Blown Away

We took a trip to Southern CA a week and a half ago with Emily and Bryan. We were only there for a day and a half, but it was lots of fun. We went to the beach, and it was quite cold and very windy. We walked to the end of the pier at Huntington Beach and I thought I was going to be blown away!

Joshua didn't like the wind and lost it half way down the pier. Daddy saved the day, though, and wrapped him up in his coat. A little girl came up to Justin and asked, "what do you have in your coat?" We said, "a baby--see his foot?" She said, "oh" and gave us a funny look!

In memory of Alan

One of my good friends from the mission took his life two weeks ago today. For some reason the whole thing has really shaken me up. Justin and I thought about it and figured it probably is because it is one of my first real encounters with death. I mean, I have had both of my grandpas pass away, but those were natural and expected at the time.

Alan's death was so unexpected. We served around each other a lot of the mission, and he was a music major at BYU so I saw him all the time after we got home too. He was one of those pleasant, kind, soft spoken people that just makes you feel good when you're around them. We did a musical fireside in the mission and he added a lot to that, in music and testimony. He will definitely be missed.

One of the things I have been thinking about with this whole thing is hope. I wish the world had a little more of it. Not just generically hoping for something you want to happen, but real gospel hope. The scriptures talk about a "sure" hope, a "firm" hope. If we don't have hope through the challenges of life, then I can understand life not being worth it. Alma 34:41 says "But that ye have patience, and bear with those afflictions, with a firm hope that ye shall one day rest from all your afflictions." If nothing else, this whole experience has caused me to evaluate my own life. I have more hope. And maybe Alan does now too. God bless Alan Taylor.

Thank goodness for digital cameras!

The bigger the family gets, the harder it is to take pictures. I am not talking about more babies and small kids (because Joshua is the only one--though, he did have a hard time looking at the camera!) but rather the "big" kids. You would think a bunch of teenagers and young adults could stay put when and where they are told and stay there for a mere few minutes so we could get a few nice pictures and move on with our lives....but no. Not at the White house. Someone had to be making a face, or poking someone else or giving bunny ears or SOMETHING right when the picture was taken. And yes, it was all on purpose.

But in the end, I think we are a good looking bunch.

A Joshua Stare

This is one of my new favorites of Joshua taken by our neighbors. Even though he's not smiling, he just looks so cute. This is one picture that I think captures what he actually looks like on camera. Thanks Janie!

Joshua's funny things this week
-He has started coughing often. At first I thought he was sick, but I am pretty sure it is just him playing around with sounds. I think he realizes he gets a little attention when he coughs so he thinks, "man, I better do that some more!" It's kind of funny.
-Joshua has become a world famous kisser! When we kiss him on the cheek, he will turn his head so he can lick our face. I will have to post a picture of that when I get it on my computer.

Running update:
I didn't quite make my goal of 16 miles last week. I only got 15. So this week is 16. I only have 6.5 but I have a plan to make it by Saturday!

Running Update

Last week I made my 15 miles. I am going to bump my goal up to 16 this week. I already did 5 yesterday because Joshua was happier outside than in. I am glad he is helping me!

Die Hard Piano Student

So my funny story about being a piano teacher this week...

Justin's cousin, Adam, who is 7, takes piano lessons from me. He was supposed to have his piano lesson on Tuesday. But Tuesday afternoon, Adam broke his arm. This wasn't just a typical break. He broke his ulna and radius BOTH completely in half. Apparently they were sticking out of his arm and it was pretty gruesome. I am quite glad I wasn't there, or they probably would have had to cart me off to the hospital as well. Luckily, his mom works at the school and his house is right by the school, so his parents were able to take him to the hospital quickly. His mother reported to me later that as Adam climbed into the back seat of the car, wobbling because he was in shock, he asks, "Mom, do I still have to go to piano lessons today?"

I'm not sure if his asking was because he was really hoping he had gotten out of them or if he is just a dedicated student. I will go for the latter.

Glo Worms

This is the picture of the original Glo Worm, a toy from the '80s. Some of us remember them as hard plastic miniature toys. I particularly remember the little Glo Snail and Glo Butterfly. Last night when we were trick or treating, someone called Joshua a Glo Worm. I had forgotten about these toys, but I agree that Joshua was a colorful version of the picture above. So we are calling him a Glo Worm instead of caterpillar. It was a fitting costume for him since his nickname during his first 2 weeks of life was "glow worm" because of the bili-light he was on for his jaundice. We are glad THAT glowing is done!

Why I love my Joshua...

Okay, so maybe I really had more to say. I only get small increments of time to do things (like post) during the day. So here are a few reasons why I love my Joshua Monroe:

1. His uncles on the White side have adopted him as their official mascot. Their online profile pictures are no longer of themselves, but yes, of Joshua.
2. His marbley (a word? hm.) blue eyes and out of control brown hair
3. His ability to sleep through the night (notice I said ABILITY...that doesnt mean he always does it)
4. The fact that he has started laughing. His giggle melts my heart!
5. I get to dress him up in clothes I could have only used for a doll before...every little girls dream, a real live doll!
6. His fascination with lights. He has a moon nightlight on his wall above his bed. I rarely wake up to him crying in the middle of the night. He usually is just talking to his light.

Those are just a few. Being a mom really just gets better and better!

Joshua

Nothing funny or newsy to say. But I thought since my blog's name is "Anna's Trio" I should at least put a picture of our sweet little guy. He is sleeping on our neighbors lovesac. Stay tuned for his 1st Halloween picture as "the caterpillar"!

Running-my love/hate relationship

So I have started running. Some of you might wonder if my husband has rubbed off on me. Maybe he has, maybe he hasn't. I am going to run a half marathon? Am I nuts?! Probably. Whether my daily motivations arise from trying to burn off my extra pregnancy fat or trying to please my husband, I have been doing it nonetheless. And though I grumble to myself as I get ready to go out, I think I secretly like it.

I set a goal for each week to help motivate myself, and I think posting goals for the world to see might actually be helpful for me. So my goal for this week is 15 miles. I went 3 today, so that leaves 12 more. I probably should be better at the whole internal motivation thing, but right now, I'm not. Maybe that will change over time! But whatever gets me out for now is good for me!