BE THE GOOD in the world

Miss H had 2 REALLY FABULOUS teachers last year who were young moms that job-shared. One of them died in a car accident this month. I have been so sad & lay awake at night thinking, "What can I do to help her family?"
At her funeral, they talked about how she like and lived this:

So last week, we got a group of her students together & took a picture of them with that quote. It is a good reminder to all of us to BE THE GOOD. To be kind & make a difference in the world by serving others. I hope by giving the picture to her husband, her family will know what a difference she made and that she's remembered with love.
When I think of her, it inspires me to be a better mom and enjoy more fully the gifts I have in life.
I'm thankful for a great husband who built this cute playhouse.

He gave me sweet kids to play in it too!

Our lil' guy is now 5. He makes friends wherever he goes.

He's a joy!

I love how Miss H adds flair to everything.

I am thankful for these smiles.


I am thankful for beautiful fall.


Cute costumes.

Our pilot:

We no longer say, "D WANTS to be a pilot." We now just say, "he's going to BE a pilot." He helped so much w/ the 5 yr old airplane party, making a list of different single props for the game "pin the propeller on the prop plane". He recently taught me about ailerons. Wow.
Happy Fall!
And remember to
BElieve THEre is GOOD in the world.

This year

Projects on my list for the year:Miss H got a bed for Christmas (child-sized matress from IKEA. It's longer than a toddler bed but takes up less space than a twin... brilliant idea IKEA). Her daddy built the frame. (This is the 2nd space-saving kid bed he's made.) I've started making a quilt to fit. I'd like to finish that & decorate the room b/f her sister joins us.

Finish potty training the lil' stinker. We sorta took a hiatus from that during the hectic holidays, but he's made such progress this week. It's cute how proud he is to be a BIG boy! I guess he soon will be neither lil' nor stinky.

Have a healthy baby. We are glad things are looking good with this pregnancy & relieved to have passed viability, but mindful of the fact that just because things look fine now doesn't mean there's no need to worry. 2 years ago on MLK day I delivered James. I made a cake to celebrate our love for him. He & Hope remind us how precious & fragile life is. We miss them.

Learn American Sign Language. A friend at church is deaf & there is only one person able to translate in our congregation. I'm her "visiting teacher" so I'm learning to sign so I can communicate with her better & fill in for the interpreter when needed. Last Sunday I signed the sacrament hymn & prayers. I was SO SLOW that I was still translating the prayer when the deacon came to give us the bread. You could sense his dilemma ("Do I move on or KEEP waiting on this lady?") Agh. I'll get better. I am enjoying it, though.

Customized Bunk Bed

Since we live in a 2-bedroom townhouse, we have to be somewhat creative with our space. We designed a bunkbed that would fit our preschooler's smaller mattress. It's like a built-in loft bed.

My husband anchored the frame into the wall studs on both walls. Also, it's resting on the ladder itself for extra support away from the wall. I think he did a great job. It's nice because it doesn't take up as much room as a standard bunk & isn't too close to the ceiling fan because it is only a little higher than the chair rail. The foot of D's bed fits under it perpendicularly. The kids are thrilled with it! It leaves them a lot more floor space to play in their room.