Trunk or Treat Day!

Hi Everyone,
Guess who came to trunk or treat day? Grandma! Mom drove up today, just spur of the moment, and we've had a wonderful time! We've missed Grandma a lot since we moved. We went to our ward's trunk or treat this evening and it was tons of fun. BethAnne decided she wanted to be a witch again this year and Grace looked beautiful in a hand-me-down Cinderella costume. Grace wanted to wear BethAnne's hat, but we decided it wouldn't go very well with her outfit. We look forward to more Halloween festivities next week. We hope you are all well. Make sure you all post your Halloween pictures.
Love,
Aubrey

Autumn Update

Well, I noticed that it's been over a month since I last posted. I've really got to get better at this. We're not super exciting, but we're happy and healthy - oh, except for Aiden who gets bad allergies at the change of every season. His nose is running all the time, but he is still cheerful and sweet as can be. His new favorite song that he sings all the time is one he made up himself; the only words are "happy day" repeated over and over again. Every time he sings it, it puts the biggest smile on my face. Aiden's favorite hobby these days is chasing the cats. Tiger usually won't let him get her, but Hopper actually seeks Aiden out a lot of the time. When Aiden catches him, Aiden will usually pick him up or just lay on him like a big fluffy pillow (Hopper is the hugest, fluffiest 9-month old kitten you've ever seen. I like to call him "big lug"; one of these days I'll have to take a picture of the cats so you can see).

Eva is loving preschool as always and is making lots of friends. Last week Eva's class went to a pumpkin patch nearby that has tons of play stuff for the kids and I went along as a "chaperone". They had big slides and hay bales and a big pile of dirt for the kids to dig in and a hay ride and all sorts of great stuff. Eva had a blast. Her list of favorite things to do these days includes: riding her tricycle all around the neighborhood with mommy and Aiden, drawing pictures (I'm really impressed with some of the art she produces) and doing crafts (I checked out a craft book from the library to give me ideas of things for her to do and she loves it). She's very excited to dress up as a dragon for Halloween this year, and is even more excited for Christmas to come. Eva loves all things holiday.

Jeff is busy with work and family time and yard projects. He likes being busy though so that's good.

The kids have been so easy to take care of lately, that I've started doing some crafts (Christmas decorations and crocheted stockings) and reading more than I have in a long time. It's been kind of luxurious.

Well, that's the Bousquet update. We love you all and love reading about you on the blog.

Grace on Sunday

Hi Everyone,
Here are some pictures of sweet Grace before Church today. She's a cutie! We're doing pretty well here. I caught the girls cold just as they were getting over it (I thought I had escaped it). So, I'm not feeling great, but I'll get better soon. We had a wonderful visit with BethAnne and Grace's new pediatrician on Thursday. She (the doctor) wants to be very involved in coordinating BethAnne's healthcare, which is probably going to make my life a lot easier. Mark has started riding a free Microsoft commuter bus to work most days. It's a very nice bus and it has very few stops. I got another lapband fill yesterday and I think it will be helpful. Have a great week!
Love, Aubrey

October Update

Hello sweet family! Like usual, we have no pictures, but hopefully by next post we'll have some for you to look at. We found an old disposable camera that we must have bought while we were dating, and we're working on using up the rest of the pictures so we can find out what we took pictures of so long ago. We're really going to have to become better photographers before we have kids!

Life is treating us well, and we can hardly believe it's already the middle of October. Winter hit this last week, with snow falling lightly this morning as we got ready for church. It's been such a beautiful autumn, and I hate to see the cold season come. Work is going well for me. I just finished my fourth week and finally feel like I'm kind of getting into a rhythm. I really like the people I work with - all of them have unique personalities which means there's never a dull moment in the office!

Jon is still the most amazing husband in the world (sorry sisters, it's true!) and I marvel at how well he balances everything he has on his plate. He's decided to participate in the NAHB competition again, and hopes for first place this time! We went out to dinner on Friday with the faculty mentor and the rest of the team members. Jon's really excited about the dynamics of the team (two of his good friends are on it), and this year should go more smoothly than last. The other big project that Jon is working on is a real estate feasibility study for one of his classes. He and his good friend Russ are on the same team, and the more they work on the study, the more this "assignment" is becoming a project that they're seriously considering pursuing. There's a little more than an acre for sale right on 9th East and 7th North (about a block away from campus), and they are researching the chance of successfully developing the land into condos. I know the market's kind of scary right now, but the Provo condo market hasn't really taken a hit like most of the country, especially real estate right next to campus. Plus, they probably wouldn't break ground for another year, and then they wouldn't be ready to sell for another year, so hopefully two years will bring a more positive housing market. Who knows if this project becomes a reality, but it's exciting to think about nonetheless. Jon thinks this sounds so much more exciting than going to work for someone after graduation, and I have a lot of faith in his skills and genius. We're lucky that both of our fathers are experienced in this area, and will be seeking they're advice a lot as decision-time approaches.

I just realized that I wrote about 20 times more about Jon than about myself, but seriously, I'm just not that exciting. I need a new niece or nephew to crochet a blanket for! Anyone? I'm trying to get motivated to start going to the gym and start some craft projects - hopefully I'll have progress to report next time I post. We miss having Carl & Steph in Provo to hang out with, and miss all of you in general. Can you believe how grown up we all are? Jon and I hope you are all happy and healthy...keep the posts coming! Love you!

Your Famous Mom (co-starring your old neighbor boy)

Nursing students Jason Oakes and Kathy Baker check a patient at Karcher Estates Retirement & Rehabilitation Community in Nampa as part of Assistant Professor Pat Lazare's clinical nursing course at the facility. Boise State's Nursing Department offers two master's degree and bachelor's degree in nursing, as well as an online program for nurses with associate degrees who are want to earn a bachelor's. For more information about the nursing program go to nursing.boisestate.edu.

Care Bears for Dinner and Daddy Hugs

Hi Everyone,

I don't have any pictures to post, but I have some funny stories. BethAnne likes to have pretend dinners or picnics. Her pretend food is still mostly packed, but she found a way around that. A couple days ago, we sat down for her pretend dinner and to my shock and dismay she served me a small stuffed care bear to eat. I actually did not find it funny at the time (I'm particularly fond of care bears). I emphatically told her we do not eat care bears. Later she brought me another care bear and told me it was made out of cake and frosting (she likes watching Ace of Cakes where they make cool cakes shaped like different things). I thought it was okay to pretend to eat a pretend cake shaped like a care bear. BethAnne is very creative.

The next day at real dinner, Mark gave BethAnne a big hug right before she sat down to dinner. Grace was already in her seat but she got down and ran to Mark and said "Daddy hug?". So Mark gave her a hug, but one wasn't enough. We sat there for five minutes waiting to say prayer as she said "Daddy Hug" over and over and kept going back for more hugs. Finally were able to say prayer and she went back to her seat, but a few times in dinner she got out of her chair and went to Mark for another "Daddy hug". It was very cute.

We hope you are all well. The girls have had a cold, but they're getting better. Mark is getting settled in at work. He gets along well with his office roommate. I'm trying to keep the kids happy and fed and working on organizing our house and finishing the unpacking. Melynie is moving here at the end of the week and I'm excited to have a good friend living here.

Love you all!
Aubrey

Are you ready for some football??

We went to the USU vs BYU game Friday night. It was nice to be able to root for both teams. BYU did good in the first half, and then played terribly - I mean worse than I've ever seen anyone play. USU got 2 (almost 3) touchdowns in the last half, and played way better than I thought they would, considering their reputation. BYU still won 34 to 14, but they should still be ashamed of themselves! Anyway, the kids had fun, but got bored towards the end (especially Adam, who kept kicking the guy in front of us. Which would have been ok, except he was one of Brian's clients. Oh well...)

Conference was nice this weekend. I love being able to sit for 8 hours without feeling guilty. Two of our boys are sick today, and I'm hoping no one ends up puking in the middle of the night! We're getting flu shots on Wednesday, so hopefully we'll stay relatively healthy this winter. Love you all!

Happy October!

Hi Everyone!

I don't have a picture to post - but just imagine your mom and dad with silly grins on their faces and tears in their eyes everytime they open the refrigerator! That's because they are looking at beautiful snapshots of the most wonderful family in the universe! All of you are truly our treasures - and bless our lives daily with the righteousness of your lives. Wasn't conference wonderful - so many messages of hope and love. I am so grateful for your dad, his strength and his love for me, and so grateful for the Savior's atonement in my life. I love autumn time - what beautiful weather we have had - and love to see the passage of the seasons to remind us that our lives have seasons. I am grateful for this season of mine - of growth, and quiet peace. I hope all of you have a wonderful season! -- and kiss all those little faces for me! XOXXXOO Mom