Matt is 35!

Today is Matt's 35th birthday. We surprised him at work by stopping by to say hello. What he didn't know was that we decided to "decorate" his car. I was called a turkey as he attempted to drive away and his car was covered with crepe paper and blue writing in each window.

The decorating backfired, however. We had reservations to eat at Ruth's Chris Restaurant in Salt Lake shortly after he got home. We had no time to take off the writing before driving away. I realized my mistake as we drove up to the valet parking. The attendants were decked out with red (seriously) jackets and all the trimmings. We were surrounded by Mercedes, a beautiful Porsche I'm still trying not to covet, and other exotic, beautiful cars. We pulled up in a silver Intrepid with phrases like "Over the Hill" and "Old Fart" printed on the windows in blue. Oh, well. Maybe we'll gain some dignity and poise after 40.

By the way, Ruth's is VERY expensive, but I can truly say it's the best cut of steak I have ever eaten! Happy Birthday, Matt! You deserve the best!

Dirty faces

I was looking through all the old pictures and posts and realized almost all the pictures of our children show dirty faces! Occasionally, they really are clean. I guess the most priceless pictures for a mom are the happy, dirty faces that show how much fun these little guys have.

Our Baby is 2

Nicole turned two this month, which is hard to believe. She speaks in full sentences, throws tantrums like a champ, refuses to give up her bottle, challenges us at bedtime by walking out REPEATEDLY, gives the nicest hugs, says the cutest things, and has the entire family wrapped around her perfect, chubby little finger.

Our New Home

We signed papers to build a new home in Spanish Fork about two months ago. As the days quickly flew by, my belief it was going to actually turn into reality dissolved. I finally convinced myself last week that something terrible was going to happen, the deal was going to fall through, and I was wasting time trying to clean out cupboards and pack.

The builders broke ground on Monday, put in the footings on Tuesday, and put laid the foundation today. We drove out twice to see what's happening and enjoy our newest adventure.

It's hard to describe my feelings as we walked around the perimeter of our property and explored all the unknown nooks and crannies of the yard. Seeing the forms ready to be poured with cement is so exciting, but my strongest emotions came as I stood in the culdesac and looked around.

When I was a little girl we lived on top of a mountain and down a small dirt road. I remember swinging and singing songs while my neck was craned back as far as I could manage so I could look up at the blue sky above me. The feeling then were feeling of freedom and peace. I felt the same as I looked at our future home. The recent drizzle brought out the scent of freshly cut wood (one of my favorite smells). The sky above was so blue, and the air was so clean. We have no traffic in this area, and we are surrounded by empty alfalfa fields and houses. The streets are extra wide and invite moms to go walking or jogging and feel safe. We saw dozens of children playing in the streets and riding bikes, not worried about passing cars because there aren't any.

One of our new neighbors poked his head over the fence (I told him I'll probably call him Wilson, but his real name is Tony). Another came over to discuss plans for future fences, property lines, and fishing. Matt's going to like him!

Overall, it was a peaceful, surreal afternoon that I know I won't soon forget. Changes like this are so big, and knowing we are moving to such a peaceful, happy neighborhood is so exciting. We lasted 5 years in Orem, but my soul's ready for a smaller town.

I'm posting pictures of the finished house, and will probably post many, many more pictures before we are ready to move.