Working Mom

About a year ago last spring, I was asking about openings at the school, looking for part-time work, hoping to be able to augment our income to help even out the deficits caused by owning two homes and not very reliable renters. At the time, the only position that was open was one that would require me to work all day, a couple days a week. With Nathan being only in kindergarten, I didn't see how that would work very well for our family. We prayed about it, and decided it just wasn't time yet, and we needed to trust in Heavenly Father (since He led us here in the first place) and trim the budget wherever we could.

Then, later that summer, when I dropped Joshua off for summer reading program, the vice-principal asked me if I was interested in a part-time job at the school as a morning aide in one of the classrooms. I went home and talked to Steve about it again. We prayed again, and decided that this fit into our lives better, and wouldn't cause too much stress for me or our family. (I am first, and foremost a mother, and I love being able to be home with my kids!) So, I interviewed and got the job! We felt like it was a blessing and answer to our prayers.

I was blessed to be assigned to 3rd Grade, to work with Mrs. Mary Harris, one of the most amazing teachers I know. She teaches kids to be responsible, holds them accountable, and empowers them to be the best they can be. Their motto in 3rd grade is "If you don't get it today, you might get it tomorrow. But only if you try." As the year progressed, I learned to really love Mrs. Harris. We became very good friends as we struggled through her mother's stroke and Sarah's illness together. We work well together, and agree on almost everything, including how to raise kids and having unwavering faith in God as our strength. She is an amazing teacher, but also a wonderful friend, whom I gained much respect for and support from.

Fast forward... in retrospect... 

Nearing the end of the school year, the other aide left and I was given the opportunity to work more hours. That helped financially, but it also meant more time away in the afternoon working and in the evenings doing the things I couldn’t do during the day…  I have since discovered that during that time, I was kind of on autopilot, whatever event, chore, or concern filled my life at the moment is what received my attention.

I love my job, but that 8-week experience taught me that there is nothing more important to me than being home. I discovered that my presence in the afternoon and evenings really does matter in my family. Did they survive? Yes. Are they unchanged? No, not really. Through this experience we all changed, and I’m grateful that we had an opportunity this summer to regroup and refocus on what really matters most and, working together to make our home and family what we want it to be, even when Mommy is working.

Home Sweet Home

Well, my daily blog posts of our hospital adventure didn't last very long. I'm really really glad, though. That means that we're home! Sarah did pretty well today. She did throw up some today and had a low-grade fever tonight, but I don't think it's serious. Without nausea, her PLE is probably the cause of the vomiting. She's gone a couple of weeks though without, so I hope it goes away again soon. Her appetite has got to get better, now that we're home and she's not forced to choose from the same hospital menu every day. I really think it's going to take a while before she feels all the way better. Being sick for a month has taken its toll and she's thin, weak, and tired. I spent over an hour today organizing her medicine and making a chart so we could keep everything straight and keep track of her progress. We put all the hospital stuff away (kind of) and cleaned up all the boredom busters we had collected in our four weeks at the hospital. We had certainly moved in and made ourselves at home! It's so nice to unpack, knowing that we'll be home for a while (hopefully a very long while).

Steve found me this cartoon today in the paper. It made us laugh, and felt so appropriate at the moment.

I suppose when doctors aren't really sure what you've got, or what to do about what you've got, it would be comforting to create another problem that CAN be solved! :) We never really experienced that at the hospital, but it did seem occasionally like any progress would have been a good thing!

Today I learned that when you come home, even after a stressful month in the hospital, "normal life" is waiting for you, even if you're not ready for it. Grocery shopping, errands, dishes... they all think they're still important. It did feel good to be in my PJ's til noon, though! I suppose the rest of the "lots of things to do" will just have to wait! (How long do you think I get to use this excuse for my lack of desire to do all those things?)

Today we're thankful for being home together again. I'm so grateful that Sarah is doing okay still, and that we were able to be home together. In some ways it feels like we've never been apart. Then I look at my boys, and it seems they have changed so much since I hugged them 11 days ago. It just feels so good to be back together!!

Dixon Family Camping Reunion 2011

Dixon Family Camp (Reunion) 2011 was held this year at Albert Moser Campground near Preston, Idaho. The beautiful Cub River ran right through the campground, actually right behind our tent!

It has a lot of beautiful ground and tree foliage, and each campground was pretty secluded. Mom and Dad were in charge this year. We had a very fun 4 days near the end of July eating way too much yummy food, and playing our favorite games, Scum and Mill. David and I also taught the kids how to play Kick-the-Can, and we spent a lot of time reading and visiting while the kids played together.

This was Joshua's bug friend he found. He played with it for half the day, and it just sat there on this sweatshirt or his hand while he went about his business.

Steve's favorite past-time at camp

Joshua's "bug tent" he built... everyone needs a canopy!

Cousins Samantha and Macey wearing the "leaf hats" we made. The giant leaves were so fun!

Bryson, Kyle, and Joshua "protecting" the camp... Joshua helped them build these lethal weapons.

On Friday, we went to Bear Lake (one of our favorite places) and set up a day camp for ourselves between all the other people who also love it there. It was crazy busy, but as usual, we had a really fun time.

Josh and his "twin" cousin, Macey (that's only 9 days older). The rule of the day...the sandier the better!

 

Wake up, Rachel! Don't want to get roasted!

Swimmin' in the sand... (The water canons were one of Grandma's surprises. So fun for the kids and grown ups, too!)

Grandma's ring pops were a very special treat! (I have no idea what that white line is... probably a glare. I guess Nathan was  just inhaling the sunshine!)

We had planned to go into Preston on Saturday, but everybody was so happy hanging around camp that we ended up staying there all day. Sunday included the usual Primary and Adult FHE lessons. Mom and Dad taught the kids about the Atonement and the love of their Savior, and Steve and I taught about "Deciding to be Happy".

This is the handout I created, and the whole lesson is outlined on the card.

 We had a killer dutch oven potluck dinner that afternoon. Sunday night, we were forced to our beds early (around 8:30) because it started raining. It poured all night, complete with thunder and lightning and rained so heavily that everyone's tents leaked and Mom and Dad's gigantic canopy actually broke and collapsed. (But, Josh was thrilled to find his "bug tent" still standing!!) It was a mess cleaning up to go home that next morning, but everyone was surprisingly happy and helpful. It made me grateful to have such a loving supportive family that worked together until everyone was cleaned up and packed up, and we all left together. We were so muddy that all the shoes were collected in a garbage bag, and Joshua went home without pants (we gave him a towel, though)! We missed Shaunna and Eric's family (though they sent Landon and Branson from Alaska) and Michael and Krystal, who were unable to come. Here is the beautiful parting picture we took as we pulled out of the campground. It takes my breath away...

Joshua's Baptism

 

On Saturday, June 4th, my fourth child was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Since he was about 6, Josh has been so anxious. He was so happy that day that he could finally be baptized! Grandma and Grandpa Brown were here still from Sarah's graduation. It was a happy, calm, beautiful morning. After our traditional breakfast of rolled-up pancakes, we sent him in to get ready. I've never seen that boy get his church clothes on so fast in his whole life!

(See...? Everyone else is still their pajamas!)

After he was ready, he opened a present from us (his family) and was so excited, he could hardly stand it. He started reading 1 Nephi that very moment. He took his scriptures to the baptism with him and read in the car both ways.

The man of the hour... our future missionary!

At the church, we met up with lots of family and friends who came to share his special day. Grandma and Grandpa Dixon, aunts, uncles and cousins, home teachers, and primary leaders were there.

Daddy and Joshua

Our whole happy family!

Joshua with Grandpa and Grandma Dixon

 The Stake presented the baptism portion of the program and then we went to the room where the font is and witnessed his baptism. He was so happy, and hugged his daddy for a really long time (and that takes a lot... he's a very cuddly boy). While our "boys" got dressed, we were excused into our own little room where we waited for them and then had a little meeting for his confirmation. After our good bishop, Bishop Lothspeich, said some neat things about Joshua and the ordinance he had just participated in, Grandma Brown told some stories and shared her sweet testimony about the Holy Ghost. Then, surrounded by men that love him and hold the Holy Priesthood, Joshua was confirmed and received the gift of the Holy Ghost. It was so sweet, and beautiful words were spoken. I love, love, love that my husband (and equal partner in raising these amazing kids) is worthy and able to baptize and confirm my children. It brings tears to my eyes just to think of the gratitude I have that he is able to perform such vital ordinances for of our children. I'm so proud of my little Joshua and his sweet little testimony and desire to do what's right. He tried so hard during the weeks before his baptism to choose the right and be extra kind and thoughtful. Oh, how I love him!

After all the hugs, we came back home  to change clothes and... we partied!! Our new house and yard is so perfect for such events and it was an amazing beautiful summer day! We had pizza and pop (Joshua's choice) with fruit and treats. The kids played and the grown ups sat around and visited. It was wonderful, relaxing, and the perfect end to a perfectly fabulous day!

Aaarrrgghh! It's Captain Nathan and his matey, Uncle Richard.

Our littlest cousins Kassandra and Hailey

Grandpa and Grandma Dixon, Uncle David and Aunt Valaire, Mommy, Aunt Sheri, Gramdma Brown, Jared and Jeff

Grandpa Brown, Aunt Kristina, Shannon, Uncle Kelly, and Kassandra

Daddy, Uncle Richard, Aunt Kathy, Jesse Vincent (our junior home teacher) and Rachel

Resting and visiting. Grandpa Dixon is resting best! :)

Kassie loved her mommy's chocolate sheet cake!

We love our sweet Joshua!

St. Patrick's Day

I have a mom that absolutely loves holidays...every one of them, except maybe Halloween. But, that never stopped her from decorating and making us the most amazing homemade costumes (and I always felt bad for kids who had to buy theirs at the store). I'm not quite so gung-ho as she is, but because of her, I love holidays too. The big ones are wonderful celebrations and require much energy and preparation, all of which is worth it. But the simple ones, like St. Patrick's Day, are fun to celebrate, too, and require only a little creativity (or childhood experiences like mine).

We began the morning of March 17th with some of Steve's choice bagpipe music blasting through the intercom system to wake the younger kids. I already had green chocolate chip muffins baking in the oven and green eggs and ham (what my mom ALWAYS fed us on March 17th) on the stove. The milk was already dyed green in the boys' lunches and I welcomed them to my kitchen with a cheery "Top of the mornin' to ye, laddie!" as each of the boys entered the room. (Of course, the night before, I made sure they were all wearing something green, knowing their big sisters would be sure to check first thing.) The boys each smiled and hugged me, cheered for the green muffins and eggs, and Josh and Nathan even danced a jig or two in the dining room while I finished cooking breakfast. I was a little concerned for the girls, though. Their eye rolling and only near smiles all morning made me wonder if there was something wrong with their faces. Perhaps they think they're too old for that stuff now, being so mature and all, but I know inside they were laughing and somewhat grateful to have a mommy as silly as me. I sent them all off to school and work with the phrase, "May the luck of the Irish be with ye today!" ...More teenage eye rolling, but this time with real smiles.

The next day (because the actual holiday evening was way too busy for us) we went to my mom's house for her traditional St. Patrick's Day Dinner... Corned beef and cabbage, cooked carrots, green jell-o and green juice. (It's gotten better over the years, she used white grape juice this year, and real corned beef brisket - it was always kool-aid and a tiny can of corned beef when we were kids. She also added my sister-in-law's Scarborough potatoes to the menu...yum!). I brought cookies and mint chocolate chip ice cream. It was amazing to me, even only 5 weeks post-knee replacement, she still had the house decorated with shamrocks, green tablecloths, Irish buttons to wear, green horns to blow, and every tiny detail taken care of (including writing down how many Weight Watcher's points each item on the menu would be). As much as she does, you'd think we were Irish or something. (I think my great-grandmother was half or quarter Irish, but I'm really not sure, so I hope I didn't lie to my kids...)

I smiled a huge smile as I told her about our morning celebrations and shared with her how much I appreciate the kind of mommy she was while I was growing up, so I could have these traditions, and re-create those same memories for my kids. ...And now I wonder how many of my siblings had green eggs and ham for breakfast on March 17th...?

How Do I Keep My Babies Safe...?

This post should have been made a few weeks ago, at the beginning of March, but I wasn't sure quite how to write what I was feeling, or even if I should write these thoughts down. I have since realized that this is my journal, and no matter how sad, hard, or sensitive things may get at times, I need to write it down for me and others to learn from. (Maybe this is why I should go private, but then, if I do, how can people that need support for heart or PLE issues, or Asperger's find me?.... hmmmmm....) Anyway, I hope this post isn't too sensitive or offensive to some (mostly my family), and that I can adequately express these thoughts without sounding like I'm passing judgment or in any way smearing the names of people I love.... And, after that disclaimer, here's what happened.

At the beginning of March, I got a call from my cousin, the one my age on my mom's side that has been my best friend and one of my favorite people for all of my life. She called to talk to me about her daughter's wedding. In the course of the conversation, I learned that she and her husband finally consented to the marriage of their teenage daughter because she is pregnant. My heart absolutely broke when I heard her tell me that, and naturally, wondered how I would deal with a blow like that, and what on earth I could do to help her. The next evening, my mom called and shared with me a conversation that she had with my brother that had walked away form the church years ago. I learned just how far away he was from coming back, and the finality of his actions left my heart broken yet again, and aching for my parents and all the people who love him. Combined with these thoughts and heartache, I added the fact that a couple months earlier another cousin's teenage daughter had a baby. The worry that I couldn't get out of my head for a week or so after, is "how do I keep my babies safe?"

Parents try their best and do what they can, teaching their kids all the things that make them good, honest, responsible people. Those in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints also try to teach them to obey the commandments of God and make the choices that will lead them to eternal blessings. So what do you do when your child (adult or not) chooses a different path.... A path that you know will lead them ultimately to pain and unhappiness? How do you keep them "safe"? After the conversation with my cousin, I realized just how real agency is. It's a gift we were given before the earth was, and no matter how hard we want to take it away from our kids and "make them" choose the right, we can't. It's not what God wanted for us. And yet, our Heavenly Father and Savior love each of us so much that even though they don't want to lose any of us, they won't take it away, either. It's something we actually give up by our choices until we eventually don't have any more options.

After a trip to the Temple with Steve (where much pondering and praying went on), I came home with a very real feeling that things will be okay. For them, yes, but most especially for me and my kids. I worried so much about getting to that point—the one where you start to lose them—and wondered how you end up there, and what can be done (if anything) to avoid going there at all. I don't know the answer to that. I'm willing to bet those that have been through it are still wondering the same thing. I guess the final answer I've come up with that helped to calm my soul is that as long as you can love them unconditionally and place your hand in God's, everything will be okay. It may not be your "okay"... their lives may not go the way you wish they had gone, and your heart may break for them many times over, but at least they'll still know you love them, and they'll still be part of your life. As long as we have our faith and each other, everything will always be okay. I may be too quick to judge, and maybe the paths of these people I love will lead to somewhere wonderful in the end, but in the meantime, I'm holding my babies a little tighter, and thanking my Heavenly Father every night for their obedient spirits, their goodness, their innocence and their love.

Grateful for my Journal - Our Family Road Trip

When we went to Alaska this past summer, I had each of the kids decorate the cover of a dollar store sketch book and use it as their travel journal. It gave them something to do in the car, but is also a precious reminder of the things we saw and did on our incredible journey. Because the kids were doing this, I also brought along a journal (you'll remember that even though I love writing, I'm not much of a journal-keeper). I'm so grateful that I did this time. I didn't realize how crazy life would get during the months following our trip, and here we are, six months later, and I'm finally sitting down to share our journey on my blog. Without my messy car-vibration altered writing scratched into my journal, I wouldn't remember even half of the details or feelings I've just read about as I sat reading, smiling, and remembering our incredible family road trip. I thought it would be more appropriate to pre-date the entry in my blog so it was more chronological, so I picked a date in July, 2010, shortly after our return.... Our Family Road Trip  <--- click this link to travel back in time....

'Tis the Season to be Jolly!

What a great month December was for our family. We had so many wonderful opportunities to "feel" the Christmas Spirit and so many great events with family that kept my emotions close to the surface and my tear ducts occupied for most of the month.

At the very beginning of the month, Rachel's choir sang at the Festival of Trees they hold every year at the Stephens Performing Arts Center at ISU. We went early to look at all the beautiful trees and the boys got to  sit on Santa's lap. Then while Rachel was practicing, the boys and I worked on crafts they had out for the children to do. The concert was really nice (the Century Choir and Band performed) and the boys were really good. We've never done that before, but enjoyed it enough that I think we might have to make it an annual tradition to at least go to see the trees and Santa (and Rachel if she's performing, too).

That next weekend, we had our annual Brown Family Christmas party, which was far from traditional this year. Steve's parents bought us all tickets to see "A Christmas Carol" at the Hale Centre Theatre in Salt Lake for Christmas. (I think there were over 50 that they paid for.) Oh, what a fun event. Bryson got to sit in the front row next to Grandpa, and Nathan was sitting on the edge of his chair the whole time. We all loved the performance so much! The theater is so fun with it's sunken stage and audience all around, that you feel like you're part of the story, too. Bryson said to Steve on the way out, "Dad, I think I would like to go to the theater more often." We wondered if he'd like more to be part of the play...he spent most of his day quoting Tiny Tim. Josh really loved it too. He actually hugged "Mr. Scrooge" on the way out. It was so fun, and such a wonderful treat for our whole (extended) family to share in the spirit of that classic tale together. Following the play, we went to a church building and had our very traditional lunch, game exchange, musical present game, collection for "Secret Santa", and family program. That also was very special with the sweet testimonies that were borne following the program. After we cleaned up the church, we went to a friend's of Steve's parents who works at the temple with them. They had a "ride on" model train with a mile or more of permanent track through their amazing property. We started in their heated garage/shop where we sat and watched "The Polar Express" until it was our turn. We had instructions and then got on the train. It rode through the property past more lights and yard decorations than I've ever seen in one place, to a place they called the "North Pole". There some cute little elves, took us into a room where Santa sat and the kids all got to sit on his lap and put in their requests and talk with him. He then showed the kids a candy cane and explained that it represents Jesus. We all sang "Silent Night" together, and then "reverently" left to return to the train. The second half of the train ride was through the rest of the property where we passed large "billboard" prints (mostly of paintings by Simon Dewey) with spotlights on them and listened to sacred Christmas hymns and songs. It was such a fun outing, and gave the kids an opportunity to think about the fun of the season, as well as the true meaning of Christmas. It was such a fun day with the Brown Family, a great time together, and a wonderful way to bring the Christmas spirit into our thoughts and hearts.

We spent an extra night in Utah so we could go visit and attend church Sunday morning with my Grandma Law (my dad's mom) in Provo. That was a special treat for her, and for us. Then we spent the rest of the afternoon with Steve's mom and dad and left in time to hit Salt Lake City in the dark. We drove around until we finally found a parking space in a lot, bundled up the kids, and walked a few blocks to Temple Square. The kids couldn't believe how beautiful all the lights were and loved the story and huge nativity on the lawn between the visitors center and the tabernacle. We wandered around for about an hour until we were tired, and then headed home. It was really the very best way we could have ended such a fun Christmas weekend together.

The following Friday, Steve and I took the three biggest kids (Sarah, Rachel and Bryson) to Salt Lake City for the Tabernacle Choir's Annual Christmas Concert. We were so grateful to my mom for volunteering to have the little boys spend the night with her, and to Steve's friend who works for the church's public affairs department was able to get us tickets. It was a miracle of sorts. David Archuleta and actor Michael York were the special guests. What a fun concert! There was something for everyone to enjoy. There were dancers, the Temple Square bell choir, an organ solo, a very touching story, and the conference center decorations were incredible. The music that the choir and David sang were everything from traditional carols to original compositions, sacred hymns to festive songs. It was such a fun concert, and something we would LOVE to do again! One of the best parts, though, was running into Steve's parents there. The concert was the culminating event of an interfaith conference that his dad had been asked to speak at. Their reserved seating was in the row right in front of us! It was fun to share the concert with them as well.

The very next day, Saturday, we headed to Boise for the Dixon Family Christmas party on Sunday. Sarah had a double date that her cousin set up for her, so we had to be there by Saturday evening. They had a lot of fun together (went to see lights, eat pizza, slide down icy slides at the park and play games). She was really grateful for a cousin with good friends that went to all that trouble to make sure she'd have fun. The next morning, we went to church with my sister, Kristina, and the had the family part that evening. We always do our "Christmas soup" dinner and treats and then act out the Nativity. It was a tradition we did as children, that has survived the years and is now part of our children's Christmas memories as well. Instead of reading the Christmas story from the Bible or another book, we sang the verses of "The Nativity Song" in the Primary Songbook and had the kids enter the "scene" as we sang about them. It was a very nice, quick way to review the story and act it out without all the chaos we usually have. Nathan was Joseph this year and chose his older cousin, Macey to be Mary. The other kids just picked what they wanted to be. The funniest part of the program this year was when Mary and Joseph entered and Mary just dropped the baby (a doll, thank goodness) into the "manger". As part of the program this year, we added a story called "Mary's Treasure Box" that I read as my mom and Macey acted it out. It's a story about Mary as a grandmother, telling her granddaughter, Sarah, who is James' daughter, about Jesus and the events in his life. For each thing they pulled out of the treasure box (like gray wool, straw, a flute, cloth, gold, frankinsence and myrrh) they talked about where it came from what it represents or what we learn from it. It was such a wonderful story. (I had photocopies of it because we used it for our program at our Relief Society Christmas Breakfast.) I would love to add it to my collection, but it's pretty expensive (maybe out of print or something). Anyway, it was a great program and we had a really fun time together.

The next weekend was Christmas, and we loved sharing that week before it together with everybody home from school and work, finishing shopping and wrapping, watching movies, playing games, building puzzles, and just being together. Rachel's piano recital was that Monday, and of course, she did a beautiful job. My brother, Michael and his wife Krystal, came and spent a night with us and we had a wonderfully fun time together. With the exception of a head cold settling in on me and Krystal, it was such a fun visit and we were grateful that they spent part of their vacation time with us in our new house.

I think more than all the things we saw or did to celebrate before Christmas, I really loved all the new experiences we had, and that we were together enjoying them. We got pretty spoiled on our trip last summer and really liked having so much together time exploring and discovering new things. I think I loved all these events because they seemed kind of like an extension of those wonderful memories. It was a very busy month and lots of traveling, but these memories we made together made this a year we'll always remember.

2010: Our Year in Review

If I was into sending out Christmas letters with our postcards, I would have sent a letter that was way too long, bragged way too much about my wonderful family, and still wouldn't have even touched on the enormous amount of gratitude we feel  for all we've been blessed with this year.

I do know, however, how much I love reading about all of my treasured friends and loved ones' families, so for those who took the time to search out my blog to see what we've been up to, here's our year in review (and what you would have read, had I sent out a Christmas letter this year)....

The two most exciting things we can share from 2010 is our family vaction this summer and our move this fall. We spent the first half of the year saving our pennies and in June, we packed up our Suburban to the very top (not kidding) and drove to Alaska. We spent almost a month traveling through Canada and Alaska. We drove about 8,000 miles in our car, rode to the top of the Space Needle, hiked a glacier, saw the ocean and lots of wildlife, caught our “first fish”,  rode a ferry, dug up clams, played with cousins, swam in a hot spring, camped in the rain, and had many other grand adventures. We had a wonderful time together and have so many happy memories! In August, a wonderful opportunity and blessing was dropped in our lap, and we took it and moved forward with faith! We moved moved into a new pre-loved house that is just perfect for us! It has lots of room inside and out, and is absolutely beautiful! We really like our new ward, and love that we have so many new friends already. We've all adjusted pretty quickly, which helped our new house feel like "home" almost from the very first day. It's just where we're supposed to be!

Steve (our Daddy) still works for U.S. Congressman Mike Simpson. He loves his job, and also had an opportunity to help his boss get re-elected by working part-time at night and on weekends on the primary campaign. By June, he wasn't quite busy enough, so he accepted the Mayor's appointment to fill a vacant seat on the Pocatello City Council. It's been an eye-opening experience, and as much as he loves working with the other members of the board, he's really had to make some tough decisions and then stand behind what he feels is right and best for Pocatello. We're so proud of him. As entrepreneurs do, he's also found time to pad the family income with his direct mail business which helped out a lot during the campaign season (and our move) with 65,000 pieces of mail we designed, had printed, labeled, and sent out for several candidates. He has also been crazy busy this year getting our old house ready to rent, working out the little kinks in our new house, serving on a couple of other community and state boards, spending incredible quality time with his family, and tinkering in a couple of other business ventures. He was also recently called as the Cub Master in our new ward. He really likes having the opportunity to be the "funnest" 10 year-old in the ward!

Julia (Me, the Mommy) still loves being a stay-at-home mom. My kids are my life and I love that I have the opportunity to be totally involved in their activities and schools. This was also a year of change and growth for me as I discovered and learned much about myself and developed many new physical and spiritual strengths. I end the year much healthier and happier than I started it, and much more the person I want to be. I spent  a few months preparing for our trip and then a few more preparing to move. It's been a crazy year, but so many blessings have been thrown our way, I know that the Lord has watched over and blessed me to be able to keep up and be the kind of mother and wife I want to be. On our 3rd Sunday in our new ward, I was called to serve as the 2nd Counselor in the Relief Society Presidency. In the short time I have served there (almost 2 months now), my heart has been changed, and I've seen the Lord's plan for our family start to unfold. As you can guess, I haven't had a lot of spare time for hobbies this year, but I still love baking, blogging, and reading, and playing with my family the most.

Sarah (17) has had a pretty good year. It's been a healthy one (heart-wise) with relatively little action in that department. She found out this year that she has a pretty severe case of Scoliosis, which has caused much more heartache and many more challenges, but takes it all in stride and remains her sweet little self. She is a senior in High school, and is beginning the new year with college and scholarship applications dancing in her head. Besides our family trip and moving, the highlight of her year was attending EFY at BYU-Idaho. It was such an amazing experience for her and she came back a changed teenager! She loves to spend time with our family, and all of her extra time with friends (live or on Facebook).

Rachel (14) has become the best traveled member of our family. In March, she went on the American Heritage Tour with other 8th Graders in the community. Her favorite things were spending time in New York City, and seeing "Wicked" on Broadway, and making so many new friends! She earned all $3,000 herself (with help from her terrific parents) and had a wonderful experience. She also started high school this year and absolutely loves it! Being in a "real school" now, she can wear make-up, "real clothes" and make many new friends. She stays busy with piano lessons (taking and teaching) and friends, and thoroughly enjoys having her own room!

Bryson (11) is in 5th Grade now and still loves school. He was recently released from his occupational therapy and had grown and matured in such amazing ways. We hardly ever see evidence of his Asperger's anymore, and his confidence is apparent in his constant smile. His drawing talent has continued to blossom as he draws everything from the most detailed dragons you've ever seen to cartoon mice with goofy grins. He absolutely loves scouts, and earned his Arrow of Light just before we moved. His new scout leaders are amazing and he is looking forward to camping and many other adventures in the spring with his new troop. With our move came a whole handful of friends just down the street, a few he already knew from school. Having so many friends to play with all the time is a new thing in his life, but just one more blessing that came with our new house.

Joshua (7) is in 2nd grade and has discovered the joy of reading. He loves non-fiction the best, and any information he can gather about space, electricity and mysteries of the natural world are the best. He still loves to take apart and build things, but has discovered a new love for science experiments. He loves to draw, too, but his drawings are usually of mechanical or body systems, or data charts from his experiments. He also loves to play the wii, run around the yard, and play with his brothers and friends.

Nathan (5) is spending his last year at home with Mom. He is such a fun boy. He spent the first part of the year being a pirate, and the last part of it being a scarecrow. He often changes several times a day, and mom has to be careful to keep up. He also loves to draw and shows much promise of following in his big brother's footsteps. He started sounding out words this fall and has recently "published" his first book, "The Wizrd of Pos." He also loves running errands with Mommy, reading books, visiting Great-Grandma Mangum, and following his brothers around and playing legos with them.

Our family has been blessed beyond measure this year, and knowing that our Heavenly Father loves and watches over us is among our greatest treasures. We are so grateful for our forever family and all the amazing things that have happened this year to help seal our bonds of love and friendship. We pray that you, our family and friends near and far, have also felt the love and blessings of God rest upon you this year. We love you and hope you all have a merry Christmas and an amazing new year!

Christmas Blessings

I just tucked five of my most amazing blessings in bed on this beautiful Christmas night, and headed to bed with tears streaming down my face and a giant lump in my throat. I felt I just had to take a minute to record the gratitude I feel gushing from my heart. I am so blessed to have such amazing children. They are so eager to do what is right, so happy to serve, so thoughtful and kind (most of the time), and very forgiving (the rest of the time). They love to learn, thrive on love, and love to make me smile. They each have such different personalities, and I wouldn't change a single thing about them. Those individuals are so very extraordinary I am so thankful for each of them, and so grateful that they are mine - forever. I went back into their rooms and told each of them that tonight...that I was thankful that Heavenly Father gave them to me and that they were part of our family. That's when the tears and lump started forming. What a great way to end a wonderful Christmas day. Now I get to crawl into bed with their father - the love of my life, my best friend, and the other greatest blessing in my life -  and snuggle down in his arms and cry with gratitude some more. I can't believe how much my Heavenly Father must love me to give me the privilege of loving such choice people, and helping me realize it again tonight. I'm still sitting here wondering if it's the tiredness from getting up at 5:00 this morning, the lingering sweet Christmas spirit we started the day with, or the nyquil I took to help me sleep thorough my cold, but whatever helped prepare me for this experience tonight, I'm...well, ...grateful.

Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas...

Here's what our Christmas postcards would have looked like, had they arrived in any of our family and friends' mailboxes this year. We got them back from the printer a week or so before Christmas, but they had a problem with all the shadows around the pictures, and had to be reprinted. I'm hoping to send the new ones out next week (yes...a whole week after Christmas) just to make sure everyone knows we still love them and were thinking about them again this year!

A New Adventure...

It's been such a long time since I've posted again... so much to catch up on! But, the most pressing matter at hand right now is the move into our big, beautiful, newer home on Fairway. It was interesting how it all happened. We weren't really looking--joking about moving occasionally, mostly to get a rise out of the girls--but thought eventually it would be nice to have a larger home, with more room. I've always wanted to be the "kool-aid mom" as my friend put it. I just wanted to be the kind of mom and have the kind of house I grew up with, that all the kids' friends want to be there. I just like to know where they are, and what they're doing. Anyway, Steve's friend is a realtor and called him to tell him that this house he was selling had been on and off the market for two years now, and that it had just been reduced another $20,000. (First listed two years ago at $319,000 and now down to $189,900!) He said it would be perfect for our family and we just HAD to look at it. So just for fun, we did.

...And we fell in LOVE! I couldn't believe how I could picture our family living there, our stuff in certain spots, and how much fun we'd have with all the extra space and entertaining possibilities. It kind of "felt" like home. So, we went home and looked at the budget, considered all the possibilities, fasted and prayed, and made an offer on the house. We asked for 90 days to allow us to take care of our house, we pay the asking price, and they pay our closing costs. We didn't expect it, but they actually accepted our offer.

Then, we had the problem of the house we'd been living in that had a lot of updating that needed to be done. We were currently on year 2 of a 5-year plan to remodel and fix it up. So far, we had put in new carpet and painted the whole upstairs except the playroom, kitchen and the bathroom. So, we kicked it into full gear, and in a month painted the bathroom and kitchen, tiled the kitchen and entry way, put in laminate flooring, a new sink, and tub surround in the bathroom, ripped out ancient carpet on the stairs and hallway downstairs and had new carpet put in, finished and painted the walls in the hallway downstairs (it was still sheet rock for all these years), and fixed up the bathroom downstairs with new texture, paint, and trim. In the process, we decided that we'd just rent this house for a couple of years, instead of trying to sell it. Much more work and money to sell rather than rent, and if we wait for the market to recover, we may be able to get enough out of it to cover our mortgage.

So, here we are, 66 days into our contract, and we are scheduled to close next Wednesday!! We are so excited about the new house, change of atmosphere, changes in our family, and the adventure of it all. We're sad to leave our ward (and stake) and sad to see our house go to someone else. We've lived here for 14 years, and it's the only house and ward our kids have known. It's comfortable and we love it here. So, as excited as we are for our new adventure, we are having a harder time being released from our stake callings, leaving behind people we might not have occasion to see anymore, and saying goodbye to our wonderful neighbors than we thought we would have. Thankfully, though, the kids will be going to the same schools and being only 8 minutes drive-time from where we are, and with some effort, we'll still keep in touch and get together with our friends. The girls can't wait to have a party and spread out through the house and yard. They'll have a giant back yard with a deck, the sun room, the game room, and the family room, all in my view, but not in my space. It will be absolutely perfect for all the friends.

It's got some amazing extras inside, but looks like a pretty modest home outside. I like that it's not "showy", but it's beautiful and we're grateful that the prior owners had money to add so many fun extras (like the cherry wood cabinets, gas fireplaces, wrap-around deck and intercom system). We'll have a huge garden area, and beautifully landscaped yard (with a waterfall and stream,  raspberries and an apple tree), a 2-car garage, lots of storage space (walk-in pantry and food storage room, plus a potato cellar), a master bathroom and walk-in closet (both I've wanted all of my married life), and 6 bedrooms (or 5 and an office for Steve). Here are some pictures...

Part of the front, with its beautiful new paint job

Part of the back yard

Half of the sun room (door leads to deck)

Formal living room

Kitchen

Joshua & Nathan's room

(On the condition that we get rid of the flowers ASAP)

Steve's office, upstairs

Master bedroom, upstairs

 Master bathroom

Master walk-in closet

Main bathroom, upstairs

Game room, downstairs

Family room, downstairs

Rachel's room, downstairs

Sarah's room, downstairs (she's kind of excited)

Bryson's room, downstairs

Kids' bathroom, downstairs

We're so grateful that except for a little bit of "left behind" stuff to go to the DI, it's ready to move into, as is. We want to do some re-decorating and updating in some of the rooms, but those things will happen in time. We'll also have some very empty rooms for a while as we save up for furniture to fill it. But, we're so excited to move in and fill up all the space. (I'm sure it won't take as long as I think. We've got a LOT of stuff!!)