We are still Alive:)

I guess I have been waiting for some amazing event and pictures to post.
But life goes on and things have happened even though they may seem boring and routine to me.

The other night I was talking to Audrey and helping her with her homework and she asked if she could stay home the next day and "have a break." I didn't know what to say! The more I thought about it the more I realized that it would be ok for her to stay home. One of the reasons is that she has a first year teacher who is pregnant with her first baby. I am pretty sure that isn't a great combination for a first grade teacher. So...I let her stay home. I let her do what she wanted all day. I kept fighting the urge to make her work. She seemed to be in way better spirits when she came home from school the next day. So yay..I guess I am not a bad mom for letting my daughter skip school:) Oh and Benson asked her what she wanted more of at school and she said,"longer math time"

Austin is into everything and likes to climb up onto things! This has added a whole new dimension to my job of keeping things clean and safe and people clean and safe. Does that make sense?:)

In June, I was released from primary and I must say that it was a relief. I also missed it a lot, and missed the association with the girls in the presidency.

I am now playing the piano in relief society a couple of weeks a month. When I was called I told the bishop that I did not have a piano, and that I needed a key so that I could go to the church and practice. I still have not received a key;) I try to go when the family history center is open, but it is only open a couple of times a week in the afternoon for a few hours. It has been a struggle to get over there with naps and all. I kindly reminded the responsible party a couple of weeks ago and I am hoping the key will the approved soon!:)

Jessica is going to preschool and loves it! There is a preschool just around the corner from us and so we have been able to walk to pick her up. She goes MWF for two and a half hours. It has been good for her to have her own "thing." She wants to learn to read really bad. She wants to do everything that Audrey can do. Jessica loves to play on the computer and can get around on the games really well. I am very relieved that we now have a password set up again so that she has to ask before she gets on. She is very helpful with Austin and loves to carry him around and be around him constantly. Two or three weeks ago she decided to cut her own hair. We ended up having to arrange and emergency haircut that night. She cut a part right at the front. One of my friends cuts hair and so went over to her house and she cut it for me. She was so nice to have us over at such short notice. I think Jessica's hair turned out cute and she/we got used to it pretty quick. Audrey commented that maybe she should get hers cut short so that the boy that chases her at recess wouldn't recognize her.:) She didn't follow through with it though. She wanted to keep her long hair. I finally cut her hair a little shorter last week, and it is so much easier to brush out. Her hair tangles really easily and we had way too many tears in the morning before school( I was being careful).

On friday our new dishwasher was delivered and Benson installed it. It has been fun to have one that works again. I have been washing almost completely by hand for over a month. I grew up with out a dishwasher for the most part, and had to have Benson show me how to load it. I have to admit, I still prefer unloading. I was also tired of rewashing stuff. Yay for a new dishwasher!

We haven't been talking much about it, but I guess it is ok to say that we are working on buying a house and hope to close before the end of the month. It is a small older house that has had a lot of work done to it. The basement is almost completely unfinished so we will be able to finish it the way we want. The kitchen has been redone with new cabinets, flooring and tile back splash etc. When I say small I mean small. The living room is smaller than the one we have now, but we will be able to have a family room downstairs. We have been looking to buy a house for years! Benson and I were talking (or maybe I was doing the talking;)) and I mentioned all the houses that we had looked at or made offers on and it surprised me how many. I am glad that none of the others worked out. This house will give us what we need in a small affordable package. Audrey can walk to school, and we are still close to a lot. We are also still in the same ward. With no immediate family around it will be nice to still have association with the people we have known in our ward.

The government incentives will help out a lot too. We hope to pay off our car when we get our tax return.

Benson is doing well at work and seems to really be doing a lot of good things for Chesbro Music. I am keeping busy with the diapers and keeping up with the kids. It is nice that I can take Audrey and Jessica to school just minutes a part and their schools are pretty close to each other.

Oh and for Halloween the girls were lady bugs and Benson was a construction worker. Benson took the girls to the ward trunk or treat and some trick or treating. I stayed home with Austin because he was really tired and missed his nap because of the two costume parades we went to. I have included a picture of the girls and a picture of the kids a week before at the elementary school Halloween movie party. They got treat bags and watched Charlie Brown and the Great Pumpkin.