Our Last Trip To The Condo :(

Since Katleyn's baby blessing chaos is over, and Ryan has been working like crazy we decided it was time to take a little family vacation. We knew we wanted to go camping, but since we don't have a trailer, and we have 3 kids 3 years-old and under we thought it would probably be a good idea that we just go to Ryan's parent's condo in Beaver.

The condo is actually up the canyon at a ski resort called Elk Meadows. The first time Ryan took me up there we were still dating. How is this picture for an awesome blast from the past...Yes...Both of our eyes were closed for this picture. I remember it was so bright! That was my first and last time snowboarding. I can't believe that was almost 9 years ago. Little did I know I would be bringing my 3 little bears up to that very place. :) This was unfortunately the last year the ski resort was up and running. It went into bankruptcy.

Ryan's parents have been trying to sell the condo for the last couple years now. They were finally able to put it under contract. Lucky for us it doesn't close until the end of this month, so we were able to go up one last time.

We invited our new friends and neighbors Brandon and Ali Olsen. They have 2 cute kids. Valerie is almost 3, and Graham is about 5 months.

Wednesday (Day 1)

Left at 3pm. What should have been a 3 hourish drive ended up being 5. We had to make quite a few stops between Hayden and Katelyn crying for what seemed like the entire time. Got to the condo, and went to bed.

Thursday (Day 2)

The highlight of our day was our little fishing trip to Puffer Lake. Hailey was SOOOOOO excited to catch a fish.

Hailey sat patiently waiting, but nothing. Luckily, Ryan got a bite and had the kids help him reel it in. When Hayden saw the fish he was terrified!!! He cried and hid between Ryan's legs. It was hilarious!

Hailey was really sad that we had to throw the fish back since it was just too small to keep.

Thursday night at about 10pm the Olsen's arrived. Hailey tried and tried to stay awake for her friend Valerie, but crashed on the couch.

Friday (Day 3)

Took the Olsen's fishing at Kent's Lake since we didn't have much luck at Puffer Lake. We only stayed for a couple of hours, but had a blast. Well, Brandon did anyway. He caught one fish after another with Valerie's princes pole. Hailey was really sad that she didn't catch anything, but we promised her there would be more opportunities.

When we got back we noticed the fire hydrant by the lodge was turned on and spraying water everywhere. There had been men there working on the lodge so we didn't think too much of it. Well, long story short they were testing the water pressure on the fire hydrant and broke the water main by doing so. We were without water the rest of the day. Ryan and Brandon drove a half hour down the canyon to get water bottles. We made due with what we had. We still had a fun night, and even stayed up a little later to play a game with Brandon and Ali.

Saturday (Day 4)

We were without water the entire day, but were grateful to have the water bottles. Saturday was more of just a lazy day. We ended up going back to Puffer Lake after nap time. Hailey really wanted to catch just one more fish. Luckily she did (off Ryan's pole anyway). She was so excited to bring it back to the condo with her. On our way back Ryan said that he hoped the water was back on. Trying to look on the bright side, I told Ryan I was just grateful we had power. When we got back to the Condo we discovered that we still didn't have water, and you guessed it, no power now too. We had some great neighbors that let us prepare our dinner on their barbecue. We fed the kids, and put them to bed. Soon after the water, and then the power both turned back on. Yay! We were so grateful. We stayed up and played games our last night.

Sunday (Day 5)

Ahhhhh... We were all able to take nice warm showers, and give the kids a bath, which they very much enjoyed.

We cleaned up the condo for our last time. Said goodbye, and headed home. Did I mention that Hayden and Katelyn both screamed the last 40 minutes of the ride? That was fun.

Considering the circumstances we really had a fun and memorable time for our last trip to the condo. I'm really going to miss that place. We've made many fun memories there.

Aquarium Adventures

After a long week of remodeling, cleaning and blessing Katie, I decided this week would be focused on my poor neglected children. I told Hailey we could do whatever she wanted. Her first choice would have been Disney Land, but since that's not a possibility we went to her favorite place. The Living Planet Aquarium.


This was the first time I was able to let Hayden roam free. Normally he's strapped into his stroller, but this time he actually stayed with his sister instead of wondering off. They had a blast!

The New House

So I really am going to keep up on our blog now. I am not and will never be a scrapbooker or journal writer. Now that my kids are getting older I'm starting to realize the importance of both. Instead of feeling guilty all the time for not keeping track of the happenings around me, I'm going to blog once a week. Then at the end of every year I can click "print" and stick our life in a 3 ringed binder. Less expensive and a big time saver.

I finally took a few pictures. So this is our new house...

I can't believe we've lived here 6 months. It seems like yesterday that it was our first night in our new house, and we had a slumber party with the kids in the front room. We love it here. Hailey and Hayden especially love it here. We are surrounded by grasshoppers, butterflies, praying mantis, stink bugs, crickets, and other strange insects. Hailey is forever catching bugs and wanting to keep them as pets. We are also excited that the neighborhood park is just about finished. We will live there I'm sure.

We have been working so hard to remodel a few things in our house in time for Katelyn's baby blessing. I painted every main wall in our house. What a pain! I painted our kitchen blue, and hated it! I didn't take a picture of the blue because it was so awful. So this is what I ended up with...

BEFORE (when it was white obviously)

4 COATS OF PAINT LATER

Ryan took 2 whole Saturdays working on a wall in our front room. The wall was supposed to have a fireplace, but it was a $3000 upgrade. We didn't think it was necessary in the first place, so we decided to keep the fireplace wall, and use it for our TV. Ryan built a cabinet, and placed granite slivers up the wall. It turned out amazing!

Ryan also laid granite pavers in our front entry. It looks awesome! I'm so lucky to have married such an amazing and talented handyman.

Eventually when we have the money Ryan will install granite countertops in the kitchen. For now though, we're taking a break. I'm completely happy with our home. It's been fun to make it feel like our own, and add our own personal touch.

I love our house, I love our neighborhood, I love our neighbors, and I LOVE being home with the kids. I couldn't ask for more. :)

I Am a SLaCkeR!

Well, I'm sort of a slacker. I just took what I felt was a well deserved break from everything, and focused completely on being a Mom. I had forgotten what that role felt like. :) Now that we're in our house, and somewhat settled I've tried slowly to add normal responsibilities back on, like blogging. I guess blogging really isn't a responsibility, but I actually have TIME to do it now. :)

As I said we are in our new house FINALLY, and we are loving every second of it. I get teared up when I say this, but my sweet little Hailey is finally sweet again. It's amazing what me working full-time did to that little girl. It was so hard on both of us. She tells me everyday how happy she is that I'm home with her. Hayden is loving that he has free reign of the house. However, we have learned the hard way that we ALWAYS have to shut the toilet and bathroom door. :) I will eventually get pictures of our new house on here, but I have to clean it first. :) Just kidding. It's actually clean. Another thing I have time for these days.

What I love the most about our new home is where we live. Yes, we are definitely far from anything and everything, but I love that. I feel safe out here. The funnest part has been getting to know all of our new neighbors. I seriously live by the cutest girls ever. They are all so nice, and we've all become good friends already. I can't tell you how great it is to live somewhere that everyone is on the same page of life as you. I also really love that Hailey and Hayden are going to have plenty of friends here. :) Our Ward has like 3 sunbeam classes. At least we don't feel bad anymore when our kids start screaming in Sacrament. They aren't a distraction anymore. They're just joining in now. :)

Ryan's work is going great. I'm not sure if I mentioned this, but he and his partner Levi switched gears a little from the granite counter tops. They started a new business called Recycled Stone Products. They turn granite scraps that would normally go to the dump, and recycle them into granite pavers. They can be used inside or outside, and seriously turn out so beautiful. They recently did the Home and Garden Expo, and had a wonderful turn out. I'm so proud of them for how hard they've been working.

As for me, I have been so blessed to work a little from home instead of full-time. I'm loving every second of being at home with the kids, and have gotten back to the work of blogging on my homemaking blog. I recently received the funnest opportunity to do a cooking segment on Studio 5. I could have done without being 7 months pregnant, but it ended up going really well. Click here if you'd like to see pictures or watch the clip.

I'm so grateful for all the blessings we have received in the past and especially lately. We have taken a HUGE risk in having me quit, but we've prayed and prayed and really felt like home is where I need to be. Trusting in our Heavenly Father, and having faith that everything will work out is what we've put our focus on. It's amazing how when you do that everything does work out, and miracles come into your life.

I was going to end, but I'd like to note, if you are offended at how spiritual I've been lately, I mean this in a nicest way...Get over it. :) I can't help but feel the way I feel. We've been through too much, and had too many wonderful things happen that we would be ungrateful if we didn't give credit to the One that deserves it.

Here are some recent pictures:

DON'T ASK!

Hailey must have been bored, because I came in her room, and this is what I found:

Hayden's new favorite thing is to sit next to his sister on the couch and play with the remote.

Hailey getting ready for the funnest night of her life...Disney On Ice!!!

These two kids are 2 peas in a pod. They seriously love eachother so much! Hailey is the best older sister to little Hayden.

Pour guy! In desperate need of a nap. :)

The Hard Part Is Almost Over

I'm feeling like my personal blog strike can finally come to an end. I haven't wanted to share ANYTHING that we've had to go through because I for sure would have a mental breakdown telling you about it. All that I can say is the last 7 months of my life have been the most stressful and challenging I've had to face yet. My reasons include:

• Working full-time (Three 13 hour days per week from 5am to 6pm)
• Trying to figure out a babysitter for my kids.
• Always feeling like we're a burden on our babysitters and my in-laws.
• Building one house, starting over and building another and having everything you can think of go wrong in the process.
• Feeling like I'm the worst Mom ever between working and being tired all the time.
• Oh, and if that's not enough, let's throw a surprise pregnancy in the mix (don't worry, I'm happy about this).

Yes, these are all stressful and crazy things, but we can honestly say we're grateful for every single one! We've grown the most these last 7 months than we ever have before inividually and as a couple. Every time we would turn around something terrible would happen, but then almost instantly we would understand why that "terrible" thing happened. We really feel like our Heavenly Father has been looking out for us, and has blessed us so much! We are so much more grateful for our kids, eachother, and especially to have the blessings of the Gospel in our lives.

So here we are, a week or two away from closing, and I feel like a little kid waiting for Christmas! Everything is going to change for the good once we get into this house. I will finally be able to put all my focus and energy into being a mom and a wife again. We will finally have a home that is OUR home. Not to mention:

• I will finally have my own kitchen to cook in!
• We will live right by our dearest friends.
• We will have a park right across the street that we can play at all day.
• A ward that will actually have people our age.
• A home that we can grow into instead of grow out of.
• Most importantly, I can finally take a bath in my nice big bathtub. Hooray!

Ryan went to the house today, and said that there were tons of people there finishing it up so hopefully the construction part will get done today. I don't have any recent pictures to share, but here is the some of the construction. We will definitely have more to share in the following weeks. :)

Family Room

My Bathtub!!!

Loft Area

Future Kitchen and where I will always be found if I'm not in the tub :)