It's beginning to look a lot like Halloween!

Smiling Aiden

Aiden has been smiling for the past couple of weeks. It is so cute! Here are a few pictures (sorry that they are blurry...it is impossible to take a great picture of a baby while you are holding him!) and a movie. I am sad that he didn't give his best smiles because his best smiles are enormous and so precious! These will do, though! Tomorrow you can expect a blog about Halloween. yeah! Isn't he so cute? Or as Alora says, "Caauute!"

A funny story

So, I posted the pictures of the beautiful house too early! We called the real estate agent the day after I posted and he told us the house was under contract but he would be surprised if the sell went through. He further promised us to call us regardless in a few weeks. Dan went golf ing with the Harmon's pharacists the day after that. Well, Dan was chatting with one of his friends that he went to grad school with, Jeff. Jeff started telling him all about this great rambler in South Jordan that has a L shaped back patio with a double sided fireplace, etc, etc. that he put an offer on. Turns out to be the same house! So, we sure hope that Jeff gets the house. He loves it a bit more than we do (as evidenced by what he is willing to pay versus what we are willing to pay). We are going back to the market!

A Proud Mom

Grayson started school the beginning of the month. Last year he enjoyed school and learned a lot but struggled with writing and sounds. I was approached a few weeks ago by one of his teachers who commented that this has been a very different year. Grayson is now more enthusiastic about ALL aspects of school, not just the social. I am so proud. I have noticed a huge difference as well. He never would have copied words last year...he only felt comfortable tracing letters. Yeah for progress!! Sorry the pictures aren't great but my scanner doesn't work...and I HAD to showcase some of his work! Keep in mind this isn't his best, it is what I had available. You should see his name. He does great!!)

Great Salt Lake

Or this one...

What about this one? Which do you prefer?

Opinions Needed

I want everyone's opinion! How does this look for a birth announcement? Any suggestions to make it better?

Home, Sweet Home

As many of you know, Dan and I have a crazy habit of searching for houses. We never have stopped looking for a home since we began looking for our current place! (That has been 5 years...) Last summer Dan found this house and we fell in love. Of course it was champagne on our wine in a box budget!! :) Well, it has dropped dramatically in price and we are still in love. We are hoping it is still on the market in a few months and are hoping more that they will take a low ball offer so we can get it. It would be great for entertaining and there is room for a play room. Keep your fingers crossed.

More changes

Pior to having Aiden, I posted some "new life resolutions." I feel that the change from working mom to stay at home mom required some changes at home. I think I have done well on most of those! As a recap, here were my resolutions and updates on them!

• Improve my relationship with my Savior and Father. I have done better though not as well as I would like. I have been much more diligent in working on my Personal Progress. I finished a project and 4 value experiences!!! I noticed a huge difference in my life when working on this. I encourage all sisters to do the same, whether in YW or not. Sister Dalton (the new general YW president) spoke at a fireside in our Stake a year ago and stated that Personal Progess is to be worked on over and over again throughout life.
• Work on scrapbooking each night when the kiddos are in bed to catch up. I started out diligently on this but as I expected, Aiden has halted progress. I will wait for him to start sleeping more regularly before picking this up again. I am almost finished with Grayson's first year, though!
• Clean something in my house each day. I actually have done moderately well here! I have a new schedule: Monday is laundry day, Tuesday is ironing, Wednesday is bathrooms, and Thursday is dusting/kitchen. I might miss a day here or there but I am happy that this schedule will keep my house in decent condition! If you visit, though, don't expect everything to be clean at once!!! :)
• Excercise for 20 minutes each day. I have not done well on this but am starting to do better. I was so big at the end of the pregnancy that walking up the stairs was difficult. After 3 1/2 weeks, I am starting to feel mostly normal again. I started working on the Wii fit two nights ago. I am excited to get rid of fat!!!

Here is one more goal that I am going to add to my list: a weekly program (inspired by my friend at I never grew up...see below) of helping the children learn about different topics. We will have a weekly number (math problem for Grayson), letter (for Alora), word (for Grayson), color, animal, musician, feeling, and artist that we will discuss. This is going to take a lot of effort and I am great at starting projects and then forgetting about them as I go on. This will be different!! I'll post more when I am ready to go!

I never grew up

Here is another shout out to one of my favorite sites!!! I have to honestly say that reading this blog has inspired me to be a better mom. Thanks so much for your creative ideas, Vanessa!

Here are some adorable bags she is giving away.....I really want them!