ja dura

Today we received a card in the mail from my mission president('s wife). I had the best mission president and wife. My original mission call was to Portugal Lisbon South, which included the Cape Verde islands. Before I entered the MTC it was announced that the islands would be separated and become its own mission. While in the MTC the mission president for the Cape Verde mission was named, Daryl Hobson. I remember joking with my companions about how close his name was to my father's Darryll Dodson and how it would be funny if he were to be my president. But we all thought there would be no way that we'd get called to Cape Verde. Yet a few days before leaving we found out that two of the three of us would be going to Cape Verde. From the first time I met President and Sister Hobson I knew that they were special. They were, they are. I always enjoyed the opportunities I had to talk to them and get to know them. I especially felt a connection with Sister Hobson. She was like a mother to me while I was there. My mother had died 6 months before I left on my mission so I really needed someone and Sister Hobson was amazing. I will always be grateful for them.
I stopped by our house today. It was kind of deflating. It's a disaster. Hand prints all over the walls. Dirt. Holes. Water. And what is up with the weather? More rain today. The house had to be tarped. Please no more rain. But it is progressing. Two steps forward and one step back.
The older girls are asleep right now and Julia is here on the couch with me. She's smiling and cooing and kicking the laptop. I love this age; it is so adorable. She just looks like she's trying to talk to me. She is so beautiful and such a doll. Cassidy never took to a pacifier or sucked her thumb, Molly only started sucking her thumb at about 9 months and still does but never took a pacifier, Julia is already jawing her fingers all the time. So interesting how they each found their own thing, in their own time.

Too many brushstrokes

Ever seen Amadeus? Too many notes is the original quote. My mother-in-law is an artist and so we sometimes use 'too many brushstrokes' to mean that she's overworked a painting. The funny thing is I typed 'brushstrokes' up above thinking that was the original wording, it wasn't until I mentioned Amadeus that it hit me that he didn't use brushstrokes. Oh the mommy-isms.
What a wonderful day. Beautiful weather. The baby got a good 3-hour morning nap, all the girls are asleep, Joe is out buying ice cream and renting a movie. Oh yeah.
We spent an hour or so this afternoon looking at bath fixtures. We need shower valves for the two bathrooms being done for Monday. This is the 'too many brushstrokes' connection. Too many choices. The girls lost it before we could buy anything. Good thing too because after getting the girls down I went online and found our favorites for loads cheaper. Gotta love Amazon. And with Prime there was no shipping fee to get two day delivery. AWESOME!!! Stinky thing is that the valves aren't included with the fixtures so we still have to buy those, and those can't be here until Tuesday, at least. Unless we can find a local store that carries them. Oh well. What can you do? My brain is still fried from the store shopping and the amazon/internet price finding mission. Next, fans... joy. We already hired a babysitter this week to get and look. Now we need to buy. Too many choices. Not so fun anymore.

Junuary

So what is up with the weather?? It rained during the first few days of June and now it's in the 90s. Craziness.

What is happening with us. I am getting more accustomed to a small condo. Julia still is the victim of too few rooms but is being nice and giving me sporadic nights where she sleeps all night. I actually got two in a row this weekend. Very nice indeed. Molly is a little spitfire. She loves to climb on the kitchen table and look at herself in the mirror we have hanging on the dining room wall. She still isn't saying a whole lot but she loves to jabber more and more. She does know the word 'more' and is good at using it when she wants more food. Molly loves the pool and had been walking right off the edge up until this last weekend. My mother-in-law bought the girls flotation vests and for some reason Molly has mellowed out since she's been using hers. Its wonderful. Cassidy used to hang out on the steps in the pool but now that she has her vest she will actually let go of us and kick herself around the pool. It's amazing how fast she changed. Those vests were a great purchase. Thank goodness for pools and air conditioning.

Our house is coming along. The upstairs framing is done. The roof tresses are up. The plywood is up along the roof and second story. Joe said the guys were prepping for the drywall inside the upstairs today. This week the roof and foundation get done. It actually looks like a real house now.



Molly goes to nursery officially this Sunday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She so needs it. I've been in there with her the last couple of weeks. That was so much easier than staying in the halls with her running around. She'll do just fine there I am sure. There are 13 kids in nursery I believe, lots of buddies to play with, including Cassidy.

What else? I can't wait to move back home. I miss having my own yard, and a room for each girl, and just space, and our neighbors.








A little explanation about this one. I had fed Molly half of a yogurt and then gave her the remaining yogurt to feed herself. She started out eating it with a spoon, then started using her hand to eat it, then she decided to put it in her hair. I let her go at it for a few minutes before I took her for an impromptu bath. Banana yogurt stinks... yuck.

Mental and Physical stretching

When the brethren mentioned in conference that a little stretching is good and helps us grow I wasn't prepared to be growing so much so fast. :o) It has been one thing after another...Cassidy's foot injury (trip to ER), Molly drinking aphrin (trip to ER), Joe getting sick (wanting to go to ER), or Julia crying (waking everyone from our house to the ER).

Ok well it's really faith building (nice way of saying hard) but we "just keep swimming" just like Dory.

If my wife reads this...Hun, I love you and you are a great partner in this journey.

framed

We are moving along now that rain stopped. June 5th, the last day of rain, 1/10th of an inch. NUTS! Oh well. The second floor is at least half way framed out. Amazing to see it take shape so quickly at this point. Pictures to come.
I'm tired of our little place. No where to sleep the little one, only three rooms in the whole place, so she isn't getting enough sleep :/. But what can I do??
We need a back yard again. And a ...
I love my family and can't believe they are mine. What sweet little girls and what a hubby.