to mail or to keep

Mary drew this picture a few days ago, and I love it!  It is so cute, so full of child-like magic and Christmas joy.

She wants me to mail this picture to Santa, and she wants to put it in the envelope and address it by herself.

I am more than willing to indulge in any kind of Christmas fun, especially for Mary, as her "believing years" are dwindling, but I really want to keep this picture. After all, I am tecnically Santa.

  I am tempted to just tell her I mailed it, and keep it in a special hidden spot. Or maybe I should just mail it to grandma, and have her secretly give it back to me when we see her again. I just don't know how I would explain that Santa lives in Pocatello, Idaho when Mary puts the address on the envelope.

Maybe I should just keep the picture I took of it, and let her mail it off to some place in the "North Pole" in one of those mailboxes in the mall that sends letters to Santa.

Oh, what to do?

fun with daddy

Sledding!

up and down and all around

Last week, it was hoovering around 70 degrees and we were at the park "swing bowling."  The kids made up the game, somehow they think it is fun, William was laughing so hard he was going to burst, and it was a glorious spring like day.

Today there are beautiful silent snowflakes falling, and Heber is covered in a gorgeous blanket of white snow. The view out the window is breathtaking. The fields, barns, horses, rivers, mountains, and trees are all glowing in their own winter beauty. 


This morning, the kids decided to play "santa." And this afternoon we are going sledding, and coming home to eat pumpkin bread with cream cheese frosting.  (my one treat for the week, and I am oh so excited) We have a thing in our family, where I make pumpkin bread after the first big snow fall. It is our way of welcoming the season and the beauty and excitement of it all.

 

 

The weather is not the only thing ever changing.  Ben was out of town for work the past two days.  The kids and I decided a trip to Herriman was due. They were going to play with friends, and I was going to finish up Christmas shopping. We were all excited for the trip.

 

I dropped the kids off at friends houses, and they were bursting with excitement, and then I took off for the toy store, all happy and in the Christmas spirit.  And then I got stuck in horrible traffic, and Luke started crying.  The next 30 minutes were rough, and I was anything but happy when we finally got to the store.

 

Once in the store, I found the perfect toys for my kids and I was very happy and excited again.  I am a toy lover, and I LOVE the hunt for the perfect toy for my kids. And then William was missing. A few minutes after looking, he was still missing.  After the store locked all the doors and had everyone searching for him, he was located siting in a power wheels in the back of the store.  I was relieved, mad, happy and annoyed all at the same time.

 

I bought the toys, and headed back to the car. I was happy to have gotten some great deals and to have the shopping pretty much done.  And then Lukes bottle was missing.  I went back to the store and looked and looked and looked. It was never found.

 

I got stuck in even worse traffic than before, and Luke bawled the entire 40 minutes back to Herriman. I was frazzled beyond belief at this point.

 

I rushed the boys into Target battling 30+ mph winds, quickly bought a bottle, filled it up, and started feeding Luke. The silence of a happy baby was wonderful.  I was so happy to find what I needed there, William behaved and was happy, and I was happy again too. Few!

 

We picked up Mary and Sam and decided to make the treck back home.  The kids were happy and we chatted the whole way home.  It was a fun drive. The best quote of it all was "mom, I really love my school here. I love Heber. It just feels so good in my heart to be here."

 

We decided to all snuggle up and have a big slumber party in the living room together, watching movies and eating popcorn.  It was fun, cozy and great.

 

And then Luke got really fussy, and Mary got a horrible stomach ache. William spiked a fever of 103, and the night went from there.  I went to bed a 4:30am and woke up at 7:00.  Not good. 

 

The kids were surprisingly happy (and properly drugged) that morning, so I felt the tension of the night go away, and I got Mary off to school. It was a total blizzard and we were all excited. I even listened to some Christmas music.  Too early for me, but I couldn't help it. I needed the boost, and it worked.

 

I even went to the gym...with 2.5 hours of sleep. Somehow I felt fine.  I blasted out my 5 mile run, at my fastest pace so far and was so happy about that!  I will probably add another mile next week. I also lost 3 pounds in the last 10 days. 3 pounds left to pre-prego weight, and 5 more after that to hit goal weight.  I hopped off that scale elated!  All was well, aside from being loony from exhaustion.

 

I got Sam off to school, got William down for a nap, and got all settled in for a nap of my own.  Nope, Luke decided to be sad. (teething anyone?)  Therefore, I was sad.

 

I picked up the kids from school, and the rest of the evening was nuts. The snow continued to fall, so we were happy. Luke continued to cry, so I was frustrated.  Sam and Mary started fighting, so I got really mad.  Then they all played happily together, so we were happy.

 

 

By the time Ben got home, I was in a half exhausted, loony, stooper, and I think I feel asleep within minutes of him walking in the door.  He was a saint and helped Luke out throughout the night. I think I did feed him at one point, but it is all a blur.

 

This morning we woke up to even more snow. I listened to Christmas music (just for a few minutes)and got all happy and excited again. But, I can't forget Thanksgiving, so I am trying to keep it in check. Then I read a friends blog about how all of her friends gathered around her in a time of need, and for some reason I started crying and yearning to be in our new home and neighborhood where all of the ladies I have begun to meet are.  A few of whom I know will be good friends. Then I got a horrid yearning to be in our new house, so now I am very anxious, but at the same time I am trying to make it due here. 

 

And now Ben has the two youngest at the gym, the older two are at the practice for the Primary Program (which is tomorrow and I am really looking forward to it), and I am looking out the window at the falling snow, smelling pumpkin break cooking, and making an interruption free blog post. Awesome!

 

Pretty much, the past two days my emotions have been around the world and back again, and at times, up to the moon. Thank goodness the weekend is here and that Ben is taking Monday off!  Few!

just for fun

As I sat down to type this blog post, I barely got the computer open before someone needed something.  Of course, I am mom first, and a blogger second or third or something cool like that, so I helped the kids out and then tried again.

Then I got an idea.  It probably seems, when reading these posts, that I just sit here typing away, writing these stories and experiences, without any interruptions. The kids are behaving perfectly, and completely entertaining themselves for long periods of time.  Oh, if only. 
I never mention them, or the time it really takes to do a blog post, so this time, I am going to record each time I have to stop typing, in order to do something.  Just for fun. This should be good.

You may ask, "then why bother blogging?"  Why not just be a good mom, forget the computer, and pay utter and complete attention to your children 24/7. 

(haha, I am the first one to interrupt myself. I need to plug in the computer, be right back)

Ok, to answer the before mentioned question. Well, because of this quote I found on my cousin's blog.

We write to taste life twice, once in the moment and in retrospection" Anais Nin

Love it.

(hang on, William needs a drink)


OK, I am back. On to the actual post now.

So, I sometimes have these weird moments when I all of a sudden just decide to do something.  For me, not to have planned it first is really weird. Control freak, maybe.  OK, probably. But oh well, I am who I am.

(oops, Luke dropped his bottle, just a sec.)

I am back. Oh, wait, William and Sam are arguing over a show. 

Now, I am back.  Phineas and Pherb won.  I admit, I think that show is hilarious!

So, the other day at the gym, after running 5 miles and feeling great about it, I was all excited to hop on the scale.  Bad idea, CURSES to those last 5 pounds of prego weight and the other 5 pounds that I just want to lose, that stick to me like super glue!  What is it going to take to burn you off, you stubborn waste of fat space, you!  AARRGGGHH!!

So I pouted the rest of the way home, as Ben continued to tell me I looked great and so forth (he is awesome) and then I had a thought.  If I can't exercise these last pounds off, I will eat them off. Ha!

(oh man, Luke is crying. Be back in a second, or maybe more)

yummy, I could kiss those cheeks all day.  He is properly smoochified and happily playing with his little baby toys now. OK, where was I.

Oh yes, the fat pout, and the "ah ha" moment.

So, I came up with a simple plan. I HATE the idea of strict diets, lack of balance, only eating one food group, or crazy fad things. No thank you, I will enjoy my food if that's ok with you. I will just watch it more.

I decided to seriously back off sugar and white flour, and to majorly bump up fiber, protein, fruits and veggies. You are probably thinking, well duh!  But, it is always easier to see what will help others, before yourself. And did I mention that I hate diets or anything even close to resembling them. Notice I didn't say I would completely cut anything out. Just greatly reduce. :)

(seriously!  Sam is out of toilet paper up in the bathroom. Hang on.)

I am back...oh, just kidding. Sam is here, but I didn't hear the toilet flush or the hands being washed. eewww!

Alrighty, hands washed toilet flushed, all is right in the world.

So, the next day, I decided to give it a shot.  I had no previous plans to do this, no "start date," I just kind of began eating like this.

I found some good finds like Greek Yogurt (light and fit), cottage cheese, spinach leaves with raspberry vinegar salad dressing stuff, all natural peanut butter, salmon, lunch meat and cheese rolled together with a teeny tiny bit of mayo. and so on. 

The change has been much easier than I thought. I decided not to cut carbs, because with the workouts I do, I need them, and I burn them quickly. Plus, I like them, and I am grouchy and tired and Mrs. Moody if I don't have them. Just ask my family if I should cut carbs, their shrieks of fear will convice you. I am especially awesome on fast Sunday...as long as you don't look at me, talk to me, or be within a mile of me.  :)

I cut out bread for the most part, but I let myself have some during cravings, I just keep it small.  Yes, I will have pumpkin bread this season, are you kidding me! I will just try to stop at one slice...try. Maybe I will give the rest to the dudes building our house. I hear that feeding them produces some great "extras" added on to the house. hehehe

(Yikes, William smells terrible. Diaper change time..ready, go! I really should start potty training him....and then I just thought about it and am laughing my crazy almost happy almost scared laugh, maybe later)

Where was I, oh yes.  I have been eating like this for almost a week now, and guess what. I lost 2 pounds already! YYEEESSS!

Oh yeah. I am happy.  I did notice that I get hungry more, so I am adding more fiber to my diet now, but other than that, I feel fine and satisfied. I still do Insanity twice a week, and run three days a week, so my workouts haven't changed.

I may add (hang on, I just heard a big crash, gotta run)

It was just boys being boys, the toy room will need a serious cleaning, but all is well.

As I was saying, I may try to add a vegetable juice type thing pretty soon. I need a juicer first though. I wouldn't mind doing that once a day, if I can handle choking down green, gritty, nasty, fad, yet very healthy, type drinks.

So, here I go. Lets see if I can banish these last  pounds for good!  Wish me luck!

(good timing, the boys are hungry for lunch) Few!

A Memorable Day

and I took all four kids with me...

and we didn't break anything.


SUCCESS!

go Romney go!

Just in case..

you had the insane, twisted idea that I am the perfect mom with the perfect children. Allow me.

I will call this "experience" the Wally World trip of Doom.

It all started out before we even got out of the house. William refused to wear shoes.  He would not even think of it. So, I put my screaming 2 year old, my bottle sucking infant, and my 5 year old into the car and drove to the store. 

Once we arrived at the store, William decided to jump into a puddle of oil. Remember, he has no shoes on. I tried to tell him to stop, but he had turned his ears off. Amazing how two year olds can do that.  He just continued to soak his new white socks in oil. Yes.
While I was running to get him, he ran right in front of a moving car.

I shrieked, Sam yelled, Luke ate his bottle, and a little old lady from across the street came running over.  What did William do?  He turned, faced the moving car head on, and got into his "ninja stance."  He posed as if he were going to have a ninja fight with the car.  Mean face and everything. I almost lost my breakfast at this point.

The car stopped, I ran to William and the little old lady got to him first. (yes, I am a runner, and yes, she beat me to him. I haven't figured that out yet, but whatever).   A small crowd had formed at this point. Half were laughing at Williams reaction, and 1/2 were looking at me like I was the worst mother on earth. Because I teach my children to run in front of moving cars on purpose, right?  Geeze people.

The little old lady handed William to me (how she ever picked him up, I don't know. He is about as light as a wet bag of sand) and told me she didn't mean to interfere, but that her son had been hit by a car, and she couldn't help but try to do something.   If I could have felt any worse at this point...

So, we finally made it into the store and I am trying to act all calm and controlled, because any mother of 3 young boys, knows exactly what she is doing by taking them shopping at Walmart, and has perfect little angles who stay by her side the whole time, so why not me, right?

As I am attempting to find some sort of produce that my children will eat, (because remember, I am a perfect mom, and I only feed my children perfect food)  I hear a HUGE crash.  I turned just in time to see the entire 10 box by 10 box display of Halloween candy go crashing down. I literally looked up to heaven and begged for my sons to not be responsible for this tidal wave of nasty pre-packaged sugar coated sugar flying all over the floor.  But alas, there stood William and Sam, looking as guilty as a monkey with a hand full of poop, in the middle of hundreds of bags of candy.  I wanted to crawl in a hole and then dig a tunnel and crawl into another hole.

I immediately began frantically trying to somehow put the display back together. In reality, it would have taken hours, but I tried.  The workers were all very nice, and they called in some back up to help with the mess.  Even the mom with the well behaved four boys, who were silently standing by her cart, offered to help. She was nice, but it was salt in the wound for me. 

As we were cleaning, I noticed that William was gone. I looked around, and then I looked again. And then I panicked. So, the people who were not helping clean the candy mess, began helping me look for William.  Just in case I didn't have the entire store involved in helping me shop, this sealed the deal.

And there he was. COVERED in price tag stickers. Yes folks, William had been walking around the produce section, peeling the price tags off of everything.  There were yellow price tags all over him, the floor, and random foods.  And to top it all off, he was in the process of shredding them.  Imagine how I must have felt, and multiply it by 10. That will do.

After about a million apologies, I decided to get the trip over with quickly and get out of there. I forced William to ride in the cart, and we soon became our own display. The noise of his cry could have been heard from the moon. Up and down the isles we went, sirens blaring. Me trying to shop and kindly wave to people like I am completely oblivious to my oil soaked  socked, candy covered, screaming 2 year old, my hungry crying baby, and my 5 year old imagining he is in a foot race down every isle.

I finally let William out in the toy isle. Partly to spare whatever hearing I had left, and partly to spare whatever hearing everyone else in the store may have had left.   At least he couldn't ruin any food.  I turned my back for a second to grab a toy for a Birthday Party and CRASH!  Yup, my boys again.  It was the Christmas Lego Display. All 30 boxes of it. Apparently, Sam and William thought it was a mountain to climb. Because there are mountains in Walmart?
 Sam was bawling because he got hurt, Luke was bawling because he was hungry, and I almost died of humiliation as the same people from the earlier messes came to our rescue again, including the mom with the STILL perfectly behaved boys. Seriously!   I lamely tried to help clean, and feed Luke and comfort/discipline Sam at the same time. 

As I am doing this, I notice William is gone, again.  This time he could not be found.  I soon joined in the bawling fest.  I am sure it was awesome.  Come on over to the Heber Walmart, one and all. There is a specticle to behold. The Maynards are in town! Get your community service hours done in a snap. Plenty of displays to re-assemble.

 A while, and a few prayers and panic attacks later, William was found. He was in the photo center, on a stool, "typing" on the computer.  Yes, on the other side of the store.  Oh of course, why didn't I think of that. Don't all two year olds run from their moms and  play on computers in the photo center. Oh, they don't. Really? My bad.

I decided enough was enough and went to the check out line to just get what I had, and get out of there.  As I am checking out, acting as if it was a normal day at the store in perfect world where my kids helped me shop for the perfect foods and items, and my perfect baby slept the whole time, I heard a car driving.  What the?
 I turned just in time to see Sam and William driving off in a Power Wheels car that Walmart had so conveniently left on, with a battery in it, right next to the check out.  HELLO! Do you not know that some kids may be just a little tempted by that. And by some kids, I mean MY KIDS! Doesn't the world revolve around us and the disasters that lie in our wake? Prevention people..prevention.

I dropped everything and chased my boys in the power wheels down the isle. I left Luke with the checker and said my 10th prayer that trip and asked that the checker wasn't some child psycho that would take him and run.  I yelled for Sam to stop, and he did. Too fast.  Whiplash and tears for both boys.  Rock on.

And so, we left the store. A wake of destruction in our path.  Oh wait...screech! Stop!  Fooled ya, the story doesn't end here. Oh, but I wish it had.

Once we got to the car, William had unwrapped a bad of candy and three suckers. Nope, I didn't buy those.   So, back into the store we go. Back to the checker, who politely has me pay for all of it. Awesome! 

And then we leave, for good. 
Isn't it awesome that we were with a bunch of people in a small town that I am bound to see again, and again and again. It was a great day. One that made me cry a lot. Oh, so fun.  I love being perfect and having the perfect family...don't you?

A cell phone story

Once upon a time there was a cell phone.

It was just sitting quietly on the counter, minding its own business.

Then, all of a sudden, a big, giant, chubby, sticky hand grabbed it.

The hand carried the phone around for a while, pushing its buttons and banging it on stuff. Then the big hand opened the dishwasher, and the big face had a big grin on it.

Next thing the phone knew...bam...the door shut. The phone was so confused.

The water swished and sprayed all over the poor phone. Soap was everywhere, bubbles were everywhere, and it was so loud.

  It seemed like hours went by. Finally, the phone just went to sleep.

The next morning, a woman was looking all over the house for her phone.  The big, chubby faced boy, told the woman to follow him.

The door to the dishwasher finally opened, the big chubby hand reached in and once again grabbed the phone. The big grin was there too.  The chubby hand showed the phone to the woman with pride. 
The woman was not grinning, her face had a look of shock, some panic, and disbelief.   It was quite the face, the phone was worried for the woman. Then the woman began counting to ten...weird.

The phone was slowly taken apart and set on dry towels.  Aahhh, it felt good to be dry. The woman seemed sad and very worried that the phone was sleeping.

Hours went by. The phone was so tired, and didn't want to work anymore.

Then, out of the clear blue sky, the phone woke up. It felt great. In fact, it decided to ring and beep and let everyone know it was all clean and feeling awesome!

The woman once again looked shocked and amazed! She continued to push buttons and  inspect the phone.  She kept saying the word "miracle." She smiled.

And so the phone lives on....much cleaner than before, and it also hangs out on a much higher shelf.

The end.

Little Monkeys

The rec center here is pretty cool. It has our gym in it, along with a dance studio, a preschool, karate, basketball courts, volleyball courts, swimming pool, physical therapy center, and a bunch of other things.

Part of our gym membership gives us access to a rock climbing wall. The kids see it every time we walk by it to take them to the kids club, and they ask to do it every time.

So, yesterday for our FHE activity, we decided to try it out.

I have decided that Mary and Sam are monkeys. Somehow, somewhere, they morphed into part monkey.  They scrambled up that wall like they had been doing it for years.  It was amazing!

It was so fun to see Sam having fun with it and straining with all of his muscles to climb the wall.  He felt so cool and strong.
 

He did much better than we anticipated, and looked so cute and grown up climbing the wall. When we hooked him up in the harness and had him try the bigger wall, he would climb up and then say, "this is creepy."  He meant it was scary, but he kept on doing it.

Mary was a determined little thing, and we knew we would not be leaving until she climbed all the way to the top of the big wall.  She tried over and over again, and then she did it!  She looked so small to be up that high. She then did it several more times. I have no idea how her muscles held out that long. 

Ben and I also climbed. I did it once. It was harder than I thought, but also really fun.  I was a little unsure about the harness squeezing my bum and  framing it for all the world to see. But I am weird like that. I was just happy to see the kids climbing walls other than the ones in our house.

Ben tried different ways to get to the top, and loved the technical part of it.

William is still adjusting to daylight savings, so he spent his time doing this.

Luke, was just happy to be there.

We all walked out of there with sore forearms, stiff fingers, a new memory and smiles. 

What can I say... it rocked.   Bahahahahaha

Ooky Spooky Night

We had a great Halloween here in Heber.

Both Mary and Sam had Halloween parties at school. They came out of the school happy and all sugared up. It was fun to see the teachers, the bus drivers,  and even the cross walk helpers all dressed up and making it a fun day for everyone. The sense of community here is so cool.

We had our spooky dinner this year. I didn't go all out, but I did a few fun things, and it turned out pretty well!  It started the night off with a fun little something.  I think William ate the entire monster hand himself! I had to hunt down another monster and chop off his hand, so the others could have some too.

The spiders were fun to look at, but I think Ben and I were the only ones to partake of their creepy crawly goodness.  Those little "devils" were so yummy!

Then it was time to get all dressed up and head out. 

 

 

Mary was Dracula.

Sam was a Ninja.  He is already one, but he decided to wear his outfit and reveal his true identity for the night.  :)

William was a pirate. At least for the pictures. In reality, he was a 2 year old who would not wear his costume or his shoes.  At least he smiled his big cheesy grin and  said thank you when he got candy.

Luke was a cute baby for Halloween. I tried to find him a costume that matched his cute, sweet personality, but nothing came to mind. He is just cute the way he is. He had a good time just riding in the stroller drinking his bottle.

We had previously decided to stick around here and hit all of the town homes around here. I am talking about 30 homes in 10 minutes. Trick-or-Treating paradise I tell ya....or so we thought.  After knocking on about 15 doors and only finding 2 people home,  we gave the next bunch of  kids that came to our house about 10 pieces of candy each (much to their shock), emptied our candy bowl, and headed over to the neighborhood where we will eventually live.

I am so glad we did!

We immediately found people that we recognized from our ward, and the kids found some friends. It was amazing how much that neighborhood lifted my spirits and truly felt like home.  It was nice to find some familiar faces to talk to, and to walk the streets that surround what will be our home. It made Ben and I very anxious to get into our home.  We are currently waiting for the permit to be taken care of, before we can do any more with the house.  It may take another few weeks.  I am learning some serious patience right now.

The kids had a lot of fun, and got enough candy to spike their blood sugar levels for a long time to come. William was pretty funny. He refused to wear his costume or his shoes. Thank goodness the weather was nice.  After a few houses, he realized that all he had to do was say trick-or-treat, and people would give him candy.  He couldn't believe it!  He kept coming back to me and saying, "oh my gosh!"  It was hilarious!

He has already come up to me a few times today and said trick-or-treat. Sadly, I get to be the one that teaches him that it only works on Halloween night.

All in all, we had a very fun Halloween. The kids came home and crashed, and honestly, so did I. It was a big day. Today we decide if the kids want to keep their candy, or trade it in for a toy.  I am hoping for the toy, but we shall see......

Changes

I have never been one that is good with change, and yet, I need it too. I get bored easily.

Obviously, moving is a big change. A HUGE change. And when you add kids into the mix, it is quite the mountain to climb.

This move has been no different, but also different. Yeah, makes no sense, I know.

This move is the first one we have initiated. Our other moves were literally at the direction of the Lord. He told us to go, and we did.  This move was our decision, and we presented our plan to the Lord, who was just fine with it. And actually, let us know that it would be a wonderful place for us and our children, a better place.

Because we initiated the move, it has been an exciting one for us. The place we want to be, building the house we want to stay in, and hopefully our last move. I can't believe we are at this point in our lives. It is wonderful.

Thank goodness for all of these things, because they have made the move exciting. And they are what I am holding on to right now.

You see, we are in a townhome. A small townhome.  The kids are used to our big backyard, friends everywhere, and more space to roam around the house. We don't live by our ward members and the kids don't live in the district of the school they are currently going to. We are in the ward and the schools that we will be in when we move into our home.

I am used to making our house a home.  We have only upacked the necessities this time though. We do have some decor up, but it still feels weird to only be 1/2 way moved in.  We left everything that we don't really need right now in boxes. It will make the move to our new home so much easier though.

This has made the move hard.  Luckily, we are right by a park and the weather has been gorgeous! I take the kids to the park everyday to help get out some serious wiggles. If we don't get to the park, the kids are bursting at the seams and it isn't a good thing. We all start to go a little nuts.  I am pretty scared for the winter, but I am trying to take it one step at a time.

I am pretty lonely as well. I am the new kid on the block, but this time, it is not the block we will be in for long, so it is kind of hard to invest a ton into the neighborhood. The people here know we will be gone in the spring, so I don't think they care to invest much either. The people in our ward and future neighborhood are great though, and I am so excited to live by them!

The Lord has helped me a lot lately. He has inspired me to make some changes to our townhome, so that the kids have more space to play. He has helped me not to feel so lonely and has shown me that this community is amazing. I can feel in my heart and am also beginning to really see how truly incredible this place and the people here will be.  He has helped the kids make some friends here in the townhome community, and he has helped me begin to make friends in our ward. 

We signed up for a membership at the gym here, and that helps a lot as well. It is a great gym. "The Fit Stop." Cute huh.

It will also help to here during a fun time of year. It will break it up a little and help the time go faster. We have Birthday's and holiday's galore these next few months, and we are going to have a great time celebrating all of it.  We will also spend more time with family during the holidays than normal, which will be awesome.

This townhome, the lonliness, the cramped spaces, the kids with too much energy and not enough room to run, and the feeling of limbo will only feel like a small moment in time, once the house is done.

Then, we will have more room than ever before, outside and in. We will be by our ward members and neighbors that we know, the kids will live by their friends, it will be spring, sports will be starting, and we will finally be able to settle.  That is what I dream about each day, and what keeps me going through this tough spell.  It will all be worth it though, and I am going to do my best to endure this time well and enjoy the blessings we already have and are continually receiving.

One Year Older and Better Too

Ben's Birthday was Saturday. 31 and still younger, stronger, more amazing and hotter than ever!

I love holidays, but I especially love Birthdays. It is fun to have a day to celebrate a person you love. To think about them, show them love, and be grateful they are in your life.

I love Ben so much. He is my rock and my best friend. I am so grateful to be going through this life with him by my side. I am a very lucky girl. I love celebrating him on his Birthday.

We decorated the house and taped notes all over with quotes from everyone with things we love about Ben. It was cute to ask the kids what they love about Ben and to get their fun answers. He is a very loved daddy.

  The kids decided to give Ben his favorite thing for his Birthday. A few days before his Birthday, we had a snow storm. So, Mary and Sam grabbed a container and filled it with snow. We have been hiding it in the freezer.  Ben's Birthday was a bright and sunny day, with no snow, so it was great for the kids to give him snow on his Birthday. His grin was priceless.  It was so cute.

I gave him a subscription to his favorite ski magazine, and made him a crazy good chocolate cake, and William helped him blow out the candles. 

 

We also had our ward Halloween party that evening. It was our first party with the ward here in Heber.  The kids had a blast dressing up, playing games, and getting lots of goodies. Ben dressed up as a punk/nerd, and he looked great!

love the dark hair!  That is what our townhome looks like, behind him.

 I didn't dress up this year.  Not that I am a party pooper, I was just not able to think of anything.  It was really nice to get to know more people in the ward, and to have a fun night together.

We were reminiscing about last year on Ben's Birthday. Sam had a cracked skull and was also very sick. We had spent the day with the ENT specialist and at Primary Childrens getting Sam's CAT scan. I was in the middle of morning/all day sickness and very miserable. Ben had a bad allergic reaction to honey and swelled up like a balloon, and William was just getting over Hand Foot and Mouth Disease.  And never in our wildest dreams could we have thought that the very next year we would be living in Heber and in the process of building a house!

Wow!  What a year. I am glad that this year's Birthday for Ben was illness/injury free and that we are here in Heber, fulfilling a dream of ours. 

Happy Birthday Ben, I love you!

The Move

Well, we are here.  We made it!

We moved Saturday, and of course, it was bonkers.  It was kind of surreal actually.  The kids played, I took care of Luke and last minute packing and Ben and some guys loaded the truck. We were so grateful to those who came to help. We did one last sweep of the house, said goodbye to a few close friends and then hopped in the moving truck and the pathfinder and set off.

William had already been sitting in the truck, buckled and ready to go, for an hour before we drove off. He was that excited to ride in the big truck.  It was hilarious!

Then we drove through the gorgeous canyon bursting full of fall colors, in to the gorgeous valley that we now call home. I just grinned and grinned.

Some guys from our new ward were waiting for us and they helped us unload. It was no small task. We were so greatful for them as well.

The townhome we are in is really nice, and of course small.  It will be a good spot for the next little while. It is in a cute neighborhood and the view from our window is of mountains, fields, horses/cows, a barn and a big open sky. I just stare out the window several times a day and feel my heart settle and my spirit calm.  It is awesome. It is a big reason we are here...space and serenity.

The first two days were really hard unpacking and helping the kids settle. It was extremely stressfull, but we survived. Moving with a 2yr old and a 5 month old is no small task.  Mary and Sam really helped a lot though. It was fun to have them more involved.

The kids had their first day of school yesterday. I was so nervous for them and I worried all day.  I didn't want them to be all alone at recess or lunch. They both came home grinning and had a great time. They played with friends and really liked their teachers.  It was a huge relief for everyone! The school has a great feeling in it, and I love how everyone is so nice and down to earth here.  The school is a great fit.

William is beyond difficult right now. The move threw him off, and he is making life pretty miserable right now for himself and those around him.  I pray every night that he will settle in and calm down. For now though, he is the biggest challenge of the move.  If I am not careful, he can actually drive me insane before the day is 1/2 over.  It's a good thing I really love him, and that he can be cute when he wants to be.  I am ready to send him to grandmas for a month though.

It is red ribbon week, and it is really fun here in Heber. All of the stores get involved and if the kids go in and show their red bracelet, they get fun things like cookies, slushies, bowling passes, swimming passes, ect.  It has been fun for the kids to see more of the town and to get a feel for things.  Again, another fun thing about living in a smaller town. It is just more intimate and there is less "red tape," so businesses, teachers and people are more able to do fun, creative things. Everyone is so nice and personable.

We got the house decorated for Halloween yesterday, and we had our annual FHE of carving pumpkins and eating caramel apples. So our little porch is all decked out with our carved pumpkins and some decor, and our house has the Halloween vibe.  I would add pictures, but the box with the camera cord is yet to be unpacked. ;)

So there you have it.  The huge part of the move is over. Thank goodness!  I am so glad to have it behind us.  Now we just settle in the best we can for the next 5 months until the house is done.
I am already getting small glimpses of what an amazing place this is that we have moved to. I am excited for our future here. It just fits.

What's In A Home

To me, there is a house, and then there is a home.

A house is a structure used for shelter, made of materials, a base for people to live and gather.

A home is what a house becomes after memories are shared, experiences happen, a personal touch is added and love dwells.

As I contemplate this move to a new place, a new house yet to become a home, and leaving this home behind, I can't help but go through our time in this home and remember.

Remember the creating of the home. The painting, the decorating, the paint spills still in the carpet, the holes in the walls from rearranging pictures and furniture and the excitement of owning our first home.

Remember the parties, the laughter, the family gatherings, the footprints left behind.

Remember the wonderful friends made, leaving joy and happiness in my heart.  Some of the frienships sadly broken due to misunderstandings and wrongful judgements, leaving pain and sadness in their wake. The wonderful neighbors next door who turned out to be best friends for all of us.

Remember the lessons learned. The growing and stretching of my heart and my soul. Learning more about being a mother, a friend, a spouse and a daughter of God.

Remember the ward. Working with the Activity Day girls (all 27 of them). Playing the piano for the ward choir. Ben's amazing Sunday school lessons and work with the Young Men. William finally enjoying nursery and singing the songs.

Remember the winters of Ben skiing of the roof, the hard weeks of no sun, the Christmas mornings in the front room full of excitement and joy, the snow covering our lawn.

Remember the summers. Lemonade stands. Kids playing and playing and playing in the circle. My own children outside until dark, coming home smiling and dirty.  The smell of our huge roses blooming. Chatting outside with the neighbors for hours. The firework party in the circle being way better than any city firework show.

The joy of pregnancy. The hardships of pregnancy. Bringing our precious Luke home.

The kids beginning school. Seperation anxiety discovered and conquered. Mary and Sam's first day of Kindergarten.  The preschool co-op with the neighborhood.

Lots and lots and lots of gymnastics.  So much fun!  Soccer, baseball, swimming lessons, dance lessons.

Remember teaching piano lessons. The music filling our home three nights a week.  The juggle to find the time. The joy of the paychecks.

Remember the miles and miles and miles my feet have pounded throught this town. The races trained for and done. The early morning and late night runs.

Remember Golds gym, the awesome kids club ladies and Dante, Sam's good friend he made there.

Remember trying a garden. Learning to fix sprinklers. Doing a huge overhaul to make the yard the amazing place it is. Planting and growing my first flowers, and finding more joy in it than expected. Setting up our new trampoline. 

Remember the fish I accidentally killed. Getting our dog Maya. Maya getting out. The dog catcher at our door. Maya going into heat. Selling our dog Maya.  Getting the Guinea pigs and making a "home" for them.

Remember the scare of Sam's skull being fractured and the blessings of his recovery.

Remember selling the old Subaru and getting the new one.

And the memories go on.

And now the walls are bare. The personality packed. The papers signed. And this home will no longer be ours. The memories will stay, but the future here is done. I can feel it. My heart has already moved.

We are off to a new house, a new place.  A house that has yet to be built. A house that will be ours and only ours. A house in a place we have chosen. A place our spirits have already declared home. Off to a house that we will make a home.  A house we are ready to make a home.

Our home.

Up To Our Eyeballs....

in moving.

Yup, this is the week. We move this weekend.
Here is what our past week was like.

Grandma took the three oldest kids from Tuesday to Friday. It was a HUGE help. They had a great time. They went to Bear World, McDonalds, shopping, Mary got her nails done, they watched movies all snuggled in grandmas big bed, put up Halloween decorations, and so on.

I packed

and packed

and packed.

 

And of course, we did make time to enjoy only having one kid at home. We went on a date or two, watched some tv and basked in the peace and quiet. That is, until we really started missing the kiddos.

 

Luke decided to begin cutting his two bottom teeth. This has been fun. Ugh.

 

Ben and I went to Heber to meet with our realtor there and finalize our contract for our house and our lot. We were able to stand out in, what is now, our lot. It was a really cool feeling, and an experience I will never forget. I had some neat feelings touch my heart as I stood there on our piece of land and future home/life. I know it is where we should be, and where we will find happiness, fullness of life, and purpose.

 

Ben and I went to the design center to begin designing our home. Holy Moly! It was so much fun. It was the first meeting, so all we did was figure out structural things for our home. We also picked out the colors and material for the outside of the home. It was very exciting and so much fun.  I can't wait for the second meeting where we figure out the inside of the home. I walked out of that place grinning so hard my face hurt.

 

We sold our fancy schmancy couch in the piano room. I am doing a new look in our new house, and fancy schmancy is not part of it. I am going for fun, comfortable, cute, shabby chic, and furniture that I love, but that I am fine letting my kids play on. 

 

We also sold the piano this week. It is a huge pain to move, and we will be buying a new piano when we get to Heber. A really cool electric piano thingy. It is just like a normal piano, but with all sorts of fun gadgets and buttons to push. ;)

 

I got all of the paperwork done for the kids school transfer. It was a little sad pulling them out of Midas Creek. It has been a wonderful school. But, as a I talked with the administration from their new school in Heber, I got the vibe that my kids will be in great hands there as well.

 

We scrambled like crazy and finally found a townhome that we will be living in while our home is being built. We had help from the Lord and were able to find people that will give us month to month rent. That is really hard to come by, and so needed for us right now.

 

Ben and I went to Pocatello Friday night and re-united with our kids. We spend the weekend there watching conference, eating good food, and hanging out with family.

 

So, what will we be doing this week? Maybe the question should be, what won't we be doing this week?

 

More packing..lots more packing. 

 

Last minute shopping runs.

 

Chasing kids that have absolutely nothing going on this week. Oh boy.

 

Not cleaning. The guy buying our house hasn't exactly been the nicest person to work with. He has gone well over the line of pushing us and taking advantage of us. We are grateful he bought our home, and he is paying in cash, but wow, this guy sure is interesting. We feel no obligation to scrub the house for him. We won't leave it a mess, but we aren't going to white glove either.  It is actually a relief not to worry about that.

 

Three dentist appointments.

 

Loading the moving truck.

 

Driving to Heber

 

Unloading the moving truck

 

Unpacking

 

Kids start school

 

We attend our new ward. We have already met some people from our new ward and got some info about it. Sounds like it will be great. We are excited for this new beginning.

 

And so our lives go on. An ending and a beginning. The first home we owned, to a townhome and on to building a home. Going from the valley to the mountains.  Saying goodbye to this chapter and hello to the next. New friends, new neighborhood, new beginning, new life.

 

Are we ready?

 

Yes we are, and we are very excited, along with about a million other emotions.

 

And so glad to have this be our last move. This is the place.

Soccer Anyone?

The past two months have been filled with soccer practices and soccer games.At least four soccer events every week.
Mary and Sam both played this fall.

It was fun to see Sam progress from last year, and get into the game more. He was running faster and trying harder. He would get this determined look in his eye and then run as fast as he could toward the ball. He is a speedy little guy! He would kick the ball and then he would laugh or grin. It was adorable. I am so proud of him for putting in the effort and for giving it a shot. He did great! Go Blue Cannons!

Mary tried it out for the first time this season. Once she figured out how it all worked, she took off. We are learning that her base of gymnastics helps her in almost every new sport she is trying. Her endurance is amazing and she has really good running form. Her speed was a really big bonus for her. She did great and her games were fun to watch. She really enjoyed it, and we are glad that she has found something that she really likes again. Go Wildcat Crushers!

We had to end soccer a few weeks early for both kids, because of the move, but we are hoping to continue on once we get to Heber. I think this sport is a keeper in our family.