Rachel: 4 Going on 13

Rachel has always been a little more emotional and a lot more like a teenager than any of my other girls. Rachel tears up a lot easier, but most of all she is concerned about things that most girls don't even think about until they are at least 13. Rachel cares a lot about clothes. As soon as she could walk, Rachel LOVED picking out her own clothes in the store and trying them on. Rachel was a happier more relaxed baby in a clothing store. At 15 months, Rachel would throw a temper tantrum if I put the "wrong" outfit on her. (At first that was really cute. But by the third time it got her stuck in time out with what ever outfit I had picked out for her on.) As her hair grew in, Rachel became concerned about her hair. If I did her hair in a way that she did not like, Rachel would scream until she was either put in time out, or I changed it. Now, that Rachel is 4, she has been verbalizing some of these feelings rather than just screaming. I have been rather surprised at some of the things my little 4 year old thinks.. About a dress that Rachel likes to wear she said, "I look awesome in this dress. That is why it is a good dress." When I told her that she had pretty eyes, Rachel looked at herself in the mirror and said, "No. I think I have ugly eyes. I do not like the color." Rachel likes her hair best in two pony tails. When I asked her if I could put two cute braids in her hair, Rachel thoughtfully replied, "No, I hate braids, because they make me look ugly." I do not think Ruth or Kate ever thought the word ugly when they were this young, especially in reference to themselves. At 4, Ruth and Kate were the most beautiful princesses in the world. As is the case now, Ruth dressed for comfort (or not at all. Okay, so she does stay dressed now.), and Kate was very particular about her clothes and how they fit, and the color, and how it matched etc, as she still is. But if Kate did not like an outfit or a hairdo the fault was with the style or color, not with how she looked. Ruth and Kate both thought they were absolutely gorgeous. I would have to confess that I worry about Rachel's negative emphasis on her looks at such a young age. I expect this from girls older than 10. I  wonder what this will translate into as Rachel gets older?

Johnny on Spring in Utah

Okay, so this happened about 2 weeks ago, but we have been so busy, I didn't get it posted. On Easter Sunday, I looked out of the kitchen window with Johnny at the 4 to 6 inches of snow on the ground and said, "Snow and it's April. So much for spring." Johnny replied, "I hate frickin (A Utah word that shocks me every time I hear it.) Utah. There is no spring here!" I laughed instead of scolding him for saying that word. Wichita is definitely warmer, and spring does come earlier. But we are set. Utah is our home, so we will just have to get used to the weather.

Ruth's Music Program

Ruth has been working with a group of 5th and 6th graders since January on this little musical program where the kids sang and danced to famous musical songs. I had to drive Ruth back and forth to her Lehi, Ut school for her to finish all this past week. But I am so glad that I did. Ruth had a small solo in one of the songs and she was so excited about it. The kids did a great job.  Ruth sang her part very well, and it was a lot of fun to watch.

Our Lovely New Home

House history as far as we know:

                                                   The house was built in 2006 and lived in for about a year and a half. It was for sale for some time until it was foreclosed on and went to auction sometime last fall. It was bought by an investor who painted and put in new appliances. We bought it from the investor. So the house has not been lived in very long and is in like-new condition. It is in a neighborhood with all new houses, and it sits directly in front of city bike paths and the Legacy highway. (That is the only reason we were able to afford a 5 bedroom home in this area.)

This is the living room and family room fireplace directly off the kitchen

here is the kitchen and dining and more family room

Master bedroom is small and that is good for us because we need space for our kids.

We love the arch to the master bathroom and the separate tub and shower.

This is the family room at the top of the stairs. It is probably everyone's favorite room.

Next are the 4 other bedrooms!!! That is great for us.

Here is the backyard. You can see a biker on the bike path directly behind the house.

The kitchen, family room and living room are all open together on the main floor. There is also a half bathroom/laundry room/ mudroom connecting the garage to the kitchen. The upstairs has all five bedrooms, 2 full bathrooms and that one great little family room. We really couldn't have designed something better. In 2 to 3 years we are going to take out the carpeting in the downstairs and put in a good quality wood laminate. Then we will make the family room a  formal dining room and move the computer into the kitchen. That way we will be able to have a huge table with lots of comfortable space for everyone. But we do think that the house is just perfect. We are loving all of the open space, the patio in the backyard, the bedrooms all together, and all of the great upgrades to the kitchen. Heavenly father has truly blessed us with a sufficiently big and beautiful home to raise our children in.

Moved In

We are moved into our new house. We don't quite have the internet up and running well so this will be brief. I love, love, love the new house. It is beautiful and suits our family exactly. Moving was hard and we had very, very sick kids to boot. If John wasn't a good quick thinking father, Anya would either be dead or hospitalized. She definitely had an electrolyte issue beyond dehydration. But it is over and everyone is better. We finally had Easter this morning before church. The kids were adorable. It is so fun to watch the older ones get excited about collecting eggs while the little ones skip around dripping chocolate from their mouths.

I will post pictures soon. Life is good. We are all happy and comfortable in our new house. The unpacking is nearing an end. I don't think I realized what a blessing it was to be a home owner a year ago. But after having 2 job changes and 3 moves in less than a year it feels great to be permenant. Also, I love that I don't have to get mad at my kids for drawing on the walls or dropping things on the floor because the house is ours. We only have to answer to ourselves if our kids break something. Yes, I am very happy!!

Poor Rachel

Today is Rachel's birthday, and it is just not a good day for a birthday. First, Rachel has been very sick all week. She has had a lot of vomiting and diahrea and a high fever. She has been so sick she hasn't even sat up long enough to draw. She has also become lactose intolerant from the damage this flu has done to her stomach. So my poor little Rachel cannot have some of her favorite things like ice cream and hot cocoa. Rachel has lost so much weight, you can see every bone in her little body. She has spent the entire week laying down. While I think she is finally starting to feel better, it is not a good time for a birthday.

Second, it is General Conference weekend for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Today there are 2 two hour sessions we will watch and one two hour session for the Priesthood holders, of which John is one of them, so he will go out and watch that tonight. That leaves very little time for a birthday party.

Third, we are moving and most of our things are packed. It is very uncomfortable here right now with all of these boxes everywhere. So poor, poor Rachel. We will have a party for Rachel and for Adam in about 2 weeks at our new house with all of their cousins, because Adam was sick on his birthday and John was not employed. So we planned to have a make-up birthday party and we will even buy more presents to make it official.

It's Done

We closed on the house today. The closing costs were $2,000 less than we thought they would be. Everything is settled and I am so gad. It is time to get packing-- we move on Tuesday.