what is sounds like

While we were in the car a few weeks ago picking Jacob up from school, the kiddos were talking in the back seat and I was casually listening to their conversation.  It seemed harmless for awhile, but then as boys do they started to use words that rhyme or went from one word to the next - with each word getting sillier and more along the lines of "potty" language (words that creep to the dirty diaper stage...why boys think those words are so funny to say I have no idea!  Maybe once we have dirty diapers to change in the house, they'll want to talk about flowering violets.  One can wish!).

Suddenly, Jacob is talking and all I hear is "....and DIARRHEA" 

"Jacob!  We do not say that word in a joking way.  That is not a word you want to use that way." 

"But Mom...." 

"No, there are exceptions.  It's not a word to use when you are kidding around." 

Suddenly Jacob was in tears and through his crying he said, "It's just a book in our class - the Diarrhea of a Spider." 

My heart sunk as I realized MY mistake.  

"Oh honey, you are talking about the book the DIARY of a Spider!  The way you said it sounded like a different word.  You want to say it DIARY - without the extra A at the end of the word." 

"Okay Mom - the Diary-a of a Spider - is that right?" 

We practiced saying the word a few more times, and finally he got it.  

I'm still learning the fine line of listening to what the kiddos are saying - and KNOWING what they are saying!

*******

Another time I was driving Jacob up to the school, he leaned forward and whispered, "Mom, Bryson said the S word yesterday!"

I froze a little bit as I thought this is it - the time when I have to explain what a swear word actually is.

I tried to keep my voice calm as I asked, "Oh yeah, and what was that S word?"

Bracing myself for the worst, Jacob again whispered to me....

"He said stupid!"

Phew - crisis averted.  I affirmed to Jacob that that is not a word we use in our family & home, and thanked him for knowing that it was not a nice word.  And then I chuckled inside at how naive our little world is right now.  I hope that we can stay this way for quite some time to come! 

Acts of Kindness

 As Easter is approaching & Pinterest was flooded with ideas of Easter baskets & treats - I ran into one idea that had merit - it was a link via FB from my old RS President back in our Fairfax, VA ward . The link is to this LDS site which lists the scriptures you can read in the 4 Gospels which give an account of Christ's final week.

On a whim - which whims can often go awry with last minute changes - I realized that with it being Palm Sunday a few days ago that we needed to start this.  And so, we changed over from reading in the Doctrine & Covenants and started to give read through the accounts of Christ's life.

I think we need to do more themed Scripture reads - as the children have been so attentive and engaged in our scripture reads...which truthfully, many times I sincerely hope that by going through the actions we will receive some blessing, because there are nights where I wonder if anyone listened, learned or sat through even a minute of what we read!  This week has been different - perhaps it's because we are reading something very sacred & special centering around Christ's life as we approach Easter.  Whatever the reason it is different, I have loved it.  I love having the children ask sincere questions about what we are reading, and that they are actually excited to read!  Last night Bryson worked late, and so the 4 of us sat down to do the reading together and the spirit that was present was beautiful.  I think Heavenly Father knew I needed a healing moment as a mother - and did he ever send one!

I also attribute the reading to a difference in Bryson Jr.'s behavior.  We have a rough go at times with him...okay, a lot of the time it is really hard with him.  He is very intense, and there are extreme emotions that he exhibits - and scripture times have been one of those times when I want to pull my hair out, scream at the top of my lungs down a black hole....or just curl up and hope for some other mother that could come in and do things better.

After we started our reading on Sunday, I noticed a difference in Bryson's behavior the following day (Monday) - I realized he hadn't been in time out once, I hadn't had to remind him how to behave and I hadn't gotten upset at or about something he had done all day.  This was HUGE!  I sat down with him and I told him I was so proud of his behavior and on another whim (wow, these 2 whims proved to be my balm this week!) I pulled out a piece of paper and drew a long box and divided it into 10 squares.   I told Bryson whenever I caught him being good, he would get to put a star in a box and when all 10 were filled up he could choose a prize - either from a goodie box I have, at the Dollar Store, an ice-cream with Mom or Dad or some money if he wanted to choose.  He was so excited and over the past 3 days he has been so good!  He is at 8 stars and would have earned the following 2 tonight, however Madeleine and I ran to do a visit and time home with Dad turned Bryson into a little bit of a crazy character for awhile...until we had scripture time (way too late, but thankfully we did have it!), and then my Bryson was back.  Whew - I was worried a little bit when he started to talk in his funny voice and not listen...I would really like to minimize the time we spend with that side of Bryson Jr....I and I think the family so much prefers the other side of him which shows that he can still be fun, but it's a controlled fun where he doesn't get crazy.

Anyway, I love that he pointed out himself that he hasn't been in time-out at all the past few days.  I asked him if he could feel a difference in the way he is behaving and he said yes - he can tell that things are more calm.  Progress people...that is amazing progress!

So, with the amazing scripture read that we have this week, I also decided that in the spirit of being Christ-like as we study his life this week....we are going to have a Random Acts of Kindness Day....and then when thinking about it more - I wanted to encourage the children by helping them realize every day should be a day we exhibit kindness, so starting today we have 72 hours of concentrated Christ-Like Kindness Days to lead up to Sunday when we celebrate the Resurrection of our Savior.  We have a box that we are taking with us, and we are going to write down the things that we do for anyone, and then on Sunday we are going to read them as a token of remembering what Christ's life was about and how we can always remember him when we are kind to others.

The kids and I had a great time starting things off today - after we dropped Jacob off to his Kindergarten class, the older kiddos and I went to the Dollar Tree to buy some needed items.  The kids are like magnets to the toy aisle & when they asked if they could have something and I told them they could each have a dollar....to leave for another child to have an item.  They each took a dollar and we came up with a note which we attached to an item and the dollar and then we left hoping that a child will walk down that aisle and find a dollar that they can buy a special surprise with.  The giving and act of kindness turned the children away from thinking about what they wanted - but guessing what another child would choose. 

My heart was so happy with their change of heart :)  We are planning some other acts of kindness over the next 2 days - and of course random acts will be part of the story, which followed us to our next errand.

We went to the D.I. located over at Welfare Square to find Bryson some short-sleeve shirts....he is a boy and goes through clothes so quickly!  When we first arrived they had 2 bins up front with new crocs that had just come in.  I stopped to do a quick look over & didn't see any in a size we'd need - as I turned to leave I heard the woman that had just come up in a wheelchair say, "Love, hand me those brown shoes so I can see them."  She had been talking to her husband who was behind her, however Bryson had turned to walk away and thought she was talking to him...he stayed and tried to get the brown shoes that the lady wanted...he was so cute trying to find a match and then when we handed them over to her, she looked right at him and said, "That was the kindest thing you did."  I agreed and put my arm around him - moments like these I tell you, it was a genuine proud mommy moment.  Fast & funny comparison is that when I dropped Jacob off at school, his friend Sam was at the door and he yelled out to Jacob, "Hey!  I did a great burp at the table last night!"  What?!  I looked at his mom and she said, "Oh, Jacob is quite the legend at our house.  We hear all the time that he can burp on command."  I shook my head no, but the smile on my face admitted that I am indeed a mother of boys who will do certain things that I just don't understand!  I continue and will always teach manners - but there are times when I feel like I'm competing against the brick wall that is named "BOYHOOD".   Some times you just don't win against the wall.

And, now back to the D.I. - first off, I must confess  I am a thrift store nut - and D.I. has become my new addiction to check-in on at least once a week to find good deals on home goods and clothing...really anything as books, furniture, drapes and the like have found a way into my cart and then into our home :)  I've found myself wishing that I didn't have to go grocery shopping and buy food when I'd rather just shop at D.I. and spend money there!

We scored in a great way today!  First, we found a bike for $4!  Bryson has really wanted a bike and I'm going to use that as his reward for his first 10 stars - he is so excited!  We then found more than enough shirts for Bryson and even a few for Jacob - we had 28 hanging on the handles of the shopping cart when we finally made it over to the dressing room....some were too big or were a strange fit on him, but not to worry we still walked out with a good dozen or so t-shirts ($1 each - love that price!), and about 4 dress shirts...we looked at Target the other day and the most inexpensive t-shirt was $3.99....I got 4 t-shirts for that price at D.I.!  In fact, I was super ecstatic because I had just purchased a new button-down for Bryson's Easter shirt yesterday (it was on sale and a great price) - however I found one almost identical for 1/3 of the price.  And even better - I couldn't find a shirt for Jacob yesterday - but today I found his easter shirt as well and for the same price...the two shirts combined were still less than I had paid for just the one shirt of Bryson's....which will be returned very shortly :)  

The very best part - my kids love to thrift shop with me :)  Madeleine loves to look through the racks and find her own hidden gems...which is like her outfit here.  Yesterday we found the top at Gymboree and it was on sale, plus my coupon the shirt came to about $2.50.... which is a good deal.  Today, while going through the racks she found the pair of capris she is wearing and brought them over to me - she was already wearing her new top and said, "Mom, do you think these pants will go with this top?"  I looked at them and said a quick yes, and then did a double-take.  I checked the tag and sure enough it was a Gymboree label and in a size 10...how perfect was that?  It's from the exact same line that Gymboree puts their clothing into.  Only more perfect because they are in mint condition and only $2..score!  I could go on & on about thrifting - but I'll write more in another post and do a tour of the house and everything purchased that way.  The only thing I am more excited about than thrifting is knowing that Yard Sale season is close at hand....I can't wait!!  

We are FAMILY

Yesterday after we enjoyed our day of skiing we tried to zoom out to the Lord Family Talent Show...I thought we'd be more on time, but heating up dinner and getting everyone out of ski clothes and into comfy clothes took awhile, and we were waiting for Bryson to arrive home from work. We arrived a half-hour late, and amazingly enough the talent show was already under way...the Lord Family can be known to be a little late on starting events, but they were on the ball that night (too bad for us!).

The kiddos were excited to share a talent - before we got there :) Madeleine was deciding between a violin or piano piece - unfortunately she decided once we were there she didn't want to play....hopefully next time :) Bryson loves doing his magic tricks for a crowd & did a great job on 4 different little tricks - he always looks so calm & composed....I wonder if he gets nervous at all but he loves an audience & has surprised us with how easily he takes to a "stage". Jacob was going to dance....whenever we have music on he dances around in his own style - easy but fun :). He also brought his big Lego castle, which unfortunately a broke a piece of while we were driving & then when we got there I broke almost half of it trying to fix the first broken part! He didn't want to go up once we were there - so I think I helped give him an easy out.

Becca & Rachel (Nate & Lauren's girls) did their Sisters act from White Christmas...they were adorable & both would do the cutest & funniest expressions! That number will have to be a tradition!

A fun close to the night was Grandpa Lord & Grandma Anita singing a new version to 'It's a Small World' - they are so cute together & were so sweet with everyone performing - it was such a fun night! Aunt Marianne had put Easter eggs together for all the young ones & after the performances the kids scampered around on the grass to find their eggs - it was a fast scamper as the weather was quite cold that day!

Today we drove up to Ogden for more family! We went Easter & spring shopping with Brooke & her girls. The kiddos adore having younger cousins they can run around with - and Madeleine is always happy to just hold the littlest one ;). We scored some great finds at Gymboree & I found most of the outfits for this Easter Sunday - thankfully Gymboree had kids shows running for entertainment & Sears...well you can find plenty to enjoy there if you use your imagination! Jacob kept asking if we could go back & exercise!

Jacob was lucky & got to skip his Kindergarten class again today - he had his spring break 3 weeks ago & is benefiting from having the easiest schedule to miss out on for a day here and there...he definitely isn't complaining!  We enjoyed some park time & found this huge nest someone had made out of big sticks & twigs on the lawn --- the boys hopped in to be baby birds while Madeleine knows very well how to be mother hen ;)

The best part of the park was watching Jacob zoom across the monkey bars! He had tried to get that down while we lived in NY - and now he has it figured out! Kids grow up too fast & as much as you want them to learn & be able to do all these new things....at times it's bittersweet that they can do so much on their own. I noticed today I'm at the phase where I'm much more of an observer park Mom, than active toddler park mom...until they needed me to swing, twist & turn all 3 of them on the tire swing. Whew! It's nice to still ne needed for a few things ;)

It do love having them home this week - it's only the 2nd day of break and it is already going to fast!  How I love my three...

Best Day Ever!

I love the movie Tangled & the part when she finally gets down from the tower is hilarious. "Blondie" goes between running around full of incredible joy and shouting "best day ever!" at her new freedom  - or she sits down in hysterical crying moments of guilt she feels betraying her mother....the scenes are both repeated often and they make me laugh, but I do love most when she is shouting at the top of her lungs that it is indeed the best day.  Ever.

Although I don't often like to exclaim that something is the best, worst, funnest, most delicious, etc...I do enjoy a best day when it comes along. Today happened to be such a day.

I took the kiddos skiing today to enjoy their first day of Spring Break & to enjoy some new snow that fell yesterday. I'm usually not a fan of snow in April - but living by the mountains has changed me to wanting as much snow for as long as possible! We went skiing a week and a half ago when my sister Celeste's family was here for their Spring Break. We chose the warmest day & put the kids in afternoon lessons & then I helped out on the tow rope with my 3 and her middle 2 - yes, 5 children on a rope tow. Thankfully I'm not inclined to use rope in destructive ways - but the first 30 minutes was torture! Everyone was falling off the rope tow & causing back-ups & then if we were lucky to go down the hill they were either dominoes falling upon one another or they would put their skis together (french fries as they call it) and zoom down the mountain Kamakazi style...I stopped breathing a few times & had never lifted so many children up in my life! Something happened after that first 30 minutes - the kids found their rhythm & whether or not they actually did listen to what I said...either they did take it to heart or they just started to put their skis in a pizza and do wider turns!  It was suddenly magical watching these 5 kidlets zooming up the rope tow & staying on 95% of the time now - their form was really improving & there were some real legitimate turns!

We stayed skiing on the rope tow from about 3 until 5pm when the resort shut down & we were finally asked to leave :). I loved all the smiles & the satisfaction that the kids knew they had really practiced what they had learned in lessons & what mom/crazy Aunt Summer would shout to them from wherever we happened to be on that rope tow hill. That part of the mountain even survived - the fence that corrals people into where the line takes you to catch the rope tow had taken a little beating with multiple kids running into it or using it as a pole to swing them up onto the snow "ramp"....but thankfully we never knocked it down. Close but not all the way :)

Although we had to say good-bye to the Sessions the next day & it was much more fun to ski together - my kiddos have begged to go again. When the forecast predicted snow before spring break I knew we had one day's activity set!

We spent the early afternoon on the rope tow & with the first few runs I got excited about how well they were doing! Madeleine was doing more turns & keeping her body held straighter (something her teacher had mentioned specifically to work on). Bryson & Jacob were getting more confident & before long we were going all the way up to the top of the rope tow & not getting off in the middle. The ski school had said when the kids were at that level it was time to hit the chair lift.

Thankfully the rope tow is free & then Alta has a Ski After 3 program where it's only $10 to ski the bottom 3 lifts for the first time you buy the pass - each time after you can refill your card for only $5 a time. What a deal!

We took a short break which involved hot chocolate and a near melt-down from Jacob. An angel of a lady came by & offered us all some chocolate Easter candy she had brought up....all angels should carry chocolate :). As much as I wanted to take the kids up on the Sunnyside lift I thought Jacob might have that break-down on the mountain & I don't walk down mountains....at least with snow on them. They are made to ski on & I crossed my fingers all would work & off we pushed to the ski lift.

And oh what a funny scenario occurred within the first few minutes at that ski lift!  It didn't end up involving a melt-down, but by the end I was never so glad to just get to sit down on the chair lift and not have to do anything for the next 5 minutes except just ride and take in the scenery!  I am someone that has traveled often & usually it was with my kids and usually alone.  I could navigate any part of the airport - taking bags in to check-in & the security gate...nothing phases me when traveling because I've done it so often & I've developed a tough skin to things that could possibly unglue others...and definitely have unglued other young mothers that I have seen through the years.  Going through airport security is not my favorite activity in life - but it's manageable. Well, the security line has met it's match in the chair lift line. WOWZA!- that was a comical site trying to get 3 kids through these new gates they have - it's like metal detectors but smaller & they read the bar code on your ski pass so you can supposedly zoom through....supposedly being the key word in our story. First of all, the lift line can be problematic for beginner skiers - people who are still working to keep their balance on 2 long poles that your feet are attached to & then you need to navigate yourself through a ropes course of sorts....some skiers have a hard enough time navigating their way on a huge mountain, a narrow ropes course can be traumatic! I know it was for us....at the time, now it's just funny!

Jacob was standing in a line, when Madeleine skied into the line and collided with him.  When she tried to move around him she ended up pushing him down then fell on top of him.  It was a rough start!  When they were finally back up on their skis and we were all together (sort of) - the kids were in front of me trying to go thru the gates when the man working asked where the cards were...of course I had all 4 tucked into the pocket which was the most complicated to get into. He was trying to be patient - most people around us were as well....it's times like these I wish we could have personal license plates that would identify we were an out of state people, therefore we don't know the local way of going through the ski gate :). We finally made it through, only to realize that the chair lift was for 3 people & we had 4 - yikes! I quickly thought about putting Madeleine with another party, but people had started to lose their patience and were pushing past us. Thankfully Madeleine & Bryson said they would ride together so I could ride with Jacob....which was a great solution, but it did cause my mama heart to skip a beat. My 2 children on a chair lift alone? Oh please don't let them fight & push each other off that thing! Why do they have height requirements at Disney but not on chair lifts that are dangling dozens of feet in the air?!!! Finally, I decided to let them try....a rather generous offer because if it doesn't work out I'm pretty sure there isn't a next time :/

The beauty of your children growing up - is that suddenly they are ready to do things that you had no idea they were ready for. Those 2 kiddos went onto the chair (well they did miss one but that was my fault for assuming they remembered how to get onto the chair from 2 years ago!) - anyway they pulled the bar down after my mama bear self shouted at them from the next chair back some last minute directions.  They were completely fine riding up together....they even did it twice! I still don't know if they talked - but I hope that year by year by being stuck on the same chair lift they'll start to talk and really enjoy the time together - I always loved talking to the person I was riding up with!

We took Sunnyside & kept to the easiest part of the trail possible - which although "easy" it's still a mountain & some hills are rather sizable. I remember being the kids age & looking down some of those same hills & thinking I would fall off the edge of the earth by going over the edge to try & ski down! All 3 did great! Jacob skied between my legs on the really steep parts for the first run, but the second time down he only stayed with me on the first hill & was off on his own skiing next to one of us all the way down.

I got the biggest thrill looking over and having one of my children skiing next to me! It was the best!  I don't know why it hit me the way it did - but I wanted to shout out "Look - I am skiing with my children!  We are just skiing together on this mountain.  Wahooooooo!!!"  Perhaps it's because I'm not big into sports.  I will go and kick or throw a ball around for fun, but besides tennis which I do love....I was always so afraid I'd get hit in the head with a ball that I just didn't proactively play sports. Skiing is a sport that I have always loved - being on a mountain as close to heaven as I can physically get myself on earth is amazing! I love the rush of zooming down the mountain & that it's something you are in control of and that you can do with as many or few people as you want with you. When we married, Bryson & I realized our skiing loyalties lie in different areas....he likes to ski on water in its liquid state, while I prefer it in the frozen state. We want the kiddos to try both - but for myself as much as I have tried water skiing I just don't feel the same thrill as I do skiing down a mountain.  The feeling of being pulled behind a boat versus letting yourself fly down a mountain is apples & oranges - they both use skis but the feel & taste of each is so different!

I wish we had more skiing days left! I wish I had more money to spend on ski rentals & lift ticket prices....skiing is a "gentleman's" sport in that I think those sports are the most expensive! (ex - golf!). I'm looking forward to scouring D.I. and yard sales to find our own skis in the next few months. I look forward to skiing on many early-out Fridays next year to enjoy the Ski After 3 program much more often! I look forward to having Madeleine sign up for the 6th grade ski classes thru the school next year. Basically I look forward to any & all parts of skiing...well, except for the boot fit, I don't think they ever get to the point of feeling "great".

It truly was the best day to spend with the 3 cutest kids who were so ecstatic about their progress & accomplishments today!

We really did have THE BEST DAY EVER!

p.s. The gloves, skis & boots Jacob wore are the same that I and my sisters used! Those gloves are amazing - like many things today they just don't make things like they used to! The skis were harder for him to use - I think we'll use them to decorate with & get the newer skis so he isn't tripping over the tips of those long skis! (they were the right size - the styles have just changed for the better over the years thankfully!)

p.p.s - I wrote this entire post on my iPhone....my finger is now in the running for being as sore as my legs are from today!....but I wanted to keep the goal of writing today :)

So long until next ski day....we can't wait!!! 

Happy Valentine's Day!

back to September

September seems like ages ago, and if I'm not careful it will be another age before I update with pictures and stories.  The days become weeks that go by in a blur - which means October is waiting to be updated so here we go with a little back story-telling.  

I already posted about Governor's Island, but I don't want to forget how much fun we had going out there to enjoy bike riding around the island and having a day together...these 3 made the outing so fun, and someday we all hope we'll be in a place where they can have bikes and ride them to their hearts content!  

One kick-back afternoon back at the apartment one day, the children took advantage that I had moved the kitchen table and chairs to wash the floor to create a fort for their imaginations to run wild!....

Back to School Party!  There are two other families from our ward that live on Roosevelt Island where the kids go to the same school (there are 2 other families with school age children but one family homeschools and the other family goes to private school).  The moms had been saying that some of their children were a little nervous to start school.  I thought it would be fun to do a Back to School Party together with the all the kids so that they could be strengthened together.  On Labor Day/Monday, we got together for a Family Home Evening lesson and cupcakes & to let the kiddos play together before starting school in a few days.  

Madeleine was acting out a story with Kyler and Lexie, who are 2 of 5 children in a family that moved here from Idaho last May.  We have enjoyed getting to know their families - and I love that Lexie's hair styles has created new interest in Madeleine doing her hair in more ways than just headbands! :)

First Day of School!

Jacob started full-day Kindergarten this year!  He was so excited to bump up and be there all day like the older two :)  He has Ms. Kaplan who is an older teacher and experienced....this has benefits, but also has some downfalls.  She can be a bit old-school in some of the ways she works with the children.  The other day Bryson picked up Jacob from school and was told that Jacob had been talked a bit that day.  When Bryson asked Jacob why he hadn't stopped talking, he said, "Dad I tried to stop talking, but my mouth just kept moving!" {he took his hands out and made the actions like a shark with his hands moving up and down}.  This boy always makes us laugh!

Madeleine started 5th Grade ~ she has Ms. Gambino for a teacher, and adores her.  She also had 34 students in her class which was a big problem for the first 5 weeks of school.  We were addressing issues of overcrowding & for a time I had my thought of trying to make a difference in the political arena or thinking that parents really do have a say in the Dept. of Education.  Both aren't the case - and I'm happy to just take the good & bad with the PTA...that has enough politics in it for me for this stage of my life!

Madeleine's class now has 32 students and she is happy - has great friends and even though I still wonder if we should homeschool many days due to the fact that she has figured out that the level of attention she gets this year, compared to last year in a class of 14 students, is really different....we'll stay in for  time.  Or maybe it will be the entire year.  It's week by week on that situation.

Bryson Jr. is in 2nd grade and actually has the same teacher that Madeleine had last year - Ms. Rubenstein.  His class jumped in numbers as well - he is in the G&T program, and the class that used to be 14 in Kindergarten, went to 22 last year and is now around 28 students!  The teacher is wonderful - very warm and caring and really helps the children internalize the love of learning and the desire to do well.  We have been really impressed that he wants to read longer every night for his Independent Reading Log & he wants to finish his homework with an Incentive Chart that Ms. R started for him (after a few weeks where homework was not happening!).  All in all, it is a great experience he is having - he is becoming more confident in his learning and participating in class - and he is once again referred to as 'Bryce' in class. {I'd rather it be Bryson, but as we have two Bryson's...it actually does help a bit to have a nickname every so often....at least just in school}

In other news:

1) Important but not so important - My camera finally got fixed!  My nice camera stopped working while we were in Utah over the summer - actually I think it started in Hawaii.  The lens wasn't producing clear pictures - they were really blurry - so I sent it back to the company to fix.

When it came back, I realized how much I had missed having the camera around and how much I need to start taking pictures again.

2) The city --- this is a picture I snapped when the camera came back, but in other news of this city....well, it's a city that brings surprises.  The kids started school on the 8th & on the 12th of September Bryson came home a little early and we enjoyed having him for FHE and putting the kids to bed.  When they were asleep and we were catching up on the day, I was telling him about my day and when I asked about his - he paused and said....'Well, I got laid off today'.

Wow.  That was a huge surprise.  We had thought that we were in the clear of the latest Bank of American lay-offs that had happened the previous week, of about 30,000.  Bryson went into work on Monday, and his boss was back from a trip out of the country - and when we got called into a meeting, he said he knew something was coming up.  The interesting part, is that Bryson has been giving everything he has had from Day 1 at the bank.  He is a hard worker and although there are times when he has needed to learn with the job - overall, he felt that things were going well.  When he came out from the talk with his boss, the secretary told Bryson that he wasn't the one that was supposed to be laid off...at least from last Friday.  We think that it came down to that it was between Bryson and the Analyst that was hired over the summer - and she is a female and a minority.  Unfortunately he didn't fall into the right categories and he was the more expensive choice as he had more experience.  Sometimes all the political corrective part  of life stinks when it means you are out of a job because you aren't the right gender or ethnicity.

The part that we think might work to our advantage....we were wondering how much longer we could survive in this job.  And I say survive even though I despise that word, and would rather say we thrive because of his work.  However, most often we are on survival mode.  It looks like the choice was made for us that we need to look for other work, and a difference in our life and style.

So, our life since then has been to have Dad home a lot more than anyone can remember in...probably 4+years.  Jacob has been amazed that Dad is around, because when you think about it, all he has known is that Dad is gone hours and hours at a time for work.  That is all his memory holds.  The other day, he was cuddled up next to Bryson on the couch and they were playing Plants vs. Zombies on Bryson's phone - and Jacob looked up and said, "Dad, I like this new job you have!"

If only he could get paid to be Dad and be home!

He is looking into work all over - around this area and out of state.  We think it might be time to leave the city - but we need a job first.  Or at least we hope we get a job first before we pack up and move.  Our lease expires at the end of February, and by then we will be out of the period where the bank pays us for being laid off....we hope to have a job by then, if not we might take up residence in Zucotti Park along with all the other OWS inhabitants that expound how terrible and corrupt those crazy bankers are!

Back on our little island - September brought the start of soccer season:

and needing to use the tickets to Victorian Gardens that is in the middle of Central Park.  Groupon had a great deal last spring and I picked up the tickets and finally used them a day before they expired!  The kiddos went to school Thursday and Friday - and Saturday evening I took the kids in for a celebration of school starting.  We tried to get Bryson to join us, but he was busy with work....and on Sunday he was busy too.  And then Monday he got laid off.  It's times like that - you wish you had the Crystal Ball so he could have said...'hey you are laying me off anyway, figure out this project on your own'.  Oh well - he left on a high note giving his all to that bank.  We are proud of him - although we missed him for this fun play day!

You can see all the buildings in the background - I'd forget that we were in the middle of the city in our magical Central Park, until I'd see the buildings towering in the background.  As always - I'm so grateful for whomever came up with the amazing idea to make sure the city has a park for all of us to enjoy!

I love the faces he makes - there are so many, and they are so fun.  Although my favorite is just a big smile form him!

Flying feet - years from now I'll probably look back and cry and how little these feet are and how much fun we had that day.  As always - it's so easy to be a mom when you are having fun and doing nice things for your kiddos.  Would every moment of parenting be so easy to have!

We were going to leave around 7pm so that we could get home in time for a decent bedtime hour for the kiddos.  However, the park was not crowded and the weather was beautiful - and it was so easy to stay for another 10 minutes - or another ride or two.  It was such a beautiful evening that we left at about 9pm!  Thankfully the kiddos got up in time for church the next day, otherwise it wouldn't have such a happy ending :)

Bryson had a fun surprise in seeing one of his classmates, David, at the park.  They went on a few rides together, and as always I'm amazed that even in this city with millions of people we run into people we know. How great to know it's a small enough world to run into people randomly!

The following week, Bryson went out last minute to Utah for a conference at BYU.  Since he didn't have to report to work, he decided to seize the opportunity of attending the Investment's Conference and jump right back into networking and trying to work with those he knows in securing the next job.  We were set to go down to Virginia for the baptism of the kiddos cousin - so I drove out on Friday afternoon and arrived 6+ hours later down in Virginia.  I tend to not to do well on timing with most road trips - it takes me a long time, with the stops for bathrooms & food stops.  Thankfully we finally arrived!  The next morning Bryson flew into town & we enjoyed a day with family and then the baptism that afternoon.  

Bryson Jr.'s hair is too long & he was making the goofiest faces - it definitely was picture worthy! 

Back at the Thiriot's for some delicious food and more time with the cousins - as Jacob refers to them, "Mom, can I go play with my best friends that have all those boys & live far away?"  He's still getting used to knowing what a cousin is - but he is right, cousins are best friends!

There is more to September....I shall post Part II later.  We are off to a Ward Halloween Party in the SNOW!  I thought this crazy weather only happened in Utah!