Thankful Thursday - August 2010

This list is a little shorter than normal, but no less important!! I realize every day how blessed I am and it always helps me to make a list of the things I am grateful for. So, here is my current gratitude list.

I am thankful for:

1. Six more days until school starts
2. Avery still fitting into most of her school clothes from last year
3. Hayden starting preschool next week - 4 days a week for 3 hours :)
4. Arizona rain we received over the last few weeks
5. In the single digits for pregnancy week countdown - 9 more weeks to go!
6. Starting to teach piano lessons again next week
7. Air conditioning and ceiling fans!
8. A week of fun in San Diego last week (pictures coming soon)
9. Moments when all of my kids are getting along and playing - however brief a moment it may be :)
10. Last, but certainly not least, I am thankful for tonight being my last night without my hubby!! He is coming home tomorrow from Albuquerque and staying for good this time! It has been a difficult decision for us to make over the last few months, but Brandon has decided to go back to school and get his Master's Degree. He was recently accepted into the Master of Landscape Architecture program at ASU and will be starting school in just a few weeks. We have prayed and discussed constantly over what would be best for our family and for Brandon's career, and this is what we feel like we should do. We are taking a leap of faith leaving a job right now and going back into "student survival" mode, but it seems like things are falling into place and that we will be able to make it work somehow. I can't wait to be able to see my husband every day and to feel like a family again. We are truly grateful and look forward to the future, whatever challenges lie ahead. The program is two years, so we will be both be 30 by the time he graduates - pretty crazy!! We are excited though, and are looking forward to the next phase in our lives.

San Diego

A few weeks ago, we went to San Diego and spent a week at a beach house with the Jensen family. It was so nice to get out of the AZ heat for a while, enjoy the cool breeze, and just relax by the ocean. The girls absolutely loved the beach and played in the sand for hours at a time.

Kiley playing upside down in the sand. Needless to say, every inch of her body was covered in sand that day.
The clan (almost everyone): My mom and dad, sister Mallory and hubby Jason, sister Kelsey and her two girls Ellie and Scout, and Hayden and Kiley.

Hayden would not go near the water, which was pretty chilly, but she loved playing in the sand.

Kiley making something in the sand.

Notice Brandon in the background with a huge mound of sand...I'll get to that soon.

Avery was quite the little fish at the beach! She did not mind the water being cold at all, nor the fact that none of the other kids would go out in the water with her. She loved the water and jumping over the waves.

Avery and Hayden buried in the sand, with their cousin Ellie sitting in middle.

Avery's sand castle.

Avery and Brandon have a special father/daughter bond. They love to do things together.

So, the first day at the beach, Brandon decided he wanted to build a sand castle. He had never really tried to build one before, but thought he would give it a try.

As with everything else he "tries", he does an amazing job and this is the final outcome of his castle.

Not too shabby if you ask me! There were even a few people who stopped to take a picture of it.

On the second day, of course the other castle was no longer there, so Brandon made an even bigger one. He was going to add more to it, but as you can imagine, it took quite a while to build, so he got to this point and was done.

As for me, I am happy to not be in any of the photos. Being 7 months pregnant at the beach is not best photo op :) I did enjoy sitting in a chair and watching my kids (and hubby) play in the sand and of course I enjoyed the weather. I would take chilly ocean breeze over 110 degrees any day!! There are many more pictures, including ones from Disneyland and the Coronado ferry, but they are too large to upload. Hopefully I will get them on here soon :) In the meantime, the ones from the beach will do for now! I wish we were there again right now!!

Thankful Thursday - July 2010

I have not shamefully looked back to see how long it has been since I have done a Thankful Thursday post. I know it's been forever, and there are a list of excuses why, but here I am and I am determined to keep it going this time. I have decided to go back to doing an actual list, so here it is:

I am thankful for...

1. Living in this great country of America
2. All of those who fought and are still fighting for our freedoms
3. The USA flag - it makes me so proud whenever I see one waving
4. My ancestors who sacrificed so much to settle here
5. The freedom to worship as we please
6. Our founding fathers who were inspired to build this nation on trust in God
7. A modern day prophet
8. My ancestors who joined the Church
9. My parents' decision to move to AZ when I was 8 years old - I would have never met Brandon if we stayed in California and growing up would have been much different
10. My mom making me stick with piano lessons
11. Growing up with sisters - I am glad I have experience with girls
12. Brandon growing up with sisters - even more glad he has experience with girls :)
13. Colorful flowers - they always make me smile
14. Healthy children
15. Having grandmas nearby who love our kids and help so much with babysitting
16. Brandon only having a month left of travelling (hopefully :)
17. The house we are living in now - it has been such a blessing to be here
18. One more month until school starts (hooray!)
19. Three more months until our baby is born - Avery kisses my belly every day and talks to the baby - she can't wait to meet her!
20. Free fun things for kids to do at the library - we are going to a picnic and a movie there today
21. Our new ward - although we are definitely one of the youngest families, we have met so many great people here and have felt so welcomed
22. No scorpion stings yet - we have killed over 40 scorpions since moving here (I just killed 4 last night) and thankfully no one has gotten stung
23. Flip-flops in the summer - that is all we wear these days, and I love that all the kids can put their shoes on themselves
24. Running water - I can't imagine how life would be if we couldn't turn on the shower or faucet whenever we needed water; it is such a blessing that I take for granted every day
25. A Heavenly Father who knows what is best for us and guides us to where He knows we need to go

Tea Party

A few weeks ago, I walked out into the living room and saw this:Avery set up their princess table and chairs and got a dress-up outfit for her and both of her sisters. They had a tea party all by themselves, and it was to entertaining to watch them.

Some of their drink "concoctions" were pretty hilarious. I think Avery was pouring "chocolate juice" in this picture.

Pretty soon, all four sides of this table will be filled with girls. We'll have to get another chair when that happens. It's still hard to believe that we will have four girls in our family! Avery can't wait to meet her and be my big helper with her baby sister. It has been so nice to have a 6-year-old around the house lately! There have been a few mornings when I have woken up and come into the kitchen to find all three girls eating cereal and watching cartoons. Avery is getting so independent now, and is growing up so much. She has already lost 6 teeth and is working on her 7th. We love her so much and she is really a sweet kid.

Hayden is growing up a lot too, although she is still our little Hayden. She is full of surprises, and we never know what is going to come out of her mouth. She is definitely our animal lover, and each day it seems like she picks a new animal to imitate. It is usually the animal that is being rescued on Diego that day. A few days ago, her animal of choice was a lama. All of her stuffed animals became her lamas and she went around making this very unique sound that she had heard on Diego. Hayden definitely has her moments of screaming and frustration, but tells me several times throughout the day that she loves me and that I am her best friend. How can you be mad at that?

Kiley is definitely a 2-year-old now. She has some looks she gives that could absolutely kill anyone. She does not like to be told "No," although she enjoys saying it back to me several times a day. She is also growing up so much too. (It's amazing that kids do that, isn't it?!) She is talking so much now and she actually thinks she is bilingual now from watching Dora and Diego. The other day Kiley was climbing on the bleachers at the girls' swimming lessons and she needed help getting down from the top. All of a sudden, I heard her say, "Ayudame! Ayudame!" In case you didn't know, that means "Help me!" in Spanish and that phrase is used quite frequently on Nick Jr. That probably tells how much my children watch TV, but I really am working on limiting it :) It is hard in the summer!

Well, I am getting bigger and am now 24 weeks along. We are really excited to meet our newest little girl in October, although I am glad we still have a few months before she comes. Not so glad to be pregnant throughout the summer, but I can handle it for a few more months :) Having a pool definitely helps! Happy 1st day of Summer today!

Family Update

Wow, it's been over a month since I have posted! Where has the time gone?! Surprisingly, this summer is flying by so far. We have been pretty busy around here, and I have been meaning to post for a while. Hopefully I'll have some pictures to post soon, but in the meantime, here's a shortened version of what we've been up to:

SCHOOL - Avery finished kindergarten at the end of May and is already excited about 1st grade next year. The elementary school she will be going to is excellent from what I've heard and read about it. Hayden will be starting preschool in the fall as well. She is actually going to be evaluated in a few weeks for speech therapy preschool. She still has a hard time with certain words and sounds, and if she gets approved, she will have FREE preschool at an elementary school. I have actually been working Avery & Hayden a little every day in our own "school" time in the mornings. Avery is doing well with reading and Hayden is working on writing her name. I am not perfect at it, but I felt like the TV was always on at our house, so we needed something to stimulate their brains for a little while. We went to the library last week too and signed up for the Summer Reading program, which has really motivated Avery to read more lately, which is great. They have some really fun (FREE) activities for kids at the library too. We love FREE, don't we?

CHURCH - We are finally feeling "settled" in our new house and ward. We are definitely the "young family" in this area. Most of the ward members are older and have grandkids. There are a few younger families, but we are definitely outnumbered. We have a lot to learn from their knowledge and experience though. Brandon and I spoke in church this past Sunday and our topic was "Parenting." We felt a little like we were preaching to the choir, as the majority of the audience has been parents much longer than we have, but overall I think it went well. I am actually teaching the Relief Society lesson in a few weeks for someone who will be out of town. I have not been to R.S. in years, let alone taught the lesson, so I'm a little nervous. But, we'll see how it goes. Brandon and I do not have callings yet, so we are a little anxious to see what we will be doing in the ward. It really is a great ward though, and we have had so much help moving in and meals brought and feeling so welcomed. We really feel like this is where we need to be right now.

SWIMMING - We love, love, love having a pool in our backyard. We spend most days out there it seems, which I think has made the summer go by quickly so far. The kids love swimming and both Avery & Hayden have really improved their skills a lot. They are taking swim lessons at Stapley Jr. High, which is right down the street from us. I honestly think they learn more from the practice at home, but it's good to learn the basics from an instructor. Hayden was absolutely terrified of the water just a few weeks ago and would not leave the steps without a floatie or hanging on to me. But, we put some goggles on her and kept pushing her (sometimes literally) and it finally clicked. She is a little fish now and loves it.

WORK - Brandon is still in New Mexico right now. We thought it would be a pretty steady schedule of Monday through Friday, but we are learning that it is not that cut and dry. They have worked through several weekends and he puts in 12-14 hour days consistently. He was home this past weekend from Friday night to Monday night, but he will have to work through this coming weekend all the way until next Thursday night. In case you lost count, that is 10 straight days of work - and being away from home. And this Sunday is Father's Day, which means he will be working instead of spending the day with his family. It really stinks! We are really hoping that he is able to do something different in a few months. The NM projects are scheduled to finish in August some time, so hopefully it won't be too much longer.

LIFE - Well, other than Brandon being gone, things are going pretty well here. It is soooo nice to be close to family who have been so helpful with the kids. It is so nice to drop off the kids when I have a doctor's appt. or need to run errands. Grocery shopping by myself is so wonderful!! I really am getting spoiled.

Everything is going well with my pregnancy so far. I can feel the baby moving like crazy now and I'm definitely getting bigger. I still have almost 4 months left though, so there is a lot of growing that still needs to happen. For now, I can at least bend over still and put shoes on little feet and sleep fairly comfortably. That will all change in a few months though, but I'll enjoy it while I have it. There are days when I am definitely tired and less than patient. Yesterday was one of those days! There was an increased amount of crying, screaming, and whining at our house and there were times that I was about to snap. We (barely) made it through dinner and I allowed the girls to have a bowl of popcorn before bed because they were finally somewhat getting along with each other and they all ate their dinner. When Avery was saying her prayers in her bed that night, this is what she said:

"Dear Heavenly Father, We thank thee that me and Hayden and Kiley were crying and screaming and whining a lot today, and we still got to have some popcorn. And we will be better tomorrow."

I couldn't help but laugh as I kissed Avery good night. I think Heavenly Father knew that I needed to end the day with a smile. I hope you are all doing well and enjoying your summer. Have a fabulous week!!

It's a....

GIRL!!! It turns out that I was right and everyone else who voted boy was wrong. We had our ultrasound on Friday and saw our little baby girl on the screen. She kept putting her hands up by her face, so we didn't get a good picture of her profile or face, but it was definitely a girl. I have to admit that I was slightly disappointed for a few minutes, but then I got over it and I'm actually excited now. Most of you know that I had 4 girls in my family and no boys and we had a lot of fun together (and still do!) So, all is well. Girls are good and I don't need to buy any new clothes/baby stuff for this one. After the appointment, I looked at Brandon and said, "Well, now we have five months to pick a name!" It usually takes us the whole pregnancy to find/agree on a name, and it is getting more difficult with each girl. But, you will have to wait until she is born to know what her name will be anyway. We like to keep the name a surprise!

Well, we are somewhat settled in now to this house. Of course, there are boxes still all over the place, but I think we will be much happier here, and I have already noticed a difference in my allergies/asthma since we moved in. The kids and Ginger love having a yard to play in too. This is our first full week with Brandon gone though, so we'll see how it goes...

Anyway, thank you for all of your love and support. It means so much to our family! I hope you all had a great mother's day by the way. Have a fabulous week :)

Roller Coaster

Well, to sum up our last few weeks, the first phrase that comes to mind is: ROLLER COASTER. We moved into a rental house in Mesa on April 17th. We loved the house, the neighborhood, the ward, Avery's school, etc. The only problem was that our allergies and my asthma went haywire almost immediately upon move-in. We soon discovered that the previous tenants had let their cat(s) use the carpet throughout the house for a litter box. I had such a difficult time breathing that I had to go to the doctor and get a breathing treatment, as well as a new inhaler prescription. Prior to this, I had not used my inhaler for at least two years, but was using it every few hours during our first week in this house.

Anyway, I will spare you will all of the details, but to make a long story short, our property managers have been less than favorable to work with and the owners have refused to replace the carpets - despite being told by a professional carpet cleaner that they were beyond repair, and despite the fact that we are suffering with health problems and I am four months pregnant. So, we are now in the process of packing everything again and moving to a different house this Saturday. Thankfully, I had not unpacked everything yet (toys, books, misc.) because we thought they were going to replace the carpets and we would need to move it all again anyway. Unfortunately, I got rid of all of our boxes that I spent weeks collecting, so I'm back to square one. And, Brandon is now out of town until Thursday night, so I'm pretty much on my own to pack up the house.

OK, before I continue my Sally Sob Story, I have to say that it has been wonderful to be close to family and I know they will be helping a lot over the next few days. And the house we are moving to will be much cheaper for us, so there are definitely blessings we are receiving amongst the chaos. There are always so many things to be grateful for, and that is what I have tried to focus on lately. Everything happens for a reason, and we definitely learn things during our "trials."

On a happier note as well, we have three more days until we find out if our new little one will be a boy or a girl. The votes on the poll have definitely been outnumbered! 10 votes for BOY and 1 vote for GIRL. And guess who that one vote was from? Me! We'll find out soon, and we are really excited. Our computer will most likely be out of commission for the weekend during the move, but as soon as it is up and running again, I will post the results of the ultrasound! I hope you all have a fabulous day and again, forgive me of my whining. I just need to get it out sometimes, and then I feel better :)