Hip Hip Hooray!

Wow! It has been quite the journey in mine and Ryan's life from last summer to this summer. I'm not going to lie, last year was a VERY HARD year for us. But we hung in there, and in the matter of one year we had a new baby girl, Ryan got a new job, we sold our old home, got out of debt, and as of today we are the confirmed prospective owners of a house we are just beside ourselves excited about. I must give ALL the credit to God AND also to my parent's for helping us make the most of every opportunity life has to offer. I am so thankful for the humility I have learned, along with so many other things. So without further adieu, here is the new place we will call home.

Now let me just say a couple things about this property. We bought it for the location, the neighborhood, the schools, the yard (potential) and the generous garage and storage space. The house is actually kind of funky and a little on the small side of things being only 3 bedrooms and all. However there are 3 family rooms and so we can put those to good use. Oh, and also, it REEKS of cat urine. Yeah, we have our work cut out for us. But it's ours (or will be soon) and we couldn't be filled with more gratitude on this day.

We did a counter battle with the bank back and forth six times before we finally came to an agreement, but sadly, we came out on top, even with all we have to update and remodel, and CLEAN!

All of the houses back a common green belt area which I adore. I'll pay for it in HOA, but I like not being all boxed in. The houses we liked in Syracuse were very nice, but you could reach out and touch your neighbors house, we don't roll like that. The front porch can be quite charming if done just right, and the yard needs a lot of initial efforts but will be pretty cheap to get looking it's best. I love that it has two back decks and ivy growing up the side of the house. This is just such a step up from our last home....at least in charming features, but not in quality so much.

To celebrate our long awaited good news we went to Ruby River and enjoyed a gift card a friend had given me. Then we stopped by RC Willey to price out new carpet.....bleh! Let the expenses begin.

My mom who is the QUEEN of moving taught me a little handy trick when I watched her move out of Liberty....GARBAGE BAGS! Genius! I have what I like to call "quirks." My family calls them disorders but I try to steer clear of that line of thinking. Anyway, one of my quirks is that I can't stand cardboard, the feel of it, the sound of it, that film it leaves on your hands, but most of all, writing with a permanent marker on top of a cardboard box...I won't do it. So this time with moving I put all of our bedding, clothes, towels, etc., in garbage bags and I bought actual labels for all of our bags and boxes. Ahhhhhhhh, life is good now that I found a remedy to satisfy my "quirks."

Fresh hair cut, fresh attitude

I have had the same hair cut for the last 15 years now. Sometimes I would cut it short, or I got a perm once, or sometimes I curl it, highlights maybe once every couple years, but mostly this is how my hair looks. Long, black, straight. BORING. After having my babies my hair has these funky little short frizzy hairs across my forehead that forces me to keep it clipped back in a bobby pin. So I grew tired of my awkward hair line and decided to go for it and do something different. I can't believe how much bangs changes my whole face, but I welcome the change. I definitely look younger, but now at an age where looking younger isn't a big deal. I don't love the photo below of me, but it's a good comparison.

So with my fresh new hair cut I decided to change my stressed outlook and just make the very most of these next 8 days. I am going to pack us up, find a place to live, and check off a summer's worth of goals in the matter of one week. So last night we all sat out by the fire and I intend to do that every night that it's not raining. Lydia loves being outside and it was such a nice night.

Ryan found this little nest and really wants us to take the eggs as a decoration. I forbid it! That little mommy worked so hard on her nest and I can't take her babies. Mom, don't even ask where this nest is, I won't tell you until the eggs are hatched.

This is just one of the views we will be saying good-bye to.

Yesterday I finally made this orange cupcakes happen for Emma. I have wanted to do these forever and I kept putting them off, but there is no time like the present. Get an orange, cut it in half, scoop out the insides, pour yellow cake batter in one of the halves, put the top back on, wrap in tin foil, place over fire pit coals for thirty minutes, then eat and enjoy.

Also on my Summer Cram List I was able to bike with Emma down to the valley market to buy some treats and groceries...had a midnight hot tub soak...and made some new bows for the girls in preparations for our family photo. A very good day yesterday!

Still wanting to....

kayak at Causey

Eat at Harley and Bucks

Eat at Eats of Eden

Have friends join us down at the river to throw rocks

Have family picture on the property

Run with Emma down at the track

Bike with the girls every day

Have photo shoot of Emma and Lydia on the property

Have a candle light picnic dinner in Sherwood forest

One last BBQ with my sisters and family on the property before we move

Bike around Pine view lake

hike along the pine view lake trial with Emma

Na Na Na Na, Na Na Na Na, Hey Hey Hey, gooood-bye

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!! We're moving!
















My parents got an offer on their house (yeah!) but the catch is that they wanted to close in two weeks. Which means we are now down to 10 days left for us to find a place of our own. It wouldn't be too difficult if we knew exactly what we were looking for, but unfortunately we don't. Schools and neighborhood are a BIG deal to me. I don't want to rush into the house just b/c of our time dilemma. So for now there is a short sale home in north Ogden we will be pursuing but it causing me more anxiety then I anticipated. If that falls through then there is a town home we will rent in Brigham City (so I can be close to my family) while we look for something in North Ogden area or we are now really liking the Syracuse area. I am just a BIG planner, not knowing is KILLING me! But oh well, like the phrase says "the show must go wrong" ;) I mean..uh..the show must go on. Also, I have sold most of our furniture on KSL. I am no longer lugging around furniture with me JUST because we have it. It's not THAT expensive, especially when I can sell off some of what we own. So far I have sold my bed set which included my kind bed (not mattresses) armoir, dresser, night stand. Also I have sold a love seat, our huge outdated tv, and our kitchen table. I am still waiting to hear back on our couch and chairs, but I am not as desperate to get rid of those. So a lot going on for us right now. Oh, and to top off all there is to do...both of our cars have the check engine light on, the Jeep needs new tires and needs to have tags and registration done by next week. Super.

Emma had her little dance recital last night. It was darling and PERFECT for her little age group. Cheap monthly tuition, affordable costumes, and no recital fee. I am very happy with it, but I will say that you get what you pay for. Assuming we don't move too far away I might even drive up to the valley to bring her back next year, we'll see. The highlight for Emma....having her dad buy her a very special rose. She told me "every time I look at that flower I remember how special my dad is and how much he loves me." My dad gave me flowers for Mother's day and that was a highlight of my day as well, I don't know what is with the sentiment but I think a little girl never outgrows the affections of her father.

We enjoyed our Thursday finale shows last night and are looking forward to LOST on Sunday. Wrap it up already, I'm pretty over it, but I will still enjoy every minute of the 4 hours!

Lydia went to the G.I. Dr. for her food allergies and the Dr. was just as baffled as we are. They drew her blood to do some testing for foods and we are waiting to hear back. Lydia's little face is covered in scabby sores and I have tried EVERYTHING! Aquaphor, Cortizone, Vaseline, Eucerin...it's so sad. I am thinking it is a side affect of the food she eats but who knows. That girl still puts EVERYTHING in her mouth, today I pulled out a dead wasp!! Grrrrreat! One more thing to worry about. She is a little snuggle bear and just the best part of my day.

Emma is a little helper and I tell her all day long "what would I do without you?!" It fuels her to be even more helpful and I truly mean it when I gush over what a good girl she is.

One funny thing about Lydia...she LOVES popcorn, just like her dad. She found a piece on the floor and ate it and then whined and whined until I finally figured out she wanted more. What a nerd ;) But Ryan loves their bonding time as she sits so still on his lap just waiting for her next piece.

Spring catch up

Lydia has become more mischievous than ever. She loves to crawl into tight places, she puts anything and everything into her mouth, and she has mastered the art if silently disappearing as I run through the house to find her. I know she is just a baby, but she can sit so still and quiet and finds the best hiding spots that it really does give me a fright for a moment when I don't know where she is.

We try to have a "Family Night" every weekend. A couple weekends ago we went to see our friends, the Millets, who had just had their first baby girl, Brecklyn. Then afterwards we went to Pizza Factory where Lydia enjoyed every bite of her cinnamon sugar breatstick. Then we headed to the mall to try to find Bundy something new, but no dice. So we settled for our most favorite, favorite ice-cream ever....cotton candy from TCBY!! Made my day!

I tried something new with Emma's hair. I stumbled upon this concept by mistake but loved how it worked out when I did it on purpose. Bless her heart for sleeping with all those buns on top of her head. Sure turned out cute for church.

We went up to my parent's house last week for Ryan to work in Logan for a couple of days. My mom is such a good hostess. She had our bed turned down, with a magazine and blinders on our pillows. Then by the side of our bed was some fresh made cookies, treats, and a little cup of water for each of us. My parent's fridge never has much food in it, but I do love how my mom makes room for there to always be fresh flowers sitting where the food should be ;)

For Christmas this year we did a "service" white elephant game. I won the service of bringing up 4 of my friends to have dinner at my parent's house. So invited my old "foofs" group. Foofs stands for Focus On Our Friends. We enjoyed a yummy Mexican Haystack dinner and then my mom gave us a great little housekeeping seminar, complete with demonstrations and handouts. Thanks mom! You're the best! Oh, and that's my friend Holly in the middle. She is 8 months pregnant, and you can't even tell!

These photos are just random photos. We had a ward reunion of our old marrieds ward with our first Bishopric whom I just ADORE! Anyone close to me know how much Ryan and I loved our ward there. It was so fun to see the Bishopric and a lot of our old friends. It's been 4 years now but I still have such fond memories of those times. The photos of Emma and the little girls are of her and some of her old nursery friends.

I like to drive with Ryan in his work truck b/c Lydia can sit up front in between Ryan and I and I love sitting by her in the car. She is such a ham bone. Emma likes taking the truck too, why, I'm not sure, but it works for us. We only take it when Ryan drives to Logan for work and drops me at my parent's house, but it is something out of the norm and makes it fun for the whole famdamily.

We've loved living up in Liberty as the snow has begun to melt. The hot tub is still divine and we love going down to the river to throw rocks whenever we get the chance. Emma loves to ride with Ryan on the lawn mower and I love letting Emma play outside ALL day and not worrying about her safety.

A couple weeks ago we had my parents and my uncle Paul up for dinner. It was so nice to visit with them and we all enjoyed a trip to the river bottoms and then a nice hot tub soak. Oh how I wish Paul lived closer, but it was nice to see him, even if just for the weekend.

To a wonderful woman

I want to wish a Happy Mother's Day to this beautiful woman. She is not my mother, but is my dear sweet aunt. I consider myself so blessed to have her example and influence in my life. Ever since I was a little girl my Aunt DeNae (Lydia's namesake) and uncle Paul have been such fun role models in my life. As I've grown older I have developed a friendship with them that I value so much. They never wavered in their support for me to marry Ryan, they especially didn't back down when he was on his mission and I was dating other guys. What a privilege it has been to share my children with them and to watch my little girls adore them the way I did as a child. So DeNae, Happy Mother's day. Thank you for having such a zest for life, service, and laughter.

My New Life

Perhaps many of you have seen this ever so inspiring video. I was very moved by it and my throat was very tight for the whole 8 minutes, it is still a little tight right now as I write this. Which in translation means that I am on the verge of tears. All of us have trials of some form or another. I used to dismiss mine and not give myself much credit because in the past mine had never been as big or difficult as others that I knew. But the fact is that trials, no matter how big or small, are what makes us strong. I just reread two emails I have saved that my parents wrote Ryan and I about a year ago when things weren't going our way. It brought back so many emotions and I am so thankful for the chance to take an honest look at who I am, who I want to be, and how very very much I need the Savior to get me there. I know this saying has been said before, but it rings so true... I have never stood more tall, then when I am on my knees.