Moore Family Update

Hello all! Thanks for checkin' in! We hope you're all doing well.

Hunter and I have so much to be grateful for this holiday season. Life, though busy, is satisfying and rewarding. Hunter continues to work for the KC Chiefs, and he has only one more semester of law school left!! YAHOO!

I'm keeping up with church callings and finishing finals this week. I plan on taking a semester off to prepare for our baby's arrival. He's expected to debut in the first weeks of April. We're leaning toward naming him Sterling Edward Moore. I'm hoping to finalize my novel during that time, too. School has kept my mind off the many months of nausea--now I'm ready to sink my mind back into my fantasy world :-).

The kids are doing well. They are sooooo excited to get out of Topeka and head to AZ for Christmas. YUP--ya heard right...we worked out the details and we're going home!!

So--life is good. God is taking great care of us.

Please feel free to post your family updates here--we LOVE hearing all that's going on with your families.

Sincerely,
Julie Moore

The Christmas Tree is UP!!

So--I always try to make our family "tree" time enjoyable and memorable; however, the only thing we all end-up remembering is the whining, arguing, groaning and fussing that inevitably drowns out the cheerful Christmas music. Once everyone was sufficiently grumpy enough to call it a night--I jokingly asked them all to take a final pic--proving that even rough moments can be endured in the Moore home :-). Hopefully, next year will go smoother. Wishful thinking gets me through a lot :-).

Thanksgiving FUN!

Hunter and I divided our cooking responsibilities for Thanksgiving this year. He volunteered to cook the pies. The kids are going to be involved in cooking the entire feast. This was their first pumpkin pie! They were all quite proud of themselves :-).

This is me at 20 weeks! My belly is growing--along with everything else--AGH!!!! I've joked about my body being a giant yo-yo...expanding and contracting with each pregnancy. I've generally had my baby's around 36-37 weeks---so we've got about 17 weeks to go. YEAH! AND--the greatest news of all...MY NAUSEA IS ALL BUT GONE!! I'm MORE than thrilled! 5 months of the eternal flu-bug is enough for anyone!!

The "Santa Paradox"

I would love to hear some opinions. When Mariah was only 6 or 7 years old, she stopped believing in Santa. After hearing Pres. Faust's Christmas talk--about the family who did not have presents under their tree, she determined that either he was lying or we were lying...and since he was part of the first presidency of the church...WE were obviously lying. Smart kid, eh?? So--Mariah graduated into the next "kid stage"--knowing but keeping it secret. This week, Amber came to me and said, "Mom--I don't think the Tooth Fairy or Santa are real. What's the truth?" SO--knowing that I wasn't going to lie directly, I asked, "Well, what do you think?" My thoughts: I don't like that Santa gets so much credit for Christ's holiday. I don't like that a spiritual holiday has become the most comerciallized day of the year. Satan has really done a great job--taking Christ out of Christmas. As much as I enjoy the "Santa" angst and thrill...it's just not what the holiday is all about. Of course, it's what our culture has created out of the holiday...but we're just encouraging it. I've considered this for some time--since Easter has also become "the Easter Bunny Day", too. THOUGHTS?

Twilight Date Night

Hunter and I had both read all the Twilight books--and we were psyched to see the new movie. We put the kids down for bed and Tracy, our neighbor, bunked out at the house so we could get away for a few hours. We got to the theaters over 30 minutes early--and most of the seats were already filled! Filled with jabbering teenagers--just dying to see the movie. We were pleasantly surprised with the movie. With it's limited budget, we felt it was well done. We also thought Hardwick, the director, stayed true to the book--keeping the important scenes, combining others...all in all--a B rating from the Moores. We really liked the main actors. The movie continued on in our dreams, too!! Can't seem to get my fill of Meyer's characters. Good stuff! Fun date!

NO CAVITIES!!

Since it's Thanksgiving time--I wanted to give my thanks for dentists, toothbrushes and toothpaste. You know--I just don't feel presentable until my mouth is clean--inside and out! I can't imagine what life was like before toothbrushes and toothpaste!! The dark ages REALLY would have been abismal without dentists, too! The kids had their first dental appointment here in Topeka. I hadn't heard the best reviews about the dental clinic I was going to take the kids to--BUT--thank heavens...all went better than I hoped! We were only there for 30 minutes when all the kids were escorted out by separate dentists who gave me a run down of their check-ups--all of which were wonderful!! SOOOO many mornings and nights I have pleaded with my children to brush their teeth---YEAH...it was all worth it!! NO CAVITIES! I'm so thankful for modern conveniences!

Happy Birthday Amber--seven years old!

Our little Amber turned seven years old today! Mariah and I sewed her a purse, and Hunter and I took her to lunch this afternoon. We're so proud of her. She's a spunky, funny girl--always full of surprises. She's about to lose her OTHER front tooth!

From the eyes of a child...

I took Cody with me to the doctor's office today to hear the baby's heart beat. I told him he could use the camera. He was so excited. I think it's so much more fun to involve the other kids in the baby process. These are the memories Cody will keep forever :-).

What a wonderful boy Cody is! He was a great companion at the doctor's office. I knew this wasn't the "full check-up"--so Cody came along for the ride.

Sickness in the Ranks

Whew--what a week! Mariah got hit with strep throat last Saturday. Then Amber came home with the flu-bug--which hit Cody next. Then me! We've been laying around the house--trying to get rid of these illnesses. Fortunately, Hunter's been able to take care of us all the last few days. He's been awsome--trying to keep up with work, school, and house chores. I was impressed how thoroughly he disinfected both bathrooms yesterday. After 4 out of 5 family members spend a week sick in the bathrooms--it's always nice to smell bleach and clorox!! Yeah for Hunter! Today, we're beginning to recover--HALLELUJAH! Still, as tough as it is on the kids, I'm keeping everyone home--just to make sure we're no longer contagious. You really can't appreciate HEALTH until it's GONE!

Baby anxiety??

Just to answer a few questions from your comments...YES...I do worry about the baby NOT making it again. For all those mothers who've experienced miscarriages and still born births--you know what I mean. I FEAR getting too atached to this little child within me--per chance we'll have a repeat of the last pregnancy. I worry each time we're listening for the baby's heartbeat. I get teary-eyed every time I hear the swooshing rhythm of his heart. Truth be known--I didn't handle the last loss so well, and I know now how tough it is to burry a baby--and I don't want to ever experience that again. It's not something you'd wish on an enemy! But--on the brighter side...I am grateful I have the gospel and know about the eternities ahead. It does give me peace--even if tragedy strikes again. I have many friends who have experienced losses far greater than my own---so...keeping it all in perspective, ALL IS WELL! :-)

WE'RE HAVING A BOY!!!

We found out today that I am 16 weeks along--and having a baby boy!! We're SOOOOOO excited! I couldn't help but yell out loud when the sonographer gave us the news--pointing to our baby's identifying parts :-). Hunter just sat smiling--then smiled the whole way home. We were so sad to lose our last little boy--so this is all the more thrilling for our family now. Cody was giddy. He really wanted a brother. The girls were eccstatic, too. Hunter and I have been throwing around names. We really like Logan and Sterling. So far--I'm holding onto this baby, and we're praying (all day) that we'll get to bring this baby to full-term. I've started to feel the baby moving, too--which is something I'd forgotten about. I remember the pain of delivery, but I didn't remember what it was like to have the baby moving inside the womb. So fun! I'm still having a tough time with nausea at times--but not ALL the time, like before. YEAH! I have this tonic that I have to take each night (apple cider vinegar, black-strap molasses, keyanne pepper, garlic immune, etc.)--it's beyond disgusting--and my stomach has issues with keeping it from coming back up, but I'm trying to do better. Hopefully, my body will keep functioning and this sweet baby boy will keep growing!! What do you think? Sterling or Logan??

Scouting Memories

Hunter dressed the part of "Chief" to present his scouts with the prestigious award of the Arrow of Light. Kim Blair, the Den Leader, planned a perfect night for all of these young men. We love scouts! And I know Hunter loves these boys. They're a great crew.

Governor's Mansion Date

We love Kansas in the fall. Check out these colors! What a landscape! I begged Hunter to take a walk with me around the Governor's Mansion for our Saturday date. I LOVE great scenery. It makes me soooooo happy.