February

Well, our big news this month is that we are moving. We put our house up for sale in the middle of January. I had to keep the house clean and ready in case anyone wanted to see the house. I got a system down cleaning it and making cookies 10 minutes before so the house smelled good, and I left out the cookies for people walking through the house. The first week or so we had maybe five showings. Then it slowed down for a few weeks. Then one day in the middle of February, someone walked through the house and 15 minutes after, my agent called and said they were going to make an offer. I was stunned. I wasn’t ready for that. But, it was too low for us anyway, so we countered expecting them NOT to accept. They did (but put in the offer that I had to give the cookie recipe). I was really stunned. So stunned I cried and cried. I wasn’t ready, prepared, or expecting anything and then to all of the sudden give up our home to someone else? We have worked on this home for years making it so nice, adding special features, and working on the garden. Now we won’t have that! It really was a hard day. But, I quickly pulled myself together and realized this is meant to be.

We had been looking at homes, and we continued looking that weekend, but we never found anything we liked that had everything we wanted in the neighborhood we wanted, etc. We had played with the idea of building, so we continued down that path and there was a lot in a nice neighborhood in Riverton. The area is really nice, it is close to the High School, 3 minutes from the hospital, 5 minutes from a great shopping center, 6 minutes from two different temples, and Jazzercise is just around the corner.  We drove through the area again and again and really liked it. The builder was nice and we could tell built great houses. There were other lots that we had considered, and drove past them and both Scott and I on our own felt that those weren’t where we were supposed to end up.

We fasted and prayed about it and felt good about it. So now we are building our home! We’ve been working on the plans—we changed a few things: added another bedroom upstairs, made the mud and laundry rooms much bigger, and other little changes. I think it will be a great home. Now we are waiting on the engineer and permits and then they will begin digging the hole! It is quite a process, but it is fun, too. The basement won’t be finished, but still, you are all welcome to visit—you could help us finish the basement… 

During all this time getting our home sold, etc, other normal life has happened. Weston was part of the science fair. He had signed up to do it, but once we decided to sell our home, things got busy and we dropped the idea of getting involved. Then, one week before the fair, his teacher informed him he had to do it since he signed up! So we quickly pulled together a study of whether people wish they would have taken or continued to take piano lessons. He received a third prize ribbon and a certificate! I am so proud of him for working on it, and truly, I did a lot, but made him do most of the work in the end—it really wasn’t a mom doing a science fair project (and you could tell….). Weston has also been reading. He finished all the Harry Potter books! He started in June of 2011 and finished in January of 2012. That is about one book a month! He loves the books and is reading some of them over again. His favorite is book seven, and four is close behind. We are trying to get him started on new series. Any suggestions?

Aidan is doing marvelous in music. He has learned to play blocked and broken chords and is experimenting playing them in minor and finding his own things to play. I am so impressed with this program and I am glad our new home won’t be far so he can continue. He is flying through reading levels as well—in the past few weeks he has gone up three levels. Their school has a math program called Rocket Math that he is flying through as well. In order to advance each level, they are timed and must do a certain number of problems and each time he passes the level on the first try. He loved Valentine’s day this year—with only one girlfriend, Chloe. He made each valentine and put special thoughts into each one. He is good that way about giving people meaningful things.

Brennan is a crack up! He has said the funniest things:

He was eating ice cream and said, “I have a freeze tag!” (instead of brain freeze)

We were reading about Ammon cutting off the arms in the BOM Reader, and he looked for the arms in the picture, saw them and said, “Them arms is high fiving!”

He wanted a toothpick and asked for a “pickstick” (a better name, I think).

He was eating a sweet candy and it was too sweet, but he said “It is too candy-ish-ish”.

When he grows up he wants to be a cake mixer.

And he wants to go golfing, “you know when you get a stick and golf a ball into a hole.”

Elise is trying to be a big girl—she wants to wear underwear, and has made a few successes into the toilet. In fact, last night she wanted underwear instead of diapers and Scott put them on her, thinking he would change her into a diaper, but then forgot. This morning I went into a DRY bottom girl! But then she wouldn’t sit on the toilet and she eventually peed her pants. Eh, little steps. She is becoming so independent. She tries to dress herself—she tried to put on tights and had three pair on. She loves pink and choses all pink clothes or frilly girly dresses. She also tries to get herself food—getting into the pantry, the dishes, and the fridge.

I really love my new calling in the primary. I have done some cute activities that I think the kids really love. My favorite thing is when the boys tell me that they think I did a good job in singing time. I did a great activity with a homemade Plinko game. Scott got the calling of ward website administrator. He takes it very seriously. Please, if you haven’t already, update your family information on your ward website. 

Scott and I met on a blind date ten years ago this month. We celebrated by going to a show at the Covey Center for the Arts in Provo. Four short plays all named “Blind Date”. It was a great production. It was a great month of LOVE and happiness!