I’m continually blown away by how quickly life moves on.  Our little “Opia Wose” turned “fwee”  last Saturday and Wes is well into his 10th month.  We just had his well check this morning and he is 23.3 pounds and 29 inches tall.  He has leveled out a bit and now is in the 60-75th % range.  This is typical of our kids when they become mobile and aren’t nursing as much anymore.  While Brian was with the girls on his own he commented how much Serra does around the house.  She actually made breakfast for them all; scrambled eggs.  At 6 she is very mature and capable most of the time.  So we have done a few photo shoots over the past few days and here are some of the results.

First of all are the Halloween ones.  I promised a good one of Wes in his costume so here you have the little monkey.  Not overly thrilled…

Then we have Belle and Cinderella (if you ask Rosie)

Then we have Rosie’s 3 year shots.  She was less than cooperative, actually just my typical goofy Rosie but we sweaked out a few decent ones. 

Peg leg Rosie. 

Are you done already, Mom?

Wes was sooo tired and fell asleep shortly after we took these shots for his 10 month mark.  Such a cute little man.

Cousin Jill looks fantasic in green so her Christmas dress just had to be green.

Baby Violet looks great in red and showed off two dimples well for us yesterday afternoon. 

Can you tell which baby is in the best mood?

The rest we took on Rosie’s birthday.  She got a princess tunnel.  I didn’t really plan a princess theme but it sort of turned out that way.  Princess tunnel.  Serra bought her a princess crown.  And I made a princess castle cake. 

Wes tried out Dad’s hat.  He has a little ways to go until it fits.

Wes found Rosie’s balloons all over the floor the next morning and was soon quite tangled up. 

Too much partying.  I impressed even myself with this masterpiece. 

The girls got extra cake to decorate themselves while mom was busy with the castle.

It was a busy week with two seperate dinner parties as well.  We are getting ready to head out of town this coming Saturday for Thanksgiving.  By the way I also recieved a calling.  Valient 9.  I haven’t taught in Primary in 10 years.  Should be fun.  No meetings. 

We’re done with the bridge for the most part.  There is still welding to be done for a guard rail and to connect the rail cars but they are placed and not going anywhere.  Placing them turned out to be a major challenge (which wasn’t a surprise) as they weigh ~60,000 lbs a piece.  We didn’t have a crane that could simply lift that amount of weight so we worked a crane (pulling and lifting) and a front end loader (pushing and lifting on the back end) to work them in to place. 

We were concerned with the loading of the abatments that we’d poured that the weight of the cars would push them down and potentially do so unevenly.  The crane was brought in to reach a maximum depth for the concrete piers and we used some very heavy steel to assure that if they did sink that they’d do it evenly.  After loading we took some elevation shots and one side had sank 1/16th of an inch and the other wasn’t moving….we were very relieved that the engineering was correct and that we didn’t have any issue.  Not that we didn’t build it right and per plan but what works on paper doesn’t always translate to real life.  Putting 120,000 lbs of steel on concrete that is set on a soupy foundation (albeit 20 feet in to the earth) had us a little worried but we hedged our bets by overbuilding it and it paid off.

A few pics;

Last Friday I ditched my girls and Brian and headed south.  On schedule was a reunion with the girls I grew up with from the time I was 5 to graduation.  We have all seen very little of each other since then.  I got to the hotel (Warner Center Marriott)  at around 4:30.  Shayla was downstairs getting her nails done so Wes and I freshened up a bit and changed clothes.  We picked up Poppy at her sisters house and then headed to the restaurant (Maggianos?) at the Promenade.  The only one that didn’t make it for dinner was Tracie.  She had a layover in Salt Lake and her plane backed into another one on the runway making for a major delay.  She caught us just as we were leaving.  It was pretty crazy to find out all that has happened in the 17 years since we were part of each others lives.  Everyone has at least 3 kids, Shayla topped us all with 6.  A few parents have divorced and remarried.  Everyone looked good and seemed to be happy and doing well. We all decided we need to plan something like this again in a few more years. 

Tracie (Schaeffer) Pierce, Lena (Collins) Kohut, Shayla (Menzie) McLaughlin, Noreen (Reyes), Poppy (Grasteit) Thatcher, Jessica (Doolan), Jessica’s sister (I didn’t know her), Me

Poor Tracie missed dinner and had only had peanuts all day on the planes. 

We headed to a little chinese massage place on Ventura Blvd.  It’s called Foot Massage, but they do your whole self.  It’s a big room and you keep your clothes on so it wasn’t weird or anything.  The dude working me over was a maniac and I felt a little bruised after but it was awesome.  My mission is to find a place like that here in Vegas.  There has to be one since we have China Town, it just may be difficult to sort them out from the ones that are covers for hanky panky. 

We said goodbye to Lena and the Doolan girls and the rest of us stayed at the hotel.  I haven’t stayed up chit-chatting like that in a long time.  We didn’t turn the lights out until 3:30. 

The next morning we woke up way too early for folks that went to be that late.  What do you do when your baby gets up though.  That’s right…Wes was with me.   So we continued chatting until Tracie had the shakes from lack of food.  We said goodbye to Noreen and the 4 remaining, Shayla, Poppy, Tracie, and I (with Wes of course) went to Denny’s. There was a little drama with some of the clientele and I was a little worried that a guy was going to pull out a weapon but luckily it ended without incident.  Tracie and I said goodbye to the others and we headed to Calabasas Commons to meet with Lisa Pasillas-Le.  Tracie and I had a separate group of friends at school from the group at church and Lisa was from that group.  It took me a minute to recognize her when she walked up since I haven’t seen so much as a picture for about 15 years.  She looks great and has a fantastic family (who we met later)  We enjoyed a great lunch and caught up and then headed to her home in Lost Hills to see where she lived and meet her kids and husband.  It’s great to see her so happy.  (I need to get pictures from Tracie)

Tracie and I took a little drive around our old neighborhood before saying goodbye.  I saw Peggy Todd and visited with her for a little while.  I was really tired at this point and rather than going to visit anyone else I headed to my hotel, the Renaissance by Marriott in Agoura.  It was really nice.  I got Wes and I cleaned up and ordered room service (tasty) and watched a movie before falling asleep.  That is the first time I have stayed in a hotel without Brian or without the kids and Brian.  It was a bit too quiet for me at first but I got into it and really enjoyed the peace and quiet.  I ordered breakfast in the morning and headed to the Woodland hills ward for church.  That is always like going home.  After the meeting and visiting for a few minutes I headed home. 

No time to rest…Monday morning I packed up the kids and headed North to Ceder City.  Brian left earlier and headed to Panguitch where he is working on the bridge project.  I stayed overnight with the kids at Gary and Liesl’s so the kids could get reacquainted.  They have so much fun together.  Liesl gave me a whole bunch of ideas for my food storage especially in the cooking fuel department.  I am excited to get working on that.  I already started rounding up old sheets, empty #10 cans, dryer lint, egg cartons, and cardboard.  I’ll just let your mind work with that for a while. 

We got the word from Brian that they were getting ready to pull the first train car over the river at around 1pm so we headed out.  It didn’t happen Tuesday.  They sure tried but there were a few hiccups.  We took a drive up to Bryce Canyon since it was only 20 minutes away and checked out the view.  Then we fed the troops and headed to bed.  It was a rough night.  with bad beds and kids all over the place but we made it through and headed up to see if the bridge was going to happen Wednesday.  It didn’t.  We took off early afternoon after realizing it was going to be another day and Brian needed to get back to Vegas.  The kids traveled really well, and we took the scenic route through Cedar Breaks and Duck Creek.  I remember camping there as a kid with cousins and the grandfolks.  At home we all took turns in the super shower and giant tub and collapsed in bed. (At least I did, I’m not quiet sure what happened to everyone else)

Word from Dwaine this morning was that they had success with the bridge and the first car is in place.  YAY!

The kids kept themselves occupied by throwing things in the river.

Here is the crane trying to pull the bridge. 

I thought Wes had a funny face in this one. 

Once the bridge was across (not in place) the kids thought running back and forth on it was pretty fun. 

While the crane was pulling, this tractor was pushing. 

Freezing at Bryce Canyon overlooks.

Serra is one tired munchkin and not thrilled with the frigid temps. (Or with Mom and her trigger happy finger)

READY….PULL!

Real Man Construction

More of Bryce

This was me and the Wes man chillin’ at our hotel room last Saturday. 

Wes at Bobs Big Boy on Friday. 

SuperMan

When Wes got his last haircut Rosie pointed out that her looked like he grew a beard. 

This is my submittal for the family letter:  Enjoy the photos at the end. 

Well folks, we actually did it. We passed our final inspection on the new house right around the middle of October. That means that from the time we started packing until the time we actually officially moved into the new house was 2 months. I am becoming a little neurotic as I get older. I need to feel like I am in control of myself, my subordinates (children), and the situations we are in. Not having any control over anything, like where we would be sleeping, what we were going to do from day to day, when I would get a working washing machine, or what we were eating for dinner made me feel like I was having a mental breakdown. Somehow we managed to get through it. We finally got through the warranty garbage with the brand new non-working washing machine and got it replaced. It is so aggravating to not be able to do a load of laundry when you need to, especially with a barfy baby, a mostly-but-not-perfectly potty trained 2 year old, and a large husband in the construction business. We generate an unseemly amount of laundry and shlepping it all across town to my inlaws got old really fast. (But at least they let us do that because all the laundromats in town are in lousy areas) Anyway, it has been divine being HOME finally in this big, beautiful house. Rosie still doesn’t call it home though. To her, it’s the big house.

The favorite part of the house for the kids is the master shower. It has two shower heads and four body sprays. When it is going full blast it creates a whirlpool around the drain. It is big enough for the whole family and when mom or dad gets in a little person is sure to join in. The body sprays are like little mini shower heads and just the right height for the shorter people in the family. Rosie asks for a “supershower” when she wants in. My kids have a new love for bathing as well with the giant soaker tub. There is no pulling teeth around here when it comes to bath time.

Brian has been keeping busy with the construction business although it has slowed considerably. The housing and construction markets here in Las Vegas have been devastated in the last year. We are thankful to have any work at all. People are closing up shop all around us. It is hard for Brian to find subs anymore. Some close their businesses mid job and that has been difficult as well. We recognize the blessings that come from paying tithing as Brian has been able to keep our heads above water. One of his more interesting jobs has been the bridge in Panguitch, UT. (That’s right..all the way up there) He has had a great time doing some more heavy construction and using some pretty serious equipment. This last week it was an 8 foot drill that rose 60 feet in the air. It was used to drill some deep holes for the pilings. Anyway, he is like a little kid with a new toy when he goes up there to work. It’s usually for a few days every few weeks. We miss him around here when he goes. It looks like one more trip next week to finish her up.

Serra is busy with the first grade and learning all about subtraction. Ask her what a million minus a million is. She knows the answer and considers that pretty serious math. Rosie had been getting better about the two year old tantrums but with all the chaos reverted a bit. I think she is improving a little but man can she throw a fit. She is turning 3 on the 15^th and is already talking about her birthday and presents. Weston is a delight. He has the cutest smile and sweetest personality. At 9 months he is a master crawler and stands on his own. He has taken a few steps but doesn’t seem too interested in making that his official mode of transportation just yet. He knows where the dog food is and considers that his best option for a quick treat when mom’s not looking.

We took the kids around our neighborhood trick or treating this year and they had a grand time. Last year Rosie didn’t really get it. She would park herself on folks door step after they gave her candy and try to eat it right then and there. It took us forever to get around our little block. This year was a different story. She had a little practice at the trunk or treat earlier in the week and was ready to roll. Instead of “Trick or Treat” it was “You got candy?” She also insisted on having a conversation about her candy at every house. She also told a few people her birthday was coming up. I’m not sure if that was to get extra candy or just for their information. Her bag got so heavy she could barely drag it. We tried to have her empty it into the stroller basket but she proclaimed, “No, I carry it!” Or “No! I not share with you, Dad!” Quite a few people recognized Brian as the guy who built the big new house. Everyone seemed excited for us that we were finally moved in.

We were finally read into our new ward on the 2^nd. The membership secretary’s brain is out to lunch and after losing our information 3 separate times the bishop got it from us and pulled our records himself. On that same day our Stake’s new alignment went into effect and we absorbed almost an entire other ward. Apparently, our ward was split off that ward a few years back and so it was like being at someone else’s family reunion. We still feel a bit on the outside- nothing a calling won’t cure. I’m sure it will get better in a few months.

We are all healthy…not even so much as a sniffle for months. That is saying something with 3 kids, one who’s in public school, and stress. We are getting into a routine and enjoying the cooler weather. Mid 70′s…eat your hearts out. Yay Us!

I’ve been experimenting around my house for places with good light for photo shoots.  Although these were not the best locations the subjects are adorable. 

Monkey boy Wes.  I will have better photos next week of their costumes. 

At the trunk or treat.  Rosie found the cupcakes right away.  She also managed to pretty much trash her dress in less than 45 minutes.  Serra is Belle.

I love this mask and Rosie cooperated with me this time for a few shots.  It’s supposed to go with her costume but she wouldn’t use it when she had the dress on.

And…no, not a halloween costume…it’s Batman in his jammies…standing tall. 

Pumpkin carving was not so fun for me this year…I think I was too tired and Brian was out of town.  The top one is Serra’s…Minnie Mouse.  She did it all herself. 

Mo was a convict.  Perfect costume if you ask me.  What’s he in for, you ask?  Excessive barking, rummaging through the garbage, tearing apart dirty diapers, refusing to eat his dog food after he visits Grandma, escaping the house when ever he can and running through the neighborhood, jumping on and barking at guests, and growling at babies.  That’s a pretty impressive wrap sheet if you ask me. 

He just looks guilty doesn’t he.

Look closely, Rosie’s pumpkin went as Pooh Bear. 

Hmmmm…what’s this?

Weston and Baby Jill.  Three days apart. 

I love that smile.