Buried Treasure!

Isn't that an amazing view!?! I will say this million times over, but we love where we live. I can't explain how much joy I feel when our kids are in the backyard running and playing and being kids, either with each other or with some of our neighbors. Just last night, the neighbor boys came over with their swimsuits on and invited the boys to come over. They ended up filling water balloons and had a water-fight with the girls. We feel like we hit the jack-pot as far as next door neighbors go and we are so grateful!

Aaron and our two boys next door were playing in our sandbox and decided to bury Isaac. I had to keep an eye on them to make sure they didn't get TOO carried away. Isaac is a great sport.

Cool Clouds

We LOVE, LOVE, LOVE where we live. I can't emphasize that enough. We literally feel like we found a little piece of heaven. It's work, as you can see with that mini orchard we have that is super weedy, along with a big garden that wasn't planted this year and is full of weeds. But even with all of that work we have felt so good about being here. We love it more than we even imagined we would. We knew that we were giving up some things on the house to get a bigger yard, but the house has become something that we love too. At least once a day Joseph and I smile at each other and say, "I LOVE our house." Sure there are many things that need a little work, but we're willing to overlook and work at so many of them because overall we've been so pleased.

One of our favorite things is to walk out our back door and see the beautiful mountains that surround us. The other day we had some awesome low clouds. It was such a beautiful night. Casey and Melissa were over for the evening and we all enjoyed yummy Papa Murphy's Pizza and then I made Chocolate Chip Zucchini bread while chatting with Melissa in the kitchen. It was a great night.

Neighborhood Play

Wow, what a difference a few days makes. For the first couple of days, the boys wouldn't go outside for fear of the cat and creepy crawly worms. Now we have just the opposite taking place. We've never lived in a place where we've felt safe for the kids to just wander over to the neighbors to play. My sweet neighbor brought Aaron back home about 9:00 on the second night we were here and I had no idea he was even gone. I was busy unpacking. This happened a couple of times and I felt like the worst mom. She wasn't even phased by it. It was totally normal for her to have kids over playing back and forth. I am so used to a scheduled playdate arranged with a mom. I apologized over and over. Now I call every time he's gone and ask if he's over there. She laughs and tells me that he is. She's so natural about it because it's so normal for the neighborhood kids to go back and forth to each other's homes. I think I'm getting better with it and Aaron is getting better and telling me when and where he's going. :) The challenge now is that Isaac wants to run with the big guys. Time to set some ground rules for this new phase of life. We are so happy to be here.

What have we done?

We purchased a simpler home on nearly an acre because we thought it would be good for the kids. Today while preparing a few things at the house I had serious doubts about our decision. First of all the boys refuse to go outside unless they are pulling me by the pant leg. Why? Because our neighbor has a cat, and they are terrified, I mean horrifically terrified of a harmless old cat. To make matters worse, I was sitting under a tree with Aaron on the grass and all of the sudden he let out this piercing scream. "AHHHHHHH! There's a worm on my leg!!! Get it off! Get if off! AHHHHHHHHH!"

Later we passed the the brand new big house with a smaller yard that we almost bought. Aaron started crying hysterically telling me that that was the house he wanted to live in. He didn't want to live in the house with the big yard because it had cats and worms! He cried real tears and I started thinking, "What in the world did we do to ourselves? We've turned him into a city slicker!" All day I started having doubts and thought, "Wow, all this yard to maintain and the kids don't really want to play in it? I gave up a big new house for the screaming and the tears?"

Then, the girls came home from school and went straight to the backyard to swing on the swings, later the boys were out adventuring with them. Aaron went to play with his new neighbor friend, and came home with huge eyes telling me that he got to see his new friend's cow and his chickens. (Apparently he's not afraid of those types of animals). By the time tonight came, he didn't say anything about not liking the place, he'd forgotten about the cat and the worm, but he had a perma-grin from playing with his new next-door-neighbor friend. He LOVES friends.

In Oceanside, we had a beautiful house that we loved, but it was on a death trap of a steep hill. The kids were threatened with their lives not to go into the front yard. It feels good to be in a place where the kids can ride bikes around the neighborhood, they can roam and adventure in the backyard and when the front door beeps because a child has exited, I no longer worry for their lives. I hope it will be a great "kid" house. Even with all of it's oddities, it feels good and right at this time in our lives. I'll let you know a year from now, after all of the yard work, if my sentiments are still the same ;)

Busy Day!

Wow! Today was a happy, busy day. It started early this morning I woke up to take a quick run and then got myself and the boys ready so we could go pick up the girls, who had slept at Aunt Emily's house. We were all heading to the Salt Lake Airport to greet Joseph's brother, Gabriel, who was returning home from Japan for his two year mission for our church where he was preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the Japanese people.

I picked up the girls in Provo and then raced to the airport. I received a message en route that his flight was arriving early! Ahhhh! We were already running late. I arrived at the airport and Joseph was trying to give me directions to get to the International Terminal, I misunderstood those instructions and had to exit the parking garage and re-enter. I was so frustrated. I finally made it in again, and hurried to pull all the kids out of the car. We ran inside Terminal 2 and then down the escalator and out the doors to get to the International Terminal. We made it and with time to spare. We even had a few minutes to visit and catch our breath before Gabe came off the plane.

It was so great to see him! Our hearts were filled with gratitude to see his beautiful face and to hug him. Two years is a long time and an even longer time for a mother, I am sure. We are proud of Gabe and his service to our Heavenly Father and the people of Japan.

After we picked Gabe up everyone went to eat at The Cheesecake Factory. We headed there too, but when we realized how long it would take, we opted for Chick-fil-A because we had an appointment to close on the home that we are purchasing. We were running a little late there too! I had to have Emily meet me at the title company to watch the kids because there was no way I was going to make it to her house and the title company by 2:00. Emily met me there just in the nick of time. We signed all of the papers and just had one little glitch. The mortgage company told us we could either do a wire transfer or a cashier's check to pay. Joseph asked the loan officer which was the easiest. He told him that a cashier's check would be. Joseph went and picked up the cashier's check and when we reached the title office the title person told us that there was a new law that you had to wire the transfer if it was more than $10,000. Ugggghhh! Otherwise you have to wait 7-10 days for the check to clear. Are you kidding me?! So we had to go back to the bank and give the check back and then ask them to do the wire transfer. The bank then told him that it was too late in the day to do a wire transfer (it was around 3:00) because back east where it was processed, it was the end of the business day. Because it was Friday we have to wait until Monday. That was the frustrating part. We have cleaning people coordinated for Monday, we have carpet cleaning on Tuesday. The way it's looking for the funds transfer, we may not get keys until late Monday or Tuesday. At first I was livid! Then I realized that we could probably just get permission from the sellers to have the cleaning people enter the home. I have the movers scheduled to come remove everything from our storage unit on Wednesday, so that should still work fine.

After that fiasco, Emily took the boys to her house and I took the girls to their school to find out what classes they were in. They don't know the teacher, nor do they know any of the students in their class, but I think it helped a little to know that they weren't forgotten and that they actually have a place in a class. We found out that Aaron is in the same class as one of my friend's twin daughters. They happened to move back to Utah just recently as well. The girls lamented a bit on they way home about having to move so much. It's hard on all of us, but we hope to stay here a while. I just said to them, "I know it's hard, I'm not going to pretend it's going to be easy, but I also know that you can do it, just like you've done it before!" They kept whining and after the day we'd had, I finally looked at them and said, "Okay what do you want to do? Move back to Oceanside? Stay with Grandma? Is that what you want?" At that point I think they realized the necessity of this step. I also hope they know that I realize and empathize that being the new kid isn't always a piece of cake (being the new adult isn't always either), but I figure they're getting lots of life experience in that only thing that is constant in all of life.....and that is change. Hopefully they are gaining tools to help them help others who are in the same situation, and struggling with similar feelings of adaptation.

After that I headed back to Provo to get the boys. We headed to the grocery store and picked up a few things, went home and made dinner and then my mom came in and told me that we had to go to the Mod-Bod parking lot sale where you could stuff everything you can into a bag and pay $15 for it. Now we're home and ready to hit the hay! We're excited for a fun-filled day with the Lee's tomorrow. Lots of fun games, a swimming party, a bbq and great family time with cousins to celebrate the return of Gabe. It should be a great end-of-summer party. The kids love being with their cousins. Whew! What a day! But a good one at that!

My Parents are Saints.

My parents are truly Saints. We still haven't found a home and from the looks of the inventory where we are looking, it could be a little while. Not only are they letting us live with them until we find the right house, they are also acting as babysitters while we do the looking. A few days ago, I found our camera filled with the pictures below. Looks like when the cat is away, the mice play! :)

We are running out of steam when it comes to looking at homes. We get listings everyday and try to see them in the evenings. There were a few nights in a row that we were out looking at homes until 11 p.m. We have placed two offers on homes. One was a traditional sale of a new home that was just built, but after the builder countered our offer, we went in to check things out again and realized they had cut corners on many areas, so even though it was new there were quite a few things we would want to replace after moving in the home. We decided not to counter their offer. We placed another offer on a foreclosure, but the whole time the offer was being written I had this feeling that it wasn't right. I ignored it, and then decided to go over to the home again and check things out a day after. I had that same gut-wrenching feeling that this was not the home. I called Joseph and told him, and felt so much more peace about it after. I think the realtor we are working with is probably ready to ditch us right now, but that's okay, we want to find the right home. We've considered the idea of building with a semi-custom home builder where we choose one of their plans. We may go that route, but it would be nice to find an existing home. That seems to be where the better deals are and it would be nice to already have a lawn in, etc. We'll see. In the meantime, my parents have been very patient and have encouraged us not to rush. We feel rushed because it's hard to bombard into someone else's life and home, but hopefully it won't be too long. It's nice to have a familiar place to stay, where we don't have to lock ourselves into a lease or entangle ourselves with other commitments until we find the right landing spot.

Count Your Blessings

I have been craving a Utah Fall this week and a drive through the Alpine Loop. I was having a rather emotional night the other night and started crying to Joseph saying, "Sometimes I just want to go home. I'm craving a Utah Fall...." For some reason, this last move has been harder for me than other moves. I think it's because it wasn't a move back to our roots and the people we love so much. Yet, I feel so much joy through our daily living. As I was talking openly with Joseph about all of this one night. Speaking to him of worries and cares and challenges I was having, I turned to him and said, "You know what though, I am grateful for this trial. There are so many things people are working through. I'll gladly work through this one." I hesitate to even call it a trial, but it is for me. Everyone has a longing for something and struggles and challenges to work through.

I loved the Relief Society Meeting last night and it was so appropriate for me that the opening song was Count Your Blessings.

When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed,

When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,

Count your many blessings, name them one by one,

And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

Are you ever burdened with a load of care?

Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?

Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly,

And you will keep singing as the days go by.

When you look at others with their lands and gold,

Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold;

Count your many blessings. Wealth can never buy

Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high.

So, amid the conflict whether great or small,

Do not be disheartened, God is over all;

Count your many blessings, angels will attend,

Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.

I can't wait to see many of my family members this weekend in St. George. I'm grateful to be able to get my "family fix" so many times throughout the year. We recently realized that even though we've been living in the land of far-far-away California, we've had quite a few occasions to see family in the last 3.5 years. We've seen someone in our family on 35 different occasions in the last 40 months. With each visit lasting on average 3-4 days, I would say that's a large quanity of time. Within this next month, we will get to see family for a total of 14 days. That is a blessing.

I need to keep a proper perspective, because I might just get more face time than family members living within the same state or even city for that matter.

Anyway, the song touched me on so many levels. I think as I am running the 26.2 miles this weekend I will count my blessings to pass the miles. I am hoping that angels will attend and will give me comfort through my 26.2 mile journey. Amidst the busy-ness of family life, I have not been able to train perfectly, so I'll be relying on a higher power to help me through. I'm a bundle of nerves, but I'm excited to embark on the journey and to accomplish something I've had the desire to do for a very long time.

The House We "Almost" Bought

Here's a picture of the house we almost bought. It's a short-sale in our neighborhood. The term "short-sale" is such a misnomer. Before we pulled out, we had been under contract to buy the home for 4 months and the end was nowhere in sight. We thought the end was in sight when we were told that escrow had opened in July and so we secured our loan and were ready to sign all of the paperwork, when our agent called to tell us 2 weeks before our closing date that escrow actually had never opened and that there was a snag with the sellers. It turns out they didn't pay their private mortage insurance and were asking us to pay a fee of about $20,000 because of their neglect. We told them no way, and that we were prepared to walk away. Our current landlord was starting to breathe heavily down our necks to sign another lease, and the seller's bank didn't want to budge, so we walked. The real estate agent asked us to hold on with hope that it would eventually go through, but we didn't feel it would be honest to sign the lease with our landlord with the intention of breaking it, and we didn't want to risk losing any money if escrow actually did open. We were able to get all of our money back, and even though we still don't know what we are doing, we feel good about our decision.

Joseph would like something a little bigger. I am content with the size of the home, but we are both a little apprehensive about buying when we don't know what our future will bring. Joseph loves the company he works for, but we both have a secret desire in our hearts to live closer to extended family someday. (I guess it's not so much a secret anymore ;) If we could guarantee that the home would sell when we were ready to sell it, and if we could guarantee that the home would retain it's value, and even appreciate while we were there, I would love to do it, but it's a home/area we can only see ourselves in for about 3-4 years, and who knows what will happen during that time. If we couldn't sell it at that time, we're confident we could rent it, because we live next to a military base, so there is a pretty solid rental market, but we're not that keen on being landlords. Why do big decisions have to involve so much risk? At this point, we're just being still and trying to give ourselves time to feel what it is we want to do, and what Heavenly Father wants us to do. I felt such peace when we decided to back out. But, maybe it will be right at a later time? I'm grateful that no matter what, we are entitled to peace about our decision and that we can pray for it and receive it.

When we drive past the house, I still really like it, but I'm thinking now that I would love for someone else to buy it and we could rent it. :) I actually like renting. It's like we're dating California. We can enjoy the benefits without having to fork out that $8000-$12,000 a year in property taxes for a tract home. Yes, that's not even the mortage, that's property tax alone. Ridiculous!

I love the backyard. It's my favorite part. It's small, but done very tastefully. Anyway, I'm tired of agents calling, I'm tired of walking through model homes. Somedays I just want to move to a small town in Utah, have a couple more kids and live the simple life, but then I would probably make it to January and cry to be back in the California weather. We'll figure this life out sometime. In the meantime, we're finding alot of joy along journey and I can say that I learned a ton through the process.