Whirlwind Summer

I am almost incredulous that it's the END of June.  Really, the END of JUNE!!!  What is going on around here?  So far the start of this summer has just been an absolute whirlwind!  We start the week and all of the sudden it's Friday again and we celebrate the weekend, phew!

I feel like I have so many little updates to share, I just don't know where to start, so I'm really hoping I don't forget! So, let's make a nice little organized list, I can't help being organized...(most of the time):

*Kristoffer received a new calling!  He's the new ward mission leader!  He's been a ward missionary for about 8 months or so, and now he's assumed the lead.  This means more meetings of course, but it's obviously important enough for the Lord to call him to it, so we as a family (read: me, as a wife) will see/support him through it.

*Samantha received a new calling!  I'm not sure if I'm allowed to share, since I haven't been sustained yet, but no one from our ward reads my blog, so I think I'm safe.  I'm now the stake primary chorister!  So.....I'm not really sure what that means/entails, but I'm eager to get started.  The only thing I do know is that I'll also have a few more meetings; *more*, what am I saying, I don't have any meetings *now*!

*Next month, Kristoffer starts a new shift at work; he's signed up to work the 2-10pm shift for July-September.  We've chatted about this and have decided it's something we can do to minimize cash outflow and maximize cash utilization to it's highest potential...AND we're realizing that Kristoffer will get to spend even more time with the kids in the morning, since he won't have to leave for work until about 1pm.  This is something that makes my little mother heart so very, very happy!  I may even be able to pick up a few extra hours at work in the morning.  But, we'll see how things go for the next three months and go from there.

*I getting my hair done on Saturday!!!  I know that's totally not big news, but I couldn't hold my enthusiasm any longer.  I LOVE getting my hair done...

*I've been doing a little experiment with Owen.  I took him in for his shots at 15 months and while his height was in the 90th percentile, his weight was surprisingly in the 20th percentile.  This kind of caught me off guard, he's always been a pretty solid boy.  The doctor wasn't worried, and I wasn't really worried either, but as a mom who knows her little guy, I left the office with some thoughts brewing in my mama-noggin.  The week before the visit, Kristoffer had mentioned that Owen really hadn't had a solid stool since I stopped nursing him when he turned one.  Then I also recalled that as a child, I was lactose intolerant.  I made a very fluid/tentative decision that Owen may be lactose intolerant, and started doing some research online.  And I stumbled across....goat milk!  I know, I know, ya'll are scrunching your noses and raising your eyebrows at the thought of drinking goat milk.  I was a little hesitant too...before I researched how amazing this stuff is for you!  SOOOO much better for you than cow's milk; it's like canned green beans vs. fresh green beans from your garden.  Anyway....Owen has been on goat's milk for about 3 weeks and he's been doing great.  His stools are more formed (TMI, right?) , I haven't totally cut out all milk from his diet-he still eats cheese so I think that affects his belly somewhat.  And he's climbed up into the 30th-35th percentile in these last 3 weeks, which is amazing!!!  Goat milk ain't cheap, and this makes me sad, but my little buddy is totally worth it.

*Marin, the little cutie-patootie is just growing and learning and getting ready for pre-school in the fall.  She is pretty excited, and I am too.  When we moved here last summer, I was amazed that so many people were starting their tiny just-barely-three years olds in pre-school!  We weren't ready for that last year, but this year, Marin is ready to socialize!  She'll be going 2 days a week for about 3 hours each day which is perfect.

*I'm also doing a little diet experiment, although, it doesn't involve goat milk.  This is my final, last ditch attempt to lose the weight by myself before I do Weight Watchers.  This past week, I've been doing gluten free and as carb free as I can stand.  It's been going surprisingly well, and I've felt pretty good!  I LOVE carbs, and pasta and all that stuff, and even though we always buy whole grain bread and pasta and I'll try to limit the gluten, it still doesn't work.  I can't eat a healthy low carb wheat wrap with veggies and tuna inside and lose weight.  So, I'm cutting out the wheat (gluten) and cutting my other carbs (rice, potatoes, corn) way back to hardly anything.  I've had success in the past doing this, so I'm crossing my fingers it will work this time around, it's still too early to tell!

*My sister's coming to town!!  She and her little girl, Lydia are coming to Salt Lake in about two weeks and I'm so excited!  I'm mentally making a list of all the fun things we need to do together while she's here, so hopefully we can get them all done.

I hope I remembered everything!

These are picture of last Saturday, we took the kids to an indoor aquatics center just a few miles from our house.  It was our first time and it was soooo fun!  They have a perfect setup for little kids, and they have a little half lazy river and a waterslide and fun water spout things for the kids to play with, totally worth the 16 bucks for the whole family.