Don & Sarah Squire

A few of my favorite things

2010-02-10T11:19:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I had this song stuck in my head, even though it has probably been 15 years since I have watched the Sound of Music. I think it came to mind because I was doing one of those "dog bites, bee stings" stinky things I don't like to do... cleaning the playroom while the kids are playing. And I have been a little down, so more and more things seem like "when I'm feeling sad" so to get me out of my rut I am going to take the of the song advice and "simply remember my favorite things." Lets start with the youngest and work our way up:

Conner-

1. He gives the best hugs ever!!! I love it when he gives me hugs, it just makes my heart soar!

2. The cute way he says things like please..pppp, and thank you... dank ooo, and uh oh, and off, and just so many things.

3. When he dances it is the cutest funniest thing you will ever see in your life. Now that I have said it, I will have to add a video of it later.

4. How he folds his arms before we eat to remind us to say our prayers, and then how he sneaks food while we pray, it is really funny.

5. How he imitates things, this week his favorite thing to imitate is sneezing, it is hilarious!

6. How he actually looks like me, I love his brown eyes!

Leigha-

1. How she reminds me of how good life is and can be when we are together.

2. How she loves to have dates with mommy and just be with me.

3. How she sings all the time, and how she sings I Am a Child of God in public restrooms, I think everyone needs to be reminded of who they are and she is a good reminder of Whose I am all the time.

4. How she says the cutest things! She is sometimes dyslexic and says things like scratch backer and frame picture, and how some things she just can't say at all like ambulance (amblance) and hospital (hostible).

5. Her jokes, they are so random and funny... "What did the snowman eat for breakfast?" EYEBROWS...eewww!

6. How she wants to help all the time, and be a good big sister.

Don-

1. How I have been able to trust him with my whole heart, not just for now, but for eternity!

2. How we can be best friends and silly with each other but still love each other so deeply.

3. How we can talk until all hours of the night and just enjoy each others company.

4. His eyes..they are the MOST AMAZING thing you will ever see in this life!

5. He has it hard by choosing me, but how he never seems to recognize that he did, he is just grateful we are together and so am I.

6. He is the best dad, I was looking for pictures of him the other day and the only ones I could find he is holding one of our kids, or the picture was taken by one of our kids (Conners are the most interesting).

7. How he plans and looks forward to our future together, no matter what it takes.

8. How he drives so carefully with us in the car, and never seems to get road rage even when other drivers are dumb.

9. How he has such a deep desire to be the best husband and dad he can be.

10. How he tries to keep all the promises he has made to me, even the silly ones. i.e. Sarah: "Please promise me you will never get LOST on an island with polar bears" Don: "I promise I will not get LOST on an island with polar bears." So far so good!

He deserved just a bit more... Oh I love that man!

Me-

1. My family, I truly truly love them all with all my heart, and not just my immediate family but my whole large family! I have the best parents, sisters, brothers, nephews, aunts, uncles, cousins and especially grandparents you could ever have!

2. My mom, she is my very best friend and deserves a half dozen of her own "favorite things" I love about her.

3. Being a mom, and being able to look to moms around me. It is amazing that we all go through these down times, but seeing the strength of women around me really helps.

4. My friends, I have been blessed to find such wonderful friends whom I love so much..

5. How I can dream about things, and try my hardest to make them come true for as little money as possible.. I love finding a great deal, and making a cute thing.

6. I really want to do what is right, and be good.

In General-

1. The Gospel...I am so grateful for my testimony and for the Gospel in my life. I am grateful to know who I am, and that when I lose sight of Whose I am, my Savior does not. He knows me, and He loves me, and I love Him and my loving Father more than I love they air They give me!

2. Being pregnant, I know this one sounds weird but other than being a mom it is the time that I feel the strongest the divinity of being a woman and the blessing of working with the Lord with His precious child that He is entrusting to me, and a time that I am allowed to have faith and trust and learn and understand more the beauty and blessings of creation.

3. Beautiful things, they are everywhere and I love finding beautiful things all the time.

4. Snow sparkles, I told Leigha they are left over Pixie Dust that Tinkerbell gave just to us to make the earth beautiful, now every time I see them I smile and am grateful for Heavenly Father who gave them to me to make the earth beautiful.

5. Chocolate fudgecicles and a hot bath... I don't think there is a better combination.

6. Being able to share my life with you.

and now I don't feel so bad.

Finally

2010-01-17T18:48:00.001-08:00

So the time has finally come for me to update the blog...let's see where to start, how's about why I have been remiss in being a constant blogger it is not that I don't want to, or that I have not kept up on my friends (because I have and you all very cute!) but it has been kinda of crazy insane year and I did not know how to share it in an open space like this, or how to show the respect and love and pain and happiness (you know opposition in all things) that some of this year has brought. So sufficeth to say I think I have waited long enough, that I don't need to go into any of that and we will just work on the here and now.

As for the here, we have moved! We moved back to Nauvoo in October, and yes we miss Logan like MAD but this is a very special place with some really cool people that we are excited to get to know. I am excited for the spring to come so I can get out and really experience Nauvoo again, but with my kids. Since we have moved out here we have been working a lot on the new house, and I will have some fun before and after pictures on here soon hopefully (that means that hopefully soon I will have projects done enough to think of them as done!!!) I will also add photos later of the family and kids and such.

Leigha is making friends here, and has a lot of kids in her primary class which is great. We are still adjusting and hopefully soon we will be back on a regular schedule (I think that will help the both of us a lot). She has gotten so big and beautiful, and she is so stinkin smart too. She is excited about having a schedule so we can get back to doing hooked on phonics, she started at the first grade level and seems to do pretty well with it, we will add in math too which is exciting because it is about money and it has play money that we can learn with.

Conner has changed so much too, he now walks and runs and spins and dances and plays and does everything he should, and only a few things he should not (like throwing food and pulling hair). He is starting to say a few words like momma, dadda, thank you, please, sippy, night night, blankie, puppy, off, and cow. He also makes animal noises for elephant, puppy, fish, and cow. But the best thing is that he is still my cuddly little guy and he loves to give hugs, and I love them! I am the luckiest woman in the world to have my crazy wonderful kids!

Don is starting school tomorrow which is happy, and he is taking a pretty heavy class load this semester that will keep him very busy. He has set some pretty good goals for himself and his education and I am excited to help.

As for me, I am learning a lot of new things like punching tin, laying floors, stenciling, we have done several light fixtures and I have them down to an art now. I am now serving in the Primary as the 2nd Counselor which is a completely new experience for me, but it is a lot of fun, and the women I get to serve with are amazing and a huge help to me. I miss my Young Women, but I am starting to feel and understand more the love the Savior has for His little children as well, and that is neat to see it reflected in my own life, and in my home and family. I love knowing what Leigha is learning, and I have seen the lessons reflected in her life as she learns, more now than ever mainly because I know what she is talking about and I can help her remember the lesson as well. It is also good to see the things we need to work on through out the week do hopefully my child will learn to be more reverent. We are making some good friends here and getting to spend a lot of fun time with Don's family. It is nice having them close when I am missing my own family so much, and we are forming wonderful relationships and eternal friendships which is awesome. One really nice thing about living here is that hopefully some of you will come see me knowing you have a free place to stay in Nauvoo. I miss you all so much and would love to see or hear from you. Well that is an update in a nutshell, more to come I promise!

My Newest Love...

2009-03-07T16:34:00.000-08:00

On Thursday Don and I installed a new light fixture in our living room, and we love it! It took us an amazing only 3 hours which may sound insanely long, but it is our first light on our own, and we had to take it apart before we could put it back together (totally lame frustrating and confusing). It is a fan and a chandelier so my cute witty husband came up with the name FANDELIER! I love it. Well here are some pics of our fandelier....

Isn't it cute? Don keeps saying it completes the room... I keep thinking well not yet, like paint and bookshelves and chairs and a plant and and and... We are getting closer though.

Cute Conner

2009-02-24T08:16:00.001-08:00

Well, I realized it had been a while since I had put pictures of Conner on, and we got some good ones. So enjoy. Plus last night Conner had rice cereal for the first time. He was not quite sure what to do with it, but we think he liked it.

Oh the joys!

2009-02-16T22:34:00.001-08:00

Well, I am just sitting here waiting for Conner to go to sleep and realized how disgusting I must look so I thought I would share one of those oh the joys moments. Let me start with I have worn 4 shirts today (probably none of which looked good, and after having worn them just a little while did not smell good either!). We went to the Dr.'s for Conner's 4 months and he got 3 shots (not so fun). All of his previous shots didn't really bother him, but he has had a fever and just a not so happy baby 'tude (completely understandable). For the fever and general pain the doc told me to use infant tylenol, well infant tylenol makes cute little Conner puke! So I have changed a few times, and I have puke down my back, and tylenol in my hair...oh the joys. I have chocolate pudding on my arm from Leigha and fhe treat that has kind of plastered itself to my arm hairs. And I have been sick and have been good to cough into my arm, and my elbow creases have taken a mucus beating. So, look good? NO!!! Too tired to shower? Yes!!! Oh lucky Don gets to sleep next to me... he'll have an oh the joy moments too.

I feel strongly about this...

2009-02-13T14:46:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone! I found this really cool thing that I just wanted to share with all you moms, it’s called ICE Stamp (in case of emergency). A little background first. In March we are going to Disneyland (yay!) and I was getting a bit worried because Leigha is notorious for running off, (especially when she is excited) so I was looking for something for those just in case moments. Well as I was looking I found this Ice Stamp website, it is awesome! It’s a stamp that has your contact phone number on it, but it keeps your identity safe. It just says mom or dad and then your phone number.
As I was looking I really thought this was the best solution. I looked at those bracelets that have contact information and thought they were pretty cool, but Leigha can get them off way too easy (and if she were abducted it could just be cut off, and not used as an identifier). This uses FDA approved ink, and you only need one for your whole family.
I keep mine in my mommy kit in my purse, it is really small and portable, and I can use it wherever I go. My sister, Juli also has one that she uses for her boys (5&7) at their hockey practices. She is also a shopaholic and it comes in handy when she is out running errands too…all the time (if you know what I mean). She also uses it for birthday parties and play dates so they can call her if they need to without the hassle of looking for her number. It is way handy! (hahaha because you put it on their hand)
It really can make any stressful situation a lot easier. I had a friend tell me of a time where she lost her 3 year old daughter in a Wal-Mart, it was horrifying. They take you to the front of the store, and you are not allowed to look for you own child. With an ice stamp you could at least know that you had done something to aid in the search.
We put the stamp on Leigha’s outer fore arm so it is easy to see and thankfully we have not had to use it yet, but for the cost it is totally worth it (and we can use the same one with Conner).
Also, just as a side note it is runned and operated by members of the church, which I think is cool to support. Well, I thought this was neat so I thought I would share it with you all. Here is the website (below), and if you are willing I think this idea deserves to be shared with all the moms we know to keep our kids safe. If you would like to order in person, or want to know more they will be at the safe kids fair in Salt Lake Feb. 27&28, I am going to go and support them. They are really quick at filling orders, so if you need it soon you can get it within 2 weeks. I encourage you too look into it because who knows, if your kids are like mine, you just might need it (or atleast the added peace of mind)! Love you all!
Love Always,
Sarah
www.icestamp.com
Please let all you mommy friends know about this too! thanks!

Scripture Time

2009-02-02T19:34:00.000-08:00

The primary in our ward this year has challenged the kids to read the Book of Mormon, so we have been trying to do it with Leigha. It has been an interesting blessing and challenge, but I am proud to say that we are doing it. Everyday at 11 is scripture time. Today we read 1 Nephi 16 & 17 (94 verses, but we made it through). When we are done with a chapter Leigha gets to color a square or two, etc. on her Book of Mormon Chart that we keep on the fridge. Today was funny because we read about the Liahona, and sometimes I really don't think she is listening or paying attention but something is getting through. When I read about the Liahona, she said "I'm not a hona, I'm just Leigha!" I thought that was so funny, and it was a great time to tell her what a Liahona is, and that it is not a Leigha-hona. Funny girl.

Before and Afters

2009-01-31T09:42:00.000-08:00

Last night Anna and I did a craft night, but not just a craft night a dollar store craft night. We each made a topiary, little magnetic frames, and I made a large frame. We had a lot of fun, and it was great to just hang out and visit. Hopefully craft night will become a monthly event. Next month she is going to teach me embroidery stuff, I'm excited. Here are some pics.

This first one is the topiary, the little bead ball, foam, and rocks are from the dollar store, sometimes you can find some cute containers there too, but these ones are from other places. Mine is from Micheal's, and it ended up being about $1.50, the twigs are from a tree in my back yard, and the spray paint an ribbons are from leftovers of other projects, so all in all this project was about 4 bucks, with extra materials left over, and it only takes about 10 minutes to make.

Before:

After:

This next one is a really ugly like corked inside frame I found at Honks Dollar Store. The frame part was super cute, so we just changed the inside. The materials for this were simple the frame, scrapbook paper, modge podge and ribbon. It took about 20 minutes, but now that I know what I am doing it will not take as long. The cost for this was about $2.50 when all was said and done, not bad.

Before:

After:

We had a great night, and we got some super cute things done. It's always fun to think out of the box and save money, especially when it comes to decorating.

Lots of Fun

2009-01-31T08:57:00.000-08:00

Our little family has had a lot of fun this past little while. I guess it started last Thursday when we had a dinner party with friends. It was great to get together and spend some time with more than just our kids, even though we were probably acting like kids. We had pizza and salad and some Oreo pie, it was kinda a potluck thing and it turned out really well.

After, Leigha headed to bed, or rather floor. When we went in to turn off her light she was asleep on the floor surrounded by toys, almost as if she had done a toy angel. We took some pictures and then Don put her and her pillow into bed, she mumbled "I want that one", and then some other super random stuff. When we went in, in the morning, she was in the exact same spot and position that we had found her in the night before, silly girl!

Friday we ran errands and took pictures of the kids. They are so cute!

Then later Friday we headed down to Provo for the weekend, and we had a great time. Don introduced his family Ticket to Ride, and they really enjoyed it. It is always fun to try new games.

While they played on Saturday my mom mom and I went up to South Jordan and met Kara for a mothering convention. Although a lot of the classes did not apply to my mom, she enjoyed holding Conner. The convention was great. I felt really uplifted and was impressed to make some changes, some were suggestions, and some were my own (actually impressions from the Spirit). I have been doing that this week, and it has been a lot of fun. I am finding the joy in mothering again, and my house is clean. Those things rarely go hand in hand, either I'm a good mom, or I have a clean house (or neither), but this week it was both. I have felt great and we have had a lot of fun.

Saturday night, we played games and visited, it was a lot of fun! It is so good to see family and get to talk to them in person rather than just on the phone.

On Sunday we went and saw my Grandma in the hospital, it was really good to see her. She is one of my hero's, she was so up beat and positive, wheat a great example to me. And then we ventured back up to Logan in the snow, it took a long time!

Then all this week we have just played. Tuesday Conner got the flu, so we took him to the doctor, and he is a chunk! He measured in at 16 and 1/2 pounds. That is one pound less than Leigha was at one year! It will be amazing to see what the next 9 months bring. He started coughing for the first time Tuesday night and it was so cute because it was a new sensation for him, so after he would cough, he would smile.

Thursday Don went and played basketball with the wars, and last night I had a girls crafty night with Anna (next post). It has been a great week.

Out, Out on the Ranch, Where the Kids and the Elk Roam.

2009-01-18T20:21:00.000-08:00

This weekend the Hill family came up again, and once again we had a blast! Friday night we were up late playing games, and hanging out, it was great. Saturday morning we went out to Hardware Ranch. It was so cool, we learned a lot and had a lot of fun. We got to ride on a sleigh behind some huge Clydesdale's, and it was so nice and warm out side. The museum was so cool too. Here are some fun pictures:

Here is Leigha with antlers coming out of her head. I knew sometimes she acted like she had horns! (except horns and antlers are very different, very different! in deed)

I think Don is a little afraid of the taxidermied elk, but not Leigha.

Don as the elk whisperer....Ewww! Stinky Elk Breath!

When I said I wanted a Bob, I didn't mean a bobcat! Oww!

They had a wingspan measurer. My family as birds: Conner- Grey Flicker, Leigha- Mallard Duck, Don- Turkey Vulture. We didn't think to check me typical mommy stuff.

Here we are on the sleigh, it was so fun to be outside and to ride.

Isn't Leigha cute? She had a lot of fun. We were behind 2 huge Clydesdale's names Nikki and Molly and Leigha would say, "Go Nikki, Go Molly!" When they took off it would jerk us all, it was great. We got to pet them after the ride, and they were HUGE!!! (too bad I'm a bit allergic to horses)

Here are some of the elk. There were a ton, and I had better pictures, I just didn't put them on, sorry :(

We had Conner so bundled up so that he would stay warm. He was so good, he slept the whole time. Which is starting to be very unlike him. He was wearing 2 different kinds of coats!

After Hardware Ranch we went to lunch at Old McDonalds (as Leigha calls it).

We really did have a great time, and we are so glad we took the opportunity to go, especially with such great friends! We would recommend it to anyone! I have also decided that I am a bit of a cow. They really run the show, but they let the Bull think they are the best! If I am a cow my bull is the best!

Lots and Lots

2008-12-20T15:26:00.000-08:00

We have had a lot of really fun things happen this week, and to hold your interest instead of doing one huge post we decided to do a bunch of small ones... enjoy!

Fun Family Day

2008-12-20T14:55:00.001-08:00

Because of all the beautiful snow, we decided to attempt to take Leigha sledding. We went to Don's work because there is a great hill, and stairs to use (if we had actually used them it might have been a good idea). We had a great time, and got really wet, but it was totally worth it. Here are some videos of me attempting to help Leigha sled.

Because there was so much fresh snow, and we went to a completely cool place, there were no previous sled marks to make it easy to go down, so I attempted to make one for us. It didn't really work, and it kinda hurt my bum. (Leigha's sled is really small). Oh yeah the binky in my mouth is Conner's. It kept falling in the snow so I thought it would be easier in my mouth, weird but easier.

After sledding we went inside Don's work and played the wii, it was my first time and I really liked it. Leigha did really good and took turns and did not fuss when it was not her turn. I was very impressed. Conner was angel and just slept the whole time. Now $we can't get him to take a nap, but he is being super cute so it is okay.

And a Happy New Family!

2008-12-20T14:41:00.000-08:00

This week I have been trying to teach Leigha to sing we Wish You a Merry Christmas, but her version is a little bit different. She sings We Wish for a Merry Christmas (like 6 times) and then... and a happy new family. I laughed at it a lot and so she thought it was funny, but really when you think about it it's so sad she wants a new family. I know she doesn't know what she is singing and it is cute, she also had a few different versions like a happy new Sunday, and finally we got it right... I think.

Here are some cute pics if my cute kids in cute Santa hats.
Look at that cute smile on Conner! What a little ham!

Also, one of our favorite mother-daughter bonding things is doing hair. I love to do Leigha's hair, and surprisingly she really likes it too, and is really good about having it cute all the time (the real reason it is cute all the time is because she took scissors to it and has a Mohawk that just won't grow out (you can kinda see it in the picture, it is getting better). So to prevent sticking up we tie it down...cutely. Well the end process is super cute, and lasts for quite a while, (so it is totally worth taking the extra time) but taking it out is well, not so cute just see for yourself. When her hair is all messed up she says it's squirrley, I think that's pretty darn cute!

Light em' Up

2008-12-20T14:03:00.000-08:00

On Sunday we went and looked at Christmas Lights for a little family fun. Last year for Christmas my dad gave us some glasses that when you look at the lights it makes shapes. I think we have angels, santa's, christmas trees, ornaments, stars, snowflakes, and christmas lights (which is weird because you are already looking at christmas lights, but oh well whatever). They are a lot of fun and the best part about them is that you look like a total dork wearing them. Here is also a picture of our favorite light house, it is insane how many there are, and there is music too!

When we got home from looking at lights we listened to some music just for fun and somehow we found out that Conner loves Ricky Martin (I know what you are thinking and I am a bit worried too!) He was smiling and nodding his head to the music, it was so funny, but do ya think we got it on tape? Nope, but here is a video of him kinda dancing but nothing like what he was doing.

Don's Birthday Bash

2008-12-20T13:52:00.000-08:00

Last weekend was Don's birthday and his family ventured through the snow to come and see us. We had a lot of fun eating (who couldn't have fun eating peir 49 pizza yummy!) playing games, opening presents, and visiting. We also did our family gift exchange and it was a lot of fun. We played Therapy with them, and it was interesting to hear a lot of the answers, and I think we all got to know eachother a little bit better, or more than we would like j/k. All in all Don had a really good day, and I think he is excited to be 26, but really I don't think he cares all that much. Here are some pics of our fun.

That's Disgusting!

2008-12-09T22:13:00.001-08:00

Every morning when we go to get Leigha out of bed she does something silly. Sometimes she is a puppy or a kitty or hiding in her room, today she was not talking. Don and I figured it out pretty quick seeing as she was not saying or acting like anything. Playing along we said "If you are not talking how can you tell us you love us? She did not respond. I said "If you can't talk how can you tell me what you want?" She pointed to something. So I said "Oh, so what do you want for breakfast?" She pointed to the ceiling. I said, "You want the ceiling for breakfast?" No response. "I guess you could have the ceiling for breakfast." Don said starting to reach up, "I'll start getting it down." Still no response. I said "Thanks that will be good." All of a sudden out came a response..."THAT'S DISGUSTING!" We were glad she was talking, and we were glad she did not actually want the ceiling for breakfast. Don was surprised that the first words to come out of her mouth were big words. We thought it was funny. Later in the day I was doing dishes, Conner was in his swing, and Leigha was watching 12 Dancing Princesses. She comes running into the kitchen, "Conner is funny!" I said "Oh really?" Wondering what she had done to him this time. So I went into the living room and sure enough Conner was funny. She had put her gloves on him, and he looked pretty silly just sitting there. Last week Conner started to smile the non-gassy smiles. I have tried to get pictures of it, but have failed miserably. Today was successful. He is so cute and is starting to develop a fun personality (even though he is still fussy a lot of the time). So here are some cute pictures of my boy smiling. :)

The Table Cloth

2008-12-08T21:01:00.000-08:00

With it being the best time of the year I have been reading a lot of Christmas Stories, and I thought I would just share one of my favorites with you all. It's called the table cloth:

The brand new pastor and his wife, newly assigned to their first ministry to reopen a church in suburban Brooklyn, arrived in early October, excited about their opportunities. When they saw their church, it was very run down and needed much work. They set a goal to have everything done in time to have their first service on Christmas Eve.
They worked hard, repairing pews, plastering walls, painting, etc. and on Dec 18 were ahead of schedule and just about finished. On Dec 19 a terrible tempest - a driving rainstorm - hit the area and lasted for two days.
On the 21st, the pastor went over to the church. His heart sank when he saw that the roof had leaked, causing a large area of plaster about 20 feet by 8 feet to fall off the front wall of the sanctuary just behind the pulpit, beginning about head high. The pastor cleaned up the mess on the floor, and not knowing what else to do but postpone the Christmas Eve service, headed home.
On the way he noticed that a local business was having a flea market type sale for charity so he stopped in. One of the items was a beautiful, handmade, ivory colored, crocheted tablecloth with exquisite work, fine colors and a Cross embroidered right in the center. It was just the right size to cover up the hole in the front wall. He bought it and headed back to the church.
By this time it had started to snow. An older woman running from the opposite direction was trying to catch the bus. She missed it. The pastor invited her to wait in the warm church for the next bus 45 minutes later. She sat in a pew and paid no attention to the pastor while he got a ladder, hangers, etc., to put up the tablecloth as a wall tapestry. The pastor could hardly believe how beautiful it looked and it covered up the entire problem area.
Then he noticed the woman walking down the center aisle. Her face was like a sheet. "Pastor," she asked, "where did you get that tablecloth?" The pastor explained. The woman asked him to check the lower right corner to see if the initials, EBG were crocheted into it there. They were. These were the initials of the woman, and she had made this tablecloth 35 years before, in Austria.
The woman could hardly believe it as the pastor told how he had just gotten the Tablecloth. The woman explained that before the war she and her husband were well-to-do people in Austria. When the Nazis came, she was forced to leave. Her husband was going to follow her the next week. She was captured, sent to prison and never saw her husband or her home again.
The pastor wanted to give her the tablecloth; but she made the pastor keep it for the church. The pastor insisted on driving her home, that was the least he could do. She lived on the other side of Staten Island and was only in Brooklyn for the day for a housecleaning job.
What a wonderful service they had on Christmas Eve. The church was almost full. The music and the spirit were great. At the end of the service, the pastor and his wife greeted everyone at the door and many said that they would return. One older man, whom the pastor recognized from the neighborhood, continued to sit in one of the pews and stare, and the pastor wondered why he wasn't leaving. The man asked him where he got the tablecloth on the front wall because it was identical to one that his wife had made years ago when they lived in Austria before the war and how could there be two tablecloths so much alike? He told the pastor how the Nazis came, how he forced his wife to flee for her safety, and he was supposed to follow her, but he was arrested and put in a prison. He never saw his wife or his home again all the 35 years in between. The pastor asked him if he would allow him to take him for a little ride. They drove to Staten Island and to the same house where the pastor had taken the woman three days earlier.
He helped the man climb the three flights of stairs to the woman's apartment, knocked on the door and he saw the greatest Christmas reunion he could ever imagine.

True Story - submitted by Pastor Rob Reid

I loved that story, it just shows how much our Heavenly Father loves us, and demonstrates just one of His tender mercies.

Life As Of Late

2008-12-07T19:45:00.000-08:00

It has been a while since I have done anything...so...here is a brief catch up. The past couple of weeks we have been goers. It started with Don having a meeting down in South Jordan so the whole fam tagged along and we went and saw the Hill Bunch. It was a lot of fun, and we had a great day. The best part about it was not only seeing Kara, but seeing her happy in the new digs. then the next week we took a lot longer trip down to Arizona, and it was a bit crazy. The week started out with Leigha having the flu, and it would just not go away. She kept saying " Mommy, what we gonna do?" and all I could say was "Mommy will take care of you and you will get better." So by the time Wednesday came and it was time to leave she was still sock. We left at about 3 and got down to Provo about 5:30 and Don and his dad gave Leigha a blessing we switched cars (thanks again for renting us the Torrent) and got on our way. We got to Page about 1, but the time we got into the motel it was 2 (a long and somewhat funny story). Leigha was feeling much much better the next day as we travelled the rest of the way to Phoenix. Jan let us use her DVD player, and it was a life saver on the long car ride. We did thanksgiving stuff with Don's fam all day Thursday and Thursday night, surprise surprise, I had the flu. Cute Don took care of me all night, and Don's parents took Leigha to their room (thank goodness). The next day was a biggie, I spent all morning in sick in bed, and Don went and helped set up for his grandparents 50th wedding anniversary. We got to go to lunch with my Dad (that's him holding Conner) and sister, Juli, and 2 of my cute nephews Tanner and Justin(that's them in the picture with Leigha and Conner...cute huh?). It was a lot of fun to get to see them. Then it was off to Conner's blessing. that went well, and then pics (I really did not feel well, so don't look to close) and then the 50th, which sad to say I missed because I was asleep in the primary room. Then right after that was done we drove back up to page and then back to Provo on Saturday. Short but sweet, but also long and grueling. All in all we would not have missed it for the world. Then the last bit of our travels were back down to Kara's on Saturday for Sammy's Birthday Party. It was a lot of fun and I was so glad that we went. So a lot of travels in not a lot of time, and we have learned the hard way that Conner does not like car rides. It will be a while before we venture out into the world again. We will be happy to stay home for the holidays.

Our Day Today

2008-11-20T22:16:00.000-08:00

We had fun making some random videos of Leigha singing. The first one is her singing a song I taught her to remind her how to spell her name since it is a bit... different. She loves it and she is not afraid to sing it to, well, everyone she meets. The other one is her singing I am a Child of God, I swear she is only 3 even though she sounds like a boy going through puberty. We also had a funny story tonight. Don had his Thanksgiving Dinner at work, so it was just me and the kiddies, I asked Leigha what she wanted for dinner and no kidding this was her response... "I want cereal for dinner... without the milk... without the bowl... just in my hands... with the big box." I thought that it was funny that she was so specific, and that she wanted such a crazy thing for dinner.

Parkin' It

2008-11-20T22:07:00.001-08:00

The other day we went for a walk to enjoy the warm weather and ended up at the park (not like it was a far walk, but it was not our first stop). Leigha saw that there was no water in the canal and she said "Oh no, Mommy the water is all gone", and I said" Yep." " Did someone drink it?" " No, silly." "Did the fishes drink it?" "No." " Did a wheel (whale) drink it?" "Nope." Well Leigha is convinced that a whale drank all the canal water. She is so funny! We had a good time, and it was nice to enjoy the last bit of warm weather while we could.

It's Leigha's Birthday Party!!

2008-11-01T20:29:00.000-07:00

Today we had Leigha's Birthday Party and it was a lot of fun. It had it all..good food, good fun, games, and mostly great people! Kara and her boys drove up from Salt Lake (thanks!) and Heidi and Jack came too. We also had our neighbors the VanVorhees, they are good friends, Colleen dropped by for a spell too. Leigha had a blast! The theme was Curious George so we had a poor attempt at a curious George cake. Pin a butterfly on the Curious George Poster and Don't eat George! (a poor man's don't eat pete). I think a great time was had by all...at least until nap time.

A Haunted Halloween

2008-11-01T19:55:00.000-07:00

With all the stories of witches and ghouls, we have decided that we have a ghost! And our ghost likes to do mean things to us, like break our water heater on Halloween. We were awoken to the sound of water pouring and when we went to investigate an eerie wet basement greeted us on a scary Halloween morning. But we were able to perservere, (and smell without our beloved baths) and hopefully Monday everything will be fixed again (except our noses) ((just kidding we found a way to get clean)). We did have a good day with great trick or treating. Our little piglet and pooh were so cute, and they had a lot of fun too. We only had one trick or treater, but some fun surprise visits from friends. As for our ghost hopefully her trickery will be done for now. (I call the picture with Don and Conner "Patty and Pooh"). We went trick or treating to Don's work, and Leigha loved playing the fun games they had like bean bag and fishing, and stealing candy from the cute little old ladies (she did say trick or treat). She also gave great hugs to who ever wanted them, she is so sweet. Conner was cute too... he was passed around and adored...as he should be. Then we went to the ward trunk or treat, it always fun to see friends...especially in costumes! Happy Halloween Everyone!

Leigha's 3rd Birthday

2008-10-30T20:00:00.000-07:00

Today was Leigha's 3rd Birthday, and I am so sad that my little baby is getting so big, and so old! I remember being in the hospital with her just as clearly as I do, well... Conner! There is no way that my little baby is that big, but it's true she is, and it has gone fast! She is super cute, and we had a great day today. We went to lunch with daddy at "Old McDonalds EIEIO", and she got to wear some of her new duds, she looked so cute (thanks Meagan)! We watched some of her favorite movies and read someof her favorite books, and did a lot of her favorite things. It was a great day. Well, I thought I would just put a few of my favorite things about her.

1- She taught me what "mommy love" is, and that love just grows deeper everyday!

2- Her smile brightens my darkest times, and her laugh just spreads all over until you are laughing too!

3- She is so close to the Spirit. She always reminds me to read scriptures and have prayers.

4- She is so sociable, and there is never a lack of fun or friends with her.

5- She is great at making and keeping friends, or as she calls them her family (she treats friends as family).

6- She says the funnest things all the time... the sweetest things too (" as you wish your highness").

7- She is so incredibly SMART!!! She teaches me so much, and I always have to be on my toes.

8- She is an amazing big sister and big helper!

9- I love bed time with her because it is our singing time when I rub her face and give her snuggles and she rubs my face and gives me snuggles too as we sing our favorite lullabyes.

10- She reminds me everyday that she is a child of God, and that I am too... there is no greater gift than having a daughter who knows whose she is, and reminds me of who I belong to as well.

Happy Birthday my Little Angel Leigha Grace!

Daddy Daughter Date

2008-10-29T11:02:00.000-07:00

On Saturday Don took Leigha to the Pumpkin walk for a fun Daddy Daughter Date. They had a blast, and I was really glad that Leigha got to go, and jealeous that I couldn't. Here are just a few fun pics of Leigha. Grandma Smith also came up on Saturday and got to see Conner for the frist time.

Conner Eoghan Squire

2008-10-21T15:41:00.001-07:00

Here are some more pictures of our cute little Conner. He is such a wonderful baby and we are so glad that he is here. Leigha is an amazing sister and we are so proud of her and the way she has accepted this big change in her life!

A Happy Canadian Thanksgiving!!!

2008-10-21T15:11:00.001-07:00

Well Conner finally decided to make his appearance! He was born Monday, October 13th at 7:24 am (another all night labor). He was 20" long and 8 lbs. 6 oz. He is such a blessing in our lives already that it was fitting that he was born on Canadian Thanksgiving. We have received so many blessings, but our kids are our crowning jewels. The purpleness on his head in these pictures are bruises from coming down through the birth canal so fast, they are all gone and he is gorgeous! We all love him, and Leigha is such a great big sister. The first time she heard him cry I was with her and she said "Oh no! My baby is crying!" She has been so gentle and loving with him and such a great helper to me.

Our Fun Fall Drive

2008-10-10T08:41:00.001-07:00

On Wednesday Kara and I drove up the canyon to see if the elevation changes would start labor (almost, we had contractions for 4 hours after) and we got some really cute pictures of our kids here are just a few.

Life As We Know It...so far

2008-10-10T08:33:00.000-07:00

Well, stubborn little Conner is still not here, and now we are hoping that he doesn't come until the 16th or later. He will be a big boy but it would work out best now if he waited. We have tried everything to get him here before now, but he just won't come! We have tried walking, running, going up the canyon, eating spicy foods, riding a bike, having my membranes stripped, and pretty much anything else that people suggest. I have been through 2 false labors in the last week, and each time it has just gotten harder when he does not show up, and it is very frustrating when the contractions stop! Poor Don has had to deal with me, but he has been a pro! Thankfully it won't be too much longer til Conner is here, and he won't have to deal with me as much. Instead of a whinny wife, he will have a whinny baby (poor guy). Wish us luck, and thank you all for your prayers and support.

Update on Conner

2008-09-30T19:22:00.000-07:00

Recently I have felt big, but not big really big like I did with Leigha. Looking around at the pregnant women around me I had noticed that I am quite a bit smaller than women who are due after me, and I have been getting a lot of comments on how small I look. It has also worried Don quite a bit (he has been quite funny about it). He keeps saying that anything less than 5' 10" is not acceptable, and that we will have to feed Conner a lot of vegi's and vitamins so he will grow tall. So, last Thusday when we went to the Dr., Don and I decided to ask her about it. She said that Conner had dropped, and was measuring fine, but that I did look small so she wanted an ultra sound done just to make sure everything was okay. Well, today was the ultra sound and there is no need to worry. Conner is actually measuring BIG for 37 weeks. The typical size is 6.5 lbs and Conner is measuring at 7.5 lbs. They said if I carry him full term he will probably be over 8.5 lbs! Needless to say I am hoping Conner is born really soon. They also said that there is not need to worry, I am just doing really well at carrying him, and that he is a happy little mover. When I told Don that he was still a boy and that he was big, he said good I don't want my girls to be bruisers. He is just joking we will love anyone who comes into our lives. As far as progression towards deliver, last week I was 75% effaced and dilated to a 2, and he has dropped really really low. That could mean he could come soon, or it could be a while. I have had a burst of energy the past couple weeks (I am a nester right now). I made a list of things I wanted to get done before Conner is born, I am almost done with my HUGE checklist, and ready and anxious for him to come. We would love it if he decided to come on Thursday. We are going to try to do everything we can to get him here as soon and as safe as possible. Kara joked about jumping on her trampoline, and I think I am going to take her up on her offer tomorrow. We will keep you up dated on when he comes.

Our 4th Anniversary

2008-09-14T21:19:00.000-07:00

Well, Don was a stinker once again... he told me that we weren't doing presents and then he spoiled me (I can't stand it when he does that, next time I am not going to even ask I am just going to get him something). He got me an amazing card, a beautiful plant for our house, and a new camera! ( What a stinker!) We also celebrated by going out to dinner at Chili's and then we went miniature golfing. It was Don't first time, can you believe it?! We had a great time, and he ended up beating me by 1 stroke. And amazingly I had 2 Holes in 1! On the last hole I went first and the course turned before you got to the hole, and I hit it kinda hard so when Don and I went up there and could not find the ball anywhere we looked everywhere, in bushes, on the trail, in the water (considering I had put balls in all those places before in our game), we never thought to check the hole, but sure enough it was a hole in 1 on a par 4! I was so happy, and Don was so shocked. Here are some pictures of us golfing, in the one of me you can see how big I am, now that we are a month away from our due date! And then I threw that last picture in because I look good, and that does not happen very often. We had an amazing anniversary, and we would not change that last 4 years for anything. It is amazing to see how much more we love each other now than just a year ago, and we cannot wait to celebrate our 5th Anniversary, hopefully in Ireland or at least back in our Nauvoo. I am so grateful for Don, and the life that we have together... he is my best friend and the best husband ever! (I think I'll keep him... just kidding I know I will keep him forever!)

Leigha's Big Scaries!!!!

2008-09-11T12:10:00.000-07:00

Last night Leigha had her first big scare. She went in the backyard when Don and I asked her not to and stepped in a wasp nest. I was inside and heard this awful screaming, so of course I ran. She said, "A bumble bee got me, a bumble bee got me!" and she was scratching her stomach, sure enough there was a wasp sting on her belly. I was holding her close trying to keep her hands from scratching at it, and Don was wrestling to put ice on it, and going outside to find the little buggers who hurt our baby. Well, she kept saying "What's that noise? What's that noise?" and she was grabbing her leg. I just kept saying, "There isn't a noise, it's just Mommy holding you." Well she started screaming and shaking again, and a wasp flew out of her pants! It had been up there the whole time! Well, I screamed and Don came running, and I said " There are wasps in her clothes!" He grabs her and starts stripping her down, and doesn't see anything. Leigha is still screaming reaching for Mommy, and I am looking for the wasp in the house to sick my husband on. He didn't see anything so he thought we had just imagined it, until he saw it crawling around on the dining room floor. He caught it and killed it for us. Leigha was still really shaken up, not in any pain, but really scared so she went to mutual with me last night. She will not let me change her clothes, because she knows what she has on is bee free. This morning when I went to get her out of bed I crawled in bed with her and just held her for a while and she said the cutest thing. She said, "Caterpillars like me" and I said, "Yeah", "Rollie Pollies like me", "Yeah", butterflies like me", Yeah", "Snakes and spiders like me, but bumble bees DO NOT like me." She was trying to figure out why the bees don't like her. She is so cute, and everything is fine now. It's amazing what a little TLC, and a super awesome batman band aid can do for a crisis.

Soon to Be Baby Conner

2008-09-03T15:15:00.000-07:00

Conner is growing big, and he is a mover. We hope he will be as strong and as happy as his big sister. We hope he is also a bit calmer and maybe not so strong willed. But we love him already, and he is already a big part of our family. Leigha always wants to give him hugs, and shake his hand (which puts me in an interesting position). The other day she gave him a hug, and said "Conner I love you, you are my family." I hope she remembers that after he is born and she doesn't have all of mommy’s attention.

Leigha Grace

2008-09-03T15:00:00.001-07:00

Leigha is still growing super big and super smart. She is now 37 inches tall!! I can't believe that she will be 3 in just a couple of months, at times it feels like she is still a baby, and other times she acts like a teenager. This morning she got into my make up and made a mess of herself, she is just growing up so fast. She can sing her ABC's, count to 20, and spell her name now. She knows pretty much every word that we do, and if we say something we are not supposed we are corrected very quickly, and have to say sorry. Don likes it when she says something wrong, just so he can feel like a parent again by correcting her, which is not very often. She is also potty trained now which has made life a lot easier especially as I am getting bigger and bigger. She is also about the most social child I have ever met. She is always going up to people and asking them what there name is, where they live and if they will be her friend. Sometimes it scares me, but I am glad she is so well socially adjusted. She really keeps us on our toes, and me on my feet when I would much rather be sitting.

What's up with me

2008-09-03T14:54:00.001-07:00

I am glad that the busy summer is ending. It was a lot of fun, and things have seemed to get easier since camp has been over. Camp was an amazing experience that I will look back on with great memories for a long time. I am excited that we are getting closer to Conner being born. We only have 45 more days to the due date, but I hope that Conner decides to come a few days earlier. We are busy trying to think of things that we need to get ready, but the second time around is easier. Let's see what else is going on with me? I am still serving as the young Women's President in the ward and I love it. I cannot imagine loving any group of girls more than I do our beautiful Young Women, and I can't imagine having any more fun in a calling, or getting to work with any better people.

DON - All My Love

2008-09-03T14:49:00.001-07:00

Where do I start? Don loves his new job at Cache Valley Assisted Living. He is making a great sales manager, and we love the more regular hours and the weekends that we get to spend with him (not to mention the better pay and having him with us at Church). He is also taking classes at USU again, which we are very happy about. He is taking 2 online courses this semester, which is why we now have the Internet, and he seems to be happy to be back in school. We also got the Internet for his new calling as Ward Web Master. We are not sure what all the calling will entail, but we are sure that he will do a great job.