Our First Thanksgiving

This was my first Thanksgiving as the host! We had Mark and Mandy (some of our best friends) and their family come and stay with us for three days and it just wasn't enough time. It was crazy with all the kids but everyone had such a good time. Mandy and I made a huge Thanksgiving dinner. We cooked enough food for a small army, I don't know what we were thinking. So we will be having left overs for the next month but in my opinion that is the best part about Thanksgiving. While Mark and Mandy were here, we took them to see the little part of Arizona that we are familiar with and even some that we weren't. We took them to the mall where Mandy was able to finish her Christmas shopping (I haven't even started!) and where the kids could play. After that we drove into Mesa to see the LDS Temple. We hadn't been to see the temple yet and it was so neat that you could drive right by it! You can even park on the street in front when you go to do a session! They have some lights that they are putting out right now and I would like to take my kids to see them at night. Matt and Mark spent a good deal of time slaughtering one another at various games on the Wii. Over all it was a great holiday weekend for us. We are so grateful for good friends that are willing to drive 13 hours to see us.

What's Happenin'!

It feels like it's been forever since I posted, I can't believe it was just a few days ago. There is a lot going on here at the Dogghouse! Ivan has officially decided that he is not wearing diapers anymore and he is doing awesome with the potty training! Thanks to the Dollar Tree for providing cheap toys as rewards, he is almost all trained. I think it's really me that's trained to remind him to go! We are home today anxiously awaiting the arrival of my best-friend Mandy and her family. They are more than half way here and we can't wait! Everyone here has been sick or at least everyone but Matt but we are over it and even passed it on to the neighbors...so much for making new friends, their gonna hate us. We spend our afternoons at the park down the street where the kids get totally covered in sand. I swear every time we come home they bring it all with them. Needless to say there is always sand in the bottom of their bathtub. It looks like we are going to get our old cat "Polly" back and we are very excited about that too! Getting her here is going to be a trick but we'll manage it. I'm working part-time from home and things are starting to pick up. I am hoping that I can avoid working at the local grocery store. Thanks to all of those that have kept in touch, we miss everyone. Happy Thanksgiving to all!

TWILIGHT!!!

OMG! I cannot believe how good this movie was. I think you have to read the book to fully appreciate the characters but my goodness did they do a good job casting Edward. I give him 2 enthusiastic thumbs up! Matt went to see it with me and even he thought it was "okay" which is a big deal because usually he thinks the movies I pick are lame. It was the first date night that Matt and I have had in over 3 months and it was perfect. We went to dinner and then the movie. Our awesome neighbor watched our kids for us which was no easy task because she has 5 of her own! We owe her big time! Well, I cannot wait for the second movie to come out. I want to see more EDWARD! And the best part is, my husband doesn't care if I swoon over him, I mean I watched how many seasons of buffy the vampire slayer so he could oogle willow???? :)

Sick

Well, despite the wonderful weather here in Arizona the kids have gotten the yearly colds that always plague our family. It started with Ivan and he quickly passed it on to Nora. Poor Nora has got it bad. She was up almost all of the night last night with a high fever. I gave her Ibuprophen but that didn't work until about 2:30am and then we finally got to sleep. She went back to bed this morning at 9 am. She is just so sick. I think we are headed to immediate care after Claire get's out of preschool. I was hoping with living in a warm climate we would escape the winter colds. Boy was I wrong.

Sick to My Stomach

I cannot even say that I am angry right now, just sick to my stomach. I was watching one of my favorite shows "Law and Order" and there was a plot line that had to do with the FLDS church. Within the first 10 minutes they showed a white t-shirt that had been marked in certain ways that only endowed members of the church should be familiar with. There it was in black and white on local television for everyone to see. This is something that is supposed to be held sacred and it just sickens me that they would post that on TV. I am aware that the writers of the television show may or may not know what our religion is about but they should get their facts right before they show something like that. Again I know that will never happen because in this country we all have free speech but I have the freedom to turn off the *#@** TV! I think I am so upset about is that so many people who don't know about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, confuse us with the FLDS church. For heaven sake, when everything in Texas was happening with the FLDS church, the news even got the two confused. In Sunday School last week we talked a little bit about this and they made an excellent point. They said that we can use this as a missionary experience. For those who think that we might be affiliated with the FLDS church, we can tell them we are not and then explain our differences. I know that this is all just a fulfillment of prophecy and that we are in the last days but it made me sick to see something that I hold sacred displayed at all and displayed with very little respect on television. The Latter-Day Saint Temple is a very sacred place where Jesus himself has been. One can feel his presence when you enter. I am in awe whenever I enter myself at the peace that accompanies me throughout it's halls. There is no better place on earth. I know that things are only going to get harder as we come closer to the time when Christ will come again but now that I am starting to witness these things I worry so much for my little children. I worry so much that their innocence is being taken from them at such a young age. I have so much guidance over what they witness and learn right now but even with my guidance, they are still picking things up, even from daytime commercials. I know that if I do my part to raise them the way that the Lord and the First Presidency of the Church has asked me to that I will have done my best but there is still a measure of uneasiness there. I just wish that life did not have so much unpleasantness to offer.

3 Month Supply!

This is a really retarded thing to post about but I am so excited! So today we were able to get a three month supply of food we would normally eat. We did this as instructed by our church. It feels so good to have all of that in order! I even learned how to freeze eggs the other day and so we now have 15 dozen frozen eggs! Now, if there is some catastrophe we will just have to eat eggs like mad because with no power we cannot keep them frozen!

Thinking of Others...

My little family and I are praying for a miracle this Christmas. We have a very good friend that lives in another country. Some of you have met this person(I cannot publish the name for legal reasons)and their child. For those of you that have, you know that they are wonderful. This person has been fighting a horrible legal battle for almost 10 years now. Matt and I are wanting to help this person move to the United States so that he/she can take care of the case once and for all. We are setting up a Trust Savings account in his/her name at US bank. We are asking anyone who might be interested in donating to contact us and we can give you the information. We can be contact via email, blog or phone. The account would be strictly in their names and so no one else can have access to it. It will take a few days to get the whole process rolling. If we cannot gather enough to bring them here then at least we can help to give them a good Christmas. We cannot accept presents because shipping them is a problem. If you would like to send a gift let me know and I can let you know what they might need. Keep in mind that shipping to this particular country is expensive but anything is appreciated. If you are not able to donate we understand but we ask that your prayers be with this little family. Thank you to everyone and Happy Holiday's!

It's Always Something...

I swear it's always something with me. So I went to the doctor and I've injured the deep tissue in the arm without the bruise. Basically there is nothing to do but hot/cold packs and ibuprophen. It sucks!

Something's Wrong...

So after I crashed the motorcycle almost a week ago I didn't think that I was hurt. My arm hurt a little but the huge bruise that is still there did not form until the next morning. Well, now it's got a lump in it and it hurts! My other arm hurt a little but I thought (and am still wondering) it was just sore muscles. Well, here we are a week later and the arm without the bruise hurts everytime I lift anything or twist it. We are talking exscrutiating, not just sore muscle stuff. So I am headed to the immediate care today to make sure that the lump in my bruise is not something to worry about and to see what the heck I have done to my other arm. This is so stupid! I don't think I will ever get back on that dumb bike again. I can't even lift my baby without it killing me!

Real life begins...(sorry for the long post)

Well, what can I say about life and what it has to offer. Sometimes things are so great and sometimes things are so rottin! Lately things have been good for us but hard. Our house is really starting to feel like our home and we have even fallen into a routine that makes life here seem normal. Every weekday we go to the park with my neighbor and her kids and it helps so much to have a friend here. I am so thankful to the friends from home that have continued to call, it makes a huge difference to hear from you! Settling in here is not as hard as I thought it would be. It was so hard when we first moved in to the house. I kept thinking "how can I unpack everything here when I know this isn't home." Well, I have come to find that I love that it is November and there is no snow outside. I have come to find that although I came from an awesome ward in Utah, people here rely so much more on one another. I have come to find that everyone here is just as scared as I am and that they are not afraid to share that. I felt like I was betraying everyone I loved by moving here but I see now that I would have been betraying myself and the Lord if we had not made this decision. We trusted him but I don't think we believed that he really knew what he was doing. We are still not sure exactly what is in store for us here but we know it was right. I called my awesome friend Mandy the other day. She is just like a sister to me and she had the best advice when I cried to her about how homesick I was. She told me to think of this as my mission. I never served one and if I can't think of this as home yet, just treat it like a temporary thing and know that there is something important for me to do here. It was just the advice that I needed.

Anyway, on to more fun things...Matt passed the written exam for his bike yesterday and so he is now legally able to drive it. Claire is giving her first talk in primary today and she is excited but nervous. The bishop came to see us the other night and he told us that new members of the ward get a "get out of primary free card" for the first year so that they can meet new people! I was so excited not because I don't love primary, I prefer being there but because I was afraid I would be in one of the 6 nurseries right away and not get a chance to meet some people. I need to make friends here if this is ever going to be home for us. Mandy and Mark are coming to spend Thanksgiving with us and we are so excited. Christ and Tori are coming right after that for a visit and we can't wait. They will most likely be here for Claire's birthday and she is "wishing" Tori could be here. I think she will get her wish. Grandpa Paul and Granny Vicki are coming for Christmas and bringing Aunt Kirstin and we are counting down the days. My kids ask about Kirstin all the time. People are being so supportive and we appreciate that so much. It is nice to not be forgotten.

Christmas Shopping

Hey Everyone!
So I joined the Scentsy team (finally) and for those of you that have been to my house you have seen what Scentsy warmers look like and how wonderful they smell! Take a look at my website and order some for someone you love! These warmers make the perfect gift, especially for Christmas. They are a wonderful way to add light and scent to your home. They are wickless and flameless so they do not burn. I leave mine on 24 hours a day. There are so many styles to choose from and the scent of the month is always 10% off! Check them out on my website and fell free to order from there or call me with any questions or orders! The web address is www.scentsy.com/aubs

Did Anyone Else????

Did anyone else see Grey's Anatomy tonight??? Oh my. So I am royally ticked off that they ended it where they did and I am royally ticked off that there are 7 more days until the next episode. The whole thing with Denny and Izzy??? I cried enough about all of that already! I'm just wondering where they will go with all of that. Who am I kidding, I don't care where they're going with it, THE SHOW ROCKS!!!!!

Our Home

Well, I don't have pictures of every room yet, but here are some of the house with our things in it. It is really turning out very nice. I can't believe how nice it is to have so much room! I didn't realize how crammed in we were in the house in Tooele.

Finally...

Well, we finally got Claire into preschool here. Her teacher is a woman in our ward and has been teaching preschool out of her home for 2 generations now. I was shocked when I found out that preschool is over 100$ here but today I found out why. Claire came home with a workbook and a big art project and she has her own set of everything, crayons, pencils, you name it. She had a great time and I think it will help her adjust better. She has had a hard time. Every other day she cries and tell me to call the people in Tooele and stop them from moving into our house. She also has some friends 2 doors down and we all go to the park almost everyday. It really helps that the park is one block away. Their mother is really nice and she comes with us. It helps to have someone to talk to. She is a stay at home mom and has 5 children. There is a 10 year age gap between us but we have a lot in common. It is starting to feel a little more like home now. I haven't felt homesick since Saturday which is a huge thing for me!

Stupid, Stupid, Stupid...

So for some reason I thought it would be a good idea to try and ride Matt's bike. It was a mistake right from the start. I tipped it just trying to get it out of the parking lot. Matt had to help me get it back up because it's so dang heavy. I should have stopped then but of course I didn't. I rode for about a half and hour and I was doing pretty well until I hit a bump and I lost control. I bailed off of the bike before it tipped all the way and ended up on the ground but not before the handle bars clipped my arm and bruised my ribs. Luckily the bike went under the parked car and not into it. I felt pretty stupid to say the least and have been so sore ever since. I was wearing a helmet of course but I must say I have had a pretty bad headache ever since. I have decided that I am definately a car person, not a bike person. Here is a picture of my prettiest bruise.

My arm

My leg

Grandma Has to Go...

We were so sad when Grandma had to leave yesterday. With her leaving it means that life here really has to start once and for all. I am not sure I am ready for that. I did well, I only cried a little at the airport but last night I had a complete breakdown and cried off and on all night. It is such a comfort knowing that people are near and so when you move away, even if you didn't see them everyday before just knowing that you can't see them whenever you want is very hard. We will miss Grandma very much.

Waiting For Grandma

When Grandma came to visit, we waited at the airport. Here are the pictures we took while we were there. The kids found a group of pay phones and played on them for nearly an hour until the plane arrived.

Chloe #2

Well, for those of you that know me this will come as no surprise, we got yet another animal. It's a cat and Claire named her Chloe. We have already had a cat named Chloe and she ran away...we are hoping for a better outcome with this one. When we got into the new house, Leah (our dog) began chewing up the door frame in the laundry room and pooping on the carpet. I had known for a while that she would probably have to go to a new home but we could not find her one before we left and I was not going to take her to Tooele's pound, that place is awful. So after she chewed up a wall in my brand new house, I had to take her to the animal shelter in Phoenix. I had promised the kids a cat and I had heard that they would keep the scorpions away. I contemplated getting 10 cats if that was the case but we settled for one. Claire had gone with me to surrender Leah and at the same time we looked into adopting a cat. Claire helped me pick her out and she is just as sweet as she looks. We had to leave her there overnight to be spayed but we picked her up yesterday and she is starting to feel right at home with us. Believe it or not we are sad to be rid of Leah, especially Matt which is funny because he didn't want her in the first place. Don't tell anyone but Matt is an animal lover at heart. We will always remember her but the nice thing about this animal shelter is that as long as the dog shows no aggression they guarantee it will not be euthenized. Leah doesn't have an aggressive bone in her body so I know she will go to a good home. When we went back to get Chloe I was so glad that we went to another part of the building, I couldn't bare to see Leah again and not bring her back home with me. I never thought I would be sad when she was gone, I have cursed that dog since we got her but my heart hurts a little when I think of her.

Our New Backyard!

My mom has been here helping this week and I must say that Mom's are the greatest invention ever! If there were an award for best Sod layer, my mom deserves it. Yesterday the rock was brought in and we now have a complete backyard. We are so excited and things are finally starting to feel like home. This is a before picture. I had planted seed but it just wasn't looking like it was going to work, no matter how much we watered it. The yard was complete dirt before I added the bougenvilla bushes and palm tree.

After! We still have a canopy to put up tomorrow but I would say not bad for 2 weeks into the house! It's made the world of difference to have a backyard!

Halloween '08

This year, despite everything that is happening in our lives, we managed to celebrate Halloween. Our kids were so excited when we moved into our house and all of the surrounding houses were decorated with skeletons and "frankersteins." I held off on buying costumes for as long as possible but I ended up giving in before we actually moved. That is why some of these pics are taken in the hotel room. Of course they had to put on the costumes as soon as we got home. Now that Halloween is over, Claire still wears hers almost daily. Nora was Eeyore and she looked perfect. Grandma was in town and we all went to the ward trunk or treat. It was insane, I don't think I've ever seen one ward fill up two parking lots before but we managed it. It was a fun night and we were only out long enough for the kids to get two days worth of candy which was fine by me!

Waiting, Waiting, Waiting...

So...here we are waiting for the moving company to show up with our things. Originally they were supposed to be here at 10am. They called yesterday to tell us it would be noon. Well, they are not here yet and although they are only a half and hour late, that means a lot to someone who has spent the last week sitting on the floor. It will be good to get our stuff in here so this house can feel more like a home. My mom is here and that has been a huge blessing. She has been doing all of the odd things that I have not had the energy to do. She has dusted the blinds, cleaned the window ledges and above all unloaded the dishwasher. I hate that job. She has taken the kids to the park so that when the movers come we can focus on getting things into place. So here we are just waiting and hoping all of our stuff shows up.