Moving on up!

We are set to close on our old house and our new house on Friday. I am so excited! I have been trying to hold back the excitement, just in case... But really, I am too excited to think clearly at some moments. I especially am not sleeping well. I am hoping that our new house will hold as much joy as this house has in the last 8+ years that we have lived here. Walt keeps asking me if I will cry, or at what point I will cry about leaving our small home. I don't know when, but I am sure I will cry. Cry that I am leaving the house I have lived in the longest in my whole life. Cry that I am leaving the house that I brought home all my babies to. Cry that our house served us so well. Cry that we are happy to move to a house that will fit our large, young family. Cry that my new house has 2 stories, just like I have wished for my whole life. And I may just cry because I will have twice as much to clean! What ever happens, there is one surety, I will cry. The memories here are so fond and dear to my heart. This was a happy home! So, thank-you house, you were a good one, and adieu!

Gifts of God

As most people know, who read this blog, our baby Aaron Lee Williams was born July 21st. He has been such a delight! I love my babies so. I can't help but stare at him, and I marvel at the miracle he is (and that all my children are). He has a look all his own, and yet he looks like he is one of us.

In the months previous and weeks after his birth have been those full of commotion, frenzy, faith, and prayer. We have been trying to sell our home since May. My previous post explains all this. It has been a difficult experience, especially keeping an immaculate house with 4 children for that long. Things seemed to just get worse and worse around here. It was at times discouraging, but all the while I spurred myself on saying, "It is all a trial of your faith. The Lord has not led you here to abandon you now." I am glad to say that exactly a week after Aaron was born we received 3 offers in the same day. We agreed to one of the offers, which is somewhat strangely a family we know. I have prayed and prayed unceasingly since May and I still feel good about it all. I hope that things will continue to go well. If all goes to plan we will be moving in a couple of weeks. I am so grateful to the Lord for His love and gifts to our family. Even when things seemed they couldn't get worse around here, and then it kept seeming to get worse, He provide the way to take care of our needs. Now that is LOVE!
Enjoy some more pictures of our newest little one. He is only a day old in them.

Frantic excitement

We are going to put our house up for sale! I can barely believe it. We found a house that we feel is right for our family in all the most important ways. We have been looking at houses for quite a while, and I think this house is the best fit of all the ones we have seen. Walt found the listing for it last Sunday. Monday we went and looked at it at lunch time. By 4 o'clock that day the realtor we are working with came to see our house. Tuesday the realtor told us what he thought our house may sell for. Friday morning Walt and I put in an official bid on the house. Today, Saturday, we found out that the owner said yes to our offer. However, the offer is contingent upon the sale of our house. Walt and I have been working VERY hard all week to get this house in shape to sell. We are praying that we can sell our house quickly, and that this will all work out for us. I am so overwhelmed, mostly because I will be having a baby in about 10 weeks or so. Right now, Walt and I are putting ourselves completely in the Lord's hands. If it all works out, it will be a definite miracle for our family. Now, I just need to have faith!

I also wanted to mention that Walt and I celebrated our 10th anniversay on the 15th. I think that is a wonderful milestone. Especially since we still really like each other and being together (which can seem extremely rare sometimes!) I am so glad he married me, because with each year I love him so much more!

Bouncing Ballerina

Laurel's birthday party was weeks ago. It's been crazy and busy around here though. But this beautiful little girl deserved an entry. I think it was a wonderful day for her. At first she wanted a ballerina party, and then she wanted a butterfly party. I began making tutus weeks in advance to hear her insist on a butterfly party was heart breaking. So I made it a butterfly ballerina party. All Laurel cared about was that there was a butterfly on her cake. Easy enough!

Here's the cake! I orginally planned that the flowers would be daisies, but I couldn't seem to get the frosting to set up right for that, so she got posies instead.

Some of the party go-ers. I made every girl a tutu. I just couldn't let them not join in on the fun and beauty.

We colored ballet shoes as our opening activity. If you notice Laurel's shoes, you will see we could not find ballet slippers so I made ballet flippers! She loved them, and so did I.

Laurel by her "birthday tree". We had a late blooming spring here, and Walt kept telling her that it would be her birthday when the blossoms on the tree were all out. She sure watched intently everyday, asking whether it was her birthday yet. Luckily, her daddy was right and the tree was in full bloom!

How I love this little girl! I sure hope that I can be the best mom for her. I fear that I am much too harsh many times, but I enjoy having her around. She bounces through this house constantly; bringing with her a bit of sunshine everyday. I hope as she continues to get older she will always have that bounce to her step, and the joy in her eyes when she smiles.

Life's Mosaic

This mosaic challenge was given to me by Carmen. I was bored and thought, "Why not!" It's supposed to represent me.

1. my name

2. my favorite food

3. school I went to

4. my favorite color

5. my current state

6. my favorite drink

7. my dream vacation (London for art)

8. favorite dessert

9. what I want to be when I grow up

10. what I love most (FAMILY)

11. a word that describes me

12. my nickname

The following is the credit for the photographers. It is not what I label my answers. So no, on #6, I have never been drunk! I just liked the picture of water.

1. Hurricane Katrina from Space (hurricanekatrina), 2. this kind of pasta ..., 3. The Y, 4. White flock, 5. pregnant silohuette, 6. Drunk water, 7. Golden Times, 8. homemade berry ice cream, 9. Mary Cassat, 10. Day 27/365: Two years, 11. With Love..., 12. katiedid

Family Home Evening Funnies

Last Monday we had our regularly scheduled Family Home Evening (hereafter mentioned as FHE). Walt was in charge of the lesson, and Ethan was in charge of sharing a scripture. Ethan is learning to use the index and asked Walt what the lesson was about. Walt replied that it was on obedience. I knew full well why Walt chose this as the topic of our lesson. The last few weeks have been fraught with bickering and talking back. Sometimes FHE is a great place to address our concerns as parents. So Ethan looked up "obedience" in the index, and he chose the first scripture that it sited. 1 Nephi 4:18 "Therefore I did obey the voice of the Spirit, and took Laban by the hair of the head, and I smote off his head with his own sword." Walt and I could not contain ourselves! It was so funny. It was completely the opposite message we were trying to send. There is already too much violence in this house, and that was part of Walt's lesson on obeying. The kids demanded to know what was so funny, but we had no way of explaining it to them. So we forged on, and Walt gave a nice lesson on obedience. We finished and the kids rushed off to the dining room to have the treat Cameron chose, when Walt began counting. "3,2,1" and sure enough "HEY!!! That's my spot!" yelled one of the kids. Apparently, the part of the lesson about treating each other kindly, and speaking gently didn't last. Walt was right. It only lasted a few joyous, quiet seconds. Tomorrow, we will see if FHE will as much of an adventure, but it will be hard to top in humor, I'm guessing.

Ramblings

WARNING!!! The following blog is a therapy session I needed to get out today. Read at your own discretion.

Oh, my! I don't know what to say, but that I am just in a weird mood. I feel so frustrated by so many things, and yet really I have no reason to complain. I really just create problems in my head for myself, and then I pull out of my strange moods and feel so optimistic about things. It has just been busy lately. The more tired I am the more likely I am to feel down. But strangely, I am starting to feel less down as I write.
Today I truly enjoyed a few things. Luke muffledly said, "I want to see that!" He has a few phrases that he says. Walt and I can understand him, but really no one else. His phrases are truly rustic but he can say "What's that?", "Let go", "Let go, Mom!", "Hello", "Go".
I also enjoyed that Ethan was so good today during Stake Conference. Stake Conference is very crazy for me. Walt is in the building, but not available to me seeing as how he is the heart of the conference's broadcasting to other outlying wards. So, it was delightful that one of my 4 children did not make a fuss, run away from me, or ask me for anything during the 2 hour session this morning. I had people, thankfully, helping me with my brood, but the other 3 children were still a challenge at times. I have to remind myself that they are normal, active children. That their independent natures, which I am trying to mold and foster, will be a great asset in their lives. However, at times I just want them to do what I ask them to, just BECAUSE.
Yesterday, our family had the privilege to travel to the Seattle Temple to see Walt's sister sealed to her husband and 3 of her children. Truly, these types of experiences are what makes life magical sometimes. I have seen other sealings: live couples, proxy couples, and proxy children being sealed to proxy parents. This, however, was the first live sealing of children to parents I have ever been invited to attend. While all the words are the same as before, I was so touched when the children were sealed to their parents. I will not recount the exact wording, but share that I love that the Lord loves all His children so much that he denies them no blessings regardless of the time in life that the blessings are sought. All His richest blessings are available to each of us if we but seek them, and time seems to me to be more fluid for our Father in Heaven than our finite minds can comprehend. He blesses us even when circumstances beyond our control may have kept us from those blessings, if like those children we finally are able to receive His blessings it is as if we always had them. How wonderful and glorious!
Now that I am feeling better I should turn my attention back to my children. My wonderful husband is off again today to fulfill his calling and responsibilities. I know he would rather be home, but I am thankful that he is willing to be faithful. I WILL pull myself together and show these children that they are not alone (they have been foraging for food for a little while now) and that they are so dearly loved! Yes, I can do that today, and so I will.