November 2008

Well, besides my feeling generally crappy and visits to multiple doctors and being poked and prodded, we did actually have a November. Girl 1 performed in her first junior high band concert and I suppose did well, although I sat in the exact wrong location because the band director was directly between Girl 1 and me. I visited with Girl 3’s preschool teacher at Parent Teacher Conferences. She is doing really well—the best in her class of four.

We took Girl 1 and Girl 2 to Tapas night at the Country Club. I don’t think we will take them next year. Not their favorite kind of food. Girl 1 at least tried the fried octopus. We had a babysitter that night just for Girl 3. She thought that was pretty cool. The next night we got a babysitter for all the girls so we could attend the temple with the bishopric (apparently husband, as Ward Clerk, is a member of the bishopric). With Girl 1 being 11 1/2, we have to find just the right babysitter—not too young or currently in her grade (as we got the night before for Girl 3), although she probably wouldn’t be offended if it was someone young. Girl 1 still doesn’t feel comfortable babysitting for a long period of time or late at night. And, as a bishopric wife (hee, hee) I was invited (with others) to help the bishop’s wife make hot pepper jelly to give out for all the ward members at tithing settlement. I’ve never eaten hot pepper jelly before (made with green peppers, jalapeno peppers, and sugar), and neither had some of the others, so we got to try it. She poured it over a block of cream cheese and we ate it with crackers. It wasn’t bad.

Early last week they finally knocked down the house next door to us. It has been vacant for about a year and a half. A builder purchased it and I thought it was supposed to be demolished in August, but I guess they weren’t ready yet. Girl 3 and I watched some of it, but it was very cold and time for school. It took about an hour and a half and the whole house was carefully flattened, bricks pulled off, metal separated, and the rest forced into the basement. Fascinating. The next day they returned to sort and haul away the mess and the following day was the loudest; they broke and hauled away the cement foundation. It was like constant thunder. It will be fun to see the new house being built. The new family will move in in late summer; they have 3 young boys. : (

We hosted Thanksgiving at our house, and despite me having a particularly bad day, it was great. We had 3 families over with a total of 8 adults and 18 children. Luckily, we happen to have three dining tables for dinner and a playroom and several bedrooms upstairs for the non-eating times. It was just a really good group of friends.

Saturday we took the kids to the circus at the United Center. Husband’s firm has a luxury box that we got tickets for. I’ve never been in a luxury box and really liked it. I probably enjoyed the circus the most with Girl 3 coming in second. For some reason Girl 1 and Girl 2 just didn’t care for it that much. It has probably been 6 years since we took Girl 1 to the circus and she didn’t like it then, but we thought she was just too young. Apparently, the age didn’t make a difference.

October 2008

The highlight of our month was our trip to New York and Canada. Girl 3 still asks almost everyday when we can go back to Canada. The second weekend in October we flew to Buffalo, New York and drove first to Palmyra to see the church history sights. The weather was fabulous and the fall colors were incredible. We saw the Smith Family Farm, walked through the Sacred Grove, drove past the Palmyra temple, and hiked up the Hill Cumorah.

From there we drove north across the border into Canada to see Niagara Falls. The falls were amazing. We walked all along the Canadian side (where we got the best view of the falls), walked along the American side for some neat views, and even took a boat ride (Maid of the Mist) right to the base of the falls—it was very wet.

None of the previous activities sparked Girl 3’s interest. Her desire to return to Canada comes from our stay at the Great Wolf Lodge where we enjoyed the indoor water park and ate doughnuts for breakfast every morning.

Girl 3 loved the water slides and they were tame enough she could do them by herself.

Girl 1, Girl 2, & husband spent most of their time on the big water slides.

We stayed in a Kid’s Cabin themed room and had a fun couple of days.