Our First Bountiful Basket

Have you ever considered taking part in Bountiful Baskets? If you haven't, you really should! It's the ONLY reason worth waking up at 7 a.m. on a Saturday. When JT brought all the goods in to the house from the car, Logan exclaimed, "Whoa, daddy brought a FEAST!" I am a happy mommy and the kids (and JT) are looking forward to all the upcoming Mexican meals I'll be making! YUM!!

Had to post this!

“I can't change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.”

Jimmy Dean

And we're back...online, that is!

We're all settled in to our new house, which means that after two weeks without internet, we're reconnected. Phew, that was rough! We've realized just how dependent we are on the internet. We need it for multiple situations, now-a-days. Everything from employment duties, ward announcements, school updates, and just good ole entertainment. Thank goodness for our backyard that has kept our boys busy, though!

Having a private backyard is one of the many perks of living in a house. We've also learned that living in a house requires upkeep on the exterior (not just the interior-go figure!). And after a few days of being the ONLY house on the street without holiday lights, we remedied that with our first attempt at holiday decorating. We still have a few things to display, however, this is a good start. Now, we fit in with the rest of the neighborhood. :) Happy Holiday's!!

A Blessing!

I've packed my journal so this will have to do. As the evening dragged on, I knew I needed to continue packing for our big move. However, I was battling with some things, internally, and was not feeling up to the task before me. Not to mention that this brutal cold was zapping any minuscule amount of motivation I had felt. So, I attempted to busy myself with other things...which worked for a few hours. Finally, I resigned and started packing.

As I began, it dawned on me that I wouldn't accomplish much without some uplifting music. Realizing I had already packed all my CDs, and the like, on a previous day, I decided to try the radio. Flipping through station after station, I tried listening to a local pop station. Afterall, that's what gets me movin' in the gym! But, it just wasn't helping motivate me here. I then went to an easy-listening station (I know, I know) but Christmas music was all that was playing. I wasn't very interested in listening to St. Nick and Rudolph jingles at the time. Therefore, I decided to power off the radio. As I walked over to it, I noticed the tape deck was opened. (YES, I said tape deck! How old skool and cool is that?) And lo', and behold, there was a tape in there that I used to listen to on the mission!!! Now, you may not see this as a blessing, but to me, this was a HUGE blessing!

When we stay near to Heavenly Father, He is aware of even our smallest desires and necessities. I SO needed His help and He was there!

It's Moving Time!!

Almost a year ago, we had decided to live in an apartment to cut living expenses. We thought that this would enable us to increase our savings for a down-payment on a home of our own. After moving into the apartment, we learned of several hidden fees and costs resulting in a depleted savings. It's been frustrating and trying, to say the least.

However, we saw the bright light at the end of the tunnel when, over the summer, JT's Aunt and Uncle announced their plan to serve a mission! They had submitted their mission papers and knew that their mission call could arrive at any time. They approached us with the idea of our family moving into their home during their time away as missionaries. We considered all the pros and cons and because the cons list was super short, we agreed to the arrangement! As it turns out, our Aunt and Uncle were called to serve in less than 2 weeks!

I'm really grateful for the opportunity to take care of their home as they serve the Lord. I hope we do a sufficient job so that they can focus on the work they are about to do. I hope they are comfortable in knowing that their home will be in good hands. As they are blessing other's lives, they will also be blessing our's - in abundance. This will enable us to, finally, increase our savings for that down-payment. Also, it will allow us the time we need to search for a house without the burden of being under rental contract. And, there are COUNTLESS other blessings of which we will be partaking!!

So, although this is a sudden move, it is the best thing that has happened to us in a long time!

(I hope they don't mind my posting a picture of their house...) Beautiful, isn't it?!

A Concrete Angel

We recently celebrated my mom's 59th birthday. (Oopsie, sorry, Mom, now everyone knows you're not actually 35.) I have been blessed to be the daughter of my mother. My mom is one of the most amazing people I know! I admire her and all that she's overcome and I love seeing her enjoy life now. So, here's to the next 59 years!!! (TEEHEE)

My great-niece, Kara. (Stinker, turned her head as the pic was taken, lol)

Jon, Sheryl, Sheree, Bud (do I have good timing, or what?!)

Billup, Kaeli, Chris, Anthony
Logan, Faith, Bethany
Dave
Kara, Mom, Sheila

My mom getting ready for us to sing "Happy Birthday"

JT and Levi
Birthday hugs from mom's oldest
Bud, Anthony, the forehead/eyes of JT

Another shot of some of the group
It was a great night and I'm glad we were all able to be together. (SHAINA, WE MISS YOU!!!!!)

It's Been A Year?!

Wowzers! I can't believe it's been almost a year since my last blog. I don't think I'll attempt to fill in all the missing pieces, so I'll just begin anew. :) Now...let's see if I can recall how to work this thing...

This Halloween was a lot of fun for my boys. They went trick-or-treating with their cousins, Faith and Bethany. A few weeks before the big night, Levi mentioned that he wanted to be Batman. So, I ventured out to (SEVERAL) different stores trying to find my little guy his own Batman costume. I kept coming home empty-handed. Until, finally, the day before Halloween, my sister and I went to another Halloween store in search for Batman. Somehow, I managed to snag the very last Batman costume in Levi's size!! My sister said, "wow, it's gonna feel like Gotham City out there"...because there would be a lot of Batmans. I was so thrilled to surprise my son with the costume, just in the nick of time!! He seemed SO excited.........until Halloween night when it was time to dress up. He had insisted that he wear his "bones" jammies instead of the coveted Batman costume. (He might wear it next year.) I'm just glad he had such a fun night! He and Logan were troopers and trick-or-treated for a good TWO HOURS! You can imagine how much candy that equated to. Even though this was my first Halloween in several years not dressing up, I had a super fab time! Each year, with my boys and my hubster, gets better and better. I can't wait to discover the excitement that Thanksgiving and Christmas will bring. You never know which moment will become a memory!!

Carving pumpkins

Meet "Chocco" and "Giggly Gus", our Jack-O-Lantern's
My glowing skeleton, ready for a school day
Before Logan's school parade, this little guy came over to play with Levi because they were dressed the same.
There's Logan!
Pirate-Faith, Glowing Skeleton-Logan, Bones-Levi, Witch-Bethany
Our little family (Levi 3 years old, Logan 7 years old)
Logan later took off his mask because he was concerned he would scare someone.
"TRICK-OR-TREAT"!
The night is through and the pumpkin is full
This trick-or-treating stuff is hard work! He's pooped!