Happy Halloween!

Halloween is one of those holidays that I could really do without. I especially need to do away with the candy because I can't stay away from it! This year Halloween was really easy since I only had to get a costume for Nathaniel. A couple weeks ago he wanted to be Batman so we bought some accessories to add to the Batman costume that we already had. Well, last week was our ward Halloween party and I had gone to the store before the party. When I came home Nathaniel was dressed as an old man and it was an adorable costume. I tried to convince him that he should be Batman since I had spent money on his costume but he didn't want to. He was also okay if I wanted to take back the Batman stuff and he would just be an old man for Halloween. Who could ask for anything better! I had a happy child and I didn't have to spend any money on his costume! Nathaniel is also the only one who is still allowed to go trick or treating at our house and since he doesn't really like candy he gets bored with it pretty quick. This means that before 7:30 he was done and ready to watch a movie. What a deal! Laura had to dress up also this year for a special needs mutual Halloween party that she had to attend.

Life Goes On

Life certainly seems to just keep moving along. Last week both Nathaniel and Joseph were sick with the stomach flu. Nathaniel got better quickly but Joseph has had it lingering for most of this week as well. This has been the first real illness that Joseph has had since his transplant and it has been rough for him. He has never been a good patient when he gets sick and so he drives me nuts and that doesn't help. The immune suppressing drugs don't help either because it takes so much longer for him to get back his energy.
Speaking of Joseph and Nathaniel, after a conversation I had with Susan while we were visiting Vernal, I decided to try putting Joseph and Nathaniel on a nutritional supplement to see if it would help them emotionally (they both get upset a little too easy) and if it wouldn't also help them to grow a little. After 4 days of trying this I have definitely seen a difference in Nathaniel. He is so much more enjoyable. Even last night when he had a major amount of homework for a fourth grader and he was up until 10:00 doing homework and the other things we had to get done, he was happy the whole time and he was focused and he never got overwhelmed. This is exactly the opposite of how he normally reacts. So far I haven't seen much difference in Joseph but I told him I need to give it at least a week before I decide if I will have him continue.
Joseph also had to have his biopsy delayed because he was sick. That was really frustrating since we cannot get rid of any more medication until we have a biopsy. It is scheduled for next Tuesday but he is thinking he may have a cold coming on and if so we will have to reschedule again.
I have been doing some serious crafting this past week. I am in the holiday zone for being prepared. I have been working on a project for most of the extended family as well as deciding what I want my Christmas card to look like. I am also working on a craft for our Young Women in Excellence night at the end of November. But my greatest accomplishment is that I put vinyl letters above my clock in the party room. It looks really nice. The saying I used is "There's always time for family". I finished putting it up last night and then I woke up this morning from a dream where I had gone out to the party room and all the letters had fallen off the wall. The dream was so real I had to have Brad go look to make sure it really was a dream. Of course, all was well!
Kent has to meet with the Stake President and then his mission papers will be turned in. He is hoping that the interview will be on Sunday and then he can start the countdown.

UEA Vacation

Brad and the kids have been on vacation this Thursday and Friday and it has been wonderful. Thursday our family just worked around the house and then the kids hung out with friends. It was a nice quiet day and a much needed break for our family. On Friday we went to Vernal to visit with Richard and Susan and their family. This was such a great little get away. We came back home Saturday evening but the day and a half that we spent in Vernal was perfect. Heather and Laura, of course, loved every minute of hanging out with the Rust girls. If they had their way we would never leave. Nathaniel also really enjoys his Rust cousins. Joseph sometimes gets overwhelmed by all the girls in that family but even he really enjoyed his time in Vernal. He especially loves hanging out with Richard but he is finding that Kelsey can be a lot of fun also. Brad and I always enjoy being with Richard and Susan and one of the things we really enjoyed this time was playing a game called "The Farming Game". It is a rather addictive game once you get started playing it. We are already looking forward to playing it with them again sometime.

This past Tuesday I had the opportunity to volunteer with Intermountain Donor Services (IDS). This the the regional organization for registering and promoting Organ Donation. I went to SLC to the church office building to help with a health fair. It was a lot of fun. I helped run the booth and encouraged people to sign up as an organ donor if they hadn't already. I am hoping to continue to volunteer every now and then with IDS. I have reached a point in my life where I am interested in volunteering and serving especially in areas where my life has been touched and impacted.

Kent has been working on his mission papers and is pretty much done except for a phone call to answer an insurance question and whatever interviews that need to be done. He can't officially send in his papers until the end of October but it is coming soon and he is hoping to have everything done by then. This is a very fun and exciting time for him and for our family as a whole.

Conference was Great

Conference weekend is always something I look forward to and this one was especially nice. My favorite part was that my children are finally growing up enough to truly sit and listen to conference without so much interruption or disruption. I think all of our family came away from conference feeling uplifted and inspired. I especially had a few moments when thoughts and ideas struck me. I also heard some things from Sister Dalton that will help me with my young women/relief society lesson that I am teaching this weekend. This is also my most pressing matter at the moment so I am glad I felt some inspiration there. Some of the other talks that I really enjoyed are President Monson's about dealing with change and just enjoying each day as it comes; Elder Oaks' about the importance of sacrament meeting; Elder Bednar's on prayer; President Uchtdorf's on hope; and Elder Cook's on sometimes the things that are hardest are also the best.

Another thing of note- the piano is back home and life is wonderful. It is amazing how much more interested in playing the piano my younger children are now that we have had a month long break.