Jan 31 2013

Today we took our kids to the circus.
I'd never been to any kind of circus.  And the fact that the circus was coming just a few miles from our house seemed like an good enough reason to go.  Anxious to not miss out I went right at the door opening because I had not been able to get tickets online, and easily got tickets then saved seats until Jake brought the kids.   When I got there, I was fighting maybe ten other people for tickets and seats.  I guess I over estimated the popularity of a class C circus in town.  Amy, Jeff and their kids had made plans to come to the circus too, so it made it extra fun to all be together.
The kids had no idea what a circus was I don't think.  Though they use to love to watch Dumbo.
But when they walked in there were several elephants around so I think they were willing to go with it.
Marianne was delighted at first.  Talking and pointed at the elephants.  Jake offered up the seat he had so I could sit by her knowing how much I wanted her to have a happy time and enjoy her happiness.  It lasted for a minute anyway.
From an adults perspective the Jordan Family Circus was a very sad circus, with few animals and some sad performers.  But as a child, I imagine that it was pretty special, which is just what I wanted for them.  Sam liked the tigers most.  Kate  liked the gymnastic girls.  Marianne didn't tell us but the only time she sat still for even a minute was either when she got to sit with uncle Jeff, or when the elephants were out.  or when he Dad got her a snow cone.
During the intermission the kids rode a camel.  They thought it was pretty great.  I should have just let them ride the elephant but it was like ten more dollars, and the circus was quickly coming to a very expensive evening.  The camel was less expensive, and had a shorter line.  But in retrospect, I feel bad.  I mean when do you get to ride an elephant.  I guess a camel is pretty cool anyway though.
Of course there were lots of snow cones and cotton candy too.  Sam and Kate had lots of great reactions, especially when dogs jumped rope, a guy did tricks on his bike and well were generally excited about everything happening.   I sat next to Sam for a while.  He would wide eyed tell me about this and that while shaking his head as in "can you believe it"  Kate sat with Kaylie for a little while and I overheard and saw her talking about something with her eyes wide and her arms outstreched trying to explain something.
My kids are so special.  I love doing special thing for them.  Of course the minute we got home everyone fell apart.  Dinner was held off too long replaced with circus food.
But  I felt so lucky today to be able to all spend the afternoon and evening all together, having fun doing something memorable.
Jake and I were talking last night.  It has been around 45 days since a child of ours had a doc appointment. that has not happened it over a year.  Well over a year.  Maybe a a year and a half.  It feels worth celebrating.... like with a day at the circus.

January 30, 2013

Some how life changes but repeats itself.  Was not this what the Spring of 2011 looked like for me.  Except Kate was the one on the computer playing Yo-Gabba Gabba, Sam was the one napping.  I'm still the one laying next to the computer player.
Just like when I was pregnant with Marianne, I look forward to afternoon nap time.  Kate is at school in the afternoon, and as soon as we get her on the bus, we put Marianne down for her nap and Sam and I cuddle up.  Sometimes on the couch, sometimes in my bed.  He brings my computer and I grab an hour nap, or just lay there listening to him play.  Bonus.  He thinks this is the best part of the day too, and if our afternoon does not include this he is disappointed.  Sometimes we call it "mom school" because we start by writing our letter or learning about something he wants to, or something I think he might like.
It is always so crazy how well the kids navigate the computer.  Without my help Sam changes from game to game, and needs no help figuring out how to play each one.  He might color a picture and press print- then run to see if it came out of the printer so he can hang it on the fridge.  Or play a game with levels and spelling and tell me all about it.

It is not all laying around on the computer and taking naps.  Although mornings are still rough... and sometimes those rough morning last until 1:00.  Lately I've found some small piece of energy to get something done during the afternoon and evening.

We've been organizing closets.  Including washing all the new babies clothes up, putting her new crib together and hopefully finishing the girls room up in the next week or so, then I can put it to rest knowing things are ready for her and move onto other projects.  We've some how kept on top of the laundry.  Meaning that other than a small load in the dryer... there is no laundry to wash, fold or put away.  This alone is a small miracle because for the past few months I've just let it pile up wash it then put it in another pile... sometimes just in the living room, and then when we need clothes we just "get it out of the piles"  That is what I always tell the kids.  Not right now. My kids are being bathed more than twice a week,  I scotched gaurded all the new furniture and rain-exed all the glass in the bathrooms just like pinterest told me too... I've been shovelling the snow, and I'm about 203 pages more up to date on my digital scrapbooking than I was last week. With only about 300 more to go.  And today... instead of computer/ nap time Sam I started some bulk cooking, making some breads to eat and some to freeze, more home made taco seasoning than we could possibly use in the next year, and home made chicken noodles soup for dinner.

Bonus things are getting done on top of all that.  I hired a mother's helper, a college girl home for the semester, who comes once or twice a week for a couple of hours and does whatever I ask.  Which is awesome.  She was a young woman in our ward, and it is great to have somebody I know and trust to help me with the house and kids and errands, especially while on top of normal everything we have been packing, unpacking, organizing, preparing for a baby and I can't really lift much.  It is a lot to manage in only after puking hours for me so I am grateful it has been working out. Today she unpacked the food storage, unpacked the games, stacked all the empty boxes, polished all the wood in the house, swept and mopped the floors, folded and put away some clothes, and did some vaccuming. In 2.5 hours.  When she comes she doubles the amount of thing I get done that day.  Hooray.  I had been demanding much to much of the kids because I needed the help.  Now I am only requiring a normal amount of work from them and I think everyone is happier because of it.

If you know much about me, you know that getting things done is key to me having a good day..
Yeah for more good days.  Or at least afternoons of naps and relaxing, then accomplishing more than we have been capable of the last few months.  It wont last long I know, my window for not feeling so horrible and not being able to even more is short so we are trying to enjoy it while we can.

Jan 27, 2013

Last night we had family movie night.  It started with homeade coconut pudding pops I made.  They were  a hit.  Marianne loved it, and was all smiles about me taking her picture when she was covered in melting pudding.  After the pops, it was baths, pj's and everyone cuddled up on the downstairs couch watching "James and the Giant Peach". It was cozy.  And it had been a long week.  So it is no surprise when Jake and I woke up more than an hour later when the movie was finished to find all three children playing around us, and discover that neither of us had lasted 15 minutes into the movie.  Good thing the door was closed, the children stayed put and mostly cared for themselves.    It wasn't like it was late either.  The movie was started before 6pm.
Funny night.
My baby girl sure is getting old... and beautiful... and funny.  Especially covered in melting pudding pop.

Jan 24, 2013

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Front porch picture.
A tradition.

t is funny to see how much different our life is from when we bought our 1st and 2nd home to our 3rd home. Mostly that we had no kids, and now we have almost 4.
We have a name for each house we've owned.  A nickname that has come one way or the other.

The first.  The bugalow of love.  It is kind of a given since we bought the house when we were engaged in June 0f 2003.  But mostly because relators and listing were always describing complete dumps as "cute bungalows"... one which we bought.  That house picture is an "after" picture obviously right before we sold it in Aug 0f 2006

The 2nd.  The Nest.  Partly because we brought three newborn babes home to the house.  And partly because birds were always nesting in our front porch.  We bought the home in Nov of 2006 when I was pregnant with Kate.  We sold it in Dec of 2011.  That is an after picture too.  That home was a forclosure and also a wreck.

The 3rd.  What will we call it?  We will just have to see.    Though the home is new, without a yard it is still a "before" picture.  We are excited for the snow to melt and to put something of our own into it.

Jan 23, 2013

Today was a crazy day. Of ups and downs I guess.
I was having a bit of post move in depression, or something.  The adrenaline of having to unpack and move wore off and I returned to my puking pregnant self, and it was a hard realization that I still don't have the energy to do all that I want and need to do.  I want to much to be a better mom- and have happy and fun moments with my kids, and I want so much to organize and complete all the projects I have had milling around in my mind for months for the new house, and the new baby.  But it turns out...moving didn't fix my exhausted puking pregnant self.
So today, when Kate was at school and Marianne was finally napping, I slept on the couch while Sam happily played the iphone for almost two hours.  At least then I felt a bit better and let the kids help me make dinner.

Kate started riding the bus this week.  She has been over the moon about getting to.  I mentioned that she was upset when I picked her up at the bus stop yesterday  (those pictures are from her first day riding the bus and waiting at the stop with Sam)  So today I figured I would just watch her get off the bus and walk to the corner all on the sidewalk and then help her cross the street,  Jake was having a bit of a meeting in his new home office, so I got the kids in their coats and boots.  Carried Marianne and Sam followed behind to try to get to the corner where we would meet her and help her cross.  As we left the front door, I could hear the kids get off the bus and start running down the side walk, but I can't actually see the bus stop from our culda sac.  I walked to the top of the culda sac and watched for her to come down the sidewalk.  I didn't immediately see her bright blue coat walking down the sidewalk, but I couldn't see very well, the side walk is a bit of a distance to the corner, and I thought perhaps she had put the coat in her backpack and I had made her wear a light coat underneath as well, and it was a warmer afternoon.  When the girls who live next store and I met on the sidewalk and I only saw what looked like a group of boys who were throwing snow at each other about five houses down from me, I asked the girls "Did you see Kate on the bus?"  They said they hadn't seen her.  Minutes suddenly seemed to be eternities as I ran (my pregnant self carrying my 18 month old and Sam running after me down the side walk) far enough to see, that she was not, with the group of boys either.  Quick thoughts.  She most likely didn't get on the bus and is waiting (likely at the office by now) for me to pick her up from school.  Or maybe she got on the wrong bus and was dropped off somewhere else.  Or maybe she got off the bus and went the wrong direction, I didn't see the kids get off after all.....  Of course I was thinking all this as i ran back to the house carrying Marianne and telling Sam to run behind me quickly. I entered the house.  Burst into Jake's office, Threw the kids at him and grabbed the keys and my phone.  As I started the car, and went to dial the school I had a message.  So I listened to it.  And thankfully it was from the transportation department telling me Kate was found on the bus as it was headed back to the place they park.  She had failed to get off at her stop,  and the driver couldn't see her because she was so small sitting behind the seat.  I imagine she was occupied with the lalaloopsy set I let her take to play with on the bus because I know that all the kids bring little things to do on the bus.  Aparently she was not worried or scared but asked the driver "did you already pass the Daniel's Canyon Ward"  The driver knew where she belonged and headed back to the stop, where I told the transportation dispatch I was waiting.  The bus pulled up a few minutes later and I got out to meet her where the woman apologized for not seeing her.  Kate was not a bit shaken by the event.  I was glad the "emergency" only lasted at most 15 minutes.   Wheew.  I guess I'll be driving or walking her to the bus stop and picking her up each day at her stop.  It is less than a half mile and there are a handful of kids that all walk the same way to the homes in our culda sac, but I guess it is too much for now.
That is the story about how Kate was lost for 15 minutes.  The only other time we have had a lost child was when Sam was 2.5 and we lost him for about ten minutes in a furniture store.  Loosing kids is the worst.

Then we came home.  Relieved, we made dinner all together. After dinner I asked Sam to do a chore and when we wouldn't stop playing with a play camera and do the chore, I took the camera away.  He got upset and started to cry.  When Marianne saw he was crying she ran to him with her arms outstretched with her hands pulling in and out in a come here motion.  Then she hugged him and patted him on the back.  It was beyond sweet of her to try and make him feel better.  Then because it made us all tell her good job and praise her she did it 15 more times, and I even took a picture.  And then we all got hugs, over and over and over again.

We went and got some more of our stuff from my parents house.  Yes we still have more stuff there.  We just have too much stuff.  We still have a truck load to get this weekend.  It seems to be taking forever.  And Kate and I headed to parent teacher conference.   On the way there she told me all about the amphibians and nocturnal animals and what makes a mammal a mammal that she had learned about today. It was a quick 15 minute meeting where she got her report card and her teacher talked about how she is doing.  To no surprise she got mostly "4's" and a few "3's" .  They have a number system where 4 is above grade average, and 3 is at grade average. It was fun to hear she is doing so well and having so much fun.  And amist the drama of the day and the minutes to talk and recognize how awesome my Kate is at her conference, it was a very emotional day with my Kate.  We snuck some ice cream just the two of us after because she asked on the way out of the meeting if she got a treat for having such a good report.  Just like her, when I pulled into the McDonalds around the corner and ordered her a M & M mcflurry without letting her order she told me "that will be much better than strawberry ice cream with strawberries on it"  which I guess is what she had in mind.  She was just saying it would be better to have a good attitude and trying to be content.

See a day of good and bad and ups and downs.

Jan 22, 2013

Kid Notes

Trying to unpack a house with a 17 month old Marianne (who has about given up naps) is of utmost difficulty. Today she has taken all the books I organized back into a pile on the floor and all the kids dishes out of the cupboard back onto the floor, and a couple drawers of clothing... back onto the floor. along with colored on a piece of furniture and made general messes wherever she goes. Tonight at dinner Sam prayed ..."bless Mary can stop being a destruco- queen..." I guess I've been saying it on repeat all day. I laughed through the rest of the prayer.

Later she broke a bookshelf and dumped cereal over the carpet.  
I was getting pretty exhuasted at this point with M She had been up until 2am the night before, her and I reading books on the floor of her room until I feel asleep on the floor and I woke up a few minutes later to her looking at Alice in Wonderland.  

Finally she started crying for her bottle around 6pm tonight.  I knew she was tired from the long night and the no nap.  I tipped her upside down playing and trying to get her to be happy.  To notice two big back top molars and an incisor.  Oh, perhaps that is why she has been so much trouble.  It surprised me because she still doesn't have her top two teeth and the other kids teeth came in order.  And now we feel bad for not giving her more sympathy.
She did finally give me a lot of sweet kisses today despite her destruction and non sleeping.
And retrieve a ball her brother was throwing each time he three it for the better part of an hour delighted he was playing with her. 

Sam's imagination has taken flight.... literally.  He found a helicopter that had been packed away.  I guess it was very missed as now it accompanies him everywhere. When I ask him to do something he says he can only if I hold his helicopter so it doesn't fly away. Today when he was setting the table he carried on fork at a time, with the helicopter in the other hand, telling me the helicopter had hooked it and was flying it to the table.  Lately too every night I tell him a story and in the morning he tells me about his dream he had that night.  It always has a character from my story- in another setting or story.  Last night a mean monkey, the night before a pirate, the night before an alligator.  Each matching the story I told him the night before with a new adventure.  Today a  monkey (who locked a cat out of their house in my story the night before) was mean and stealing Halloween candy from everyone's bag and taking all the candy out of the bowls until Dad came with a saw and sawed his arms and tummy to get him to stop.  Yikes!

Kate came home from school with a question on her mind for me.
"Who got to pick what kind of birthday you had when you were a kid, because didn't you have to share your birthday because you are a twin?"
My kids are obsessed with birthdays. 
I told her that when I was a kid birthdays didn't always have themes and that Mom's just planned birthdays for you.
She kept talking about the idea of sharing a birthday. "what if you didn't like the same kind of cake as your twin".... "what if you didn't like the same friends?".....

A few hours later she was helping me unpack some boxes.  She had still been thinking about having to share a birthday as a twin.  Then she said "Mom is that how you show your love for me.... by letting me pick and plan my birthday?" 
I was impressed she had put this together.  Impressed that she recognized something I do for her as a sign that I love her.  I'm glad she got that.
She rode the bus today for the first time.  I drove the car with all the kids to pick her up at the bus stop, which is not that close really- too far for her to walk alone.  But she refused to get in the car because the bus driver had told her to walk to her house.  After some arguing, I decided to let her walk and I would just drive behind her to make sure you knew the way (we've lived at the house a whole two days, and only walked to the bus stop once, and she is only 5)  She did fine.  She walked with a boy in her kindergarten class who lives next door.  She likes him. She talks about him all the time.  And has been looking forward to riding the bus with him.  She tried to walk with him but he didn't want to walk with her and would run ahead so he wasn't by her. When she would run and catch up, he would run again.  I felt a little bad that when she got home she got in trouble for not listening to me when I told her to get in the car, on top of the fact that the boy she likes would not walk with her... which I assume is the actual reason she didn't want to get in the car.

Funny kids.  Funny stuff.

Jan 21, 2012- HOME!

With the help of these little movers, lots of friends and my mom in particular, we got mostly moved over to the new house this week.   . We did our final walk through on Tuesday, finalized our loan the same day, and were able to get keys to the house that night. Because the builder was still finishing the wood floor we couldn't really move in, but we could hang blinds, paint rooms and move in a few things over the next few days.... and so we did.  Jake and I were a sad crew moving as I am super pregnant and Jake the night before we moved sprained his foot horribly.  Jake pushed through the pain though limping carrying box after box loading a few trailors full, then Saturday lots of friends showed up to move heavy furniture and carry things up and down stairs which neither Jake nor I can really do On Friday and Saturday we moved the majority of our belongings over, and finally Sunday night, we slept in our new house.  I was at the house Saturday alone most the day unpacking and I kept tearing up so grateful that this beautiful home is for my wonderful family.

The front of the house.  The construction zone sign and saw horses have been removed since.
Jake and I loved the beams on this house (in pictures) when we were picking out a floor plan.  We had never seen them in person on any of the builders homes and so we are glad in the end we like the way they look.  We also tried to mix box the timber style and craftsman style the builder offered for exterior styles, I was also nervous how this would look  but am very pleased with the light colors, shakes and batten board and timbers all together.

 The front porch is one of my favorite parts.  Orange Door. Cream Batten Board.  Timbers.  Can't go wrong. I can't wait to sit here in the spring and watch the kids play in the culda sace with the 14 kids under 8 that live in the other four houses.  
"Come by and say hello"  I'm going to tell everyone.  "I'm the house with the orange door that says hello"

 The kitchen and dinning area. I am so pleased with the dinning area.  In our old home the dinning area was in between the kitchen and living area and I hated having to walk through the crumbs and around the table to get around the house.  I was worried too that the dark floors and dark cabinets would be too dark, but the stainless appliances, and brushed nickel fixtures and cream counters brighten the space for now well.  All the windows don't hurt either.

Who is coming for dinner first?

I finally have space to seat an entire additional family.

 Jake trying to work in his office amist boxes.  This is really the last room that needs a lot of unpacking.  While boxes and furniture were being moved over, I was busy unpacking all the rooms.  But Jake has to do his own office- not that I am not willing to do it for him- but because he will want to do it a certain way and organize himself.  He was debating working today as it is a holiday, thinking we might do something fun.  When I said like "unpack more" when he was thinking"take kids to the museum"  he  decided he would go ahead and work today instead.  His office is one of our favorite rooms in the house too.  It is suppose to be a formal living room, but we but glass double doors on the space so that it could be used as a home office.  It has a nice vaulted ceiling, tons of sun all day and the best view of the mountains of any room.  I think it will be much better to work in than the basement.  In fact he is already "whinning"  it is too bright compared to his usual work conditions.

Living area.  You can see the kitchen in the back, the stairs that go to the basement to the right and lots more great windows.

 Living room other way.  Jake and I even had a minute last night to sit with our laptops after the kids were asleep on the couch last night side by side.... just like normal.  The kids have already taken to using the fireplace as their personal show stage.  I'm sure we will not go the duration in this house without somebody getting stitches from playing on the fireplace.

Kate and Sam's room.  They are thrilled to the moon with their room.  With their bunk bed in particular.  They didn't go to sleep until around ten last night. Then played "adventure" all morning in it. Bonus the sun comes up on the other side of the house, and I am hoping that since the sun doesn't rise in their windows like the old house we might just eeek out a few extra minutes of sleep.  Kate and Sam are excited for me to paint a wall like I told them I would and keep reminding me it is not done yet..  I set their room up and hung all their clothes and even found a few decorations I put up before we showed them the room.

Marianne's room.  Notice it is the only room that does not have gray walls  That is because mom and I painted it peach.  I'm been aching to make my girl a room seeing as how most her life thus far (she is 17 months old remember) she has shared a room with us.  Call it catching up on some nesting.  In addition she will share the room with the new babe- so I imagine I'll spend a lot of energy in the room over the coming weeks getting it just right for my girls.

Kids bathroom.  

Master Bedroom.  Can I tell you how wonderful it is to sleep in our bed.  In California we slept on the mattress on the floor, mostly because we were renting the home and I didn't want to get my nice bed and then just move it again and again and risk it ruin.  One tortuous part of moving was that we set this bed up at the beginning of moving- the three long exhausting days working and moving into the house it sat in our room, beautiful and calling our names and we couldn't just crash in it with so much to do. The room is put together, but there are still tons of boxes to unpack and decor to come, but for now it is still my favorite room in the house... did I already say that about another room.... well, the new bed, tray ceiling and mid century modern side tables and dressers I've been collecting make me melt each time I enter.  I even made the bed this morning.  

Master bath.  I showered this morning in the shower, and I almost didn't want to just because it is so perfect and clean.

Basement tv room.  Though it currently doesn't have a tv in it.

 Mud room-  This space obviously needs work, hopefully even a built in bench with hooks someday.  For now the fact that this space exists is awesome.  A dumping ground is essential to a well run home right?  Not pictures to the left and right are the laundry room and a half bath.

The kids breaking in their play room in the basement.  How would we live without a playroom in the basement?  We added the playroom and tv area in the basement last minute to be finished.  Without it the home was 1895 square feet with a 1993 square foot  unfinished basemen.t Which we would hope to finish someday soon, but would have been unused for the next several years.  Not to mention we would have to live surrounded by all those toys.  As we unpacked all the toys it is clear there are way too many.  Last minute we decided to finish 450 square feet of the basement family room and play area bringing our finished living space closer to 2400 square feet with around 1550 square feet we will have to finish on our own. That seems a little more manageable yes?   In the future we will finish what is left, the 2nd family room, three more bedrooms and a full bath.  But for now the home is very comfortable  and it is nice to know we have room to grow as our kids do.

 Jake says his favorite part of the new house in the fireplace and mantel.  Even though I am the one that insisted we add the fireplace.

 This glass cabinet is (another) one of my favorite parts of the house. It is such a small detail but I love it.  The clean glass with the pecan cabinets.

Here is the view from the backyard.  There is an (empty) field behind us... there are actually several old cars- part of a farm.   People always say how that is too bad, but really I prefer a field of ghetto cars to homes with people who can look in my backyard. Plus there will be a better fence up some day.  Plus the yard is 1/3 of an acre so there is at least some distance between us and the cars.  You can also see our new church being built next to the field.  If we were up for hopping fences in our dress clothes we would be at church in about three minutes.  Instead we will walk the street and it will take us about ten minutes. Sam was watching the excavators this morning.  The mountains aren't horrible either.

The front door view.  Yeah for the culda sac!  Great neighbors, nice mountains.  Oh what fun it will be to landscape this spring... right....and mostly letting the kids play free.

Here is the basic floor plan of the home- though several things are different including some extra square feet added to the master suite bath, a moved closet in the master suite, a different kitchen layout, and a different basement layout a bit for the finished tv and play room.

I can't even write how thrilled we all are.  To be in a place of our own again.  It has only been about 13 months since we owned a home, but it has been remarkable how much being home owners is a part of us.  We don't have much to do without yard work or home projects or browsing the aisles of home depot looking for something fun to try.  It has always been a part of us since the first fixer upper we bought before we were married and I think it is part of our couple identity.  It is so wonderful to be in a new home with nothing that needs to be done, but I am a little glad we have part of a basement to finish an large yard to work on and I'm sure other projects to personalize the home for us to work on together. It  has seemed like a long wait getting into this house, perhaps because we have been thinking about a possible forever house for a few years.  One in which our family no matter how big could fit.  A few moves to California and to my parents seem to make the 13 months seem like even more.. because who moves three times in one year?  This is the third home we have owned.  With each we have taken a picture on our closing day on the front porch.  The first home is just Jake and I looking like we are 15 or something, we are not even married yet.  The 2nd home it is just the two of us again, but you can see I look like I might be pregnant-  and I am with Kate.  We haven't taken our first front porch picture as a family yet.  But is crazy how much life has changed since the last time we bought a home.  With the last we didn't have one child yet, and this time our fourth is about to join us.  I can't wait to take the picture this week and have all the kids around us documenting how different things are this time. 

The kids keep saying funny things about the new house Sam keeps saying everything is "GORGeous"  and Kate keeps telling me "everything is new like a queen house".  I'm glad they are so happy.  I feel the same way.  That this home is more beautiful than one I could have imagined we would be so blessed to have. The first house was a super fixer upper and the 2nd was a foreclosure.  It seems so different this time.  Everything is new.  Clean.  In perfect repair.  There won't be any suprises next week when we find a leak in the roof or a broken furnace.  I won't have to live with the flooring I know somebody likely had a cat on. It is just right and just for us.  It feels so special. I'm so excited to live again like normal with my little family in this space.

Our first day in our new home seems like a great place for a new better family life.  Last night we had a family devotional which included dedicating our home, songs, talking about our family and explaining some new family rules to the kids.  Last night they were not doing very well with the new rules.  But today they are and have even reminded me when I forgot.  I feel so blessed to have a wonderful home to raise and be with my even more wonderful family.  

I have a billion more things to say on the subject of HOME.  but I'll stop for now and hopefully get some groceries to fill the pantry up....