The Leake's Week-November 14, 2022

 Hello!  Once again I find myself with three weeks to catch up on.  Life continues to cruise along at an alarming rate.  Rachel has been a bit miffed that Christmas is on a Sunday this year, so this morning at breakfast Richard looked up the next time Christmas will fall on a Sunday, and it won't happen again until 2033-we then realized that Rachel will be 20 years old and I almost started crying!  I have a feeling that is going to be here before I know it!  So for now I will stop thinking about my little Dokie growing up and try to recap our last three weeks...

Gretchen thoroughly enjoyed Halloween this year.  She was Halloween Minnie Mouse and loved her poofy dress and witch hat.  In my opinion, she was the cutest Minnie Mouse.  She was able to wear her Halloween costume to dance class a few days before Halloween and she had a ball.  On Halloween, Gretchen had the coolest Halloween party at school.  Among other things, they decorated fly swatters with cute paper cut outs and called them "monster scarers".  Gretchen has slept with that thing by her bed every night since!  On Halloween, I took Gretchen trick-or-treating, along with her friend Naomi, and Ziggy.  :)  Gretchen and Naomi had a ball, and I was so glad it was not cold!  The girls just had jackets on and put gloves on for the last little bit.  They loved running from house to house gathering their spoils.  When they were done roaming our neighborhood, I drove them to Mrs. Conners' house, their kindergarten teacher.  They were so happy to see her, and she was equally delighted to see them!  By 7:30, the girls were done, we took Naomi home, and Gretchen and I were on the couch with our feet up, watching Halloween shows, and eating candy.  It was great!  Our school district did something amazing this year, and I was thrilled about it.  The end of the term was Halloween, so the day after, November 1st, was a teacher prep day so no school for the kids.  It.  Was.  Amazing.  We all went to bed late, I didn't have to stress about it, we all slept in, and didn't have a thing going on until 6:00 pm that day when Marshall and Bridget went to piano.  It was a dream!  Thank you Davis School District.  Gretchen is still loving kindergarten, music class and dance.  She has learned her ballet and jazz dances for the Christmas recital and I have seen her class practicing their jazz dance the last two Thursdays.  Gretchen melts me.  She has the cutest smile and the biggest cheeks and her little shaking hips-it's all so cute I can hardly contain myself!  We brought her dance costume home last Thursday and she was in awe.  Gretchen started coming down with a bad cold last weekend and she missed Monday through Wednesday of school this last week.  Thanks to Covid and distance learning, missing school because you are sick is no longer as relaxing.  Teachers put everything online and you still have to get on the computer and do it all.  I have a love hate with it for sure.  Nice to not have make-up work, but a pain to do in the moment.  Despite not feeling 100% though, Gretchen actually loved doing school at home.  And I loved watching her little hands navigate the computer and the mouse.  Gosh I love her.  She was very happy to go back to school on Thursday, and even though I was very happy to have my mornings back, I had quite a twinge of sadness as I watched her walk to her line on Thursday morning, it almost felt like that first day of kindergarten all over again for me.  Sigh.  

A highlight from Rachel's last few weeks is she won a coloring contest sponsored by the South Davis Fire Department!  The fire department provided a picture for 4th graders across the district to color and they chose three winners and Rachel took second place!  I have never in my life won a coloring contest-I was so proud of her!  She won a snazzy new water bottle and she has used it every day since.  For Halloween, Rachel was a cat-nice and simple!  She just used some cat pajamas we got her last year and called it good-my kind of costume!  She went trick-or-treating with her friend Eily.  I dropped her off at 5:30 at Eily's and they went to the neighborhood dinner, then trick-or-treating, and then she played at Eily's house until 9:00 pm.  By all accounts, those girls had a great time together.  On Friday, the 4th, Rachel and Sara went to a dance master class at the dance studio.  It was only an hour long, but it was taught by a former Cougarette.  Rachel had a blast, it was hip-hop, and she had a great time.  This last Friday, Eily walked home with Rachel and those two got a couple of hours to play together.  Then that evening, Rachel went to Sara's birthday party.  Rachel and Sara have been friends since kindergarten, they dance together three days a week, and have piano lessons together too!  We adore Sara, her mom is the best carpool buddy, and I hope those two girls always remain close friends.  I am so glad Rachel could go and celebrate with her!  

Bridget has fully embraced another winter on the farm.  She is back to layering, wearing a headlamp, thick socks, and I am back to cursing the chicken waters.  Gag.  Luckily, there are only three goats that need to be milked and I am savoring these short milking sessions.  Soon enough, babies will be born, and the number of milking goats will drastically increase.  Bridget cannot wait.  Me, on the other hand, I will let you guess.  :)  Bridget is loving student council.  She happily goes to their 8:00 am Monday meetings.  She read the school announcements last week and led the school in the Pledge of Allegiance a couple of weeks ago.  Bridget has also had two primary activities and loves them.  She only has one primary activity left and then it is off to Young Women's-ahhh!!!  We all went to get flu shots a couple of weeks ago.  Bridget was relieved the nasal mist was an option, which both she and Marshall opted for.  Just the sight of the needles though for the rest of us made her queasy and she immediately left the room with Richard after she was done!  Bridget has had a very social couple of weeks.  On the 28th she went to Avery's birthday party.  Avery's mom took the girls to Station Park for manicures, window shopping, treats, and pretzels.  Those girls had the time of their lives and Bridget is still talking about it.  All five of those girls have planned to go back for manicures and pedicures over Christmas break!  Haha!  Bridget went to Lagoon on closing Saturday with Ben's family.  She said it was packed, but she still had a great time.  I helped with Bridget's class Halloween party and it was fun to get to know some of her classmates better.  Her class is half 5th graders, half 6th graders, and it is going well for her.  On Halloween Bridget went trick-or-treating with the same group of five girls.  They went to Claire's neighborhood dinner, went trick-or-treating and then went back to Claire's house for the fine art of sorting candy and making trades.  They ended the evening with a movie and Bridget got home a little after 10:00-once again, so glad there was no school the next day!  This last Friday Bridget had the same friends over for a late night.  They spent almost the entire evening dressed up and had a blast together.  

Marshall went trick-or-treating for the first time in a handful of years.  I did not bat an eye at letting my 14 year old go out.  I was thrilled a friend invited him and Marshall had so much fun.  Johnny got an inflatable sumo wrestler costume and Marshall got an inflatable chicken.  Those two looked hilarious together.  They left our house at 6:00 pm with some other kids in the neighborhood, but once they were done in our neighborhood, their group split apart and Marshall and Johnny continued on.  I started tracking Marshall on his phone about 8:00 pm.  Those boys were all over the place, with no rhyme or reason to their path.  Sometimes they knocked on doors, and other times they just walked and walked.  Both me and Johnny's mom checked in on them throughout the night and finally at 10:30 they came home!  Marshall's phone said he walked eight miles that night...in an inflatable chicken costume!  Haha!  In other Marshall news, he finished the first term of 8th grade and got another 4.0.  The fall soccer season also wrapped up.  Despite his team having a rocky summer, they had a really great fall and ended up placing second in their division, so next season they will move up!  Last weekend Marshall went on an overnighter with the Teacher's Quorum.  One of his advisors has a cabin up by Pineview and they took the boys up there.  I was so proud of Marshall for going and he had a great time!  They ate dinner, played games, watched a movie and then the boys slept on sleeping pads and sleeping bags in the carpeted/semi-heated garage.  :)  The next morning they had breakfast, played a bit more and then headed home.  Yesterday morning Richard and Marshall went to the Bountiful Temple to do baptisms.  The next baptism appointment we make will include Bridget!  

Richard and I have had some fun moments the last three weeks.  On Thursday, October 27th, we went to the symphony to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows-Part 1.  Not being as into Harry Potter as the rest of my family, I had never seen this movie.  It is Richard's least favorite Harry Potter movie, but since it was all new to me I was riveted...I never dozed off...a miracle!  It was a fun evening out for us.  We actually drove separately and met at City Creek because of Richard's work schedule, we grabbed a quick dinner at the food court and then made it over to Abravanel Hall with just minutes to spare.  The kids were good at home.  Everyone was asleep when we got home and Marshall had strategically positioned giant squishmallows in front of Bridget's bedroom to prevent Ziggy from bugging her!  Ha!  Speaking of Ziggy, he has been in a bit of a wandering mood lately when we let him out.  He wandered off while we were gone, so Marshall had to chase him down.  It apparently was so stressful for Ziggy that he went potty in the house, which he has not done for ages!  Marshall texted us while we were at the symphony and we told him how to clean it up...all the while Ziggy refused to make eye contact with him!  Let's just say it was a very adult night for Marshall and for the most part he handled it well.  :)  Welcome to real life!  

The next weekend Richard and I took a trip up to Boise.  Kevin and Audrey were beyond kind to come and stay with our kids that weekend.  Bless them!  We were hoping to get on the road about 9:30 Friday morning, but because of various things we didn't leave until 12:30.  Despite driving through rain once we got up into Idaho we had a very uneventful, calm five hour drive-it seemed like a breeze without our kids!  We had a late dinner reservation that night at 8:30 pm at a restaurant called Fork.  It is downtown Boise and it was delicious.  Richard and I both loved what we had and were way too full for dessert, sadly!  We got to sleep in some the next morning and at 9:00 met my cousin, Tim, and his wife, Susie for breakfast at Moe Joe's.  Tim and Susie have lived up in Boise for years, and though I only see them every few years, I adore them.  They recommended Moe Joe's and it did not disappoint.  I ordered banana bread French toast complete with bananas, candied walnuts and a caramel drizzle.  If that doesn't make your mouth water, I don't know what will!  We had two lovely hours catching up with them and it made me so, so happy.  After breakfast we went back to the hotel for a nap before Dutch and Gigi picked us up at 1:00 pm.  Dutch was Richard's mission companion in the MTC and Gigi was born and raised in Queens and Richard knows her and her mom well from his eight months of serving in their branch.  I had never met either of them and it was a complete joy to meet them both and spend hours together.  We went to lunch at a restaurant super close to the stadium and just enjoyed three hours inside, out of the cold, eating good food and talking with them.  Dutch has the personality that immediately puts you at ease.  He is funny and tells great stories and just a genuinely happy person.  Gigi is so fun to talk to.  I loved listening to her stories of growing up in Queens.  Dutch and Gigi have three boys and you can just tell how much they love those boys.  A great couple!  After lunch we walked over to the stadium and by miracle of miracles BYU pulled out the win.  Richard, obviously, was on Cloud 9.  It was a really fun game, fun atmosphere, and with plenty of layers on, we stayed decently warm.  After the game, Dutch and Gigi drove us back to our hotel, and after talking for a while more, we said good-bye and promised to not let 20 years go by before we get together again!  When we got back to our room that night, Richard told me how much Dutch meant to him.  Richard hated his nine weeks in the MTC, but he really thinks Dutch was the perfect MTC companion for him, and if it weren't for Dutch he might not have survived the MTC.  Richard doesn't often talk this way, so it was sweet to hear him express those thoughts.  We slept in a bit Sunday morning and then hit the road and drove home.  We got home a little before 3:00 pm and found all well here.  The kids, despite Gretchen being at the beginning of a miserable cold, all had so much fun with Kevin, Audrey, and their boys.  At dinner that night they just told story after story of cute things Todd and Clark did and how much fun they had with them.  We are so grateful to Kevin and Audrey coming to watch our kids and so happy that our kids got a whole weekend with some of their youngest cousins to make great memories.  

A couple of weeks ago, Richard enjoyed going to a movie with Ricky.  I have had two book club meetings, one for my Foxboro book club and one for my Centerville book club.  If you have not read Rebecca, I highly recommend it!  It was such a fun Halloween read.  Now I just need to watch the movie!  I had a delightful Saturday afternoon.  I met my friend, Shannnon, downtown for lunch at Setebello's and then we went to Ballet West.  Shannon has never seen a ballet, and I told her it was high time she experienced it.  It was breathtaking.  They performed three pieces, and they were all wonderful, but the second one was exceptional.  It was about loss and it was set to a piano solo and it was stunning.  The human body is amazing!!!  

When I got home that evening, after dinner, we decorated our new 12 foot Christmas tree that Richard and the kids got set up while I was gone.  Richard has been dying to have a huge tree in our big family room ever since we moved in.  I held him off for four years, and we agreed that last January he could buy a tree on sale after Christmas.  This 12 foot tree has been sitting in our garage, in three boxes, for 11 months.  :)  Stacie and I went shopping for the ornaments a couple of weeks ago, and I am so glad she was with me because it would have stressed me to the max to try and figure out how to decorate a 12 foot tree.  Richard and I survived trying to put ribbon on it, but that was the hardest part.  It is a beauty, and it sure was a lot of fun.  Funny story though, Rachel came home from Sara's birthday party on Friday night saying she hurt her pinky toe.  Of course, I hardly thought anything of it until she brought it up again Saturday morning.  I told her to show it to Richard and sure enough it was quite bruised and swollen, but what can you do for a pinky toe?!  Nothing.  So as we were decorating the tree Saturday night, Richard accidentally ran his foot into the corner of our wall that juts out.  Sure enough, when we went to bed that night and he took off his sock, his toe looked exactly like Rachel's! Their bruises and swelling are seriously identical.  Ha!  Twinsies!  As my girls like to say.  Rachel is happy to not be suffering alone anymore.  :)  

Okay, my goodness, that was long.  Took me two days to write!  Here's to writing next Sunday.  Fingers crossed.  

Love each of you.

Richard, Jenny, Marshall, Bridget, Rachel, and Gretchen :)

And for journaling purposes, our Halloween-festive activities included Cross E Ranch for Rachel, Gretchen, and myself.  A neighborhood Halloween party.  Carving/painting pumpkins.  Scary Hill with Danny's family.  And Toney FHE with many people in costume.  :)  I was so glad when Halloween was finally done!  Ha!  

The Leake's Week-October 24, 2022

 Hello!  Another Monday edition...there is something about Sundays now...it seems too hard to write!  Anyway, I didn't want two weeks to pass me by, so I am forcing myself to pound this out.  Our life has been lived at hyper-speed for the last few weeks it seems with hardly a moment to spare.  I feel like Richard and I are hanging on for dear life from one day to the next-full of good, but a lot of good!  Here's the rundown...

Last Monday was pretty straight-forward:  music class for Gretchen, dance for Rachel and soccer practice for Marshall.  Bridget desperately wanted to have Cambria over to show her her new room, and since Bridget didn't have anything going on after school, it worked out!  Cambria's little sister, Naomi, is in Gretchen's kindergarten class and they have become good little buddies so Naomi came over too.  It was a fun and friend-filled afternoon for those two, which makes all of us happy.  

Richard had the day off on Tuesday, which was so wonderful.  He and I make a great team, and it is days like this I wish he didn't have to work!  After we got the kids off to school, we dropped the van off for routine maintenance, went to breakfast, ran errands, Richard got the flu shot, picked up the van, and then I volunteered in Gretchen's class-all by 11:00 am!  After lunch, Richard put together a book shelf for Bridget's new room and I started moving some of Gretchen's things into her old/new room.  After school, Rachel had dance and Marshall had a soccer game.  Richard was able to be there for all of it and I was able to be there for most of it.  Marshall's team ended up winning 7-0, so it was a great game!  We had a late dinner at home all together after soccer, which was nice.  After dinner we "Boo-ed" two families.  We got Boo-ed right before we left for Vernal, and the kids had all been eagerly anticipating this fun act.  I made pumpkin chocolate chip cookies and we got orange soda and Bridget took the wrappers off and drew a face for a jack-o-lantern.  Bridget, Rachel and Gretchen delivered the treats, knocked on the door and hid for our neighbors the Camps.  Richard, Marshall and I watched it all from our bedroom windows.  It was delightful to watch.  When they got back, we piled in the van and drove to Sara's house.  Marshall dropped off their goodies disguised in a beanie and gator.  :)  It was a fun evening outing and we all loved it.  

My Wednesday morning was completely delightful.  After all the kids got off to school, I went downtown and met Katie for my birthday breakfast at The Coffee Shop at the Little America.  I had the best two hours catching up with her and eating delicious food.  After kindergarten, Gretchen had lunch with Charlie and Jackson and had a great time playing with them, and I enjoyed a little bit more time to myself!  Later that afternoon Bridget had horseback riding, Marshall and Bridget both had piano lessons, and Rachel had dance...luckily, soccer practice was cancelled for Marshall!  That was honestly the best news of my day!  I lived in the van for two hours that afternoon/evening just driving around Farmington and Centerville...nuts!  Marshall also went to the YM/YW activity that night at Cross E Ranch for the corn maze.  Despite getting a little car sick on the way home, he had a great time.  Bob and Becky came and stayed at our house that night in order to catch an early flight the next morning.  We enjoyed spending some time with them before we all went to bed.  

Thursday was a day for the books.  I actually gave myself a real relaxing morning, because I knew that the second half of the day was going to be bananas.  Once Gretchen got home from school, she and I had a quick lunch and then it was off to dance for her.  I was home for a bit and then drove to the Radisson hotel by the airport and met Katie there.  Can I just say it was a true treat to spend time with Katie two days in a row?!  That has not happened in years!  Anyway, Anna was flying in for a very quick weekend trip with her mom and Georgie and the only time we could see her was to pick them up from the airport and drive them to her sister's house in Sandy!  I left my car at the hotel (relieved I wasn't ticketed!), hopped in Katie's car and we drove the few minutes to the airport.  We only had to wait a bit before they were outside and it was so great to see Anna, Georgie and Jackie, Anna's mom.  We had a short 30 minute drive to her sister's house, which we desperately wish could have been longer, but we are grateful for every minute!  Georgie fell asleep in the car and when I got her out she just kept sleeping on my shoulder-I wish I could have taken her home for Gretchen!  We eventually forced ourselves to say good-bye and Katie drove me back to the Radisson.  I picked up Gretchen from Genevieve's house on my way home (so thankful for ALL the people who helped make Thursday afternoon possible for me!) and we walked in the door just before 5:00.  Rachel was off at a group lesson for piano and Bridget was getting ready for the farm.  I made a quick dinner for Gretchen and me to eat in the car while we took Marshall to soccer.  After we dropped Marshall off, Gretchen asked me where we were.  It took me a minute to realize she was asking what state we were in.  I told her we were in Utah, and she said, "What?!  We've been in Utah the whole time?!  I feel like we drove to Las Vegas!"  We were in Woods Cross.  :)  We were home for five minutes, just waiting for Rachel and as soon as she got home, the three of us went to the church for the primary program practice.  We had a pretty decent primary turnout considering it was a week night and we were able to get through the whole program twice, it was mostly successful.  :)  We gave all the kids donuts, thanked them for their hard work, and sent them on their way.  Richard had picked up Marshall from soccer and swung by and picked up the girls.  I stayed for a primary presidency meeting and made it home about 8:45.  It was a day for sure!  But, the kids did great.  I just left them a note that afternoon telling them who was picking them up when and to be ready and eat dinner and it went well.  And like I said, so many other parents helped drive my kids around that day and took care of them.  It surely takes a village!  Needless to say, I slept very well that night!  

Richard had a very early work shift Friday morning.  He is in the depths of my cold now, so I feel bad for him.  But, thanks to Coke Zero and lots of cold medication he was able to power through.  Bless him.  Marshall had a taco truck for lunch because of his Spanish class, he loved it.  After school, my parents came and picked up Marshall for his birthday outing.  Their original plan was to go plane watching and out to brunch or lunch on Saturday, but the weather had other plans, so they bumped the plane watching up to Friday afternoon.  From what I have heard, those three had a great time.  They were able to see planes landing and taking off and with binoculars they could see flights either going to or from four other countries.  I believe Marshall told me they saw a flight from South Korea heading to Dallas!  So amazing!  Meanwhile, at home, I tried to get the girls to either do jobs or nap, but they only wanted to play, but after their busy week, I couldn't blame them.  Richard got home just after 5:00, we loaded up in the van, and drove to Rachel's piano recital in Bountiful.  My parents and Marshall met us there and we cheered on little Dokie.  She missed a few notes, but nailed the dynamics, and she did a good job.  She had two recitals in Let's Play Music, but this was definitely the most people she has ever played for.  After the recital, we drove into Salt Lake and grabbed quick dinners for all of us at the City Creek food court-something to make everyone happy!  After dinner we walked over to the Eccles for a night I have been looking forward to for months-The Lion King!  Richard and I bought these tickets so long ago.  This was my third time seeing it, Richard's second and the first for all of our kids.  I told Richard no expense spared on these seats and we sat on the main floor, right on the aisle so that we could have an unobstructed view of all the amazing costumes coming down.  It was amazing and so wonderful to experience it with my kids.  They were all riveted the entire show, and despite it starting at 8:00, everyone stayed awake the entire time...even Richard!   Ha!  It was honestly so amazing and I am so glad we splurged and did it.  Rachel and Gretchen watched The Lion King movie on Saturday afternoon and the soundtrack to the Broadway version has pretty much been playing non-stop in our house and car since we got home.  

Saturday morning everyone was able to sleep in except Bridget and me-off to the farm in the cold and rain at 8:00 am.  Lovely!  Bridget and Cambria loved it, I did not.  :)  At 11:30 my parents came and picked up Marshall for his lunch date.  That crazy kid chose sushi, and all I can say is I am so glad my parents like seafood.  Marshall came home ecstatic about lunch and talked about it the rest of Saturday.  At 2:00 pm, Bridget left to go to Cambria's house for the afternoon and then their family Halloween party and did not get home until 10:30!  She had a great time at the party and came home with loads of candy and wonderful stories.  Cambria's great uncle hosts this party and has been doing it for years.  He has a barn and a pygmy goat so of course Bridget thought this was the coolest thing ever.  :)  Richard, Marshall and I watched the BYU football game.  I have not seen Richard this upset over BYU football since Gary Crowton was the coach.  He popped a balloon (Marshall is not letting him live this down) and he turned the game off early!  Marshall and I were shocked!  This has never happened.  Thankfully, Richard channeled his anger and took apart the entire bunk bed in Rachel's room and we finished cleaning up the room and got her new queen bed all set up.  It was anger well used!  Ha!  That night Rachel went to a birthday party for a boy in her class.  His parents were brave and invited 17 kids over for dinner, games and a movie.  When I picked up Rachel and Sara, Luke's mom told me it was wild...I have NO DOUBT.  Richard and I went out for a late dinner and Marshall baby-sat Gretchen.  He was so good to her and played board games with her after they ate.  And when I got home from church on Sunday I found those two in the living room again playing games...my heart.  Anyway, Saturday was another very late night for us.  We were all finally home by 10:45, everyone was still awake, even Gretchen, but we were all sound asleep by 11:15 pm!  Gretchen even slept back in her "old room" as she calls it.  

We had a great Sunday yesterday.  It was the primary program, Bridget's last!  Bridget and Rachel both had speaking parts and Gretchen sang "Keep the Commandments" with the CTR 5 and CTR 6 class.  We had all the kids who spoke write their own talks, and they all did a great jbb.  The primary kids all sang great and there were not many dry eyes by the end.  The last song we sang was "I Will Be What I Believe", a song that was written a few years ago.  The kids sang so well and with their whole hearts.  I was sitting up on the stand and couldn't even sing with them-it was so touching.  My parents were able to come see it, and Richard was also there, which hasn't happened for all of October!  The rest of our day was relaxing and spent together, which was wonderful and what we all needed.  We also all went to bed earlier last night!  

And that's a wrap!  Here's to a new week...may it be a little calmer.  Wishful thinking!

Love to all of you!

Richard, Jenny, Marshall, Bridget, Rachel and Gretchen :)

The Leake's Week-October 17, 2022

 Hello!

We have had two little trips back-to-back and between packing, unpacking, doing laundry, packing again, and our busy life in general, time has once again slipped through my fingers!  Two weeks to catch up on...I will start with the trips!

On Friday, October 7th, the girls had early-out, Richard had the day off of work, we checked Marshall out of school at 2:00 pm, and hit the road for Vegas.  The kids traveled great.  We stopped in Cedar City for dinner at a very sub-par Denny's, and then got back on the road and made it to Las Vegas about 9:00 pm.  Other than some traffic going through the Virgin River Gorge our drive was uneventful and things went great.  We were at a Residence Inn close to Allegiant Stadium, which was a great location.  We unloaded the van, took a bit of time to relax, and then everyone went to sleep great-this is the biggest perk of traveling with older kids!  No more dealing with crying babies and begging hyper toddlers to settle down and be quiet!  Ha!  None of the girls wanted to share a bed with Marshall, so he lucked out and got a queen bed all to himself in his own bedroom.  The girls all slept in the living room with Bridget and Rachel sharing the pull-out couch and sweet Gretchen opted for cushions on the floor.  Both Richard and I were shocked, completely shocked, at how well she slept there both nights!  Bless her little soul.  

We all slept in the next morning, which is exactly what I needed.  After some morning snuggles with the girls, we went down to breakfast along with a throng of many other BYU fans.  :)  It was fun to see BYU very well represented in all sorts of apparel.  It was a good breakfast and all the kids were able to find multiple things that they liked.  We were in the pool at 10:00 am!  It wasn't quite as warm as we thought it would be given how hot Vegas was, but we eventually got used to it and had a lot of fun.  For the next two hours, we were back and forth between the pool, hot tub, and pool deck.  There were a handful of other adults in the pool area, but ours were the only kids and that was great!  We had a lot of fun.  After showers and baths for everyone, we drove a few minutes to Shake Shack for a late lunch.  By miracle of miracles, everyone ate at Shake Shack and was HAPPY!  We had a delightful lunch eating and talking, and then got shakes to go.  I had their pumpkin pie shake and Marshall tried their apple cider shake-we would recommend both!  When we got back to the hotel, we napped and watched shows before Richard left with the three oldest kids at 3:15 for the game.  The only angst of the trip was Marshall was dying to get over to the stadium, and started getting a bit testy about it at 2:30-two full hours before kick-off!  But, Rachel was asleep, and with her being the wild card of this game for Richard, we made Marshall stick to the 3:15 plan!  We still had to wake Rachel up, and then she was crying because she didn't want to leave me.  I sent Richard out the door with an anxious Marshall and a crying Rachel!  It definitely tugged at my heart!  Thankfully though, Richard said it took just mere minutes for everyone to settle down and find happiness again.  Great report.  While they were at the game, I had the BEST time with cute Gretchen.  She watched a Barbie movie while I read a book, we did homework, played games, went on a walk around the hotel, ordered Dominos for dinner, and had delightful dinner conversation.  She is a little gem of a human, and I loved those hours I had with her without the interruption of regular life.  As for the BYU game, lame that they lost, but Richard and the kids still had a fun time.  They were very impressed with the stadium itself, but very disappointed with the concourse around it!  They reported that it was so narrow, and really only allowed single-file walking in each direction, plus you had to make your way around big support beams and Richard said it was crazy trying to navigate it with three kids.  Rachel reported that she was smashed up against too many people's backsides!  Once they got back to the hotel, it was great hearing all of them talk about the game and the stadium, and they helped me and Gretchen finish eating the pizza!  It was fun to all be back together again for the rest of the evening.  We just had fun talking, playing games, and watching more football before going to bed.  

Sunday morning we slept in, probably longer than we should have, had breakfast at the hotel, and were on the road by 10:00 am.  We hit traffic in the canyon again, stopped for lunch in St. George and finally made it home a little after 6:00 pm.  We all went to pick up Ziggy at our friends' house and he was over the moon to see us.  No other greeting/reunion beats that of being reunited with your dog...call me crazy!  But their joy over seeing you is just the sweetest,most heart-warming and happy thing.  Love Ziggy.  

This last Wednesday began Fall Break for the kids.  They get a measly four days, and I very much wish it could be a week long.  That would be wonderful!  But, we made the most of it and the kids, Ziggy, and I went to Vernal.  Unfortunately, Richard had to work through the week and weekend, so he could not come.  We were on the road by 4:30 pm on Wednesday and had a safe drive to Vernal.  I packed a dinner for us to eat in the car, so we wouldn't have to stop with Ziggy in the car.  The drive through Daniel's Canyon and up by Strawberry was breathtaking.  So many beautiful fall colors!  If Richard was with us and driving I would have been snapping a picture of the scenery every three seconds.  We all traveled great and made it to the Leake's about 7:45, very happy to be there.  That evening we talked and the kids played and Ziggy roamed before we all went to bed.  The three girls slept in the bedroom upstairs and per their request, Ziggy slept in the same bedroom in his crate.  This went pretty well, except he would wake them up with his whining in the morning earlier than they wanted.  :)  Marshall and I shared an air mattress in the basement.  

Our Thursday in Vernal was dreamy.  We spent so much time outside in the beautiful fall weather.  We played outside that morning, Bridget rode Fred, and then after lunch Katelin came over and we picked apples, hundreds of apples.  All the kids were fantastic helpers.  We filled a wheelbarrow, a sled, and a horse trough full of apples!  Obviously the horse trough was too heavy for us to move, and we wanted to make the apple cider in the backyard, so Bob started up his tractor and moved the trough full of apples to the backyard!  Once we got everything set up, we got a great system going.  Gretchen, being the best little helper, cleaned each apple.  She would take apples, dunk them in a pot of water, and then put the apples in a bowl on the table.  Gretchen did this job with the most cheerful little spirit.  Rachel helped her some with the apples in the sled, but Gretchen emptied the entire wheelbarrow full of apples all by herself!  I am guessing there were 300 apples in there!  Becky, Katelin, and I cut the apples into halves or fourths and then Bob, Marshall, Bridget, and Rachel all worked the press.  It was the most delightful process and so fun.  Everyone was happy, everyone was helping, the weather was beautiful, the light coming through the tall trees in the backyard was magic and it was a slice of heaven.  At about 5:00, we stopped and went to Freddy's for dinner and then came back and worked for another bit before it got too dark and cold.  When we finally went inside, we warmed up some of the cider on the stove and enjoyed the fruits of our labors, literally.  It was delicious!  The Leakes don't add anything to their cider, it is just chopped and pressed apples, all varieties from their trees, and it is just the sweetest most tasty apple juice, served warm or cold!  After all of that, Katelin went home, the kids got in pajamas and watched a movie, "The Haunted Mansion" and I enjoyed visiting with Bob and Becky.  It was the perfect day.

On Friday morning Rachel slept until almost 9:00 am!  Haha!  Ziggy's whining and him jumping on her didn't even wake her up!  Once everyone was up and moving and after breakfast, we went outside to finish the apples!  It took about one hour and by the time we were all done, we had 24 gallons of apple cider!  We were all so happy with our accomplishment!  After cleaning up, we played outside for a while and then packed a lunch and drove to Bluebell to go to the corn maze.  Joe and his family also joined us, and we also took Ziggy!  Bridget was thrilled that we could take him, and he actually did better than I thought!  After the maze, the kids enjoyed all the other activities there-a big slide, shooting the pumpkin cannon, feeding goats (of course!) jumping on the giant pumpkin pillow, and other things I know I am forgetting!  We stayed for a handful of hours and had a great time.  We got back to the Leake's about 5:00, stayed for a bit, and then went over to Joe's.  We played outside in their yard until it was too cold and dark and had the best time.  Joe lives on an acre of land, and it is a fun acre.  Trampoline, swing set, jungle jim, and a zip line!  The zip line is the newest addition, so of course we all had to try it.  I even got up there and then screamed the whole time!  The kids loved it though and it was so much fun.  Ziggy was having the time of his life with their three dogs.  They ran wild around the yard and played and swatted at each other.  Joe also brought out their bearded dragon.  All my kids were brave enough to pet or touch it.  I barely touched it once and almost gagged.  A reminder, once again, that 99% of animals are not my thing-especially anything with scales!  Gah!  It is making me shudder just writing this!  Once it was cold, we sat around the fire which felt lovely.  We eventually made our way inside for pizza and enjoyed an evening of pizza and games.   Joe always has hilarious games to play, and there was lots of laughter, even from Marshall, which I always love.  :)  We got home late and went right to bed-big day!

Saturday morning we had to be up early.  Bridget got a brief ride on Fred and by 9:30 Bob, Becky, Marshall and Bridget were on their way to Provo for the BYU game.  I was on the road with the younger girls and Ziggy about 10:30 and we were home about 1:30.  It was another gorgeous drive home, those aspens above Strawberry are glowing and it is gorgeous!  Bob and Becky were so kind to drive the kids all the way home after the BYU game, which was a loss!  Despite BYU's poor performance, Marshall and Bridget said they still had a fun time.  I was happy that all of us were finally home together about 7:00 pm that night.  

Those are our travels!  I am glad we can put the suitcases away for a bit!  Here are some other highlights from the last two weeks:

I turned 39 on October 5th!  Yikes!  Last year to live it up in my 30s.  :)  The Monday before my birthday I organized a hike with friends in my neighborhood and we spent a lovely morning together.  Can you tell I love fall colors...and they seem extra bright this year!  My actual birthday was great.  We opened presents before the kids left for school and then once all the kids got off, Richard and I went to breakfast at Roots.  So, so delicious.  A friend was kind enough to keep Gretchen for me for a while after kindergarten, so we did not have to rush back.  We stopped at Nothing Bundt Cakes on the way home, and then after picking up Gretchen, we came home, and I promptly fell asleep for a long nap and didn't even set an alarm!  It was glorious.  Our girls had early out that day, so once they were all home, I took them and Ziggy to a new park we have discovered and love.  Richard did have a work meeting/dinner that night, so I was on my own to run the show with dinner and carpools, and helping with a teacher dinner, but it was just fine.  My friend did all the dance driving, and we had an easy dinner, and even though I was in and out of the car, it was a laid back evening with people eating cake slices at all different times.  :)  When Richard got home I made him dance to two songs with me out on the deck-a lovely way to end a lovely day.  Here's to another year of life!

The girls had parent teacher conferences the day after my birthday.  Their teachers all had glowing reports and the school year is off to a great start for all of them.  According to testing, Rachel is reading on grade level-she has never started the school year that way, so we are all so happy for her!  Marshall also had a band concert that night.  Rachel couldn't go because she had piano, but the rest of us were there to cheer him on.  It was fun to hear the progress the band has made since they are all playing their instrument for the second year.  Richard snuck out after Marshall's band to pick up Rachel and then we all met up at Culver's for custard-a great way to celebrate!  

We have been busy the last two weeks finishing Bridget's new bedroom.  Richard and I finished the painting two weeks ago.  I love the color choice, but a bold color with white trim is not my favorite thing to deal with!  Ah!  Last Tuesday her new closet was built and it looks great.  It is the smallest bedroom in our house and the smallest closet, but the space has been maximized!  While we were in Vernal, Richard set up her bed frame and she spent almost all of her time after church on Sunday moving things down.  She had her upstairs closet completely cleaned out before dinner!  After dinner last night Richard and I moved her mattress and nightstand down and she slept down there last night!  She is in heaven organizing everything and making the space her own-and I am loving that she can do so much of it on her own!  Soon we will have four kids in their own four bedrooms with only the two youngest upstairs by us.  It makes us feel old and that these kids are growing up SO fast.  Honestly, Richard seemed more affected by this than me last night-it was a tender moment for him last night down in her room.  Time flies!  

Okay, to end the email I just have to write two adorable things about Gretchen, both from Vegas.  She started calling her suitcase her luggage, which I don't think she has ever done before.  When we were unloading the van at the hotel she said, "Can you help me with my luggage please?  I can't carry my blankets and my luggage at the same time."  Then the next night, when she and I were getting ready to eat dinner, I opened the cupboard to get down two plates and she was completely taken by surprise.  She exclaimed, "I didn't know this hotel had dishware!"  Haha!  Dishware! Where did she hear that?!  I love her.  

That is it!  Thanks, as always, for reading.  :)

Love,

Richard, Jenny, Marshall, Bridget, Rachel and Gretchen :)

The Leake's Week-October 2, 2022

 Happy October!  I am thrilled that October is here, and even though it doesn't really feel like fall yet, temperature-wise, I am already grateful for a change in season.  Last night, after the kitchen was cleaned up, I lit a fall candle from Bath and Body Works.  The kids could not stop talking about the delightful scent wafting through our house, and I couldn't either!  Richard was sick of me talking about it by the time we went to bed, but yay for fall!  I am two weeks behind in email writing, so I'll do a quick catch up person by person.

Gretchen is still LOVING kindergarten.  And I am so glad, because if she ever complained about it, it would take all my self-control to keep sending her.  It has become very apparent to me that she is loving growing up and finally doing all the things she has seen her siblings do for years:  school, music class, dance class, and playing with friends.  She loves it all.  I get to volunteer in her kindergarten class every Tuesday and I am there waiting when the kids come in from recess.  This last Tuesday, Gretchen ran right up to me, gave me a hug and a kiss, and it just completely made my day.  Bless her little soul!  Gretchen has loved making new friends at school.  Last week she played at Mary Grace's house for the entire afternoon and had the best time.  She is crossing her fingers for a playdate with Naomi this week.  The girls had school picture day on Wednesday.  I started doing hair at 7:00 that morning and finally finished at 8:30 am!  Thankfully, Richard was home and took care of everything else that morning so I could just wave and curl hair on three different heads!  Gretchen chose to wear her BYU jumper that day!  She could not be persuaded to wear anything else.  So, the girl who regularly tells Richard that BYU clothes are ugly, chose to wear the one BYU item she has to school picture day!  The irony!  For the entire last half of September, Gretchen has been begging to decorate for Halloween.  I put her off until last Saturday when Rachel joined in the begging, and we pulled out all our Halloween/fall decor.  It was actually great decorating with them because they were helpful and it went quite quickly!  On Friday, the 23rd, I took the girls and two of Bridget's friends to Lagoon.  For the most part, Bridget stuck with her friends so it was mostly just Gretchen, Rachel and me.  We did two cute little Halloween areas which both of the girls ended up loving.  We rode the fire truck, and since it has been weeks since we were there, we all got exceptional tummy tickles.  We did a handful of other rides before those two were ready to call it a night.  Bridget stayed later with her friends.  It was a fun evening!

Rachel continues to completely impress Richard and me with how she is handling school, piano, and over seven hours of dance a week.  On Monday and Tuesday she has ten minutes at home after school before she is off to dance.  She has not complained once and is excelling!  Thankfully, her teacher gives very minimal homework-praise the heavens!  She has just gotten so good at managing her time and looks of pockets for time to fit in ten minutes of homework or ten minutes of piano, and then she will wrap up whatever she needs to hours later.  So, so proud of her!  On Friday night Bridget went to Eily's house to watch Hocus Pocus 2-she loved it.  A great night for her!

Bridget, per the usual, has been spending her free time riding a horse or at the farm.  :)  She is still loving horseback riding.  I went to the farm two weeks ago with Bridget and Cambria.  We started with the chickens, and were shocked to find a dead chicken!  It was gross, and once again, I asked myself, "How is this my life now?!"  Thankfully, I was not the one who had to take care of said chicken!  Bridget and Cambria were hardly phased by it.  On Saturday, the 24th, the Garlicks had a farm clean up day.  Bridget and Cambria were there for about four hours and worked hard to get things cleaned up and ready for winter.  Bridget and Cambria were back at the farm this last Thursday.  Some does are in the process of getting dried out so they can get pregnant pretty soon.  I am thrilled this is cutting down on the milking time, but bracing myself for when it ramps up again in the spring!  Ah!  Of course, Bridget is counting down until new baby goats are born.  :)  Probably the most exciting thing for Bridget is that she rode Cannibal for the first time, and I didn't even go with her!  Bridget was our driving force behind our Lagoon trip two weeks ago.  As soon as we got into Lagoon, we made a bee-line for Cannibal.  The line was short, so they hardly had a wait!  Bridget and Avery were first timers.  They sat in the front row and both came running off saying that they loved it.  Bridget's courage on rides has gone through the roof this summer.  She has become a little thrill seeker.  

Marshall's free time has been dominated by soccer.  He has done two or three practices a week for the last two weeks, including two early Saturday morning practices.  On Tuesday evening he was at soccer practice and about an hour into practice my phone rang and when I saw it was his coach, my stomach dropped.  Of course my mind went to the worst case scenario:  Marshall unconscious because of a ball to the head and an ambulance on the way!  Yes, all those thoughts went through my mind before I answered the phone!  I was completely relieved to answer and hear Marshall's voice on the other end!  Granted, he had hurt his Achilles and could barely walk, but I will take that any day over a head injury!  Richard picked him up early from practice and brought him home.  He iced it, took ibuprofen, and slept in his special boots and miraculously woke up totally fine the next morning!  He even ran the mile in gym that day.  I had told him to take it easy and jog, but of course he couldn't bring himself to do that and ran it in 6:29.  :)  He has also had two soccer games, both wins, which is also lovely.  :)  On Friday evening during dinner, we asked the kids about some specifics of their day.  Marshall reported in gym they had their last day of flag football and that day he had five touchdowns and two interceptions!  I was shocked!  He was so casual about it and nonchalant.  He went on to explain people always guard the most athletic looking kids, so he is always wide open and the quarterback always throws to him and Marshall surprises people every time!  Ha!  

The low point of my life the last two weeks is two dentist appointments, but they are done, thankfully!  I did volunteer in the Charger Store two Fridays ago, and as always, LOVED that!  Marshall liked it too because I bought him a treat!  I roped my friend Kara into working with me, and when the store wasn't open, I loved talking with her.  Last weekend we had Richard's brother, Nathan, and his daughter, Mara, stay with us.  We haven't seen Nathan since last summer and it was great to catch up with him.  On Friday night we had a ward adult social.  We got there late, but still had a great time visiting with some people without kids running around! I spent a bunch of hours on Friday and Saturday painting Bridget's new bedroom.  With the help of Stacie and her amazing color skills, Bridget found and fell in love with a gorgeous teal color, Federated Blue, by Sherwin Williams.  We decided to be bold, and paint all four walls in it.  It is stunning!  She loves it and I love it.  Now I just have to paint the trim and all the painting will be done!  Yay!  Oh, one more thing, last Sunday afternoon I took Marshall and Bridget to watch planes up at Tunnel Springs Park.  It was a fun little Sunday afternoon outing.  They are so fun to be with.  

Richard's work schedule has been all over the place.  Work from home, work late, work early, work here and there, but he has also been around more, which we all love.  He has been happy with the two BYU football wins the last two weeks.  We didn't have any of our kids go to the Utah State game on Thursday since it was a school night, but Richard went and met his parents, niece, and childhood friend, Marshall, and his wife down there.  Traffic was terrible and it took him two hours and ten minutes to get to the parking lot.  He made it inside just in time for kick off!  

Well, I think that's it!  We have a big week ahead!  My birthday is Wednesday and we leave on Friday for Vegas.  BYU is playing Notre Dame and we are all going down for it, though Gretchen and I will hang at the hotel during the game.  :)  Should be fun!

Love, 

Richard, Jenny, Marshall, Bridget, Rachel, and Gretchen :)

P.S.  Note the picture of Ziggy scowling at his brush!  Oh my gosh, it cracks me up!  Can you tell he loathes it?!  Haha!  

The Leake's Week-September 19, 2022

 Hello All!  A Monday edition of the email.  Our last week was the usual busy, but nothing out of the ordinary.  But, it was still exhausting, and we very much enjoyed our slower paced weekend...hence I did not write an email!  Here's a quick recap...

Last Monday Gretchen and I went to her music class.  She is LOVING it and multiple times a week will ask to listen to the songs.  She loves to run to them and she will get out her bells and play along.  I have gone to class twice with her now, and it is so delightful!  Gretchen also went on her birthday outing with my parents last Monday.  They picked her up at 4:00 and took her shopping at Barnes and Noble and then to dinner at the Olive Garden.  She picked out a Peppa Pig book and got Calico Critters.  She is heaven with those things!  Marshall and Bridget didn't have anything going on that day, and they actually had some time to play outside together which was good for both of them and good for me to watch.  :)  Rachel had her long dance day on Monday, 4:00-7:15, and came home completely exhausted.  She was the last of our kids to get over the cold that had been going around and I think between school, dance, and her cold she was wiped out.  She and I got home at 7:30, she ate half a piece of toast and then put herself to bed at 8:00.  Sweet Dokie.  She is loving dance, but I worry a bit about her sustaining this busy schedule through the school year.  A few times a year, Rachel needs a recharge of sleep, and then she wakes up completely a new person.  I was crossing my fingers that with about 11 hours of sleep that night she would wake up good as new Tuesday morning, but not quite.  

On Tuesday morning, Rachel was still pretty wiped out, so I decided to keep her home for at least the morning to see if she perked up.  All the other kids went off to school and I got some things done at home.  At 11:00 I volunteered in Gretchen's class, but Rachel still wasn't up for going to school. so we called it a day for her.  Gretchen loves having me in her classroom once a week, and I am loving it just as much!  When we got home, we had lunch with Rachel and read books.  Once again, Rachel only ate a bit, and then she walked over to the couch and fell asleep!  She slept for a solid two hours and woke up totally new and feeling SO much better!  Yay!  While Rachel was sleeping, Gretchen and I went to her well-child check.  (For the record, before Rachel fell asleep, I did tell her Gretchen and I would be leaving!)  Gretchen was nothing short of darling with the pediatrician.  She answered all his questions, and kind of surprised me by knowing the name of her school!  She remains in the 5% for weight, coming in at about 35 pounds.  And in the 25% for height.  At this rate, she will top out at 5 feet and 1 inch as an adult!  Ha!  Sometimes Richard and I have conversations about predicting our children's heights as adults.  We think they will go in birth order tallest to shortest-it will be fun to see how it really pans out!  The only good thing about Rachel being a bit under the weather on Tuesday is we kept her home from dance and it helped reduce my chauffer time that afternoon and Gretchen's time in the car!  Marshall and Bridget had piano, Bridget had a primary activity, and Marshall had soccer practice that afternoon/evening.  I ended my night with a primary presidency meeting, and per the usual, got home nice and late.  :)  

On Wednesday, Rachel was completely back to herself and off to school.  Richard worked later that day, so it was great to have him around for a good chunk of the school day.  After school, Marshall had soccer and Rachel had dance.  

Thursday morning was a real treat for me.  After getting all the kids off to school, I met Stacie at Caffe Torino in Farmington.  We have been wanting to try this place for at least two years, but their hours have not matched up with our plans and schedule, but we finally succeeded on Thursday morning!  It was worth the wait.  They serve crepes, and I am still thinking about my crepe!  I ordered the French Toast crepe and it was divine.  It had a cooked egg batter on the outside and inside were strawberries, bananas, custard, bacon and then it was covered with whipped cream on the outside.  Hello.  Is your mouth watering right now?  It should be!  The salty of the bacon just blended delightfully with the sweet of everything else.  Yum, yum, yum.  If anyone wants to meet up for brunch, let me know!  After breakfast, we went to Simple Treasures Boutique and browsed and shopped.  We both walked away with a handful of things we are very excited about.  A wonderful morning!  After kindergarten, Gretchen played with our neighbors before getting ready for dance class.  She was over the moon to discover that her bestie, Genevieve, talked her mom into signing her up for jazz so that she could stick with Gretchen.  Yay!  Gretchen loved dance class and came home so happy.  We had a pretty chill afternoon.  Richard had a work dinner, so he got home late.  That night Rachel had piano, and Marshall had a late soccer practice.  Unfortunately, no one got to bed early that night!  

On Friday Rachel had a primary activity after school.  While she was gone, I stopped by my Mom's house for a birthday visit!  We had a great little chat and I am so glad I could have a little one-on-one time with her on her special day.  At 4:00, Cooper came over for a belated birthday celebration with Marshall.  Also at 4:00, the girls and I left to drive down to Provo.  By all accounts, Marshall had a great time with Cooper.  They watched some TV and then made up all sorts of games and seemed to have a fun, fun night.  They chose Chick-Fil-A for dinner and Richard picked it up for them on his way home from work.  We all adore Cooper and I sure wish Marshall and Cooper lived close to each other still, but so glad they have been able to keep this friendship up for four plus years.  Cooper is the perfect friend for Marshall.  They watch TV or play video games for a bit, but they spend the majority of their time using their creativity and doing physical things.  He is just so great and I am glad they were able to get together.  The girls and I met up with Lara and Emery Vanhille at Red Robin for our third annual dinner, Bath and Body Works shopping, and World of Dance performance at BYU.  :)  We shopped at Bath and Body Works first, ate dinner, and then drove to BYU.  The performance, once again, was completely amazing.  Ballroom never ceases to amaze me.  Such intricate movements in such close proximity-incredible.  I had favorite dances from each group and it was just an amazing night.  After the performance was done, we went to the Creamery on Ninth to eat more good food and visit a bit more.  We finally said our good-byes just before 10:30 and drove home.  Late night, but worth every single minute.  

Saturday was such a lazy and wonderful day for all of us, exactly what we all needed!  We all slept in and had waffles for breakfast together.  The girls procrastinated their jobs, but they sure had a lot of fun playing together.  There was lots of college football watching.  Bridget and I ran over to my parents' house for a bit, and then I went back to that boutique in Farmington to get something I had had my eye on, and fortunately it was still there!  At 4:30, Marshall and I left for his soccer game in Roy and at 6:00 Richard left for a work dinner.  It was a welcome dinner to all 11 people they have hired to start this year and finally all 11 are there and working.  It was a good night for Richard and he enjoyed meeting more colleagues.  My parents were able to come to Marshall's game and the three of us all cheered him on.  His team ended up tying, but we lost to them in July, so we were happy with the tie.  Marshall played really, really well, especially the last half of the second half he was rocking defense.  In the second half his coach had him take a free kick, which he came so close to making.  

Yesterday was a good Sunday.  We had tithing declaration with the bishop, and Richard also stayed for quite a while to help him.  We had Toney FHE with my family and celebrated the many September birthdays, seven in total!  When we got home, we played with Ziggy outside for a while and then got all the kids to bed at a normal time!  

Richard had today off of work, which has been nothing short of wonderful.  He and I went to breakfast this morning at Eggs in the City and it was delicious, as always.  Richard spent his afternoon mowing the lawn and working on sprinklers...the work never ends!  I went to the dentist only to find out I have a cavity and have to go back on Thursday.  If you know me, you know this is absolutely terrible news and I am trying to not let it ruin my week.  I have resorted to extreme dramatics to deal with all this emotion!  The kids all had good days at school.  Bridget got to do the announcements at school for student council, and by all reports, all went great.  Rachel had a fantastic day at dance and came home way more energized than last week, so that was very good to see.  Richard took Gretchen to music class while I was at the dentist and then she spent the rest of her afternoon playing with Charlie.  Bridget played with Avery and Marshall did homework, relaxed, and played.  A good start to the week.  

We love each one of you.

Richard, Jenny, Marshall, Bridget, Rachel and Gretchen :)