The Higgins Bus

Since Joseph started school, the focus and sometimes obsession of our kids has been the buses that they see every day. Each one of them takes turns claiming the bus that they see. "That's Joshua's bus!!" or "There are 1, 2, 3 buses!" And along with that they have invented an insult that is SO terrible that it can even cause tears at times. The insult is, "YOUR BUS IS FAR AWAY!!" (I can't believe I wrote such a terrible thing in my blog, please don't judge me.) So every time they start shouting it back and forth I have to inform them that they are on their bus: The Higgins Bus! I tell them I am their bus driver. And then comes the natural progression to tell them all the fun stories of all my VW buses growing up--Gus Bus, ReBus, ThusBus, and more. This picture is from July, but I thought it was a fun one to share.

Joseph Quote

When we drove past the hospital where Derek works, Joseph pointed at it and said, "That is where Daddy lives!" This picture is actually Halloween night. The previous picture was of the night of the ward party. (Notice the different make-up.) Joseph is the cowboy and Charlie is the Indian. They are looking more and more alike as they get older.

Mamas Little Piggies!

These were some props I made for our skit in a road show for our stake. (And of course the kids begged and begged to play with them.)

It's finally getting pretty chilly back here. Last weekend it went from the 70's to the 30's in one weekend. On Friday, we went to the park after we picked up Joseph from school. When we got home the kids were asking to put on their footed pajamas because they were SO cold! Now I'm a little worried because it was only 50 degrees outside. We'll see if we make it through the winter.

Happy Thoughts

It's been a long week, so I am going to write about an experience that in my mind was a miracle: We were going to Stake Conference and arrived about 15 minutes early (no, that wasn't the miracle). I'm very grateful because even though Derek has to leave before we wake up in the morning and doesn't come home until after our kids go to sleep, he does have 2 out of 4 Sundays off for this rotation. So, we were looking for a seat--Derek was determined to get a soft seat--and found the 2nd row in the congregation was empty on the side. Okay, this had to be my biggest nightmare. Now it was our opportunity to preform for the WHOLE stake! I was terrified!

Inside myself I thought, "Okay, we have been reading the scriptures as a family and having Family Home Evening and saying family prayers. Maybe we will be blessed and our kids will be able to be calm throughout the meeting." But then I remembered Stake Conference is 2 hours and thought, "No way can they sit still for that long!"

Well, it just so happened that we sat behind the row for deaf people who had an interpreter doing sign language for them. My kids are really excited about sign language because of their "Signing Time" videos and a little sign language we do in our family. The choir was amazing and really got everyone's attention--including our kids. Then they played a violin solo that also impressed them very much. To make a long story not so long, they were quiet until the last 5 minutes when I had to take Josh out for throwing a fit in the aisle!! MIRACLE!!!! They were even quiet when a bee buzzed past the bench we were on and landed on the lady's shirt in front of us. Derek got a tissue from someone and grabbed the bee and put it in my scripture case. Still, not a peep from our kids!!

So I guess what I'm saying is that God will help us if we are trying our very hardest! Sometimes we want Him to help us the way WE want Him to help us, but other times we aren't expecting help and He surprises us with a MIRACLE.

Emma Quote

We got Frosty's today from Wendy's and while we were eating them Emma put her hand on her head and said, "Mommy, my head has a tummy ache."

Charlie Quote

One of my favorite things about my kids getting a little older is the funny things they say. So, bear with me if these aren't funny 'cause I think they are: Yesterday, Charlie was in the bathroom getting dressed after his bath. He called for me and when I went in he said, "I need your help!" I asked him why and he said, "'cause I can't stop the wiggles!!" He was shivering so badly he couldn't get dressed. :)

I'm Back

Two computer explosions later...I'm back and alive to tell about it. Without going into boring details, we've been having problems with the electricity in our home. This house is great because of all of the space for our kids, but there are a few things that could be improved. Despite my computer setbacks, I am going to rededicate myself to trying this blogging thing out. I also discovered the Higgins family website is no longer around, so I guess I'll give everyone the opportunity to read this boring stuff. My advice is to ignore the words and go straight to the pictures!! In less than four months since we moved from Arizona, we already missed out on FOUR nephews' births (2 on Derek's side and 2 on mine). What's going on guys?? You could've waited til we got back! :) Life here has been wonderful. Our neighbors are so kind. Our landlord and his wife are so sweet. They leave us fresh veggies every day and mow our yard for us. They also gave us the pumpkins in this picture for the kids. The ward we are in is incredible and very loving--we feel like we are a part of their family. Hey, I even went to a hurricane preparedness fireside and they said our house was at the highest spot on the island. (That helps one of my fears of New York out a little bit.) I'll stop there and keep some stories for future posts! We love you guys!