MightyJohnsons

Checklist

Get pre-approval from interested buyers – CHECK
Get physical inspection on our home – CHECK (passed w/flying colors)
Get appraisal on our home – CHECK
Pack and move out in 17 days – hmmm, still working on that one.

I guess we should find a place to live too. Seth and I were up till the wee hours of the night discussing what we should do. We never really came to any conclusion other than we were both really tired. I then spent the next few hours in bed tossing and turning while my mind raced through all of our upcoming decisions. This should be a very interesting couple of weeks ahead. Believe it or not, I find it kind of exciting. So little time and so much to do. I am always up for a good challenge. Bring it on!

Laptop frustrations

I imagine that everyone gets frustrated with their computers every once in a while and has a minor meltdown. Not everyone is fortunate enough to get it captured on film. I’m pretty sure this laptop won’t ever work again.

This wasn’t really my laptop, it was a contest at an IT lunch we had at work. It is much harder than it looks to chuck a 5-year-old laptop.

Finally

After a few months of which seemed like forever, we are officially under contract with our home. They offered, we countered, they countered back and we have settled. The kicker is they want to close on the 17th of August. That is in three weeks. At this point we haven’t done any packing nor do we have any idea where we are going. We are starting to house hunt very seriously and we are watching rentals as well. Wish us luck. If anyone wants to house a family of 7 for a few weeks let me know. 🙂

Oma Ria’s visit

My mom came to visit from Alaska. The kids always look forward to her coming each year. When Oma didn’t make it in June, Jacob wanted to know what was happening to keep her from coming. The craziness of trying to sell our house had delayed her normal visit a little. She arrived about two weeks ago and the kids were thrilled.

We haven’t stopped going since she got here. We took a few trips to AF Canyon. One day we went to Cascade Springs and another day we went and had a cookout. We spent a day at Liberty Land with the kids as well. We also took several trips out to dinner and to local parks. She also cooked up a few meals with the fresh halibut that she brought and we finally found a healthy meal that we all absolutely love.

We had such a great time with her and were very sad to see her go. I was especially sad. It is hard to see my family so rarely. I wish we could visit together more often. Not to mention, she was a huge help while she was here. I never mopped or swept my floor nor did I do any laundry for two weeks straight. It was a incredible break for me. She is such a hard worker and even if I insisted on doing it she wouldn’t let me.

She left this morning and it is so quiet around here. We look forward to seeing her again. Thanks for the visit…we love you Oma Ria!

Cooking out in the canyon.

Nothin’ better than a hot dog cooked over a campfire.

Seth and the little ones in the hammock

Drew and Oma Ria

The girls with Oma at Cascade Springs.

The kids with Oma Ria

Claire and Oma having fun

The train at Liberty Land

More Liberty Land fun.

All the kids climbing the rock wall at Liberty Land

Steel Days Half Mile Run

Last Saturday the three oldest kids participated in the Bob Phelps 1/2 mile kid’s run. They were so excited to get their own t-shirts, number, and medal. Jacob flew through the course finishing third overall. Megan did great for her age range as well. Katelyn complained of a side ache after about 50 meters and walk/jogged the rest of the way. She didn’t have as much fun the other two. Jacob came away with a trophy and was super excited to show it off. I promised Jacob that next year we could run the 5k race together…they have it just before the kids race. Wahoo!

Meg and Jacob off to a great start!

Meg getting ready to cross the finish line.

All three kids with their medals.

Jacob with his trophy.

2009 Utah Tour de Donut

My first organized ride after getting my road bike last year was the inaugural Utah Tour de Donut event here in American Fork. Back then, I was a cycling newbie, but now I’m much more experienced. Looking back at my 2008 Tour de Donut results, I was a little disappointed. I had to improve significantly for the 2009 ride.

The Tour de Donut is a fun ride. You do a 7 mile lap, eat donuts, do another 7 mile lap, eat donuts, and then a final 7 mile lap. You get a 3 minute time bonus for every donut eaten, but you’re disqualified if you puke. It’s a lot of fun. Continue reading “2009 Utah Tour de Donut”

Happy 7th Birthday Megs!

Meg turned 7 this month. She is growing up so quickly. Most days I think she is 16, not 7. She has turned into such a responsible girl. We know we can rely on her for anything. We are so proud of the beautiful girl she has become.

For her birthday she got a beach cruiser bike. She absolutely loves it! She is so cute riding it around the neighborhood with her little bell and basket. She also got a magic kit, a webkinz and a kid’s size camelbak for hiking.

I asked Meg what she wanted to do for her birthday and she said all she wanted to do was to go get her nails done. So I took her and Katelyn and got their fingers and toes painted (and of course I did mine too!).

She also got a darling cake surprise from my good friend Sara. Upon hearing I wasn’t making an elaborate cake for her, Sara whipped up this cute cake. Megan felt so special and loved that she made it just for her. Overall it was a really fun day. Happy birthday Moodle! (**My camera had a smudge on it so most of the pictures are a little blurry.)

The time has come

Nearly eight years of working for what began as MingleMatch and then became Spark Networks, I am finally resigning. After many successful matchmaking experiences for friends and family it is time for me to move on. It is surprisingly more difficult than I thought. I am not sure if it is because I question my decision to quit a job in an economy such as ours or if it is the thought of saying goodbye to great friends. It is probably a little of both.

I often thought about quitting — probably have a 100 times since I started working here, but then move past the thought and resume my tasks. It is a great job really. I am a customer service manager. I monitor other reps, set my own hours and get paid fairly well all from the comfort of my own home. So why would I quit you ask? I guess the answer is because I wanted to. The income is no longer required for our family to function and we keep adjusting (or spending money on things that aren’t necessities) that help me justify keeping the job.

One day last week I decided this wasn’t what I wanted to spend three hours a day doing. The love of the job isn’t there like it used to be. I just want to use my time in other ways. I have a large family… soon to be six kids 9 and under. I want to be able to spend more time with them. I have a husband that doesn’t see me many nights because that is when I work on the computer most. And I haven’t been able to go tothe gym in months because my gym time often goes to work time. Needless to say, I am ready to spend a little more time with my kids, husband, and the gym.

I will miss my job, my routine, my extra spending money, and most of all my great friends from work, but I am anxiously looking forward to a few extra hours in my day to do things that I really want to do. I want to cherish the few years I have left before my kids are all in school. I can’t believe how fast that time goes. I want to converse with my husband more and enjoy quiet time together after the kids are in bed. It will be nice that he won’t have to “schedule” in time with me. I want to run, do aerobics and yoga again (although running is probably out until I have this little girl since I am too out of shape to start that back up right now, but walking will do). I am excited, almost a little giddy. Most evenings that I finish working I can’t wipe the smile off my face because I know I am one day closer to being done with work. My last day is July 6th. I finally did it. I finally resigned.

Finally!

Wow! He finally walks. Drew probably took his first steps between 14-15 months (which is several months late for my kids traditionally) but he still would not walk around unless we forced him. We began to wonder if something was wrong. My little twerp, as I warmly refer to him, has been tiny since birth. He has always been in the 0-5th percentile for weight and height so he was slow to crawl as well. My doctor assured me all was well and that a lot of kids don’t walk until they are 18 months. Plus, he was so fast when it came to crawling that he didn’t seem to care at all if he walked.

Seth and I were determined to not let this happen. No baby of ours was going to be crawling when they went into nursery. 🙂 And then the day finally came…at 17 months he decided to walk. Hoo-stinkin-ray! He walks! He really walks! The best part of the whole deal is I won’t have to throw away any more pants/shorts he has worn holes into. It is so cute to see him running around the house peeking on me. Way to go Drew! No physical therapy for you after all. Ha! 🙂

Baseball has ended…at last

Jacob was drafted to the Astros team this year. He played third base most of the season but he pitched a few games as well. He had a great team with fabulous coaches. They only lost two games all season. When it came down to the tournament they lost in the second round to a team they should have beat. That’s just the way it goes with boys this age. One day they play great and the next it looks like they don’t know how to play. It’s interesting that way. Continue reading “Baseball has ended…at last”