End of October

I would be remiss not to acknowledge our sweet friends who recently experienced tragedy. They were about 10 days shy of having their baby girl when they found out she passed away because of a knot in the umbilical cord. So sad. It's been a reminder to us of the miracle of life, and how in a moment, our lives can change forever. Our friends have constantly been on our minds and in our prayers.

Because of this experience, I've found myself seeing things with a new perspective this past week. I've tried harder to answer Whitney's never-ending questions with a smile instead of a rushed answer. I've tried harder to keep my patience with Cole. I've tried harder to not get frustrated when I've picked up tupperware lids for the 26th time that Annie got out of the drawer. Life is so precious, and I'm grateful to our friends for their examples of faith during this hard time. You guys are still in our thoughts and our prayers. We love you.

Here are some things we've been up to...

On Cole's birthday we saw my old friend Rachel from Texas. She and her husband were in Nor Cal for a vacation. The last time we saw them was at their wedding reception when Whitney was about 3 months old. Now she has 2 darling little boys, and we were able to meet up with them at a beach. The kids were in heaven playing around in the sand and water. Cole was unmanageable and out of control, but Whitney was in love with her new friends. As we were driving away she said, "Why do we have to leave mom?!" After I told her it was because the boys had to ride on the airplane back to their home she said, "But I LOVE my new cousins SO MUCH!" I consider Rachel family for sure. :)

Preschool Field Trip: Thanks to my great sister for watching Cole & Annie, I got to take Whitney to her first preschool field trip - the pumpkin patch. It was fun to have that one-on-one time with her, and I enjoyed watching her interact with her preschool friends and teachers. She looked darling in her preschool field trip shirt - even though it was a little too big for her!

PROP 8:

Prop 8 has been keeping us busy. Little did Tyler and I know what we were getting into when we signed up to be volunteers for this YES on 8 campaign. Tyler waved signs on the street corner the other weekend, and I ran flyers & yard signs to houses yesterday with my sister. It's amazing to see this issue all over the place in California. People have become divided about it, but it still makes me grateful to live in this country where we can voice our opinions freely.

Speaking of free speech... I came across this video, and I really liked it. My favorite part is the last pastor who speaks in the purple shirt and white collar. In my opinion, he hit the nail on the head.

Prop 8 and this election are almost over! I cannot wait. I am anxious to see what happens on Tuesday... The phone calls we keep getting for this election are driving me nuts. I seriously have stopped answering my phone. I think I'm the last person on earth without caller ID, so I don't have the ability to screen my phone calls like others. I'm sick of the phone, and I'll resume picking up the phone on Wednesday.

HALLOWEEN:

We had a great time at our church "Trunk or Treat" party. I had a stye on my eye for a few days before the party, so I decided to be a pirate. Luckily for me, the stye had mostly cleared up by Saturday afternoon, so I didn't have to wear that patch the entire night. Phew!

Tyler sprayed Whitney's hair jet black, and she LOVED it. However, it made her hair nasty as straw for about 2-3 days. It was such a pain to wash out the night of the party that we decided not to spray it again on Halloween night.

On Halloween Eve, Tyler cut his shaggy hair and came up with this awesome hairdo. He got away with it at work on Friday by wearing his surgical cap so his patients couldn't see it. I couldn't believe he actually went in public looking like this; I had to take this picture of him at the gas station. The western shirt just makes the haircut look even more authentic, eh? But you have to admit he's a hunk! Hands off ladies... he's all mine! :)

Speaking of the hunk... Tyler started a new rotation today. He was showered and ready to go at 5am this morning. When I saw the clock I said, "You know it's really 4am, right?" He said, "How sure are you that today is Daylight savings?" My answer was 99.98% but he just said, "Oh well" and headed out the door. Did I mention that his shift goes till noon tomorrow? Poor kid will not be getting any sleep tonight either. Wish us luck with this new rotation. It goes till the end of December. Yuck!