SpiderHolden Preview!

Okay, so yesterday I spent about 8 hours with my friend Camille sewing Holden's spider costume. I sewed while she unpicked my mistakes! l0l Her job was more time consuming than mine! Poor girl. She was amazing though and such a huge part of the success of the costume. I don't want to spoil it before Halloween, so these are just a couple of pics to give you an idea of the traumatic process we went through! :)

Also, her little boy Christian is almost the same age as Holden (10.5 months) and they had sooo much fun together playing. Whatever Christian would do, Holden would just follow him around and copy him. They were laughing and having such a good time. Thanks to that, neither child fell asleep 'til around midnight. An exhausting day for them I'm sure! But it's so fun for Holden to get out of the house, especially to play with a little boy his age. I think this is a start to a great friendship!

While on that subject, I hadn't seen Camille for such a long time. She is a great friend from my mission. We were never companions, but we lived together a couple of times throughout the mission. We had such a good time just talking and laughing. It's nice to have someone like that around even if only for a few months. We'll enjoy it while it lasts! I feel so happy today and renewed. I love people like that that can just lift your spirits just by being around them.

So, now that I have my second wind, I'll finish the final touches on the costume and get ready for tomorrow's Old Witch activity. Can't wait to see all of the other costumes that I've been hearing about- Wizard of Oz characters and Ava's butterfly costume. I love Halloween! I also have to say that making this outfit made me feel like a real mom. lol I remember mom and her hours she spent making costumes for not only Halloween but for school plays and other activities. Man, the long, late hours- I feel like I've finally arrived! Well, at least in the sewing department. The rest is still a progression! Who cares if I can only sew straight lines- Holden will never know the difference, only that I took the time to make it! And that's what kids notice- the time we take to do things for them. It could probably be the ugliest outfit in the world, but as long as mom makes it, it's the best! So, all you moms making these outfits- don't stress if they're not perfect (although I'm sure with the talent in our family they will be)- your efforts are noticed. Kids are amazing and such a blessing! Okay, I'm done- now- on to the pics!!

Halloween's Comin'!

Well, I have set out to make Holden's Halloween costume. He's gonna be a spider, or whatever "thing" I can manage to sew! But yes, hopefully it will look like a spider when I'm done. I'm not a sewer, ( see.. otherwise I would have said "seamstress!) so this will really be my first attempt at a clothing item. Hmmm...Good thing Holden's only 7 months and won't know the difference! Kids are so easy to please!

We're all going to The Old Witch party this Saturday so I have to have it finished by then so we can get good use out of his costume! I'll post pics when I get it done!

Our Growling Little Girl!

So, funny things have been happening at our house! Holden is definitely finding his personality- AND his voice! We have been laughing the past couple of weeks. Whenever Josh comes home from work, or plays with Holden, Holden will just start growling. I don't know where he got it- because I know it wasn't from me. I think Josh secretly taught it to him!

SO, to get back, I taught Holden to sing! No, it's funny though- Holden will get so excited and start singing in high pitched tones. On Sunday morning, Josh was playing with Holden while I was in the bathroom getting ready for choir practice. While getting ready, I was singing to warm up. Josh called me into the room because the second Holden heard me singing, he started singing in his high pitched voice! So, because he has a love for singing, I took him to choir practice and sure enough, he showed off his voice to the other choir members. They were laughing and told me he was a tenor...I hope... just glad he's not a soprano! :)

So, with all of this discovery of his voice, I think he's getting better with his voice and that his vocal chords have now caught up to him. He doesn't do too much rasping anymore which is good! Also, with the "girly" singing, Josh has now consented to joining in the football craze this year to set a good example for his little BOY. lol If Josh doesn't show him these things, he's gonna end up a singer and dancer like mommy! That got Josh scared. Not that culture isn't good he says, but he also needs to have more "manly" traits as well. hehe The whole thing just makes me laugh!

Our Visit With the Witches!

We had a blast as some of our family gathered together at Gardner Village to check out their witch displays. They were so fun and the kids absolutely loved it. They had some amazing ideas for decorating! I was in heaven. Holden loved the real live witch most of all. She was wearing so many pretty shiny and sparkly things that he could have been entertained in her arms for hours. I only wished we had dressed up the kids. That would have made for even better pics! I guess there's always next year.

Witches at Gardner Village!

New Pics!

Hey, just thought I'd let you know I posted new pics from Natalie's shower on the Loveridge Blog!

Check out my Slide Show!

When it Rains...Sometimes, there's a drain!

Well, the past couple of weeks, we have been taking care of some work that had to be done on our 1997 Honda (our only real working car!) to get it registered. We had to get a new tie rod, new axle, new tires, alignment, timing belt etc...

Well, I had just picked up the car from the shop and decided to wait until the next day to register it because Josh had the day off and wouldn't need the car. He took the car to work and on the way home, got in a little fender bender. There was a usual pile-up on University Ave, and it was one of those close calls we have all encountered. With traffic crawling and after a short acceleration, someone up front decided to slam on the brakes. Well, ripple effect, and unfortunately, Josh realized our front bumper had become welded to the car in front of him. :( Fortunately, the guy in front of him was really nice (producer of the show "Nanny 911" and other shows. He lives in California and was just visiting here) and told Josh that he had also come inches from hitting the guy in front of him. I felt so bad for Josh because he hasn't ever had a ticket, let alone been in an accident.

We are in the middle of applying to med school, and with other car repairs, we had had our fill of extra expenses this month. That's where it was really pouring. But, thank goodness for excellent car insurance. They were absolutely amazing! They towed the car to a shop and set up a rental for us. Our car will be in the shop for about a month, but the insurance is paying for our rental the entire time! Isn't that great!? So, it turns out we only have to pay our deductible. I was relieved when I heard the estimate for the damage was about $3,500. I laughed and asked the guy if our car was even worth that. He said it might be close, but it wasn't quite a total. For that we are grateful.

So, in the midst of all of the trauma (the rain!), there were so many blessings that have come to lift us. We had great neighbors that volunteered to help drive us where we needed to go while figuring out the towing, etc... The guy he hit also called the next morning to make sure Josh was okay, and then he asked me if I was okay. lol...I wasn't even there. He reminisced about his young married days and he felt so bad for our predicament. What a nice, nice guy. Also, the free car rental, and non-total status of our car. :) Heavenly Father truly looks out for us and really helps us through the rough spots in life. For that we are so grateful. I'll have to post pictures as soon as I get them. The car wasn't a pretty sight. lol And as for the rental, it's a 2007 Nissan Sentra- pretty nice, and a fun thing to drive for a month instead of Josh having to drive his 1987 Honda. lol

Natalie's Shower

Well, Natalie's shower was a complete success! We had so much fun at Kim's house with relatives and friends. The food was absolutely amazing! We gorged ourselves on pumpkin soup, eclairs, tarts, fruit salad, pasta salad and more treats at home with the party favors! We played Baby Bingo as Natalie opened presents and we all pinned little dresses to our shirts that had baby bumps! We even got a look at the boys' more feminine sides as they joined in the fun and wore the little dresses as well. Don't worry Bryan, we won't spread this secret to all of the girls back in Boston! (For a small price of course)

It was so fun gathering together as we begin the festivities surrounding all the new little ones we will be expecting within the next year. This is only the beginning of the baby fun. We are so excited as we wait to welcome the Loveridge Family's first (of the five) ...or is it 16th baby in just a short time. Amy and Marshall couldn't be with us, but we are sure they are having their fun getting ready for their new arrival. While Natalie, Kim, Jennifer and Tiffany wait in the wings, they know their time will come very shortly! WOW....talk about a baby boom!

Thanks to everyone for a beautiful evening! I love our family and soooo enjoy activities like this. I will post pictures as soon as I figure out my camera! So, check back to see pics from the shower! Luvs!