Ellie's Birthday

Well, Ellie has officially turned 7! I can hardly believe it. We had our own family birthday party for her. I made her favorite dinner of Hawaiin Haystacks (easy!) we made a cake bought candy and rented a couple of movies. It was a great day! I always let my kids decorate their own birthday cakes. Instead of it saying "Happy Birthday" Ellie wanted it to say, "I am 7 years old!" Ok!! It's your birthday and you can do what ever you want! Ellie is an angel here on earth and I am soooo happy she is a part of our family. I feel so lucky to be her mom:)

My Fridge

This is my fridge. It is covered with notes from friends from Rigby. When we moved I could not believe the outpouring love and support from all of my friends and neighbors. They helped me move, brought me food and treats and left notes. I found notes all over while I was unpacking. One that is very special to me is from Josh Dungan. An 8 year old boy who lived 2 houses away from us. Josh was incredible. For about a week before we moved he would come over and ask what he could do to help me. He was such a hard worker!! I couldn't believe that kid! The day before we moved he gave all of my kids a gift. He gave Paul his very favorite dinosaur book, Ellie a cell phone (non-working) and Kyle a necklace he made with real bone. Amy (his mom) is such a great mom- she has 4 boys and they are all such great kids! I will never forget the moments before I left- with so many of my friends and neighbors standing in my driveway hugging and crying. My kids and I sobbed for the first hour of the drive away. Am I sad now? Of coarse, but I feel so much happiness too. I feel like those friendships are all so worthwhile- and will always exist- even if we don't get to see each other like we used to. I look forward to making new friends just like that here, and where ever I live the rest of my life. My grandpa used to say, "don't cry, life is full of hello's and goodby's."

Our Vacation to Savannah Continued

Christina and Stuart were great hosts as they put up with Darrens and the kids need for MORE BEACH! The waves were great sized for the kids. But the Jelly Fish were bad because of the heat- so non of us escaped without being stung by the jelly fish. We saw quite a few of them swept up onto the beach. And isn't the picture of Darren carrying Ellie and Kyle great?! It was the end of a long HOT day after walking down the river walk. The kids were hot and tired, (not to mention the adults!) I think it was around 96 degrees- plus humidity and 2 kids? that makes it super hot!

Our Vacation to Savannah

We just went to visit Christina and Stuart in Savannah, GA. We had an incredible time! We went to Fort Pulaski where we crossed a moat and the kids climbed on cannons and were put behind bars. We went to down town and took a ferry across the river. My kids thought it was great- as non of them can remember ever being on a boat. We saw a HUGE cargo ship from China going down the river. We walked down the cobble stone street and watched the old candy stores make salt water taffy. They handed out free samples. A homeless man made a flower out of leaves for Ellie and she said it was the best day of her life!

Kid's 1st Day of School!

Well the kids started school today. Paul is in the 3rd grade and Ellie is in the 2nd. We just got home late last night from a wonderful trip to Savannah, Georgia to visit Cristina and Stuart. The kids got up early and excited because they got to ride the bus for the first time!! They are also excited for school because their school has an elevator!! What a reason to want to go to school! Paul looked so handsom, and Ellie was beautiful of coarse. Last night I was helping them get their outfits ready for today. I went into Ellie's room to chose an outfit- and she said, "mom, don't worry, I already have it all taken care of." Of coarse it is a dress. Last year I couldn't get her to wear pants unless it was PE day. That's ok, she looks beautiful.

The good things of Tennessee

So, since I did a blog about all the things I miss, I figured I should do a blog about all the things I Love in Tennessee.
1. I love the weather!!!
2. I love the folliage and greenery
3. I feel like I'm on vacation here 24/7.
4. I love the house we are renting
5. I love that my husband has a job. THE job he wanted
6. I love that my kids go swimming almost everyday
7. I love the gym class I go to
8. I love the Ward
9. I love living close to David and Marilyn
10. I love how religious people are here
11. I love living in the "mission field"
12. I love that my plants are growing like crazy!
13. I love the wildlife (minus the bugs!) that we have seen- Like the baby fawn on a hike and the turtle in our front yard! And a raccoon that broke into our screened in porch!
14. I love all the birds and butterfly's in our yard
I am sure this is just the beginning!

The drive to Tennesse and arrival!

Can you believe it? We left Utah in a blizzard 3 days earlier. When we got to David and Marilyn's the weather was beautiful and we went swimming almost every day. It was fun to have my mom and dad stay a couple of days to just hang out.