What a good boy

Yesterday Hilton's teacher pulled me aside to tell me that Hilton knows his letter really well. He won Alphabet bingo 2 times. And instead of keeping both of the candy prizes for himself, he gave one away. He gave it to Omari. When I asked hm why he did this he said, "Because Omari never gets a prize." His teacher said that Omarie is a little slower than the other kids and has never won any of the games. Hilton has several friends in his class. Omari is not really one of them. He could have chosen to give the candy to one of his good friends. But he gave it to Omari because he has never gotten a prize. What a kind hearted little boy. I sometimes forget that when he is pounding his sister into the ground... but his teacher said that he is a delight to have in the class... this warms my heart.

My Life

Well, that job is hard work! I was dying by the end of the night. I turned in my badge and told them I was done. But I talked to them this morning and they said that I could just do a 3 1/2 hour shift and go home. I am still breast feeding, so after 3 hours I am bursting and I was so uncomfortable I thought I was going to die! But I can totally do 3 hours, so I am going to try it out! i think it should be fine. And we really need the money. Justin's job is going really well. He likes his new boss and the dept. It is not as sophisticated as BYU-I. There are not the resources that he had there. But it is working out fine. If it paid a little more, it would be fantastic. But it is a permanant position, so we can't complain. Listen to this! Vicki and I are doing the Amazing Race!!! Ok, not THE Amazing Race, but a mini replica. For Her Mom's birthday, Vicki's dad has set up a mini Amazing Race for Saturday. Complete with Camera Men and milking goats and everything! I am going to be Vicki's partner, and we are totally going to win!!! So wish me luck!!! I am totally excited and I know it is going to be so fun! Lorelai had a well-baby visit today. She is doing great. She weighs 14lbs and is 22 inches. She is definitely teething. But is eating solid food and loving it. She slept through the night for the first time last night!!! We have taken her out of the bassinet and put her in the crib and she slept last night from 10 until 5am! Justin fed her some sweet potatoes at 9:30 pm while I was slaving away at work (Ididn't get home until 11:00!) and she slept soundly the rest of the night! Of course, I was bursting... I may have to start pumping when I get home from work at night. She also LOVES her jumperoo. I was worried for a bit. She would just sit in it and cry. But now she loves it! She can just jump and jump! It is like a jolly jumper with out the doorway. It has all kinds of toys on it, which she loves! There is one thing that twirls around and has beads that make noise, and she loves that. She is getting so big. What a sweetie. So, things are going well. We may just make it... Of course, I have started to gain weight!!! I have gained 10 lbs since we have been here. So I am hoping that working will help out. I am going and going and sweating for 3 hours straight, so maybe that will help.

Job

Well, I got the job. I start Wednesday at 6pm. They hired me on the spot and wanted me right away. So I will be working the deli counter. Should be interesting. I will keep ya posted. One great thing, is that I get a 20% discount on everything. That will be nice!

Update

I have a job interview today. Last night I filled out an online application for the new Fresh Market opening up here in town and I got a call this morning! So I am going for a job interview and I am going to see about a job! I think it would be a nice place to work, and if I have to work somewhere, I would rather it be there. So wish me luck! We went up to Tennesse to Justin's brother's house for Thanksgiving. His parents flew out and his sister and her family drove down from Ohio. We had a wonderful time! The cousins all had a blast and were crying because they didn't want to leave! We had great food and great conversation! On Friday we went to see Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium which was a lot of fun. And on Sat the gals all went shopping! I had a blast! I love that family! They are so great!!! This is Justin's last week of school before he has 7 weeks off for the holiday. I am ready to put the tree up and get all excited for Christmas! Yea! If any of you have any old Imaginext toys you want to get rid of, can you please let me know? Hilton wants TRex Mountain for Christmas and I am looking for a gently used one... anyway! That is the news for now!

Lorelai's first solid food

On Thursday, November 15th I gave Lorelai her first cereal... as you can see, she loved it! She ate like she has been doing it her whole life! She likes to grab the spoon, and she squeals if I don't give her a bite fast enough. I am a little sad. My baby is getting too big too fast! But it is a very exciting milestone! Unfortunately, it has not helped her sleep through the night. What am I gonna do with this kid?

Caroline's Baptism

On November 10, 2007 Caroline Judith Bates was baptized and confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints. We are so pleased with her choice to be baptized! She did awesome. Sister Awebry gave the opening prayer. I gave a talk on baptism. Justin performed the baptism. Then Sister Weurtenberg gave the talk on the Holy Ghost. (she is Caroline's teacher.) And then Just confirmed her. Caroline's friend Kennedy Duhon gave the closing prayer. It was a simple and quick service, but that is all it needed to be. It was over in 1/2 an hour. Caroline said that she felt the Holy Ghost and she knew she had made the right decision. She has been trying so hard to be good and be a good example to her brother. She is a great example. And I know that she will continue to strive to keep the covenants she made that day.

hair cuts

The kids got their hair cut last week. The baby did not... but Caroline and Hilton both did. Caroline got a ton of hair cut off. I was a little sad about that. Her hair is so shiny and straight and gorgeous, when it is brushed, but it is a hassle with this kid, so the short hair is the best bet. She looks very cute! As does the boy. I went back to the bowl cut for him. It is the only cut that works with his crazy cowlicks. And he looks cute!

Gumbo

We live in Louisiana now. So that means at Ward Conference the Stake leaders have a long way to come. So after church we had Gumbo. It is not my favorite cajun food, but I must admit I was happy not to have to make dinner tonight! We had Gumbo over rice, rolls, potato salad, and cake for dessert. My Gumbo was actually quite delicious, which is saying a lot since I am not a fan of this Cajun dish. The cultural hall was full of people from the ward. We all ate and visited and had a nice meal. When we got home we all had a nice 2 hour nap. We were all very sleepy and it was heaven. Even the baby slept for the full 2 hours! When we woke up, we read books and colored and tickled the baby. I made a box of mac and cheese for dinner! That was the best for me! And then it was time for baths and bed and breathing treatments and stories. As an update, I took Hilton to an allergist on monday. He is allergic to lots of stuff, and has quite a regime of medications that he has to go through everyday. At night he has to take a bath and wash with Dove sensitive skin soap. Then he has to be lathered with Vaseline. He needs to use Nasacourt nasal spray, then Zyrtec, then a breathing treatment of pulmocourt. In the morning he gets Singulair. Yea, it does sound like a lot. But I must say, after a week he is sleeping better and breathing better and seems to be coughing less. So maybe it is working!!! I would love that for him. He can act like a normal kids with out being breathless all the time. I had to go to the doctor too this week because I have been having trouble breathing. I had a chest x-ray, and some blood work. I will keep you posted. Lorelai went to the doctor because she has been tugging on her right ear. And she has not been sleeping at all at night. She has been waking every one to two hours every night. That makes it a total of at least 5 times she is waking at night. Her ears were a little pink but she didn't absolutely need antibiotics so I opted out of that. Her nose was a runny and she had a little cough, but she seems to be clearing up, so I think we are all getting over the hump.

lorelai