Things I take for Granted- Post Ten

When William was a bachelor, he bought these lovely's.  Back at his "pad" it probably averaged around 1 load a week between him and his roommate.  Present day- averages 5 loads a week.

 

Yesterday I was reminded of how blessed I am to have a washer and dryer.  My dear friend served a 2 year mission in Accra, Ghana.  For 18 of those months he didn't have access to such a fine modern day convenience.   He washed by hand, with hands and a bit of soap.  Yet he always had a white shirt.  

I know that I take advantage of them.  The sheer amount of Disney/ Pixar underwear I wash each week would make my hands tired, let alone the sheets, pants, shirts and towels.  I am so glad that I have these time savers in my midst.  Would anybody else consider disposable clothes if washers and dryers were no longer around?  Or we could just live in denim. :)

Things I take for Granted- Post NIne

Eggs in our house don't tend to last long in our house.  Between 3 boys and a husband that tends to make breakfast we go through eggs (and I will admit cereal) at an alarming rate. Which is not a problem at all.  Until after 10 months of steady laying our chickens went cold turkey in September.  WAH!  Of course I had taken advantage of our 6 chickens that would lay us between 2 and 3 dozen eggs a week.  It was a reality check having white eggs in the house again (apparently I am racist?).  I was this >--< close to sending the chickens to some butchering family on craigslist when I decided I would give them a second chance.  I cleaned out the hen house, laid down fresh straw, installed the heat lamp, and upped the portion of protein lay pellets. 

Obama, Romney and Houdini

I did a little jig when I found one brown egg in the nest last Monday.  The next day followed with a brown and green egg!  In the last 7 days I have 16 eggs to show off!  Hooray for the pet chickens! 

Hopefully I will remember to appreciate my little chickens a bit more often.  They have a hard job after all.  It must be tough to clean out my garden, eat bugs out of my lawn and having to be forced to consume all of our scraps of dried toast and banana peels.  The life of a chicken. :)

Things I take for Granted- Post Eight

The lawn is swathed in leaves, the sandbox toys are haphazardly tossed at all angles away from the actual sandbox leaving 3 or 4 remaining content in their rightful place.  On the right is a gorgeous new fence that was installed this summer, before us is a work in progress, fix it up fence that still is looking 10 times better than it did in July.  Beside the house is the remnants of a garden with a bean fence laying on the ground half stalks of corn standing and decaying tomato bushes that have been picked over by our chickens.  Ah yes, the chickens are strutting around their coop hoping the next set of scraps are on their way out while in the back of their minds lays the decision of whether or not they will lay the impending egg on the front or back of the nest. 

Today, I acknowledge how much I have taken for granted our yard.  Since we moved in 2 years ago we have spent a lot of man hours improving it.  Clearing a garden space, trimming the apple tree, building raised beds, building a sand box, installing a sprinkler system (William dug over 200 ft of trenches by hand), repairing the back fence and as a treat, the neighbors handyman installed the new fence. And it has all been worth it!

I have become so accustomed to having this treasure that I seldom recognize what a blessing it is to our family. 

Things I take for Granted- Post Seven

I have taken for granted my Boys.  Yes. Some people reply, "You must have your hands full with 3 boys." Of course I do! And others reply, "How sad that you don't have any girls."  No, not so much sad.  But how much do I enjoy boys.  I will now make a list of things that I thoroughly enjoy about boys.
Balls
Bats

Blocks
Cars
Cameras
Chickens
Cuddling
Computer (poissonrouge.org is amazing)
Dirt
Dogs
Earth Worms
Fart Fascination (yes, gross, but so entertaining)
Frogs (Dallin still looks nearly every Sunday in the church parking lot where I found one last fall.)
Food (and lots of it)
Hide n' seek
Hot dogs
Hugs
Keys
Kindle
Loose change
Marshmallows
Monsters
Roadside Rest Areas (yes that would be our van off I-84)
Running
Sand
Scissors
Sledding
Snow
Stickers
Wrestling

That is the short list.  Now a quick list of what I don't have to deal with a majority of the time.
Princesses
Fairies
Pink
Barbies
Dolls
Drama
Make up

I think after being raised along side 5 sisters that Heavenly Father KNEW that BOYS are what I needed.  

Silly things Sam Says

I asked Sam to go look for Matt's sippy cup up stairs.  He laid down on the 3rd step.  I reminded him what I asked and he said with a big sigh, "Mom, I am out of energy."  Sounds like nap time to me.

Things I take for Granted- Post Six

Once upon a time there was a girl who loved to read.  She loved it so much she took advantage of it.  The end. 
In reality though, I have so many books that I have read and loved, and have forgotten that not everybody has read to many wonderful books as well.  I love how I can escape for a couple hours from Boise, Idaho and attend Hogwarts, the Battle School, Mr. Bingley's Ball, or the largest dump in Cambodia. 
The way I regretfully spend my life some weeks with out touching a single spine is why I feel I take advantage of it. So many of my books have left an impression on me.  They have helped me to understand the circumstances and minds of people in many different situations, to recognize the blessings that I have in my daily life and how to make the best out of even some of the hardest trials.

My overly crowded and messy book shelf

Books are taken for granted.  The ability to read is taken for granted.  The ability to be able to read the books that are in the world is taken for granted. 

Things I take for Granted- Post Five

When William and I were married we came home to a full-size bed.  Which with William's height means sleeping corner to corner.  There wasn't much room for me. :)  Shortly after my sister donated a queen bed she had access to.  What a blessing!  We obviously were not going to be picky as we were poorish newlyweds.  I was so excited after setting it up, I jumped on it and hit my head.  This was EXTRA-Firm.
Fast forward through moving 2 times and 5 years of college.  William and I bought a pillow top King Size bed.  HOLY COW!  Was this heaven or what!  It has been a little over 2 years since we bought this beauty.  And I have taken it for granted.  As Thanksgiving nears with the possiblity of guests staying down in the guest room I went down to change sheets on our old bed and decided to lay down while the boys were behaving in the toy room next door.  MY GOODNESS!  How on earth did we sleep on it!? 
So, I feel very blessed for my huge comfy bed that fits me, William and all 3 boys cuddled around us without to much maneuvering.
Do you take advantage of your bed? 

Things I take for Granted- Post 4

Today, I realized that I have taken advantage of having a dog.  Yep.  Our dog Koa, is taken advantage of almost everyday. 

This 100 lb Chocolate Lab is climbed on, pounded by tiny fits (petting) and is called upon at all hours of the day to clean up the floor in the kitchen and the dining room.  We force him to pick up all the macaroni noodles, the scattered cheerios and even the remnants of steak when dinner is over.  A "Suffrage for Dogs" movement needs to be started in this house.
I have knowledge of some families (even larger than ours) where they don't have a dog.  Those Mom's and Dad's get the time of their life cleaning up Jell-o and sliced hotdogs all by themselves. 
In reality, Koa is such a fixture in our home as a family member that even though I wasn't a fan of a dog the same height as my 3 year old running through the house when we brought him home, now I can't imagine not having him here to protect Sam and Dallin from the horrible Monster Mama, greet them as they get off the bus, or clean up the popcorn as we watch a family movie.

Things I take for Granted- Post Three

In our part of the world, October and Early November is hunting season.  For the months before I take for granted the fact that my husband shaves nearly every Sunday before church.  That combined with me not having a haircut day for about 3 months turned my husband into this:

                                                          Boom!  Caveman or Hobo!
In celebration of the end of hunting season as the sun set on November 9th we did a little work on this mess.  And then with a little shave (okay 30 minutes in front of the mirror and a clogged sink) I received this as a present on Sunday:

                                                                    Mr. Debonair
Too bad we didn't think of beforehand to go do some mysterious deed.  Grateful for the return of my engineer husband. :)

Things I Take for Granted- Post Two

My boys have a steady bedtime.  Every school night between 8 and 8:30 they are in bed.  For the weekends it is between 8:30 and 9.  They also always wake up at the same general time every morning.  This is a great blessing I realized I take advantage of after having some additional young children staying over the last 2 nights.  Like now.  9 pm and the only one in bed is my little Matt.  Off to go encourage the other 2 biological ones to sleep and flat out beg two not so biological ones to do the same.

Things I take for granted. Post One

I love how I can hand Sam a cookie.  And while he takes a bite I hand him a second one and say "Give this to Dallin."  As soon as the cookie touches his palm he runs to the room Dallin is in shouting "Dallin, here!"  The same is with Dallin.  I handed him 2 bowls of popcorn to bring upstairs while the boys watched a movie. "One is for you and one is for Sam."  So I have heard, it is not the same matter in other houses.  I love my boys!

Family Update!

Our year so far has been mainly uneventful.  We were all sick with the flu within the first week but since then we have been tip top.
William has been doing well at work and had his end of year performance review where his boss said that he had been an excellent employee. Not just good, but excellent.  We hope that means that he will get a raise.  William also got a calling in our new ward this month.  He is a team teacher for the CTR 7 class with another brother in the ward.  They are quite the group, 5-6 boys every week with one girl that joins them when she is having a weekend with her Mom.  It is a very... exuberant class.  In January William also turned the big Three Zero.  We had a fiesta and had a few friends and family members over.  It was quite the party.  The food was obviously the center piece with the pinata coming in second.  William got a brand new office chair for his birthday. After 10 years of his old one it was time for an upgrade.  After the party Tom, Tammy and ourselves went to Tucano's to celebrate.  It may just become the annual double date for us so that Tammy and William can get their free birthday meal. 
Erin has been working on New Year's resolutions.  She came in $10 under for the grocery budget in January.  She also is another 4 weeks further along in her goal to have a baby this year (why not have one goal that you know is going to be said and done for sure?). On Saturday she accompanied her family on a trip to Twin Falls to see her brother Justin go through the Temple for his endowments.  He is leaving for the Atlanta, Georgia North mission on Feb 22nd.  Erin has also been trying out a lot of new recipes from Pinterest. It is nice to have a few new recipes to liven up the menu.  Erin is also working on figuring out the layout of our garden now that we have ordered seeds.  We can't wait to have fresh veggies to pick and snack on at will. 
Sam started public preschool 4 days a week in January in addition to having his Montessori preschool 3 times a week.  He is a very busy boy and has adjusted to a full day with out any naps.  We can see so many improvements as he spends more time away from home learning from his trained teachers.  His words are becoming clearer.  He also is more willing to repeat words that we ask him too.  He calls William, Papa, instead of Mommy.  He is also learning how to share and follow directions better.  He is such a big helper and always wants to help us in the kitchen or with cleaning up the house.  One of his nightly tasks is helping to set the table.  He is so strong and he knows it too. 
Dallin is always in a hurry.  He runs everywhere he goes and knows when he is getting into trouble.  When Sam is gone at school he has a hard time staying out of trouble.  He just had his 18 month check up today and was a whopping 26 lbs and has a very steady growth range.  He got to shots, whined for a little bit and by the time I got his pants back on he was running down the hall giggling at the large stuffed animals.  He tends to copy cat whatever Sam does.  So when Sam runs through the kitchen and into the bedroom Dallin takes off after him.  Our dog Koa is his best friend when Sam is gone.  It is very entertaining to watch them stand at the front window together.  Dallin will start shouting and then Koa will start barking as a car passes or somebody walks by. 
Our friend that lives upstairs, Amanda, is a big part of our life.  To help us out she does the dishes and watches the boys if I need to go to an appointment or go pick up Sam from preschool.  She has been struggling with life in general for the last year, and just this weekend things started looking up.  She has gotten a job as a paralegal for a reputable LDS lawyer here in Boise.  She is the boys Aunt Amanda, and it is always fun to see them interact. 
As a family, we made a bunch of snacks and watched the Super Bowl last night.  Nobody was routing for a team, but we had fun listening to Sam as he shouted "GO!" at the T.V. while he waited for the teams to snap the ball.  Dallin was a big fan of Amanda's puppy chow (muddy buddies) and constantly had white hands and a powdery mouth.  As far as commercials go, we all got a kick out of the M&M's commercial the most.

If this post seems a bit... odd, it is because I adapted it from our family newsletter.  It really does do a good job of letting you know where and what our family is doing. 

Its been awhile

I would count myself among those who are not fantastic bloggers.  Seeing as I haven't wrote and published an update on our little family for many months.  Life has been crazy, just like it is supposed to be.  At points as I look toward something in the future I say, "Things will be more relaxed and much less hectic after ..." some said event like, William's graduation or the Halloween Party.  Right now at this moment, there is still a list of goals for the day, blogging not included, but I did feel that a quick view into what our life has been doing was in order.  William Graduated with his Electrical Engineering Degree in May and started work as a Software engineer 2 days later for CradlePoint Technology in Boise.  We started looking for houses shortly after and in July we found and put a bid on our "dream" home. In late August we got the keys and started with a few minor improvements that would be harder to complete once we had all of our things here.  We moved in officially on the 20th of September.  Boxes everywhere crowding and cluttering the main rooms.  But as life is crazy there was more to do.  A baby shower to plan, a jewelry party to clean the living room for and latest cleaning and decorating the entire house for a Halloween House Warming Party that came off beautifully with close friends and family invited to our home.  It is truly amazing how much life can change in 5 months!  To add to the fun, we found out in September that we are expecting.  With a May baby added to the calendar there still has not been much time to think and get to excited for the addition.  We feel very blessed.  I used to think that when William graduated from college with a degree in engineering that we would be instantly "rich".  Of course I was thinking financially.  But as of now I can testify that is not true, we still have enough for our needs, but the "rich" feeling is instead permeating our life in blessings.  Some how we had enough to replace windows.  Some how all of the house was able to be finished in time for guests to visit.  Some how I just know that life, despite its crazy twists and turns, will give us as a family the time and opportunity to learn and grow to become better people.   
This blog is obviously not at the top of my priority list, but becoming the person that can make it through each day and lay down in bed saying that my goals are done and know that my friends and family have helped me along the way is a wonderful feeling. 

The Waiting Game Begins

I am going to skipping the boring parts and just say, my Dr. has diagnosed me with mild pre-eclampsia.  He also said I am 2 cm dilated and 70% effaced.  With that diagnosis, he is going to induce me on Monday morning if I haven't gone into labor myself before then.  I had a nice talk with the baby on the way home from the appointment yesterday and told it that if it wanted to choose its birthday that it better get out of there before Monday.  

So here I am, and I just want the baby to come now, when it is more convenient.  Is that so bad? If I wait until Monday I will lose my babysitter for Sam the next day to Girl's camp, as well as the possibility that my sister that is our cameraman will still be at work.  That means I would need to go find replacements.  So on top of waiting, with the pre-eclampsia I am supposed to put my feet up and drink lots of water while taking it slow and not really doing anything.  I am already bored out of my mind, so I keep imagining that I am having contractions, which would mean that I could call William and have him come home from work.  But I can't do that when I am just imagining them out of boredom.  

Then on top of that, I still want to finish cleaning my house but I don't want to overdo it.  My carpet needs vacuumed and then cleaned so my sister can have her carpet cleaner back, the bathrooms need a little TLC and even though I just swept and mopped the kitchen it needs it again due to Sam spilling his wet cereal in little puddles as he walked across to the sink.  I need help but don't have anybody to ask because it wouldn't be appropriate.  And I can't ask William because he works 10 hours a day and how can I ask him when he gets home after 10 hours of working to go and do things around the house? 

Complaining done.  Off to watch Sam destroy the house while I wait, and then wait some more for nothing to happen. :(

Trying to walk this baby out!

By now it is probably not a surprise that I am taking all the opportunities that I can to get out and do something fun that includes walking.  On July 15th Sam and I went to the Zoo with my sister Amanda and her client Louie.

Sam was intrigued most by the monkeys, lions and giraffes.  

The Giraffes

Sam in the Safari Jeep

So then on the 17th William, Sam and I floated down the Boise river in the morning to afternoon.  Then in the evening went to the Twilight Criterium in Down town Boise.  On the way we stopped at Moons Cafe, ate dinner and tried out one of their famous milk shakes.  Blackberry is delicious!  We stayed at the races for a little over an hour and a half before we gave up on Sam because he was being a ridiculous turkey.

Men's Semi-Pro Race

 Then this Saturday the 24th William, Sam and I went to the Boise Music Festival in Ann Morrison Park. We caught a few smaller bands, then Macy Gray, Back Street Boys, and while Sam and I made the slow way all the way back to the car, William watched Bret Michaels. 

Back Street Boys on the Stage! 

Full Blown June and July up to now

Okay, okay. So I am cheating again. The news I wrote up for the family newsletter has everything in it! So I am just going to copy and paste it. Hope you enjoy it!

As a family we have been keeping busy with day to day activities. William has been working full-time at CradlePoint, Erin has been watching Sam, and Sam has been playing and making messes just like he is supposed to. We celebrated Sam's birthday on June 16th with Sam's friends from nursery and a few other friends of the family with basketball cupcakes and popsicles at Ivy Wild Park. We have been keeping busy with traveling on the weekends to several places including Utah for the Tour De Cure in June, several times to Gooding to finish the front porch (which is almost finished!) and to Buhl for the Fun Run on July 3rd which William ran with Mike, Nathan, Karen and Vance. Then on top of those travels we also were in Wendell for the Despain Reunion and then in Glenn's Ferry for the Grover Reunion. It has been a lot of fun traveling but it is also good to take a break for the rest of July and probably a good portion in August. Erin is getting a smidge to close to travel very far with out her feet turning into watermelons. We are all looking forward to meet the baby sometime in the next month, but still have no clue when it will occur, although we are wagering close to the very end of July or early August.

William has been very blessed to be working full-time hours. When he gets home he gets time to play with Sam before bedtime and occasionally even gets to work out in the garage on his boat rack that he is constructing. He is getting closer to being finished but it may take another day or two depending on the amount of help Sam wants to contribute. With the Tour De Cure (which he rode 100 miles for) and the Buhl Fun Run (which he ran a 5k) done he hasn't had much motivation to get out the door and continue riding or running. He is looking for another event in the near future that he can train for. He has not lost much weight but he is more toned and a slimmer waist line to help with fitting in all of his used to be tight around the waist pants.

Erin spends a majority of the days trying to find something to do other than sitting at the computer, taking naps and chasing Sam. She is still involved in the Relief Society Committee to plan the monthly activities and gets to participate in 2 planning meetings then the event each month. Erin has also finally agreed to turn on the A/C in the house instead of sweating it and

keeping the power bill down. The warmer temperatures has also helped her make the decision to switch to the pick up as her mode of transportation since it is the only vehicle with A/C. Where ever it is coolest is where you will most likely find her. This last week she finally got to use her Mother's day gift of an hour long massage, which has improved her mood and almost completely stopped the groaning from getting up and down and lifting. When we are rich (ha ha) she plans on making it a monthly occurrence.

Sam is now a big 2 years old! With his birthday he has started having a couple of tantrums each week that start off with some small things like taking away deodorant or closing the bathroom door. After 20 minutes he goes back to normal and wants to help clean up toys, kiss mommies tummy or cuddle on the couch. He is still fairly relaxed and stays out of most things that are "naughty" and is a big help and throwing garbage away when asked or when he is finished with his snack. He loves nursery and is always helping with clean up and stacking the chairs in the corner after class, as well as coloring many pictures and participating with play-doh and the lessons. Sam is working on potty training mostly by himself when he wants to sit on the potty he strips off his diaper and sits on his potty. We are not pushing him because we have heard the most kids revert back to diapers after a baby comes and starts taking away mommy and daddy time. A few things he has mastered is opening doors (bedroom, bathroom and the fridge)

Sam enjoying his slice of cheese that he got out of the fridge himself.

as well as saying please (in sign language) thank you, and hi/bye at the appropriate times. He loves visiting family and getting attention from everyone. His favorite past time is throwing rocks, playing in the dirt and watching bugs with an occasion foot stomping to get them to stop moving so fast.

Yesterday as a family we floated the Boise River in a small raft. It was Sam's first time and he seemed to enjoy it and even had a short relaxing nap on Daddy's chest for the last ten minutes. We all made it okay except for Erin who didn't think to put sunscreen on her knees which were sticking up above the raft for a majority of the ride with Sam sitting between her legs. She got very badly burnt and is having a hard time walking, sitting, laying or bending without groaning or making noise.

Life continues to throw us curves, hills and trials that are not easy to face but as we struggle through them as a family we can feel our bonds strengthening. We love all of you and hope that the trials of life will be kept in a perspective of something that can be conquered.

The Highlights of June and the beginning of July

First off I want to say how much I have loved the cooler weather this summer. Being in the high 70's and low 80's through June has helped so much keep the last few weeks of my pregnancy bearable. As a family we have been keeping busy with engagements and events every single day that William has a day off. We have been to Gooding about 3 times to work on the deck and for family reunions/ get togethers. We went to Utah for William's first century bike ride on June 12th. We have even gone fishing twice, once in Boise and honce in Hagerman. William ran his first official 5k in Buhl on July 3rd. And the other days that William has had off have gone toward William working on his boat rack for the truck and running errands getting ready for the baby. Sam has gone swimming in his little swimming pool in the back yard a couple of times when his rash hasn't been to horrible. Sam has had his rash for almost a full month now and the only thing that he has in his diet consistently is his milk. So his pediatrician has put him on a 2 week no dairy restriction to see if it is the dairy causing the reaction... I hope not because that would be so hard to work with when Sam loves his cheese and milk so much.
I have been keeping busy with reunion preparation, doctor appointments, following my boys around and enjoying the free activities in the Boise area. Two weeks ago we went to the Saturday market then over to the Boise Rec Fest. That kept me on my feet for 3 hours! Last night we went to Ann Morrison Park for the fireworks which required a decent walk from our parking spot to a place to set up the blankets and chairs. Then today I went shopping with my cousin Stephanie at 2 stores and spent about 2 and a half hours walking. In short, I think that this has been a much healthier pregnancy then with Sam. And of course on top of it I also chase around my little Sam and carry him quite a bit. I am pretty amazed at how much this body is doing!
William and I both think that this baby is going to be coming before the end of July by itself. So we will keep you updated on when that happens and get some pictures up of our fun adventures when I figure out how to do so!

May as a WHOLE!

So, I typed up the news for our family and sent it off to a family member for it to be compiled with everyone elses and I realized I hadn't updated the blog lately, so I thought, "Would it be cheating to copy and paste the parts I wanted into the blog?" Nah! So, here are the highlights of the month and a few extras... So all the parts that say Erin, is me and I am not changing anything cause it is late and I have been as restful as possible due to it being Sunday.

May has been a good month for all of us. William finished up all of his classes and passed all of them (other than the one he dropped later in the semester). William was also allowed to switch to a full-time employee for the summer until he goes back to school. He works 4 ten hour shifts with Wednesday and the weekends off. The extra income will be a great blessing when school comes around again so that we have quite a bit of savings built up. William also received his father's day gift early as well as part of his Christmas and birthday presents. He bought a 14 foot Aluminum fishing boat and has spent quite a bit of time in the garage finding a way to rig it up for in between uses and making a boat rack for on top of his truck as well as just enjoying time in a place all his own. And despite how much William has wanted to take his new toy out for a test drive the weather hasn't been cooperative, and when the weather has been nice he has decided to go out for a bike ride to train for the 100 mile ride he is doing on June 12th.

Erin has been making their new duplex into a home. There are still a few boxes laying about the house with misc stuff in them that will end up in the garage soon. The walls are still bare, but there may still be movement in the furniture as the rest of the boxes leave the house so no point in hanging anything until we are certain it will be there for the rest of our time here. Erin has also grown quite a bit this month in the middle section as our new addition becomes more apparent and active. Due to the addition she has not minded in the least the cool and wet weather and is hoping it will hold out a bit longer to shorten the amount of suffering that will occur once the sun decides to come out of hiding.

Sam has probably loved the move most out of all of us. He now has a backyard, his very own room (not for long, but still), a new firetruck toddler bed and the park just a 4 minute run through the baseball field out our backyard fence. Sam seems to understand the concept of the baby and loves giving mommy's belly kisses and cuddling with it but we don't think he has grasped the amount of noise and time it will take to get used to once it is here. Sam is turning 2 on June 17th and is very much like a rambunctious 2 year old already. Not to the point of terrible, but still very active. He is getting a larger vocabulary and understands yes or no questions and answers them truthfully most of the time. He also knows when he is doing something wrong, like pulling out DVD's from the shelf, so he hurries and puts them back, points his finger at them and tells them "Stay!" very seriously like they jumped off the shelf by themselves. He is very interested in potty training since he saw one of his friends Gideon go potty like a big boy but still hasn't done anything other than a few dribbles into the potty. But he still loves to sit on his potty anyway.

As a family we have really enjoyed having Grandma Grover staying with us while Grandpa is at Elk's. Sam has grown very close to Grandma and acts like she is just as much a jungle gym as mom and dad. We also enjoyed going to Gooding for Memorial day to help with the deck and house improvements. While Sam played with his cousins, Erin learned how to tile with Faye, and William worked on the deck with Tom. Once the hard part of the deck was done Erin came out and helped go Rambo on the deck toe nailing boards and putting on boards with Tammy while Tom and William worked on silly things like stairs...

A very recent update on the news from today is that Sam can officially open up his bedroom door. He doesn't seem compelled to try any others out for now, but he has a reason to escape his bedroom when he doesn't want to take a nap. Not so much of a purpose to break into the bathroom yet.

The funniest update is that William has joined the elite bicycle riders of the world. In order to prepare for his first century on the 12th I taught him how to shave his legs. Lets just say, his legs are smoother than mine and I can't stop rubbing them because it makes me giggle. And I probably won't get in trouble for writing that for a while because William doesn't ever read what I put on here. I will be taking pictures on Saturday and I will make sure to get one of his sexy bike lets with all the muscles toned and defined as he petals himself to exhaustion.

Hello Wyoming!

I would say at this point that we are officially moved. Our old apartment on Colorado got the last bits of cleaning done on the 4th, I locked the door and turned in the keys that afternoon. Since then I have been working on unpacking what boxes I could lift here on Wyoming. At this point there are only a few more boxes sitting in the dining room with text books and kitchen stuff that need to be unloaded, but for the most part I would say that we are done with all of the important unpacking.

This week William finished up his year as a Junior at BSU in the IEEE program, which is considered to be the hardest year by both the students and the professors. So as a gift for getting through this horrendous year and on behalf of Father's Day, I let William get himself a "new" toy. Actually William found a 14' Aluminum fishing boat with oars, life jackets, a fish finder and a motor on Craigslist for quite the deal and I told him we could take the money out of savings for it if he could find a spot to put the thing in his new garage. He immediately went to work out in the garage and cleaned out an entire half and showed me where he could hang it on the wall. So now we have a boat in our garage which he is going to take out on the water tomorrow to start his first real break since starting school back in 2006!

Since William finished his semester, it seems about once a day when we are all in the same place at our new place I get this feeling that life is just SO Wonderful! On Wednesday evening we sat out on the porch in the back yard in our camping chairs watching a city league baseball game going on in the park and Sam playing with some of his toys while waiting for dinner to get out of the oven. It was so simple! William was smiling, Sam was giggling while running after his ball, the baby was kicking softly, the smell of chicken nuggets was coming through the screen door, the cheers from the team members playing baseball was floating back to us. It was surreal! The coolest part is that I have been experiencing that feeling everyday this week!

I love our new home, I love the way that my family is growing and so happy no matter how many trials we go through! I love my little Sam and my wonderful husband William for everything they do to make my days filled with laughter and work that I don't mind doing for them because of how much I really do love them! My Dad always used to tell me that when he was in school with a wife and 3 kids that life was hard, but after he looked back that it was some of the best times in his life. I see that almost everyday in our life. That despite the tight budget, the seemingly endless diapers and tantrums, the homework that takes over the hours after William gets home from work and school, that despite all of it that we are having the best time of our lives and that it is truly in a period of our life that will never be able to be relived once it is over.

So, Goodbye Colorado! Hello Wyoming! I can't wait to see all of the adventures we have as we keep pressing forward into our crazy existence!

Update on packing and the whole moving adventure!

We are getting so close to having everything ready to go for the big move on Saturday! The kitchen is packed and mostly clean, the table has been taken down to make room for more boxes, and most of the storage from Sam's room is in the living room. All that is really left are some larger items from the kitchen, towels, both of our closets and a few clutter spots in the house.

After one of my friends showed me what she could do with a Magic Eraser I went crazy on the kitchen cleaning all of the cabinets and scrubbing the front door. It even took dried permanent marker right off of Sam's hands. I would buy stock in just that one product alone if I could. Can you tell I was impressed?

Tomorrow will be a great day on the list! William has 2 classes in the morning then we are going to sign the lease and get the keys to the new place! William will move a few things including this beauty I am sitting at to make room for everything else that he wants to bring down from upstairs to making moving on Saturday easier. Then he is off to work for 3 hours and back so we can start getting some of the easy stuff done.

I want to stress how much friends have helped with what I have gotten done so far... I have had 5 wonderful people come over to help pack, clean and give encouragement. We still don't know how much help we will have on Saturday, but hopefully it will be enough to get the whole house cleared out by 2 so that the final cleaning can take place. However much pain and work this move has and will take, I am sure it will be worth it so that we will be able to have a less crowded and more livable place to be a family in.