Sunday morning suprise

We woke up to a little squatter on the back porch today.

He must have had a wild night, because he was so sleepy he didn't even bolt when Nate pounded on the door and yelled at him.  (And these old windows are not sound proof, or cold proof for that matter).

I have never seen a raccoon this close before.  He had a nice little spot in the sun and was not about to move.  He didn't respond to the beeps of my camera when I snuck out the dining room doors and crept around to take better pictures.  He tossed and turned in his sleep a bit, and it made me laugh when he curled in a ball but with his head and tail tucked underneath him to keep warm. 

We left him to finish his nap and by the time we got home from church he was gone.

More Thanksgiving catch up

Monday, Nov. 22nd
     We slept in and had a late breakfast :)  I did some laundry, and planned on spending the day getting organized and ready to spend the week in Valencia with the Lisonbees.  We had tentatively planned to leave Tuesday morning, but Michelle called me and said they were headed down so we threw our stuff in the car and made it to Lisonbees by afternoon.  The drive takes about an hour and a half, on a good day.
     It was so fun to see Larry, Dee, Brett, and Michelle and her kids.  The kids picked up right where they left off and played so well together.  I'm grateful to have cousins around!

Tuesday, Nov. 23rd
     Hung out at Lisonbees and played with cousins.  Thankful for a slow day.  The kids were busy playing and I got to sit and visit with Michelle and another friend Judy.

Wednesday, Nov. 24th
     Michelle and I went down to the fashion district and shopped.  WOW!  I can't wait to take my mom there, it reminded me of Canal St. in New York.  A bunch of tiny shops packed with fabric, shoes, jewelry, buttons, trims, lace, ribbons, zippers, luggage, clothes, beads, and good deals!  We had so much fun!  I was grateful to get away and do a little Christmas shopping.  Thank you Nana, for being in charge of 8 wild children while Michelle and I played!
     Kids played happily with their cousins.

Thursday, Nov. 25th
     We woke up and started crafting, making ribbon flowers.  Everybody did a little part of the dinner and we had a fantastic Thanksgiving.  I was grateful to be with so many family members.  It makes me happy.

Friday, Nov. 26th
     The Lisonbees are a laid back bunch, and Friday was mostly spent watching college football games on TV.  Poor Justin kept track of 8 games, and all 8 of his preferred teams lost.  But I'm so grateful that he is beyond the stage when it would put in him a foul mood.  We laughed about it.  And he was good enough to let me escape Friday night with Dee, Kristin, and Michelle.  We had a girls night out at the movies.  I'm always thankful when Justin supports my need for escape and girl time.  He is so good about it.

Saturday, Nov. 27th
     Another quiet hang out day.  We hung around Lisonbees visiting and watching football until about 4 pm, then after BYU lost to U of U we drove home.  The drive was long, but Justin let me drive his car by myself.  Again, thankful for Justin taking care of me.

And today, Sunday, Nov. 28th
     Today I am thankful that my mom comes on Tuesday to help me get on with sorting through all this mess!  I am so overwhelmed, I just don't know where to put things so I have stopped unpacking.  There are still boxes stacked around, and many things to fix.  Above all, the entire house is original builder white, or would be if not for all the scuffs, wire holes, and smudges on the walls.  It needs fresh paint, and badly.  I can't wait to get my work buddy out here and start going to town making this old house a beautiful home. 

Hah!  I caught up!

An Enterprise move in pictures

Nate would not stay in the house while the truck was loaded.  He picked a spot front and center to the action and supervised the movers.  He made friends with them all.

The new house pool

 We have never had a pool before, so Larry helped Justin learn to take care of it.  We have a pool guy, but we wanted to be able to turn it on and off of course!  Turns out the pilot light is leaking gas so we can't heat it until that is fixed anyway.  Hasn't stopped the kids from asking to go in EVERY DAY.

 My little pilgrim girl.  With two days of practice she hopped right in and sang all the songs.  Cute kid.

Someday...

I'll kick my habit of not finishing things.  I just confessed to my sister in law I have not finished a quilt I started with her about 9 years ago.  She says I have serious issues.
Still, I am glad I did the Thanksgiving challenge and I'll try to fill in what I can.

Sunday, Nov. 14th
     We went to church with the Lisonbees, they have a nice ward.  They fed us an early dinner and we went to the Residence Inn for the night, the truck arrived at 8 am Monday morning.  I'm thankful that the Residence Inn was clean and nice. 

Monday, Nov. 15th
     Moving truck delivered all our stuff.  When they got Camille's bike off, Ashley hopped right on and started goofing off--she taught herself to ride it by Tuesday night!  I am thankful the movers put the boxes where we wanted and set up beds.  The gas was not on yet, so I was thankful to have a warm place to stay and take warm showers!  Back to the Residence Inn until Friday.  I was also VERY thankful Justin had the day off, last time he was out of town on buisness on delivery day, and it was tough.  Dee came down to help out too: she started up the crock pot in the morning and it filled the house with yummy smells the whole day.  I' was thankful to have three adults to help watch kids, check things off the inventory, and just have good company.
     We met our neighbors across the street Monday, SCORE!  They are the nicest family!! They were excited to have another family in the cul de sac.  We are gonig to love them.

Tuesday, Nov. 16th
     Thankful to get the kitchen unpacked, and to have Justin around helping again.  He helped the kids do their rooms so they would stop pestering me!

Wednesday, Nov. 17th
     The kids started school.  Ashley's teacher was the BEST!  She took Ashley's hand and introduced her to people, and was so welcoming and friendly.  We love her already.  The other girls also had a good experience, and I'm thankful for that.  Ashley got bumped to the faster class, so she is in the morning kindergarten group.

Thursday, Nov. 18th
     We were still at the Residence Inn, but I'm actually grateful it worked out that way because it was nice to escape from the piles of boxes and come back to washed dishes and a neatly made bed.  Plus, they had free continental breakfast, we all loved that!  The kids had chocolate chip muffins and all the juice they could drink every morning.  More work unpacking, grocery shopping, and sorting everything.

Friday, Nov. 19th
     I went to a little Thanksgiving program Ashley's class did.  She was a cute little pilgrim.  (Pics to come.)  The gas company guy showed up at 6 pm, I was getting worried, but he hooked up the gas so we could use the heater and have hot water.  I was so thankful to be able to wash my hands in warm water!  It is amazing how we take such small luxuries for granted.
     We slept at the house for the first time, and by then the rooms were a little more in order.

Saturday, Nov. 20th
     Dee got tickets to the broadway musical, Beauty and the Beast.  I was so thankful to get away from the unpacking and do something fun.  Not all the kids loved it, but we had a good time watching Nate get into it.  He was very concerned when Belle ("the princess") lost her father.  He told me he needed to go down there and help her!  He kept asking me where the beast was.  He was so good!  I think Emma enjoyed it too.  Thank you Dee!
     After the show we went out to dinner, and it was great to have that break.

Sunday, Nov. 21st
     Went to our new ward for the first time as a family.  I was thankful this day that the ward was so excited to have a new family and so friendly.  After church we went for a quick, cold walk around the resevoir near our house.  I think that will become a favorite spot.  Nate rode his little green motorcycle the whole time, and not only did he keep up we had to keep yelling at him to stop and wait.  When we were too cold to walk anymore, we went back for hot chocolate.  We had a good day of family time and rest, and I'm so grateful for the sabbath.

I think I'll cut it off there for tonight, that is a lot of reading!  I will have to post some pics to break it up.

More Thanksgiving...

Thursday, November 11th
     I was thankful we made it to the airport in time, and the kids were so good for our flight to California.  There was no fighting!  I still can't believe it.

Friday, November 12th
     Not the easiest day--with the kids used to being in school we had a hard time staying occupied.  But I was grateful to be in Cali and have a day to lay low.

Saturday, November 13th
     Today I was so thankful for a shop vac!  I know it sounds strange, but that thing made me feel so much better about the new house!  We went down today to clean, it has been empty for a while and was not in the best shape.  I was grateful to have Nana and Papa come down with us, their extra hands and expertise were so helpful!
     Justin (the best husband ever) took the shop vac and vacuumed around all the ceiling corners and windows, picking up cobwebs, spiders, and dead ants.  Ahh, now I'm not so creeped out by the messiness.  He also cleaned the pool, it was filled with leaves.
     Larry went around with some spackle, filling the million little holes in preparation for my major painting project.  Which is paint the WHOLE house.  He helped Justin learn about how to take care of the pool and helped to try to get the pilot light on the water heater lit.  (No luck there but we think it's because the gas is not on yet.)
     Dee took the girls and washed windows.  Bless her soul!  The house has lots of windows and they are one of my favorite features, especially now that they are all sparkly clean.  She also saved all the cleaning supplies from Mark and Carrie, when they moved to Dallas a few months ago.  Thank you!  I didn't have to go out and buy tons of cleaners.  In fact, I don't need to get any!
     I vacuumed the carpet and tile, more dead ants, and cleaned the kitchen.
     Nate ran around and got his feet dirty.  After we left Nate told me, "I want to go home!"  I felt bad, he has told me that several times in the last couple days.  I think the changes have been hard on him.  But then he said, "I want to go home to our new house!"  Yippee!  He likes it.   So hopefully we will settle in soon and get a comfortable routine.

oops!

Friday, November 5th
     I was thankful for Rudys.  The most awesome BBQ in all of Texas.  If you are in the area, don't miss it.

Saturday, November 6th
     I was thankful that we got the house clean and the laundry done.  When I got home Saturday night I sat down to rest, and it was clean and calm.  Also for Tammy, who let us visit Papa and watch the UCLA game Saturday afternoon, then fed my kids dinner when I took an unplanned nap with Natalie in the lay z boy.

Sunday, November 7th
     I was thankful to be in town for my neice Natalie's blessing, and for the delicious taco soup we had for dinner that night with the Dallas Lisonbee clan.  Papa played with the kids outside for hours, literally.  They were all in heaven.

Monday, November 8th
     I was thankful for a good night's sleep, and thankful for Jan and CJ who packed up my house.  They were friendly, helpful, and nice.  They reminded me of things I should keep out and asked enough questions to get it all right the first time.

Tuesday, November 9th
     I was thankful for my friend Julie, who took Nate for the morning to play with her son Bauer.  When she arrived to pick him up, he hesitated to go and told me, "I want to go to California!"  I assured him I was not planning on sneaking off while he was gone, and that he could still come to California with me if he played with Bauer.  Then Julie mentioned Toy Story 3 and he was gone.  Didn't even look back.
      I was also thankful for my friend Amy, who fed us dinner on a crazy night.  She asked me several times Sunday what she could do to help--even though her 9 year old was recently diagnosed with type I diabetes--but I asked her to feed us, and she did!

Wednesday, November 10th
     Today, I am thankful for Callie, who took Nate all morning so he wouldn't get under the movers' feet.  It is a good thing, too, because he would not come in the house once he got home.  He wandered around the front yard mingling with the four hispanic guys who loaded up the truck today.  One of them sang while he worked.  When they drove away they slowed down so they could all wave at Nate.
     I'm thankful that I got to slip away while they loaded the truck to deliver some non-moveable things to Tammy's and then stop for a pedicure, and have lunch with Meredith who I missed on Sunday.
     And I am very grateful for little things, like pulling open a drawer and finding what you need, having soap and a towel near the sink, and having a laundry basket to put dirty clothes in.

Thanksgiving Day 4

Today I am thankful for sunny, cool weather.

Yesterday I was thankful for 4 kids at the dentist with NO cavities!!!

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is coming up fast, among a few other things for our family!  I was inspired by my friend's blog to be thankful for one thing each day in November, and thought it might help me get in the spirit of Thanksgiving since I will be busy moving.  Otherwise it's bound to slip by and I'll end up feeling like I didn't appreciate it.  I'm starting a day late, so here are two things I'm thankful for:


I'm thankful we have a move date and a house to move in to.

I'm thankful for a fun afternoon spent sitting, visiting, and eating with a certain sister in law--it was just what I needed.

What do you know, I feel better already!

day trip

It occurred to me about a month ago that in two and a half years we had never taken the kids down to see the Dallas Temple.  Shame!  We had to do that before we left, so we drove down Saturday.  It was closed!  But at least they got to see it and it was a beautiful day, so we still had fun.

(This is fabric I got for a cape for Emma's Halloween costume, and she liked it so much she wore it all day.)

Little daredevil.  Justin brings out the wild in him.

Ever seen one of these before?  Duck crossing?  It was my first time.  If we have time, maybe I'll try to take the kids down again so they can see the grounds.  If not:

This is the Newport Beach Temple, the one we will go to in California.  It is a beautiful temple, with such beautiful landscaping too.  We will just visit there!

Halloween 2010

The Flapper--picked out her own necklaces, and loved them.  Then she ended up taking them off to be wild in the bounce house.  But they did look cute while they lasted.

The Movie Star--Looked so cute the first party we went to, I did her hair up and it was so sophisticated.  But we ran out of time the second night, I still think she is fashionable.

My adorable niece Rosie, with her Mr. T necklaces.  I don't know what is up with that but it's working for her!

Buzz Lightyear--Nate thought, wait, thinks he is Buzz Lightyear.  I borrowed this costume, and he has worn it non stop.  Especially the wings, which he has had on at all times since we got them.  I don't know how I'll give it back, he will be devastated! 

"Dad can I eat this one?"  And I love the response face.

Emma is growing up.  Really, it amazes me sometimes.  I'm not ready for her to be so big, but she sure is.  She was upset with me for not letting her tie her cape so it dragged on the ground.  Hence the mad face.  She can really get the teenager attitude going!

Buzz Lightyear, shooting his laser at Justin.  He is so cute because he looks for the button on his costume and pushes the exact spot, while making his own sound effect.  I love this kid.  He is growing up too, he can really throw a tantrum...very persistant.

My double adorable niece Natalie, with half a smile.  Love this kid!  I took her from her Dad after the party so he could help clean up.  She nuzzled up with her soft little head right under my chin and went to sleep.  Sigh.  This is why we get conned into having more.  I will sure miss her!

And lastly, my favorite costume of the night.  If you don't know who this is, you don't read enough.  The Paper Bag Princess.  I heard that this cutie, niece Aurora, decided on this costume a year in advance and kept reminding her mom about it.  Carrie says it was the easiest costume ever, and so perfectly adorable!  It is so fun to be able to see cousins.  After the trunk-or-treating the kids gathered around our car and traded hugs and candy.  I had fun watching them all enjoy each other and rubbing my cheeks on little Natalie's fuzzy head while she slept.

Countdown...

We are officially moving, finally!  That is, the rest of us are.  And now that I have a D-date, I'm happy, but SAD!  I'm actually leaving now, and not just in limbo.  There are so many great people here that I will miss...and wish I had spent more time with.

But we are out of here, and back to making new friends in two weeks.

They're coming!

About this time of year, when the weather turns and it's cool, the leaves start to change, and I get my fall decorations out...I feel so excited!

THE HOLIDAYS are COMING!  Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, my birthday, Valentines Day...

The long drought is over.  I can't wait to spend time baking, eating, visiting with family, planning for Christmas, holiday shopping, making costumes--okay not that, but the rest is good!  It is time to eat soup, start layering clothes again, maybe even wear socks.  I love fall!

Came, and went...

I wish I knew why good times pass by quickly and bad times linger.  The weeks have dragged on, but the weekends Justin comes home fly too fast!  He came late Friday night, and we had fun all weekend doing nothing special.

Saturday morning we slept in, got up and got word of a showing for the house (Hoooray!) so we hustled to clean up and get out.  I did the inside and Justin mowed the lawn.  Then we took the kids and went for ice cream, at 10:30 am.  Braums is such a great place!

After that we went to the pool, then came home and had afternoon naps.  At least, the grown ups did.  Saturday night Justin and I left Emma in charge--thanks to my sister in law Michelle's ingenious babysitting strategy--and we went out for a quick dinner.

Sunday was business as usual, church, lunch, more naps, and chicken tacos for dinner.  But somehow, just because he was home, everything was more fun.  I miss him teasing the kids, and me, or helping out around the house.  Telling the kids to stop fighting, or to get ready for bed.  It is...just how it should be.

Nate came into our room Sunday morning, and ran right back out shouting, "DADDY'S STILL HERE!!!"  Ahh, cute kid.  I thought the same thing!  This morning we got up early and I took him back to the airport.  And tonight when the kids are in bed I'll sigh.  It's just not the same without Dad!

Other Summer Affairs

A new fire station opened less than a mile from our house.  They had an open house for the public and we went to check it out.  We got a tour of the firehouse, got to see the dorm rooms and the kitchen and lounge area.  They had four fridges!  One for each team that works there.  Also a huge professional gas stove.  And a giant flat screen TV with 6-7 reclining chairs, complete with game systems for those dull nights.

They had the trucks all out and let people climb in and on them.   The kids had a great time climbing in and out of the cab and pretending to drive.  We even got to climb into the emergency medical truck and explore.  It was cool to see all the medical supplies tucked neatly into locked cupboards for a wild ride.

They had firemen all over to answer questions and pose for pictures.

Makes you feel proud, huh?

We all had a great time.

Starting with my little man...

We all dote on him, ESPECIALLY Justin, ahem, not to name names. He actually hates baths, despite the happy face. He hates to have his hair washed, because he doesn't like getting water in his eyes.

One of the things we did this summer is go to the movie theater at the mall for the summer movie camp movies.  This day the kids conned me into staying for lunch and letting them ride on the carousel.  They are getting so big!