Greg's 32nd Birthday

Greg's party was so much fun! We had a small crowd and lots of kids. Greg had to cook our food, but he's the best at that, so he wouldn't have enjoyed his steak nearly as much if he hadn't cooked it.

And I have to say, I have the best friends and family. I could NOT have done it without their help. Everyone helped out so much, from Heather decorating, and basically taking charge of the cake and brownies, to Peter cutting the watermelon without being asked, to Alli watching Jonas and helping with other little things. I really enjoyed myself.

I did make a total mess out of the brownies when I tried to use the mixer. I sprayed egg and brownie mix everywhere. And then, the candles were put into the brownies before they were cool and it was hilarious! They melted and fell over, and then once they were lit, dripped all over the brownies. We had to pick out pieces of wax as we ate.

Prayer request to be missionaries to the Mormon missionaries.

We're having Mormon missionaries for dinner on Wednesday night. Pray for us to be filled with the Spirit and bold in sharing our faith. Greg has to work, but Peter and Janet will be here.

So, the croup is still hanging out at our house. It's supposed to last 3-4 days, but poor Ben is still sick, a week later. The worst and most stressful part is that we're not supposed to let him cry. Normally, when I put him to bed, he cries for a few minutes before he goes to sleep. It's just about impossible to get him to stay asleep any other way! I've tried everything I can think of, but as soon as I move him, he wakes back up. And, he doesn't sleep as well, or as long anywhere else besides a bed.

At night too, he's been waking up and I've been laying with him in bed on my chest and he just cries and cries. Last night, we may have had some sort of a breakthrough. I didn't try to hold him, when he cried, I just had him in the bassinet and pulled it right up close to my bed, so I could hold his pacifier in his mouth. That worked last night. We'll see if it works again.

Pray for us. We're all exhausted, except Luke, thank goodness.