Way to Go Brynn!

After school yesterday, Brynn came to the car with an extra bounce in her step and twinkle in her eye. When I asked her how her day went, she told me it was extra special because she had won the spelling bee! Her final word that she beat everyone out with, was a word that I see many adults spell incorrectly. The word was definitely. Great job Brynn, you are d-e-f-i-n-i-t-e-l-y our favorite 2nd grade speller!

A Perfect Match

Isaac has a funny little obsession. He likes to keep things on the tip of his finger. He'll walk around the house with marker lids, legos, math cubes, certain sippy cup stoppers, Barbie and Ken's shoes, small lipstick lids, and any other household object that fits snuggly on the tip. He'll carry the object around on his finger all day long, he takes these items in the car, to the park, they have become his little security object.

Well today, this was taken to a whole new level. We introduced him to penne pasta. We gave him a few before the blessing on the food to keep him quiet. During the prayer he was super giggly and excited. We all looked over to see what was so delightful about this little appetizer...and you guessed it, he has found a food that fits perfectly over his little finger. It was fun to watch him carefully place the pasta on each finger, nibble it off and finish with a huge grin. You can bet that we'll be having penne alot more often at our house and maybe we'll throw a few OLIVES in the dish!

Sisters

Things are more smooth sailing now. No more hives...the new routine is becoming second nature. We even talked Brynn into eating school lunch this week. Abby, on the other hand, thinks school lunch is the greatest thing since headbands. This week while I was doing the girls' hair, the conversation went like this...

Brynn: I'm just nervous to eat school lunch because I don't have a card and I don't know my number.

Abby: Oh, Brynn it's easy, you just walk up to the lunch lady and say, "Hi, I'm new and I don't have a card, my name is Brynn Lee." Got it Brynn, okay let's practice....

After about 20 minutes of walking her through it, Abby had successfully calmed the nerves of her older sister.

The best part was in the car after school. The second Brynn got in the car, Abby said, "Brynn, how did it go with the lunch lady today?"

I love that that they genuinely care about each other. (It makes up for the fighting that also occurs.) Having these two girls so close together has been such a gift. Especially because moving and change have been a part of our lives so far and probably will continue to be for the next few years. I am so grateful that when they were sent to our family a built-in best friend was part of the deal.

TGIF

When I returned home from the gym this morning, Brynn came to me to tell me that her legs itched like crazy! At first glance I told her that it looked like had mosquito bites on the back of her calves. I went to the medicine basket to find some cream to put on them. I had her roll up her pants so I could take a closer look. I realized that they weren't mosquito bites, but HIVES! We figure that she broke out into hives because of the anxiety and stress of all that has gone on in the past week. She inherited this tendency from my mom and me. My mom broke out in hives on her wedding day and I broke out in hives the weekend of my brother Scott's wedding, which also happened to be homecoming week . I was stressed about learning a dance for half-time of the football game.

After a dose of Benadryl and a short time of chilling with me and the boys, the hives completely went away. We had a nice talk about what's been going on and how she's adjusting to things here. She has received lots of positive attention in school and is making new friends, but it's been hard learning new routines and procedures... just learning the way her new school does things in general. She wants to do everything right and gets uptight about doing just that (she gets that from her mom). Generally, she keeps things inside and doesn't verbalize her feelings and so it's really hard to know just exactly how she feels. She misses Miss Reick and without totally putting words into her mouth,I gathered that she just misses the familiarity of our old life and is overwhelmed by all of the new. All things that are completely understandable, I am overwhelmed with all of it too. We had a good talk which I am sure will be continued on many occasions. We talked about the confidence that we can gain in life through doing things that are hard for us.

After we picked up Abby from school, we headed to the park to kick the ball around and play tag together. We then headed to Joseph's facility which is about 15 minutes from where we live. We toured his beautiful facility and then headed to the beach to play.
I learned that we need to wear the right type of shoes to the beach and clothes that sand can easily brush off of....I also learned that while I am not a fan of hot dry sand, cool, damp, hard packed sand feels great on the feet.

Isaac used his newly acquired "climbing-down-the-stairs" skills to make his way to the tide. He crawled backward, until he felt it was safe enough to make a run for it.

He learned quickly, by watching his sisters, how to brace himself for the waves. I loved watching him take his stance.

The feel of the cold sand was delightful to him. He just kept giggling and laying back in it. What a perfect way to end a BIG week.

Stinky Carpet and a Stinky Attitude

Rug Doctor (that didn't quite do the job)... $64.76

Appointment with Professional Steam Cleaning Company...$86.85

Getting every last drop of diarrhea out of the carpet...priceless

My attitude the last couple of days has been about as stinky as that spot on my carpet. I miss the simplicity and familiarity of Woodland. I need to start enjoying the beauty of this new phase in our life. There is so much all around, but sometimes I let imperfections in life get to me. I'm workin' on it. It's Murphy's Law that the week you move into a house with clean light carpets your sons will get the stomach flu, right?

{You can thank me now for posting sans photos....you're welcome!}

Moving

While Joseph was at work and the kids were at school, Isaac and I hung out with the movers. Isaac wanted to see exactly what was going on. I finally had to leave with him because he wouldn't stay out of their way. He just wanted to make sure they were doing their job!

We made it! We're mostly moved in and adjusting to our new surroundings. The kids start school on Tuesday. We had our first day at church today and it looks to be a great ward. Joseph officially starts at his new facility tomorrow.

The house is great. It's bigger than I prefer, (I have to clean it!), but it was the right price in the right school boundary. We had many great options as far as neighborhoods and schools, but some were really expensive. We decided to go for the best school with the most affordable house. The backyard (or lack of) is the downside, but the view is incredible and there are parks closeby.

After church and Sunday dinner we took the kids to have a glimpse of the Ocean and the San Diego Temple. I can't believe we live here now.

The Farewell Tour ~ FACES of Woodland (some of them)

Our last week in Woodland, we were able to say good-bye to many of the faces we love. So many people were so kind to help out with caring for our kids and visiting us right up until we left. It was so nice to connect with everyone before we left. I knew saying good-bye to Great Day would be hard. The women there are angels. I am so grateful for our experience there.

I took Brynn and a couple of her school friends out for ice cream after school. We will miss them.

Nikki watched the boys one day and Abby protested that she didn't get to go, so Nikki agreed to take Abby and Aaron a second day. It was great for the kids to be able to have one last play date.

M&M came to say good-bye to us at the hotel the night before we pulled out. The girls loved sharing a cookie from the lobby and showing them our room. I loved visiting with Jen. She lived right up the street from us and has been a great friend to me since we moved to Woodland. I also served as her first counselor in the Relief Society Presidency. We will really miss their family.

The Farewell Tour~The Cookie Party

On the Sunday night before we moved we invited lots of friends over to share cookies with us before we left. It was crazy to have almost 70 people running through our house the night before we were to be packed up, but completely 100% worth it. The kids had a great time and I think it will be a memory they will always look back on with a smile. I had so much fun visiting with friends that I forgot to get the camera out until the evening was almost over. If you were there and we didn't get your picture, it's because we just didn't take very many. We were so glad you came!

The Farewell Tour ~ Saying Good-Bye to Ballet

You know what they say...you don't know what you've got, til it's gone....we feel that way about the whole experience with ballet. We didn't go to ballet just for the ballet. We went for the friendships and the park too. It was part of our Woodland experience that we will always cherish. We have so many memories because we spent so much time at Applegate Dance Studio and the Village Homes Neighborhood Park outside the studio. We were there as much as three times a week for atleast an hour or so each time. While the kids explored, I visited with friends like Heather, Bill, Deborah, Diane, Dena, Stephanie, Inez, Sierra, and many other amazing people that enriched my life every week.

We loved the friends we made and the opportunities we had through ballet. We know we'll have new ballet experiences where we live now, but we will always look back fondly on our experiences at Applegate Dance Studio in Davis.

The Farewell Tour~Saying Good-Bye to Work

Joseph's staff threw him a surprise party before his last day of work. He is greatly loved by his staff and they were sad to see him go. They always throw a great party with amazing home-made authentic yummy food. We had a great time celebrating!

The Vice-President of the company he works for happened to be visiting that day and said a few nice words about Joseph at the farewell party. It was very kind of him.

Joseph's regional boss, James, has been a great personal friend to Joseph and our entire family.

I received a wonderful letter and personal gift from one of Joseph's staff members telling me how much she esteemed him and thanking me for sharing Joseph with their staff. She related how she had gone through cancer and Joseph was there to support her and cheer her on during her recovery. It was a touching letter. I could tell by being there that day that he will be greatly missed by his nurses and staff. There were many tears shed. It made me glad that I'm married to him and that I get to go with him on this next adventure. :) Some of them have asked to come with him if there are openings at his new facility. I am glad that my "job" allows me to transfer with him. :) I could not handle saying good-bye.