We're still here...

Sorry it's been so long. I have let life overrun me and have not kept up communication as well I should have.

By way of quick update:

We are still in our "temporary" apartment. We are looking to buy a house now, but are not having much luck yet. The space issue can be tough at times, but the worst is that we only have limited things because we thought this was temporary. We are missing many of our possessions and family records that are all tucked away in an inaccessable storage unit.

As for family memebers:

Wayne is doing well with work. He gets overwhelmed at times by his responsibility and lack of reliable help, but he's learned a lot and for the most part enjoys the position. He's also made many great improvements and though he has a hard time seeing all the changes, he's been consistantly praised by his superiors which is always nice. We are in a small ward here which means multiple callings and Wayne is shouldering three. He's the seminary teacher (home study program), the 1st counselor in Sunday School, and the 2nd Sunday Elders Quorum teacher. He's an amazing man to balance everything plus listen to his whiney wife at the end of the day. I'm very grateful for his patience.

Parker is my big helper. He's really growing into his role as big brother. He still has his ornory moments, but he tries to help make things better. Just today Brenner fell off a toy and got hurt and while I was trying to comfort him, Parker brought over a toy and said, "Brenner I made this for you to make you laugh." Brenner stopped fussing and played with the toy.

Aiden is in a rough stage. He's having a hard time transitioning to a "bigger" boy with more responsibility. I think he would stay a baby forever if he had the choice. But he's still our one that finds amusement in little things and loves to be with people more than alone.

Brenner is Brenner. He's still our little menace and makes me want to pull my hair out most everyday. He's obsessed with my make-up and we have many pictures of him putting it on. (He can even get the mascara on his eye lashes) Poor Wayne is worried it's a sign of things to come. But we do often find ourselves laughing at the end of the day when we talk about all his antics. Everyone agrees that Brenner is one of a kind.

Hyrum is now 7 months old! Time is going too fast. He's still a very happy kid, but now realizes when no one is around or isn't paying attention to him and he will make his presence known. He has one tooth on the bottom and gets around the room by scooting on his rear. We've had some struggles getting him to eat baby food and with sleeping at night, but in the past week he seems to be getting better in both areas, which is a blessing.

Marissa is keeping it together most days. I've learned some lessons through this whole ordeal and I'm sure there's more I need to learn, because it's not over yet.

After much research and prayer we decided to home school our boys and it really has been a blessing. I'm still trying to figure out how to do some things with all my boys in tow, but I enjoy having them home all the time. And it's nice to do everything on my terms and to teach them what I want. Which right now is very little. I'm still trying to decide what curriculum I want to use, so for right now we are relaxing and just doing small things like reading books together and doing math flashcards and studying the scriptures together. We're really enjoying not being on a school schedule.

My camera cord is one of the many things in storage so I have no pictures to show. We have done many fun things summer including going to visit both sides of the family, going to the Indianapolis zoo, Sea World San Diego, Wayne taking the boys fishing, and more. Hopefully sooner rather than later I will be able to post some pictures.

**Marissa joined Facebook, so anyone who wants to become my friend look me up.