Quick Update

Since I am so far behind on posting I decided to give a quick update on our lives, and when I get time to actually sit down and post pictures I will, even if they are a few month's late.

Family Vacation: We took a family road trip to Boston over the summer. We rented a beach house on Cape Cod and shared it with Andy's parents. We were able to see both sets of his grandparents, along with many aunts/uncles and cousins. It was such a blast. We spent most of our time playing on the beach, building sandcastles and boogie boarding. My kids were in HEAVEN, and Claire even took her daily naps in our laps (how sweet). Dallin is a water weinie, and fearless. Claire was a bit more hesitant but loved being held and brought out into the waves! They both got so tan, but Claire did especially! Love that girl! We celebrated our 7th year wedding anniversary on Cape Cod (we also celebrated our 1 year wedding anniversary here too).

Dallin's first ER trip: I cant believe we lasted almost 5 years without taking Dallin to the emergency room, but... it was inevitable. On the last day of our vacation in Mass, we stopped at a sandwich shop before heading home and there was a playground across the street. I decided to take the kids over there while Andy ordered the sandwiches, basically to let the kids get some last minute energy out before the long drive. Well after about 10 seconds of being there, I heard a cry from the dreaded monkey bars. I was over on the swings with Claire and I ran over to Dallin who was holding his arm. I knew immediately what had happened, and I freaked out. I started screaming and picked him right up. Luckily both Andy's parents and Grandparents were still with us, so I ran over to them. I calmed down, and Dallin wasn't even upset. I could tell just by looking at it that it was broken, so I knew we needed to head to the ER. I grabbed the nearest magazine and some guaze wrap and made my lovely homemade sling. Andy's grandpa guided us towards the nearest ER and we were off. 3 hours later, we were called back to the room and they took an xray that confirmed the fracture. Dallin was so incredibly brave, I cant even stand it!!! Anyway, they gave us a temporary sling and some pain meds and we headed back to Andy's grandparent's house where we set up a family sleeping pow wow in the living room. We had to extend our trip on more day, but it all worked out. Dallin was a trooper and didnt ever complain. When we got back to Indiana, we saw an orthopedic doctor who put him in a hard cast for 3 more weeks (waterproof)!!! We went about our normal summer and Dallin wasn't hindered one bit with the cast on!

Dallin's first day of school: We officially have a kindergartener at our house! Dallin started school mid August, and attends the PM class. His teacher is named Mrs. Sirken. There are 20 students in the class, and he is loving every minute of it. I drop him off at 12:40 and he rides the bus home! He gets home about 3:45 every day, and is all smiles! He is already learning how to read, little smarty pants!

We bought a house!!!!!: After months and months of eyeing the rental market, and realizing we would totally be OVERSPENDING, the thought of buying a house crossed our minds. We had a few reservations, the main one being we still have our house in Utah. We have good renters in there, but still, it's stressful knowing that we would be responsible for 2 mortgages. THe other hesitation was "where is Andy's career going to take us, and when?" The sports industry is unpredictable. A job opportunity could present itself at ANY TIME, and we were nervous about being held back because we owned a home here in Indy. Don't get me wrong, we are very happy with Andy's job now, but you honestly never really know what the future holds. We finally decided that we didn't have a crystal ball, we would be saving over $300/mo if we bought a house, and we ultimately would be so much happier in our OWN place, so we started thinking that buying might not be such a bad idea. So anyway, for months we had been getting listings from a local realtor, and didn't honestly think much about buying at the time. Then, a house came available that caught our eye. We decided to go look at it, but didnt love it in person. That next day another one came available, that was SO MUCH BETTER than the first one. I went and looked at it and fell in love. Andy went the following day, and followed the realtor to her office to write up an offer. That's how great this house was. We had to wait a few days for financing to fall into place, but once we got that approved we submitted the offer. After a few counter offers they accepted! They even included the swingset, washer & dryer and stand up freezer in the garage. Hello, am I dreaming? I am still kind of in shock, but as my house continues to pile up with boxes the reality is kicking in. We close on September 23, and I am thrilled. All 3 kids will have their own bedroom, and there is even room downstairs designated as a playroom. What more could a mom ask for! More to come on this!

One Year Anniversary: Yesterday marked the 1 year anniversary of our move to Indiana! I cannot believe it's been that long, wow. It's been a rollercoaster of emotions, mainly for me. Andy has rocked it at his job, which is no surprise. Despite the almost hour commute each way (which is soon to be cut by at least 20 minutes in the new house) he has loved his job. I think around the 8-9 month mark the "newness" of this adventure wore off and the reality set it. I was pretty much a basket case. A lot of the expectations I had created for myself and the move had not been met, and I was feeling quite sad about it. I missed my family dearly, and the thing that was the most devastating was the fact that my sister Sarah was pregnant and I wasnt there to experience it with her. Nor would I be there to enjoy these boys when they are born and growing up. It seriously kills me. BUT... I have moved passed the pity me stage, and have entered the "this is my new life" phase. I have accepted the new life, and now with the new house purchase comes new neighbors (we seriously have a lack of kids in ours)and a new ward. I am really excited. I get to feel comfortable and homey in MY OWN HOUSE. The kids will have a playset, and one of the neighbors have a 5 year old and a 2 year old. Seriously? Good things are ahead, including the birth of my DAUGHTER! Cant wait to meet baby D. 10 more weeks!!!!!

That's about it for this post, I will try my hardest to get some pictures uploaded in the next little bit, but packing has taken precidence these days!