prayers are answered

I had to write this down before I catch up on the previous month. By the way we're in Arizona now. That is important to know for this story. For lunch I made the kids and I a sandwich and we headed to the pool to eat our lunch and swim. It was about 11:30 when we walked out of our condo we're renting. I remember locking the door behind us w/ keys in hand. We ate, swam, and came home rather quickly because the kids were tired from a busy and exciting 4th of July and went to sleep late last night. We came home, and the key I had to open the door wasn't the right key. PANIC. It's bloody hot outside. Probably 105 or more degrees. I have no cell phone. No hide-a-key. Only 1 friend in AZ, but I don't have her number memorized so I couldn't call her if I wanted to and Jeff is with his boss today so he's probably not going to answer. Not a good situation to be in and did I mention my kids are TIRED. We did have a lock box on the door, but I didn't know the code and I was sure that even if I did know the code the key would not be in there. It was probably on another set of keys by now. I know not the most positive thinking going on in my head right now. I asked the kids what we should do in this tough situation. Jordyn mentioned the garage, but we had no garage opener. Sydney mentioned we should pray. My first thought that I kept to myself was, "we're not going to receive a answer where we randomly pick a 4 digit code number." I had no idea how prayer was going to work in this desperate circumstance (it was desperate to me anyway). Sydney offered the prayer. I got up tried the key again and pushed a few numbers in the lock box hoping for a  miracle. Nothing. I told the girls we needed to knock on someone's door and ask to use their phone. We took our first step off the door mat and a truck pulled in. I was going to ask for his phone, but before I could he said, "I came to fix your A/C." It was broken and Jeff called the owner over 36 hours ago and we had not heard from him so I wasn't expecting anyone. This worker guy called the owner, got the lock box code, there was a key inside and we were back inside within 5 minutes of when Sydney offered a prayer for help. What a blessing prayer is. I believe prayers are heard and answered. I believe that we have a Heavenly Father who knows us and loves us and wants us to be happy and safe. I am always humbled by these simple moments that remind me that I'm a daughter of God and that he watches over me, my family, and those who seek Him.

jordyn

 I wanted to write some funny things she's said recently.
1. She handed me some shoes my sister borrowed and said, "Smell these. They'll remind you of Aunt Brooke." ummm.....no thanks.
2. "These mosquito bites are driving me CRAZY. Why do they have to like me so much?"
3. She wanted to bear her testimony at church on Sunday. I told her she should tell me what she's gonna say before she walks up there. Her response as she's leaving the pew to walk up to the podium, "No. I'll figure it out."
4. Her pet fish, Super Power Girl mysteriously went down the bath tub drain. She was inconsolable for a good 10 minutes. Sitting on the steps she said very sincerely, "my heart [sob, sob] is broken."

Jordyn is hilarious and funny. She doesn't know it either which makes it more funny. She can also drive me to my breaking point too. She can be very stubborn and adamant about things. Her voice is LOUD. We often tell her she doesn't need to talk so loud. She is extremely sweet, tender hearted, and loving. I love her soft, warm cheeks in the morning. I love her dimples when she smiles. I like that she doesn't bite her nails like me and Sydney do. I love how her hair is ratty and in her face in the morning. Although brushing it out is another story. I love to hear her sing, dance, laugh, pray, and tell stories. We love Jordyn Marie.

good news

Yesterday Jeff was offered a job in Phoenix, AZ so we will be moving. We feel, due to how things have transpired the past few months, that this is where we're suppose to be. I feel good about that. I'm excited. It will be difficult to leave here, more than any other place we have lived. I was nervous to move to Alaska and felt lonely many times, but with time, I have met many wonderful people and I have loved living here for 3 years. I have done and seen things you only see on TV.  I never thought I would have experienced some of these things; I feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to live in this part of the country, something very few people have seen.

Things I'll miss about AK
-the picturesque snow-blanketed covered hills and mountains
-wildlife
-friends
-salmon in the freezer
-recreational things-hiking, snow-skiing, x-country skiing, fishing, exploring,
-memories
-fall
-looking at the river from the kitchen window
-northern lights

Things I won't particularly miss
-worrying about wildlife encounters
-worrying about slipping on ice
-the time to dress each child in snow clothes, snow jackets, boots, mittens, hats, and hand warmers.
-the darkness in the winter
-being far from family
-pushing Costco grocery carts w/ kids in tow on the snow covered parking lot
-expensive gas
-bad produce

Last day of school

Sydney's last day of school included a picnic and fun at Shroeder park. All the kindergartners wore these maroon shirts. Each kid drew a self portrait and the whole class has their picture they drew of them self on the shirt.

 It was actually warm and sunny so everyone enjoyed playing in the park.

 Jordyn's last day of preschool was the week before Sydney's. Miss Marie is in yellow and Miss Danielle is wearing a gray shirt. As you can tell Jordyn's 4T shirts are too small and now wears 5T.

 The whole class: Lillian, Benjamin, Savannah, Sadie, Andrew, Zoey, Tanner, David. The class sang "skinny mirinky inky ink..."

 Jordyn gave me flowers and a picture of Mother's Day.

 Her friends Sadie and Savannah.

soccer player

 We have another soccer player on our hands. (We also have a whiner, in the picture above. Jordyn was being rotten at this particular moment). We go to the High School a few blocks from  our home to have run around, play soccer, climb on rocks, play frisbee golf, play on the football equipment, and ride bikes. It's been so nice these past few days we stay outside as long as we can. Not when the sun goes down because right now that is about 11pm and then it's not completely dark until 11:30. Today was in the high 50's which sounds cold, but with the sun out, it feels like it's in the 70's.

 If you're wondering how the grass got so green since the snow recently melted, it's because it's that fake turf grass.

 This is how we roll.

Jordyn is a pro now. She needs a push to get started.

Bikes & 80's

 The beginning of May Jordyn learned to ride her bike without training wheels. We taught her at the High School that has a soft turf on the track. The week before she said she wanted to learn but refused to pedal and a few days later she decided she would pedal and guess what she did it. We knew she could, she had the balance, but I can't pedal for her. Once she figured she needed to pedal, she was good to go. She is getting better everyday and going riding longer distances. When I was teaching her, she would make up a song about George Washington. I started singing along with her. It seemed like it was distracting her from being scared.

 Way to go, Jordyn.

 Last Wednesday, Sydney had 80's day. When I told her that, she said, "I don't want to dress like an old person." hahaha. I told her to make an 80's pose and these two were what I got. I love it!

House is SOLD

Last Wednesday we put our house on the market. For us "the market" meant putting a sign in our yard that read "For Sale by Owner" and we had made some fliers with pictures of our home. In addition I put an ad on craigslist, listed the house on Zillow, For Sale by Owner, and made a website of our home. 4 days on the market and our house SOLD, for our asking price. HOLY COW! I was blown away, still am.  The first people to walk through our house and snatched it right up. What a blessing. Our last experience we had with selling our house wasn't something I wanted to relive all over again. This time was the complete opposite....quick, painless, easy, and tear-free. I'm also amazed we sold it on our own, this we hadn't done before. I think it paid off that we had marketed it on several websites and made fliers. A little leg work went a long way....no realtor/broker fees.
You're next question is probably where we're moving to. This we don't know. Jeff is interviewing for several positions. We figured putting our home on the market in the spring/summer would sell more quickly than fall/winter. I guess we were right. If Jeff doesn't find a job, he still has this one and we'll rent here. I'm just so relieved we sold our house. It must be meant to be because that is crazy that it sold as quick as it did.

chairs

A few weeks ago I refurbished our dining room chairs. I've been wanting to do this for 2 years now, but was too intimidated. All the seat covered were stained and looking well used. With the encouragement and help of a friend, we did it. I love how it turned out. I did it all for $50.

Before and after: After is the stripe one 

King of the World

 Oh my, do I love this little oompa-loompa. I've actually never called him that, but I think the world of him. He has been so fun to have in our family. He's saying and repeating a bunch of new words and sayings. One of my favorites is when he says, "3,2,1 ssshhh" with index finger in front of mouth. I love when he sings in falsetto or when someone asks how old he is and he always says, "four" or when tonight a mosquito was flying around and said, "spider." He's figuring out colors thanks to all these gumballs I've had around the house. He'll scream, "MOM, MOM...Look and then do a silly dance or show me how he jumps. This morning he put all the silverware away. I showed him how to separate the forks, knives, and spoons and he finished it all by himself and did it correctly. Oh, and I love how detail-oriented he is when he draws, colors, and writes. He looks like he's concentrating so hard on writing (it looks like scribbling to me) but I sense he's really trying to draw something. He gets all close to the paper and his attention span seems longer than usual when he's coloring or writing. At church this past Sunday I brought a string and things he could string on the string. He'd never done this before so I wasn't sure if he could manipulate these small little pieces to put on the string. But he figured it out and spent a good 20 minutes creating a necklace of little beads.

 About the crown. I figured his sisters are always wearing tiaras so I made him his special King Krown and he loved it. It lasted for a day before he ripped it into pieces.

A week or two ago we hiked Mt. Baldy. I wasn't expecting this much snow. Jeff and I stepped into snow that went up to our hip multiple times. The kids got stuck a lot too. What usually takes 30 minutes ended up taking 2 hours. By the end, everyone was physically exhausted, tired, hungry, and had no desire to finish  and make it to the top. I seriously would have complained out loud if my kids weren't there, but they were, so I (and Jeff too) kept on being optimistic, positive, and encouraging. We call teaching moments, "devotionals," and so about 50 yards to the end, we had a "devotional" and taught our kids and reminded ourselves that we can do hard things and that we can help each other do hard things. We also believe our Heavenly Father can help us do hard things if we ask him for extra help and guidance. We said a prayer and continued. We finally made it to the top, gave each other a high five and talked about how good it felt to finish what we started even though it was hard. Then we sledded down the mountain. Eating dinner was awesome. We had all worked up a huge appetite.

Glad for a new week

This past week and weekend was kinda crazy. Jeff was gone for a few days. I had to pick someone up at the airport at 1am. Anything that conflicts with my sleep schedule is a huge sacrifice for me. I finally got over my sickness. I planned a ward carnival activity that was Friday night. I ran a 5K Saturday morning at 7am, and I had responsibilities for the Stake Women's Conference on Saturday. All this in addition to karate lessons, eye appts, watching a group of kids, and the constant worry about Jeff's job and our future.
The ward carnival was a lot of fun, at least for my family. We had a bounce house, face painting, someone to make the kids balloon swords, flowers, etc, fishing bond (w/ real fish), lots of races, pie eating contest, and other games. Jordyn caught one of the few real fish....and it's STILL ALIVE. I was surprised it lasted thru the night. She named him (I guess it's a boy) Super Power Boy. He chills in a vase. The pie eating contest seemed to be the hit of the party, at least for the adults. There's something funny (and a little disgusting) about seeing older people eat a pie as quickly as possible w/ their hands behind their backs.
The Stake women's Conference was awesome too. I haven't been in a stake that has had something like this. I was in charge of the setting up (tables and chairs) and the table decorations. The theme was "Choosing the better part" and so I put gumballs in vases and tin buckets w/ little signs that read, {chews}ing the better part. That's about as creative as I can get people. It wasn't too exciting, but it got the job done. I went to some neat classes: simplifying and finding balance in your life, romancing your sweetheart, and the power of the atonement.

Like I mentioned I ran the 5K Sat. morning. There were about 30 people that ran it. I'm not in running shape so I was shocked when I finished first. I'll take it though. I'm totally counting this as a first place finish, even though it wasn't a "race." I've never finished a race in first and I ran x-country in high school. If anyone is reading this that ran w/ me in HS you know just how pathetic I was. My only goal was "Don't come in last." Coming in first yesterday did wonders on my self esteem. You could've put me in a cage w/ a bunch of snakes I wouldn't have cried, okay....I probably really would have. But point being, coming in first made me feel like I could do anything for a few hours. I probably won't ever come in first in another race, so this will go down in my records' book for sure. I'm totally caught up with my sleep now, averaging 10 hours of sleep in the past 2 days.