Craziness

Everything has been so crazy in our lives lately.

Last week, we decided to take one last trip to visit Mitchell's family in Virginia before our move to Texas. Late at night, smack-dab in the middle of Richmond, our car died. Thankfully, Mitchell's mom was driving through Richmond at the same time, so she was able to come pick the kids up. We were able to arrange with USAA to have the car towed to a nearby, reputable repair shop. There was a motel close enough for Mitchell and me to walk to and get a room for the night. In the morning, we found out that our engine was broken, rendering the car useless. So Mitchell's brothers, Grant and Ross, were able to pick us up and take us to their brother, Sam's, house where the kids were.

We arranged for my cousin, Amber, to overnight the title to our car so that we could sell it to a junkyard. And we were able to relax for a week in a small town in Virginia. The kids had the best time with their cousins, and spent hours outside every day. It was so great to kind of get away from all the stress of regular life. On Friday, Ross drove Mitchell back to Richmond, where Mitch was able to sell our poor, little car for $300. On Monday night, his mom took him to get a rental car, and we left very early Tuesday morning. We were able to use the car for less than 24 hours, which made it a lot cheaper, and the price was completely covered with the money we got from junking our car.

While in Virginia, we spent a lot of time pondering, praying, and discussing our situation. We came to the conclusion that Heavenly Father wants us in Georgia for a while longer, so we have decided not to move to Texas. Even though this seems like a very difficult path, as soon as we made the decision, my heart felt so light that I thought I would float away. I know that Heavenly Father is going to bless us to find a way to make things work.

Mitchell has already started applying to pretty much every job within walking distance. We walked to Walgreen's to get some milk and juice, which is 2-miles roundtrip. We have been working closely with several members of our ward, including the Bishop and members of both the Elder's Quorum and Relief Society. We are going to find ways to coordinate rides to grocery stores, places to do laundry, and maybe help getting a bike and/or wagon. We feel so blessed right now as we are learning to stand on our own feet for the first time ever.

Family Night

For FHE, we talked about how Heavenly Father is the King of everything and, since we are His children, we are princes and princesses. And when our spirits "grow up," we can be like him. So then we decorated crowns that said "I am a Child of GOD."

People in my family like to make cool faces...

Vacation

Yesterday, we got home from a week-and-a-half in Virginia visiting Mitchell's family. The main reason we went up was so Mitchell could attend his grandfather's funeral with his mom. We ended up staying longer than we originally planned and enjoyed some nice time relaxing and hanging out with family. The kids and I stayed with Mitchell's brother, Sam, and his family, while Mitchell, his mom, and his brother, Grant, were in Indiana for the funeral. Joseph and Annabelle got to meet and spend time with all of their Ellis cousins for the first time ever. And they loved it! Joseph loved playing with Sam's two boys, who are both older than him. And Annabelle enjoyed playing girly things with her only girl Ellis cousin, Celina, who is only 2 months younger than her. Mitchell and I took advantage of the time to relax, enjoy ourselves, and not worry about the future too much. We were able to go to Busch Gardens and watch the show London Rocks, which Mitchell's brother, Ross, is the lead guitarist in. I also rode a roller coaster for the first time in about 7 years. I was so anxious right before getting on, but I loved it just as much as I used to. I'm really grateful that we had that time to rejuvenate before getting into the stress of trying to figure out what's going to happen next. 

         From left to right: Back Row - Mitchell, Ross, Grant, Eden, Joseph. 

Front Row - Zeke, Annabelle, Charlie, Julian, Celena, Ben.

Annabelle, Celina, and Charlie playing with Disney Princess Little People!

Charlie playing in the hose with Grammy.

Having Fun

Today we got our tax return. It was kind of exciting to check our balance in the bank and find an extra thousand dollars that I wasn't expecting. We set about making sure that our various bills were payed and talking about what this money needed to be used for. But the best part of the day was when we went on a bit of a treasure hunt to pick out the perfect toys for the kids. Joseph has been asking, "Do we have money yet?" nearly every day for a week or two because he's had his mind on some toys he wants, so it was exciting to tell him that we do have money.

We were gone a long time today and did a lot of driving to find him something he really loved. We went to Toys R Us and searched the whole store. Then we drove to Walmart and searched that whole store. And we finally found the right thing. He got his very first LEGO set and it has "Luke with the green lightsaber" as well as Boba Fett and the Sarlac. Annabelle picked out a My Little Pony set. And we bought Charlie a Bouncy play center thing.

It's been awesome watching Joseph so fascinated with something that isn't a video game. He's been playing with the legos almost none stop since we brought them home. He even took Luke and Boba Fett to bed with him. And it's been fun to watch Mitchell and Joseph playing together. I never knew that legos were such a great father-son bonding activity. Annabelle and I were able to play ponies together, too.

I think that something I learned from today is how important it is to play with your kids, but to also try to find the things that they have a passion for. It's important to find those passions and nourish them now, so that they can grow and learn from those passions throughout their lives.

Prospering as a Family

"Do this thing which I have commanded you, and you shall prosper." D&C 9:13

With Mitchell in college, we are always struggling with money, especially since he hasn't been able to have a steady job since we moved to Utah. Financial problems are so stressful and difficult to handle. Sometimes, it's hard because I feel like most of my dreams and desires are pushed aside because we can't afford to do extra things. I keep wishing for the day when we will really have our own place and we can afford to buy the clothes and things that we need for the kids and ourselves. And, frequently, I get caught up in that wishing and I forget to focus on the present.

I've been studying my scriptures with the purpose of finding help and guidance in being a better mother. As I read that verse in Doctrine and Covenants, I felt it applied to me. I need to stop wishing for all the things that we don't have right now. I need to focus on my kids, on enjoying them, on teaching them, on loving them. If I can do that, if I can keep the Lord's commandment to be a nurturing, righteous mother, He will give us what we need to live happily.

Today we were able to go to Farm Country for our last day with Grammy Ellen. We were able to use some money given to us by family to pay for riding the FrontRunner to Lehi and visiting Farm Country. It was such an exciting experience for the kids to ride the train and they loved Farm Country just as much fun as they always have. They loved seeing the animals and riding the ponies. We were able to ride in a horse-drawn buggy this time, which was really cool and the kids' favorite part. It was a fun day and I'm so glad that I was able to spend it with my family.

Lots of Family

We had so much family here today! Mitchell's mom, Ellen, flew in last night and has been playing with the kids and making food and cleaning things. Mitchell's brother, Ross, flew in this morning. Ross and Mitchell have been having a great time hanging out again after such a long time apart. They have such an awesome relationship and it's just fun watching them talk and hang out together because of the way they are. Samantha, Athena, and Jason got here in the afternoon and we hung out with them. Then shortly after, Dad, Dena and Zachary got here. It was very full and very loud in our apartment, but also very fun. We watched funny videos, remembered funny stories, and hung out. We ate at Chuck-A-Rama for lunch. Even though the food really isn't that great, except the scones and honey butter, that place has so many wonderful memories for the Brugger family. After a long and fun lunch, we came back and hung out more. We also got to have a small guitar concert from Ross. Eventually, Dena, Samantha, Zachary, Athena, and I went to the mall. It was fun to have a girl (not including Zach) date. We walked around the mall and did some fun shopping. It was a great little break from my kids and just every day life. I love my family and I'm so glad that they are here. I forgot to get pictures, but I know that Ellen posted some on Facebook.

Getting Better

Today was a bit better, so I have hope in the progress I am making. I needed a Xanax almost immediately after waking up. I get this feeling like I'm being stretched in too many directions and then I start to freak out a bit. The Xanax helps me to think rationally when I'm so overwhelmed like that. My awesome cousin Emily came and helped again today. She did my dishes, played with the kids, and let me take a nap again. I wish she could come every Monday and Wednesday. I had a lot more patience with the kids today. I was able to make them lunch and I made dinner by myself. We went through their bedtime routine and it went much better. Joseph was asleep by the time I was done singing and Annabelle was asleep within 5 minutes of me leaving the room. I was also able to go visiting teaching for the first time in several months. That felt so great. It feels good that I am getting back to being myself.

All Together Again

This weekend we went to Idaho and picked up the kids from my mom's. Yesterday, we drove home in that crazy weather, but we got home safe and sound. Today was the first full day of us being together as a family. Mitchell was at class from 7:30 until around 3-ish. I did a lot better today compared to how I did the first day we had Charlie home. It was still really hard and I was blessed to have my amazing, cousin Emily come help in the afternoon. She played with Joseph and Annabelle while I took a nap with Charlie. In the evening, we went to Sizzler for dinner as a family. It was pretty nice to be out all together. Right now, the kids are entirely fighting bedtime. So many weeks of constant upheaval have been very hard on them, so rules and routines are pretty much gone. It's going to take some time to get our lives back in order.

Happy Birthday, Annabelle!

Today was Annabelle's 2nd birthday. I can't believe that she was born 2 years ago. In many ways, it seems like she has been with us much longer than that, but it also seems like the time has gone too quickly. She is such a joy in our family and I can't imagine what things would be like without her. She and Joseph are best friends and do everything together. And she has her daddy under her complete control; yesterday, she got 5 cinnamon bears from him because she just kept asking him with such cute faces that he couldn't resist.

We had her birthday party on Saturday so that a lot of family could come. Jason had been staying with us for a couple weeks, my mom drove down, and Samantha and Athena were there. My cousin Emily and her fiancee, Josh, came. Aunt Marianne and Annemarie were able to make it. And we were really excited because Popi and Doreen came up for the party. It was so wonderful to have so many family members with us. 

Jason, Joseph, Popi, Annabelle, Doreen, Samantha, and Athena

It took her a few tries, but she was able to blow out her candles all by herself.

 Opening presents this morning. She was so excited to open everything.

We went to lunch at California Pizza Kitchen, where she got a free birthday meal. This red balloon was just floating by one of the tables across the way when we got there. It eventually floated right over to us all on it's own, and it became her birthday balloon.

Eating her birthday brownie. The whipped cream was her favorite part.

Even though she had some very cranky 2-year-old moments, she had a good birthday. We are all so grateful that she is a part of our family. 

Labor Day

We had a good Labor Day weekend. We did a few fun things today since Mitchell didn't have to go to work. The kids let us sleep in pretty late, which was nice since we usually have early mornings with Mitchell working and going to school. We went and browsed around the mall for a bit and had some lunch in the food court there. We went to a park in the afternoon. The kids had fun playing while Mitchell drew for some assignments and I worked out homeschool lesson plans. We had a nice quiet time and I read a Sherlock Holmes story in my book. We were excited about getting some awesome new Star Wars shirts from Baby Gap with a 30% off code we had, but after not getting the code to apply, we realized that line is excluded from coupons. :(  Later, we took the kids to another park and they had fun playing there. We also did a mini photo shoot to get some pictures for the invitations I want to make for Annabelle's birthday party. That was pretty fun. The kids are so hard to get pictures of because they are either moving around like crazy or they are making really stupid smiley faces. It doesn't help that our camera is TERRIBLE at taking pictures. I was surprised at how many I got. We ended the day by watching new episodes of 2 of our favorites shows, which happen to be cartoons on Cartoon Network. They are Adventure Time and Regular Show; we love watching them together.

Here are a few photos that I really liked:

Movie Night

On Friday, Mitchell got his first paycheck from his new job! We decided to have just a little bit of fun. We bought the movie John Carter, which we saw in theaters and loved. Then we had a movie night. We rearranged the living room so that the seats were actually facing the TV and we could watch together (Mitchell normally sits in his computer chair and I lay on the couch). We had popcorn, pretzels with cheese, movie candy, and soda/kool-aid for dinner. The kids thought it was super fun and they loved eating popcorn and the gummy worms they picked at the grocery store. We enjoyed watching the movie again; it really is an awesome movie and so much fun to watch.

Mitchell and the kids in their seats.

 Me and the kids in our seats.

The pretzels that I made. They were really easy and only took 1 1/2 hrs. from start to finish, including rising time. I should have baked them a little longer to see if it gave them a better crust and they needed a lot more salt, but they were good for my very first pretzels. Our popcorn was homemade, too. Mitchell just pops it in our saucepan with the kernels and some corn oil; it's so much cheaper and it tastes way better.

The next day, Mitchell and I were definitely feeling the after-effects of a ton of junk food. It helped reinforced the need for a real dinner, even though a "movie theater" dinner was a lot of fun. We were just glad to eat healthy food and feel normal again.

Impromptu Sleepover

Samantha and Athena are sleeping at our house tonight. Apparently, Ogden had some crazy super strong winds and the power-lines that supply Samantha's block with electricity were blown down. She and Athena will be staying here until the power is restored and they have light and heat again. We'll see how it goes in our super, tiny apartment... Poor Samantha has to sleep on our loveseat. Joseph and Athena tend to have "custody battles" over their toys. And Annabelle loves it all. Maybe I can get some good pictures.

First Annual Thanksgiving Walk

I decided to start a new tradition for our family this year. I'm calling it our Thanksgiving Walk. The plan is to go somewhere with beautiful, fall colors and walk and talk about what we are grateful for as well as just enjoy the earth Heavenly Father has created for us. I came up with the idea a little too late in the month because most of the pretty colors have faded. It was still nice, though.

Annabelle slept through the whole walk. It was naptime on a Sunday, so she was really tired.

Here is Joseph putting his mittens on. It wasn't cold enough that he needed them, but he likes wearing them.

This was a pretty little waterfall and stream that we saw. We have walked this path up in Provo Canyon many times, but I've never noticed this before. I was wearing my rain boots, so I went and splashed in it just because I could. It was fun.

This is where the little stream splits and goes around a cool looking tree. Hardly any of the trees still had leaves, but it was still a nice walk in a beautiful place.

4th of July Weekend

We really had such an awesome 4th of July weekend.

On Friday, I was pretty stressed from school and everything and I was feeling a little disappointed that we didn't have any plans to celebrate, but Mitchell let me know that he had made plans to have dinner with some friends on Sunday night.

Then, on Saturday, Aunt Marianne called and invited us over for 4th of July! And I remembered that Dane's baby blessing was going to be on Sunday. We spent most of Saturday getting homework done so that we would be able to have fun the rest of the weekend. We heard from some friends in the ward that the best place to watch the fireworks was in the stadium's parking lot. We walked down there with the kids. It was so amazing! Mitchell and I covered the kids' ears to protect them from the noise. The explosions were so powerful that we could sometimes feel them! It was just so beautiful. Joseph was totally amazed by it all. Annabelle liked watching it, but then ended up falling asleep.

On Sunday, we drove up to Sandy for the blessing. It was so wonderful to see so much family all together at once. We had a really good time visiting with everyone after sacrament meeting. Joseph really loved playing with all of his cousins and Annabelle had fun, too. We drove straight from Sandy to our friends', the Winwards. We ate dinner and played games and just had a nice visit.

On Monday, we finished up a little bit of homework that we still had left. As we were deciding what to do for lunch, Samantha arrived. We all went out to In and Out Burger together. Joseph and Athena just loved being together. Then we went to Aunt Marianne's and a really fun time with everyone. We even rolled down a hill. Joseph didn't want to leave his cousins when it was finally time to go home and go to bed.

The weekend was so much fun that it was hard to get back into the groove of the school week. We've managed to get all of our stuff done okay, though. I got an 87% on my first Stats exam, but the written portion hasn't been graded and added to that, so I might have done even better. It feels good to be doing well in school. I've been having nightmares for years that I would go to school and be so far behind that they would kick me out. It's nice when the nightmares are proved wrong.

I have two very whiny, cranky children that I need to get to bed now, so I will have to be done. I hope that we can all get some sleep tonight.

Family Photos

A friend in the ward did a free photoshoot for us at the beginning of the month. I just got the photos a few days ago. I'll post a few of my favorites on here and I'll be putting all of them on Facebook... maybe tomorrow. I'll probably blog about my first week of school after church tomorrow.

New Start

The Blogger application that I had for my phone ended up being defective and I had to delete it. So, I will try to blog before I go to bed at night.

The last few days have been pretty crazy. We spend Friday exploring the BYU campus with my mom, Marty, and Jason. It was really fun. Yesterday, we went to the zoo. My allergies were really bad and just kept getting worse as the day progressed. Although I enjoyed being with my family, I was pretty miserable the whole day. When I woke up this morning, my allergies had settled into sinusitis. We didn't go to church because Joseph and Annabelle both had runny noses, too. I know Annabelle suffers from allergies, but I'm not sure about Joseph. I slept and rested most of the day. I need to conserve my energy for tomorrow.

Tomorrow is the big day! I start college! I had to change my classes to fit around Mitchell's schedule, so I'm taking Writing 150, which is basic college writing, and Principles of Statistics. I am so scared, but also so excited. I have no idea what this is going be like. I know that we will find a way to make it work, but I know that it is going to be hard. I am going to have Mitchell give me a blessing before I go to sleep. I'm going to try to go to bed early tonight because I need to wake up at 6 in the morning. I don't know if I'm really ready for this, but here goes...

Family

I have family visiting me right now. My mom, my step-dad, Marty, and my brother, Jason, are sleeping in my living room right now. They got here in time for dinner and then we walked up on campus to listen to some of the carillon concert and visit the Bean Museum. It is fun having family visit. I need to remember to take my camera when we go places tomorrow so that I can get some pictures.

Only 3 more days until I start school! I'm so excited!!