A day with the Marshalls

Today I went swimming for the first time in forever. I still have the slightest bit of the nasty virus hanging on, but I figured it was worth the risk of exacerbating that to exercise again. Without exercise, I just fall apart. It fell so nice to swim.

It was bring-a-friend day at the Little Gym, and so we got to see the Marshalls there. Chelsea and I bought each other Groupons, and she is starting her kids in the same class as soon as Liv finishes soccer. It was round one of visiting because we ended up spending the evening together too. That made us happy!

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While Lydia was at preschool, Mary and I went to the mall to find maternity fall clothes that fit. I ran into an old mission friend at the mall who kindly suggested H&M as a place for shopping success. Mary and I trooped to that end of the mall only to discover that all of their maternity clothes were too small. It was very depressing.

Then who should I bump into but Chelsea–again! She took me to the Maternity store, and all my problems were solved. I bought a bunch of clothes after trying them on as fast as I could so we wouldn’t be late for preschool pick-up. Later in the evening Abe and Chelsea reviewed my purchases and approved them all. I thought I’d be taking back at least a couple things, but they were so affirmative that I think I might be (almost) set.

After preschool, we made pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. It is the easiest recipe ever, and Lydia practically made these on her own. Once Mary found out she had to wash her hands to help, she decided she’d rather go play than bake.

IMG_1335Abe came home early and worked from home. We loved seeing more of him. Then Chelsea and her kids came over because Derek had a Salt Lake meeting. We ended up visiting for hours and were so, so inspired by Chelsea’s birth stories. Her testimony of faith and fasting was so powerful. She told us the whole story of how she and Derek successfully navigated the in-vitro process, and her story reflected the truth of personal revelation and inspiration. We felt edified.

Abe and the little kids did puzzles at the end because Olivia and Lydia weren't keen on allowing them into their fun.
Abe and the little kids did puzzles at the end because Olivia and Lydia weren’t keen on allowing them into their fun.

Then Abe and I cleaned up the house and had a brief “together time” with the kids before bed. They begged for more. I feel good about this new routine!