The last two weeks of September 2009

The last two weeks have flown by. This past weekend, after months of waiting, we finally had Trent's and Josef's birthday parties. Trent had a Star Wars party (thanks Jenna for the idea) and Josef had a baseball party. We held both at our home and were so grateful for the abundant space that our place has. Trent's party was boisterous with lots of boys dueling with light sabers. My pizza turned out perfect. Brent made a Darth Vader pinata which was a huge hit with the kids. They had a lot of fun whacking Darth Vader with their light sabers. We had a smaller party for Josef, but it was equally nice. The boys enjoyed a great game of baseball, followed by grilled hot dogs and popcorn. Both boys were satisfied and now we only have to plan Walter's party. I will be done with parties this year. Thank heavens!

I continue to work on developing a good schedule and routine for myself and for the family. Brooke finally has a bedtime routine which works, for the most part. It wasn't as successful this week, but we did have a few unforseen bumps. I'm proud of myself for keeping with a routine which isn't so grueling, but is measured and paced. I'm trying not to go overboard with housework or other projects, knowing that the baby is coming in a few weeks.

Speaking of babies, things are mostly ready for the baby. I just have a few more things to get and all will be ready. It's hard to believe that soon I'll be holding a little baby. I don't know why it feels so strange thinking about it, but it does. Brooke comes to me everyday and asks if the baby has come out yet.

The boys played soccer on Saturday. Josef and Trent are learning a lot. Walter is really developing his skills and is doing quite well. We attended an extra practice on Wednesday and I met several parents. Walter has a Swedish kid in his class. I met this boy's mother and we had a delightful conversation in Swedish. She seems very nice and I'm eager to get to know her better.

I really enjoyed the Relief Society meeting on Saturday. It was very nice to attend, even though I was very tired after a long day.

I haven't much to add, but I did have a more personal request. As many of you may know, we've had a really difficult dispute with our former landlord which has resulted in us hiring a lawyer. We had hoped that things were completely resolved and that we would never hear from the former landlord again. Unfortunately, our lawyer dropped the ball and did not contact us when approached by the other lawyer. We heard about this on Thursday. We've done a lot of discussing, praying and counseling with a trusted lawyer friend. He gave us some good advice. Would you please pray for us that we will be able to resolve this situation quickly? We have worked up an offer that we hope will be accepted and will bring the issue to a final and legal resolution. Your prayers for us will be greatly appreciated and are very much needed.