Jonny & Amanda

So, I have been accused of neglecting my blog. I have no reply to make, except that it's true. I never feel like I have much time here, which doesn't really make sense, because I always had a rule that I only do blog stuff (reading, writing) when my kids are sleeping and they still sleep so I don't know what my problem is!

I will attempt to catch up a bit - just beware. Any of you who know me at all know that I can really ramble once I get going. Jonny gets a chance to read our blog and look at pictures on Sundays, so I will probably put a zillion pictures on here so he has a chance to see our cute babies. Bear with me!

It has been dreamy weather here (dreamy for November in Utah), so I have been spending a lot of time outside with the kids. I have never actually seen so many leaves fall - every little breeze through the trees sends the leaves cascading down and I have loved having the chance to just sit and watch while the kids play.



Our cute, cute neighbor girls are so sweet to my kids and they always come out and play with them. They have a swing set and a trampoline, so Matthew and Emma are always looking longingly through the fence hoping the girls will come out and play with them.



Right after I took this picture, Matthew got his head stuck in the fence - like his head was on one side and his body on the other. I had a pretty panicky couple of seconds there, thinking "Who do I even call if I can't get his head out of here? The Fire Department?" I said a quick prayer, and realized that if it got through one time it could get through again. And it did. True to Matty form, he cried and acted all upset, and then was back sticking his head through the fence about 37 seconds later.




Halloween was fun. My Dad was going to go trick-or-treating with the kids and I, but had impromptu knee surgery instead (Emma was terrified of his crutches and would shrink away in fear every time he walked by) so my Mom and I left my dad all drugged up on the couch and ran out to hit some houses. Emma was Cinderella and Matty was a mouse. I wasn't thrilled about the mouse thing, I kept thinking, "So I'm dressing my child up as a rodent?" but it was the only costume they had at Target in his size. And I told Emma that Matty was Gus Gus from Cinderella, so she was happy as a clam.




We were walking around with the beautiful leaves crunching under our feet and Emma declared happily, "I love trick-or-treating!" and I cried for a little second because I wished so much that Jonny was there! At moments like that I have to remember what my mom told me when I was being all dramatic last time Jonny was gone for training (and I was pregnant with Matthew! The man keeps impregnating me and leaving - sheesh!). She said, "He's not dead Amanda, he's just gone for a little while." Very true indeed, and something to be grateful for, right?



My cute little nephew, Thomas, was born on Halloween so every year his mom does a big dress-up birthday party for both sides of the family and this is the first year we have lived here and been able to go. She made this fancy pirate cake...



My sister and her husband...


I was a little Scroogey about dressing up, but did manage to paint some whiskers on and wear some cat ears, and if they were Cinderalla and Gus Gus I guess that makes me Lucifer?

I decided not to wear the tail that went with the cat costume, mostly because I couldn't find a handy way to attach it. I was really glad I hadn't when I got to the party and my sister-in-law informed me that she had worn the very same costume a few years ago. She had dashed to the bathroom, forgotten she was wearing the tail, and pottied all over it. No amount of rinsing could make me feel good about that tail after that...




Matthew is finally walking...sort of. He can walk all over the place and sometimes does, but it's like he forgets that he can actually do it. If I tell him, "Stand up and walk," he gets right up and goes for it but often opts to crawl instead. So both of my kids have been 17 months when they started walking. Apparently they get their athletic prowess from me and not their dad. I keep trying to get some video of him walking, but he sits down every time I get the camera out.

Jonny called me yesterday and told me that his leave did not get approved for Thanksgiving, so he will not be coming home for Thanksgiving at all. Something about it being too far to travel in too short a time. This I do not understand, since a fellow we know that is in Arizona with Jonny and lives about about two miles from here did get his leave approved. I just know that I am bitter. I am trying to console myself with the fact that a month from today we leave to meet him in Texas to spend Christmas with his parents. It's not working yet. I'm still bitter.

Anyhoosers, that's a little of what's been going on. How's that for a blog update?