3 weeks

June 2009

This was taken right after Zoe fell in the little lake we went fishing at. We had warned her several times to not dangle her legs over the water but she just couldn't resist. She ended up in the water. It would have been much worse if Dean hadn't immediately pulled her out.

I feel a little like the above photo. Like I could just sit down and cry while I pound my fists and kick my legs. Just a little temper tantrum. Please don't think I am ungrateful for all the blessings we have in our life right now. I guess I'm a bit overwhelmed & haven't had enough sleep over the past week. I miss our routines. I feel so out of sorts in this new house. I still have a ton to unpack & put away. When my house is not in order I feel out of order too. I know everything will be back to normal very soon. So I'm trying to keep it all in perspective.

It's been so cold here. I'm not talking a little breeze, nope, like in the low 30's. Oh and did I mention that it has snowed on and off all weekend? Hailed too. I keep waiting for the warm weather to show up & I think it's being pretty stubborn. The upside to all of this nice cold weather is I haven't been miserable due to hot weather during this pregnancy.

I'm HUGE right now! Only 3 weeks to go. I'm finding it harder to do the things I would like to do. Bending over to clean a cabinet is pure torture at the moment. I keep plugging away in the hope that all this movement will help move things along. The baby is kicking like crazy these days & I'm trying to savor these last few weeks of this pregnancy. I think it has been easier for me to enjoy this one knowing it's my last. I am so excited to meet this little guy. It's always fun to see whom they favor. Plus little baby boys always look like old men to me. It will be fun to finally meet him.

I'm dying to share some photos with you. As soon as I find my camera cord I will post them. I think I know where it is but I'm not quite sure. This could take a while folks. I hope not too long. Sorry to be such a grouch in this post. I'm sure some will blame it on hormones. I do think I'd feel this way even if I wasn't pregnant. Really in truly life is amazing. I'm sure I'll feel back to my peppy positive self once we are all back in the swing of things. Hugs to you all. Hope you have had a great weekend!

Moving Time

Aris October 2008

We finally have almost everything moved over from the house. I stopped by to pick up a few things from the old house yesterday and almost cried. So silly. It made my heart ache just a little to see how empty it was. I will confess all the new found space of our new house is lovely. The kitchen is huge, the living room, huge, the bedrooms, huge, the garage, well you get the picture. I love our new yard also. The girls love running through the weeds in the back yard. They look like little gazelles. They have even made little forts in the weeds. Cracks me up. Can you tell we have a lot of yard work to do? The to do list grows every day. First on the list pulling all the weeds in the yard. They are full of goats heads. After that we will work on scraping the ceilings and repainting the rooms. Mustard yellow, murky red, & Pepto Bismol pink are not my idea of colors that I would enjoy living with. Then will come the lighting & so on & so forth. It's a work in progress. I'm excited for the challenge & looking forward to making it our home.

::Awesome things that are happening right now::

I've already met 5 of our neighbors

We live on a cul-de-sac

The back porch is huge

Zoe just taught herself to ride her bike all by herself (on said back porch)

Sloan now has her own room

Dean doesn't have to work this weekend

I'm setting up my art space this weekend (in the house for now)

Life is wonderful

I will admit that I'm super grumpy today. My legs hurt & I'm not sleeping very well these days. The girls haven't gotten to bed on time in over two weeks. It has made for some very grouchy children as well. I'm really hoping that by this time next week we can be back on our regular schedules. Can't wait to share some pictures of the new house as soon as I find my camera cord for the computer :)

Hope you all have a great weekend!

How Strange the Feeling

August 2008

Our house is almost empty. When we talk our voices carry with a strange echo.

It felt strange to be at the new house. Dean was moving the heavy dressers into the girls rooms & I was trying to figure out where everything would go. Beds, toys, & clothes. There is a place for everything now. The girls rolled on the floor giggling while I made a mental checklist of things to get at the store tomorrow. It all felt surreal. I kept thinking how strange it felt to be there. How odd it was to see our things in this, this, place. It doesn't feel like home yet. There aren't any memories to make it feel like home. Aris told me yesterday that she didn't want to go & live at the new yucky house. She said she wanted to stay here in our home. At bedtime tonight Zoe cried & cried because she was so worried about not liking any of the kids when we go to our new church ward. I tried not to giggle. If you knew my Zoe you would have laughed out loud. She's never met a person she didn't end up calling her best friend. I listened sympathetically and snuggled them in. Sloan on the other hand is super excited about the move. For her it means she finally has her own room, new school & more friends to play with in the neighborhood. I understand my littlest ones apprehension. This is the only home they have ever known. I'm feeling a twinge of sadness in my heart over the move also. This is the home Dean & I came home to when we got married. It's where we brought home our Zoe & Aris. It's where Sloan played the piano for the first time. Where so many other wonderful memories have been made. Some so sweet & special I tear up just thinking about them.

Right now I take comfort in the fact that I know the Lord wanted us to have this house. It feels like the right place to be in our lives. I also know that new memories will be made that will make this house feel like a home. It's a testament to me that a house is just a house. Brick & wood & plaster full of empty rooms. It's the human spirit that can make it a home. Family, friendship & love. I'm so grateful we will have a chance to do just that.

Best News Ever!

We're Moving!

Today our agent's assistant dropped off the key to our new home. This is the most exciting news. These last few weeks have been a little stressful to say the least. Although I didn't talk too much about the process of getting our new home, word spreads. I was just hitting the stage where people were asking the same question we were, "When are you getting your home?"

If you could get past the dark circles under my eyes, the piles of laundry & all the dust bunnies having a party under my furniture (see post below) you would see how truly excited I really am. Just a little too large to jump up and down at the moment.

I think this is a real blessing in disguise. These next two weeks will be filled with packing and moving. It will help to keep my mind off of my ever growing belly, indigestion, & the impending "due date". Let's just say that our prayers have been answered. We will finally have some room to raise our growing family. Can't wait to share the new place with you very soon.

P.S. Hope you enjoy the peppy new song I added to the play list. Thanks Zana for the song. I almost skipped around the house when I listened to it for the first time. Almost ;)

Finally Home

Summer of 2008

I'm behind on everything right now. The laundry sits in sloppy piles on not one but both living room chairs. The dishes are piled in both sides of the sink. Clean dishes waiting patiently in the dishwasher, hoping to be put away very soon. There is a giant pile of toys on the girls floor. Blankets everywhere. The dust bunnies are having a party under the furniture. The bags under my eyes are big enough to carry enough luggage for a two week trip. Yes I'm that tired. But we are home! No matter how messy the house is, we are home.

I took Sloan into her Pediatricians office on Monday because her ears and throat were bothering her. She was also experiencing severe abdominal pain. The Dr. sent her to the ER for some further tests. They really weren't sure what was going on. Suspected a UTI but wanted to make sure it wasn't an appendicitis. One cat scan & ultrasound later with numerous blood tests taken and antibiotics given she was released this morning. The specialist feels it might be gallbladder related but because she wasn't in as much pain today they waited on running any further tests. Because her bowels were inflamed they think it could be gastritis. I'm super happy to be home but a little frustrated too. Frustrated because she is still feeling crummy. Sloan wanted to go home so badly that she said she felt fine. I told her a few minutes ago that she will just have to deal with her tummy pain for the next two weeks until she visits the specialist. Can you sense my agitation with this whole situation? I feel like the last 4 days were a total waste of every ones time & now we are back at square one. No answers of why she has been having tummy pain on & off for years now. No real answers to what was really going on. I am grateful for the fact that so many people were praying for her. I'm grateful that it wasn't something serious. And I will be praying that the specialist can figure out what's really going on at her next visit.

So I'm heading down for a much needed nap. I'm a little grouchy at the moment (in case you couldn't tell). When I wake up I'll take out my frustrations on this messy house. It should sparkle like a diamond when I'm done.