"Country living at it's finest"

I grew up in the best little town just south of Logan called Millville, this is what the sign said entering our small town "Country living at it's finest" I loved growing up there but I do remember thinking that it was a pretty cheesy saying and as I got older I was little embarrassed about living in the "country" some of my friends would laugh about that slogan and I of course chuckled along with them....its seemed like to me that the kids who lived in the bigger cities were more "cool" I thought they were "rich" and they didn't have the drifting aroma of cow poop! Deep down though, I loved living there and I guess because I grew up in Millville I learned to love the open country, the sound of crickets chirping, irrigation ditches, horses, gardens, and yes even the smells of the country! I was determined that someday I was going to marry a cowboy, live on a ranch in the city and be rich... the best of both worlds in my mind???! Well... that didn't exactly happen... and I'm so glad!! I love my life! Every step that I've taken has made me who I am today and each turn in the road for our little family has put us right HERE where we are today. This new area we are in reminds me so much of my growing up days in Millville and it makes me appreciate all that living there taught me! It is beautiful and we truly feel so lucky to live here!!

"Home sweet home"

We love this house. It is 100% finished so it gives us lots of space. It has just been remodeled... new baseboards, paint, hardwood flooring, new carpet, new vanities, light fixtures etc... it is beautiful!! It has a HUGE yard with big shade trees, a circle driveway, a great patio out back for BBQ's and lots of storage!

These are our neighbors on the South...

These are our neighbors on the North

My boys especially LOVE these neighbors!! the little colt is SO cute!!

This is the view from our back patio door

some of the backyard....

This is the barn out back, where some of the horses stay and my aunt still keeps her chickens here too. Evan and Eli take care of them and Gabe likes to help too. First thing after breakfast he runs to get his "chicken coop shoes" on and can hardly wait to go outside. It is the cutest thing to see Evan and Eli holding his little hands as they all walk up to the barn together... Gabe shouting "ticken ticken"

more views of the house...

We do have "people neighbors" on one side next to the horses and across the street too... just so you don't think we're out in the middle of nowhere :) It is such a quaint little street! I love the privacy and the view! It is the perfect house for little boys, lots of land to explore, and a bit of farm life too... a dream come true!! I think that we are going to be very happy here!! I will take pictures of the inside of the house and post them soon! We are about 98% unpacked and getting more settled everyday! We would love visitors ANYTIME, please come see us!! I will take pictures inside now that we are settled and post them soon!

Waaaaaaay Overdue!!!

I am alive and have been meaning to post for a long time. We moved out and then had to move in, we left for a week long family reunion, had house guests, computer internet issues (for a week !!!! (which erased a few of my post drafts... so frustrating...it's already hard too think about all there is to write and then when it is gone in a poof... aaaaargh!!!....) a holiday, The Host ( a book by Stephenie Meyer... that I could not put down) and just lots of summer fun!!! so THERE... those are my excuses for no update in awhile, but here I am, back and I know, way overdue!! I'm sure everyone has just been on pins and needles waiting .... right?? hee hee! I glanced at my blog yesterday and noticed that my last post ( which was more than a month ago!!!) had 13 comments instead of the 12 that it has been stuck at for so long... thanks for the push Sunny Jo.... So Here goes... I am going to keep things short and simple so that I can catch up on ALL that we've been up to but I first have to take a look back at what my heart is missing....

Traverse Mountain Area in Lehi and our house there

Front room

front entrance and great room

entrance from garage into mud room. (Laundry and half bath just off of the mud room)

upstairs hallway... 4 bedrooms upstairs and alcove office
Gabe's nursery

Evan and Eli's room



here are just a few pictures for some of our extended family and friends who we were not able to come and see us in Lehi!! I don't have pictures shown of the master bedroom, the guest bedroom or the buzz lightyear toy room in the basement. We miss this house a lot and truly loved it with it's wrap around extended driveway for basketball games, the hot tub, the swing set, the sand box, the beautiful views of Utah lake and the sparkling lights of the city... We feel so lucky to have landed there in that house on that street, with those neighbors... it all worked out that way for a reason, even if it was for just a short time, we made memories and friends that will last forever and will always hold them dear in our hearts!!

This is Sunny Jo... my cute "first friend" in Lehi!! She and the other girls on my street (Christy and Kim) welcomed us like family. I had immediate friends from day one, not to mention dinners and doctor lists, and directions to stores.... they were incredible!! The first time I met Sunny I knew I wanted to be friends with her!! She had on this funky hat and was so cute! Her
name just describes her perfectly!! She brightens up every situation (cheesy I know, but so true!) I had no idea that I'd click with her so fast and that she would mean so much to me... She seriously saved me!! Sunny invited me everywhere that she went and was so fun to be with!! She is so thoughtful and generous, she is such a loving mom and person. I have never met anyone like her! She's one of those people that everyone loves and she's good at making others feel important! When I found out that we were moving I told Glen that I want to be the Sunny in our new neighborhood!! that's a lot to live up too...She's amazing!! we bonded during late night shopping trips to Walmart, Target runs, talking, molten lava cake at Chili's, lots of phone calls, working together in Relief Society, smores, summer evening hang outs etc.... I love this girl and miss you so much Sunny!!!

I wish I had time to write about each one of my friends in Lehi... I could go on and on about each one of them and list lots of little details that make them so wonderful to me!! I have never known such a big group of "everyone's invited friends" Each one of these girls has changed me for the better in some little way... and some big ways too!! I've learned to make the most of the situation your in, you never know how long you'll be there... I am so glad that I was the enrichment leader. It made me jump in and love these girls and I'm so glad that I didn't hold back... to think of all that I would have missed out on during that year in Lehi if things would have been different!!!! it's crazy!! I am so grateful to these girls who accepted me and made jumping in a lot easier!! Oh, how I miss my friends!!! xoxo

girls only DDR, pajama party at Corrine's

Just before we moved some friends planned a dinner out/farewell party at PF Changs!! I had never eaten there and I loved it... so delicious!!! It was really fun but a little bitter sweet! I didn't want the evening to end because it made the fact that I was moving in a few days REAL!! They all gave me a basket full of things from Lehi so that I would remember my days there, as if I could ever forget!!

This is my Em..I didn't have near enough time with her!! I met Emily in December through our callings in Relief Society. she was called as the counselor over me, and I loved her before I even got to know her... she's just like that! Emily is one of the most talented, classy, funny, giving, loving girls I know!! My favorite thing about Em is that she puts people at ease. She saw me at my worst (a lot!) and I knew it didn't matter to her, she liked me anyway! We could just be ourselves and it was so easy to be her friend. Did I mention she's funny... we laughed a lot (and cried a little too) shared life stories, mom moments, yummy food (she's a great cook!) work outs, shopping, and I LOVE her kids she is a great mom and just seriously a one-of-a-kind life long friend... My long lost sister!! see.... I really could go on and on... and I am.... so I gotta stop cuz I'm making myself cry... anyway I am so thankful for friends like these...

so much for short and simple?? :)

Moving....

What a pain!!! I wish I could say "we're never moving again!" It's NO fun and lots of work. I am so grateful that my mom was there that last week to help with the final things...it's the worst at the end...cleaning, going through the junk, packing the breakables, and then there's the kids who want to keep EVERYTHING!! I am not a saver, I wonder if one day I will regret this... but seriously who ever pulls out their handwriting folder from Kindergarten, just to see how they once wrote their name?? come on!! I do save all the notes and cards from my kids, but that's it!! I do not like papers and junk ... maybe I'm a little wasteful... but I like a clean house!! Don't get me wrong I do have a few sentimental things and a few junk draws and a messy house a lot!!... I just don't save and collect it all!! Unfortunately my boys inherited a pack rat gene from somebody... Hmmmm possibly their DAD??!! and I did have to give in on a few things, just to avoid a battle
we had lots of help with moving out, just like when we moved in... we lived by some of the kindest, most generous, serving people I think I will ever meet!! We began boxing a few months before we moved and just started filling the garage so that when people came they could just grab a box and load it in. Our neighbors and friends filled the truck Friday night and Glen drove it up to our new place where all of my extended family was waiting to unload it!! Then Saturday morning Glen brought back my brother and dad in the empty truck for the last load! Once again we had lots of people come to help and we were their second move that day!! We never could have done it without ALL the help we had and are so so so grateful... My heart swells just thinking about it... they will never know how much that meant to us... Thank you so much everyone!!!!

While moving and packing Gabe became obsessed with boxes and bubble wrap and unpacking whatever he could get his hands on!! He liked the small boxes and bins the best! he insisted on climbing in and out over and over!! This one was just right because he could raise his leg up and over all alone, without holding my hand! I loved it too because then I could get some packing done before he moved on to the next thing!!

This is the only picture I got of Gabe's unpacking skills.... and I know it might look mild but it was one of those where I had to take a breather because it wasn't the first that morning and I had just gone through all the markers and pens and crayons and separated them. I put them into baggies, all nice and safe... I was so proud of my organizing skills! I turned my back and I do not know how?? but he grabbed all four bags and unlocked the zip and had them all over the kitchen floor in minutes... all I could do was take a deep breath, a picture, and hope they would entertain him for awhile!! I decided against organizing them again and just scooped them up into a bag all mixed together!!!

This was our neighbor... Evan's best friend and one on one basketball buddie too!! I loved to hear them talking from my kitchen window.
Evan was the Aggies and he was BYU when we first moved in but after awhile one would be BYU and the other the cougars (which is BYU's mascot!) his love for BYU rubbed off on Evan and Evan soon had a new favorite team! They were instant friends and what a great kid to be friends with... we love him and his family and feel so blessed to have landed right next to them!! Their influence, love and friendship will always be cherished!! It was so hard for the boys to say goodbye to all of their friends!!

having a picnic... with friends! I let them eat the last of the food in the pantry so that I didn't have to pack it!!
all, except for the noodles!!:)

Eli loved our neighbors dog Hercules and he loved the neighborhood girls too... maybe a little too much sometimes:)

Evan's buddies from school

Eli's best friend from Kindergarten...

The hardest part is saying goodbye to friends who mean so much. The good thing is... we know that because they mean so much we will always be friends! We will keep in touch and it's not really goodbye... just see you later...

update

Hi! Just a bit about what we've been up to... I can't even think about how far behind I am in posting... not sure I'll ever catch up now either!! It's driving me crazy...it is so hard for me to skip stuff...but here goes I'm skipping ahead to let you all know that we've MOVED!!! We are here in Hyde Park in our new place... we LOVE it already!! we are slowly getting settled, I am so anxious to get everything put away with decorations up and just be done, but I can already tell it is going to be a slow process! It's hard to get much done with boys home all day... thanks to summer, and my baby... he is into everything!! So, as you can imagine the last few weeks have been CRAZY to say the least but I just happen to have thee most amazing mom (and dad- who lives like a bachelor a lot of the time, supporting mom, so that she can travel around helping her girls!!) My mom is so hard working!! She is good at everything and never stops organizing, cleaning, giving advice and helpful tips...taking over in all my weaknesses! and did I mention that she is an amazing grandma too... I was tired from packing and cleaning and needed a break but not her... oh no, she went from the packing and cleaning nonstop to taking Gabe out on the swing, to see the dog and walking with the boys to the park almost everyday. She played school, did my laundry, made dinner, bathed Gabe, got the boys to the bus stop, etc etc etc.... man, I love her and I hope someday that I will SERVE my family like she does and LOVE my grandkids and have an active interest and roll in their lives like she does!! I am so lucky and so gratfeful for her, I NEVER could have done this move (or any of the others) without her hardwork, her encouragement and support... it is so nice to know that she is just around the corner now and I hope that I never take for granted ALL that she is and the love that she has for us!! thank you to my sweet mama!! I am so blessed!! ...anyway... we've moved but first here is a look back at some of what we've been up too and hopefully by the end of the week I'll post more about our move and put some pictures up of our new place too...

stay tuned...

"Glasses Boy"

We started noticing Evan sitting up real close to the TV while watching it. At first I just thought he was trying to get in on the action or something... and then one day I asked him what time it was and he had to walk real close to the stove to read the numbers on the clock so that he could tell me the time! I was a little alarmed, he'd just passed his "eye exam" at school so I started quizzing him a little on what he could see... how many fingers am I holding up, what does that sign say etc... and we realized that he couldn't see very good! to make a long story short Evan now wears glasses!! He was a little apprehensive at first, but as soon as he put them on he was amazed at the detail that he could see! I told him about my experience with my first pair of glasses, when I walked out of the optical store wearing them... I was so surprised and had no idea that you should be able to see individual leaves on a tree, I always thought they were just a big green blob... it was amazing to me!! He was so cute and all day kept reading things from far away and was removing his glasses then putting them back on asking "do I look better with them on, or off?" we told him of course that he was the most handsome kid with glasses we'd ever seen and just as cute without them. by the end of the day he decided that he looked "sooooo good in glasses."

The next day he wore them to school and although excited about being able to see he came home from school a little discouraged because everyone in his class was calling him "glasses boy." I tried not to laugh at the lack of creativity and brain power the kid had who came up with this nickname ..."glasses boy"??? come on... I called a few names in my day and they were all better than that!! ... I quickly switched back to mom mode and gave Evan a sqeeze and reassuringly told him that those kids weren't making fun of him..just pointing out the obvious...he is a boy who wears glasses and if he paid no attention to the silly nickname it would be gone in a few days and it worked...sure enough he went back to being good old Evan to his classmates... and isn't he just the cutest!... We sure love our glasses boy!!

Karate Kids

Eli has really taken an interest in karate this year. He has several friends who are in Karate classes but I don't know how he knows what it is... maybe it's another one of those brain chips or genes that gets implanted in boys at birth who knows? It seems like he's been doing Karate chops and kicks since he could walk!! Anyway he's been asking to take Karate lessons for some time now so Glen checked into the Bobby Lawrence school of Karate and was pretty impressed. He decided to sign Eli and Evan up for an introductory course since we were moving soon and then we could see if they were both intersted or if it was just one of those things... It was such a great deal, they both got Karate wear out of it, earned their white belts and were able to break a board with their hand after the two lessons!! Evan was pretty worried that they'd have to really fight someone and Eli was really hoping that they'd get to fight someone!! They both had a great time, although I think Eli might be the only one who wants to pursue it more! They were taught about respect, listening and control... all the things a good Karate chopper has to have I guess?? Sounds like some of the things that all of our sons are suppost to have too... Karate and Mom's rules go hand in hand!!! This could be good!!

Cute Gabriel

man, I love this baby... love his silly expressions, his mischivious, curious, sweet personality and yes, I even love his earpiercing shrieks when he wants something! I love that he's a mama's boy, the way that he thinks my cell phone is his and how he dances EVERYTIME he hears a little beat or some music! I just can't get enough... and can you blame me?? Just look at him... beautiful and sqeezable and oh so perfect!!

Memorial Day Weekend

We had planned to go up to Logan for memorial day weekend...but as it grew nearer we realized that it would be the last weekend we had in Lehi before moving. With Glen gone during the week for his new job, weekends were really a big deal and a great time to get a lot of packing and moving done. We didn't want to miss out on our memorial day traditions and we knew that we needed to get lots of work done so we decided to split the weekend. Glen came home Friday night and we packed until late and then packed all day Saturday (except when I was out for a pedicure and lunch with my friend Emily!!...thanks Glen!) and then Saturday evening we drove to Logan until Tuesday and on Tuesday my mom drove back down with me to Lehi and we finished the last of it....but now I'm rambling and giving too many details... anyway...


Memorial weekend was a bit crazy but I'm so glad that we took time to get away and to be with family, to think of loved ones and to visit the cemetary. I LOVE going to the cemetary... that may sound a bit morbid... let me explain. I grew up in Millville on the cemetary road and as a little girl I remember sitting out on the front porch watching long lines of cars following behind a big black hurse as they approached the cemetary... I remember going for walks in the evening as a family to the cemetary... it's a nice place to walk because there is not much traffic and it's quiet. I used to love reading the names of the people who had passed away, some of them I knew and the ones I didn't know, I'd try to imagine what they might have been like or what their story might have been- I actually still do that!! Our church youth group would clean up the cemetary as a service project. I remember taking buckets and rags and washing the headstones and pulling weeds... one other intersting note, my dad worked on the grounds crew at the Logan cemetary when he was dating my mom... he always jokes that she married him because of all the flowers he'd bring to her, if only she'd known where they came from!!! ha ha!! So I've just grown up loving cemetaries ...they are peaceful places... when I was in high school and in a disagreement with my parents ( yes, that happened often!!) I would sometimes walk up the road to the cemetary and sit in the shade of the trees to clear my head! anyway, you get the drift... I LOVE cemetaries!! My boys (and Glen too) have learned to share my intrigue and love of cemetaries and they too look forward to visiting and walking among the headstones! We have favorite headstones that we look for each year and find other interesting ones each time we go! We mainly go to the Logan cemetary though to pay respect and reminisce about my Grandpa Evans who died 6 years ago and then my mom tells us about her grandparents that were buried there and it's such a wonderful time to reflect and to learn more about our ancestors and loved ones who have passed away. There have been a few times that my Granpdma and Grandpa Murray drive with us out to Wellsville, a little town south of Logan, where they are from and we go to the cemetary there where their parents were buried and see the houses that they grew up in and the old barn that my grandpa milked cows in as a boy... I have lots of neat memories that come with memorial day!!

Here's Eli with his cousin Jeffery strolling along looking for intereting headstones! I love this picture! the lecture in the car on the way about no running and showing respect worked for the moment!

I love the old monuments and headstones... some have moss growing on them and there are so many different shapes and intersting stones used. It seems like lots of the oldest headstones belong to babies and children... so sad! It makes me so grateful for my little ones and their health and for modern medicine. This little family lost so many it's hard to think about what it must have been like for them... one baby 8 hours old, another 3 months old, another 3 days, and one more at age 2... how heartbreaking. It reminds me to treasure every moment with my boys and to just be grateful!

We went to the cemetary with my mom and dad and my brothers family. We have three boys and they have three boys... This was one of their favorite headstones... a giant ball.... go figure? There is also a legendary headstone there nicknamed the "weeping widow"... It's a large statue of a lady... the story is that if you go to the cemetary at night you can hear her weeping.. When I was in high school we stopped there after a group date and I have to say it was the one time that the cemetary was creepy!! Some other neat headstones include a baby in a cradle, a heart shaped one, and one that's shaped like a bench. some of my favorite are the old ones that are pink... not sure what kind of stone... but they sort of remind me of a bar of soap?.... anyway it's interesting to walk among them and read, not to mention a great place to get baby name ideas (My brothers wife is pregnant... so we were searching for her)

Gabe loved smelling the flowers... he'd bend down and bury his face in them then stand up saying "mmmmm"

Grandpa Evans... I can picture his sweet smile and the twinkle in his eye just below the brim of his fishing hat. He always wore a jumpsuit, light blue, tan, brown... except to churchof course! I remember him grilling hamburgers on the grill with a toothpick in his mouth. I remember him handing out the socks at our Family Christmas Party with a big hug and kiss for each of us! He was one of the proudest grandpa's of his grankids and his great grandkids that I've ever met and we knew it! He knew that he was going to pass away and called each of us to his bedside and made sure to share his testimony of the gospel and his love of grandma with us. He was so brave and so tender... a wonderful example, oh, how we miss you grandpa!!

my dad and my brother Steve with all the boys Mathew, Ethan, Evan, Eli, Gabriel, and Jeffrey