Sometimes is gets old being the new person. Sometimes you just want to be with people who know you and understand you, who you can relax with and be yourself. Because they know who yourself is. So you don't have to talk about where you moved from and how many kids you have and what your husband does. You can just sit and be together and be comfortable and talk about anything.

It's just nice sometimes to be around people who know

-I think being a mom is the best job ever
-I love to spend time with my kids
-I have the record at Wii Hula Hoop
-I love to read whenever I can. especially non-fiction, and they don't tell me that's boring
-I have a best friend that lives in Australia and one in Santaquin
-I love being in the primary,
-I can play the piano,
-I am obsessed with my house appearing tidy and keeping anything remotely like clutter out,
-Taylor and I wrote to each other while he was on his mission, and got married 9 weeks after he got home,
-I drove to a dealership 50 minutes from my house just to get a green van,
-I am an advocate of natural childbirth
-I love and insist on eating whole, natural food, but
-I still have a bowl of ice cream almost every night (Blue Bell, mmm)
-I love Texas,
-I love being hot
-I love swimming,
-I make my own bread, yogurt, and granola
-I think the color orange is the best ever,
-I am currently obsessed with pink, hot pink,
-I can paint a room really, really fast,
-I am a horrible driver and hate driving especially at night,
-I had terrible vision but just got lasik,
-I used to bite my nails since I was 10 but have finally stopped, almost,
-I made the quilt on our bed but still haven't taken time to bind it (2 years later),
-I get airsick,
-I love cotton candy (its wholly sugar right)
-I went to BYU and got a degree in Business Management, Entrepreneur emphasis hence the small business Snuggle Bumper,
-I am a super tight wade,
-I hate birthday parties for my kids on account of all the cheap gifts,
-I listen to Christmas music in the summer if I can get away with it,
-I really don't like Halloween,
-I like to sleep a lot and prefer 9 hours, but
-I would rather get up early then sleep late (late being any time after 7:30 am) and so I am going to bed now.

But it's also nice to meet new people and make new friends. To learn new things and have new experiences. To meet people who teach you something you may never have learned otherwise. To remember what it feels like to be uncomfortable and awkward so you don't forget to include those who feel the same. To redecorate a new house and throw out all your old junk. To get closer together as a family and to bond in new ways with the ones you love most. To spend more time at home and being together. To realize your kids are some of your best friends. To find new wonders and love new places. To make another space where you belong.

Front Flips

While in Utah the boys both learned to do flips on the trampoline. When we got to the Harveys we were home alone for a couple of days, but I wanted the tramp up for the boys to have something to do so I put the entire thing up by myself. If you've ever put up a tramp then you can be amazed. It was extremely difficult and took me 2 days to complete the task. On the third day I woke up and was unable to move my arms.

But it was all worth it...

Houston

As we reached the edge of The Woodlands I told Taylor, "I have been waiting for this moment for over 2 years." Driving past all the familiar sites into Imperial Oaks made it feel like we had never left. We spent a fun evening with the Larsens. Then headed over to the Frosts.

The boys had such a blast sleeping in Adam and Michael's room, I think they were in heaven with the older boys talking to them and asking questions. Matthias kept running and round the room until like 9 pm. I asked him to please remember to stay in bed and he said, "But I keep getting distracted." Hannah slept horribly as always when not in her bed.

Nannette and I did the Imperial Oaks garage sale Saturday morning and then headed up to the Frosts' land. It was so beautiful and peaceful up there. We were really excited to get the chance to head up. Taylor dug a stump out with a back hoe, did some grouting. The boys learned how to drive 4-wheelers. James rode a few feet and decided he was done. After trying to keep Matthias to riding with Ellie I let him get on alone and he was off in a flash whizzing over hills and around corners. Then he and Ellie took turns driving each other around. After a couple hours James decided he could do it to and was driving around just as well.







While Joe and Taylor did the grouting, Nannette and I took the kids over to the island they own. The kids enjoyed riding on the lake and putting their hands/feet/oars in the water. They were catching leaves and sticks all the way back.

Then we drove down to the Hales' to hang out for the evening. It was so relaxing and fun to be with Mandy and Jimmy again...just feels like getting together with family. We just sat around and talked and played. The Griffins came over and the kids had a blast in the yard for hours while we all chatted. It was so fun being with such great friends again!

We're glad to be so close and hope to visit a lot. I love Texas.

Hannah's New Pinafore

A friend commented on Hannah's old pinafore at the park a couple weeks ago and I realized it was way too small. So I immediately created a new one.

The best part is when I put it on Hannah and told her we had to take pictures she promptly stood just like this next to the sofa.


And I told her to turn around...


And to crawl up the stairs so I could get a cute shot of the back...


And on and on. Pretty much I think I have taken her picture a little too often...

Cousin Sleepover

Since we were in Utah during August this summer we made it to the annual Cousin Sleepover. This is the first time Matthias and Hannah have been; James was 19 months last time we made it. So all the kids were thrilled with the idea of sleeping in my Aunt's backyard with NO tents!

And the sleepover did not disappoint. Tons of kids everywhere, sleeping bags thrown all over the yard, plus a parade before (which they got to be in!), lots of food/treats/candy, tons of goodies like glow bracelets/visors/stuffed animals, a carnival the next day over at the town hall. With a bounce house (that Matthias collapsed...). Rides on a four wheeler courtesy of my cousin Ryan.

I was worried about Hannah since we'd been in Utah for a week so far and she was completely into the "Let's scream 4 times a night at the top of our lungs for no reason". So imagining this and like 60 of my relatives laying on the grass in the backyard I was not very excited. But she slept perfectly through the night. I don't think she even moved at all let alone make any sound.

The kids were in heaven. We spent Friday evening and all day Saturday. We'll have to not wait 4 years before going again. If we can convince Taylor to deal with 2 bathrooms and 60 plus people...

Found On A Little Trail

The first couple of days after we moved here the rain was pouring down. One morning we went for a walk in the rain and found Foalt, (acronym for Found On A Little Trail, named by James).

We kept him for two days. Then I convinced the boys to let him go since we couldn't get him to eat anything. Shortly after letting him out in the yard we read a book James picked up at the library about turtles. We found out in the book that turtles can go for days without eating.

James: "See mom, he was just going for days without eating!"

"We're playing moving" --Matthias

This morning Matthias arranged a game of moving. I came out of my room to find he and Hannah had packed up all the dishes and food in her play kitchen and were starting in on Matt's toys.

After I put a limit to the amount of items they could pack, they loaded everything into a moving truck and had me drive them to South America.

Is this a normal game for 3 year olds to play or is this telling me something??