so let it be written, so let it be done....

.

As I was hugging Spencer today,

I noticed something disturbing....

something felt difference,

he is actually TALLLER than me now!

poof,

right over night,

just like that,

disturbing huh,

he's only 12,

and my third child,

no one else has surpassed me as of yet,

well.....until today!

so let it be written.

so let it be done.

dang it.

.

this is one of my favorite pictures....

it's so simple, but it speaks volumes to me,

I had it hanging in my kitchen over my fridge up until a few days ago when I took it down in getting it ready to be packed up and ready to move...

when I pack it away I won't see it again for 6 months or maybe more,

until I unpack it in Utah,

but, I'm sure when I see it again, it will still bring a deep sense of gratitude.

20 YEARS BABY!!!!

.

can you guess what I ate for lunch today?

if you guessed a HOT cheese sandwich, you'd be right!!!

Cujo?

When we found out Kurt was moving immediately and we weren't...

I said, let's move into an apartment and save a boatload of money!!!

and so we did,

well,

and so we are...

next month or in just a short 3 weeks,

maybe, that's why I'm having troubles sleeping, like right now, it's only 4:37 am

and my mind won't relax, there is so much to do between here and there,

I should just get up and do it, but I don't, I lay here and try my hardest to sleep...

I'm excited to move,

we will take just a few things and put the rest of the stuff into storage,

and by a few things I mean a few things,

cuz the apartments is s.m.a.l.l.

I knew when we moved away from this house anything we move into would seem smaller,

cuz this house is big and we've gotten so spoiled but,

I really had to breathe big deep breathes cuz 1433 sq. feet is a little bit smaller than the 3400 we are use too,

but....

there are so many advantage, that it will be worth it and kind-of fun,

I'll update those advantages later.

Apparently, signing up for a 6 month lease is very serious business,

you almost have to sign over any unborn children and do paperwork...

oh, the paperwork,

I hate it, thank goodness Kurt was here to do it all last week!

I even had to take a picture of Sadie and e-mail it over,

I guess to show them that we aren't lying that she really is a

cock-a-poo instead of a cujo!?!

#9101

It's been a busy week!

I'm finally able to wrap my mind around moving...kind-of.

and

doing everything I have to do between here and there,

but,

there has been a lot of sleepless nights for me, wow!

So many times my mind has traveled back to

(here I go again, getting weepy just thinking about it)

my mission,

after 18 months in Italy my mission was over and it was time to go home,

you feel stuck between a rock and a hard place,

excited to go home....but so sad to leave a place where you've grown to love!

that's how I'm feeling now,

I've loved Texas, but I love Utah too,

Utah is my home.

my family is there and my kids need family, grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles

and growing up in a Mormon community, I did and I loved it!

We've lived here ten years, Lynzie was 5 months old when we arrived,

it's all she's known...

So...

here we go into a new chapter in our lives...

"I said"....

"Lynzie", I said, "I have some bad news"....

What.....we're not moving to Utah?

no, I have other bad news...

what.....I can't do homeschool?

no, I have other bad news...

what.....we have to give our dog back?

no, I have other bad news....

what.....I can't do my horse lessons?

(I'm laughing at this point!)

no, you can't go babysitting with me, cuz Harleigh is sick, I said.

Oh.

It was a huge insight of what her priorities are,

and every so sweet I thought!

.

Kurt accepted the job.....

he'll leave and start in a few weeks,

while the rest of us will stay here and finish school.

I have mixed emotions of course,

but

we've been thinking and talking about this for a long time

so, it's not like a surprise and a shock...

it's just weird that now it's reality!

I'm too overwhelmed to say anymore!

the great snowstorm of 2011...

So,

it rained and then there were a few pellets of sleet,

and then it SNOWED!!!

it's funny, how the whole city shuts down...

and after living here for 10 years,

so do I....

I'm not a bad weather girl!

'accumulation' scares me....

isn't that right, Jamie!?!

What in thee sam hail am

I going to do IF we move to Utah!!!!!

(which by the way, we will know tomorrow if we are!)

.

What a difference a year makes....

my boy is growing.....

into a man child!!!

out takes from today....

.

.

.

In the attempt to take family Christmas pictures this year,

it just didn't happen,.....

between my husband and two teenage daughters,

it's been impossible to be all together at the same time!

really.truly.impossible!

but,

today an hour before church was our only window of opportunity,

so,

I asked Arik (my 17 year old nephew) to just start snapping away,

and snap away he did!

After a cazillion pictures....

we did manage to get a handful of useable photos.

but,

between all the ones we can't use...

we had fun, and made some family memories...

long skirt....not so long skirt.

I'm glad we did bright colors cuz look at the lone and dreary world.

practicing for...................the one day................when their princes' will come!

enjoy a few of the many pictures that won't make the cut for

our 2011 New Year's card this year!!!

Thanks Arik!

a new year, a new word...1-1-11

Happy New Year!

2011 looks and sounds so futuristic to me, so space-agey!

it's weird to write it, huh?

but hey,

I find it so renewing to start a New Year, it refreshing, it's new, and it feels good,

something like; to clean the slate and start anew, something better, to try harder!

I've been thinking about my 'new word' for this year

and while I'm lying here and can't sleep.....

oh, because maybe someone is SNORING,

I'm thinking upon my word from last year....(which was only 3.5 hours ago)

but 'magical' was my word,

and looking back we did have some 'magical' moments in 2010....

I thought my mom chose a good word for this new year.

~reach out~

So,

my new word for 2011 will be

~Renew~

It all makes perfect sense in my head and it feels very calming to my heart,

cuz each new day will be new,

and I can be renewed, and start fresh,

and if the day before I wasn't perfect, which umm ya!

I won't beat myself up or sweat the small stuff,

I will just remember that with each new morning, there is a clean slate, a renewal...

a renew!!!

sounds good to me!

SOMEONE......IS STILL SNORING!!!

dang-it.

calm.magical.renew.