Our Newest Addition!

I will have to add a picture later but we got a brand new kitten yesterday and by brand new I mean she can only be about 4 weeks old. She is a calico cat and she is very pretty. Her name is Isabelle and we call her Izzie. Ivan loves to hold her and carry her around the house. Nora got a hold of her today and she just laughed and laughed. Claire has not seen her yet because she is out of town but we told her about Izzie and she can't wait to come home and see her! We are keeping her as an indoor cat so if we go to AZ we won't have to worry about her out in the heat. She is a welcome addition to our household but according to Matt she will make great target practice!

For Sale

So we decided that we would put our house on the market in case Matt doesn't find a job here and we have to go to Arizona. We were comfortable doing now even though the move won't be until November because the market is really down right now. Well, in the last 3 days we have had 4 different people go through the house. We got a call from our realtor tonight and we are in one couples top 4. They want to come back through on Monday the 21st. So we are now very scared that we may be homeless for awhile. The moving company that is being supplied by Matt's company won't be able to come and pack up our house and put our stuff in storage and then move it again to AZ. This means that we move it to storage ourselves and move in with Matt's dad and his wife for a few months. It is all happening very fast which means in our opinion that it is meant to be. Even if we find a job here we will probably move closer to where that job is. We are excited but scared at the same time. Below are the pictures of our house and the work that I have done on it. I have spent so much time taking care of this place that I almost hate to leave it.


These pictures were taken by our realtor's husband Greg. He did a wonderful job!

Front of The House

Kitchen

Dining Room

Living Room

Master Bedroom

Main Floor Bedroom

Main Floor Bedroom

Back Yard Looking East

New Adventure

Downtown Phoenix

Old City Hall, Phoenix

Phoenix Zoo
Well, after much fasting and praying Matt and I have come to the conclusion that we are going to move forward with the relocation to Phoenix Arizona. We will not actually live directly in Phoenix but rather one of the neighboring towns (tempe, mesa, etc.). We are both scared and curious about this move. We have heard both bad and good things about living in Arizona but I guess every place has it's good and bad sides. We are most nervous about leaving our families. We feel like it is the right thing to do but it is very hard to think about being so far from them. I think what has been hardest for me is that I have gotten the answer that it would be a good move for us. That is hard for me because I feel like I shouldn't want to go. It almost makes me feel like I am betraying everyone that I love by leaving them. I am excited for new surroundings however. I am excited for new opportunities for my husband with his work and me and the children in our daily lives. I have attached some hilights from a phoenix website that made me a little more excited about moving!

Job Offer

Today Matt was offered a transfer with his company. The transfer would move us to Arizona. We are seriously considering the move although it would take us away from our families. That is the thing that we are worried about the most. The offer is great though. They are offering a cost of living raise that is quite nice and a transfer bonus. The letter that he brought home was 7 pages long and outlined everything that the company would pay for. They will pay for all moving expenses and an all expense paid trip to Arizona before hand to look for a house. We have been in contact with a realtor in AZ and are thinking about putting our house on the market this next week. Matt and I are still weighing all of the pro's and con's. We are going to take advantage of fast-Sunday this weekend and try to get some answers. I am leaning more toward the move because of the oportunities it might open up for our litttle family. Matt is more aprehensive so we have some talking to do. Whatever happens it will not be without a lot of praying and thinking. We will make sure that it is the right move for our little family.

New Hair

Well , it is that time in my life again when I have to say goodbye to my hair. I have a love hate relationship with it...I love to hate it. I chopped it all of and I love it! It is so much better even if sometimes I mistake myself for a boy!

Claire Bear

Well, we are re-nicknaming Claire Bear to Runaway Bunny. Lately all she tells me is that she wants to live somewhere else. Everyday the location changes to someone elses house. I ask her if we can come with and she says no. She especially does not want to live with Ivan. My guess is because he is always in her business. She is getting so big! She has been begging for some sunglasses lately and fake nails like mommies. I finally gave in. Here are the pictures of my 4 year old who thinks she is 13!

Visit

Adam's family came into town last weekend from Iowa and we were able to go visit. We had such an awesome time with the kids. It is so nice to see my brother and his family after such a long year! The kids are getting so big! Baby James who is turning one this month is much bigger than our 15 month old Nora. It took some doing but eventually he and Lucy warmed up to us. Lucy was calling everyone "a turkey." She has such a great sense of humor for a two year old! Here are some pictures of our visit! I only managed to catch the smaller kids, the older ones were off and runnin'!