At last living in our HOME

My $1.96 custom ribbon box.  I just couldn't swallow spending 15 to 25 dollars on one so I just made one with a clearance box, dowel and screws.

My awesome craft room. Still organizing so excuse the clutter and piles.   Magic happens here.  I have fixed, repaired all the broken books, ceramics,toys, jewelry, and mending from the last YEAR all in the last two weeks.  It is amazing what u can accomplish with some TIME and the tools and space to do it.  Don't forget to keep your baby bottles.  I used them to organize all my notions, buttons, and cute things.  I messed up the rows so I do not come across as to OCD with my craft organizing.

 You should notice the brand of soap.  It is the only brand allowed in this bathroom.  One of my favorite features is my awesome magazine rack (thank you 'The Container Store' I love you).  I am not saying it is awesome to have it in the bathroom, i just love the rack.  Bring up the location with Ben.

Some of the family room, I still need to decorate and actually hang pictures where i want them, not just where a nail was left.  But I will get to that . . . .eventually.

 My awesome new Bed, our first frame ever of 11 years of marriage.  We went shopping for an entertainment center and could not decide on anything.  Ben did not want to actually pay for the furniture, and I was getting fed up with how much time it was taking to get one.  We decided to cool off and change topics because we were at an impasse.  So we walked around the bedroom sets for fun.  Ben asked me my favorite.  I told him, and then he just went and bought it.  I can hear all your jaws dropping.  He didn't even ask the price.  Now if I can only figure out a way to repeat this when we go AGAIN for an entertainment center.  He did make me promise I would make it everyday.  We'll he said "lets make sure the last one out of bed makes it everyday".  I am always the last one in bed.  It is the least I can do. I have a beautiful bed.

Kids bathroom, Ocean theme: sears and target.  It was really hard to get all 3 big kids to decide on one theme for their bathroom.  I think madisen was kinda stubborn because she thought she would have her own bathroom.  We got it worked out and they do pretty good about keeping it nice.  I just need to start cutting fingers off every time I see a toilet with donations left.  that should motivate them to remember to flush, right?!?!?!

 This would be the cement fence, 211 linear feet of pressed concrete posts and railing.  Sorry I took this at 10pm so its dark, the triple pane window is the 'piano room', then it curves with the staircase, the back of the house is my craft room, bottom floor and the master bath upstairs. 

We just dropped a huge load of money to get a concrete fence. I have been searching long and far for a dog. We are finding that the price tag for the dogs we want are between $750 and 4,100. So now we are thinking we might hit a few shelters. I cant wait to chase a little puppy, and walk it with Azure. I totally cant wait to put the two kids in my awesome BOB (thank you Marie and friends) and have my sweet dog along side as we blaze through all the trails around our neighborhood. We have a bunch of lakes close by so we can run around a lake or two after we drop the big kids off.

This will all abruptly end when the cold Gods send white fluff down from the sky.

 Dear Mr Basement,

 I am so glad we have finally met.  I love your finished work and high pile carpet.  You keep my kids occupied, and entertained.  I love the stories that leave your walls.  Stories of Hogwarts, and lego construction, stories of Forts, and dress ups,  from gleaming faces I love.

Sincerely yours

Their Mom

The basement has a guest room and full bath and this snowboard closet.  We got all the boards, boots and bindings for $25.00.  That is cheaper then 1 rental.  We almost can not wait for snow, almost.  Jeddy boarded all over the lawn.  He did not get very far, funny kid.

I am so excited to live in my home. I am so excited to not be a renter. I love walking into a room and saying I can and want to paint the walls in here. That really only happens in the kids rooms, I really want to get decorating them!!!!!!!!

If I did not take a picture of it it was not clean.  So guess what all be doing tomorrow with all the rest of the space in the house you didnt see.

I am most excited for all of you to visit!  Looking forward to McEvoy this weekend, and my brother from Japan later in the month.  Calendar is open!

Stats

Married- 11 years, est. March 18, 2000

Moves- 12 (6 of which are across the country or states away)

Children- 4 (Each born in a different state)

Dogs- 0

Debt- add a zero and times by 7 to the average personal debt of americans.  I have always said we are not average!

Cars taken to the grave- 3 (grey, Rodeo, and The freak may you RIP)

Cavities- me three, zero for the other 5

Computers- 10 yr old desk top, 1 laptop, unlike my sister Brittany that spawns tablets and computers everytime I visit.  HaHa, u know i love u.

Hammocks- on our 5th, it seems to be lasting.  But now we will have to take it in for the winters.

Blenders- 1, the original from our wedding

Poopy diapers i changed today-  0

The friends, family and ward members we have crossed paths and served along side with- countless

Thank you for babysitting, packing, moving, cleaning, picking up my kids, and your service! 

Settling

This is Benson at a fun pond by our house. He loves looking for the fish and chasing bunnies in our new neighborhood.

We have finally landed!

Azure and Benson, with CJ asleep in the corner. Sierra, Madisen and Jeddy are in the back. The kids spent way too much time driving across the country this summer.

After 15 different beds (family's homes, hotels, motels) we are comfortable in our new home.
We have spent 12 nights in hotel's and 3 weeks visiting family, broken up into a few days, or a week here and there. We are not sad to end our spree of homelessness, but sad from all the people we have left.
Adorable Azure sporting pig tails. she is up to 10 teeth now, and is pretty much teething constantly. We oral gel her daily. Azure isnt really talking, but loves to scream!

We spent the summer, in cedar city, orem, payson, alpine, salt lake, urbandale iowa, nauvoo, independence, carthage, liberty, Kansas City, playing at our awesome rec center and pools. I have logged countless hours shopping. We really needed allot of things: trash cans, broom, weed killer, hose, shower curtains, rods and towells, spices, FOOD, shelves, furniture, toilet paper, tuperware, more shelves, drawer organizers, school supplies, uniforms for the charter school, piano books, birthday gifts. Ben almost passes out everytime he reviews the credit card.

We love the new house. We still have 2 empty rooms and basically a full empty basement (it only has toys in it. Our dryer broke right as we moved in. We took it apart and cleaned it out. We pretty much thought it was a broken current from a blown therma fuse. So i ordered a part on amazon and we were abel to get it repaired for under 7$. Benson happily tells me alomost everyday how nice our new house is, and that he loves it Azure loves her room, we just got a cozy chair in there to read with her.

Above picture is Madisen at her school. Please notice the so cute headband i made her and she designed the night before school. Next is M and J on Madsen's first day of school. Next is Jeddy in front of his new charter school on his first day. My big 1st grader cant wait!

I'll post pics of my darling kids. Hopefully with 2 kids at school i can actully find time to blog.

He's been Jimmered!

Ben called me after work last night.
Said he found a flight, an 'affordable one'.

He left this morning at six for LA.

He is now in Denver participating for the first time in the NCAA tourney.

BYU is playing well (could be better if we still had Davis).

Let's go Cougars! Look for Ben, as you watch the games. He will be in the stands screaming and yelling. I hope he paints his body half blue and half white.

He at least better have a sign! I mean if your going to go to march madness, go all the way.

Feel free to remind him of how fun and wonderful his life is, and what a GREAT wife he has to let him go off and play on our 11 year anniversary. While I stay home with 4 kids, 2 of which are sick.

Let's just not let him forget that.

And really here are some cute pics of Azure . . .the trend for teething. drool and keep your fingers in your mouth. tooth count is up to 4.

Emergency prepardness

Last night at 9pm I got a text from my Mom "just had the biggest earthquake yet, it shook everything good". I texted back to get more information and no reply. I then emailed . . . .no reply. No skype!

I tried to read more online and get details. But it was too soon nothing had been reported, other then magnitude by the national registrar. It has been kinda scary not knowing.

Ben woke me up this morning a little worried because tsunamis have now hit. Death tolls are in the hundreds.

My Brother, his wife, and six kids live in Misawa Japan. They were just sealed in the Tokyo temple so my mom is there visiting. & of my immediate family members are there in the thick of the epicenter, and tsunamis.

It's been a whirlwind trying to find information about, their base, their city and etc. They live on the 10th floor in a high rise in a city like 15 minutes from the coast. The United States made a report on their base that they received extensive damage and all communication infrastructure is out.

Thankfully I just got through to my Mom, they are all OK. They have no power. My brother and his family are listening to a hand crank radio . . .to bad none of them know Japanese. They have to light candles for light. I am just really proud of my brother that he has prepared his family for this event. They have they emergency supplies needed. Now if we could just get the internet for them working.

Who knew I would ever be affected by earthquakes in Japan. Life leads us on winding roads. Hopefully we can all be prepared for what lays ahead on our paths. My heart is full. I am so grateful for their safety and well being.

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Results Come from Doing

"When our wagon gets stuck in the mud, God is much more likely to assist the man who gets out to push than the man who merely raises his voice in prayer—no matter how eloquent the oration."

Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "Two Principles for Any Economy," Ensign, Nov. 2009, 56-57