Fall

I've been keeping a running list of things to post about when I actually get time ... life is pretty busy right now, but it's great!

• It seems the weather has definitely changed and fall is here. I ran 6 miles outside on Friday and it was glorious; that's the farthest I've ran since I hurt my knee in July. Running outside is nice despite the cold, which isn't bad when I dress warm enough. I took Layla to the park on what I thought was the last warm day, but then we had a couple more. We played outside on the slide. It was still cool enough that I made Layla wear her hat — cute huh?

She usually says, "Whee!" while she, or anyone else, goes down the slide. I love it.

• Our Christmas shopping is done, with the exception of one gift that I need to get in Salt Lake. I hate waiting until the last minute, and I hate the crowds, so I always try to get done early.

• Layla is now the proud owner of Dora the Explorer undies and nighttime pull-ups; unfortunately, I've we've been slackers about potty training ... we'll get there, eventually. I did put her hair in a ponytail for the first time; ridiculously cute, but only lasted about 30 minutes.
• I LOVE my job (despite not making as much moola as I'd hoped.) The extra income is still great, and I'm learning so much!

• Here is my artistic photo mine and Bug's shadows. We're holding hands. Sweet.
• Mitch rocked his last test for school. He'll be a Ph.D. before we know it. He was out of town last week for work; he got rear-ended by a teenage girl, but it wasn't bad at all. Luckily we all survived the week and Layla is SO happy that her Daddy is home.

• Today at church I had to take Layla out of sacrament because she was crying. The ENTIRE walk out of the chapel Layla was crying, "Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!" really loudly. A few people laughed and commented to me on it afterwards. I had to explain that she wasn't crying for him because she thought she was in trouble with me; she was crying for him because she is a TOTAL Daddy's girl, to the point where it makes me feel bad sometimes.

She was freaking out about the mittens. Kept saying, "Hands!" over and over. She kept them on though! And she usually insists that the snow is rain.

• Speaking of church, I was asked to be the 2nd Counselor in the Primary Presidency. I am really enjoying it so far. There is such a sweet spirit in the Primary, and the kids are pretty funny! 

• While Mitch was out of town, I had to put Layla in time out for sticking her entire foot (including her sock) in the cat's water. She knows better than that! Well, I usually put her in the pack 'n play for time out, but I didn't have it set up this time. Instead, I put her in the spare bedroom and shut the door. When her 1 minute and 30 seconds were up, I went to get her out, but the door was locked! From the inside! Apparently she is tall enough to reach the door knobs now, and figured out how to lock it, but not how to open it. Total Panic Moment. I was silently freaking out, trying not to scare her. She kept saying, "Mama! Mama!" wanting me to open the door. Eventually, I got a sharp knife and was able to unlock the door. It's funny now...

She insisted on wearing these necklaces, even if she did look like a little rapper.

• Speaking of funny things, today I was making a dessert to take to my parents for Sunday dinner. My first attempt failed because the flour I used was hard and left little lumps in the cake. I borrowed some flour from a neighbor and made the batter again, but couldn't bake it because we decided to set the oven on a self-clean cycle since it was smoking from something burning on the bottom. This meant the door was locked and wouldn't open for a long time. So, instead of a chocolate peppermint cake roll, we're having no-bake cookies. Sorry, guys! Not nearly as delicious, but I did freeze the cake batter, so we'll have it next time.