Gary was accepted to Loyola Dental School in Forest Park, Illinois.
We were very fortunate to find a “2 flat” for rent at $275. This house is 80
years old, big and we like it. Gary will be starting his junior year now; he is
just starting to work on patients. Gary has done very well in school. He has a
3.86 average and is thinking about specializing in ortho or perio. Neither of
us is working and relies mostly on loans and parents for money. It can be
overwhelming to think about it, but right now we feel that I need to be home
with the children. Next year Gary will have more time home in the evenings and
I will have to look for an evening job. We really enjoy the ward and our friends
here. The Rhodes live across the street. I enjoy Sheri’s company; it’s nice to
have a friend right across the street. They have 2 daughters, Jessica is a year
older that Kristi. Kristi enjoys them so much. Gary goes to school with Les
Wardell. His family is in the ward also. They have five kids. I enjoy his wife
Joan and they also have a girl Debbie, Kristi’s age. They play together often.
We enjoy dong things with them as a family. There are many other couples that
we enjoy in the ward. It’s nice to have friends that are ‘ours’ together,
rather than ‘Gary’s friends’ and ‘my friends’. The weather is hard to get used
to here. It’s very cold in the winter and very humid in the summer, pretty
tough to get used to coming from sunny California. Kristi is 31/2 now and such
a joy, so happy and energetic. She loves to be with her friends playing, laughing,
and giggling. She talks very well and loves to have books read to her. Kristi
has been taking tumbling classes and loves to show off to mom and dad making up
new stunts.
Craig Andrew was born September 11, 1986. He was born in
California, because we were home for the summer. Gary had to be back to school
September 3, so he wasn’t there for the birth. My mother was with me and my
father gave me a father’s blessing before we left for the hospital. Craig was
born at a healthy 8 lb. 13 oz. Craig is way ahead of himself, he is 9 months
old and walking very well. His 7-8th incisors are coming in too. Craig’s
first 7 months were not very content, he had to be nursed every 2-3 hours and
this was very warring on a mother. It took quite a few nights of letting him
(and mother) cry it out before he started sleeping through the night. By 7
months he was weaned totally to a bottle and sleeping through the nights. He is
very content now. He loves to play with Kristi and by himself. He loves to eat
(everything). Some ladies from the ward call him ‘super baby’ because he is
such a bruiser, happy go lucky boy.
Yesterday Craig fell down the stairs in our basement in his
walker. It gave us quite a scare. Neither Gary nor I saw it. I heard the walker
go over the first step and then heard nothing until it hit the bottom and fell
forward on the concrete. It was as if he had been carried over the stairs. I am
feeling so very blessed and thankful for a loving father in heaven that has
bless our family and helped Craig down the stairs. He managed to come out of it
without a singe scrape, bump or bruise. When we live righteously, the Lord
blesses us. I felt so strongly about this that I bore my testimony is sacrament
meeting (the first time). The spirit was so strong, I couldn’t push it aside.
