What's Our Choice for Tonight?

Jake & I have been working on making decisions for the interior of his office. Holy Cow!! Every night we go through things we have picked out & then for some reason we totally change our minds & try all new colors. We have done this every single night! We think we are liking browns & blues for the main colors. I still need to find the exact paint colors, but we have a pretty good idea on those. Today, we went to another flooring store & found lots of things we liked--slate, fiber flooring, laminate wood and more. We were really excited after we left--I'm just waiting for Jake to see if it's what he is really liking or still not quite sure. I really want him to like this office so I give him my opinions, but then let him make the final decision. After all, it is his second home. =) We need to have everything decided by Oct. 13th & Jake doesn't have a lot of time that he can go to stores to check things out so I'm kind of feeling a time crunch. We'll keep mulling around on what we have & see what sinks in & what needs to be changed. We'll see how it goes!!

A Night at Tepanyaki

Jake & I wanted to let Melissa & Brittany know how much we have appreciated all they have done lately--helping with Chris & Annette's reception & babysitting without being payed all the time. So we decided we would take them out to a restaurant, just the two of them with us. They were so excited. It's an old place and kind of run down looking, but the entertainment was fun. The man who cooked for us made a lot of jokes, but he had such a strong accent that Brittany had a hard time understanding him. She was focusing quite a bit just trying to catch something he was saying. Melissa did a better job hearing him & she thought he was so funny. The show was really good seeing him toss food around, cut things up quickly & feeling the heat from the fire. The food was really good, too, & lots of it. The girls had a really good time & I'm sure they will want to go back again. I love my girls & I am so proud of who they are becoming. They are great helpers & appreciate all they do.

My first primary program

I was put into the primary presidency a couple months ago. It has been kind of crazy trying to figure everything out--none of us in the presidency have been in these callings before we have a lot to learn. We have had a lot of callings to fill & have needed to start a 3rd nursery so a lot of our time has gone towards those things. A member of the bishopric cam to me the end of August & said the Bishop wanted the primary program to be changed from Nov. 9th to Sept. 21st. I'm sure my mouth fell open--that gave us about 4 weeks to pull the whole thing together, which we hadn't even discussed it yet. I was the one in charge of it this year so I was really panicking. I knew I wouldn't be able to write a script in time, so I headed to the internet. I found a site that had a script already done. I read through it & decided that one would be it. We got going on the whole process & somehow we got things pulled together & ready to go for the big day. I wasn't quite sure how it would go since we really only had 1 practice & not a lot of the teachers were there. I decided to have folders for all the adults involved with the scripts, songs, seating charts, things highlighted, etc hoping that would help make things run more smoothly. That may have seemed overboard, but it helped put my mind at ease. I was so happy to see the teachers show up on Sunday, find the seats they were to sit in & guide their classes through the program. It went so well with really no problems--the kids were amazing with all their speaking parts & singing & they were so reverent. The theme was "I am a Child of God". One of my favorite parts was when the kids sang the chorus of "Called to Serve" in Japanese. They loved it & it was great to see the faces of all the adults trying to figure out what language they were singing. The Spirit was so strong & many people were touched by these sweet children & the way they presented themselves. We had many, many comments that just made me feel like all the time & hard work really paid off. It was a stressful few weeks, but we pulled together & had an amazing program. Best of all, it's over for a whole year!!

Hip Hip Hooray--It's Allie's Bday Today!

Today is Allie's 4th birthday & we barely found the time to get presents open. We had our primary program practice from 4:30-6 PM & then Jake had Young Men's tonight starting at 7PM. We knew it would be crazy, so we went out to eat Monday night at IHOP--Allie's choice. She went to her Aunt Lucy's house this morning for preschool (one of her favorite things to do) & had so much fun with her. She came home & we hung out together for the afternoon. I wanted to take her somewhere, but Brooklyn really needed a nap so we stayed home. Once the girls got home from school we headed to the church. Allie wore her birthday crown all day so people at church knew it was her special day. We didn't get home until 6:30 so we hurried & opened presents. She was so excited to get the new Barbie movie "Barbie & the Diamond Castle". I have a feeling we will be watching it as often as she is allowed. She also got some "Puppy in my Pocket" toys, barbie skates from Grammie, books, a racecar track from her Dad, her favorite candy--Mentos & a 3-wheeled scooter. She was so happy.
It was time to blow out candles on her cupcake & after we sang to her I was holding the camera to take her picture as she would blow out the candles. She leaned in, blew & next thing I know her hair has caught fire!! I couldn't get any words out, but just started pointing & saying "hey, hey...". Jake tried reaching across the counter & swatted at her head as much as he could to get the fire out before it caused damage. She had a little bit of her hair singed, but fortunately nothing more. It could have been really bad. Poor thing!! I wish I would have just hurried & snapped the picture, but I didn't so we don't have a photo to prove what happened. I'm sure it's ok. She was getting nervous hearing her sisters talk about how scary it was & I could see Allie starting to tear up. We quickly changed the topic & hoped to finish her day off on a good note.
Allie is such a fun, lovable energetic girl. I love seeing the smile on her face, seeing her run to me to give me a hug & a kiss as I get ready to walk out the door. She loves to sing & dance around the house & really gets into it. I wonder if she'll be trying to perfect those talents as she gets older. She loves to play & have fun. She always wants to play games, put together puzzles or watch a movie. I love my "gator girl" & hope this year is full of fun memories & lots of learning & exploring for her. Happy Birthday, Allie!!

My first ride in a limo

My older brother, Dave, is turning 40 & his wife, Lucy planned a surprise party for him. To start the night, she had a limo pick him up along with his kids & then the limo went around & picked up all the siblings & spouses to head to the party. I had never been in a limo before. It was so fun to be inside & feel a little like a celebrity. It's crazy what a little glitz can do to someone & how they make you feel.

Jake's Advertising Sign

Jake's office is coming along great. It's so fun to see the framing go up & actually see all the rooms. We are starting the selection process of the colors, fixtures, carpet, etc...It's fun & stressful at the same time. I feel a lot of pressure to make it look classy & professional so I want to make sure it turns out right. We both have similar ideas in what we want it to look like, so that helps. We'll see as it comes along how it goes.

This is the sign that Jake has out in front of the business park to advertise he is coming to the area. I think it turned out really nice. We just hope it attracts a lot of attention & people are anxious to switch over to a new dentist.



The current stage of Jake's office...