Darr Family Blog

Weekly Happenings: It’s been gloriously laid back this past week. I don’t mind it at all because I know that with the holidays approaching, followed by Abigail’s arrival shortly thereafter, we’re going to be immersed in all sorts of crazy soon enough. I had a couple of doctors’ appointments, Joseph had school, and Paul had work, school, and Scouts. Paul had Friday off (due to Veterans’ Day), so he spent a lot of time working on his office project. We also ate out a couple of times because of some free meal deals that they were having around town due to the holiday (one of the perks of living in “Military U.S.A.”). Paul and I went to lunch after dropping Joseph off at school (he didn’t have Veterans’ Day off) and then we went to dinner as a family. Oh, and Paul left early Friday morning to try and see if he could procure the new gaming system that Nintendo just released. It’s like the original NES, but it’s smaller and all of the games are loaded onto it instead of on separate cartridges. It’s also only $60 (almost unheard of, anymore). I was hopeful, but not really holding my breath, since I know that type of stuff goes fast. Well, he got one! He went to Target right as it opened only to find out that they had handed out tickets for people to reserve one (no ticket, no console) at 4AM of all times. He drove over to Best Buy (which wasn’t due to open for two more hours), found out they were giving out tickets, and managed to get one of the last tickets. We were then able to go back later and pick it up. Joseph was pretty excited.

The Weekly Weather: This past week was gorgeous. There were a couple of rainy days, but most of the days were sunny and cool (as in, we actually wore light sweaters). Thank you, November!

What Paul’s Been Up To: Aside from work, school, and Scouts, he spent most of the weekend working on his office. He borrowed a circular saw from someone in our ward so that he could cut down the plywood sheets that he’s using to cover insulation and the 2X4s that he’s going to use for supports for shelving and other things. He also got most of the insulation installed. It’s a wool insulation instead of fiberglass and he says it’s so much better to work with. His goal is to have the office done by the end of the month so that we can go ahead and move some baby stuff into the spare bedroom. I think he’s well on his way!

What Sarah’s Been Up To: I got some good news at my nutritionist appointment. Apparently my blood sugar levels have been consistently good enough that she felt like I could decrease how many times I have to test every day. Instead of four times a day, I only have to test two times. It’s been really nice to not have to prick my finger so much. 🙂 Tomorrow, I go for my next ultrasound/growth scan. I’ve felt kind of cruddy this week, but I think it’s because of the diet. I’m still not gaining weight (and even lost two more pounds), but my OB said that Abigail is measuring great (at least by the tape measurements; I’ll know more tomorrow after my ultrasound), so she’s taking what she needs, regardless of what I may need (and honestly, if that’s what it takes, I’m okay with that). Only 6.5 weeks to go!

What Joseph’s Been Up To: Mostly just being his awesome self. He’s really enjoyed playing with our new game console for the past couple of days. I like that I don’t have to worry about him accidentally breaking something on Paul’s original one, now. A couple awesome anecdotes from an evening when I wasn’t feeling well and he very willingly entertained himself for over an hour: he was getting a bin of toys off the shelf in his room and I heard a crash, followed by the specific sound of his toy grenade going off (which was in said bin). I kind of imagined the grenade sound to be a bit telling as to the size of the mess in his room…I’m just glad that the next sound I heard was him telling me that it was okay because he could clean it up by himself (and that it wasn’t his LEGOS). After playing with those toys for a while, he switched to his LEGOS. He made a LEGO creation that was part library and part science lab. He then put an extra head and “lab coat” (I think it was technically a suit of armor) on one of his mini figures and named him Professor Two Heads. If Professor Two Heads needed to go into his library, he’d take off one of his heads and his lab coat so as to not freak out the people in the library. Wow. His imagination blows my mind sometimes.

This Week in Pictures:

Weekly Happenings: This past week was what I call a “bookend” week. We had fun stuff happening at the beginning and the end, but the middle was rather average. Our Primary program was this past Sunday. Joseph’s part was: “From the temple we get blessings and are together forever.” He had practiced it enough times that he actually had it memorized (which we didn’t realize until he got up and said it right into the microphone with his typical confidence). It sure did my momma-heart proud. I love that little boy!! Monday was Halloween. Paul took Joseph around the neighborhood while I stayed home to hand out candy. Joseph got his bucket filled and then told Paul that he wanted to help me pass out candy, so they headed home. I knew we were going to get a lot of trick-or-treaters, but the number really surprised me. We had two huge bags of candy, which were gone within a matter of a couple of hours. This was with me giving each kid just a couple of pieces of candy…as in TWO pieces of candy each. One funny thing was that Joseph was quite the stickler about the candy. He knew I had said only two pieces of candy, so he made sure to count out two pieces to give each kid. He was also wary about repeat kids. There were quite a few Captain Americas, Iron Mans, etc. and I had to reassure him quite a few times that it wasn’t the same kids coming around. He’d say, “Are you sure? I think I saw him already!” Once Halloween was over, we had a typical week. Joseph probably would have felt the post-holiday let-down a bit more (he is always a bit bummed when decorations come down) but luckily he still had something to look forward to: the Stake Father-Son camp out on Friday. He’s known about it for about a month or so and has been looking forward to it quite a bit. Luckily the weather barely held it together. Paul had a back-up plan of camping in the living room and toasting marshmallows over the BBQ, but they were able to actually go. The interesting thing is that the camp ground is literally in the middle of town. It’s still a big camp ground, but it is definitely in an urban area. Paul got home from work, they packed up, and headed off. They got back yesterday morning and Joseph said that they had a great time. 🙂 After they got all unpacked and Paul got a shower, we went and rented a U-Haul truck so that Paul could go pick up the insulation, plywood sheets, and some 2X4s to insulate the shed with and start forming some bracing for shelves he’s going to put in (his plan is to use part of it as storage for holiday decorations). A neighbor helped him unload the truck and then we returned it. We then went out to eat for lunch and went to the mall to walk around (and Joseph wanted to spend some of his allowance at the LEGO store). It was a pretty fun day.

The Weekly Weather: It’s been a bit varied. We’ve had clear days and rainy days. Thankfully, the temperatures have dropped just a bit, making it feel slightly more fall-ish. It’s a typical start to a Texas November.

What Paul’s Been Up To: School, work, and progressing with his office. His goal is to have it done this month so that we can have a bit of time in December to do some more prep for Abigail’s impending arrival.

What Sarah’s Been Up To: Chauffeuring Joseph to and from school, teaching piano, running errands, and trying to take it easier at times. There were a couple of days that I was really feeling rotten (a lot of pressure, a little rise in my blood sugar, etc), but I upped my water intake and tried to rest more. Thankfully it seems to have passed (I’m still drinking extra water and trying not to push myself too much), but I’m still planning on talking to my doctors (I have two appointments tomorrow) just to make sure everything is okay. We only have 7.5 weeks left until my due date, so it sort of feels like the final count down.

What Joseph’s Been Up To: He’s been really into drawing as of late. I think he draws more than he plays with toys (with the exception of his LEGOS). This morning he actually woke us up at 6:30 saying that his tummy was hungry Did I mention Daylight Savings Time ended last night? It must have felt like 7:30 to him. I guess he did technically let us sleep in. 😉

This Week in Pictures: A bookend week deserves bookend photos, so here’s two from the beginning of the week and two from the end. 🙂

Weekly Happenings: This past week was pretty average with most of the stuff happening towards the end. Joseph had Red Ribbon Week at school so he got to dress up for various themes. He also participated in a “fun run” at school (what we would have called a “jog-a-thon” when I was in school). They basically had a “track” set up on the field at their school which the kids jogged around. It was a fundraiser, so donors could either donate a flat amount or a per/lap amount. We donated a flat amount of $10, which was good because he ended up running 31 laps. Each lap was 1/16th of a mile, so he essentially ran 2 miles. He slept really well that night. 😀 Yesterday was really a fun-packed day. In the morning we drove out to Medina (about an hour away) to Love Creek Orchard to visit the pumpkin patch. After that, we grabbed a bite to eat, and ran to Lowe’s for a couple of things. While there, we discovered a huge event that Bexar County Fire was sponsoring. There was a bounce house, different booths, fire trucks, and ambulances…even an emergency helicopter. It was pretty cool. After that, we went home, painted a few of the small pumpkins we have, and then headed out to the ward trunk-or-treat. Paul made some really good chili (which I was able to eat, along with a small piece of cornbread, without my blood sugar going crazy!), and Joseph had a blast with friends and going to each car. It was a really fun night.

The Weekly Weather: We’ve pretty much kept with the cool mornings and warm afternoons. It hasn’t been too bad, really.

What Paul’s Been Up To: Pretty much his normal routine of work, school, Scouts, and house maintenance (with a few extra bits here and there as he continues to get his outside office ready).

What Sarah’s Been Up To: Pretty much my same routine of keeping Joseph going, piano teaching, and doctors’ appointments. My perinatologist and nutritionist are happy with where my blood sugar numbers are and my OB says that Abigail is still measuring great and that fluid levels are also right where they are supposed to be {insert big sigh of relief}. We’ve got about 8.5 weeks left before my due date, so we’re just going to keep plugging along.

What Joseph’s Been Up To: I’ve already mentioned most of what he’s been doing, but there is one cute story: he was in the bath, singing to himself (to the tune of “Row, Row, Row Your Boat):” G-R-E-E-N, G-R-E-E-N, I can spe-ell gree-ee-een, G-R-E-E-N. ” I asked him where he had heard it and he told me that they sing it at school. The stuff they’ve come up with to help our kids have fun while learning is just awesome.

This Week in Pictures (a large amount to make up for the kind of sparse posts previous to this one) 😉 :