Friends Are The Best!

Don't you love it when your friends just know what you need right when you need it or even before you need it? I just love that about friends.

As you know I have had mixed feelings about moving and I really don't like change but my friends' support and offers of help has been helping me as we have moved over to the new house this week.

The fixtures in the new house don't match the fixtures in the old but a friend gave me a giftcard which I'm excited to use to find items I need in my bathrooms. Speaking of bathrooms ... one of my boys yelled to me "we're out of soap!!!" and I was able to quickly hand him some soap that another friend had given me just the day before as a house-warming gift (or a "I'm so glad you're gone gift" she wasn't very specific come to think of it... hahaha!!!)

Then this morning as I was reading in the Ensign from a past Conference issue (I couldn't find the current one as I'm sure it is safely packed away in a box somewhere) I read a talk from President Monson about change and how we should take joy in the journey. I realized that my most important friend, my Heavenly Father was speaking to me about the change we have made and to make the most of it.

I'm so grateful for friends of all kinds that do different things for us at different times in our lives.

Here are a couple of pictures of friends taken in the last couple of days:







We look forward to making new friends here and keeping our friends in our old neighborhood.

Barbeque Blast

I really shouldn't be blogging but should be painting our old house instead. As many of you know, however, I spent WAAAAAY too much time painting and what's the fun in that??????

On Monday I DID have tons of fun at Dede's eating, talking, eating, taking pictures, eating some MORE great food etc. etc.

The adults were not so keen on having pictures taken but most of the kids were obliging (a couple of kids ran away ... ahem...Wesley was one... he gets it from his mom I guess.) That's okay - I got him anyways. I don't have a single picture of myself from Monday night on purpose!!!

The big boys dominated the trampoline and created their own entertainment.


I didn't know an exercise ball could BE so fun...

or should I say deadly?



Little kids stuck with the rocks:






or cars:







or video games:




or just hung around:

and adults enjoyed the finger-lickin' good food:


Thanks for a great night Dede!

It's Done

It is official and the sign is on our lawn. The house is now up for sale. Of course getting to this day has been very difficult with all the painting and packing and cleaning in order to make the house presentable (don't look in my storage room or garage as those don't count!!!)

My house has never been cleaner or more de-cluttered.



DON'T ANYONE MOVE!!!! (that would make footprints on the floors) NO PLAYING, NO EATING, NO CHANGING CLOTHES OR SHOWERING, (that would create laundry), NO TOUCHING WALLS OR WINDOWS (fingerprints). Frankly, I'm exhausted and not a single showing has occurred yet.

I know we need to get over to the other house so that this one will be empty and will show well for potential buyers.... but I don't want to leave. I don't want to say goodbye to my friends. Can't I just take everyone with me???? I have 10 years invested in this neighborhood and it is hard to let go.



















Maybe I'll take the sign out of the yard and keep this as my summer home.

My Week End

I can't believe I am actually taking a few precious moments to blog!!! What a guilty pleasure. don't tell my house that I'm not spending every waking moment on it today to get it ready to be sold... it will be jealous (oh and I will feel guilty).

Mother's Day was wonderful this past weekend with so many well wishes from my boys multiple times a day telling me "Happy Mother's Day". They brought home treats from church and a little game to go with it and Smiley kept telling me that he was going to share "his" treats with me as opposed to me sharing my treats with him.

I also had lunch in bed thanks to Brett and the boys. Early church was not conducive to breakfast in bed but once church was over I was required to get back in bed with jammies on.


Really though, Mother's Day began on Saturday when I had some precious time to myself to go to an annual Quilt Show featuring some beautiful quilts. This year's most amazing quilt was inspired by The Lord of the Rings and the thread work was amazing.

More on my level and a unique idea was a quilt that was done using the selvage. Very cute and easy.



While I was at the quilt show and Brett was with the boys he asked them to name 10 things they love about mom. this is the list they came up with:

1) pretty (I think my kids need glasses)
2) cool (I and many others would disagree with that but I've done a good job of brainwashing them... kudos to me)
3) nice (they must have thought I was listening... see #10)
4) cute (I better make that eye doctor appointment)
5) nice to everybody ( you'll have to be the judge of that)
6) awesome (they are also brainwashed on this one)
7) silly ( I agree on this one)
8) smart ( they won't think this when they are teenagers)
9) super (they also won't think this when they are teenagers)
10) super hearing (this is my super power ... I believe every mom has a super power.. this is mine)

All my boys were great on Mother's Day. I think they used up all their sweetness that day because it didn't extend into my birthday the next day. But you really can't expect two perfect days in a row can you???

Hope you had a wonderful Mother's Day. Oh dear... I think the house is noticing my lack of attention. I had better get back to it.

Feeling Like a Heel

A few minutes after sending Sheriff off to bed I heard a strange sound coming down the hall. Within 2 seconds I recognized it as the sounds of his crying. Now this was not ordinary crying... this was sobbing... deep down to the bone grief. I didn't think he had had enough time to fall asleep and have a bad dream but then - if he takes after his dad who falls asleep in two seconds it was possible.

I wrapped my arms around him in the hall and as he continued to sob I asked what was wrong and through his garbled words I finally understood.... he didn't want to move... he would miss his friend Reagan. It took some time to comfort Sheriff and he is still not convinced/bribed enough regarding the new house. I can't say I blame him. He has lived his whole life here and has so many friends here. It was all Brett and I could do to not break down and cry with him.

So here we were in the midst of trying to comfort our son and feeling like big giant heels for uprooting him from his friends and his school. Sheriff has a real flare for the dramatic when pouring on the waterworks and the guilt but he has a good reason this time.

Sheriff and Reagan have done so many things together over the years sharing classes at school, t-ball,



going to the zoo, dinosaur park, going to Utah Lake, Lake Powell, riding bikes, playing video games, family game nights and getting together and playing after school and on week ends. Reagan will always be welcome in our home where ever that may be.