Yay!! They are back.

Suddenly my pictures decided they did like my computer after all.  Fantastic.  But now I have some catching up.  :)  These pictures are from a few weeks ago.  The ceiling is all done and Dave will start painting tomorrow. 

Front room fire place.

Looking in my front door at entryway.

Girls step-in closet and window seat.

Looking into master bathroom and closet.

Stairway down from top floor.

Stairway up from basement.

Living room in basement with wood stove.

A sunset picture Cora took a while ago.  So pretty.

I saw Blake go by and had to go out and get a picture.  This is so typical little boy farm to me.  Love everything about it.

Leah's friends remembered Rett Month.  And even tho she had her nails painted purple again they wanted a day to wear purple with her.  She declared Oct 15 was the day.  Right in the middle of the month.  The 5 of them wore all the purple they had.  Leah added orange this year.  Girlpower2cure (Rett awareness site) flowers are orange.

Now most exciting this month.  Cora can dive.  She passed.  YAY!!  She had taken a test a few days after her birthday.  But failed since I had not taught her a few things.  But she nailed parallel parking.  I picked her up a little early today to practice and honestly she was doing terrible.  It was really the worst she had ever driven.  She was so anxious, I finally made her stop on the side of the road to take a few breathes and then it was time.  She and I where sure she was going to fail.  I prayed the entire time she was out that she would be at peace and remember what she knew.  I knew she could do it but had psyched herself out.  Cora walked back in with a great big smile.  Success (and thank you prayers:))  After it was all done and I was taking her back to school. she said she was a little nervous to get in a car all by herself.  Yep. Me to.

Volleyball

One of the teachers at Blake's school offered a little volleyball after school for the Grade 5 and 6 classes.  Blake was excited to join.  Because of Meet the Teacher night and an eye appointment, Blake only had one practice.

They had a little mini tournament they attended.  He did very well for just that one practice.  Most serves went over.  He was a little hesitant to go after the ball and had one teammate that would jump in front of everything.  But he got more into it by the end.

It was a very low key tournament.  Kids played for 15 mins then switched.  There was no scores kept.  Some rules seemed like very broad guidelines, but they had a great time.

The kids enjoyed it so much that the teacher has decided to continue with it for the next few months.  Which is great.  Blake is getting more and more practice and getting really excited for when he can play.

This kinda looks like perhaps the ball did not go where it should have.  :)

Sweet 16

Cora turned 16 this month.  It was a pretty low key birthday.  It also fell on Thanksgiving so Dave was able to be home the whole day, which was nice.  We started first thing and opened presents.

One of her presents still has not come in the mail.

She requested Holly's Hawaiian Pizza and Caesar salad again.  She also asked for Angel Food cake, but I didn't have any strawberries or raspberries.  Her second request was homemade coconut cream pie.  When I went to take her picture she said, "You can't take a picture with me and the whole pie! I thought you where going to dish up a piece."  I started laughing and reminded her that you usually take a picture with someone and their whole cake and no one suspects that they ate the whole thing themselves.  But she was still concerned.  So no, Cora did not eat this whole pie by herself.  :)

We hung around the house.  We did some Wii Just Dance, got some chores done, kids did some drawing and crafting.  It was a nice day.  In the evening Dave and I took Cora for her patriarchal blessing.  She had been planning for 2 years that this is what she wanted to do for her 16th birthday.  When her birthday fell on a Monday and Thanksgiving, we weren't sure she would be able to do it.  The stake patriarch was so kind and let us come.

It was a really neat experience.  Just before he began it occurred to me that most blessing you sit through with your kids, you have a bit of knowledge what is going to be said.  Help for the test, blessing before school, etc.  But sitting here this time we had no idea what we where going to hear.  She is one amazing girl.  He talked about some of her gifts that we have seen in her and keep telling her she has, but to hear it from him, someone that doesn't know her at all.  There was no doubt that Heavenly Father knows her personally and loves her.  And she knows it.  I feel privileged that the Lord has given this amazing righteous daughter of God to me and that I am able to learn from her.  It was a wonderful way to spend her birthday.  After we grabbed some dinner together and went home to watch a movie.  Happy Birthday my girl.  You are one of a kind.

*So I still can't upload pictures.  Guess I will have to get Dave involved.  These I screen shot, direct messaged to Cora on instagram, she screen shot, cropped, and emailed back to me.  Well traveled photos don't make for the best quality.

Little Frustrated

I have a few things to blog about. But unfortunately my computer says otherwise.  Blake did something and now I can't upload any pictures.  We have dry wall in our house and the mudders have been hard at work for a week now.  Cora's birthday was great and we had some special moments with her.  I don't want to blog it without  pictures tho.  So I'm a little frustrated.  Since I forgot to get any pictures of Thanksgiving I guess I can blog about that.

We ended up going to my parents house.  We had not been out for quite a long time.  I really think it may have been last spring that Dave was there, except a really quick trip a few weeks.  It was nice to go out.  We missed seeing all the Puzey clan, that was sad, we had hoped they where going to all get together on actually Thanksgiving.  Oh well.  We got up early and went to church in my parents ward.  After we had a great dinner.  My mom had made fried chicken and we had banana splits.  The sister missionaries where there.  It was nice to spend time with them.  They where very easy to be with.  We had a wonderful chat over dinner and then did dishes.  Cora, Kailey, Nicole, Leah and I where putting all the food and stuff away.  At one point we looked over and saw the the Sister's where the ones doing dishes with my mom.  I thought this was a little funny.  The guests where the doing the dishes.  Dave had a nice time with Cannon and Dad in the front room.  Although after he said he thought he talked to much.  The grand kids and Grandma played some games, then snacks and it was time to go home.  We arrived just in time to spend about a half hour with the Puzey clan before everyone left.  It was a beautiful day and we had a great relaxing time.  Its was a little strange to not have the Bevans' there.  Blake was the youngest.  It was pretty quite.

Hopefully I will get some pictures uploaded soon.  It's annoying.

General Conference

General Conference was again wonderful this weekend.  We got to watch most of it at home in our comfy clothes, which is always a bonus.  Dave has been working like mad to get things finished.  We had dry wall people show up at seven this morning.  Our plumber worked until 8 Friday night and Dave got up at 2 Friday morning, 4 Saturday morning and 3 this morning to work on the house to be ready for them.  Saturday he worked until the first session, ate quick, back to the house, then back for second, back to house, then to priesthood, then back to the house till about 10.  He totally guessed two of the new apostles that where called.  But he had forgotten to take his phone in between session and had to guess at the time.  He was a bit late and missed the new calls.  We had to tell him that he was right.

Leah worked on her Personal Progress during Conference and Cora drew.  As always.  :)  I loved the uplifting inspiring messages we received.  I have really enjoyed my six month study of the last session and plan to do it again.  Excellent to go over and study and make notes again.

Blake after the second session on Saturday.  I am really not sure what this was all about.  He came up and said he was totally ready for the 80's.  Then he asked if permanent marker can wash off.  He did get most of it off surprisingly.  Sunday we went into the church for the morning session.  Our bishop likes us to come together for this session.  Not many of us there but it was nice.  Honestly I have no idea what President Monson talked about.  I so desperately wanted to reach through the screen and hold him up.  To let him know I loved him and wanted to help and support him.  That is all I was concentrating on.  He is such a giant of a man.  There is no doubt he is a man of God and that he is being upheld, inspired, and enduring to the end.  He has a purpose and a message from Jesus Christ for us.  It is a good thing I can go back and read it next month.  I also enjoyed hearing from the three newly called apostles.  As soon as the kids got home they changed to pj's.  That's how Sunday is done at our house.  We ate dinner and got  ready for last session.  For dessert I had made Mel's Pumpkin White Chocolate Cheesecake.  Man, she rocked it again.  Ho-la!!  It was A-Maaa-zing.  It is a pumpkin version of her truly heavenly White Chocolate Mousse Vanilla Bean Cheesecake that I make a little to often. Yummers.  Anyways.

Here is a drawing Cora did.  This is after the first sessions.

And after the fourth session.  Her talent really does amaze me.  If I could pick one talent it would be to draw.  She is just doodling and it is all still nice and round and reminds me of lace.