Favorite Features

I thought I would share what Jace and Cole's favorite features of the new house are.

Jace LOVES the jetted tub. He wanted to take a bubble bath and then turn on the jets to make more bubbles. The tub was brimming with bubbles. Too funny.



And Cole.... ah, my dear sweet, busy boy Cole. Cole LOVES the new long stairway leading to the basement. And why does he love it so much? Because it's so much fun to through every ball in the house down the stairs, of course. And... I just leave them there, because the second I bring them upstairs and put them away, he follows me and grabs them and runs right back to the stairs. The little man makes me laugh.

We're Here...

...'cause we're not all there. (A good 'ol Grandma Jessie saying.) Yes, we're officially residents of Eagle Mountain - where we live at the end of the earth!! We moved our stuff in on late Wednesday night. I can't thank all of our family and friends enough who helped move us - especially to those who stayed extra late and helped us load up the second time. We couldn't have done it without you, so thanks to the guys and gals that helped and especially to the wives who lent out their husbands at the late hours.
We moved on Wednesday, spent the night at Bryan's parents, and then started unpacking Thursday. And...WE'RE DONE!! Yes, we finished unpacking yesterday and I can't tell you how excited and relieved I am. I was a little overwhelmed at the idea of UNpacking as all of our JUNK was being loaded on the truck. I'm not one to horde and hang on to things, so I didn't think we had a lot of stuff; but when I saw it being loaded and unloaded, I wanted to cry. Good thing I had Karlee there as we were unloading, to give me a hug and tell me it was okay. However, once we got it in the house and I started unpacking, things went quickly and we really don't have TOO much. Now it's on to the basement. YUCK!! That is definitely something I am not looking forward to organizing. I am, however, excited to decorate! Let the good times roll...

Today was our first day of church and the ward is definitely made up of a different dynamic. It's HUGE compared to our other ward and there are three nurseries - we just kind of picked one to put Jace in. It should be interesting and fun. Maybe Enrichment and volleyball will give me a chance to meet some "sisters." Good times ahead....
I told Marissa the other day that I didn't know I would be trading places with her. When she lived in St. George she lived on a hill with LOTS of dirt and weeds, scorpions, and lizards. Well, yep, that's me now. We have neighborhood kids come to our yard looking for lizards (we've seen a few around the yard), and we had a dead scorpion in our garage, and I cannot BELIEVE the amount of dust that gets in our house. I think that the black countertops and cabinets are going to drive me crazy because I can always see the dust. I guess I'll just have to lighten up on my neat-freak-ishness. Anywho...
I've had some requests to put up pictures, so since you've already seen the bareness of the house, I'll post some pictures when I get things put up on the walls. We'll see what adventures Eagle Mountain brings us!! (And we're not THAT far away, so you still can visit us, Karlee!)

The 7 Year Itch...

Well, today Bryan and I entered what is called the seven year itch. (No, really there's no itchin' here.) Today is our anniversary and I cannot believe that we have been married for SEVEN years!! It is amazing how fast time goes by... In some ways it seems as if we haven't been married that long, but in other ways it seems as if we've been together forever! So I just wanted to take a minute and tell Bryan how much I love him and why I am so glad that we are together. Ya ready for this, Bry?.....

Bryan is always so good at letting me know how much he loves me and what I mean to him. I am not the best at expressing my feelings and I know how hard it is for him sometimes when I don't. But he is always so patient and loving to me. He is so thoughtful and generous. Bryan is always willing to help anyone with anything. He is so selfless and is always offering his service, skills, time, or whatever it may be to help people in any way he can. If someone is in need he'll do anything he can to help, even if it means offering my help to them as well (without me knowing!). But - I really don't mind because it is a great attribute to have and it helps me to be a better and more selfless person. I love him because he is always trying to make someone laugh. He has a great sense of humor and he uses it to lighten the mood and make people happy (even though sometimes it gets him in trouble!). He is definitely a people person and gets along well and easily with just about anyone. He has taught me so many things when it comes to getting to know people and how to truly be a friend. He keeps me grounded and helps me realize that life doesn't always have to be so serious and he is great at helping me keep things in proper perspective.

He is an amazing father. Our boys love him so much and I love when he comes home everyday from work and the boys race to the door screaming "Daddy" as soon as they hear the garage door open. I love to see the light in his eyes when he comes through the door and picks up the boys and gives them hugs and kisses. He knows how to make the boys happy when they're not, and he is so helpful with them and shares the workload of raising kids evenly.

He is an amazing person and supports me and encourages me to do the things that I love and enjoy. He is always willing to help me find and create "me" time when things just get a little too hairy and he knows I need a break. I love him so much and I know and realize that he has made me a better person over these past seven years.So... to sum it up, he is thoughtful, compassionate, loving, funny, honorable, hard working, helpful, generous, and fantastic!

I love you, Bry and I can't wait for the adventures that lay ahead for us. Happy Anniversary!

I'm in Denial

Okay, so it's pretty official. Most of you probably already know, but some don't. We're moving. And we're moving clear in the stinkin out there - Eagle Mountain. Bryan keeps telling me that I can't complain about it being far because Rissa just moved to Kansas, so I guess I've learned to suck it up.
We built a spec home out there this past year and with the turn of the market we have not been able to sell it and so therefore we have to move into it so that we can close on the loan. In all reality I am excited. It is a really cute house and it's NEW!! (Yay for new stuff!!) It will be fun to start over in a new home, but it is hard to leave this home because it was our first. We've had so many good memories here and we have made so many amazing friends in our neighborhood and ward. It's hard to leave all those behind - I am happy with it all and I'm comfortable with where I'm at. But change is good, right?
We are suppose to close on August 20, and should be moved in on the 21st. The house is a rambler with 2 baths and 3 bedrooms. The basement is not finished but hopefully some day it will be - at least part of it. So, if everything goes according to plan, we'll be moving in 2 weeks. YIKES!! I am so not looking forward to packing and moving. Hopefully all goes well and there won't be any kinks in the plan. Here is a link to some pictures of the house if anyone is interested.
Home Sweet Home

The Best One By Far!!!

Okay, so last night at 11:30 I finished it! Can you say AMAZING book!!! This was my favorite Twilight book by far! I couldn't put it down and it was completely gripping. I think that's the best word for it. While reading it I got goose bumps several times, secretly jumped up and down, and yes, screamed out loud! As Bryan says, I really get into my reading. He likes to watch my reactions and laugh at me! I had to call my friend, Alaina, a couple of times just talk it over, it was just too good to keep to ourselves. Bryan said to me, "Do you realize you are two grown woman screaming about vampires?" I know this sounds so childish like I'm one of those 12 year olds crying in line waiting to get their book, but seriously, it was so good.

I LOVE Bella in this book. I love, love, love her as her "new character" :). I loved her in book 1 and book 2, but in book 3 she drove me crazy and I didn't really like her any more. I thought she was whiny, undecisive to whom she loved, rude to Jacob, and was just too concerned about how everyone else wanted things. When I say that I like Jacob, I should clarify. I liked who Bella was when she was with Jacob more so than who she was and how she acted when she was with Edward. I really do like Edward, I have nothing against him - how could I? Well, in this last book I LOVE Bella and who she is, and I love her and Edward's relationship - it is so much better. I still like Jacob, too. His character is still really good in this book and he plays a huge role. There are so many things that happen and it's just crazy! I do have to say that in the first half of the book weird things were going on - things that were totally unexpected. However, it just gets sooo good!! I think Stephenie Meyer has an incredible mind and she did an amazing job in wrapping up the story - it was perfect. Now I can relax and focus again on being a mom - oops! My poor boys!!