August Recap

We have finally ended another long month of missing Jared and somehow we all survived. In fact, it went much better than I could have expected. I think that our preparation really got us through. But it has been really nice to have a little more time with him the past week.

A little daddy-daughter snuggle after church

Jack started preschool this month and he could not be happier about it. He goes Tuesday and Thursday from 1:00 to 3:00 so it’s nothing too intense. The whole thing was a very last minute decision since I had really planned on just doing preschool at home. But he has been struggling to take me seriously the last little while and we have both been feeling a little frustrated so finding an open spot in a preschool that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg has been a huge blessing. So far he really loves Miss Janae and the chance to spend a few hours away from mom and Olive. He’s such a smart little guy and this has really given him a chance to shine. His imagination is growing rapidly which has lead to an increase in phobias lately. But he’s also naturally very cautious so it’s nothing new. We’re just trying our best to validate his fears and help him feel more secure.

This pose was all Jack. What a stud.

Olive has shown a sudden interest in potty training this month which was completely unexpected. We planned on using the same approach with Olive that worked so well with Jack, which was simply letting her take the lead. I’ve heard that girls potty train sooner than boys but I thought that she would show an interest at age two at the earliest. She started by telling us when she had a dirty diaper or bringing us a new diaper and a case of wipes and that progressed to telling us before she needed to go so we would let her sit on the little potty. She has used it a number of times in the past few weeks. She still has wet and dirty diapers so I’m not planning on putting her in underwear any time soon. But the fact that she has shown this much interest is very exciting. She had her 18 month check up and she was in the 105% for height and under the 50% for weight so still a little string bean as per usual. She’s also using more words every day and doing her best to keep up with her big brother.

This little cheeser thinks she's pretty cute too.

Jared never seems to stop. He’s working to prepare for testing the first Saturday of September and as soon as that is finished he will start with the second half of the ADO class (Apparatus Driver/Operator). The first half has been ADO Pumper (learning how to operate the engine and pump the water) and in September he’ll start ADO Aerial (which will cover the operation of the ladder). He did some in-house testing today and passed off all of the skills so I know he’ll do well during the State Testing. He is planning to take the Paramedic course offered next year. The classes will take place at the station remotely through Weber State. And he has also expressed interest in Wild land Certifications. And of course he is still working full-time at Aircom. So it looks like our schedule will stay packed for the next year or two. But our hope is that all of these certifications will help us get a full-time spot and ensure a higher salary so it will definitely be worth the sacrifice.

Bowling with the Reeves family

My calling and the kids keep me busy most of the time but I did get to spend some time helping with Cora this month. And it was heavenly. She is such a sweet, little baby and I’m so grateful that we got to spend some time bonding with her. It was fun to spend some extra time with Ali too even though I’m sure having my kids there all day every day only added to her stress levels. I’ve been struggling a lot this month with feeling depressed about some trials and struggles people around me are going through. But Jared and I got to go to the temple on Friday night and I received some inspiration about how I can better serve the sisters I visit teach as well as the sisters in our ward. And I’ve just felt a lot more peace in general but especially concerning my callings. I’m so grateful to live in this beautiful house in such an amazing neighborhood and ward. We are surrounded by wonderful people and it sure does make life that much easier.

Love to all!

Love,

Jared.Dani.Jack.Olive