Packing, Packing, sick of Packing!

Taite and Cy don't mind packing so much!As long as they don't want the same box that is!

The kids have been so tired of being stuck in the house packing and sick, I asked them on a good day where they wanted to go. Anywhere! Temple Square was the response! I was so surprised. We used to go up there a lot to visit my Mom when she worked on the Primary General Board and we have gone several times over the years since then, but it still surprised me that they wanted to go so badly.
We decided to ride Trax up for a little extra fun. They kids thought it was so fun- a real train! I laughed so hard when it finally started to move and all at once in unison they raised their arms up like they were on a roller coaster!
My very favorite part was Taite's favorite part--seeing inside the "Tavernapple"
The other best part was when we were about to take the picture in front of Trax and it got a little crazy because we were trying to get the kids to all look the right way and the train was about to start moving and then my Mom asked this Park Ranger to get in the picture!! Why-- we weren't sure! I think out of the corner of her eye in the hurry she thought it was a Trax driver- but no Park Ranger!! Nice hat though! But now we just have more fun to the story!

WE WANT DADDY!!

The other night at dinner, Bailey started chanting "We want Daddy, we want Daddy!" She is so right, we do want Daddy!
We miss him so much!! I knew that we were all going to miss Matt, but it has been so much worse than I thought, for me and for the kids. I am having Mattie withdrawls and the kids are going crazy for him. Cy goes over to the window and just says "Daddy, Daddy" over and over again! Taite probably most of all just doesn't understand why he isn't coming home. Then there is me--AHHHHH!! This just sucks! Matt just makes everything all better! He is my best friend and I just hate being without him. He left a couple of weeks ago to Indiana to start his new job and we will be following him as soon as we get our house settled.
I have always appreciated that Matt is a very helpful hubby, but pregnant with 4 kids & packing a house without him, I appreciate him even more. This pregnancy has been harder for me even when Matt was home, but now that he's gone, I'm just exhausted. And of course isn't it just the way that it goes that as soon as he leaves we have some problems. Taite has a double ear infection. Cy caught a virus that causes sores all over the inside of his mouth and down his throat, so he's been really happy!! The Doctor said he could tell with our situation that we were in need of some sleep, meaning me I'm sure! He also said that Cy's throat looked really bad so he gave him Tylenol with Codeine, it has helped Cy get some sleep. I just pray that we can get back there with Matt as soon as possible!

These other pictures are from in June when my brother Max and his lovely wife Sophy and little boy Luke came to visit. They live in Washington and we miss them a lot! Taite especially loves her "Aunt Ophy" as she calls her, and she and Luke were great pals. They are going to have a new baby in January!

Happy Birthday Bailey!

I can't believe my Bailey is 5 years old!! She is such a joy to have in our family! She is the child with all the energy and keeps us all going. Bailey is so loving and we all adore her! Bailey is very funny but also very kind. She can be very sensitive and yet she is probably--okay no probably about it she is our most rambunctious child! She keeps us laughing and guessing all the time!

For her birthday she just wanted to have a swim party at Oma and Papa's house. We had a BBQ and she only wanted to invite one friend and her family. Her little friend Sadie is very special to Bailey, Sadie is fighting a courageous battle against a brain tumor. She and her family are wonderful examples to those around them of enduring trials with unwaivering faith and love. It has been heart warming to watch as a mother as Bailey has witnessed her favorite little friend become so sick. Sadie was diagnosed very suddenly in March and Bailey has been so concerned ever since. It is very hard for Bailey to understand sometimes, but she is always thinking and asking and mostly praying about Sadie. I have been very proud to see Bailey have that much genuine concern for someone she loves. We were so glad that her family was able to come to the party!

Our 4th of July Weekend!

This is my first shot at a slide show so I hope you all like it! I love them, saves so much room!
We had a great weekend with our great friends the Proctor family and we had my niece Megan for the weekend! We have known the Proctors for years now, from Wyview when we were in school at BYU. Thank Heaven those days of school are over, but we just love the Proctors. It is going to be hard to move away from all the great friends we have!
The girls loved the fireworks so much, even the little dorky ones that we did at our house. I guess I did too as a kid. Sparklers are always a big hit! Then Mattie took the girls to a nice hillside where they could watch all the BIG fireworks--- I went to bed!!
The next day we went up to my Mom and Dad's house and had a little BBQ and played in the pool until the kids, I mean the parents had had enough! It was a great weekend!

Indiana Here We Come!!

Our family is about to make a big change! We are moving to Indiana! Matt got a new job out there and is so excited about it. We are really happy that we are going to get to live pretty close to our family back there. For our 8 years of marriage, we have always been far away from them and it will be wonderful to be able to be so close! The kids are excited that they will get to see Grandpa and famous Uncle Ed any time they want. They keep talking about all the cousins and family that they usually only see once a year.

I don't think that they understand though, that it means they won't be seeing my family who they are so used to seeing whenever they want! I think it will be a real shock for them once we get out there. My kids have been blessed with Oma and Papa nearby and have very strong relationships that I know the kids rely on. Taite and my Mom especially have a really strong connection. I've never seen anything like it, Taite loves her Oma more than any kid I've ever seen love a grandma.

We feel really good about this move though and feel impressed that this is the right thing for our family. I guess that is how it is supposed to go, making hard decisions and relying on faith make you stronger. I believe it will be great for us!

I love my family so much and it will be hard for me too to be so far away. My parents and I are very close and I get so sad just thinking about the distance. I have never really lived outside of Utah, except briefly at the beginning of our marriage, so I guess this might be a shock for me too! I love change though and I am still excited for this new experience heading our way.
There is one very, very ugly part about this new adventure... we are going to be living in the Fighting Irish territory!! That's right, my children will grow up surrounded by Notre Dame fans. We will have to make a trip to the BYU bookstore and load up on clothes and hats I guess!

Here are some of our fun summer pictures so far!

Ellery came up to me yesterday and asked me, "Mom, after Indiana, where do you want to move?"
I said, "Moving is hard so I hope we stay put a while, but someday I want to come back here to Utah! I bet you kids will go to College here."
She looked at me and said "Maybe we could think about China!"


Bailey- "Mom, I have another stinkin' Kangaroo sore in my mouth!!"
You mean Canker sore Bailey!!



We had dinner over at our friend's house the other day, the Olsen fam. Taite became a little obsessed with Hans, Matt's teammate. We have hung out at their house before, but for some reason she was glued to Hans. She was playing with the kids, but every time they passed through the room, she had to come and give him a hug and sit on his lap for a minute. It was cute, her first crush I guess.