Making the move

We made it to Salt Lake! The kids did pretty well on the 14-hour drive and we had tons of help unloading the truck. I even got to pick out a new refrigerator today and it's sitting in my kitchen getting cold. So things are pretty good, but it has been a terrible two days! Here's a brief list of mishaps:

• We had to take our van to the shop to repair the A/C for the second time this month while we packed up our moving truck.
• The Honda got high-centered while we were trying to get it onto the car carrier. Luckily, John is brilliant and thought to jack up the ramps and we were able to drive the car onto the carrier.
• Katelyn wouldn't go potty at a rest stop, so she stood in the grass and wet her pants instead.
• We got to our new house and found standing water in the basement. After soaking up gallons of water with our U-Haul moving blankets, we have a blower going to dry out the carpet.
• While looking for a new fridge, I managed to lock the keys in the car. With boxes covering every square foot of our house, we could not find the spare! Luckily, John was able to break in with a coat hanger.
• When we went to return our truck, we couldn't find one of the 24 moving blankets we rented. We searched the house with no success. We are positive that they never gave us the 24th blanket, since we never counted to make sure. Here's to hoping that we don't find that blanket while we unpack!
• The dog ran away. We searched the entire neighborhood. We had given up for the night and were pulling our cars into the garage when we found her hiding in a kennel. Thank goodness, but what a brat! We had six people calling and whistling for her and she just sat there the whole time!

In spite of all of the stress, we are feeling very grateful. We had the help of wonderful friends and family members to make things easier today. We are sitting in our very own house, and we are all safe and healthy. I miss Spokane like crazy already, but I'm excited to begin our adventure in West Valley City!

Happy Fathers Day!

Katelyn & I were writing a Fathers Day card for John today and I was overwhelmed with love for my husband. He is the greatest dad! My children never laugh as hard as when they're playing with their dad, or he's reading them stories. I sometimes feel like they just bide their time with me all day waiting for dad to get home--they always go racing for the door and shower him in kisses and hugs. We all love you very much, sweetie! Happy Fathers Day!

Happy Birthday Tanner!

It's Tanner's 11th birthday today and we are sad that we don't get to spend it with him. But the good news is that we'll be back in Salt Lake in exactly one week and we won't have to miss another birthday! Yeah!

Are we crazy?!

My cousin, Coralee, called me to go to the mall with her today. We needed to find something nice for her husband to wear to an interview, so it couldn't wait. We strolled in with our six children, all under the age of 8, and had wreaked havoc on two mens' departments when we passed the pay-by-the-hour child care. We looked at each other, then the kids, then back at each other. We were happy to give up $5 per kid to have an hour of peace. With only the little ones in their strollers,we ran from one end of the mall to the other in that hour. We were successful in our quest, coming home with two ensembles for her husband to choose from. I can't recommend taking that many kids to the mall together, but I'm so glad that I got to hang out with my cousin one last time! (The picture is of her cute boys.)

Walking Regal

If you know me, you know that I'm obsessed with my daily walk. Most mornings we eat breakfast and then I put the kids--still in pajamas--in the stroller and head out the door. Over the past year, the walk has evolved into a 1 hour and 20 minute journey. The kids have gotten used to it, which is good because some days they do it again when John runs, although that takes half the time. (Of course, there are days when they're little monsters!)

I have a hard time explaining why the walk is so special to me, but I'm going to try. First of all, the surroundings are incredibly beautiful. We pass rolling prairie, farms, forests, and gorgeous homes. We encounter all kinds of wildlife--we've seen deer by the dozen, horses and cows, chipmunks, squirrels, raccoons, foxes, skunks, and even porcupines! The walk gives me 80 minutes to work out all of my problems and focus on how thankful I am for the beautiful world we've been given. It reminds me to be grateful for everything I have, especially my husband and children, and taking some time for myself makes me a better wife and mother.

Forgive me for being a little sappy today. The past few times I've walked, I've fought back tears the entire time. I'm really going to miss living up here on South Hill, on the edge of the Palouse. Here are some pictures so that you can share the experience with me.

Moving chaos

Well, I've officially started packing. The house is a disaster! The kids kept themselves busy spreading toys from one end of the house to the other while I filled boxes all day long. I forgot how much I dislike this part of moving! Now it's time to put things in order so I can wake up in the morning and start the process all over again.

Despite the chaos, I thought I should take a break while the kids are asleep and get a blog going. I've been inspired by my awesome friends in Spokane, who do such a great job of keeping their blogs and websites updated so that they can keep in touch and share their lives with friends. I am so sad about leaving Spokane and these wonderful friendships. I hope that by doing this I can stay close to everyone.