August Update

Brig

He is hanging in there. He rarely has a negative thing to say despite the monotony of his work and the long hours he puts in. He has kept me up a few late nights talking on the phone and all I do is pray that Max sleeps in a little longer! He lives to see Max on the webcam and in video. He watches some videos at least 50 times. The other night, he told me this... "Guess what, Shaychan? We are down 115 days and only have 113 to go! We are on the downside, isn't that exciting?" I thought about all that has taken place in 115 days and how long that took and about cried at the thought of 113 more. I didn't say too much to ruin his excitement.

He has the opportunity to be an example to those he works with. Many have already gone crazy and come home and some are dealing with serious marriage problems. He has given some soldiers a bit of hope. The morale is very low over there, so anything that could lift his spirits in a crude world would be welcomed. Here are some photos of him:





Shayla

I moved into my little apartment in Provo at the end of July. We have spent our Saturday mornings at local garage sales and shopping on craigslist just to get those things that we need since all of our stuff is still in Lawton. I have made it a place where I feel at home... as close as it will get without Brig. I spent next to nothing on furniture and appliances, but bought some nice frames to hang pictures of our family! We like it here. I have been working on my online classes and just finished one and have one left. I have had my old college buddies over for dinner and my little cousins and nieces over for a girls night. It helps to keep me from feeling too lonely. The ward is great. I have to shut the windows even if the outside air makes us comfortable. A little boy in the ward is named Brigham, and when he is playing outside - his mom calls him several times, and I get a little disappointed! I will be starting a full load on Sept. 2nd. I am both excited and scared. I am excited to get the semester rolling and over with, and scared to have to leave my little Muffin with someone else! I can already tell that Max's first day of kindergarten will be the worst day of my life!

Girls Night Out with Moffats and Udalls




Max

He is now 6 months old and even cuter than ever. I let him cry it out (my sister called it 'Baby Boot Camp') about 2 weeks ago despite him waking up about 5 other kids in our complex and Brig telling me to go get him (because we were talking on the phone and he was not giving me the moral support that I needed - he kept saying, "Poor guy!"). Ever since then, he sleeps great! It has made me a very happy mom. He can entertain himself quite well, at least for 10 minutes at a time. I will let him play on the floor with some toys and within 3 minutes he has rolled from his back to his stomach, and he will start screaming because he can't roll over the other way. Needless to say, he does it over and over and I have to come to his rescue, just like a beetle who flips on its back and is helpless. He is still eating like a champ and grabs the spoon from me so he can feed himself faster. He loves peaches. Bath time has gotten more and more thrilling... with the kicking and splashing. I will leave him in there until the water is cold. He chews on his tongue and flips it all the way over. I am afraid that when he gets teeth, I will look and see a bloody mouth because he has eaten his own tongue! He is such a happy kid - giggling and smiling non-stop. He gets real happy if he sees another face besides mine.