Moving

A week into January we got a phone call from the establishment that rents us our home with the news we have been dreading to hear for almost two years...
Nice lady evicting me:  Hello I just want you to know we have received an offer on the house and accepted it.
Me: Silence
Lady: So that means you have 30 days to find a new place.
Me:  silence
Lady:  I'll email you the papers to sign.  Have a nice day.

And just like that we were 30 days away from being homeless.  I should have known it was coming, for two reasons: #1 It was for sale the whole time we were in it. #2 I had finally made my peace with it and it was starting to feel like home, instead of a temporary lodging that we could any day be sold out of.  Yes, that is what happens when you start to feel comfy, a gentle reminder that life isn't FAIR, comfy or peaceful. However, after a brief moment (okay more like a day or two) I came to grips with it and we started on plan B, plan C, plan D, a migraine like I haven't had since high school and we ended up with plan E.  A week before we had to move we made the decision to live...

 in a van down by the river.  hahaha.  
Okay, not really, 
well kinda, 
how about a house that used to be on wheels, I got the axles in my front yard to prove it, down by the river.  
There we go.  

Yes, I am being a little ungrateful and painting a picture worse than it is, we do have five bedrooms and 3 bathrooms after all.  It's clean.  Jack and Jara like the purplish hue.  Our landlords are very kind to let us be here and most importantly, we felt divine inspiration that it was the best choice for now.  We are probably only a couple of football fields away from where we used to be, I love my neighbor (that's you Brandi), Jara didn't have to change bus stops and we can stay in our same ward.  Plan D didn't accommodate for that little detail.  
So, yes I've been silent, kind-a crazy and muttering to myself in the grocery store but I think I'm coming back.  I now only have one room full of boxes that are still unpacked and I plan on leaving it that way.  Oh and if you have a house you want to sale, let me know, because this is temporary and the next place is going to be permanent  and I'm going to stay there for at least twenty years because my husband is not in the military or a carnival worker.  

Thank you:
Everyone who watched my kids or had them over for play dates before and after the move so I could pack/unpack.
To those who brought me food because the kitchen was out of commission for awhile.
To my family because they know the worst.  My sister packed my closet, my mom cleaned my old house, my dad babysat, my brother listened to my bitter diatribe prelude to the migraine blow-up, and my father-in-law who cleaned up the outside (among other things) single-handed (literally) poor man had to even take down our Christmas lights-yes it was February.   
My neighbor for organizing and lysol'ing my kitchen and letting me junk up your garage.
To all the kind people who helped move my excess o' furniture and didn't judge me for the plethora of cheerios coming out of the wood work.
To my friends who came to my cleaning "party" 
Bless you all.  We are so, so grateful.  As grandma Wheeler would say..."I'm buying you all a pony."    


*note:  the pictures will come, don't you worry

Merry Christmas!

WHERE'S THE TYLENOL ?
OR...
In our case Pepto.

It went something like this...

December 25th
2:25am  Joshlyn gets up to take NyQuil (couldn't sleep and had a little cold)
2:30am Jack pukes
3:00am Jack pukes
7:00 Jack pukes
7:30 Presents!
Noon:  Elise has pooped her way through 5 outfits
7:00pm Jed pukes in the kitchen sink
9:00pm Joshlyn is alone on the kitchen couch eating her way through a cheese ball and praying everyone feels better and she stays disease free!

Good news-that was the worst of it.  Jara and I avoided the disease, Jack and Jed never displayed another symptom except an aversion to food the next day. Elise was smelly for awhile and then also recovered.  Whatever it was, came swift and fast, by the next day my whole family was cursing me and praying for death, and then left.


Happier Memories...

Jara with her two favorite presents: a red bunny and an art/scratch/draw kit.  Jara specifically requested from Santa a red bunny, about a week before Christmas, of course.  She kept insisting she wanted a RED bunny.  I tried to convince her she didn't want a red bunny.  Four days before Christmas she told me "Santa would be sure to bring her one, because he knew how much she wanted one."  Good thing Santa and Amazon prime are affiliated.  It truly has been her favorite present, even a month later she is still playing with it every day.

Packages, boxes and bags. 

Elise with her favorite present.

Jack with his favorite present.  Jack is going to be a professional archer.  He can aim, pull back and let it fly. This picture was taken right after he had let go, look at that form.

We try to make memories for our family and hopefully they will remember the nativity advent calendar we mostly finished...the few little projects we did...the daily excitement of opening the advent calendar Aunt Loni got us...the gingerbread doghouses...the Christmas songs we are still listening to in the car...favorite presents...and most importantly the love and happiness we feel at this time of the year as we celebrate the birth of our Savior.  Merry Christmas!

Twas the Night Before Christmas...

Christmas Eve is my favorite holiday.  The anticipation and excitement of the kiddies.   The yuletide ham.  The family party which involves white elephant bingo and some form of a game with trivia that I can win at and at the end of it all before going to sleep, the feeling of calm and gratitude when contemplating the night of our Savior's birth.

This year on the agenda...

Fun:  the babies were so fun this year, even if Elise had two wardrobe changes and it was past their bedtimes.  Who doesn't love patty-cake?

Food:  I would like to say I made all of this but really I only made a couple of things but most importantly I supplied THE ham.  You know how I feel about ham.  Not just any ol' ham, honeybaked ham.  Mmmm.  I also made the twice-baked potatoes, my specialty, that diseased everyone, or so I've been told, more on that later.  

Games:  The infamous white elephant bingo.  We are good at bingo.  My presents were the best, worst kind...

As in-my dad won a sporty, yet stylish sweat band provided by moi! He dutifully wore it.  It helped him get into the action and avoid sweat dripping in his eyes during one of those intense bingo caller moments.  

Just when you think nothing could top the head band, lookee here, fishnet gloves.  For that perfect moment when you want to have the look of gloves but the use of your fingers, due to the breathable fishnet they can also be worn year-round in Nevada.

Here is the star of the nativity.  So precious.  

And here is our first ever, live nativity scene.  It melted my heart.  Look at Joesph with his sweat bands and UNLV snuggie/robe.  I scripted, sang and dressed them and couldn't have been more proud.  They were perfectly in character and performed Oscar worthy roles.  A great way to end a wonderful evening.

*note: This post took a long time coming due to the fact that blogger and my computer have been having issues.