Not a Toddler Anymore...

Lauren is 4 today.

A preschooler.

A little girl with a mind of her own.

Someone who claims she's not little anymore.

But still little enough to want to be carried, rocked at night, or cuddle up on the couch.

I hope you don't give those up anytime soon, baby girl.

Happy Birthday, Sweets!

Utah Pictures

Todd was out driving around last night and stopped at a private nature preserve to take some pictures. I can't wait to see UT in person in 5 more days.

Wasatch Mountains:

Floating boardwalk:

Lookout:



He also took some in one of the cities we are looking at moving to, South Ogden.

Don't like looking at stoplights? How about some mountains in the distance?:


If you look closely at this one, you can see the town up on the "bench" at the base of the mountain:


Just another pretty picture of the Wasatch Mountains:

For Sale

At least that's what it says in front of our house with the big Century 21 sign sitting there. It hurt a bit more than I thought it would. It's very, very bittersweet and also a little nerve-wracking. The race to keep the house clean and looking presentable is on and it's me vs. the kids. Man, they can make a mess in no time flat. I always knew that, but, it's much more obvious now that I need for the house to be clean at. all. times.

We're in the home stretch on things getting done, though! Tomorrow, the trim painters are coming, the new carpeting is being put in and the cleaning ladies will be working around them. Now, all I need is the pavers to show up to do the driveway and we are home free.

Well, accept for the little thing of actually selling the house.

Say some prayers for us, please.:)

Two weeks...

Two weeks down, 29 days to go until Todd comes home for a visit--or so the kids have told me. They may off by a day or two.LOL

We've survived. I worked 40+hours last week so I was busy, but the days seemed to drag. Even Wyatt made a comment about how the week was going so slow. I was able to have a lunch date with Jill and Della who were in town last Saturday. It was a very long lunch and it was so fun to catch up with two of my oldest friends. We laughed, we vented, we reminisced.

This past week was spent trying to get the house ready for going on the market. Lots and lots of piddly stuff that add up in time and money. But, the house is looking incredible and when the landscaping is done, it will really look enticing, IMO. At least, I pray so.LOL

Todd seems to be doing well. He is adapting to gov't. life, but is missing the kids. He talks to them every night and I literally have to fight Wyatt for phone time. It is adorable to listen to Wy-guy hold on a huge conversation about everything with his dad. Todd is busy scouting out areas for us to live and researching schools for the kids to go to. Some of the schools out there are year-round so we need to think about that. I am not liking the idea of it, at all, but it may be the only option.

All-in-all, we're doing o.k. Just counting the days until we can all be together, again.

*sigh*

Todd left a little over an hour ago. I don't even know what to say about it. The kids handled it great. Wyatt was fighting back tears but Henry and Lauren don't really get that he isn't coming back later today.

How did I handle it? I went downstairs and ran on the treadmill. It was either that or curl up into a ball and sob. I'm trying to keep it together and be strong for the kids; it's what they need.

I need for these next 2 months to go as quickly as possible because this is not anything I ever imagined we would have to do.

Say a prayer that Todd gets there safely and that we all adjust to the changes over the next few months.

Movin' on up...

...to the West side.

Well, it is finally time to share some huge news for our little family. Something very unexpected but very exciting and terrifying all in the same breath is going to happen to us in the next few months for me and the kids, but next week for Todd.

We are moving to Utah.

Yes, Utah.

Pick your jaws up off the floor.

Now, Let me explain...

Todd started applying for positions with the Federal Gov't a little over a year ago. He actually came close to a job in Montana but it eventually went to someone already in the gov't sector. So, he kept applying and last July he applied for a Land Surveying position at Hill AFB in Ogden, UT. He never heard another word about it until a few weeks ago when they called after Obama's stimulus package went through. Apparently, they received major funding so the project was going full-steam ahead and they needed someone ASAP. He had two phone interviews, and then they offered him the job. We thought about it long and hard, but there really was no way we couldn't do this. Todd had accepted a buyout from his company, so it made the best financial decision to take a leap of faith and go for it, especially in this economy. It means financial security for us in both the short and long terms.

So,little old me, who hates change and wanted to live in this area forever, is picking up and moving to Utah in June after the kids get out of school. Todd, unfortunately, has to leave a week from today on the 27th. It is going to be difficult on all of us for a couple of months, but I think it is going to go so quickly and we'll be on the road heading to our new home before you know it. We just need the house to sell, so keep your fingers crossed for us that we won't have to sit on it for too long.

So, yeah...what's new with you all?LOL

Jeez...

I went a whole month without blogging. How bad is that?

Lots going on in life, most of it very stressful. Hopefully things will start to get calmed down and straightened out in the next few weeks. Keep fingers crossed for us that things go the way we want them to.

The kids are great...Wyatt is trying to master multiplication tables and was struggling a bit, but now has the hang of it. Henry is still plugging along with Kindergarten, slowly starting to read, which is a wonder to watch. he is my social butterfly. LC is liking preschool but is the quietest of the three so is still a little clingy when it comes time for drop-off. She's making progress, though and is starting to come out of her shell a bit more.

Hope to be able to post more soon...