The Office

Here is a picture of the kids hanging out with daddy in his office. They were eating the most enormous hot dogs! Charles is sitting on a box of appeals. He mentioned that sitting on them is about all they are good for anyway. :-) It was great to meet some of his fellow attorney's -- who were very happy to tell me stories about Charles in the courtroom. :-) Loved the stories. :-)
William is so funny now. He has a really silly laugh -- I will have to catch it on video sometime. :-) He has learned to say, "cracker" and "Jesus". He does his sign language really well, especially when he wants a jelly bean! He does the sign for "more" as if his life depends on it! It is such a great way for babies to communicate. He signs milk, please, thank you, more, and yes. Which sign does he use the most? More, more, more! Of course!
Brother buddies. :-)
Another thing William has been doing lately is laughing hysterically during family prayers. He thinks it is so funny that we all have our eyes closed and arms folded. He just laughs, and laughs! It is so silly! Silly Willy!

Today we got to go and visit daddy at work. Apparently, his boss said he could leave early -- if his family came to the potluck lunch that they were having. So, what is a girl to do? Of course, I woke up, showered all the children (and myself), cut fingernails, rubbed lotion, brushed hair, etc, etc. Then after we were all groomed we got to drive downtown during lunch hour (not so fun). Normally, this would not be such a chore -- but we are living out of boxes, and trying to find clothes, shoes, etc. -- is interesting! But, I love Charles, and I will do anything for him. :-) It was a fun time. The people at his office are all very nice, and down-to-earth, (don't you just love that phrase?) The kids loved it because people were giving them candy. :-)

Anyhow, it was good to meet all of the people at his office. I have been there once before, but I was not able to meet everyone. It is good to know that he has good people around him during the day. He is very lucky right now -- his boss is a member of the church. His family was there too, so it was nice to talk with another wife and mother (she has four children.) :-) The attorney ladies were interesting -- but there is nothing more spectacular than a woman who bears children, and then loves them. I kept thinking while I was there how I once wanted to be an attorney, or some sort of "business woman". I have made certain choices in my life, that have sent me on a very different path. I chose a much more challenging and fulfilling career . . . ;-) I am SO grateful! I truly find just as much fulfillment from the things that Charles has accomplished. Or I should say, "we" have accomplished together. It brings me so much joy.

Charles is doing great work on the home. He goes there right after work, and keeps working! But I can tell -- he loves it! I make sure to gush over what he has done when I pop in. ;-) I keep forgetting to take pictures when I am over there. He never ceases to amaze me. Yesterday, he fixed some of the Pergo(ish) flooring (not sure what it really is.) There was a place in the floor that had risen up, and was very rough, because a dog had an "accident" on it, and they did not find it in time. So, luckily, they left some of the flooring in the garage. Charles thought he would try his hand at floor repair/installation. He did it! It looks great! Now he is putting up the thick trim around the bottom of the living room -- it looks really nice. Tomorrow he will paint and be finished. YES! I am very anxious to see it, and move in. I think this has been a great experience for Charles to "bond" with the new home, and make it truly our own. I am so grateful for him, and that he is a jack of all trades!

Tomorrow we will be having another garage sale. Well, actually, we had ours last week, and did really well. We had other members of our ward come to our house and join in the selling "fun". This week we are going to their home to have one last go at getting rid of our stuff. We do not have much left, mostly kid clothes, toys, and some random shelves. Last week we sold most of our furniture -- with the exception of beds, dining table, couch, a desk, and some shelves. It is always interesting to see who comes to garage sales to scoop up unwanted items. There are real professional garage sale people too! So funny!

I have been so tired lately. At night I wonder why I feel so sleepy, then I look back at the day, and realize why! I have been doing lots of lifting, scrubbing, raking, and things my body is not use to. My favorite is scrubbing out an oven, while using my leg to block William from climbing in. Packing and cleaning is much more interesting with 3 children. The two older children do pretty well, it is mostly William who provides the "fun" moments. :-) We have also been staying up way too late. We normally go to bed around 10:00, and it has been more like 12:00. Also, running is one thing -- manual labor is totally different! I am discovering muscles I have not seen for awhile! I have been putting my running on hold -- on purpose. I do not want to wear myself out during this process. I am trying to be wise. I will pick it right back up, as soon as we are settled. :-) Can't wait!

Well, that is it for now . . .

Mari