January and February

The past two months have been very busy for us. On December 27 we flew to Utah and stayed until January 17. Not much of a birthday for Troy. Though the plane ride went much smoother on the way back to Columbus so that was a great present for him. On the way to Utah, because of weather the previous day, there were a lot of flight delays. We ended up not getting to Utah until 2:00 in the morning Utah time which was 4:00 Ohio time. Parker ended up having a couple of night terrors on the airplane. But we made it!

We had so much fun while we were in Utah. Troy and I were a little apprehensive on how we would split the time between our two families, but everything worked out very well. It was so nice to have Deseret Book, the Distribution Center, DI, and all the other 'Mormon' stores at our finger tips. Our big purchase of the trip was made by Troy. He has really wanted to get a collection of old church books, so we made frequent stops to DI and Savers to rummage through their book selections. When all was said and done Troy had gotten over 50 books. It was a bit of a juggling act to get all of them back home, moving books around the different luggages and weighing the luggage to make sure we didn't go over the 50 lbs limit. It had been such a long time for us since we had just been able to be with family and relax. We are so glad that we can now plan trips at least twice a year. I do have to say that as we were flying back into Columbus I had a feeling of coming home which made it a little easier taking the boys away from their cousins.

Troy started work the first week of February. He said that it has been so different from being a student doing clincials and a CRNA working. The head of anesthesia has been awesome in working with us, and for signing a contract for 3 1/2 years they will pay off a big chunk of our student loans. Troy truly seems happy each day as he goes to work, and life is good!

Andrew is still doing well in school. We meet with his teacher last week and she was saying how well he is doing. There are a lot of boys in his class and the class room can be a little chaotic sometimes. She said that he is a good example to his peers. I've started to teach him piano. I think though that we need to work on patience a little first. He is one who likes to be able to do it right the very first time. I don't know where he gets it from.

Parker is about half way through his reading book, and it has been night and day between teaching Andrew to read and Parker. As I said earlier Andrew likes to be able to do it right the first time, and Parker goes with the flow better. He is more patient and is very fun to teach. He is picking up on it fast to.

Dylan is rolling, rolling, rolling. This has to do with the fact that at the end of January we found a house to rent and moved in. The apartment's carpet was a little on the old side, so I never liked to lay him down on it. But within a week after moving he started to roll and hasn't stopped. It is interesting to see him with his brothers. He loves both very much, but he responds very differently to them. Andrew is so gentle with him, loves to hold him, and is quiet around him. Dylan always has a smile for him, love to touch his face, and when we are riding in the car I often find that Dylan has his hand on Andrew's arm. Parker is our life of the party and is always jumping, and talking loud and silly to him. At times all Dylan has to do is look at Parker and he will bust out laughing.

The blessings just keep pouring out onto our little family. We feel blessed in finding a house in a great neighborhood, how well Troy's job has worked out, and as always, the gospel in our life that is the sure foundation in this troubled world.