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.

Winter time

This winter we've had more snow than I remember. It seems we have a new storm every three or four days. I spend a lot of time staring out the windows at the beautiful flakes. We also enjoy sitting in the hot tub and watching the cloudy sky through our snow-covered trees. I know it's cold, but wintertime is so magical! I can honestly say I love the snow.

My boys, however, are so tired of being cooped in the house. The continuous snow is beautiful, but it makes outdoor recreation difficult. This week, they learned how to do cross country races in our family room. Scotty, Dallin, and Matthew run tirelessly in circles, counting laps as they speed around the loveseat. Nicole joins them, but she seems to spend an awful lot of time on the floor being trampled. I wish I had half their energy!

Sierra "inherited" a full ream of paper from a friend, and she is working very hard to use it all. She has created an entire town with buildings, people, trees, etc. Each piece is drawn, colored, and then cut out. She occasionally enlists here brothers help, which is delightful. It makes a momma happy to see all five children sitting together drawing, cutting, and creating while they each discuss the characteristics of whatever they are working on. (Sigh). Sometimes I wish they could stay this age forever.

PS Can I just say how much I love having a 4 wheel drive in all this snow?

Heather's deep though for the day

Moving is a lot like pregnancy. You spend the first few weeks wondering if it will really happen. You spend the next bit getting organized, cleaning, and preparing for the change. But by the end, no matter what anybody says, you just want it to BE OVER WITH. It's a necessary evil, and one with a short memory span because we all seem to do it again and again.

We're Moving!!!!

Yes, it's official. We are moving to Spanish Fork in late May/early June. We are building a home on a .41 acre lot, which is almost double the size we have to play in now. The house is a two story, and we're finishing the basement so I can teach preschool. I'm getting very stir crazy being shut up in the house with nothing to stimulate my overactive imagination and teaching itch. The preschool will (hopefully) cure both. The hardest part of the move will be saying goodbye to our friends in the ward and neighborhood. It's interesting how you sometimes don't know how attached you've become until it's time to say goodbye. I'm glad we still have four months to pack. (See blog above for my deep thought on packing)

I'll post pictures as soon as we have some. They should break ground within 6 weeks.

NO! NO! NO! NO!

Nicole will be two in March. Her favorite words are 'night night' and 'no'. The kids have been working hard to teach her how to say yes, but they haven't yet been successful. On Monday, I had a piece of candy I offered Nicole. She immediately said no, so I started putting it away. Naturally, she fussed because she really wanted it.

I said, "You have to say 'yes' if you want to eat the candy."

Nicole scrunched her face, twisted her mouth like she'd eaten a lemon, and said in a pained voice, "JJJJhhhhheeeeeesssss." And reached for the candy.

The things we do to teach our little ones to be positive!