Moving Day thru Christmas Eve

Saturday Dec 20 came a lot faster than I would have hoped I felt like we needed more time but that was pretty much the theme of the entire situation really. We had a 26 ft Uhaul and a 18 foot enclosed trailer. We woke up to it pouring although the chance of rain was 0%. I was really glad we had planned on the enclosed trailers. We had quite a bit of help from the ward about 15 elders and a few of their wives. Chris & Krissy also came to help. Things were loaded and the house pretty empty within an hour when Joy and Kerry got to our house. Krissy, Joy, the girls, and I headed over to the house to lay everything out before the truck arrived. Joy and Gracie went to get pizza while the rest of us stayed to get things situated. Once the truck arrived Matt assigned about 6 men to stay inside along with the girls with their shoes off and take boxes to their designated areas while everyone else brought stuff from the truck. It worked really well and kept my carpet much cleaner. The house was packed with stuff by the time the truck was empty and it had been less than 2 hours since we started. We had about another 1/2 truck load left at the house to go get so after we at pizza a small group of the guys went back for the rest and then they all called it a day. Everyone was exhausted!! Unfortunately for Matt and I our work was just starting and I really just wanted to cry. I was completely overwhelmed, exhausted, and felt yucky. We got the bedroom set up so there would at least be a place to sleep. Then our neighbor brought us dinner it was such a blessing. Real food complete with silverware and paper products so I didn't have to find anything along with drinks and dessert. I can't say enough what a blessing it was. Then we bathed the girls and got them to bed before Matt and I did more unpacking before I found a place on a couch while Matt moved boxes from place to place trying to get organized. Gracie found a quiet corner to read some stories.

Sunday Dec 21 we were planning on staying home for the day. I had made arrangements with the primary president not to be there but about 30 minutes before church started I got a call that she really needed me that she had a family emergency and would feel better if I came to help run things. So I quickly got ready and left Matt and the girls to deal with the mess that was our new home. After church it was back to unpacking and moving things around. Matt called around for some help to move things since I couldn't be as much help as I was hoping for. But everyone was busy and couldn't help. I cried and was frustrated Matt reassured me we would get everything taken care of but there was stuff everywhere and Matt needed help to move most of it. Then some of our neighbors showed up to bring us some treats and offered to help Matt it was just what I needed and by the time the sun was down our house was feeling more like a home and things were falling into place. While we were getting things all situated the girls have been fantastic at entertaining themselves. Here Gracie is painting her nails with her fingernail polish.

Mon Dec 22 The girls are adjusting well. No issues really. They still love their morning cuddles ad Im loving Hallie having no school.

Mindi was so sweet and offered to come help me get settled on Monday. She brought her kids and between hers and mine they just played while we got things done. She helped me unpack the entire basement mostly. We got the storage area all arranged and several boxes thrown away. It was such a relief to see each box become empty and find a place. By the time we finished the basement to was almost dinner time so we cleaned up and then they headed home for the night. That night Matt was able to find some help to take the remaining stuff to the storage unit so we could officially be done with moving trailers.

Tues Dec 23 After my Dr. appt Nic came to the house we all had lunch and then we got back into the unpacking and organizing. Joy stopped by and brought bar stools and some Christmas gifts. I was way excited about the bar stools and was very grateful she was so willing to give them to us. They are perfect for the girls to sit at the bar rather than standing on boxes or a step stool. After a few minutes of visiting Nic and I got back to work. We started with the upstairs bedrooms and worked our way down decorating as we went and moving the boxes down to where they would ultimately be stored it worked really well and it felt really good to see parts of the house fully completed. Once again this was a full day project but we got it done. By the time we finished it looked like a home...our home. With our stuff clean and organized. We still have alot to do but we have made huge progress in the few days we have had to move. That night we took a break and took the kids to see some lights, have some dinner, and do some last minute shopping. It was so nice to take a break and have some fun with the kids. I had so many plans this holiday season and quite a few of them got pushed to the side with the move.

Wed Dec 24 was a rough day for me after spending most of my morning fighting with centurylink to get our internet transferred  I was frustrated, tired, and alone since Matt was working. Since we were headed to Vegas on Christmas afternoon it was the only day I had left to get things wrapped up so I knew I had to get over to the house to clean and take the Christmas lights down. So I loaded up the girls, all the supplies we needed, and our remaining Christmas presents and headed to the house. It didn't take long to get the lights started while the kids played. But then once again I received a phone call from yet another person who probably had no idea they were an answer to my prayers saying they would like to come and help me with whatever I needed. It was Tiff and Ryan Wood. I let them know I was at the house taking lights down and within minutes they were there to help. Their boys played with the girls while we got things done. Ryan finished taking down the lights while Tiff and I got the house vacuumed and looked over. It went so much faster than it would if I was alone. Matt showed up just in time to help us finish and then we loaded up and headed to deliver the remaining Christmas gifts. By the time we got home I was physically and emotionally exhausted. We had made plans to have Kerry and Joy down to dinner since we wouldn't see them on Christmas. I was excited to visit and just have some downtime catching up. Gracie fell asleep on the couch while Matt and I prepped dinner which never happens this move has been exhausting to all of us. 

She and Hallie slept on the couch while the adults all had dinner. PS I love having a dining space. Then some friends of ours stopped by with some treats and stayed to played games. 

About 7:30 Gracie woke up and joined our party. About 8:30 we all called it a night and settled in for the night. But before that we continued our tradition of Christmas Eve Pjs. The girls in front of our Christmas Tree that miraculously moved really well.

 It was a nice night of not packing and prepping for Christmas. I have felt very blessed over this entire process. There has never been a time in my life I have felt to out of control busy. There weren't things I could put on the back burner everything needed my attention at once and had very quickly approaching deadlines.I felt like I was failing like at pretty much everything and didn't know what to do. I needed more help than I would ever like to admit and Im grateful for the people in my life that truly cared about us enough to make time in their busy lives to help us in som many different ways. I don't think it is ever convenient to help someone. Moving has been an eye opening experience for me. I have needed a lot of help and I feel like so many people made arrangements to be there to help me in so many different ways. I am not one to like help or to ask for help and people would just call and say I would like to come help you on a certain day at a certain time and I was so grateful for the help. 

SOLD!!!

Life around here has been crazy...to say the least! Our house is under contract and the even more exciting and crazy part is that it is a cash offer! We were asking 163,800. We are closing on the 18th and they were nice enough to give us until the 28th to be out but then we wouldn't have much of a Christmas so Matt really wants to move the 20th so I guess we will see how it goes and what we get done. It has been stressful some times more than others trying to find a place to live and realizing that we have less than 2 weeks before we have to be out. We were also supposed to close on our lot the 29th but the seller isn't returning calls from our agent, the title company, or us so we have started looking for a new lot anticipating the seller will back out or just not show up to closing. Here is a breakdown of how crazy this schedule has been 
Fri 12/5 We had a showing at 4pm and received an offer from them that same night about 7pm. The offer was 159000 with 6,000 in concessions/closing costs lower than what we wanted but a starting point still the same. What really helped us is that we had 2 buyers that were undecided that wanted to be notified if we received an offer so when we notified them we ended up with 2 offers instead of 1
Sat 12/6 We received the 2nd offer Sat about 9pm. This was a cash offer from a lawyer in Texas wanting to buy the property for his son and his roomates to live in while they attend school at Weber State. He offered 159,500 so we decided to take it. We had anticipated closing on the 29th but when the offer came through the process had been moved up in time. So we started to look for apartments that night. We had a hard time deciding how much space we could and wanted to live in especially taking into account that we will be adding another baby in May. Gracie dressed herself this morning and I decided to just let her be. I love her little sense of self and personality.

Tues 12/9 I called to make appt on apartments for the following day when Matt would be back in town only to find out that both of our top picks had appts for that day and had had a lot of interest expressed. I was panicked so I made appts for that day and decided the girls and I would have to check them out by ourselves. The one I thought would be my favorite was. It is a little outdated but clean and has good space. I called Matt and we decided to put in our application. It is a 3 bedroom 2.5 bathrooms with 2 good size family rooms, outside fenced spaced, 2 car carport, and a laundry/storage room. It is just under 2300 sq and I think with some sprucing up will be great with us.

Wed 12/10 We had our inspections and the final walk through today with the buyer so the girls and I spent our day out and about doing our sub for Santa shopping and having lunch. It was nice to get out of our craziness and focus on helping someone else. As soon as Matt was off work I took him to see it and he agreed it was something we could make work for us so we made the call and the lease agreement was put together. Which is a huge stress relief for me.

Once again we ended up at Arby's for lunch...the girls thought it was really cool we got to eat in the restaurant.

Sat 12/13 We spent most of our day packing the basement which was a great start. The girls were a great help for the most part they wanted to watch shows but occasionally taped or wrote on a box.

Wed 12/17 I have to stop by the rental office and get our lease for Matt and I to look over.

Thur 12/18 We are having the carpets cleaned and then close later that afternoon. 

Friday 12/19 Turn in our lease and get the keys. Then I have my big 19 week ultrasound.It went really well she is looking great and growing perfectly. She is actually a week and a half a head of dates which we are completely ok with. After Nic come to help me clean the apartment from top to bottom so we can move on Sat. Everything funded

Sat 12/20-Moving Day

Then who knows after that...lots of unpacking and getting settled. It is crazy right now but I couldn't imagine going through all of this without Matt he is my rock and the one thing that keeps me sane. He is definitely my keeper.

Festival of the Trees-2014

Life around here has been crazy so its nice to get out and go do fun things while having some adult interaction. Last year my sisters and I took the kids to festival of the trees and it was a hit so I think it will become a yearly tradition. We were bummed that Kimber wasn't here to come but such is life now that she lives in Las Vegas. The girls and I headed for Nic's house as soon as Hallie got out of Kindergarten. We al grabbed some lunch at Arby's which is becoming the favorite place to stop these days for lunch. Once we got to the festival we decided to wait to see Santa first. The kids were all really excited and it was nice that the kids could watch the stage nearby with various dancing groups performing while we waited.

No one cried this year!! Not even a sad face everyone was happy to see Santa and tell him what they wanted.

Hallie told Santa she wanted a Mulan Barbie and Gracie some little einstein dolls. Both were a surprise for me but hey we are at the age that it changes all the time. So we will have to see what Santa brings

Hallie was so excited about the gingerbread houses especially the Frozen ones. Gracie on the other hand was to busy eating her candy cane. They were so detailed I can't imagine the work that went into them.

This was Rig's favorite tree

After we finished wandering through all the displays we stopped by the candy shop and let the kids each pick a treat. Hallie picked a container of gummies, Gracie a caramel pretzel rod, and Nic and I had caramel apples that we shared withe the kids. Then we headed for home. We stopped at Nic's and just hung out. Since Matt was out of town and Kyle was working late none of us were in a hurry to do anything so we just visited while the kids played. I love the relationship I have with my sisters. Life is so busy but its always nice to know that we can clear out a day and just spend time with each other.

Showings, Showings, and more Showings....Plus our Angel Tree Picks

Over the past month we have had showings here and there for at most a couple hours. We have tried to get creative with what we do but Monday was a whole new experience. With Thanksgiving over I think people are back on the home search at least for a couple weeks until it slows down for Christmas. Saturday we had 3 appt set up for Monday but not until later in the day so I got up and started our usual Monday morning routine. It was also the 1st Monday in the month so I stripped all the beds and got the laundry started then the texts started to come in and our 3 showings turned into 5! I was thrilled hoping that this would mean an offer or two but completely overwhelmed with what I needed to get accomplished before everyone arrived. So I busted my butt and got everything done and then we left. The girls and I decided to head to Zupas for lunch before finishing some of our Christmas shopping. Then we ran Hallie to dance and I attempted to figure out what we were going to do for dinner. After I called Matt we decided we should plan on going out since we had 2 showings around dinner time but we needed to stay busy for about 2 1/2 hours so a great solution for us was Moviegrille where we could eat and watch a movie which would take longer than just going to dinner. So as soon as Matt got home we headed to the theater. It was a nice break from the day. After the movie we noticed the theater was doing an angel tree so we let the girls each pick a child. Hallie has asked everyday since when we get to go shopping for the kids. I'm glad she enjoys serving others and I love this tradition for our little family. Here the girls are with their names.

 Tuesday we had a 2nd showing for one of the couples that came on Monday...fingers crossed that means good things for us. PS I am never moving or selling my house again it is horrible!!! I was lucky and got Gracie down for an early nap and then we headed out. I asked the kids where they wanted to go and Hallie said the park so that is where we went. We pulled into the parking lot just in time to see 3 deer sitting not more than 15 feet from the car. The girls thought it was so cool. Hallie said, "Why did the deer cross the road....this is not a joke?" I couldn't help but laugh. Then we got out. Some people before us had sprinkled the entire bank by this bench with what looked like bird seed and just about every duck came right over to have some. They were so close! Gracie was a little nervous they were going to eat her but of coarse they didn't!

 Their colors were amazing

Then we headed to the playground for about 30 minutes before we started to get cold. The kids ran, jumped, and played. They squealed and laughed it was really cute. We even did some rock climbing before we decided to head home for some hot chocolate and cookies. Although it has been really hard to always get out of the house and get it ready it has been fun to be out and about with the girls doing a variety of things and making memories.

Krissy's Bridal Shower

To end our crazy Thanksgiving weekend we had a wedding shower on Saturday that I was in charge of. I think it turned out really well since Tiff and Ris were in town and could attend. We stuck to doing things pretty simply. Brit borrowed us the flag banner so we did our colors based on that it worked great.

It ended up being Joy, me, Brit, Tiff, and Ris and a bunch of Krissy's friends and mission companions so I was really glad we had done a combined shower!

 The Brower Group

I wanted to do something that wouldn't require a ton of prep or work during the shower. So we did a waffle and hot chocolate bar. It was a huge success! I made regular, classic, and chocolate waffle batters as well as handful of different syrups. Since becoming gluten free I have found making things from scratch is something that doesn't take much more time but make a huge difference. There is something about things that are homemade that just tastes better.

Then Krissy opened her presents...and was really embarrassed!

The little girls spent most of their time in the gym playing and planning plays and songs. Then of coarse they had to perform them so we temporarily moved the shower to the gym.

 I am so grateful for Matt and what a huge help he is to me he truly is my other half! Although he had a ton that needed to get done he came with me and made sure we got everything started and that I didn't over do it. Then he sat in the mother's room, did homework, and when we were done helped clean it all up...he is the best!

A big thanks to Brit for being the official photographer for the entire weekend.

Thanksgiving 2014

This year for Thanksgiving we were with the Browers'. We got up Thursday morning and got ready for the day. Matt ran to the grocery store to get us a set of ads. I finished a few things to take to Tremonton and we headed that direction about 10am. When we got there we were just missing Ris and her family that were still in route. Most everyone was in the front room watching videos on their phones and visiting we said hello and headed to the kitchen where we found Joy cooking away. We put our stuff down and I jumped in to help Joy get everything done. She was very appreciative of my wiliness to help and put me right to work. Here we are 16 weeks along...getting there a week at a time!

 The weather was perfect for the kids to play outside and they were happy to take advantage of it. Gracie was so funny when she saw that Livy was at Grandma's she said, "Oh I really like Livy, she is nice." I thought it was sweet that she has found a little friend.

 I find that the girls eat better when I have them help to make whatever it is we are eating and Thanksgiving is no exception. Gracie and Livy took turns wanting to help throughout getting everything put together. It also makes things more fun I never really cooked with my mom so I hope to teach the girls lots about cooking while I can!

We got most of lunch ready then the rest of the girls came to help put rolls together before we loaded up and headed for theater above Northern Furniture. Joy had made arrangements for us to have dinner there so there would be room for all of us to eat. It was nice to have everyone together since it only happens a couple times a year but feeding close to 30 people is never easy. Here is a picture Matt got of the place we ate. It was a little tricky getting everything warm but it worked ok between the oven and the microwave things got cooked or reheated. Just in time since we were all getting really hungry!

 This year Joy did turkey and ham. I was grateful for this since I don't really care for turkey

 After we ate I started to wonder if Matt's drink might have been spiked but nope he was just being his silly fun self...I really love this guy! He insisted on playing some sort of mexican ghetto jam to dance to...but he keeps life fun

 I think as a Brower anything that can be used as a stage is used as such. A handful of the kids attempted to use this platform as a dance stage

 Oh our Gracie what can I say. While we were cleaning up she decided to help herself to some fruit salad with her finger, a spoon, and the serving spoon but she seemed to be enjoying herself so I just let her.

After dinner Matt, Chris, Krissy, and I did the dishes while everyone else started a dance party in the large room.  By the time we were done with the dishes and cleaning up all I wanted to do is lay down and take a nap. I just don't have the stamina that I did before I was pregnant I get tired so easily...it can be really frustrating. I decided to sit against the wall and take a break considering I hadn't stopped running since we got to Joy's house that morning. Most everyone else started a game which was nice since it was quiet. 

 I took the time to look at the ads. When we are with my family usually all the girls work together to get lunch ready then the boys do all the cleaning up and my mom and sisters sit down and all look through the ads and map out a plan I missed that. After a while we headed back to Joy's house to finish cleaning up and to do the cousin gift exchange. I happen to catch this cute picture of Gracie helping Joy with the dishes.  With so many grand kids its hard to get some one on one time I thought this was so cute.

 I love that Matt and I are raising two great girls that are awesome helpers I really don't know what I would do without them and all the help they are to me. Then it was time for presents. Although there was some debate as to what, how, and when we should exchange gifts I hope we have figured something out that will work out for everyone. We decided to do a cousin exchange of homemade or semi-homemade gifts and I think it turned out really well. Both the girls did most of their projects picked out fabric, Hallie cut her's out, and I helped both of them sew them but it was fun how involved they wanted to be. The kids got great gifts that I think they will use throughout the year. I loved seeing how creative everyone had gotten and how excited the kids were to give their gifts. I think Hallie was more excited to give her gift than to get one...which is what Christmas is really all about. Gracie got a stick horse.

 Hallie got a coloring notebook that she really likes

 Kenzie also made some cute crochet head bands for the girls that she taught herself to make...impressive!

After the gift exchange the sisters, Joy, and I met to make sure everything was ready for Krissy's bridal shower and they liked everything I had put together so far. It was an exhausting but good day. By the time we headed home I was feeling really sick(this happens regularly when I over do it) the only seem that seems to help when I feel that way is to go to sleep and be careful the next day not to over do it again. So we got the kids off to bed and I wasn't far behind. I called the hospital since I was on call the following morning. Luckily for me they said at that point they didn't need me but if they had to go up a nurse they would. I crossed my fingers that They wouldn't need me since I needed a day to really recover. The next morning we got up about 8:30am and decided to put up all the Christmas. I sat on the couch while Matt drug it all out, put up the tree, and got it ready to go. I at that point attempted to help with little success before we got a text that we had a house showing only a couple hours later. We got the tree, Christmas Village, and a few other decor items before we decided to pack up the rest of it and call it good. We then took the kids to Cherry Berry for ice cream to kill time while the people came to look at the house. Then we headed home I had a short rest and then finally started to feel back among the living. Matt started some homework that really had to be done and I dressed the kids up and we headed out to put up the Christmas lights. It went pretty quickly since I knew exactly where everything went and had Gracie and Hallie to help sting the lights. Matt came out and helped me finish since it was starting to get dark. It was perfect timing to see how all of it looked together. After we decided it was a take out night so we went to get KFC to have a picnic in our front room and watched a movie. It was a great way to end a lazy day recovering spent with the ones I love the most.