the kids to Utah for spring break with Kenlynne & her kids. They went to Moab and did a whole ton of hiking around Arches National Park. (At least, I think it's a national park - I could be making that up) They had a great time. They came home at the end of the week exhausted with their clothes and hair full of sand - which was great fun doing the laundry. I actually survived their absence and I stayed in my house ALL ALONE!!! Can you believe it?! Miracles can happen, apparently. And the house didn't get broken into and I didn't even get murdered or tortured by some psycho or anything!

I worked a lot while they were gone, but I had a little fun too. I had girls night out with my work friends which is always fun, and I went to dinner with my cute cousin, Katie who lives in QC (Queen Creek). One night I went out to eat with Kenlynne's husband, Glynn. That was an interesting evening. We go to dinner at Chili's and as we're walking out some guy in his ward is walking into the restaurant with his family. You should've seen the looks on their faces! Hilarious! They look at Glynn, look at me, look back at Glynn, the wife shoots me the evil eye. It was really funny. It won't be quite so funny when Glynn gets a call from his Bishop, but it will still be funny on my end!

Audrey has learned how to throw fits, which is a fun treat. If you take something from her or move something she's trying to get to, she will throw herself on the floor and cry. Not actual tears cry, just for show. And I still think it's adorable so I have to force myself not to laugh at her and just walk away. I really just want to pick her up and cuddle her and tell her how cute she is, but that wouldn't teach her anything, now would it. She has also started insisting she go to bed with either her stuffed bear or her angel doll that talks (one of our cute Catholic friends gave it to her when she was born and it says the Lord's Prayer . . . I think). It's always fun to start hearing the doll reciting "now I lay me down to sleep" at 3 am when she's rolled over on it. Is that part of the Lord's Prayer? Not sure on that one. She also LOVES to give people big hugs and slobbery kisses. She's so much fun!

Tysen still loves to read. He's starting to get into short chapter books and so I ordered a bunch of books I remember reading as a kid off Amazon. Heaven forbid I get a library card. Shopping online is so much more fun. The other night we started reading George's Marvelous Medicine (awesome book for little boys) and the deal at night is if he's in bed by 8 then I'll read him a chapter from whatever book we're reading and he can then read until he falls asleep. So I read the first chapter of the book and when I was done I shut it and he said "but mom, what happens next?" I told him he'd have to read more before he fell asleep or else we'd continue the next evening. His response, "but mom, you've already read it and I'm dying to know what happens now. Just tell me pleeeeeeeeease?" I remember feeling that way about books when I was a kid too so it made me feel all warm and fuzzy that he's an active little reader. The next morning he told me what happened in the next chapter, which he read before bed. Too cute!

Toby made me furious last night. Ok, you twisted my arm, I'll tell you why. So I started reading the Book of Mormon from the beginning again last week (yes, mom, I've read it before). And I was reading the chapter (1 Nephi 17 I think) where Nephi builds the ship to sail to the Promised Land and so I said "do you think the ship Nephi built was like a big sailboat". The response was a roar of uncontrollable, mocking laughter. He pointed out that 600 years BC they probably didn't have motorboats or yachts to sail the ocean. I'm not THAT stupid! I just had never pictured the boat in my mind before. I mean, was Noah's ark a sailboat? That's not how it's depicted in the art pieces I've seen. And we know the Jaredite barges were built to go underwater so they weren't sailboats either. How was I supposed to know Nephi's ship was a sailboat? I didn't think it was that dumb a question and I don't like being laughed at. I'm trying to decide if he's still in trouble or if I'm over it.

So that's what we've been up to. I'll try to post some pics from Toby & the kids' vacation when I get a chance. Which may not be until May, but it's the thought that counts, right?