We are a Foster Family!

It all started last Sunday. We were invited to our neighbors house for a Christmas Open House and while there we got talking with another neighbor. She was telling us how they are fostering a liter of 6 rotweiler puppies, only 12 days old. We asked a lot of questions, told her we thought it would be cool to do that and she invited us to come over and see them. Well, Monday night she came to our house and asked if we were serious about the possibility of fostering. We said we hadn't really discussed it, and then she told us that the Rescue she was working with was looking for more families to foster more dogs/puppies. She told us that there was a liter of chocolate labs, a liter of chihuahua's and a few others that needed homes. Unfortunately the labs and chihuahua's were scheduled to be put down the next day if they couldn't find someone to take them. We said we would take the labs. Unfortunately, we were too late. So on Tuesday she showed us a picture of a liter of black labs that were just dropped off at a local shelter that needed someone to take them. We said YES!! But, once again... too late. I'm not really even sure why they were put down, they were only at the shelter for a day! They were only 3 weeks old. :( So the lady called us today and said she had just pulled 7 dogs out of the shelter and had 2 boxer mix puppies. We said YES again. Well, about 2 hours later she delivered our little foster puppies! They are so stinking cute!!! The kids are so excited to have these little guys.







The black one is male, the brown one is female.


The brown one likes to get in the bowl to eat!

So, what does fostering mean? Well, we are still learning, but basically you agree to take on a dog/puppy or a liter of puppies and care for them until they can adopt them out. They have puppies as well as older dogs. While we have them, we can try to find people to adopt them by word of mouth or craigslist. The potential owner then is screened and if everything checks out, they get to adopt the dog. Sometimes there is a re-homing fee of only $50-$100, and they have to agree to spay or neuter the dog before a certain date. As a foster family, we care for the dog/puppies. Basically just love them and make sure they are healthy and fed. The Rescue pays for all the vet visits and will reimburse for dog food (or you can pay for the food and call it a donation). You keep the dog/puppies until they are adopted, or until you feel you can't keep them any longer. We felt like it would be a great experience for the kids. They want a dog so bad, but we don't really want the long committment of having one, paying for vet bills, food and all the things involved with having a dog. We have had dogs before and know they are expensive and a huge committment. So we thought this would be a great way to get a puppy fix and teach the kids how to care for animals and help rescue them. So if anyone out there -locally- wants to foster a dog or puppies, let me know. The rescue is called Helping Orphaned Hounds. Or, if you want to adopt one of these little guys, let me know. Besides the 7 she pulled froma local shelter, she had 17 more coming in from So Cal. All of them needing a foster home.

I'm sure we will be posting more pictures of these two cuties, as well as others yet to come!

Happy Birthday Christina!

Today is Christina's birthday. She is 13, a teenager. Christina is such a beautiful girl. Both inside and out. I am so happy she is my daughter. She makes friends easily. She has a heart of gold. She is so helpful around the house. She cooks, cleans, babysits and is willing to do pretty much anything I ask of her. She is a loyal friend. She just wants to make people happy. She has a great laugh. She loves to have fun. She loves baking. She is a great swimmer. She is creative and crafty. She is active - almost never sitting still. She is entertaining. She gives great foot massages and back rubs. She is sweet and kind and giving. She is thoughtful. She truly is a blessing in our lives. I love you, Christina! Happy Birthday!

Since I don't have my camera, and can't figure out how to get pictures from David's onto my computer right now, I thought I would post some past pictures of Christina.














Love you sweetie!! Happy Birthday!

Catching up, again...

Ok, I started that last post back on November 8th, I guess, and never finished it. I sorta forgot about it. I went ahead and published it, but thought I should probably do a new one.

Still haven't found the camera. Grrr... So no pictures of the house yet. I will have to use David's camera and get some posted. There just won't be before and after pics. Oh well. We have been so busy! We have pulled out almost all the shrubs and plants in both the backyard and front. Ahhh... I have wanted to do that since before we moved in. It looks so different without them. I can't wait for David to work his magic with the landscaping here. We have 6 trees in the front yard. Yes, 6! Wait, maybe 7... Anyway, trying to decide which ones stay and which ones go. I have my opinion, but I don't think David and I agree. I'm sure the shade in the summer is nice, but it would also be nice to see the front of the house from the street, I think. Although, the privacy is nice too. Ugh... Like I said, trying to decide how many stay. Haven't made much progress with the painting. But, all the Christmas decor is up and the boxes are gone, for the most part. Not put away, just shoved into closets! But... we got some FURNITURE!!!! That is soooo exciting!! You have no idea. To be without furniture for 2 1/2 years, it's so nice to actually have a kitchen table to eat on. We also got 2 leather club chairs (love them!!!), a coffee table, bar stools and our couch is ready to be picked up! Yay! It's starting to look like we actually live here! Now, if only I had stuff to put up on the walls! Working on that...

Amanda turned 8 in November and was baptized. It was such a wonderful event. We had 11 people come and stay with us - in our new house. It was great! They all stayed here and we weren't on top of each other. We played games every night -haven't done that in YEARS! That was so much fun! It was so nice to have everyone come from far away to help celebrate with Amanda. We really had a great time!

David's parents stayed until Thanksgiving. It was really nice to have them here with us for that. I actually baked my first apple pie. It was so easy (thanks to my firend Markelle, for the easy recipe). And it was so yummy!!! It was a dutch apple pie, so it had the crumbly top. I also used fresh apples that my mom brought me from their trees. It was a very yummy dinner.

Michael made the High School Soccer team. Yay Michael! He plays keeper and does a great job. He really enjoys it. With practice everyday after school, he is a bit more tired every night. They have played 2 games and have another game this week. I don't think they have won one yet, but they will. He started the last game and no goals were scored on him. But then they switched out keepers and 2 goals were scored. He was a little bummed, but it's all good. I think they tied that game.

Amanda was in a 2nd grade Christmas Program last night. It was such a cute program. She was a reindeer, Cupid. She took her part very seriously and listened to every instruction given by Ms. Wilson. She memorized her lines (and everyone else's!!), she practiced the songs (nonstop for 2 weeks), she practiced her dance moves (the reindeer had a dance scene) and she did a great job. I think she may have enjoyed being on stage more than I ever thought any of my children would. She absolutely loved it! We may have started something with this. Time will tell...

I don't think I mentioned that Ryan had a birthday back in September. He is now 6! He loves kidergarten and is doing really well. He is so excited to go to school everyday. So excited that he is up and ready to go, usually by 6am!! He has made many new friends and is learning so much.

Tyler is enjoying pre-school. He will be 4 next week! Crazy! He has come a long way in his speech. I pretty much understand just about everything he says. He is talking nonstop!! David often tells him that if he keeps talking so much he will run out of words byt the time he is an adult. He tells him that we are only allowed so many words in a lifetime and he's going to run out. He and Ryan love playing with all the boys on the street. We pretty much don't see them from the minute we get home from school until it's dark. There are LOTS of boys on our new street.

Christina... Today is Christina's birthday!! See next post that is all about her!

I guess that pretty much does it. Looking forward to a Merry Christmas and a fun visit with family in the snow!

Hello World

I have been hearing, a lot lately, that I need to update my blog. I guess I do. It's been a little while. Why does my life seem so boring? I have thought about things I could blog, but then I get busy doing... who knows what, and then they just don't seem so important. But I guess a couple of changes need to be mentioned.

We have moved! It has been one crazy month! We moved a whole half mile from where we were before, but alas... it means a new ward, a new stake and a new elementary school. It seems so crazy, but we jumped to the other side of Recker and our entire world has changed. It has been a bit of mixed emotions. We are so excited to be in our own place again! It is much bigger than the rental we were in. I am not stepping on Lego's strewn throughout the house. We can paint, decorate and do whatever we want to the place! That, in itself, is thrilling. But I was very sad to leave our ward. We really felt we belonged there. We made some great friends and I know that they are still friends, we are still very close, but you know how it is... So close but yet, it sometimes feels like so far.

So, we moved over Fall Break. We grossly underestimated the painting that needed to be done. We thought we would be able to get it done in 2 days. HA!! 10 gallons of primer, 5 gallons of white, I think we are at 10 gallons of various colors, and we are not done yet! The downstairs is almost done -a bathroom and guest room is left. We still have Amanda's room, bathroom, bonus room (aka The Bunk House) and the Master bedroom and bathroom left to do. Amanda's room is next. It is so overwhelming. There are soooo many things we want to do with the house. I have to try to focus on just one thing at a time. Which I do not do very well. I tend to look at the whole big picture, get completely overwhelmed and just shut down. Ugh... Not to mention all the boxes that are still all over the place. I hate moving! Luckily, we don't plan to move until all the kids are done with High School. Unfortunately, with all the chaos going on, I have lost my camera. I took 'before' pictures, 'during' pics of the kids painting and have now lost my camera. It's highly annoying! So, when I find it, I will be able to post pictures.

The other big 'event' that has happened is David got promoted! Yay!! He has worked so hard and it has finally happened. I am so proud of him and excited for this new change. (I think...) His hours will change a little, they will be a bit better, I think. He has worked with the Store Manager of his new store before. They get along very well, so I think he will be happy in this new position, or at least with this store manager. He will be working longer shifts, especially with Thanksgiving and Christmas right around the corner, but I think it will be alright.

Almost June

Wow, time flies!! It's almost June! I can't possible re-cap everything from the past couple months, so here are just a few highlights. Let's see...
Christina fractured her finger -somehow- and ended up going to school with a splint on April Fool's Day. Everyone thought she was faking and it was a prank. I had to send a Doctor's note so her teachers would know it was for real! She couldn't play her clarinet, so she ended up playing percussion. She didn't like it much at first, but ended up embracing it and played both percussion and clarinet in her last band concert. She starts Jr. High next year! Can't believe it!!
Michael broke his finger a little over a week ago in PE at school. We will be seeing a hand specialist on Tuesday, he may need surgery to insert a pin. We are hoping that won't be necessary. Our Home Teacher came over and looked at the x-rays and he even said it's borderline. He may or may not need surgery. Crossing our fingers. He is suppose to be going to Scout Camp on Tuesday for the week. This is a different camp than they usually do. They only go every 4 years to this one. I am so sad that he may not be able to go. Michael starts High School next year! Ugh! Where did time go?!? A High Schooler??

Ryan will go to kindergarten in the fall. Tyler will stay in pre-school and Amanda starts 2nd grade. Hopefully all 3 of them will be at the same school. That would make life a bit easier.

We have been out on the lake a few times already. I love being on the water. It is so relaxing, there is no better place to be. It's my happy place! Unfortunately Michael won't be doing much wakeboarding this summer with his broken finger and all. But I am sure he will make up for lost time.

David is still at his same job. Still hoping for a promotion! I got a new job with the Town of Gilbert and I LOVE it!!! I was able to quit my other jobs and just do this one. I can't say how much I LOVE this job. It is so laid back and easy going. There is no drama, no politics, no stress. I am so happy there. I turned a year older this month! Still under 40, but just a tiny bit!

We are looking for a house. We have found two that we love and hope to be putting an offer on one of them next week. It's such a big decision. And as always, I am over analyzing it way too much. But hopefully we will be getting into our own home again soon. Then we can order all our furniture and feel like we are finally 'permanent' here. lol... It's exciting and a little stressful at times. But I know it will all work out in the end.

My parents were able to come and visit. That was really fun having them here with us. It always goes so fast! Wish they could've stayed longer, but alas, they had to go back home. Really hoping to get the chance to head north to see them -and all our family there- this summer. David's parents were also here in April. They came for Michael's birthday. They stayed at a resort in Scottsdale, so we took the kids up a few times so they could swim in the pools and hang out. Some of the kids spent the night with them a couple of times. We loved seeing them and spending time with them. They ended up being able to stay longer than originally planned, so that was really nice having that extra time with them. It's always fun to have family visit.

So, here's to summer. Bring it on!!! Hot days -and nights. Lake trips. Swimming in the pool. Summer movies. Hanging out with friends. And hopefully, a move into a new home!

Where did February go??

Just a quick re-cap of the last few weeks.

Michael - Spending much time on the phone each night with a couple of girls. Hmmm... Got his phone taken away, so said girls have been calling the house late at night looking for him, 11pm or later. Hmmmm.... Hanging with Kai. Wakeboarding on Presidents Day. Running track. Enjoying new membership at the Y, working out, taking an athletic training class and swimming in the pool.

Christina - Possibly spends too much time with her friends. Is that possible? Practicing very hard for the Honor Band Auditions coming up this weekend - Clarinet. Babysitting, babysitting and more babysitting. Also enjoying the new membership at the Y. Loves swimming, taking a class and walking on the treadmill. Science Camp is just around the corner and David and I are a little surprised that Christina is going. We weren't able to chaperone, so we thought she'd back out, but she is excited to go. Amanda writes her notes and has cried a few times about how much she is going to miss her while she is gone. This makes Christina cry too. But, she will be fine and we know she will have a great time.

Amanda - Loves reading her books. She likes to memorize some books and then 'read' them to me while she looks away from the book. Playing with friends. Coloring pictures. Loves going to the 'gym' and playing in the Kid Area with Dana (a former Fitness Works employee she loved seeing, now gets to hang out with her at the Y). Swims in the pool, both at the Y and in our own pool -crazy girl!! Loves painting fingernails and toenails any chance she can get -basically anytime I say yes.

Ryan - What a long way he has come this year in pre-school! This is his first year in pre-school and I am not a good 'teacher' here at home. I was concerned that he may not pick up the whole ABC thing, writing and drawing pictures. Well, he is doing great! I love seeing his classwork come home, especially the ones where he has written something with a picture to go along with it. Loves going to pre-school and also spending time with his friends -at our house or theirs. Went to the Zoo last week, in the rain! Miserable, but fun!

Tyler - What a difference Pre-School has made for him as well. His speech is getting so much better. We can actually understand most of what he says! He loves playing Lego's with Ryan and Michael. Riding his bike in the court with his 'buddy' Noah. His favorite song to sing right now is 'Mary had a little lamb'. He sings loud and proud! A little less enthusiastic about going to the gym. Loves to go and swim but not so fond of the kid area, unless Dana is there, of course. Ryan and Amanda help convince him to go in. Recent field trip to the Zoo -last Monday in the rain! It was so cold, but we had fun. Tyler fell asleep on the tram ride at the end. Loved it!

Brenda - Worked 2 jobs the month of February. Some days were harder than others, but it's all good. Ended up 'quitting' the tax thing, I think. I'm not really sure what actually happened there. It was so slow at that office, and a couple conversations led to me to just say "I think it best that I go, and you call me when and if you get busy and need me to come back to help out." So I guess I am on-call now? Wierd... I loved the challenge of learning something new, and I actually really enjoyed doing the tax returns, but it was so slow there!! Since I was only getting 10 hours a week, I figured I would save them some money and spend some time with my kids. If they call and need me I will be happy to go back and help out. In the meantime, I have an interview tomorrow morning for another job. Am I crazy???

David - Still working in the same job. A Manager position opened up, FINALLY!! So we are hopeful that something materializes. Since he has been there, 2 have opened but then were pulled. So we are hoping the same thing doesn't happen this time. He is the Asst. Manager, but basically doing the manager's job. He works really well with his manager -they get along really well, almost too well I tell him. But we are both hopefull something will happen with this opening. Cross your fingers for him! :)

David is actually the one who suggested we get a membership at the Y, because he wanted to start working out! I never thought I'd hear him say that! David has never worked out or exercised the entire time I have known him. He is lucky to have a great metabolism and has never needed to. I am happy he wants to do it, because it gets me to the gym. We have really enjoyed going. It is a great facility and there is plenty to keep us all busy. We go almost daily! We all love it.

South Mountain

Wednesday was a half day at school, which means all the kids were home by 12:15. We decided to have a fun 'family' day. We haven't explored much around here so I went online to search for a fun park to go to. Something more than just a park, wanted trails for walking or hiking, maybe a small lake to explore or anything else that is more adventurous. I found South Mountain. All the reviews were great. Lots of trails and the pictures looked great. We packed lunches and as soon as everyone was home, we headed out on our family adventure. It wasn't really what I was expecting, but it was still fun. I need to remember that we live in the desert and there are no trees here. I knew I wasn't going to get Tilden Park -oh how I wish it could've been- but I was expecting something a little more... pretty? It was mostly just rocks and cactus.

We drove to the top and were able to look out over the valley. That was amazing! We are still in awe at how BIG the valley is. We honestly had no clue, before we came here, how big it actually was. David was looking at jobs in Peoria thinking he would commute. HA! No way! Anyway, it was fun to sit and watch the planes land at the airport, try to identify streets, cities, we even looked for the Temple -which we couldn't see, of course. It was fun to see the entire valley and to explore the mountain. The kids loved it and we had a great time.

We drove by this really cool 'house' -or what use to be a house. It was falling apart and there was no roof, but it was so cool. I wish I had kids that were willing to pose for lots of pictures, because it would have made for some really awesome shots. A better camera would have been great, too. We'll have to go back another day for that. But it was fun to shoot a few. The rock walls and the giant cracks in the cement and walls were awesome. There was also a really cool fireplace that was still standing, but I didn't get a picture. Bummer. It made me want to know the story of the old house. Someday I may find out what it is, which would be cool, but for now, it's a mystery.




It was a great day!