I'm Awesome Like That.

Today Jake and I managed to move all that we believe we will need for 2-4 weeks into my parents home. . Even just that much moving was daunting. A small breakdown from me in the morning and Jake agreed skip some work and to help me at lunch make this small move. Should make the next two days of packing and cleaning the house that much easier to not be in the house.

After the kids were bathed and bed ready, we left them in grandmas care and decided we would go work at the house just the two of us.

These days we are calling that a date.

So we picked up some Coke and Ice for the evening and had big plans of getting most the rest of the house packed. Sounds romantic huh?

Well keep reading- things got pretty hot!

After about an hour of packing, some neighbors stopped by to talk. We visited with them. While we were visiting I smelled some burning, but I figured it was the just the smell from the oven I had put on "self clean" earlier that day. Our neighbors left and we continued packing and sorting in the living room. I kept smelling burning, finally I couldn't ignore it longer and was sure something was melting in the dishwasher or something. I went into the kitchen. We had been in the living room for well over an hour now. We couldn't see into the kitchen with out going in it because boxes are pilled so high on the counters.

Boxes were pilled high on the oven too.

Big mistake.

As I came into the kitchen I immediately discovered what was melting.

A box of kitchen stuff, a table cloth, some rags, a pack of matches, and some packing materials.

They were in full flames in the kitchen.

I screamed Jake's name several times. He didn't come running like I had hoped. By this time I had the sink sprayer on and was trying to put out the flames. Finally after I scream "Fire" Jake comes to assist.

With the two of us spraying the sink water and picking up the burning mass and placing it directly in the sink, we were able to get the fire out. It was about now all the fire alarms started to go off.

Apparently an hour or so earlier when I had stacked a box on the oven, it hit the knob, turned the range on and the box caught on fire. On the oven also happen to be rags, a plastic table cloth and a pack of matches, and some packing materials. The perfect concoction for house fire.

Thankful we caught it early, and that it didn't damage the house, we cleaned up the mess (just what we needed -more mess) and repacked the burned boxes, and finally got the smoke alarms to shut off after about 20 minutes.

We packed up a bit more, then came home.

I showered the smell of smoke off me. I needed to shower anyways as that was not something I had managed to get done during my busy day.

Lesson- don't stack boxes on the oven.

I'm just awesome like that.

Goodbye to the Nest

street view.

The backyard.

family room in basement.
play area in basement
office in basment

stairs from kitchen area to basement
out to garage
kitchen and dinning


dinning room we used for desk and bookshelves
front door entry
front living room
downstairs 1/2 bath
M's room-

Kid's Bathroom
Kate and Sam's room
Master Bedroom

master bath

We have to be out of the house on Friday. The new owners will be here at 9:00 am. At the moment the house doesn't even resemble our home as it is filled with boxes and in chaos. In order to finish the packing and cleaning we are going to stay with my mom for the rest of the week, and come over and finish after the kids are in bed each night.

Saying goodbyes is not easy. We feel like we have been doing to for a few weeks now, and it is exhausting. And saying goodbye to the house is on the list of hard goodbyes.

We moved into this home mid Nov 2006. I was half way through a pregnancy and anxious to

be in a home so I could create a space to bring my 1st born home to. We had not even learned the new babe was a girl yet. We bid on the house in a silent auction, offering $246,000. Now that seems ridiculous, but it was a different time, and it was the only livable house we had found for under $300,000 in Heber at the time. I can still remember going to see a home we though might be a possibility listed at $215,000. From the outside it looked decent, but the inside didn't even have a floor, just dirt, and no recognizable kitchen or bathroom. Needless to say when we walked through this foreclosure, we happily bid that amount. And we didn't even actually win the auction, but the people who did weren't able to get the deal closed, and it was offered to us. We felt to lucky. I remember Jake came to lunch at my mom's, and when he told me I jumped up and threw myself around him pregnant and all I was so pleased. We moved in, the home had a lot to do, but we were excited about it. The 1st time we walked through it after it was ours I told Jake "I can't believe how big it is" and I had totally forgotten there was an unfinished basement too. We happily lived in the finished 1600 square feet and slowly finished that basement ourselves. By the time all 2400 square feet were finished our three children and all their stuff had filled the house just fine, we were starting to feel like we might like a bit more room even.

The 1st surprise of the new house was that the garage door wasn't automatic. That was changed the 1st week. The the water heater and kitchen sink both broke within the 1st week. Next we started with a fence and lawn. Though the home was four years old, it had not been landscaped. We painted rooms, finished a bedroom in the basement, and of course there were tons of small repairs along the way. The new light fixtures, kitchen sink, cabinet hardware.Then came the dreaded tile of most the main floor, a bathroom remodel,new blinds and screens, and eventually the completion of the family room in the basement. It changed the way we lived- no more toys every where. Then new appliances and lots of decorating. And new carpet for most the house. This past spring it started to feel like we had imagined it could.

I named the house the nest this past year. When the birds again built a huge nest on the front porch. It seemed fitting not only because of the bird nests, but because it was where all three of the children came home from the hospital too. When we moved in we had no children, and now leaving it we have three. Three children in just five short years. With all the newborn memories, it can't be named anything else. Though Jake says we should call it "stairway to heaven" because of the millions of stairs we feel like we are constantly climbing in a three story house. I think leaving the house full of all our children's memories will be sad for me. I don't remember things that well, but when I glance at the stairs I can remember Kate climbing them when she was just 8.5 months old. I can remember laying next to her for months on end for our afternoon nap on the couch when I hear the gate slam because of the wind. When I see the glass sliding door, I have all kinds of memories of Kate and Sam staring out at the dog. When I look at the tile floor I remember we did that when Sam was just a few weeks old, and we could do it because he was such an easy baby. The current nursery reminds me of how happy Sam would be in his crib when I would come to get him after a nap. In the driveway I can picture Sam dressed up for Halloween as a fireman. Marianne won't have too many memories here. Perhaps my bedroom and the hours I spent sleeping there before and after she was born, so sick I felt like I was going to die and the bathroom where I took two or even three showers a day just to feel kind of normal during her pregnancy. A short memory of her happy in our master bathtub, and laughing at herself in the big mirror. And oh the office, which gave us Jake everyday all day long. And how awesome it feels to know he is downstairs. I won't hear his muffled voice through the floor when he is on the phone, or get a skip in my step when I hear him open his office door to come up for lunch. The sound of airplane over head in the summer mornings as the kids played in their pool and I tended the garden, shouldn't be missed too much.

It is funny how many gifts we have to leave behind too as we move. The tree Jake bought and planted for my birthday, the tile floor was a mother's day gift, the super powered shower head another mother's day, the painted office I did for Jake as gift, the stainless appliances we got each other for Valentine's Day. How silly.

This was the 3rd time we attempted to sell the home. The 1st time I can't really remember I just know that we did. The 2nd time was shortly after Sam was born. Jake was not loving his job, and we figured there wouldn't be another one for him in Heber. We had the house under contract, but after something like 45 days if fell through and we didn't want to start over. Jake's own business was starting to take off around now too, and the 1st thoughts of quitting his law job came. A few months later he would decide to go for it and we wouldn't be moving after all. This time it sold ridiculously fast, faster then we expected or even wanted.

As we pack and clean it is crazy how much stuff we have now. I guess adding kids, 3 kids, will do that to us. We have only moved once in our marriage, from our Provo House to this home. We don't like moving. It is hard work.

Jake says he has never really like this house, because it trapped us for so long. We couldn't sell it, refinance, or leave because it wasn't worth nearly what we paid or owed on it. It still is not even close, but I guess now we are at a point where we can afford to take the loss. I'll be sad though. I like my house. Sure it is not my favorite style, the yard is a little small, and I do hate all the stairs. But it has been such a wonderful , safe, warm home for me and all my babies. I'll miss it.

Goodbye Nest. I'm sure when we are in town to visit we will drive by and wave hello- and see if the new owners are keeping you as kindly as we did.

Thanksgiving Week

M's 1st Thanksgiving. She is such a chubster. We had a very low key but lovely thanksgiving. Dee and Drew and Declan joined our little family of five. We had all the main Thanksgiving dishes, but many I cheated on and purchased as most the house- including most the pots and utensils are packed up. In the morning Jake played Turkey Bowl with friends, and is still limping after the almost three hours of what he says was one of the funnest football games of his life. The kids made simple Thanksgiving decorations for the table and I browsed Black Friday deals while we watched the Macy's Parade. I made our small turkey in the crock pot, and our stuffing was from a box, we ate off paper plates. Then we visited to a background of football games. Quiet but very relaxing. I had the silly idea that I would hop over to Wal-mart just for fun. But it was not fun. It nearly gave me a panic attack so after wandering around for a while I just left empty handed. The crowds and lines and missed sleep just didn't seem worth saving $100.

Today we had the chance to go to our nieces baptism in Alpine. After followed a lunch with friends and family. We can't get enough of you Lind family, thank you for adopting us into your awesome family. We never wanted to leave- and not just because our house is a chaotic mess of boxes. As we were driving home, with two of three kids asleep, drinking our ice soda with the heater on full blast even though it is almost 60 degrees outside we couldn't believe our luck, that we still had a whole weekend ahead of us.

Good thing to because we have lots to do.

The Thanksgiving Break sure felt like a treat.
Almost big enough to sit in the bumbo. This angel is so sweet I hate that I just can't cuddle her all day long. She's so happy, missed naps and feedings late, she rolls with it. I can't believe how happy her smiles and coos make me. I call her my angel, partly because she is such a good baby, and I think partly because she seems so good next to Kate and Sam on days when they won't stop fighting or complaining.Getting a story from Dad
The kids have been such helpful packers. They actually like to pack with me, use the taping machine, etc. Tonight we cleaned out the kitchen cabinets. They helped put stuff in the boxes, wipe them out, then crawled inside and used them the rest of the night as play houses.

Snow Day

Just some backyard fun in the snow. Got to get all the snow in before we leave for sunny CA in just two weeks. When I was there this week the birds were chirping, the leaves had mostly not even changed colors yet and it was 70 one day. That is a little ridiculous.

Life In Between

Kate asks to get her hair done in twisties in prep for the Primary Program the next morning. She did so well reciting Moses 1:9 but couldn't even see over the stand. It was fun to watch. I teared up, and Jake commented that he didn't think he would be that parent that can't stop looking at his kid even though she is just singing with 80 other kids, but he was. She had double duty this Sunday and gave a cute talk about being reverent with our hands in Primary too.
The kids color non stop. They are getting really good and play coloring so well together for hours on end.
Sometimes I remember to have a picture taken of me to document that I actually am in this family too, there are just no pictures of me.
M constantly sucks her thumb. She loves it. She is such a pro and getting it which I think it good coordination for a just three month old. She is a better sleeper now that she sucks her thumb too and usually is only up once a night.

Tiny Traveler

M and I were jet setters this week. With a quick trip to see what our new life looks like in person.

She was the best tiny traveler I could have asked for. This is her at the airport waiting with me. Though she lost out on a lot of sleep, she was still the perfect angel. We had a great flight there, even though we had a 2 hour layover. Luckily our late night seat was next to a granny who happened to also be a twin and loved babies. She was understanding of the few cries, and attempted to be super helpful. When we were getting off, some business man said to me that he flies three times a week for work and had never seen an infant do so well. On our trip back home the airline attendee tracked us down while we were waiting at the gate and bumped us to a direct flight at no extra charge because there was an open seat so instead of getting home at midnight we got home at eight. Seriously flying with her was such a breeze. In fresno, it was kind of special to be able to give her some much attention. We even took a nap one afternoon together. Another morning, grandma watched M and I ran some Christmas errands. It was only two days, but I felt so relaxed. It was such a great trip. Then I returned to a house in chaos mid packing, two more children with needs, and the stress of buying a home and moving. I kind of with M and I were back on vacation.

New Love

There is a new love in my life.

His name is Austin.

We met online, and though we've never met face to face, I sneak minutes here and there through out the day looking at the 30 pictures or so I have of him.

And he is oh so charming.

I find myself falling asleep thinking about what my new life will look like with him.

And I have decided to fly on an airplane next week to meet him.

Want to see?

Careful- you might just fall in love with him too. And he is mine.

Are you loving this scandalous news for your Friday afternoon?

Well take a look at the best picture I have on him.

Austin

The name or at least temporary name for our new house.- it is just the street name. That is how Jake and I reference homes so we can talk about them through the buying process.

He is not ours just yet- we won't close until Dec 13. So some paper work and some hoops to go. But it feels so good to have this currently under contract. We can't wait.

He is more than we had hoped for. With incredible perks like being able to walk to three playgrounds, the elementary school and our ward building. We can't even walk to our ward building here in Utah. A gorgeous wrap around porch, and gated pool made him the one that stole our hearts.

Don't you like the turquoise?

I can't wait to give you the full tour.

Have You Heard?

We are moving.

Yes, it is true.

When?

in about 24 days, but whose counting?

We've known for about 20 days that we would be, but wanted to be more sure our contract for the sale of our home wouldn't fall through, we've had that happen before and we are starting the feel like the kids who cry" we are moving to California"

Where?

Good question. We wish we knew. We will be moving to the Fresno area somewhere. It is where Jake is from, and we have always wanted to try it out for our family. Since Jake can really work from anywhere and we don't have a job holding us in place and now that we have sold our home, we don't have a home holding us in place either and our kids are not in school yet it seems like the perfect time to make the jump. Those 3.8% interest rates don't hurt either.

Why?

Another good question.

For fun?

Doesn't it sound fun to pack up your entire house and three kids including a new baby.

Time of your life right?

Really it started about 4 months ago. We are always on the hunt for homes, and happened to find the perfect house for us in Fresno. And another back up house that we also really liked. But I couldn't fathom moving 8 months pregnant, or with a newborn. When M was about two months old we decided we could start trying to make the move- our dream house was still on the market after all. So we cleaned up the house and yard and listed it on the Utah MLS. Mind you our hopes were set low. This would be the 3rd time in five years we have tried to sell out home. Without being able to. We set our expectations low and decided we would be willing to walk away from the 20% down payment we put down in 2006 and the over $30,000 in improvements and repairs, and would just be happy if we didn't owe anybody after the sale of the home. So we set the price at very reasonable. We didn't expect we would find the perfect buyer for months, maybe the spring. Not with almost 30 brand new homes for sale in our neighborhood listed for a similar price. It was listed for about five days. We showed it three times the 1st weekend it was up for sale. By Saturday night we got a call. The 1st people that had walked through had made an offer. It was decent. And we just accepted it. Even though it gave us 40 days to get a new house, pack and get out. I'll admit our house was spotless, organized, and beautiful that weekend. I don't know why I thought it would take so long to sell.

Then we started stressing out like crazy.

Two days later, as we were preparing an offer, the house we had hoped to buy sold... after being on the market for something like seven months. How is that for luck. Bad luck I mean.

In the mean time we have been out to Fresno searching for a new home and scouring the Fresno MLS listing every morning for new postings. But nothing seems to compare to the 1st house, the house we actually put our house up for sale to try and buy. We do have an offer in on a nice home in Clovis, CA, just outside of Fresno, and have put in a backup offer on the dream house that is under contract. Perhaps we will know more in a few days. We do feel blessed to have been able to sell our home. We are sad to leave but also very excited. We also wish we knew where we were going to go.

We are in the process of packing. It will take a lot to pack up our home. And packing helps us feel less stressed, like we are at least getting something done.

I was so stressed about not knowing where our family would go that I was only sleeping like four hours a night. But now I'm trying to be done with that all. In the end just because we have always been home owners since before we were married even, we don't have to be. We are now starting to consider renting or living with some or both of our parents temporarily until we find the perfect place.

We will soon have 2400 square feet of our furniture and stuff packed into a truck or storage unit with no where to be delivered, and three children living out of duffle bags.... just in time for Christmas.

With all the stress and worry, and saddness to leave family, friends and place we have loved to be- We are excited for something new. New people, new homes, new dreams. We are excited to finally try Fresno out as we have attempted to move the California now five times in the 8 years we have been married, and never had it work out. We are really determined to make it work out this time.

So we are jumping in with both feet, and about 35 rolls of packing tape.

Being a Mom

Some days I feel like a pro at mothering.

Today I woke up at five- well a hungry baby woke me up. When she was full and back to bed, I baked muffins, did the laundry, mopped the floor, edited some pictures for my sister, and browsed around facebook and pinterest before the rest of the family woke up.

I managed to vaccum the house, run an errand, host a mutual activity, do more laundry, clean up the backyard before the snow covers everything, and get all three of my children's digital photo books up to date before the evenings end.

On top of it all, my children didn't fight too much and are hilarious and awesome- their latest adventures include making the living room chairs into a tent, getting flashlights and hiding from bears and other woodland animals, while sleeping in blankets and pillows they turn into sleeping bags. And did you see the video I posted of them quoting scripture? They are so awesome.

The new little one is a smiling fool too. We love it.

Oh and have I mentioned how I can now nurse a baby while walking up the stairs. I'm not saying it is the safest or smartest thing to be doing, but it is happening at least once a day around here.

You heard me.

Nursing while walking up the stairs.

Sometimes I don't feel like a pro at mothering.

Like last week when I attempted to run the errand I managed to do today. It was all I wanted to accomplish that day. So I loaded the kids in the car, drove to Provo with all three kids, unloaded the children out of the car and into a cart and walked into a store. 45 seconds at the store and the kids in and on the cart, knock it over, everyone falls out and is crying and hurt. Thankfully M is in her car seat and though her car seat falls to the tile floor and least she is protected. Sam is under the cart and Kate seems to be mostly unharmed. after I have determined there are no broken arms and find my cell phone which went flying under a display and of course console all the crying children, we walk back to the car and decide to try another day.

What was that.... 45 seconds in a store?

Yup.

The best part. As we are driving home Kate whips out a princess hair clip and tells me " Look what I sneaked out of the store". Apparently she deemed the chaos the perfect time to swipe something she had her eye on. And instead of making her return it, I just take it away and tell her I will take it back another day.

I'm not going back to the store now, and not later either, not for an item that was less than a $1. How is that for great teaching moments to my children and awesome mothering?

You are welcome for the laugh.

I'm just grateful I had today.