Our Scary Mess Monsters

With the firefighters taking front stage, it's a little hard to see the argyle golf socks pulled over the calves, but it was a great look. And here's our cute kitty:

Happy Halloween!

So Proud

I'm so proud of my brother...
Not just becuase he's an admirable doctor.
Not just becuase he serves our country.
Not just becuase he saves the lives of brave soldiers.
Not just because he's a fun and caring father.
Not just because he's my brother.
...but I think any of those things are reason enough.

I'm just so proud of who he is & of all he does.
And kuddos to my amazing sister in law who "holds down the fort" during his deployments. She's expecting a baby next month, so please send prayers their way!

Guess who

I'm thinking of someone:
who usually has a dirty face
who tries to talk to everyone, though it's sometimes hard to discern most words
who's often missing important items of clothing (a shoe, a shirt, etc.)
who sometimes takes things that don't belong to them
who walks funny because their balance is off
Did you guess a hobo?

Very close guess. Actually, I was thinking of most toddlers. Well, maybe MOST mothers keep their toddlers fully dressed with clean faces, but those tasks seem to frequently elude me.

Now you might see my label for this post & wonder "who would have more than one post to warrant a label like that?" The answer would be me.

I am a Mormon

If you haven't seen these videos, they are worth watching:
http://www.mormon.org/people/
I think it's a great media campaign since the LDS church is often perceived as a localized religion (i.e. Utahans). But, with over 12 million members- the majority of which live outside the U.S.- we are a faith of diverse individuals who are striving to raise strong families, develop personally & serve others according to universal principles which transcend time & culture.

But I love how they announce their religion like it's an AA meeting. Is being a mormon as taboo as being an alcoholic? Hahaha. It's like "I'm strong enough to admit it... I'm a licensed attorney. I'm a busy mom. I adore my husband. I love my life. My name is Julie & I am a Mormon."

Excuses

Here's why I haven't been blogging:

Since the bar finished, we've been busy getting our townhouse ready to sell. We've added a new sink and countertops, painted the kid's room, replaced a few interior doors, hung new window treatments, & packed away things for staging. We still have several things more to do (plus more packing & minimalizing). We hope to have it officially on the market soon.

Due date

This is the week I was due to deliver the baby we lost. We plan to go on a family hike & plant a wildflower in the mountains.

I found a quote I like from a website on grieving:
"We don't move on and forget -
we move forward and remember."
Vicki Pond

Florida

My nephew was baptized last weekend. We really wanted to go & see my brother's family before he deploys again. My husband stayed home to work, but it was still such a fun trip & I survived 4 flights with 3 kids.