A New Friend

Well, we have had an addition join our family this week--but not THE addition we've been anticipating. As you can see, our baby boy is still tucked safely inside my huge belly. (I decided it was time to throw pride to the wind and post a 9-months-along-puffy-face-and-all picture!)

Anyway, we have acquired a cute, very entertaining little gerbil named Jane. Abby and Katie are both completely fascinated with her! Abby did banish her to the kitchen last night though, because Jane's wild antics on her exercise wheel were keeping her awake. This marks our first official pet that we haven't caught by ourselves!

A Few Fun Fall Fotos

This is a smorgasbord of pictures from the last week here in St. Louis. The weather has been beautiful, and besides the global financial meltdown, life's good!

A Sunday walk around the neighborhood.

Katie showing off her biking skills

Abby, Katie, and their neighborhood friends

Abby and Katie enjoying the fall leaves.

10 Years!

This week marks 10 years since I entered the MTC (Missionary Training Center), before serving a mission in Ukraine. I can't believe it's been a whole decade!
Here I am posing with my family--my parents and all 7 of my siblings--outside the MTC and trying to look brave before saying good-bye. I've been looking through mission pictures the past couple of days and reflecting on just how much this 18-month experience has affected my life. It's had a huge impact on who I am today.

Here is a Thanksgiving dinner with my district in Mariupol, Ukraine--including Elder Linscott! Obviously, the most major, long-lasting effect of my mission was meeting Luke there and starting a friendship that would later blossom into something eternal. Who would have guessed that, considering that one of the first impressions I made on him was tripping over my humongous, bright-green coat ("the pickle") and falling flat on my face on some stairs in the middle of the city?!

Besides meeting Elder Linscott, I learned so much about the gospel of our Savior, Jesus Christ, and how its message changes lives for the better. Also, I was forced to search deep inside of myself to learn how to get along with all kinds of people, communicate in a new language, navigate the customs of a foreign land, and stand on my own two feet without my family or friends nearby. Despite the inevitable challenges, I'll be forever grateful for this awesome opportunity I had and the wonderful people I met.

{So think hard, and if you have a minute, let me know in a comment: What were YOU doing in October 1998?}

Snuggling with Daddy

I love this picture. Here are three things I see in it:

1. Abby and Katie being so excited to hang out with Daddy after he's been gone all day. (I think they were all pretending to sleep . . . )

2. Luke loving his pj's, which he puts on as soon as he comes home from work, if he's not going anywhere else.

3. The crooked picture on the wall, Luke's missing slipper, and Katie wearing shoes on the new couch . . . because I'm the mom! It's my job to notice those things.

Autumn Fun!

It's been nice to have life get back to "normal" these past few weeks! Here are a few of our recent adventures . . .

Abby has made a great recovery and is just as energetic as ever! We feel so blessed. She is enjoying her two mornings a week at preschool and playing with all of the fun friends who live right here on our street.


Katie's hands have completely healed from their burns (another blessing!), and she is currently obsessed with talking on the phone (whether there's anyone on the other end of the line or not). She's also becoming quite a "tease" to Abby, which is a tidbit of my own childhood coming back to haunt me! (My older sisters received lectures on why they had to learn to like me, even though I was a horrible tease.)


Luke's department had a family picnic at a beautiful farm about an hour outside of St. Louis. We had a great time riding on a hay wagon, gathering pumpkins, fishing, and watching Abby's first horse ride.




My sister Liza stayed with us for a month while she did a rotation here at Washington U. medicial school. We had a great time together, and we miss her already! (She left this morning.) I'm sure her husband, Ben, is glad to have her back though. She had a busy schedule in the emergency department, but we squeezed in a little sightseeing:

Forest Park, including the zoo and the art museum (in the background to the left) . . .





Grant's Farm . . .
(Abby feeding the baby goats, her favorite activity there)


(Abby and Katie watching the guinea pigs sleep)


(Liza and Katie hanging out with the camels)


The next excitement on the horizon is the arrival of "Baby Brother" . . . just three more weeks to go! I find myself gazing longingly into my closet at my "regular" clothes and thinking about nights without heartburn and leg cramps. At the same time, I know I'll have my hands completely full after he arrives, so I'm trying to enjoy every moment of this last month!