Packing, Packing, and More Packing

My life consists of packing right now, and not much else. Although I've found a moment to blog a little, I don't have time to check everyone else's blogs :( So in a couple of weeks expect to hear from me on your blogs when I try to get current again.

We are all so excited to get into our new house. Tomorrow we close and then this weekend we move in. Everything is happening so fast that I feel like a whirlwind. Thanks to all who have offered to watch the girls so I can pack!! They are loving being able to see their friends one more time before we leave.

Yesterday was our last Sunday in our beloved Slate Canyon 11th ward. I tried really hard to not get emotional. It was hard. We've had 4 years, 3 babies, 2 jobs, and a ward split, not to mention many great and wonderful friends, all in this wonderful little area. It's hard to go, so lately I've been focusing on how exciting a new big home will be that's close to Jeromy's office, so I don't have to think about how sad I am. But I don't think I can hold it in much longer.

Audrey is pretty sad too. I wasn't sure how this move would affect a 4-year-old until we had a nice little conversation yesterday. Audrey didn't want to eat her dinner because she said she was tired. Exasperated, I sent her to bed (I thought just the threat would get her to eat, but she surprisingly and obediently went up to her bed). A few minutes later Jeromy went up to talk with her and he asked her what was wrong. She said she was sad because we were moving and she wouldn't see her friends ever again. He assured her that we will still live close enough to visit, but she was still sad.

So I went and had a little talk with her. I tried to cheer her up by telling her that she could write messages on the computer to her friends any time she wanted to, and maybe we could invite all of her friends up to the new house for a party once we get moved in. It cheered her up a little bit, and then she asked why we were moving. I told her that Daddy's work is kind of far away, and it takes him a long time to get home, but our new house is really close to his work, so he will be home faster. She was still sad so I thought I'd leave her alone for awhile.

A few minutes later she came downstairs and announced sadly, "I'm okay that we're moving now." I asked her why. She said, "I'm ready for Daddy Time." That just about broke my heart. I am so proud of her that she's so brave and selfless that she's willing to put the needs of the family above her wants. She constantly amazes me.

So thank you all for being wonderful neighbors and friends! Indeed it is hard to say good-bye, but I am so grateful for blogs and emails and phones so we can all keep in touch. And hey, it's not like we're moving that far away. We'll probably come down for various activities and such. And you are all welcome to come up and visit us anytime!!

We Found A House!!

Wow, they don't call it house-HUNTING for nothing! We really had to hunt this thing down and grab it before anyone else did. It's all happening so fast! We saw the house for the first time last Saturday, made an offer Tuesday, they officially accepted on Thursday, and we hope to close the deal in a week and a half and move in on the 3rd. Crazy!!!

So that means I have 2 weeks to pack, find renters, pick out appliances, etc. etc. (so don't be surprised if you don't hear from me for awhile!). I really hope the kids are good for me so I can pack like crazy- knock on wood.

We are really excited for our new home. It's right next to Ikea (yeah!) and is only 3 years old (double yeah!) and HUGE (triple yeah!)!!! But the main thing that I'm looking forward to is seeing Jeromy more often since he can probably get to work in 10 minutes. Awe-some! And I can send the kids out to the backyard to play! We're all very excited. The girls were actually confused when we pulled up to the church today because they were hoping to go to our new church already. And they aren't understanding why it's going to take more than a day to pack all of our belongings. They are very anxious to get into their new home!

We have LOVED this place so much. It's been perfect for our little family. And we've made the best of friends here. We are definitely going to miss you all!! It's very bittersweet to leave. And it's happening so fast that it's hard to process it all. Like our realtor said, "Sometimes it's better to just rip the band-aid off and be done." We'll see if that's true for us or not. At least we can all keep in touch through blogging, right?

I'm very grateful that everything seems to be falling into place now. And very grateful for the 4 wonderful years that we've had here. Thank you!!

Handsome Jeromy

I didn't want Jeromy to feel left out. I love you too, hon!

Strong Jacob

A week and a half ago, Jacob rolled over for the first time!! Both directions on the same day!! Man, he's growing so fast. I love him!

Brave Audrey

Last night I had a planning meeting for my new calling, and I had to leave right when the kids were getting ready for bed. Apparently, Kierra had a hard time that I was gone, so Audrey tried to comfort her. She told me about it when I got home. "Kierra was really sad when you left, and she wanted a hug. So I was brave for her and cuddled with her so she wouldn't be scared anymore. I was brave, huh. And then you came home and we could hug you!" I love her!

Compassionate Kierra

We were watching a movie with our babysitting group kids tonight, and it got a teensy bit scary (a turtle flying through the air holding onto a garden hose). One little girl said, "Mommy!" So Kierra tried to comfort her, saying, "Oh, it's okay, your Mommy will be back soon" (rubs her back) "It's late, huh. She'll be back soon, huh." By this time she was completely ignoring Kierra and watching the movie, but Kierra had to make sure that she was okay. I love her!

It's Been A Sad Day

Last week is behind me! Yeah!!! With all the cleaning for company, entertaining company, preparing a lesson for a mini-enrichment class, and planning a surprise birthday party for my dad, I was pretty well beat by the time Friday night was over. Whew! But it's all over and now I can resume house hunting (ugh).

Here's a recap (I'm sorry this is quite lengthy, but I'm treating this sorta as a journal page):

My dad's brother and his wife stayed with us last week (from Tues. to Fri.) while they visited their son and his family who are attending the Y. It was really nice to see them. The girls loved all the attention!

On Thursday night, I taught a mini-enrichment class on food storage and how to start obtaining your three-month supply of everyday foods. It's a topic that I'm pretty passionate about, so it was fun to prepare for, albeit stressful and bad timing. I am really loving my new calling!

Thursday was also a big day for Jeromy at work. He gave a 7 hour presentation to their biggest client and pulled it off so well that the boss gave everyone Friday off (partly because Jeromy was able to get through everything they needed to, and partly because they had all been working past 10pm the whole week). Way to go, hon!

So Friday was spent running errands for the big party (luckily, I had Jeromy there to help and wonderful neighbors to watch the girls- thanks again Wendy!), and getting the house ready for a new batch of company. My sister drove all the way from WA to make it just in time for the party (and I MEAN just in time- she got there a half an hour before my dad:). My dad had no idea! He showed up at the library expecting to take the girls to a cool puppet show. The library even put signs up and everything! He walked into one of their rooms to find: his brother and his wife, his sister and her husband, his mother, his sister-in-law and her husband, his in-laws, a few of his nieces and nephews, us, and even more surprisingly, his daughter and her children from Washington! It was great!! Happy 60th Dad!!!

Saturday was spent watching conference, going for a hike near Bridal Veil Falls, spending quality time with relatives, etc. etc. The guys went up to SLC for the priesthood session while us gals ordered chinese (one of my favorite family traditions!). My sisters and I even got to do a little shopping while Grandma watched all 6 grandkids. She's a trooper!

Sunday, more conference and hanging out.

On Monday, my sister and I took the kids to the Children's Museum at the Gateway up in SLC. They have a Sesame Street exhibit on The Body. It was really fun! We thought it was a little overpriced at $12 per person (over age one), but the kids had a blast.

Shelly and I went (with the kids, I might add, and yes, we're crazy) to Ikea on Tuesday. Loved it! They take your potty trained children for an hour for free! So we just had the babies and Kierra while we roamed the store. Then we picked up the other kids and had lunch at their cafe (yummy Swedish meatballs, mmmm). Awe-some! Then Jeromy took Audrey, Kierra, and my sister's 3-year-old home so we could go to Tai Pan Trading for awhile. And Cafe Rio for dinner! What more can a girl ask for?!?

So today my sister headed back home. And that is why it has been a sad day. We've just been kinda moping around all day because all the fun and excitement is over. It was fun while it lasted. Thanks for visiting, everyone!!!