2/21

Duke started whining for a balloon almost the second he woke up. After telling him multiple times I wasn't going to buy him a balloon, he started getting more clever and asking me what color balloon was my favorite. Gotta give him points for negotiations. We went grocery shopping and he cried the whole time at the store and it was awful. By the end of the day, I thought I was losing my mind from his whining. It was ridiculous, to put it mildly.

Later, the nurse called from school and Will has thrown up in class. Awesome. Went and picked him up and came home where he devoured everything in sight. I think that puke was a fluke because he was fine the rest of the day and ate tons the rest of the day.

We had planned on having a babysitter that night, and nothing was going to deter me, even puking. I needed a break so bad. Emory, or fav babysitter, came over and I practically sprinted out the door, or that's what I was doing in my mind.

We went to an Italian place called Reale's and it tasted like manna. But it's impossible to feast on Italian and not have Andrew and Lauren come up at least once about how much better the meal would be if they were there. We walked around the Domain, then headed home. Not a long date, but enough to get my he's back in the game.




Right after I posted this picture to Instagram and lamented about the challenges of the day, I went downstairs and found a box of cereal spilled all over the floor.

At least my jeans looked good.

2/22

Went to the gym, then came home and showered. Went to Costco to get the rest of the stuff for Johanna's baptism BBQ. Came home and changed and went to the baptism.

Johanna has been taking the lessons at our house for the last few months. It's been such a great experience. We love her and her daughter Mila and they are definitely part of our family. She was prepared to learn the Gospel and she soaked it up like a dry sponge.

Her baptism is something I'll always remember. As she went down in the font, she was crying and hugged her brother and you could tell she felt the weight if this decision, that from this point on, her life would be different. Her daughter Mila was right in front of the font and was watching her be baptized and it was great symbolism for their life together. Mila would always look up to her mom for this decision that she made and Johanna would be able to now provide for her family spiritually, in addition to temporally. Johanna has even talked to me about starting to save for Mila's mission. After she was baptized, she was glowing. Her brother and sister were there to support her and I know they shared a special bond that day. Johanna is a pioneer in her family and has set a great example for her siblings.

We hosted a BBQ for her and her family afterwards to show that Mormons were pretty normal people. It was a great experience and her siblings are so cool and down to earth. Her brother even accepted a Book of Mormon.

Cortney is confirming her today.