House Hunting

A good part of May and June was spent house hunting. We were obsessed with the MLS listing. I'd constantly search and re-search on a few different websites. My real estate agent, Amy, is a friend of ours, and she has two little girls. Once or twice a week we would pack up our kids and meet to walk through different houses. We found several that we liked, and we made a number of offers. Then we'd wait to hear back, always with the same response: your offer has been rejected.

After making several good offers on houses I started to feel like I was wasting my time. I knew we would find the right place, I just thought maybe this wasn't the right time for us to move and we should wait a few months to look again. The week before the 4th of July we got another rejection, and I just had to take a break for a week or so. When I got back from the weekend, I decided to start looking again, and for the first time I went to an area called Iron Mountain Ranch. We saw a few houses on Monday and then a few on Tuesday. We submitted a few offers, and Wednesday morning I got a call from Amy saying our offer on a house we saw Tuesday was accepted!

That night we went back to the house so Jeff could see it. It was a foreclosure and needed some work, especially in the front and back yards, but we were really excited about it. Some of the things we loved were:

-we could raise our family here and never have to move

-master and kids rooms on the same floor

-it's in a small gated community

-our street has eleven houses and ends in a cul de sac (minimal traffic)

-close to church (it's literally one house away - first thing I thought of was that I wouldn't have to drive to early morning seminary!!)

-close to schools (a few blocks from elementary and high school)

-has a pool and tons of potential in the back yard

-proximity to shopping (Costco, Walmart, Target, Best Buy within five minutes)

The closing date was set for early September, which was nice, because it gave us time to get ready for the move. That Sunday we visited the ward, and we loved it and felt right at home. People were so friendly, and there were tons of young families. Everyone also raved about the elementary school we were zoned for. So, the first part of my summer was spent looking for a house, and the rest of the summer was spent preparing for the move, meeting people at the house to get estimates on work to be done, and packing.

Chuck E Cheese

One summer night we wanted something fun to do with the kids, so we took them to Chuck E Cheese. I don't know who had more fun - the kids or Jeff! He played the basketball game over and over again to try to beat the high score. He got pretty close! Maybe next time...

4th of July

This year for the 4th of July weekend, we met the Banners in Utah. We got there Thursday night and stayed at my parent's new house. They had moved in just before they left to London for a few months, so they weren't there. The house was in the process of being renovated, and I can't wait to see it when it's done.

Friday morning we met the Banners at the Paxman cabin up Provo canyon. It was fun to visit with my grandparents and let the kids play in the creek. Then we all drove up to the bottom of the dam and tubed the river with our four little kids! (I wish I had a picture) That is one of our favorite things to do when we're in Utah in the summer.

Then we arranged for my niece and nephew to watch our kids so we could go out. We ate at Tucanos and saw The Proposal.

Saturday morning we met my grandparents, Isaac and Liz and kids, and a few of my cousins at the parade. Jackson went right up and sat on my grandpa's lap. It was so cute!

Sarah is a cheerleader for Centennial Middle School, and they were in the pre-parade this year.

After the parade we went up to Pope's for lunch. It was so beautiful up Hobble Creek Canyon. We ate, hung out, went four wheeling, and Louis shot off bowling balls in the cannon. We got to visit with Jord and Taryn and cute little Abby for a bit, too.

After that we went back to my parent's place and just relaxed in the back yard.

The kids loved running around and jumping on the tramp and looking at the flowers.

That night we ate at Brick Oven and then found a spot on BYU campus to sit and watch the fireworks. (Note to self - don't ever take a picture from that angle again! haha)

Banners

Me and Jackson. Notice his legs. He crosses them all the time. My favorite is when he's stretched out on his back with his arms behind his head and his legs crossed. So funny to see a two year old doing that.

Sunday we drove back to Vegas with the girls in one car and the boys in the other. It was so fun to have that time to just visit and catch up more with Lindsay.

Vanessa's Wedding

Father's Day weekend we went to San Luis Obispo for Jeff's cousin's wedding. All of the Luszecks had come up for it, too. It as a LONG drive from Vegas, especially for a short weekend - and since the sick phase of pregnancy had already set in for me, but it was a lot of fun.

Saturday we went over to Ashley and Tyler's place in Cayucos. It was so fun to meet Merrick for the first time and see where they lived. We all walked down to the beach and on the pier. It's such a cute little town, and it made me miss living close to the beach.

Then we got ready and went to Vanessa and Matt's wedding. It was at a really nice outdoor facility. They had a nice ceremony, dinner, and dancing.

Bride & Groom
The cake


The tables had decks of cards, so Bailey and uncle Reid played a game

my boys
Vanessa and all of the Luszeck cousins

After we ate, Jackson found a dancing partner! We were all cracking up

And Lexi loved dancing with Vanessa. All day she referred to her as "the princess."

Sunday morning we ate breakfast together and then played at a park with Ashley, Tyler, and Merrick before heading back to Vegas.

Lexi's Party

Lexi turned four in June, and we threw her a birthday party. We invited a few of her friends and told them to wear their favorite princess dress ups. Lexi was so excited to wake up in the morning and find her new Little Mermaid outfit.

Birthday Cake

Party Favors

The girls sat down and decorated frames (that I had already painted pink) with glitter, stickers, and jewels.

They turned out really cute!Then there was a knock on the door...and Ariel came to the party! The girls were so excited. They huddled around her the whole time. She did face and hand paintings for them.

And then put a little makeup on each girl. Jackson didn't want to miss out!

Then Ariel sang songs and danced with the girls.

What cute little princesses! We took pictures of each girl with Ariel to put in their frames.
Then it was time for cake and presents!

A Little Surprise!

Well, I am months behind in my blog after a crazy few months. I'm hoping to get caught up in the next few weeks, since we have had a lot of fun changes, events, trips, etc. in the last few months.

First, a little news. In early June I went to the doctor about terrible headaches I had had for weeks. I get these horrible headaches every few years, and they last for weeks and then are gone. We finally figured out that they are called Cluster Headaches. The doctor asked if it felt like an ice pick stabbing in one spot of my head - and that is a perfect description! They typically hit me in the middle of the night, and they are very intense and painful. The first time I got one in this round, I woke up in so much pain I thought I was going to have to go to the hospital. I started just taking some left over ibuprofin when they would hit and rubbing my head until they would go away. Some nights they hit twice. It was miserable. Anyway, I went to a new doctor to talk about what they were and to see what I could do to help and prevent them. Unfortunately, there isn't much known about what causes them or why they come back. Anyway, after a long time figuring out a combination of prescriptions that I can take as well as increasing magnesium and potassium in my diet we started talking about how hormone changes can cause them. After a little more discussion and a urine sample - the doctor informed me that I was pregnant! I was totally suprised, but really excited. I just couldn't stop laughing. Obviously we had to re-vamp the prescriptions he gave me, and the headaches went away within a few weeks anyway. I went home and told Lexi and Jackson, and then when Jeff got home I let Lexi tell him the good news. I'll never forget his response - a little shoulder shrug, and two words: "I'm indifferent!" I've given him a hard time about that one, but we are really excited.

**Feels funny writing about this now, since I am already five months along! A week and a half ago I had an ultrasound, and everything looks great. And as for the baby's sex: we know it's a girl or a boy! :) We've decided to wait this one out the old-fashioned way.