Catch Up

I have slacked off on the blogging lately...partly because of our ancient computer and partly just out of laziness - but here is the update, I will let the pictures tell the story. Oh - we did FINALLY break down and get a new computer - we've been working with Brandon's post-mission 2001 refurbished one since November. I started trying to make my blog into a book and was constantly frustrated by the computer telling me it had no memory. That, and I was afraid to erase memory cards because of the thought of losing all my pictures again. grrr....all is well now though - here are the pictures...We decided to celebrate my "magic" birthday (28 on the 28th) by going bowling with the family. This was Brody's first time and he did great! Despite my 2 strikes I managed to tie my three year old.Ella didn't bowl, but wished she could. She thinks she is older than she is. We are at the point where she knows what she is saying in all her babbles - but we understand about 2% of it. Her favorite word so far: SHOES! Her eyes fill with wonder and she says the word "shoe" as we walk down the shoe aisle at walmart - its like a dream come true for her.Back to my birthday - Brandon and Brody made me a cake. So yummy!This is what we were working on at midnight on my birthday. The nursery's bubble machine. We are the leaders of one of the two nurseries in the ward. We NEEDED this machine to get fixed. We have 14 regular attendees in a TINY TINY room. Its manageable, but we've had several new little ones lately that are having a hard time adjusting and the crying is LOUD. Put it this way...Sunday school is two rooms away, and we've had people (that aren't nursery kids parents) come in to check and see if everything is okay. It is LOUD. We needed the machine to work...it did by the next day, but only for a minute or two. The battery died. We had lots of bubbles and not one working bubble wand or machine or gun. We've tried them all. Wish us luck.Brody's favorite - still TRAINS. He loves the retro little people train that my mom recently found with all our little people. It stays at Grandma's but he always knows where he "parks" it when we leave. I love little people! My mom has the ones that are tall and have tubes for bodies and no arms. We had a bunch of the playsets and accessories. They were so fun to set up towns and pretend. Now we have the newer playsets with the 'touch and feel' fabrics and squatty looking people. These will definitely be toys that I hang onto for my grandkids someday.

Ella has a strong desire to feed herself with a spoon. She does OK, not great on the cleanliness side - but the food ultimately gets to where it should. She still will eat anything for us and we know she's done when she puts whatevers left in her hair. She is a funny girl!

Other news...the skin clinical trial was really really rough the first week. I looked awful and felt awful. Im still on the medication until next Monday and Im feeling much better, but after nights and nights without sleeping I cheated, only once though. And thats all Im saying.