Daily

The house is rarely free of toys and more specifically balls. He LOVES playing with them. His favorite game is to sit at the top of the stairs and throw the balls down to the person waiting at the bottom. He laughs when you fail to catch it. So I don't catch it very often. Silly Rackie.

Catching Up

This little super hero was not loving the mask when he first got here. It freaked him out and he refused to wear it.

But after seeing Rackie zooming around the house with it on he figured it must not be too bad.

He is the funniest little guy. We LOVE having him here.

This is how our days look. A whirl of color and movement that rarely stops. I am loving it and soaking up every minute.

Our Last Grandma

We have one Grandma left in our lives. Teddy is 87 years old and though she isn't as spry as she was at 75 she is still going strong!!

She lives in her own apartment and does everything for herself...except drive. But luckily she has enough friends and family around that are willing to take her where she needs to go. 

We love her so much and we are so happy that she is still around!! (On a side note...why can't my husband look this happy in our family pictures????)

That Smile

This boy has the best smile!! When he and I are talking over the phone (oovoo) and he says, "Hi, Rackie!" I melt!! Seriously I can't wait for this boy to move closer so I can hang out with him more often!!

FIRE!

Since we moved in we have wanted a fireplace. Not just for the warm ambiance it provides but for an emergency heat source. In the beginning Jim and I couldn't agree on the type. Jim wanted a stove looking fire and I wanted a traditional fireplace. Well...Jim is a good man and listens to me on design choices. I painted the wall Palladian Blue before we started leaving a square when the fireplace would be.

When the first day of the install happened I was so excited. I just wanted to see the finished product. I'm not overly patient when it comes to my projects. I had no control over the timeline and was probably a pain!! I did learn quite a bit by watching and asking a ton of questions.

As it started taking shape I started to panic. What if the tile and mantle I picked out looked terrible? What if I hated it all and was stuck with it forever!!

When the tile guy showed up (a scheduling snafu caused him to be a week late) he was very helpful! I had tried to envision how I wanted the tile laid out but I couldn't get anything to work. He suggested a couple things (including putting tile on the floor in front and where to place the accent tile) and it all fell into place.

I love it!! I am still trying to figure out the cord mess...but I have faith that it too will come together.

I am still hunting for bookcases to go on either side. I feel like we need the extra storage and it will make everything feel finished.

A Trip to Arches

So I know it has been a while since I posted. I have done so many things. Moving here has been hard. But I finally feel like I am settled (as settled as I can be without my kids). We took a trip south with our awesome friends the Palmers. Jackie and Curtis are so fun to hang out with. 

We went to Arches National Park. It was WOW!! There are so many things to see here. We came here in winter so a lot of the hikes weren't overly accessible. But we got in for free so we weren't bummed about that!!

I can't even tell you how interesting I found all the formations. They seem so random and impossible, but there they are!!

We love spending time with our friends. They are so good to us.

I love this one. It reminds me of three sisters standing watch over the others.

Here is Delicate Arch. You can see the tiny people below it. We were told that the hike was icy so we didn't try it. Next time we will for sure!!

We can't wait to go back and hike some and see the arch up close. We are thankful for our friends and the memories we are able to make with them!!

Thanksgiving

Well it's been a bit since I wrote anything. Thanksgiving was wonderful. We celebrated the Saturday after because K&A were able to come to visit then. It was so good to have them here. And of course we all loved hanging out with Michael.

He loved having so many kids around. We had all the family over for dinner. Michelle and Les and Brook and Cooper came, so did Kim and Lacey, Bridger and Cylie. Dad and Zeffie were there and Jim and I of course. I think this house was exactly the right choice for us. We had this big room to hang out in.

The only thing I would change is having a basement. Other than that this house is perfect!! We were able to spread out and there is definitely enough seating for everyone. 

We had all of our favorite and traditional Thanksgiving foods. And the best news that K&A broke during the blessing on the food....THE ARE EXPECTING ANOTHER BABY IN MAY!!! I am so excited!! 

Papa decided it was time to introduce Michael to The Polar Express. Goodness!! Our little train-loving boy LOVED this movie. He would sit for all of it when the train was involved. It was magical.

And of course the occasional George is always a winner. He is just so sweet and precious. I can't wait to spend more time with him. 

Just about 3 weeks ago K&A decided to move to Kaysville (or somewhere real close by) instead of Rexburg!!! So now my days will be filled with Recky (it's what Michael calls me now) duties. I cannot wait. And to meet this newest little boy coming in May and having him here.....will just be amazing.

And when Jo decides to move here my world will be whole again. I keep praying for that. Miracles do happen.