What happened to His hands?

I met my father at the Visitor's Center at the Sacred Grove today, and we had a nice visit as we walked through the trees. The rain was lightly sprinkling, and so we were unconcerned at the beginning of our walk, and enjoyed the freshness that rainfall brings to the earth. Unfortunately, the rain picked up more than we had anticipated, and even Parker, who had wanted to keep going despite the sprinkling, wanted to go inside to someplace warm. I loaded the kidlets into the car, and met up with my father at the Hill Cumorah's visitor's center, just up the road. This visitor's center was larger, had a Christos, and a room with buttons to push to watch videos. When Parker walked into the room with the statue of Christ, he noticed the hands for the first time and asked, "What's wrong with his hands? What's on them?" I let the sister missionary explain how when Jesus had been killed, they (I'm quoting her words) had put nails in his hands and feet when the nailed him to the cross when he died for us. Parker was looking pretty upset (I wonder if he thought that Jesus had just recently died...) and so I reassured him and reminded him that three days after Jesus died, he was resurrected, so he's not dead any more: he's alive still, and he loves us very much. Parker seemed satisfied, and the boys enjoyed listening to the recording of several of Jesus Christ's teachings from the scriptures. Evan actually ran into that room several times and wanted to listen to it. He also loved Jesus' feet and toes... it is really quite humbling to realize that the Savior of the world has feet and toes just like us, and that we truly are created in the image of God!

On the drive home from the visitor's center, almost an hour after our original conversation in the visitor's center, Parker suddenly said, "Jesus had nail holes in his hands because he died for us."

"That's right," I answered.
"Mommy, why did Jesus die for us?"
"Well, Parker, Jesus loves us very much. He died for us and suffered for us so that we don't have to if we believe in him. Do you remember how we talked about how Jesus takes our owies? (Our interpretation of 2 Nephi 9:21) Jesus died to take our owies, so that we can repent."

"Mommy, why do we go to church?"

"To learn about Heavenly Father and Jesus, and to repent."

"Ah. Ah-pent. I can ah-pent."

It was such a sweet and tender experience. We never know just what our sweet children are going to remember and keep with them. Parker had been thinking about the Savior's suffering for longer than I would have expected, and had been pondering it. He may only be three years old, but his testimony is growing. I'm so very grateful for the Spirit of the Lord that allows us to recognize truth, and to communicate it. I know that Jesus Christ is my Savior and Redeemer, and that it's only through him that we can find happiness, and I'm glad that my children are learning that as well.

Making the Best of a Bad Situation

I have heard so many stories of cars breaking down, and have seen my fair share of them on the side of the road during trips. Every told me how brave, and even crazy, I was for embarking on an eleven hour drive alone with my children to head back home to Canandaigua for the week. I wasn't concerned, as I knew how fantastic the boys were both for our drive out to Chicago from Utah, and for our trip down to Missouri for Michael (Nordquist)'s wedding. From the wedding experience we also learned that it's best not to drive down immediately before a big event, but to give the boys some time to adjust to a new place before exposing them to all sorts of new people and situations... if possible. I now understand a little bit why people thought I was so crazy... although the boys really were fantastic.

We left North Chicago at 5:12, only slightly later than originally planned. I'd wanted to get on the road early to avoid the crazy traffic outside Chicago--our commutes home-hunting had taught us how awful traffic can be, and we'd planned well. There was still a lot of traffic, but it was moving quickly... very quickly... so I made good time. At around 9am CST (10am Eastern, which was the local time zone) we stopped for a bathroom break. I changed the boys' diapers and got them dressed, and decided to put a movie in for them. I couldn't get the adapter to pick up a signal. Then I noticed the clock light dimming. I turned off the car, and then couldn't restart it. I found someone to jumpstart the car, and decided (after a quick call to Pops) to get to the closest auto repair shop, which was just a mile away, off the next exit. I'd been stopped at a pull-off stop that's just right off, right on I-80, and the car died just after I got back on the interstate. I was hardly on, and still in the right lane, so I was able to pull off easily. My battery light was on, the power steering died, the clock died, and even my emergency flashers wouldn't go on. Crazy. I called Mike again and he gave me the number for AAA and my mom's account number. I was able to add myself to her policy for $60, and they said they would get a tow truck out to me as soon as possible.

After all the phone calls were made, I will confess that I cried. But, the boys were great. They read books, played with the file folder games, and ate grapes. The car got pretty hot and muggy though, and they started sweating. I would hold the door open every once in awhile to cool things off, but it was really loud. Two patrol cars stopped by at different times to make sure I was okay. The troopers were so nice, and the first one helped me and pushed my car further onto the grass on the shoulder... he even told me how to put my car in neutral since I was an idiot and didn't know how. You have to turn the key on...even with a dead car. Go figure. The tow truck guy finally called, after AAA calling twice to tell me that it would be just a little longer than anticipated. He called to let me know he was close, and to make sure he knew where I was. His truck only had a front seat, and there wasn't room for the car-seats, so Parker got to ride in the middle seat, and Evan sat on my lap. SCARY! But, evidently you just CAN'T let passengers ride on the flat bed of tow trucks! We drove the thirteen miles to the shop (since it was AAA affiliated, it didn't cost extra for the extra towing) I also found out I needed new tires... you could see the metal on the rear tires. Not a good time to recall the mechanics telling us how we'd need new tires soon last time we got the tires rotated.... almost a year ago. Ooops! But, what a blessing to figure that out early, before both tires blew out on my way to New York. j

I was hoping to just have a slipped belt, or maybe a dead battery, but the alternator was completely dead. Thankfully, Thomas was able to skip class and find our warranty information. Several phone calls later, we at least had that sorted out! The repair shop had a gas station, a "convenience" store, and a waiting room for customers in the back with a few booths and tables, as well as bathrooms. One of the employees got my laptop from the car, and the boys and I sat and watched the beginning of Lady and the Tramp. I eventually grabbed our cooler from the car and we had more grapes, juice, and cold pizza. Then the boys wanted to run around the shop, up and down the aisles. They also enjoyed looking at the giant, taxidermied moose head, and run into the back office to see the taxidermied quail, mooing, barking, and chirping the whole time, of course. The shop owners were very patient, and told me that they would be worried if they boys weren't running around. A woman came in, getting a tire repaired (it ended up having a nail and some glass in it) and helped me chase Evan while I made some necessary phone calls. We talked a little bit, and she shared some of her bag of pretzels with the boys, making instant friends with Evan. Her repair finished earlier than mine, of course, and she asked when my car would be finished. It would be at least another hour, so she offered to take us over to her house so the boys could run around and play.

Now, normally I don't get in cars with strangers, and especially don't take my children to strange houses, but I needed to get them out of that confined space, and felt good about it. The mechanics installed my car-seats in Rose's car, and we drove the few miles to her gorgeous house. Someday Thomas and I will have a real house! (But, we're grateful to be where we are now, and wouldn't trade it... it's just nice to know what we're working for!) Rose played with the boys, and we had a chance to visit. She was so sweet with the kids, and they had so much fun running around, playing with balls, and Parker couldn't get enough of Pac-Man. She even loaded us up with snacks. Before we left, Evan was looking at some resin ducks she had displayed on her floor. He kept petting one of them, and then picking it up and saying "hug." He was so gentle with it. She saw how he kept running back to it, and gave it to him, and since she understands small children, she gave Parker one too. Evan can't get enough of is "duckies." When the repair shop called, she took us back, and sat in the car with the boys while I settled the account, and ran to the bathroom one more time. We loaded up the boys, and they fell asleep almost immediately. She also gave us some cash, which was such a blessing, and so thoughtful. I hope that someday I can be that kind of a person, and that I'll have the opportunity to serve someone the was Rose blessed us!

Although Rose said that we'd given her more than she gave us, I'm not sure that's true! Although we'd tried to make the best of a bad situation, as the adage goes, because of the angel placed in our path, we were able to turn a bad situation into a delightful afternoon, and an experience we'll never forget. A recent conference talk (I'll attach the link when I have a better internet connection) teaches that when we pray for our friends and loved ones to be blessed and protected, we're praying for angels both earthly and heavenly to help them. I'm so grateful for the kindly woman in South Bend, Indiana who answered the prayers of my husband and mother to help me. I'm not sure how we would have survived the experience with the boys otherwise!

We got on the road again around 4pm, and the rest of the trip was blessedly uneventful.

We had to stop a few more times, for gas and dinner, and once around 10:30 because Evan was just inconsolable and needed to nurse (which was easier on me to relieve that pressure!) We got into Canandaigua at around 2am... later than I'd anticipated 1-because of the breakdown, obviously, 2-because of the stops, and 3-because I hadn't changed the time zone on my GPS, and so thought I was an hour closer to my destination that I actually was. The boys woke up when we got to my mom's house, which allowed me to wash their hands and faces thoroughly, a good thing, but kept us up longer than I would have liked. I put Parker's sleeping bag on the floor on a bigger blanket and he was good to go, but Evan kept trying to jump on Parker and explore the room. I turned the lights off, but it still took the little guy awhile to fall asleep. But, we arrived safely, and were able to get a decent morning's sleep :) Mom and Mike's second flight had been cancelled, so they ended up not getting in until the next morning, Thursday the 23rd. Aunt Beth had had a delayed flight as well--a lot of opposition in getting here this weekend! The boys were terrible on Thursday, but were better after that. All of my aunts and uncles were here this weekend (expect for two spouses...) So nice to see everyone!

Settling In, and Beginning of Preschool

My friend (I'll have to get her permission to name her and her kiddos on here...) emailed me better pictures of the little ones at the Bass Pro shop fish tank... you can see how hard it is to get both kids looking at the camera, and smiling. You can tell they're emphatically saying "cheese!" in most of the pics... and you can see how Evan clenches his fists when he says cheese :)

Aren't they adorable??? When we were walking the mall, I had the two of them hold hands so I wouldn't lose them, and we got so many looks, and people whispering to each other and pointing at us... I'm pretty sure most people thought that I was blessed with some blond twins. My friend, who's also brunette, and I got asked where we found the blond kids. Ha ha. Comments like that just make me roll my eyes. I mean, really? Do they want a lecture in genetics? An explanation of .... or a confession to kidnapping? But, I'm sure they all mean well, and no offense is taken.

And now back to the original post. I really wish you could add new pictures onto a blog post wherever you wanted them!

This is Parker sporting his new hat. When I was patching the boys' jeans, we came across a hat I'd started for the boys when they were babies. Parker saw it and begged me to finish it for him. Every time I went to work on something different, he would bring me the hat, yarn, and crochet hook. I finally told him I would finish it while he slept, and it would be done when he woke up. He was out of his bed ten minutes after I put him down, asking for his hat. I had to tell him it wouldn't be done until it was day, and then he stayed in bed until morning. He definitely loves his hat. I'm going to have to make one for Evan, since he's pretty jealous of Parker's.

Parker started preschool the 10th of September, and loved it. After we dropped him off, Evan and I played with some of our new friends. We met some friends through church who have kids our kids' age. They've had fun playing together, and we mom's have had fun being able to carpool--switching driving the older boys, and watching the little ones. But, Friday, for Parker's first day, we all went to drop him off. Evan was pretty upset to have to leave him, but had fun getting in our friend's van and going to the mall. We walked around the Bass Pro Shop and the kids had fun looking at all the taxidermied animals, the boats, the giant tank with fish, and especially the stream and water wheel. We also went and hung out outside the rainforest cafe, and the kids had fun watching the moving alligator, and playing with the frog on the bench. We spent a few hours at the mall, and then picked up the older boys from preschool. As soon as they saw each other, Parker and Evan gave each other the BIGGEST hug, right in the middle of the classroom. When Parker came home after our friend brought him back from preschool, Evan hugged him in the hall outside our door. Those boys really do love each other!! And, I'm glad they're not afraid of showing affection. There's a little girl at church that Evan enjoys showing affection for as well... she's almost 18 months old, and Evan can't get enough of her. He likes to follow her around and give her hugs, give her toys, and play with whatever toys she's playing with. Last week we sat by her family, and Evan looked over at her, pointed at himself, then her, and said "You, me, Costco?" It was so funny. Evan is starting to talk a lot more, and put sentences together. I love watching my children grow! Evan refers to anything not home as "Costco." I guess that just shows how often we went to Costco in Provo! Any time we leave, he says its Costco. He even calls the park Costco, so I'm pretty sure he was asking his little friend on a date to the park. Adorable, right?

This is a terrible picture of the kids in front of the fish tank.
Isn't she the cutest little girl???
My little guys in the car, in their matching UND sweatshirts. Yay for hand-me-downs! Parker likes to make sure that he and Evan match :) Just so you know, Parker's finger isn't IN his nose, just next to it.

So, the brotherly love isn't always foremost in Parker and Evan's relationship. The picture isn't the clearest, but if you look above his left eye, you can see where Evan got a Sharpie and drew all over Parker's face while Parker was asleep. Ah, the joys of unpacking and the kids finding things in strange places until we get everything put away!

We were really excited about this purchase... it's a wet bag that fits all of our dirty diapers and keeps odors in until we wash them. People are so shocked when we tell them how we prefer cloth diapers to disposables, but we really do! We love our bumgenius diapers! The econobum aren't bad either, and allow us to go longer between diaper washes.

You may notice the toilet paper on the towel rack above the toilet. No, our toilet paper holder isn't broken, we're just trying to keep the toilet paper away from Evan. He still likes to rip off pieces of toilet paper, suck on them, put them behind his nuk, then roll them up and roll them across his face, then put them between his toes, and then finally leave these spit wads ALL OVER. If he can get his hands on the toilet paper, he'll have the whole roll shredded and soaked. Nasty.

This is Evan playing with the boats in the Bass Pro shop... he had so much fun. It was soo cute!

I was grinding wheat for flour, and so didn't hear when Evan got into the cereal and dumped the entire bag of Kix on the floor. I think he preferred eating the cereal off the floor... thankfully it was recently cleaned!! We've been trying a more natural approach to cleaning: vinegar, baking soda, lemon. It makes things safer for the kids, and works very effectively and inexpensively!

Forgotten Provo Pics

I came upon these pictures that I'd forgotten to post, and felt that they deserved to be posted, shared, and remembered.

I love this picture of Evan: look of concentration, bumgenius diaper showing, trying to put the keys in the ignition, attempting to drive Daddy's truck.

It's hard to get Evan to sit and eat. He'll eat for a little while, and then get down. One day he snuck back to the table after lunch and grabbed the dish of green beans and the serving spoon, and finished his lunch in the comfort of the living room, where the boys had spread out all of their toys :)
The BYU newspaper printed coupons for McDonalds' new All-Fruit smoothies. Who can resist a free smoothie? Thomas visited the newspaper stands, and the recycling bins near the stands, and got a stack of over twenty newspapers with the coupons. We spent a few minutes clipping coupons, and the next few weeks enjoying smoothies. Evan especially loved them!

This is a classic brotherly love picture. Evan has a scratch on his back from who knows what, but if you look closely above it, you can see Parker's hand print on Evan's back. Parker had slapped him, and then Evan came running to us crying. I don't think Parker hit Evan all that hard, but the boys have our sensitive skin, where any contact shows up. Parker still got a time out though, and the incident hasn't been repeated! They still fight... but no more slapping!

Last night in Provo

Mike decided to kidnap us and take us on a drive the night before we left Provo. It was beautiful! We didn't get too many pictures because it was getting dark, and we were trying to keep Evan out of the water, but it was gorgeous, and fun!

And, the boys were tired out!

Week Two in Chicago, and Week One in North Chicago

Being new to the city, we thought the most direct route to the zoo would be the best. The apartment wasn't very far from the road the zoo is on, and it was only a few miles. But, Wrigley Stadium is also on Clark Street, and it took us much longer to get there than anticipated. Thomas snapped this picture while we were stopped in traffic. Getting to the zoo was one thing, finding parking was another! We drove around forever looking for a spot, and then surrendered to the need to pay for parking. The paid parking on the street was still less expensive than the zoo parking would have been. Unfortunately though, our adventures in getting to the zoo had taken longer than expected, and so we only got to go in a few of the buildings before they closed at five. We still had a lot of fun though!

Evan loved all of the apes, monkeys, and chimps. He called them all "Mokey!" And I didn't have the heart to correct him. He was adorable!

The second favorite attraction was the ducks... The zoo has a beautiful section of streams and bridges with ducks, swans, etc.

The owner of the apartment has cleaning ladies come every two weeks, and we got to benefit from their amazing skills! We thought it was cute how they put the boys' beds together. Parker was sleeping on his mattress on the floor, and Evan in his little bed.

We spent a lot of time driving between Chicago and North Chicago while we were looking at houses. Although the distance is only about 40 miles or so, the drive can take anywhere between 40 minutes and two hours. Needless to say, the boys weren't very happy during the times when we were trapped in slow traffic on the interstate, going less than thirty miles an hour, and surrounded by cars as far as we could see.

We had fun during our second week in Chicago, going to playgroup at the local church, and spending a lot of time house hunting. We didn't end up finding a suitable house, but the apartment complex next to Thomas' school significantly lowered their rent, and so we snatched one of the last apartments there.

Our last week in Chicago was orientation for Thomas. He took the truck down and moved a load at a time from the storage unit into our apartment. We met him for bowling one night, and Parker loved it! He enjoyed throwing the ball (pushing it across the floor, really), seeing the pins fall down, and eating pizza. He was so adorable. After he threw the ball he would squat down at the edge of the lane and watch until he saw the ball hit and the pins fall down. It could take awhile too, since he didn't push the ball with that much force, but he was so patient. After each turn, no matter how many pins fell, he would get so excited and give Thomas a high five and a hug, and jump up and down. "I'm really good at bowling," he kept saying over the next few days. It was adorable. Evan was a terror... he just wanted to steal everyone's balls and push them willy nilly. He also kept trying to run down the lane. We all drove back to Wrigleyville together, leaving the truck at our new apartment.

Thomas had unloaded the boys' toys into their room, and we'd shown them the new place. Parker had been apprehensive about moving, but as soon as he saw all those toys that he hadn't seen in weeks, he was ok with it. He didn't want to go back to Wrigleyville... but there was the Wii there! Since Thomas was driving the car to orientation, and the stroller was in North Chicago as well, the boys and I were trapped in that fantastic apartment. But, we had books, and toys, and the Wii. Parker loved "playing" Mario Kart. He would hold the extra steering wheel, and pretend to drive with me. When I wasn't playing with Thomas, I did a lot better, but still couldn't master the courses like Wario's mine where the carts can fall off the side. I spent most of those tracks falling off. If one of those would come up, I would say, "Oh, Parker, I'm not very good at this one!" And Parker would reassure me, "It's ok Mommy. I'm really good at this one!" As long as we finished the race, Parker would cheer "Yay! We won!" Adorable. It was the only time I've ever enjoyed playing video games!

Welcome to North Chicago

Our new apartment is on the second floor, but we're on a corner, and are right across from the laundry. It's been working out really well, and we're really enjoying having Thomas able to come home for lunch. It takes about three minutes for him to walk to school. It means we actually see him! He can home home, and then easily get back to campus for quiet study time.

Our apartment complex has a little playground: a few swings that are so low Parker's feet drag (which is perfect because then he can sit and swing on it without danger of falling so far) and a slide that takes effort to go down. The best thing about this little "playground" is that it's a good place to meet other moms and kids. One of the other mom's told us about a fantastic playground about a mile south on our road, and the boys and I went last week for a picnic.

Parker had slipped and bumped his head and shoulder, and was crying, so Evan came up to him, threw out his arms, and said "hug!" then wrapped his arms around his older brother. It was adorable, so I asked them to do it again. The replay wasn't quite as cute as the original, but still picture worthy :)

The highlight of the playground is this "boat." There are low walls, a ladder going up to the steering wheel and mast, and then a little cabin behind the stairs. There's more slide and tunnel equipment, a seesaw, lots of swings, a little three walled cabin with a table and benches, a toddler dinosaur slide and ladder thing (you can see it in the background) We had a lot of fun, and played for several hours. Then we went to a new grocery store to buy milk, etc.

The grocery store had the strangest set up I'd ever seen! It had everything in it you could have wanted, but was organized by ethnicity, not types of food. The produce section was enormous, and had some vegetables I didn't even know the name of. The rest of the store was divided into aisles by Asian food, Latin Food, Italian food, Turkish food, etc. It was so hard to find anything, since there were different kinds of rice, pasta, and beans in every aisle. The boys were good though. We got some Ovaltine to encourage Parker to drink milk. He loves it... even diluted :)

Week One in Chicago

Well, we survived the 21 (actually ended up being about 23 or so) hour drive, and arrived in Chicago. What an adventure! The priests in our ward back in Provo helped us load up our U-Haul on Tuesday, then we spent Wednesday and then Thursday morning finishing up, and loading the U-Haul, car, and truck. We'd originally planned on leaving on Wednesday, but there's a lot more work to moving than we'd anticipated! Thomas also wanted to make sure to spend some more time with the young men, and his family, and I'd wanted to take the boys up to Salt Lake for my nephew Asher's second birthday. We may not have gotten everything done that we'd wanted, but at least we did that! I know my mom was glad to have the extra day. Mike had actually told us Wednesday morning that he wouldn't be too upset if we stayed an extra night :) But, I think they were ready for us to be gone by Thursday afternoon! Our neighbor across the street kept the boys at her house while we finished up. Finally, around 1 something, we were ready to go! Thomas drove the U-Haul, towing the car, and I had the boys in the truck. They were actually fabulous during the drive. Evan actually fell asleep before we got to the canyon! We hooked up the laptop, and so the boys watched Toy Story, Toy Story 2, Cars, and Finding Nemo... It's so strange to listen to movies! But, it kept them entertained. We also had lots of books, snacks, etc. We actually didn't drive that far Thursday before stopping. We'd stopped for dinner where there was a McDonald's play place. The boys had so much fun climbing up in the tunnels. We were pretty exhausted after dinner, and so we decided to stop there instead of pushing on to the next big town. We found a quiet little motel run by the sweetest old lady, and had an early night so that we could get an early start and a full day of driving on Friday.

We got going early Thursday morning, and then stopped a few hours later for breakfast. We had to stop a lot more to let the boys run around and get their energy out. It helped. It also helped that we brought a can of green beans and a can opener for snacks... Those boys are crazy about their vegetables, and room-temperature green beans are the preference! We also had lots of water bottles... so Evan spent much of the trip wet from dumping the bottles on himself. Parker was actually really helpful though: giving Evan snacks, his nuks, blankets, toys, or whatever he needed. Unfortunately, that helpfulness seemed to end the first week in Chicago... but more on that later.

My mom made reservations at a hotel for us Friday night at a hotel with a pool, breakfast, and that was just off the freeway. Unfortunately, we'd missed a key element of the directions, and ended up lost in the residential areas. We went down what we thought was a street, but what ended up being a narrow parking lot for an apartment complex. It took over an hour for Thomas to get the U-Haul out. He had to detach the car, and thankfully a resident came out and helped Thomas back out. The poor boys were miserable! But, Thomas got out ok, and we found the hotel no problem, once we had the right directions. We got to the hotel a little before 10:30pm, and so had half an hour before the pool closed. It was absolutely perfect. The boys loved the time in the pool, and then their baths. We ordered a pizza, and then fell asleep. Pizza delivered after a long day is one of the most delicious meals I think I've ever experienced. The boys loved it too. The hotel had wireless, so the boys watched an episode of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse online, and then fell asleep. We discovered that the boys love Fruit Loops the next morning, and then got on the road. It wasn't too full a day of driving until we hit Chicago. We stopped by a ward party for one of the Gurnee wards (where we'll probably be once we move closer to school) at around 7, and followed several people over to the storage unit where they helped us unload the U-Haul, truck, and car. Some of the men are fellow podiatry students at Rosalind Franklin, so it was nice to talk with them. Once the truck was unloaded, I took the boys over to a park to play on the playground to keep them out of trouble. They had a lot of fun finally playing. I loved feeling the humidity. It's not nearly as bad as New York, let alone the South, so I find it refreshing! I also love how much better Evan's hair curls! After we got the storage unit packed up, we headed out towards Chicago and the apartment we're renting until we find something more permanent. The last few miles definitely were the most trying! Thomas thought it would be easiest to take the most direct roads, the toll roads, and we got our cash ready accordingly. Unfortunately, the tolls were not attended booths, and required exact change. Thankfully the city has a website to pay missed tolls, and we were able to take care of our missed tolls online at the public library a few days later, well within the seven day time stipulation. Driving in Chicago in a loaded up truck was a little crazy, but Thomas found a place to park, and we unloaded the boys, who promptly fell asleep on the couches in the living room. Thomas moved the cars, and unloaded all our stuff.

The apartment here is amazing! It's fully furnished (which is why our stuff's in the storage unit) and is absolutely gorgeous! It's going to be hard to leave the master bathroom with its jacuzzi and granite counters and double sinks, and the kitchen with its stainless appliances... I'm still afraid to drive in Chicago though, so I make Thomas drive every time we go anywhere. We do have the internet now though, so that makes figuring out public transportation a little easier!

We called my mom Sunday morning to help us find a church building, and located one about four miles away, with a ward that meets at 1, but it still took us over half an hour to drive that four miles in some crazy traffic. We've since discovered better routes! Thankfully Evan's fallen asleep on the way to church the past two Sundays :)

We started looking at houses in North Chicago on Tuesday, and actually found one we really like. Unfortunately, we just found out its a short sale property, so it may take longer than we'd like to get it... we'll look in some other cities that are farther away! Hey, it's only been a week; we'll find something!

We went to the ward's play group on Wednesday morning at 11: they meet every week, which will be fantastic for while we're here. There are really some fantastic people here, and I talked to one woman on Sunday who has a little girl almost Parker's exact age, and she lives right around the corner! We also went to the ward Luau on Saturday, which was fun. We did leave early though, because the boys have been on a fantastic schedule. They've been waking up around seven every morning, and so going to bed early too. All it took to get them back on track was a drive of a few thousand miles :) Parker's actually been really good about going to his bed and going to sleep when he's tired, and he stays in his bed all night... finally! I'm not sure what did it, but after our first night here, he stopped coming into our room at night. I love it! I didn't mind cuddling with him at night, but I was always too tired to put him back in his bed, and now we don't have to worry about it! Such a big boy. He has been having a tough time adjusting to a new place though, and Evan's been hitting his head on the floor again when he's mad. They're having a harder time playing with other kids, and have been a little more aggressive than usual this past week. It's getting better, but even Parker's been throwing an occasional temper tantrum. The first few days he begged us to go back to our "real home," but now he's getting used to "Ah-Cago" he just doesn't like looking at other houses: he wants to stay here now. Poor guy. He'll be glad to have the rest of his toys back once we do get into the new house though!

We have our library cards, and will look into getting into some of the museums too: free museum passes with library cards! Today we've stayed at home all day though: it's been dark and windy, getting ready to rain.

Well, that's the update for the past week!

The boys have definitely been very... attached... to each other!