Home...away from home

Our newest addition:

We named her Liberty, but call her "Libby"

Born: 2002

29' long and 7,700 lbs (when her diaper is full)

 Todd starts his new job next week, and until we can sell our house, this is where he'll be living.  We've been watching the KSL classified's, and 45 minutes after "Libby" was posted on Thursday (in our price range) I made a quick call to the owner. Todd happened to be on his way through Cedar City and made a stop to see her (90 minutes after the ad was posted), and within 24 hours we became the proud owners of an RV.

For Grandma's sake, I'll give you a tour:

 This is my kind of camping...

 What is Todd going to do with all this space? 

I guess the kids and I will have to visit him often.

 I love the fact that you can walk all the way around the bed.

 The kids couldn't really care less about having a travel trailer...(ha, ha)

Actually, they spent half their day today reading...on their bunks!

When Todd went to level the trailer this morning,
he got choked up when he found this card from the previous owner's daughter:

Todd grew up traveling all over the country with his family in their RV.  To this day I believe it is why he and his siblings are so close, and the relationships they built have gotten them through some tough times.  Todd's mom often talks about the time that they spent reminiscing about 100 different nights that they had spent in their trailer.

When Todd and I first got married, I wasn't too keen on the idea of owning an RV.  My idea of a vacation is to get AWAY from the kitchen, not take it with me.  However, with the cost of feeding four boys in a restaurant (especially when they get to be teenagers), and the world we live in today (cell phones, internet access from anywhere, ipods, and movies in the car) I'm now looking forward to being "stuck" in such close quarters.  We won't be taking it on any long hauls until the gas prices come way down (or our income goes way up), but we already have a list of places to visit in mind: Mesa Verde, Arches and Canyonlands, the Grand Canyon, Flaming Gorge and "Dinosaur Land", California, and someday Nauvoo.

I can't wait for the day when we can think of 100 memories that we made in our travel trailer.

The latest

I feel like time has been at a complete standstill since the announcement that Todd was going to lose his job.

I've stayed plenty busy, and accomplished a lot, but when I look back at this time in some future day, I really think it's all just going to be a big blur in my memory.

I hope that if nothing else, I will remember the overwhelming sense of peace that I've been blessed with.  I have no doubt that we are being watched over, and I am so appreciative of all our family and friends for their love and prayers in our behalf.  We feel that support.

Most of you probably already know that Todd accepted a job offer last week.  We are grateful for the opportunity, especially since we have both felt drawn to the area and feel good about it. He will be doing therapy in a residential treatment center for teens, and working towards building a private practice on the side.

Our next matter of business is to sell our house.  We don't have any leads right now, but again I feel a sense of peace that it's all going to be okay.  We are looking into buying a camping trailer for Todd to live in, while the kids and I stay here until our house sells. Luckily we will only be about 3 hours apart so we can see each other on weekends.  I hope and pray that this won't last too long, and that we'll be able to move before the kids start school in the fall.

For my own record-keeping purposes, I'm including a list of what we've done in the last month or so.

Since I've last blogged:

- Brayden spent a week with an unusual stabbing pain, low grade fever, and loss of appetite that I was afraid was appendicitis.  After several tests to rule out appendicitis, bowel blockage, kidney or urinary tract infections, or testicular problems, a radiologist looked at his x-rays and determined that he had pneumonia! It was definitely one of the strangest medical mysteries we've encountered thus far.

-The school year ended and the kids graduated from Kindergarten, 3rd, and 4th grades.  I feel way too young to have a 5th grader.

- Another one of my dear friends, Vanessa, moved away.  I'm still in denial about it.  I've been so caught up in my own craziness that I didn't even have a chance to help with her move.  I stopped by to say good-bye before she left and cried all the way home.  This is saying something since I've been "emotionally constipated" for the past several months and have barely shed a tear.  Miss you, V.  Please find a job close to ours...

-Todd's Mom, sister, and brother and family came to visit us over Memorial Day Weekend.  Linda was a huge help in getting our house ready to show, and we enjoyed our time together.  We made the 2 hour drive to Goblin Valley, but only stayed for about 45 minutes because of the darn wind. We were cleaning sand out of our ears for two days afterward.

- We drove North the following weekend to attend our niece Emily's baptism.  I don't feel old enough to have nieces and nephews getting baptized.

And now I'm off to make S'mores with the kiddos.  Todd just pulled in from work and we have some gigocious marshmallows to roast over the fire pit.

9 months...already?

Why do the nine months after a having a baby go by so much faster than the nine months before?

At nine months, Justin:

-wears 9 and 12 mos. clothes
-loves to clap his hands
-is in the process of getting his second tooth (bottom left)
-won't stay put for a single minute
-loves to "groove" to the beat of music
-feeds himself cheerios and puffs
-loves to tear up magazines, pull on cords, and empty his toy basket
-is fascinated by phones, remotes, the handle on the recliner, and the buttons on the our DVD player
-can't wear shoes because his feet are too...tall.
-gets comments on his eyes, and his lack of red hair wherever we go!

I absolutely love this picture that Mindy took.  For the longest time, Justin has done a "three-legged army crawl" while dragging his right leg along. He has justed started using all four this week.

Valere Hope Project

On May 6th, one of my best childhood friends had a little niece born stillborn at 39 weeks.

I am heartbroken for their family and wanted to do something to let them know I care, so I started the "Valere Hope Project".

If you would like to participate, please think of little Valere Hope (pronounced Valerie) as you go throughout your week. Look for ways to memorialize her sweet name, and then take a picture of it.

We (my friend Wendy and I) want to give her parents a book full of pictures of their daughter's name spelled out in creative ways.  You could build it out of legos, write it on the sidewalk with chalk, or even pick the letters out of your alphabet spaghettios.  The possibilities are endless, and it will only take a few minutes to let them know you care.

Please send pictures to valerehope@hotmail.com

Here are a few that I've already received:

Happy Mother's Day!

The other day I was driving to the clinic, which is a couple towns away, when I passed by a field full of ewes and baby lambs.

I've seen it every Spring in our little valley, but on this particular day, I couldn't help but notice that a few of the ewes did not have a lamb next to them.  Maybe they were just separated for a few minutes--I don't really know, but it made me think of all the wonderful mothers out there who have empty arms.

And for a brief moment I was reminded how truly blessed I am to be a mother.

Todd went all out today and made Bacon-wrapped Teriyaki Chicken Skewers for lunch and they were absolutely wonderful!  He used fresh pineapple (the only kind I like) and I would highly recommend it, rather than the canned pineapple called for.



I had to sneak a picture of the kitchen when lunch was ready...

My kitchen was completely clean when my visiting teaching partner showed up less than 24 hours ago...

My favorite is the laundry detergent in the middle of the counter.  Am I the only one who can't start preparing a meal if the kitchen is a mess?

I think I'll go help Todd clean up...I hate just sitting here while he's doing the work!

My talented friend Mindy

Last week, I had the rare opportunity to meet up with one of my best friends, Mindy.  She and I go way back--back to when I was first married and living in the ward where I grew up.  To everyone else I was Floyd's daughter, but to Mindy I was just me.  She moved into the ward while I was away at college, and didn't know me during my awkward teenage years.  I am eternally grateful that our paths crossed because she has had a major influence on who I am.  She is one of those people who makes you better just for knowing her.

She is extremely talented in everything she does, from music to church callings to exercise classes to photography, and she blesses people daily with her talents.  She did a photo shoot with Justin while we were together and she did an amazing job of capturing his personality.  These are the first (and probably only) professional pics I have of him as a baby and I am so grateful!  I love you Mindy! Go check out her blog to see more!

Faith

Picture found here

Stepping-Stones

By DeLynn Decker

There I was,

Hopscotching on the rocks

In the turbulent stream

Until suddenly

There weren’t any more,

And I stood forlorn,

Feeling stranded.

In stillness He assured,

Be patient.

When it is time

For the next step,

There will be a stone.

Hasn’t it always

Been so?