Different House, Same Home.

First off, I just thought this picture of my niece Alli is stinkin' hilarious and just had to throw it in for her parents:) Apparently the kids got a hold of my camera at Grandma's house and had a little fun.

Since we've been here in Texas, things have been a little different. Our house is different. There are only 2 bigger kids' rooms instead of 3 teeny tiny ones, which means we don't have a toy room anymore:( I think that's why I haven't unpacked the toys yet, I'm just not sure what to do with them. There are 2 closets in the master bedroom, which gives Jeff reason to say he wants to rent this house forever. The backyard isn't fenced in (and we're on the corner so that's no good) but there's lots of nice grass to play on (nice, since we still hadn't planted grass in AZ). We have a working fireplace, which someone so graciously left a whole pile of ashes in for us. We have black appliances, which makes my white fridge look a little funny:) We have 3 HUGE "climbing trees" in the front yard. We have lots of extra closets everywhere, which I am LOVING! Check out some pics of our new place!

our lovely (can't you see the sarcasm dripping from that) green couch fits in perfectly in our family room

I finally got Maddie's letters hung up in her room (OK, my MIL did it but at least it's done). I've only been working on them for over a year so that's not too bad, right??

My piano fits so snugly on this wall.

It is the "lone star" state, ya know.

I love my family letters that I had made for my plant shelves...but they look pretty nice here too! (can you see my temple plate, courtesy of Sierra Ranch Ward Enrichment?)

My beautiful shelf that Jeff made me is finally living up to its full potential - I love it here in our dining room!

And this is where I plan to spend much of my time...just not making cookies :( I'm starting a wellness challenge tomorrow so I'm going through detox:)

And here is a nice view of the beautiful Brazos River that runs through Waco (and is also the namesake for Jeff's new employer, Brazos Electric).

We just had the most awesome rainstorm ever! It didn't last more than 20 minutes but dumped about as much rain as we might have seen in a good month in AZ! Maybe not quite that much, but it was cool!

Like I said, things are different here. But guess what? Cade still carries his blanket around and cries like a banshee when he wakes up from his naps. Lane still lights up when I walk into the room and cries when I leave. Cole still takes flippin' F.O.R.E.V.E.R. to do pretty much anything he does and tells me 'I love you' several times a day. Maddie still likes to have alone time in her room and to mother on her little brothers. Jeff & I still like to snuggle up on the couch and watch a movie after the kids go to bed.

So, we may have changed locations and live in a different state and a different house, but the feelings here in Hewitt, TX are the same as in Queen Creek, or Flagstaff, or Mesa, AZ. We are still a family. We still love each other. We are home.

How do I say this?

I've been trying to think of the perfect way to blog about this but it's too hard. So I'll just come out with it - we are moving our family to Hewitt, TX next week for a great new job! Jeff finished his last day at his old job yesterday, the moving truck comes on Tuesday, and we will leave for our new adventure on Thursday. We are super excited and feel so strongly that we have been prepared for this and led to this place in our lives. We will be living in the perfect little area, our dream of rural living combined with the conveniences that a city can offer, and couldn't feel more blessed with the opportunity Heavenly Father has opened to us.

The down side to this happy news is that we are leaving our beloved home, ward, friends, and family. We are leaving the home that we built, the place that we have lived in for the very longest in our marriage. We are leaving dear friends and ward members that we love so much. Friends we have rejoiced with, friends we have mourned with, served with, played with, ate with, laughed with, made cookies with, learned from, and had babies with. Friends who have watched our kids so I could be with my mom after an operation, and for many of my doctor's appointments last year in my scary pregnancy with Lane. Friends who have inspired us to be better, friends who we love.

We will miss this place. We will miss the memories and friends we have made here. To you whom we are leaving, you will always hold a special place in our hearts and we will never forget you. Thank goodness for blogs and facebook:)

Oh, and please take care of the amazing family who will be renting our house from us for a couple of years, they are wonderful people!

We're Back!

We've been out of town for a couple of weeks but we finally got back late Tuesday night. Yesterday we celebrated Cole's birthday and today I am trying to put everything away from the trip and get my life back into some kind of order. You know how that goes. We had a great time and already miss our families (yes, we got to spend time with both). Can't wait for another reunion!!

*pictures to come

A Little Language Lesson and a Faux Pas

I have always had a fascination with the French language. When I was in high school and EVERYBODY was taking Spanish, I chose to take French. And then a year later I decided that I wanted to be cool too so I took a Spanish class with some of my friends so I wouldn't be the only one not who didn't know how to speak Spanish. Well...it became a little confusing because the Spanish & French languages are very similar. Of course, they are both Latin languages and so the spellings and meanings of words are similar but their pronunciations are not. For example,

bibliotheque (F) = biblioteca (S) = library
livre = libro = book
un, deux, trois = uno, dos, tres = one, two, three

Then there are words that are spelled exactly the same and also mean the same thing, such as:

bien = bien = good

Then you've got words that are spelled the same, pronounced the same, but mean completely different things:

tres (F) = very
tres (S) = three

So in French when someone says, "comment allez-vous?" you would reply "tres bien". In Spanish, "como estas?" would get "muy bien".

Do you see how it was a little confusing to me, especially since growing up in Arizona, I heard a lot of Spanish? So even when I went away to college and continued my French classes, I would slip up every now and again and confuse my French with my Spanish.

In my French class at the then Ricks College, we were only allowed to speak in French, which is very typical of a language course. I do very well reading languages and hearing languages but not so good in speaking languages so this was a little tough for me. So one day we're sitting in class and three men walk by our open door and peek in. They made some smart comments to the class about the teacher (who couldn't see who they were) and then went on their way. So, the teacher asked the class, "qui est?" or "who is it"? Since we were a beginning French class, it took a little hesitation on everyone's part to tell him who was there. Shouts of "hommes" (men) began to ring out, to which the teacher said, "Combien?" (How many?) I chose to spout out my answer right then, during the few moments of hesitation: "Tres hommes!" I said, about as loudly as I could. I was a little confused when the teacher looked at me quizzically instead of praising my quick response. It was a few moments before I realized my little faux pas. Instead of saying there were "three men", I said there were "very men". Of course, with my Spanish-French combo, it made perfect sense to me.

Yes, they were very men indeed. And there were three of them.

So ya know...

I was nursing my sweet baby Lane last night and just watching how cute he is. I love his long fingers and how he spreads them all out as he reaches for something. When he eats and sleeps, he likes to touch something soft...my hair, his teddy bear, or even his own hair. So I was watching his long fingers reach up to rest on the top of his head while he was eating...so relaxed and so cute. Man, he just melts my heart. He is such a smiler, a cuddler and I think he kind of likes me. I am just lovin' every minute of having him close to me. "Freight Train Lane" has been seen standing on his own (no real steps taken as of yet but I'm not complaining since he just turned 8 mos. old) and has about the cutest lopsided grin ever. His teeth have been coming in very randomly and so he has one incisor on the top, one middle bottom one, and then a space and then another one. We borrowed a nickname from some friends and call him 'Snaggle Tooth' because of his one incisor...so cute!

Cade is funny. He can most often be seen wielding a ball and a baseball bat, or anything that slightly resembles a ball and bat, like a rock (book, toy) and a baton (sword, stick). He throws said ball and swings said bat at anything in his way. He has been spotted repeatedly throwing rocks in Grandpa's pool and swinging bats at trash cans, light switches, and his siblings' heads. At this very moment he is graciously emptying my bookshelf of all its contents...all over the living room floor - he has quite the arm. One of Cade's other favorite things to do is "Pop Goes the Weasel". This is a special ritual we do while I'm lying on the floor with my knees bent and he sits on my feet while I sing the song. When we get to the word 'pop', I pop my feet up and his legs go flying. He asks for it over and over again.

Cole cracks me up. Yesterday we had the bug guy here spraying. When he walked back to his truck to get supplies after first coming in, Cole asked if he was coming back. "I want him to come back", he said, "because I like his hair" (it was kind of bleached or something - Cole called it orangish/yellow). Well, then he followed him around the entire house, inside and outside and asked him questions and told him random facts about himself, like that he can ride his bike without training wheels. Oh, and he insisted on pulling his bike out and riding it around while the guy worked. Jeff says that he was the same way when he was a kid. The only difference: Jeff was too shy to actually talk to the guys who came to do work. Umm, Cole definitely doesn't have that problem. Cole is also learning how to swim without floaties and it is stinkin' hilarious. He does such a good job of putting his face in and swimming...he just doesn't get very far.

Maddie is missing kindergarten and her friends. She is, as usual, a big helper with her big brothers and me. She and Cole had a little confrontation this morning and she told me later that she had made him help her make her bed and clean up her room to make up for hitting her. Funny. But...we are learning a lot about repentance and it makes sense I guess. She is reading more and more and was pretty excited to tell me that she had read "one page out of a 2nd grade book" when she was reading with her Grandma L. She doesn't like to be pushed though and so she would rather I read the books when we're reading together. Maddie is also swimming really well, LOVES the water, and is getting a cute little tan that I'm jealous of. Madlyn has her 3rd wiggly tooth and was so excited she had to call Raelyn on the spot and let her know:) Maddie initiated a sweet conversation the other night about everyone's talents and when we got finished listing Cole's talents, Mom's talents, Dad's talents, and Cade's talents, Mads said, "Here's my talents: I'm good at swimming, planning, and loving." I am grateful that she can recognize her abilities and the great worth that she has.

Well, that's a little insight into our happenings...a whole lotta laughin' and lovin'.

Phew!

Just a quick congrats to my awesome husband for passing his PE (professional engineer) exam!!! He took it two months ago when he was extremely sick and we found out this morning that he passed!!! We are so relieved that he does not have to take this yucky, 8-hour test ever again and hopefully none more quite so intense and challenging (and career-affecting). Now we just have to wait until he fulfills the experience requirement and he can get his professional stamp - whoo-hoo! Nice work, Jeff!

8 Years...

back in the day...when we were dating

I love these studio shots we had done!

And this was a silly one when we were taking our engagement pictures!

A couple of years ago, I had a newlywed inform me that she was sorry, but I no longer had the best husband. To which I replied, "I'm glad that you think so." She insisted, "No really. I have the best husband in the world." Again, "I'm glad that you think so." And although I would have had a convincing argument, I did not want to argue with her because I sure am glad that she feels that way about her true love. I believe that every woman should think that she has been blessed with the best husband in the whole world. It would be tragic if some man's wife did not think he was God's gift to women and to the world. (If the husband feels that way, there might be problems...but I don't think there is anything wrong with a woman feeling that her husband is the best there is). I do not get offended if a friend brags on her man; there is no reason for me to feel insecure and there is nothing to compare. Each marriage is completely different and each person needs someone different to fulfill them.

So...with that preface, I truly have the best husband in the whole world. It has been a little over 8 years since we were married and I did not know then how lucky I was. I knew I was getting a good one, but I could not have imagined how great of a catch he really is. I was thinking about our life the other day and the word that kept coming to my mind was "bliss". Now, this does not mean that we have a picture perfect life and that everything is always easy. But the way I feel having Jeff by my side in the craziness that we call our life is "bliss". Life with him is better than I could have hoped for or even dreamed for.

So in honor of our anniversary that we celebrated a couple of weeks ago, here are a few of my favorite things about this man that I married.

• he is spontaneous
• he wants a truck again
• he can 'fix anything'
• he loves a good movie (some favorites: all of the Rockys, Bourne movies, Lord of the Rings, and most recently...Pride & Prejudice - OK, he is just watching that one for me)
  
• he is a very hard worker
• he is a good brother
  
• he is a very good son
  
• he is a good friend
  
• he is loyal
• he is very un-critical
• he is nonjudgmental
• what you see is what you get with him - he doesn't pretend anything
• he is "poetry in motion" on the basketball court
• he is such a good dad - very patient and fun and hands-on. He likes to take them camping or hiking or to the movies.
• he is a good teacher - he has the best object lessons for teaching our kids gospel principles
• he is very thorough
• he is honest and fair
• he is a very supportive husband - he encourages me to pursue my own personal interests
• he is involved in taking care of our home; he empties trash, vacuums, cooks and even washes dishes
• he could probably be a better cook than me
  
• he remembers things about new people he meets so that he always has something to ask them about when he sees them next (one of the first things I loved about him)
• he is very genuine
• he is very loving and affectionate in all his relationships
• he loves my family and is very supportive of them and my relationships with them
  
• he doesn't let me be too uptight
• he makes me laugh every day
• he likes my sense of humor
• he loves music
  
• I love listening to him sing (so do our kids)
  
• he is independent
• he loves learning and trying new things
  
• he is patient with me
• he loves life
• he has fun nicknames for me and our kids
  
• I love when he calls me 'sweetheart'
  
• he thinks I'm beautiful
• he is perfectly handsome

Thanks, babe for the best almost-9 years ever! I am so happy I found you (or that someone pushed me in your direction). Eternity is lookin' good!!!