We have a place to live!!! YAY!!

I just realized that it's been a WHOLE week since I last posted, and I just want to say- what a week it's been!! We do have a place to live now- we signed a lease on a place in Eagle Mountain- I will probably just email the address for privacy reasons (you know). But we're happy to have that done and out of the way, thanks again Paulette.
We also shipped all of our stuff on Tuesday- that was nuts. Turns out our stuff weighs a lot more than we thought- good thing we didn't send any furniture :) But we only have what will fit in our suitcases and what we haven't sold yet. So hopefully it will all pan out in the next 2 weeks, and we will be able to make a little bit off of our stuff here.
We still don't have anymore snow- kinda funny to move away from Alaska in the middle of the winter without any snow! We'll see I guess. Can't complain though :)
So, anyway- felt like it had been a while, so I thought I would share some good news! Everything seems to be going according to plan, and we're very grateful for that!! The blessings are just overflowing- thanks for all the prayers!
Maybe next time I'll have a picture for ya :)

Our Own Little Thanksgiving Dinner!

So we decided to have our own little dinner at home. It was actually pretty fun!! Nate made the Turkey and Ham (he did SO AWESOME!!- probably the moistest turkey I've ever had), and I made everything else. It all turned out really well. I wanted to have it in the living room so that it felt different to the kids, and not just like any old meal, and they were totally weirded out- it was cute :) They couldn't stop talking about how we were eating in the LIving room. It was neat though- very memorable!

charity brought this idea home from school- she made these on her cooking day, so we made them for place settings for the family- Baby Bob's is going to be stale by the time he gets it I think. (We asked Brad what we should name the baby and he took only a few seconds to spout out "Bob", with just a casual attitude- like "we haven't named him yet? well, gee- how about Bob." He's funny- so now we call our baby "Baby Bob" :) hopefully we can come up with something else by the time he gets here :)

This is the girls entertaining themselves while mom and dad crash from the Tryptophan!

Lukey's Loopy :)

Luke, Brad and I were making breakfast, and both of the boys were just being silly. This was one of the things Luke did to make Brad and me laugh. It was really really funny at the time :) He just kept doing it over and over because he was getting the laughs. What a nut.

So we have been in the middle of a "heat wave" as Nate's weather teacher calls it. We got up into the high 40's the last couple of days!! Pretty amazing to see our snow melt (so much for all my whining and complaining about the snow not melting here :) it sure showed me). We almost don't have any now, and the roads are all cleared. Kinda crazy. But I guess it's supposed to just DROP tomorrow- so we'll see :) But it sounds like it's been cooler in Utah than it has here!! Kinda funny.

Things for the move are coming along well. We have almost sold all of our stuff (kinda early, but at least it's done). We are still looking for a place to live, but thanks to Paulette- we feel a lot more confident that we can get into something comfortable. We will be looking for a car soon too- if anyone knows anyone that is selling a car that fits 8 please let us know!! And if you know anyone with extra furniture and stuff- that they want to sell or get rid of--- please let us know of that too!! We will be needing pretty much ALL furniture when we get there. Minus our bed- thank you Christy!! But right now we are working on packing up everything to ship. We'll pack all that we can't fit in our suitcases and take it to the shipping place early next week. Well, anyway- I don't need to tell everyone all this- you can tell it's on my mind :)

We're doing good though- everything is working out so smoothly- such a blessing!!!

Hope you all have a nice Thanksgiving!! Don't eat too much!

Doesn't do it justice

So here's my second attempt to get a picture of how the trees look with the freshly fallen snow- this isn't my favorite yet- I'm gonna have to keep trying. But this one looked kinda pretty with the pink from the sunsetting. This is Cheney Lake by the way- for all those of you who know where that is :)



This one didn't quite work out either- but I was driving :) But I LOVE how the evergreens look dressed in snow!! It's SO PRETTY!!! I'll keep trying though- this isn't good enough.

Still Playing with the Boxes

We're just milking these boxes for all they're worth :) Hopefully there's enough left when it's time to pack :)

Watch Luke- he gets into it :)

I just thought it was so cute how Luke totally JUMPS before he "falls down". Kelly's there too, being a cute big sister- the others are our good friends Nina and B- The battery in my camera died right at the end or I would have gotten a few more laps of Ring Around the Rosie :)

Charity's School Picture

This is Charity's school picture. She was so cute about it. She said she smiled like that because "she didn't know the people taking the picture, so she was shy". She's so funny. I like her shy smile :) Looks sweet.
Anyway- thought y'all should see it!

A little Mushy, but bear with me :)

Okay, so I know I've really put a lot of these on here lately, but THIS ONE just about made me cry when I saw it (could be the hormones, I know, but bear with me). So yesterday we had our Priesthood Leadership and Adult Sessions for Stake Conference. Nate had to go to the Priesthood one, so he so willingly let me go to the Adult one. So when I got home from it (it was really nice by the way- felt like I hadn't heard a whole talk in months :) but I think that's my own fault) anyway- when I got home the kids were all in bed (and bathed I might add- way to go Daddy!!) and there were a few little drawings on the table from Kelly and Charity for me. THIS was one of them. Charity drew it. And as you can see, it is she and I, holding hands, and (this is the best part) we're LOOKING AT EACH OTHER!!! I just about died- it's SO SWEET!!! I just had the sweetest feeling come over me and I just got so happy! It just touched me so much. She even drew the baby in my tummy :)
So then when I went to bed last night- under my pillow was yet ANOTHER drawing similar to this one, from Charity- she had put it there to surprise me I guess- but man- it was just really cool. To feel her love so strongly. It was one of those times where it totally pays to be a mom. Makes everything else seem worth it. I couldn't help but just lay there and think of what a special thing it is to be a mom, and what a blessing my kids are to me. I sure hope I don't screw them up with all my inadequacies, but if this is any sign that I am doing alright- then I'll take it :) It sure felt good. Amazing what a little picture can do for this mom :) Anyway- sorry to get all mushy- it was just a neat experience :)

The best thing about moving is THE BOXES!!

Packing supplies......$0


Moving Boxes....... $0

(The profit we made on the free couch we got a year ago......... $way more than we thought we could)

Hours of entertainment.........PRICELESS :)

We can't play in the snow without having Hot Chocolate after!

Bradley really went to town with the marshmellows- he did eventually get to the hot chocolate though :)


And NOW he's happy :)


Lovin' every minute of it :)


mmmmm.....hot chocolate!

It's SNOWING!!!

Yesterday it started snowing!! We learned last year that the best snow is the first snow, and after that you usually can't pack the snow enough to make a snowman, so we got right on it with the first quarter of an inch this year :) Charity and Brad found some other uses for the snow as well :)

Luke thought it was pretty interesting, but he got sick of it quickly.


Good thing we have a big yard :) Here is our snowman in the making.


I feel like now would be a good time to explain why my kids are wearing such odd clothing. It all started with Charity not wanting to wear her nice new gloves we got her. "It's too hard to make snowballs with those gloves" I guess. So she had to wear her old ones from last year- which she could only find the one. So she threw a bit of a fit and then Kelly so generously offered her the one glove of her's that we could find--- which left Kelly with nothing but she quickly remedied that with several different pairs of socks (they kept getting wet and she would run inside and change them- though I'm not sure how they were getting wet- she hardly touched the snow she was so busy running in and out of the house). So then we could only find one of Brad's gloves (this is looking like it was more my fault than I was thinking, but bear with me :)), so he ended up wearing Charity's pink ones :) (again with the pink- ugh). So anyway- I think most everything else is fairly normal- well, Kelly wouldn't put on a coat either- that's pretty normal for her though. Anyway- we had fun getting all ready to go outside and then we made a snowman :)


This was right before Luke lost it and had to go inside. He had fun while it lasted though :)

It's a SNOWMAN!!

So when Luke started freaking out we decided we would go in for a little while and then come out and finish our snowman (put on the carrot nose, scarf and such), so I just hurried and took this picture before we went in. But of course while we were inside not even 10 minutes after we plopped his head up there on top- he had fallen over :( So luckily I got this shot :) Even if he doesn't have a face :)

So this was yesterday.... it snowed all night and we totally got DUMPED on this morning and during Stake Conference. We now have about a half a foot of snow out there :) Crazy, crazy- although I can't really complain, we had about 2 feet of snow this time last year :) It's all good- the snow is absolutely beautiful when it frosts all the trees- I HAVE to get a real good picture of it this year!! I kept putting it off last year and never really got one, but now we're in a little bit of a time crunch, so I'll have that for your viewing pleasure asap!

These Girls are such Artists!

I just like this one cuz it's me :) Plus it's different than the ones Charity usually does- but look it says "I like my Mommy" :) LOVE THAT! I like my Charity :)


And here's daddy :) Charity does a good job- this one was done between the stick people and "real people" stages. But it's still cute :)


This is one of Kelly's. Her's are so intricate. She spends a LOT of time on them. She says that Charity taught her how to do "real" people too. Very cute. I'm loving the rainbows. I don't know what I did with this other one Kelly did- it had she and I sliding down a rainbow!! How cute is that! I'll have to find it and get a picture of it- it was absolutely adorable.

Everything's Lookin' Good!

Well, I just had to say- I went to the doctor today- my new doctor- and it was a much better experience. It's too bad we'll only see this doctor one more time before we move. But EVERYTHING looked good. They just keep telling me what a "picture perfect patient" I am, as far as all my vitals and everything go. I am measuring right on (surprise! I feel huge-mongous compared to the other pregnancies), my weight (surprisingly as well :)) is right on, and my blood pressure "couldn't be better". So yet another blessing!! I cannot believe how blessed we are and have been with all of our kids. This is yet another thing to put on my list of miracles. We're grateful. But anyway- just wanted to let everyone know that our littlest one is doing well. We'll just keep praying for it to stay that way :)

Oh and while we're on the subject of things going well- Charity's Parent/Teacher conference was absolutely wonderful!! It's so nice to have her teacher say so many nice things about Charity. Apparently she's a "big helper" in the class (wonder where she gets that :)) I told her teacher she better be grateful for that "helperness" cuz it has taken us a while to adjust to not having her here at home :) No, just kidding. But seriously, it's been a tough adjustment for me to not have my little sidekick there with me 24/7, and it's just a relief to know that she likes school and she really is a good girl while she's there. I hope she can stay that way- it sure was fun to go to Parent/Teacher Conference, I'd hate for it to be otherwise :)

Brad and Kelly Bonding Time

For Kelly's Preschool for the letter "M" we made "M"arshmellow sculptures :) Brad totally got into this activity. It's been fun for him the few times that we have had preschool at our house- for him to be involved- Kelly makes him feel special. Here's her snow"M"an

Brad made a snake

Kelly and Brad made a tent the other day and watched Kelly's little movie projector book thing inside the tent while eating popcorn. It's been really fun to watch them become friends. They do really well together sometimes.

"MOM!! the camera flash is making it so we can't see the movie!!"

Then they played some more games in their tent too- it was like a day-long activity this tent!! Gonna have to do that more often :) Now that our living room is almost empty- makes it nice for playing :)

Yes, we sold our loveseat. The kids have actually LOVED the extra room to run around and play. We brought in Luke's little bike, and he's loved that. We've sold a few things already actually. The book case is gone. As well as the kids' beds- they still have their mattresses, but yes, I sold their beds- how mean am I! I'm in the process of selling most of our stuff. Doesn't sell as fast out here as it did in Utah as far as I can remember. Hopefully it will start to pay off soon. We'll see :)
Anyway! Kelly and Brad are having fun :) that's all that matters :)

One Step Closer to the Goal Line!

Hey, so Nate got his results back from the ATSAT- he did AWESOME!! He got a 90% (you need a 70% to be considered qualified, and above 85% is considered highly qualified, anything below a 70% is not qualified) so "highly qualified" he is :). One more thing down! Nate's making his family proud that's for sure!! He only has 2 more midterms left and three more FAA weather exams (he passed the first one), then it's one last lap to the last stretch of finals and he's DONE!! We are just one step closer to the goal, so we're feeling good!!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

These are always somewhat chaotic pictures- everyone trying to stand by each other with the excitement of trick-or-treating all building up!! Not too bad I guess :)
Charity was a girl riding a flying unicorn :), Kelly was an angel, Brad is Leonardo, and Luke is the ever-popular Chick (but for him we are calling it a duck-- we thought it sounded too girly)

This costume was SO Charity :)

And Kelly FELT like an angel in her's :)

Don't you just love the fake muscles they're putting on the boys' costumes these days- I get a kick out of 'em. Brad looked so grown up!

Luke's costume actually played the chicken dance song, and he totally dances to it so cute!! if only I had gotten a video.

The Stake Trunk-or-Treat

I finally got a picture of the kids AT the trunk-or-treat. I was bummed I never got one last year. Don't know why it mattered so much, but here it is :)
We had a lot of fun at the Trunk-or-Treat this year. They had hot dogs and hot chocolate, and there were TONS of cars and people there. It was still fairly light when we started and close to 40 degrees!!! We were totally living it up. Apparently it's been 5 years since Anchorage saw such a nice Halloween night. It was definitely better than the foot of snow we trick-or-treated in last year.

Kids are so happy when they're getting candy :)


I took this myself

Candy, Candy and MORE Candy!

Checking out the goods!


Luke just about died when we poured his bag out in front of him :) He was in heaven :) He is funny though because he only takes a few licks of everything- nothing really got eaten- I think he went through like 5 or 6 suckers- only a few licks each- so I'm actually glad :) I'm sure it will be different when he doesn't have it all right in front of him :)


This reminded me of when I was little and we would have our little "trading session" as brothers and sisters. The older ones ripping off the younger ones. So fun- such memories!


This was thing brad was talking about all the way home from Trunk-or-Treat--- the "EYEBALL that he got!!!" He's so enthusiastic about every single piece of candy!


see, he has one in his hand and yet he's still fishing for more :)

Charity parked herself WAY away from everyone so the candy wouldn't get mixed up :)


Lukey got an apple in his bag!!


Crackers? for Halloween?? Charity's excited :)


Bradley was just SO excited about every single piece of candy in his bag- he kept bringing it over for me to see each thing! He was so cute about it. Just really thrilled!


Yeah, this should be enough to rot all our teeth!! Happy Halloween!