A Change in Season

I'm so glad our weather finally changed. We're below the triple digits-- FINALLY. I enjoyed the warm weather but once the forecast reminded me what cool weather felt like, I missed it immensely. However, then I realized that all we have for Abby is warm weather clothes and a pair of sandles... so it's clothes shopping time. And I hate clothes shopping time because Abby looks good in almost everything I find, which means I have to pick and choose what she REALLY needs. If I had the choice, I would buy her a world of clothes.

Abby is growing like a weed (as my friend Kim says). She's jumping sizes and growing tall and her feet are finally growing (she stayed in the infant size 0-1 for the first 8-10 months of her life). She's really getting things down and I love to watch her figure things out. She folds her arms for prayer and somewhat shuts her eyes. Lately she's started to meekly whisper things during the prayer, as if she's saying it herself. If we could understand her, we'd just let her say the prayer instead of trying to talk over her. She also likes to sit on her little toilet while we sit on our big toilet, much to mom and dad's dismay. We'd prefer toilet time to be on our own... but she's gotta learn some how, I guess. She loves to play the piano and press the power button while we're on our computer. And today, she was dancing with me to he music on the radio while I was trying to pick up.

I took her to nursery last Sunday for the first time. She was very happy and content when I left and every time I peeked through the window to see how she was doing. However, the nursery leader brought her in 10 minutes before church ended saying that she cried the entire time she was in nursery. -- We have 4 nursery classes and over 40 infants in the nursery altogether. If ANY one of them starts to slightly wimper or seem like they MIGHT have a wet/dirty diaper they take straight to their parents. They don't deal with the kids at all... it appears. I can't blame them but a lot of them are learning quick how to get out of nursery. And I can't help but think Abby's going to pick up on it as well. She also doesn't do well with changing class rooms every half hour and not having something to snack on all the time... things we'll have to work on. :)

Andrew will hopefully FINALLY get his loans to come through for school this week so that we can FINALLY start to get our GI Bill from him being deployed twice (one was serving in Iraq). We were supposed to get several hundred dollars a month from the Veteran's Affair office for going to school and being a Veteran (which we rely on, being a "young and still going to school" family) but because of the bureaucracies, school, and people not knowing what to do on both the school's and VA side, we lost well over several thousand dollars that the VA should have paid us. And unfortunately this has happened more than once. The system for the army and the VA is not working and I'm pretty ticked off that they use this as a way to get people to join and then jade people of it. It's like working with a brick wall! BUT we've hopefully surpassed it and can get our money, which I'm excited about!!!

I'm also excited that he's finishing up his semester of online calculus. This week he has a final and then he's FINALLY done. It's been a hard class, especially doing it online and with a bad teacher. It's taken up a lot of his time and required a lot of outside the class room sources. And his work schedules will change. He'll start working the night shift and having classes in the mornings and evenings then sleeping during the day... not my choice. I hate it.

I'm in our church's youth program called Young Women, as a secretary. I can't wait for the presidency to change. Our president is moving soon and though I'm sad to see her go, things needed a change (it'll be nice to follow the church's guidelines and hand book again. And go back to the way things are supposed to be done in the church).

I love my house, my family, my animals and the church. I don't really have friends down here in Arizona. There's a lot of young moms like myself around here but not a lot of friendly, out-going, inviting ones. I'm thinking of going back to school, but I haven't found anything that interests me. I'm almost done with my Asian Studies degree but it just makes me homesick. And I'm slowly losing my mandarin speaking skills which is even more depressing. With paying veterinarian bills, I'm wishing I had gone for that career like I originally wanted. :)

Anyway, Halloween is upon us and I hope you all have a good trick or treat. I'm excited for the leaves to start changing colours soon and maybe fall. I've got my pumpkin and cinnamon spice smells out and my Halloween decorations-- though as always, I wish I had more. I love decorating my house to the holidays. BRING ON THE FALL...

I think I'm going off to make pull-a-part bread (aka monkey bread) and pumpkin roll... umm... sounds good.

I know the church the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is true, I love it-- I love how it works and the peace and happiness it brings in our lives. As I read the scriptures and pray daily I learn more about Christ and gain a better knowledge of Him and his eternal plan for us. It helps me get through my days, to have an eternal perspective on life and try and follow His example.

Best be off. Drop me a line when you read this. I love to find out who's reading it and hearing all about what's going in your lives. Hope all is well...