Preschool Art

Katelyn has become quite the artist. She loves art, and is always drawing or coloring. And at preschool art is a big focus, and she brought home something everyday. So, I had this pile of artwork and didn't know what to do with it, and didn't want it all just sitting in a box either. So, I got this idea. I decided to make a collage and use it to decorate the playroom. Katelyn picked out her favorite projects and we made a collage in a poster frame. I love how it turned out and it is awesome to see how much Katelyn loves it and is proud of it. It means so much to her to have it displayed in our house. And I think it's the perfect decor for the playroom! Now, this will be a tradition for my kids and their preschool art.

Grandma Pat

I forgot to mention that while we were in CA, we went to Disneyland with the girls and Jordan. We went on a Friday so it was pretty crowded. It was a miracle when we found "Grandma Pat" for the 3rd time! She is the employee who works in Fantasy Land who loves to "make magic" happen for random families throughout the day. She saved the day when we went the day after Thanksgiving, and has helped us every time since. She took us to the front of all of the rides in Fantasy Land, gave us VIP viewing passes for the parade, and 3 passes to get to the front of any line we chose. It was awesome! She spent over an hour with us and also took us on Small World. I just had to get a picture of her and our family. She is such a wonderful lady and I have enjoyed getting to know her. The girls love her and her call her Grandma Pat. Thanks again Grandma Pat!

Moving AGAIN

So, it looks like we are moving again. It's a long story, but I will try to sum it up in a short version. We moved into this house a couple of months ago before we officially closed escrow because we found renters for our condo and needed to move out. Well, a couple of weeks after moving in we had the house appraised. It appraised for 100k less than we agree to pay for it!

We were floored! This meant we couldn't get a big enough loan since the lender will only give you money based on the appraisal value. Plus, who will pay 100k over appraisal price for a house? So we went to the seller and asked him to work with us on the price. He wouldn't budge. He wouldn't lower his price. So we had to look for another house. We thought that somehow this would work out and he would realize he would have the same problem with the next buyer. He decided to just sit on the house and not sell it if he couldn't get what he want for it-what a bugger!

So, once again we were out looking at houses! Seriously, I just want to be settled somewhere, so I can make friends, the girls can make friends, and we can make a home for ourselves.

Well, I found a house. It was a gorgeous house. It was in a better area, with better schools. The only draw back was the drive for Chad to get to work was longer. But everything else seemed to be perfect. It was a different kind of house than this one, but it felt more "homey" to us, and it was growing on me.

We decided to make an offer and got it! Then the appraisal came in at the right price! Things are moving forward and it looks like we are moving again in June. I am NOT looking forward to moving all over again, but hopefully we will be finally settled soon and life will settle down. I will post some pics later. Here's to yet another adventure!

Our trip to Mexico!

Chad and I went to the Riviera Maya (just north of Cancun, Mexico), and stayed in an all inclusive 5 star resort called The Excellence. This place was AMAZING! I have never seen a resort this beautiful. The room was awesome! There were 6 restaurants with different types of food to choose from, and it was all included! I love it because it was like a cruise, but you had an awesome room and you didn't get sea sick! They had entertainment every night at the theater and several activities going on every day. There were 7 pools, including a lazy river that went around the resort and a huge day spa right in the middle. I had to order a pina colada every day, because I love them and I could! Of course we came back a little bit heavier, but it was well worth it! The only draw back about this place is it was secluded and far away from the city. The days that we went on trips, it took at least an hour to get there. But I think it was worth it because you didn't have to deal with the people harassing the tourists, and the resort was the best.

Tulum

We headed out to an ancient Mayan village called Tulum. It was gorgeous of course and right on the coast. It was neat to see these ancient buildings and it was amazing to think that people built them so long ago with their bare hands. It was good to get in a little history while we were there. Of course there were tons of iguanas just roaming around everywhere. You had to watch where you stepped because they would just walk right in front of you. Kind of creepy! I couldn't believe how green everything was and how warm the ocean was. You can't go back to the pacific ocean after seeing this!

Xcaret

We spent the day at an adventure park called Xcaret. This place was awesome! We were in the middle of the jungle and were surrounded by plants, animals, beaches and pools. They had an underground river there where you could float down and snorkel. Sections of it were in tunnels, and that was a little scary, but it was still an awesome experience. I couldn't get over how clear the water was. Our day included seeing tons of exotic animals, floating down the river, laying in a hammock on the beach, eating yummy food, going to the butterfly exhibit, going into a real bat cave, and seeing dolphins and marine life. This place had everything and we are glad we went!

Last Day in Mexico

On our last day it was pouring rain when we woke up, so we were grateful that we had massages planned for the day. We went to a restaurant for breakfast and then the rain stopped and we saw some hope for sunlight! So we ran back to our rooms and got on our bathing suits. We laid out at the resort for the first time and got about an hour of sun. Then the rain clouds came back, but we were ok with that because it was time for our massages! The spa was wonderful!!! I had to take a picture of us in our robes in front of this gorgeous wall of water. It was the perfect way to end our trip. Then we headed to the airport to go back home.

Mothers Day

I had a wonderful Mothers Day. On Sat. I had some time to be by myself, which is always needed and fun. I decided to spend my time window shopping in Home stores and Boutiques. Oh, to design again. I miss it so much. Anyway, Sunday morning the girls and Chad gave me their cute cards, gorgeous flowers and a printer! I can finally print from my Mac! Then in the afternoon we had a delicious lunch buffet at the Country Club with Chad's mom and siblings. We all ate until we were sick. It was so nice to have lunch with just the adults.

I have been surrounded by amazing women in my life. I sometimes find myself feeling guilty for not being a good enough mom. Chad says I am too hard on myself, but I worry all the time that I am not doing a good job. I wish I had more patience, more than anything. That is my goal for this next year...to have more patience! I am grateful for great examples of moms in my life. My mother silently sacrificed for us all those years. I didn't understand it until I became a mother, and I am grateful for her sacrifices. I am grateful for Patti-she raised a remarkable man!

And most of all, I am grateful to be a mother! It is the hardest job I will ever have, but it is one that challenges me, stretches me and makes me grow. There is nothing like the unconditional love you receive from your children. It's an amazing feeling when your children just want to be with you, no matter what you are doing. They just want to help you, hug you and sit on your lap. I love my girls so much! It is quite a responsibility, and sometimes overwhelming to know that Heavenly Father has trusted me to take care of them while they are here. I hope I can make Him proud and do my best!

Dinner & a Movie

For Family Night we went to see the movie Oceans at Jordan Commons. I love this place because there are restaurants inside the theaters, and you order your food and take it in the movie and eat it on a tray! The girls thought it was so cool to eat dinner while watching a movie. Whenever Chad is in the room, the girls gravitate towards him. This is how they ended up watching the movie and I had to sneak a pic. Too cute!

Swimming and Silly

Katelyn is back in swim class, again. We were back at square one after taking the winter off, and it was a fight the first couple of times to get her into the water. She is terrified to put her head under the water and the teacher had to get tough with her. It was hard for me to not run and grab her out of the pool, when the teacher held her head under water. My mother instincts kicked in and I was mad! But the next time around Katelyn did better and now she will at least put her head under for a couple seconds on her own. It will be a miracle when Katelyn is an official swimmer, but I feel like that is coming soon. At least she doesn't throw a HUGE fit every time we try to get her to swim. I think she gets her stubbornness from me:)

Today was Silly Day at Katelyn's preschool. Her and Morgan were so excited to get all silly and have me do their hair. It is so fun that they have eachother in this class and every day. I told them to "be silly" and this is what we got. Taylor just HAD to be in the pictures. It was so cute to watch her watch Katelyn and imitate her-nothing like sisters!

Katelyn's Haircut

I forgot to mention that Katelyn got her hair cut. I have been wanting to cut it short, but have been afraid of how it will turn out since her hair is thin. Well, I should have done this a long time ago, because it makes her hair look much thicker. I think it's adorable! Perfect for summer and perfect for her little face. I took these pictures after church.

Katelyn is so excited to go to CA, and wanted to make a countdown chart. I told her how to spell it and this is what she drew. Every day she gets to cross off a number til we get there. She said, "I drew the ocean because the beach is my favorite! I am so excited to go to CA!"