Catch Up - Birthdays, Barkley, Baby, and Job

So much has happened since I last wrote. Unfortunately, I don’t have the time or the memory to recall most of it, but I’ll try to give a few highlights. Lily turned three and we have come a long way with getting her to be potty trained. She still doesn’t make it through the night, but during the day she is pretty good. However, often she will get stuck in the middle of the room with her legs crossed and call out to me that she can’t move since she has to go to the bathroom so bad. I have to admit, I get a really good laugh out of it every time it happens. Lily is still extremely “girly.” She loves everything to do with fairies, princesses, and dressing up. We got her a sparkly purple leotard so she can dance around with style. Lily is also a very touchy/feely girl and loves to be held. She is one cute kid. Elizabeth also had her birthday and is now five. We got her a new flashlight and sleeping bag in preparation for the upcoming camping (or backyard) season. She is still the life of the party, and we our always laughing at the funny things she says and does. It’s sometimes difficult for Beth to get focused on one thing at a time, but when she does, she does the project completely and with intensity.

We recently got a dog named Barkley from a co-worker. Barkley is a St. Bernard / Border Collie mix and is a great dog. Only issue is, he’s really big. But from the moment Barkley came into our home, Beth took control of him and began giving orders. I have to keep her from giving commands sometimes because she confuses him with a barrage of orders. She is definitely a leader. Lily, on the other hand, lived on our dining table for the first week. The morning after we got him she came out in the morning rubbing her eyes and promptly returned to her room as soon as she saw the big dog. We’ve had him for over a month and now Barkley and Lily are the best of friends. We caught her one day out on the lawn sitting next to him with her arm over his back. What a cutie. I’ve really enjoyed Barkley and he has helped me to get regular exercise. I’ve been off of sugar since January and I am feeling pretty good, Amy keeps saying that I look thinner and I’m beginning to believe her.

Ammon and Liz have had their baby. They named her Olivia. She spent quite a while in the hospital because of complications and then a pretty bad sickness, but is doing well now. I still haven’t seen her, but plan to go down for the baby blessing. Amy has been down several times and makes me jealous of being able to be with them. Dawn and Ray recently spent a couple of days up here and we enjoyed having them. Unfortunately, as is common, Lily was extremely sick, and vomited throughout their stay. I hope her immune system is building up strength for later on in her life.

One extremely difficult thing I’ve faced this year was the potential of losing my job. We’ve had so many people we know in the ward and neighbors lose their jobs in this terrible economic crisis. I came extremely close to losing my job, but have kept it for now. Unfortunately two of my co-workers (other planners) were laid off. Shellie Lopez, a good friend of mine, was laid off and has taken it really hard. She is honest and hard working and I was really disappointed to see her go. It seems like people place undeserved stigmas on people who lose their jobs and I hope it doesn’t prevent her from getting something else soon. Each day seems to bring more bad news about the economy or about others losing jobs. It has been difficult to watch as so many people are struggling right now.

So much more has happened, but I’ve been really busy with work, my calling, and responsibilities of being a father. I will try a little harder to post updates more frequently.