This Week at Our House #33

First Morning at the Marriot

1. John's sister was in town and his brother's wife had a baby, so we spent Monday and Friday in Provo. John and Ruth were working on a Manga story board for an art competition and so John worked very heavily on that every day except Wednesday and Friday. John had the job interview on Friday. They were interviewing people all week. John said that the interviewer showed no emotion, so while he felt like he did pretty well, he had no idea what the interviewer was thinking. We do not expect to hear back from them soon as they have always been very slow about getting to things.
2. My friend Christina and her husband offered us their time share at the Mountainside Marriot in Park City. We could use it for Tuesday night through Thursday morning, We found out about it Tuesday morning, so I quickly got the two articles I was supposed to write for UFI and MWS written and took the kids. It was beautiful. We had a double room and one of the rooms was huge. It had a nice kitchen and a big living room with a couch bed and comfy chairs. We did not need to worry about spending any money because we could cook our own meals. We spent our time swimming in the pool and these huge hot tubs that are not too hot for little kids. It was so fun.The hotel had a game room and a toy room. They had a magic show and some kid crafts and a wii tournament. The weather is much cooler in Park City, so we spent a lot of time on a nature walk by the river and at a really fun city park. We also enjoyed watching cable TV and laying around a bunch too. We have been blessed with some really great friends. This was the first time I have ever stayed in a nice hotel. We all loved it. It was just the stress reliever we needed before we start school tomorrow.
3. Ruth did an amazingly beautiful job on her Manga story board. I have no idea if she will place in the contest, but her work is really, really good. Ruth loved our mini vacation. She missed most of the first day finishing off everything she needed to do for the competition, but enjoyed the rest of it.
4. Kate packed our family for the hotel while I wrote my two articles. She also got all of the kids ready to go and buckled in the van. I am not sure we would have been able to make it without her.
5. Johnny actually got sick the last night of our hotel stay. But it was only one time and he was fine. I know he had a great time.
6. Adam loved the hotel. That was the most relaxed he has been all summer. Thank you, Christina. I think he is probably the one child who needed this the most. He certainly seems to be the kid who is feeling our poverty and his father's unemployment most keenly. Fortunately soccer starts for him next week and I think that will help too.
7. Rachel is swimming on her own in the deep water now. It's awesome to have another child independent in the water!
8. Anya loved swimming at the hotel. She just kept going and going. 
9. Guardian Angels protected Joseph this week. On Monday we went to Grandma's house in Provo. I looked twice to make sure the kids were all out of the car. I was specifically looking in the car seats for Arwen and Josh. John did the same thing. We both left thinking the kids were all out of the car. Then John thought that maybe Joseph would not be able to get out the car if he were left in. He went back and found Joseph sound asleep on the fourth row of the van. Later that day Johnny had gotten out of the pool and I agreed that Joseph and Josh could stay in the 4 foot pool with Adam if they kept their life jackets on. Well Anya told Joseph to take his life jacket off and put her arm floaties on. Joseph took off his life jacket and immediately sunk under the water. Adam heard him struggling and had to get to him from across the pool. Adam got Joseph out and made everyone else get out of the pool. Joseph came in to me terrified and bawling that he could not swim without a life jacket. We said many prayers of thanks for Joseph's life that night. We did not have our swimming gear at the hotel because we had left it in Provo. I worked with Joseph in the pool and by the end of our stay, he could swim 6 feet from me to the edge of the pool in the deep water. I am glad that he is not terrified of the water now.
10. Josh is a runner and was rather difficult to keep track of at the hotel. While in the hot tub with many of the little kids, I turned around and Josh used that as an opportunity to take off running to the pool. 
11. Arwen has been biting and throwing temper tantrums. Welcome us to the terrible two's once again! She has also been taking off her diaper all of the time, so I am giving in and will start potty training her soon. School starts full time next week. That will force me to be more scheduled and seems like a good time to get started. She will be the 4th kid I will have potty trained the four years we have lived in this house. Since she is only two, I know that I will basically be having her train to tell me that she needs to use the bathroom and then I will be taking her for a year. Of course there is always the chance that this will fail miserably and I will keep her in diapers until next summer.
12. Susan is gaining weight steadily and mainly breast feeding with very few bottles. I think we have made it over the hard parts. My mother in law loaned me a baby scale, so I can weigh her myself now. She is up to 10 pounds and is 2 months today. Susan also slept through the night from 11pm to 7:30am Thursday through Sunday. I am glad that life has gotten easier just in time for school to start. I am sure this is a tender mercy.