Just some cub scout fun

Christopher has been busy with cub scouts and loving every minute of it.  He's always early to his meetings and dressed and ready to go with a great attitude.  (Although sometimes I wonder if he isn't too early.  This is one boy who HATES being late, and in his mind "on time" is another word for late.) 

His leaders have been super sweet and sent me some pictures.

And of course all these activities have earned him a number of awards, which he is super proud of.

Missionary Mommas

Being the mom of a missionary is hard. Super hard.

But I KNOW I've got it so much better than moms did even only a few years ago.  For starters, email. I get emails every single Monday.  I know what he did that week.  When my friends were going out as missionaries, you'd send a letter, and then a few weeks later you'd get a reply.

Secondly, I found a couple support groups online.  There's the general Missionary Mommas facebook page, and the Billings Montana Missionary Mommas facebook page.  If I have a question about something missionary related, I can have an answer in minutes.  And occasionally I will find a random surprise because someone else would have posted a picture with my kid in it.

And then, with those facebook pages, there is the added bonus of stalking and/or befriending the moms of Nick's companions.  Sometimes anyway.  I get super annoyed if I can't find their mom on facebook.

Anyways, we kinda hit the jackpot the other day.  Nick got a brand new companion, Elder Burch.  Elder Burch was brand new to the mission field and Nick was going to be his trainer.  And guess where Elder Burch was from?   Mesa, Arizona.  There were SEVERAL missionaries from the valley serving in Billings.  It was only a matter of time.   So we moms befriended each other on facebook, and then she stalked me while I stalked her, (it's only fair) and she found Nick's blog and wanted to know how I did it. 

Long story short, we had a lovely dinner that next Sunday night at their house getting to know each other's families and then I taught her how to blog.  It was fun. 

I always worry about what kind of companion Nick will have.  Six weeks (at the very least - could be 12 or 18... or more) is a long time to be with someone 24 hours a day that you don't get along with.

Anyways, they have a lot in common, but when she mentioned that Elder Burch "is a hugger", I knew they were going to get along just fine.

(After mission update - Elder Burch ended up being one of Nick's very favorite companions. I believe they will be friends for life. )

What's up, Buttercup?

Speaking of football, the high school had a carnival the week of the Homecoming game. 

Maddie went and took a few dollars to spend on random silly games.  She dunked her seminary teacher at one booth,  won a handful of candy at another booth, and even won a goldfish at another.

She was SO excited.  I was not so much. Fish are more effort than they are worth.

She named him Buttercup, after the character in the movie The Princess Bride.

But because I try to be a supportive mom on occasion, I bought him a bowl with some rocks for the bottom and some food.

Sadly he never ate a bite.  He lasted four days, and mostly just laid on the bottom on the rocks.

I personally think he died of a broken heart from the grief of missing his dear sweet Wesley.

Marching to a different beat

Zach has always been my different child. Blonde. (Not so much any more, but when he was little he was blonde) Blue eyed. Left handed. Introverted. Band instead of orchestra.

And now that Zach is in high school and has more opportunities, he has decided to try something new and join the marching band.

He's been really enjoying it, for the most part.  There was a week there in the summer when they had a boot camp of sorts and there was running involved.

And there's a lot of dedication involved during the school year. 3 practices a week, plus Friday night games, plus competitions nearly every Saturday.

But he is having fun, making friends, getting exercise, and doing something that he is proud of.

And we have been having a lot of fun supporting him on Friday nights at the local High School football games.

Making a new home

When we moved, we downsized.  Like a LOT.  Like we now live in literally half the space. 

HALF.

Besides the fact that we had to get rid of tons of stuff, everything was all awkward.  Most of the furniture I had bought (with money I made by selling caramels) to fit a particular space and function, but now I had to figure out how to make things fit into an awkward space without looking too awful or getting rid of too many pieces that I love.

I think it worked out ok.  I think that big cutout space in the middle was meant for an entertainment center or something, but the room is awkwardly L shaped, so I don't know where you'd stick a couch.  Anyways, it doesn't look too bad as long as I keep the clutter under control (which is an ongoing fight).  Speaking of which - excuse the boxes.  The unpacking is never ending, and I've long since run out of space to put things.

See that giant measuring stick on the right? I transferred all the kids growth marks from the wall in the house.  I was glad I figured out a way to not leave those behind. 

And my stars found their way back to their spot on the stairs.

I let Maddie help with some of the decorating.   There's the subtle image of Jaq and Gus running up the stairs to help Cinderella, and the not so subtle storm trooper in her room.

And she insisted on a 'Paradise Falls' jar.  It's a hope jar of sorts that we fill with loose change and some of the proceeds from caramel sales.  It's from the movie UP, except our 'Paradise Falls' is really probably going to be Disneyland.

And that's about all we have for now.  So much to do.  Thankfully it's all new carpet and paint, so it's not like we have a lot of extra work ahead of us.   It's just trying to take a house and a bunch of crap and put them together and make a home.

Fourteen

Zach's fourteenth birthday didn't start out so great.

For starters that was the day we moved. I was so stressed about the move that the first words out of my mouth to him were not "Happy Birthday!", they were something along the lines of "People are going to be here in 10 minutes to help us move, are you all ready???"

It was a hot day of work, he had to say goodbye to the only home he's ever really known... etc, etc. Not the best way to celebrate his day. 

Knowing the day would actually suck, we celebrated early.  One last little happy moment in our home. 

I know he was disappointed and it was hard for him, but he handled it all with a grace and maturity of someone much older than just 14. 

The day did end on a high note as some friends of ours took us out to the Cheesecake Factory for dinner.

Moving day.

We moved.

I'm actually writing this post in January of 2018, but I'm dating it August of 2016.  (I have quite a bit of catching up to do.) I mention that because NOW I am ok with the move.  Just ok though.  There are so many things I miss about our old home.  Closet space... my kitchen... the back yard... the three car garage... the plumbing.... but I definitely don't miss the electric bill.

Anyways, our new home is HOME now, but I sure fought the good fight trying to keep that other house.  It broke all of our hearts to have to leave.  However, we compromised, and we were able to stay in the same neighborhood and ward. 

And as hard as that time was, and it WAS hard, we felt so, so loved.  For instance, my father bought us a new home to live in, my realtor and friend offered to sell our old house for free, I didn't have time to pack myself since I had to work, (I did what I could) so my sweet friends came to my home and packed my house up and cleaned it during the day.  There were moments where I just sat at work and literally cried with gratitude.  One of my friends helped me sell all the furniture I didn't have room to take with us, my work let me borrow a truck so I didn't have to rent one, and I apparently had record numbers of friends show up to help us move.   My mom and a friend or two or more helped me unpack... That's literally the tip of the iceberg over the course of a few months.  I cried more often than I can count, and not from my sorrows (though there were many ).  Maddie would often ask, "What did we do to deserve such amazing friends?"  I still don't know.

Since Nick was on a mission, his room was the first to be packed up. I spent a week one summer painting those stripes. 

Artwork I found behind a large bookcase.  It's either Zach's or Christopher's handiwork. 

One of my lovely friends serving my other friends who were serving me. 

I found sweet notes written on some of my boxes. 

At BJ and Jess's wedding one of my brothers asked me why I didn't just move home.  He really didn't understand why I would choose to stay where I had no family.  He really didn't understand that I had a created a whole new family of people I wasn't actually related to. Yes Salt Lake will always be a home for me, and hold a special place in my heart, and it is where my real flesh and blood family resides, but I feel just as loved and supported here and for now, this is where we belong. 

Even in, or especially in, a house half the size.

The moving truck :)

Going for a ride to get another load. 

Even the missionaries showed up to help.

The Fab Four.

We couldn't find half of Christopher's church clothes the next day....

Maddie wanted to decorate her new bathroom with this sign... I said yes because a little humor might go a long way.