Random thoughts as I try to catch up on 3 weeks

We had an awesome visit with my sister and her family. I'll have to catch up soon. The good news is that all my shopping and wrapping is done. Yeah! Some bad news...CJ caught a cold with a nasty cough. And I think he is still teething. He now has 6 teeth. Emily's ballet class is now over (pics to come). It's good to be back blogging. I spent a good part of the day catching up on everyone's blogs. Misty-sorry about your "rough" (I don't think that word even comes close) day. And lastly, I got my new calling. Any guesses?

Thanks

I like to copy my sisters posts, so here goes. I will be listing, in no particular order, things I am thankful for. In honor of my 30 posts, I will list 30 things.
1. Families. And the fact that families can be together forever.
2. Chris. I love him so much and have grown so much being married to him. His strengths seem to be my weaknesses and he has taught me so much. He is so handy and, I'd say, precise. My dad had an even better word, exact. He really is. It amazes me. Everything he does is exact. He is a wonderful father, too.
3. Emily. What a great first kid. She is so smart and fun to be around. It seems that she might be "outgrowing" her shyness. She gave a talk in Primary today and did a great job.
4. CJ. A great addition to our family. He has a great personality and smiles at just about everyone.
5. My Mom and Dad. A wonderful example of parents, especially in the arena of loving each other and the family. Our house was always full of love.
6. My siblings. All eight of them. Without them my life would have been completely different, of that I'm sure. My life continues to be enriched by them. They are a great example to me.
7. Chris's Mom and Dad. They raised a marvelous son. My family loves the time that we spend with them.
8. Chris's sisters. I can't help but think they had an integral part in teaching him. Plus it's fun to have more sisters.
9. Prayer. I love hearing kids pray. It is so earnest, so true. Prayer can work for all of us. I am grateful to have the freedom to pray.
10. Leaders of the church. From the prophet all the way down the chain. So many, many times in my life I have been blessed by knowing someone in a leadership role in the church. Mostly they have been my leader (Young Women's, Relief Society) at the time.
11. Sports. They have shaped so much of my life. I've learned a lot of valuable lessons through them. Procrastination, anyone. I've learned positive lessons too. Friendship, leadership, sportsmanship, teamwork, and many more.
12. Shelter. I've always had a nice place to live and I am very grateful for that.
13. As of today, my calling, I will be getting a new one shortly so it's easy for me to say that today I am grateful for it. I'm sure I will always be grateful for it as I will be learning and growing everyday.
14. My education. My schooling and my education outside of the classroom. My time at SVC/SVU where I feel I learned so much more than what was taught in the classroom.
15. My talents. I am working to gain new ones as well as increase the ones that I have.
16. My friends. It takes a lot to understand me. Probably even more to like me. But to those of you who do...thanks.
17. The gospel. I love my church and I love being a part of it. I love teaching it to my primary class. The lessons for six-year olds are plain and simple. Easy enough for me to understand.
18. Food. You know I love it. And soon enough I will be able to eat it again.
19. Electricity. I often tell Chris, "Wouldn't it be fun to be on one of those shows where it's like going back to 1885? I mean, for like a week or two?" I think I could rough it for that long, but not much longer.
20. Water. I, too, need to drink more of it. I also like to swim in it and play in the rain. I am very grateful for running water and plumbing as well.
21. Technology. I know I sound a little "Napoleon Dynamite"-ish but it is great.
22. The three different places I've lived, BV, Lafayette, and McLean.
23. Our land. I can't wait to get out there and live in our new house.
24. Neighbors. Neighbors of old and neighbors of the future.
25. My one "real" job. Ruby Tuesday. I feel like I learned a whole lot there. I worked there for three years. And it was quite the experience. I definitely would not change it. One afterthought I had was "Why didn't I have a real job sooner," the pay is much more stable than babysitting and the work wasn't all that hard. Especially once I became a manager.
26. Chris's job. It (at least seems to me) is the perfect job. It's a great fit for him and it is so nice to have him close. I've dropped Emily off there twice near the end of the day. She got to help Daddy "work". I mean, I think that is so cool.
27. Achievements. Whether they are mine or someone else's it always fun to celebrate and to watch people achieve things. Especially when it is your child achieving.
28. The temple. I am so glad we got married in the Washington DC temple. Now whenever we drive by it Emily points to it and asks, "Is that where you got married Mommy? When I grow up I am going to get married in the temple." It is so sweet. I know I already said families, but I think it bears repeating, I am thankful for the opportunity to be an eternal family.
29. New Years. It is typically when I set my goals for the year. And I am grateful for the chance to become a better me. I often need competition or goals or something to motivate me and New Years seems to do it, well, once a year.
30. Jesus Christ. What an example He is to all of us. My lesson at church today was on forgiving others. We can learn so much about so many different things by trying to be more like Him.
I am grateful for many other things as well. Thanks for taking the time to read my blogs. And now I can go to bed feeling very blessed.

Emily's Turn

We are the Webers. That Ben and Lucy went to their heart. And saw a monkey. A big monster came and another princess came to rescue the monkey. And the monkey and tiger and princess became friends. And they watched a show about it everyday. They had to try to do some things such by themselves, alive. So you will save and never begin right now. And never forget. And the story begins again.

Well, I'm grasping at straws. I'm two posts away from everyday in November. We are up at my brother's house dog-sitting. And I'm running out of Blog ideas. I figured I'd let Emily have a turn to voice her opinion. And now I'll let her have a turn to type. Mimi, I don't know how long it's been since we've read Ben's story, but apparently she remembers it.

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Gymnastics

Thomas and Emily took a gymnastic class. It met once a week for ten weeks. They had a ball. I have to say Emily is a bit shy if she is by herself but if Thomas is there she is fine. The class was great because it was on Thursdays and at least five of the weeks it was rainy or bitter cold outside. It was a great way for them to burn off steam. Their teacher was great and had lots of music for them to dance/run to. I think we'll sign them up for another class in January.

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Tree

Here are some pictures from last year when we went and got our Christmas tree. We got it exactly one year ago today. We went to a cut your own tree farm in Lovettsville. It was so much fun. We got there about 10 minutes before closing but the guy still let us take our time. We (foam home) got a tree, the Worths got a tree, and if I remember correctly the Von Lindseys got a tree. They were a little later, and the weather was a lot colder than we were expecting, so we didn't stay to see their tree. I thought it was amazing how big the tree started and then how small it got after going through the machine. The kids had fun and so did I. I hope to go again this year, I have been told though that the farm has "closed". We'll just have to see, because this is a tradition I would love to have.

Dancing to the Piano

Here is a video of Emily and Thomas dancing as Grandpa plays the piano. This piano has been in our family (my dad estimates) for 120+ years. He said his Grandmother learned to play on it. So the piano is really old and really really out of tune. I remember as a child dancing while my Dad played the piano, and it's really neat to watch Emily do the same thing. This video is from August, but we got out the mats and Grandpa played the piano again tonight.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Our Life

I have to say living in my parents house has worked out really nice for us. Emily has lots of people to play with her. I don't have to cook every night (ok, so I didn't cook every night before but now I don't feel the least bit bad for taking a few nights off a week). The financial aspect has been much better than paying for our old apartment. All in all I'd say living here has decreased our stress and enabled our family more time together.
But, now, the wind of change is blowing. We've always had the goal of building our house while we've been living here. Dreams are coming true. Not the conventional way that most of you were probably thinking. Chris has decided to BUILD our house. Pretty much by himself. He has already designed it. We'll meet with our architect next week to make sure it is sound--load bearing walls, etc. And then start paperwork, permits, and so forth. We are so excited! Chris's family members have already agreed to help, mine have too. Emily is so excited and can tell you where her room is. I know it will be great to live out on our land and to be near more family.
Anyways I'm sure to keep everyone updated with our plans.

"Ponies"

Anyone out there blog-stalked my sister? Here is a post I pretty much stole from her. Except, of course, it is Emily and Thomas instead of Lucy. This was taken in August when it was much warmer. And since I am so competitive with her (and anyone else really) I thought I should post exactly what she does. Only joking my sister. You know I love you.

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Anyone notice how the gallop turns into a run as Emily is nearing the "finish line". I think she did inherit some things from me.

Pacy

Jackpot! How many can I hold at once?

Ben just checking the label. Now checking for adults.

Which one shall I use now?

Here are some photos from when we moved from BV to Indiana. Emily was 13 months old and we had just moved her crib. She was very excited to have recovered some valuable items. I'm glad we caught it on tape. I wish CJ was more of a pacy baby. He loves to suck his thumb. In fact in one of the ultrasounds he was sucking it. I should have known.

Eleven Days

I can't wait Girl.
In eleven days at approximately 11 pm I will be picking up my sister and her two kids from the airport. I am so excited. I know it's been less than 5 months since you were here last but it seems like forever. We're really excited that Jared is coming this time. On the plus side once you come and visit then your kids will be featured more on my blog. Then they can watch videos of themselves (at home) at we'rethewebers.blogspot.com. Nice, isn't it? And if you couldn't tell...I didn't have much to blog about today, but I am getting so close to my one everyday in November, so this is what you get.
See you soon Sister.

The Water Mine

In August we went to The Water Mine with my visiting teachers. The kids had a blast. Emily mastered the big slides all by herself and was swimming in the water. Thomas mastered the frog slide and probably would have stayed there all day if I'd let him. It was great. Lake Fairfax also has a carousel and boat rides free with admission to The Water Mine. We did both of those. It reminded me of last summer when we went camping with the Nowlands. It's nice to think of warmer weather now that it's gotten cooler here.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Two-thirds there

Today makes 20 posts in November. Two-thirds done. Today was the last day of Gymnastics for Emily and Thomas. They both have gotten so much stronger over the last 10 weeks. Mostly it's just been a great outlet for energy as the weather is getting colder. It seems like the last 4 weeks it has either been really cold or rainy on Thursdays. It's been nice for them to run around and burn off steam. I took a few pictures today and will post them later.

Bike Riding Fun

Emily is having a great time "riding" this bike. She would put her toes on the front wheels and turn them to make herself go. She was about 20 months old in these pictures. It is fun to look back on all the old pictures. I spend more time looking through them than I do posting about them. Oh well, more to follow soon enough.

Aunt Zee

Here is Zee with Emily. First at the hospital, then as a newborn and then about four months.


Aunt Zee and CJ. First at the hospital and then at seven months old.

Zee you are a great aunt and we can't wait to spend more time with you and Troy. We love you!

October 11th

I didn't get around to posting about our birthdays. The main reason is because I forgot to take the camera with us for our celebrations. We kicked off a good year, Emily turned 4 and I turned 28, by celebrating with our favorite rat, excuse me, mouse... Chuck E. Cheese. Yes we love CEC at our house. Emily and Thomas (Oct 10 turned 5) had a real party at CEC. They got sung to, got balloons, had pizza and cake, got tokens, free tickets. It was great. We also had celebrations at Grandma and Grandpa Weber's house. Aunt Zee and Uncle Troy came too.
On our actual birthday (Oct 11) we were down in Buena Vista for homecoming. Since Emily was born in Lexington I thought it was very appropriate for her to come to homecoming as well. I played in the Alumni Basketball Game. We finally won, although we had to cheat heavily to achieve that outcome. It was fun to see Amber and Coach Dryden and Coach Harmon (first year-ers). Barbie (second year) and her little sister Chelsea. Tania's little sister, Tessa, got to play on our team as well. I got to meet some new alumni and welcome them to the oldies. I can't believe it has been 10 years since I went to SVU (or SVC as it used to be called). Oh well. I hope you all enjoyed my rambling about mid-October.

SNOW!!!

Ok, so this is from last year. Emily and Thomas had such a great time sledding. Here in VA we get approximately one "playable" snow a year. If we're lucky we get two. A "playable" snow to me is at least 3 inches of white flaky powdery stuff. Most of the winter we get sleet, ice, slush, and other nasty weather. This was a good playable snow. We have a little hill in the backyard that was just perfect for these guys.

What's gonna work........teamwork.

Going downhill with your eyes covered greatly increases the "thrill factor". Thomas is actually wearing my hat (and gloves) but it kept him warm.

Blast from the Past

This was from a trip to the Outer Banks, NC. Emily was almost 6 months. Ben was 10 months. Belle was almost 2. They had fun swimming in the pool and sitting at the beach. It was Emily's first time to the beach (and probably Ben's too). That was such a great trip.


Emily's first time in the ocean. A wave came a little faster and bigger then I was anticipating.


Chris and Emily. Von and Isabelle. (I think Mimi and Jared had their camera so I wasn't too worried about snapping their family.)


Ben and Emily at the beach. Isabelle, Ben and Emily before we hit the pool.

Coppergate Pool

The three musketeers. Ashton, Emily, and Jase.




Ah the memories. Seems like the pool was never open. I have photographic proof that shows otherwise. We loved the pool. I believe living there and joining the Y were the two biggest reasons why Emily is swimming. She learned how to back float/swim in October. Ashton was not afraid of the water one bit. I think that was good for her to see. Ashton was always jumping in the water. Does anyone remember the time Jase just walked into the pool? Anyways, great fun.

Chris's Blog

Chris started his own blog and because most of you didn't know I thought I'd post it here for you. Check it out. cdweber.blogspot.com Also I know some of his Lanily teammates' wives read my blog and thought you could pass it on. But I don't know do guys read blogs, specifically other guys blogs often? Anyhow...cdweber.blogspot.com

Six Flags

In September we (Chris, Emily, CJ, Thomas-brother, Thomas-nephew, Margret, and I) went to Six Flags. It was a great day. My brother's work SAIC rented out the whole amusement park. We ate lunch and dinner free and had free soda and chips throughout the park. I got to ride a roller coaster. I hadn't ridden one in I believe 5 years! I love roller coasters. Margret and I took the kids on the big boat/get really wet ride. They enjoyed it this year. Last year they both cried. Enjoy the show.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

It's mostly for Emily, as she likes to watch videos of herself, and her out west cousins.



Here are Margret, Thomas, Chris and Emily on a kiddie coaster.