Such a Good Day!

Yesterday Brett found out that he passed the Virginia Bar! Yay! Such a blessing and such a relief. Way to go Babe! We are headed to Richmond in 2 weeks for him to get sworn in as an official lawyer...he did it! Time to celebrate.

'Funny Belly'

The other day we were getting Abby ready for bed and she looked at me and said this:

"Mommy, your belly funny, you need fix it." -Abby

...At least she tells the truth, holding nothing back. Apparently she has noticed some changes in my abdomen.

If you ask Abby where the baby is, she will point to HER belly, push it way out, point to herself and say: "Baby here."

Do you think she gets it? I think this little girl is in for a big surprise and life change in December. Little does she know what Santa is going to bring her. We're excited. I will admit I'm getting nervous about how Abby is going to deal with the permanent newcomer. Any tips on how to help a two year old cope with a new sibling? I was horrible to my brother when he was born. There are legends about me torturing him, though I claim to have been 'helping' him. I'm a bit scared for the livelihood of Abby's little sister.

100 Mile Tradition

Brett did his 100 mile bike ride with a group of friends from the area. Way to go Babe! They did this same ride last year and it has now become a tradition. It is a beautiful ride through the forests and along the coastline in Maryland.

Congrats on another good race guys!

On a side note...Brett's bike is pretty old and survived yet another race. The guys have now named his bike 'Lucile' in honor of being old but pulling through. One of these years I need to get him a new one.

Here is a video clip Lisa and Dave made from the ride:

Changes

It is so great to have Spein back, he looks great! We have had a lot of fun on the web cam with him. He and Abby are getting to know each other better since she was only 2 months old when he left. Spence is adjusting back to the American way of life and sadly had to part with wearing his Fiji skirt. :) It's back to jeans, jackets and English for him. I do think he is enjoying a soft bed after two years.

We wish we could be there today for when he speaks. We are thinking about you.

Love you!

Here is a picture of Abby and Spencer just before he left.

Here is Abby now, when he returned. (I can't wait to get a picture of them together.)

A lot changes in two years.

He's Coming Home!

My little brother comes home from his 2 year mission in Fiji this Thursday! We can't wait to talk to him and hear about all his experiences. We wish we could be there to see him when he gets off the plane. Thank goodness for webcams and technology so we can chat with and 'see' him via computers until December. It's a countdown to Christmas!

We can tell Spencer was an amazing missionary and left a lasting impact on the Fijian people. They will never forget you Spein! You gave your whole heart to serving the people there and that says a lot.

"And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God."

-Book of Mormon (Mosiah 2:17)

Welcome Back! We love you!

P.S. We hope you have a good coat because you will need it now that you are use to island temperatures.

The wonderful people

Mission Friends

His first day in the mission field

MTC...the first week of his mission.

Service day... the last week of his mission. Have a little mud on ya there? :)

Many encounters with dogs and goats...some not so pleasant. (Can't wait to hear more stories about these.)

Rain...and more RAIN...ahh, island life.

Beautiful views

Perfect Weekend

It has been the perfect weekend. We always love to listen to General Conference and feel renewed. It's also fun to continue some of our traditions...walks and cinnamon rolls.

When I was a kid, we would often drive in the mountains to see the Fall leaves in between Conference sessions. Since we don't have mountains, we decided go early that morning to Roosevelt Island and walk through the forest. Abby was in heaven! She could roam free and there were rocks, sticks and squirrels galore.

While we were out, I decided to play around with Brett's camera. He has had this camera since before we got married, when he was taking photography classes. I have really wanted to learn how to take good pictures so I have been trying to learn. I obviously have a long way to go, but it's fun to use. I was hoping to take some shots of Abby and practice using some aperture, but she was not going to hold still ... I can't blame her. It is so hard to get pictures of this kid holding still AND smiling at the same time. She's always on the go.

It was a beautiful walk. The leaves haven't changed yet because September was still pretty hot, but you just wait... Fall on the East is breathtaking, I love it!

In our backyard after the rainstorm, wearing her hat.

I told Abby to smile for the camera and this is what she did...

I'm so glad she wants to cooperate.

It was a perfect weekend.

Football Friday Victories!

VICTORY would be the best word that would describe Friday. We went to the Mclean High School Football Game to support a friend and loved it. They beat a really good team and had a great game. Abby was a bit scared of all the noise at first, but LOVED it in the end. She and her friends cheered with their pom poms and danced on the bleachers. It was a good time for all. We forgot the camera, so thank goodness for phones that can take pictures because the girls were hilarious.

Another VICTORY of the night was the UTAH STATE AGGIES! We beat BYU in an awesome game. At the end of the game, the students stormed the field, swinging a stuffed cougar by the neck. Ahh...a sweet moment for Aggies! Such a fun night.

The girls cheering on the bleachers.

Utah State on their big night.