I've infiltrated your network. Raaannnnsssssooom!

COME BAAAAACKKKKK or things will only get worse.

If you change your passwords (and I'm being generous enough to leave those alone so you can still log on) I'll escalate. You don't want that. I'd hate to have to send fish in the mail. And I'll do it, too. Don't tempt me.

For those of you who do not know me, I'm Lexi. Mandee up and abandoned me during this time of year SEVERAL years ago. She has yet to come back. Now looking at this, you'd think, "why would she come back...you're freaking crazy"

that's why she'd come back.

Is It or Is It Not?

So are the little red bumps on Madelyn's tummy and back chicken pox or not? She has had the vaccination and doesn't seem to be running a fever but the dots keep appearing...so it seems to me that the chicken pox have finally made their way to our residence. I will keep you posted!


An update on the wedding..... The flowers arrived in great condition (I had 350 yellow carnations and 80 stems of spray roses delivered the Thursday before the big day), the chocolate flowed, lights twinkled, newlyweds gazed affectionately into each other's eyes, mother's cried, cameras flashed, and at the end of it all I sat down and breathed a sigh of relief. It was beautiful and I couldn't be happier for my little sister.

Random Thoughts by Mandee

I thought it was time for a new post but don't have much to write about. I am nearing the end of the tunnel affectionately called..."My Sister's Wedding". Somehow I was hired (free of charge or course) to be the wedding planner. I would like to think that I was chosen because I find joy in making things pretty or because of my love of all things decor but really I think I was appointed simply because I have no life and the only one available all day...EVERYDAY. I will take lots of pictures and share, but only of if the miracle of making a LDS gym look a little less like well a gym actually occurs.

There will be yummy desserts though! I am now the proud owner of 2 Sephra Chocolate fountains (anyone want to come over for some chocolate) and 20 pounds of premium milk chocolate. There will be strawberries (of course), fresh pineapple, frozen bananas, berry kabobs(that is just a fancy name (hey that sounds just like those Fancy Nancy books I read to Madelyn) for blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries skewered together on a stick of some kind, homemade rice krispy treats, cream puffs, pretzel rods, peanut butter balls, slivers of a walnut tart that is to die for, etc, etc, etc. AND....for those who don't like sweets....there will be nachos and homemade salsa. We are a family who loves food but especially MEXICAN food. We wouldn't know that to do with ourselves if there wasn't a tortilla chip in close proximity.

I will be glad when the festivities are over and I KNOW Dallan will be VERY glad when it is all said and done. Then his wife won't have any more excuses for NOT getting the house cleaned up. Having said that maybe I don't want it to be over because as you know....I LOVE A GOOD EXCUSE!

Let's see what else....I am excited that the new season of So You Think You Can Dance is almost here. Although I don't think it could possibly top last season. Madelyn has only 18 more days of school left and then comes the DREADED summer. 2+ months of being locked up in the house because it is too dreadfully hot to go outdoors. I think we will be spending LOTS of time at my grandparent's cabin, but they don't know that yet.

Here is one final random thought and then I must get back to doing something...do you think it's bad that I love watching the Biggest Loser while eating a drumstick (ice cream not fowl) all the while thinking it would be nice to lose a few pounds?

THAT'S MY BOY!!! (embarassing body talk, please read with caution...especially you Heather James)

Over the years Dallan and I have had several "talks" regarding the issue of whether or not you should teach your children the correct names for their body parts.

PLEASE KNOW I DIDN'T WRITE THIS POST SO WE COULD DEBATE THIS ISSUE.

I AM PERFECTLY OKAY WITH BEING WRONG!!

Me? I am old school. I find it a little uncomfortable when I hear certain words come out of a two year olds mouth. But that's just me! I know this parenting theory can cause confusion. Take Madelyn as an example. The other day she noticed a girl wearing a shirt that was well let's just say, having a really difficult time concealing the top portion of the owner's body. Upon seeing this girl Madelyn looked at me and said....Mom, I can see that girl's elbows", I thought about correcting her but AGAIN was a little uncomfortable with the thought of my baby girl talking about breasts, so I left it alone. In my opinion there will be a time and a place for "those" conversations. Dallan on the other hand disagrees with my philosophy. I don't understand why he is adamant about this. It isn't like he has done extensive research. No, I believe the real reason Dallan feels so strongly is because he has never experienced one of those truly embarrassing moments when your child says something so extreme, so ridiculously shocking that you actually want to run and hide, until now....(lucky for him this happened in our living room and we were the only one's around to hear it)!!!

Here's how it all played out.....Jackson has a really big belly. So big in fact that Dallan has made up a little song about it. "Big Belly, Big Belly, Big Belly Jackson, Little Belly, Little Belly, Little Belly Madelyn (Madelyn likes him to sing it saying that she too has a big belly. Can you imagine him singing that to her when she is 16?) all sung to the tune of "10 Little Indians". So there we were, just the three of us....Dallan, Jackson, and me. Dallan was singing his little song and after the first big belly verse Jackson spoke up and this is a quote..."No daddy, Jackson not have a big belly, Jackson has big penis". I don't think I have ever laughed that hard in my entire life. Dallan was speechless. When he asked where he learned that word (and NO I didn't teach him to say THAT!!!!) I explained that I had taught him the proper name for it and did so at HIS request.

So what did we all learn.... Well, Dallan realized that it's okay to be "old school" and that for the time being having his boy use the term "pee,pee" is MORE than OKAY with him.

And me....I learned that I LOVE teaching Dallan a lesson every now and again, especially when the results involve his ears turning red from embarrassment.

Now that was a moment when I thoroughly enjoyed feeling a little uncomfortable!

Modern Day Miracle......

Several weeks after Christmas my grandfather was diagnosed with stage 4 throat cancer. The tumor was very large and had connected itself not only to the back of his throat but onto the base of his tongue. He is 91 years old and the prognosis wasn't good. Upon meeting with the surgeon to see if removing the tumor was even possible they were told that if he has surgery he would never be able to speak or eat again. Him and my grandmother decided that they would opt for no treatment and hopefully the doctors could make him comfortable. They were told that he had less than a year to live. Along comes my sister in law.....a couple members of her family had had progressive cancers and again were told by doctors there was no hope of remission and they too had little time left. Not happy with what they were told they sought alternative solutions. And they found one...MEXICO! Of all the places in the world they chose Mexico and they chose Doctor Vargas. Both members of her family were treated and were cured. For days my sister in law asked my brother to call my grandparents and give them Dr. Vargas' phone number. He wouldn't do it. He explained that they had made their decision and that my grandfather who NEVER goes to the doctor would surely NEVER go to MEXICO! Luckily for us she bugged him until he finally caved in. They sent this Mexican doctor all his test results and upon looking at them he told them he could help my grandfather. The cost would be around $20,000. Now while all of this was happening my grandparents received a renewal slip for their safe deposit box. My grandfather told my grandma that they should cancel it because there was nothing in it. She went up to the bank to cancel and make sure the box was empty. She had teased my grandpa that it would be funny if the box was full of money (my grandpa hides money and sometimes forgets where he hides it!). He was confident the box was empty. Well it wasn't. In the safety deposit box was the exact amount they needed to go to Mexico. I am not saying the money magically appeared but it had been saved or forgotten about until they needed it. So the two of them, my mom, and my aunt boarded a plane bound for San Diego and from there they would head on over across the boarder. Long story short....on his first visit he had several weeks of low dosage chemotherapy. He never once got sick and never lost any of his hair. After the chemo was several rounds of radiation. This was the hardest part. Approximately 4 weeks later they returned home. His throat was sore and nothing tasted the same (side effect of the radiation) but he was starting to heal. Several weeks later they went back to his primary care doctor for an MRI and found the tumor had shrunk about 50%. Just this last week they went back to Mexico to have the tumor surgically removed. Now remember the surgeon here explained that my grandfather would never speak or eat again should he opt for surgery. Doctor Vargas ensured my grandparents that the surgery would be simple and virtually painless. We didn't believe him. We were wrong. They were able to remove the entire tumor and three days later they were back on a plane headed for home. He was eating, drinking, talking and laughing. He will go back one more time for another round of chemotherapy and radiation just to make sure they get any residual cells they may have missed. This round will be even lighter than the first treatment he received. The prognosis.....complete remission. My family was amazed at how many people around the world travel to see this doctor in Mexico. Each time they have gone they have heard countless stories of how people had been healed AFTER being told they had little time left to live. I am thankful that my grandfather is recovering and that we have more time to spend with him. He is more like a father than a grandfather and I will forever be grateful to my sister in law whose persistence was the answer our family was in need of.

Are You Serious??

I just saw this on CNN. Here is the link....www.ashleymadison.com....when divorce just isn't an option. SERIOUSLY????

This is HILLARIOUS!!!

So I saw this on Lexi's blog, how I EVER missed this picture is BEYOND me! Madelyn was standing by me when we opened up the picture....YOU SHOULD HAVE SEEN AND HEARD HER REACTION.....





First thing said.....That's NOT me!


Second thing said.....I don't EVER want to see that picture again!


Third thing said.....I think I am allergic to that picture mom!

And then she asked if she could go to Bessie's house and play with Ricardo (Carter). Not sure where the name Ricardo came from but I quickly corrected her! She has a habit of re-naming people. There is Bessie (which is really Lexie), then there is Hannah (which is really Nana), and now Ricardo. Bessie and Hannah REFUSE to let me correct her but I think "Ricardo" would DEFINATELY want her to know his REAL name.

The cutest Annie I have ever seen!

Finally....Some Pictures!!

Here are some of the house before we moved in. I will have to take some "after" shots. We had most of the interior painted and so it looks a lot different now.
Front of the house (obviously!)

Entry

Family Room

Kitchen (well at least part of it)

Master Bedroom

Master Bathroom (do you see that doorway off to the side? That is another entire...we are using it as storage/excercise room for the moment).

Master Bathroom Shower

Inside of the master bath shower

I will take some "after" photos and post them as soon as possible!

I Am Not Political But....

I am not someone who is overtly political. Like most of you I have my views, my values, my frustrations, my likes, and of course my dislikes. I admit that most times I feel like our government in general is a little like a roller coaster....there are ups and downs, sideway turns and yes, moments of fear that everything you just ate for lunch is about to be thrown up on the person next to you. And just when you think it can't get any worse....the ride is over and all is calm. That has been me for as long as I can remember. There has never been a time when I have felt fear or uneasiness regarding the overall state of our country....until now. Each time I turn on the television or listen to the radio (talk radio that is) I am overwhelmed with what is happening in our world. I can remember during this last election when proposition 8 was being proposed. One of the General Authority's from my church said that we as church members can no longer be silent bystanders when it comes to what is right and wrong. I agree. I guess my apathetic tendencies toward all things government no longer works, especially if I want to feel as though I have a say in what happens to this country I love so much. So please forgive me for getting on yet another soapbox! Surely you must be thinking that there are better things for me to blog about other than the infamous octomom and radio/tv host Glenn Beck...and you would be right but for today this is what has been on my mind.....

I am not a huge Glenn Beck fan or at least until recently I haven't much listened to what he has to say but this caught my attention and I thought I would pass it along. It is called the 912 PROJECT. To me this is what AMERICA is.....and if more Americans took this approach to life we would all be a lot better off!

THE NINE PRINCIPLES
1. America is good.
2. I believe in God and He is the Center of my Life.
3. I must always try to be a more honest person than I was yesterday.
4. The family is sacred. My spouse and I are the ultimate authority, not the government.
5. If you break the law you pay the penalty. Justice is blind and no one is above it.
6. I have a right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, but there is no guarantee of equal results.
7. I work hard for what I have and I will share it with who I want to. Government cannot force me to be charitable.
8. It is not un-American for me to disagree with authority or to share my personal opinion.
9. The government works for me. I do not answer to them, they answer to me.

THE TWELVE VALUES
1. Honesty
2. Reverence
3. Hope
4. Thrift
5. Humility
6. Charity
7. Sincerity
8. Moderation
9. Hard Work
10. Courage
11. Personal Responsibility
12. Gratitude

If you want to know more about the 912 PROJECT. You can visit Glenn Beck's website!

On the Road...Heading Toward a Little Place Called...HAPPINESS!

As we drive through life we, at times, come across roadblocks, pitfalls, detours and even an occasional accident. And when we allow it these things even impede our happiness. Lucky for me the light at the end of the tunnel inevitably comes, and I am happy to report that the darkness is rapidly being replaced by light...GLORIOUS...light!

1. House in Rexburg....SOLD
2. House in Buckeye....BOUGHT (but not paid for!)
3. Painters...scheduled to start TOMORROW
4. New ward....SUNDAY!
5. Movers....MONDAY!
6. Satellite...DVR....TUESDAY!!!
7. New furniture....4 to 6 WEEKS (a long wait but DEFINITELY worth it, actually remind me to tell you all about my furniture find).
8. New School for Madelyn...MONDAY (she is a TROOPER...this is the 3rd school for the adorable little red head).
9. Commute time dropped from 3 HOURS to less than ONE....(Dallan is one HAPPY guy).
10. Free gym membership....okay not exactly free since it is included in our HOA fees, but it is a really nice gym and it provides FREE childcare!
11. MY VERY OWN COMPUTER....DOWNLOADING AND POSTING NEW PICTURES.....FAST INTERNET...Do I need to say MORE???

I think I should stop now in fear of getting TOO HAPPY! I think I am actually GIDDY in spite of the PILE of laundry that is staring at me and the sink full of dishes that never seems to disappear. LIFE IS GOOOD!

This is Me...On my Soapbox

I wasn't going to write about it, but after several days of non-stop interviews, and seeing countless pictures, I decided I just couldn't let it go! Yes, I am referring to the lovely single, unemployed woman in California, who after much thought decided it would be wise to give her SIX children EIGHT more siblings. Now, I can believe her claim that she didn't intend to have eight more BUT to even have ONE more when you already have SIX is just beyond me. Here is what I have a problem with....

1. She is an unemployed college student who used student loans to help pay for her fertility treatments that cost upwards of $100,000.

2. She receives $490 a month in food stamps and $2,379 a month in social security payments for 3 of her 6 children. One has autism, one has ADHD, and the other has a mild speech problem with small signs of autistic behavior.

3. She has no private health insurance and therefore uses free state insurance. The hospital bill is rumored to be over ONE million dollars. The taxpayers of California will be forced to pay her dream of having a large family.

4. 3 of her children have disabilities and yet she wants to add MORE children? When I think of this alone it INFURIATES me. I think of Lexie and how challenging her life can be at times. I think of how much of her time and energy is spent on helping Casey get better. I can't imagine the stress she sometimes feels when she has to split up her time between Casey and her other two boys. I can recall MANY conversations I've had with her about treatment options, new studies, speech therapy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, the cost of getting Casey the best treatment possible, the frustration of knowing their options are limited because of where they live or because of financial restraints. Here is a mother that is devoted to helping her son get better and it IS HARD on HER and yet she does it. She puts her own needs and wants aside and she does what has to be done. How much time do you think this mother of 14 can give to her autistic son? Is he getting the treatment he needs? Is he getting the attention he deserves? THIS MAKES ME SICK!

5. When this woman was asked why she wanted so many children she explained that she grew up an only child and wanted to compensate for that by having lots of children around her that would love her unconditionally. She talked about having a void in her life and wanting to fill it by having lots of children. IT WAS ALL ABOUT HER.

I am not one of those people who believe what she did was medically unethical. She had a choice, I understand that, and that is what is so frustrating. There are thousands of couples like me and Dallan who would give anything to have children. We are made to jump through countless hoops, have our personal lives dissected and analyzed, show proof that we have private health insurance, have minimal debt and an above average yearly salary, all of which is to ensure that we are suitable parent material. And when the government has decided that yes, we are acceptable people we are then forced to pay OBSCENE amounts of money to finally have the privilege of raising a child. Hearing stories like this literally hurts my heart and I am ashamed to say makes me questions why people like her are able to have FOURTEEN children when there are other couples in the world like Emily's sister who would give their right arm to have JUST ONE.

The frustration is that there is no way to solve this problem. There will always be selfish people in this world that put their own needs above those of their children. My heart aches for her children. I hope I am wrong about this woman. I hope she has the strength of character to give her children all that they need in order to be happy and successful in this life. And along with the majority of the population I too hope she has achieved her dream of having a large family and is finally done procreating.

25 Random Things....

Over the last week or so I have been "tagged" on facebook and I even went as far as sitting down, typing the above mentioned 25 things and then....I lost it all due to my lack of facebook skills. I just couldn't figure out how to tag other people and in the process of figuring it out I erased my list. Therefore, I will forgo facebook and just stick to what I know....my blog. So here it goes.....

P.S. - Heather this is what it would look like....I think!

25 RANDOM THINGS

1. I like going to the movies by myself, especially when I think it is a movie that will make me cry. I like to be in the moment and not have to worry whether or not the person sitting next to me thinks I am silly for getting emotional.

2. I was voted Senior Class President. I think I represented my constituents well at the time, but I refuse to plan any class reunions, which in the end makes me a lousy class president. But let me clarify that I did not know planning post graduation parties was part of my presidential duties, if I had known I would have conceded.

3. Like Emily I too have conversations with people in my head and like Emily I would like to clarify that these conversations don't include actual "voices".

4. I had three imaginary friends while growing up. Their names were boyfriend, girlfriend, and George. And no I don't think boyfriend and girlfriend were actually you know boyfriend and girlfriend.

5. I HATE scary movies. They give me nightmares. I even made Dallan walk out of the 6th Sense...TWICE.

6. I love to read, especially historical fiction.

7. I was suspended from school in the 9th grade. We decided it would be fun to try No-Doze and when my friend JT was caught with it he squealed like a little girl of course blaming the whole thing on me. So they called my dad who worked over an hour away and explained that I had been caught with "drugs" and that I would be held at school until he came to get me. I was suspended for one week, had to attend 6 weeks of an after school drug counseling program and attend at least one session with a psychiatrist. My dad called me "speedy" for the remainder of the year.

8. I am afraid of heights and large bodies of water.

9. I love the smell of fresh bread baking in the oven.

10. I am not afraid to embarrass myself every now and again as long as it is PLANNED! However, it is literally PAINFUL for me when it happens accidentally. And I am not exaggerating! I can remember EVERY single experience when I have been publicly humiliated, even going back to the 2nd grade (I am sure there were plenty before that time but lucky for me I can't recall them).

11. I prefer cake over pie. (yellow with chocolate frosting)

12. I would love to take an interior design class.

13. I love to take naps, but only if I know I have at least 2 hours. None of this 20 minute power nap stuff.

14. I was late to my own wedding.

15. I would love to possess enough talent to write a book.

16. I don't really like my first name.

17. My maiden name is Warner.

18. I truly believe I am the mother to the two most ADORABLE red headed children in the entire world.

19. I hope to someday serve a mission with Dallan.

20. I would love to see the pyramids before I die.

21. I can't drink a fountain pop unless the whole cup is full of ice. I understand that means less pop, but I don't care...the cup has to be FULL.

22. I am not very patient.

23. I love going out to eat.

24. I love listening to Heather James tell stories. Seriously, there are some that make me laugh EVERY time I think about them.

25. I love to vacuum but hate folding laundry.

UPDATE...Warning.....It is LONG!

First, let me say that I HATE the fact I can't post pictures! A good blog needs photos in my opinion. But I don't have my own computer and the computer I do have is a MAC and I have NO idea how to download and post pictures. Hopefully, that will soon change. Until then....please don't go away!

Update #1 Our house in Idaho....As far as we know things are progressing as they should. I guess you can never get too comfortable in these economic times especially when it comes to someone purchasing a home. The couple was pre-approved for the loan amount but I don't think I will celebrate just yet. We are however going to Idaho this weekend to go and pack up the house. Dallan and I will fly up Saturday morning. Dallan will fly home Monday night and I will follow on Thursday. That means three whole days by myself!!

Update #2 Where we will move our things to....We put an offer an a home in West Phoenix a couple of weeks ago and it looks like that is going to go through. Now I am not an experienced home buyer but the last two homes we purchased were a piece of cake compared to how things are handled now. In the "good ol' days" you would go house hunting, you would find one you loved, you perhaps negotiated a little on the price, you then signed your life away, and wham the house was yours. This is NOT the way it is done now. At least here in Arizona...Foreclosure capital of the country. Unless you are buying a home directly from a builder (people aren't selling their houses right now so don't count on buying an owner occupied home) the process is EXTREMELY frustrating. You go and look, you make multiple offers because the chances of a bank coming back with an answer in a timely manner is near impossible. And then you wait....and you wait....and you wait some more. During this process I have become even more confused at the government bailout for these banks who are in trouble. I mean you would think if they were hurting for money they would respond a little more speedily to someones offer to purchase one of their properties! Sorry I will get off my soapbox. Anyway, we had the home inspected yesterday and everything looks good. It is a beautiful house. In fact Dallan keeps saying we don't deserve to live a house this nice. I am not sure what that means exactly but....I will take it whether I deserve it or not. It is a single story home (very nice for the summer heat and your electricity bill) and is a little over 3000 square feet. It was built in 2007 and has never been lived in. Yes, someone had it built, paid for every upgrade imaginable and then couldn't pay for it. We were very fortunate to have found it. Although there are good deals out there finding a house that hasn't been trashed by an angry home owner who is being foreclosed on is also near impossible. Again, nothing is set in stone as of yet but we are once again crossing our fingers that things will continue to go smoothly.

Update #3....the rest of the Lott's....Dallan is still loving his job especially since he heard Basic American Foods laid off a ton of people after Christmas. It looks like our decision to move was a good one. Madelyn is loving school and we love watching her little mind grow. She is reading now and tells me very matter of factly to "sound it out mom" when I tell her I don't know what something says. Good advice! She also thinks her beautiful curly hair is "ANNOYING". She asks me every morning if I will straighten it which I tell her no. It takes a long time and she won't get up early enough for me to do it. So she insists on wearing it in a ponytail on the weekdays and straight on the weekends. She is only 5! She shouldn't care YET! Jackson just continues to get bigger and cuter. He is a smart little guy. His favorite show is SuperWhy on PBS. Madelyn has taught him how to count and he is almost to twenty now. He loves going to class on Sundays and asks if he too can go to school when we drop Madelyn off in the morning. We can't wait to get into our own house so we can start the adoption paperwork. Madelyn keeps telling us she wants a baby sister and that our family needs 5 people not 4. I hope she is right. Well that leaves me....I am just trying to survive the final days of not being in my own house with my own things. I have learned many things during the last 6 months. I have learned that I only need a few simple things in order to feel happy and whole. They are....
1. My own space (I already knew that but I didn't know it would cause insanity if it were to be taken away from me).
2. A church calling. Neither of us have served in any capacity since leaving Idaho. I remember there were times when I thought it would be so nice NOT to have a calling. How wrong I was.
3. Friends. I have lots of friends. Friends who are irreplaceable. Friends who will be a part of my life forever. But I need friends who live close. Friends I can go hang out with. Friends I can go to a movie now and again with. Having our families close has been so nice but I miss having friends.
That's it! That's all I need. And with any luck all those things will be MINE!

I know this is already pretty lengthy (my fingers are telling me they are tired) but there is one last thing. My family is in need of some prayers. I hate writing this, hate what it means, hate that there is even a need but there is and I am thankful to have so many faithful friends who care about me and therefore care about my family. Growing up there were two people who were constants in my life. My nana and beba (those are the names they were given by some grandchild long before I came to be) have been more like a mother and father to me than grandparents. In my mind I knew they were getting older but for some reason I thought they would be around forever. I guess that is because I can't imagine this world without them. Anyway... after several weeks of thinking he had a sore throat he finally went to the doctor. He has a large mass in his throat which is cancerous and from what we were told yesterday is inoperable. He goes in for another biopsy this week which will tell us what stage the cancer is in and how fast the mass is growing. Just pray that he will be comforted. He is so worried that at some point his airway will be blocked. He is consumed by this thought. And more than anything hopes that he will somehow know that things will be okay.

Thanks for hanging in there the last several months and for reading my often times negative, boring and pictureless blog! It will soon get better...I promise.

We Are Crossing Our Fingers!

OUR HOUSE IS UNDER CONTRACT!!!! We will not be breathing until everything is final and our belongings are being shipped to Arizona! All it took was a little after Christmas vacation to Rexburg. We had been there for less than 24 hours when our realtor walked in and was very surprised to see us just hanging out watching TV. So we now wait and hope everything goes through! We will keep you posted!

So Thankful!

Ti's the season to be jolly....right? I mean look at those two! How could you NOT be jolly? But this is me attempting to remain positive in spite of the the minor challenges we are facing. I say minor because compared to what many in our country are facing right now our problems are indeed very small. I should have wrote this list at Thanksgiving but I wasn't feeling well very thankful (shame on me).

The Things I Am Most Thankful For.....

1. My faith. This above all else is what anchors me. I am so thankful to have a constant source of direction from Someone who loves and understands me better than anyone. What more could a person ask for?

2. My family. I am so lucky to have a good husband. I know if he had his choice of any woman in the world he would in no doubt still choose me. My children. I mean just look at them. They are beautiful and they are our miracles. The love I feel for them and the women who brought them into this life knows no bounds. I am also thankful to be living so close to all our extended family. It has been about 8 years since we lived close to them and we are loving it....REALLY!

3. Friendships. I have the best friends a girl could ever ask for. The women who I call friends are some of the most talented, beautiful, funny, generous, kind, and thoughtful people I have ever meet. I consider myself lucky to know so many remarkable women and even more lucky to call them friends. They have taught me how to be a better wife, a better mother and a better friend. My life would just not be the same without them.

4. A job! Not my job, although I am thankful to be a stay at home mom. But lets face it that type of work doesn't pay the bills! I am so grateful Dallan has such a great job. It allows me to stay at home with our children. It allows us to pay all our bills and still have enough left over to have some fun with. I am thankful for Dallan who worked hard to get such a great education. There are so many people who don't have jobs right now. I can't imagine that kind of stress. So thank you Palo Verde for such a good job!

5. Sunsets. If you have never witnessed an Arizona sunset...you are truly missing out. They are breathtaking.

6. A roof over our heads. No, it isn't my own roof, but it is a roof nonetheless. It keeps us safe and provides all the comforts we could ever need or want. Not everyone can say that.

7. Christmas. I LOVE CHRISTMAS! I love everything about this holiday. I love what is represents, I love the added measure of kindness and generosity people exhibit and I love the magic that happens during this time of year.

I am often guilty of overlooking all the things in my life that bring me such great happiness. Life isn't always easy....we all know that. But one thing I can say for certain is that each challenge I have ever endured in my life has ALWAYS resulted in me being blessed or compensated in an even bigger and better way. And that is DEFINITELY something to be THANKFUL for.

I do have Christmas cards to mail out. As usual you probably won't get them by Christmas but one day when you are least expecting it you will open up your mail box and there it will be!

It Was Over Before it Began

A HOUSING UPDATE

The buyers backed out. I guess they want to keep looking for a house that has a three car garage. Happy Hunting is what I say!

They Came....They Saw....They Offered....And....

We laughed! After months of waiting for an official offer to come our way we finally had some serious lookers. We got a call from our realtor a few days before Thanksgiving. There was a family who was interested in our house and they had already been by to see it several times. He warned me...don't get your hopes up but how can you keep from doing that? So we waited by the phone and we waited and we waited. Finally....an official offer!

1. $5,000 below the listed price (that is after we dropped the price $30,000 from the time we initially listed it)
2. $7,000 in closing costs
3. Dining Room Table
4. Kitchen Barstools
5. Kitchen Rugs (4 total)
6. Living Room Curtains
7. 2 Living Room Decorative Wall Hangings
8. Entry Table along with the matching End Table

It never hurts to ask right????

UPDATE: We made a counter offer and are now waiting to hear back from them. They want to close by December 17th so that should make the waiting process a little less painful. We will keep you updated.

Tales of Woe and Injured Toes

Halloween 2008 looked promising. Costumes were found, pumpkins were purchased, the children were excited. Everything was planned and in order. Thursday morning came and I woke up to a bit of an upset stomach...I just must be hungry....so I ate. It didn't help. By mid afternoon I thought I was going to die. This was no little stomach bug this was the dreaded flu. Getting the children all dolled up for Halloween was going to be impossible. So I called Dallan. He went in and told his boss he wouldn't be in on Friday and after completing work that evening he drove the 2 hours to my grandparents house. The next morning the plan was to get things cleaned up, pack our things and head down to Dallan's parents house. He would drop me off, and then take the kids to the apartment to clean and pack up all his stuff (it was a corporate apartment we had for thirty days courtesy of Palo Verde). After that was finished he would load up the kids again and drive to his sister's house where they would go trick or treating. It wasn't ideal but at least the kids would get to go and have fun and I could get some rest. Friday morning came....Dallan was packing....I was sleeping....the kids were playing. All of a sudden my bedroom door flew open and Madelyn was screaming that I needed to get up and go look at Jackson. I have to admit I was thinking to myself "this better be good or she is in serious trouble". It was bad...VERY BAD. Jackson had been trying to get some crayons out of a storage box bench at my grandparents house. The lid is solid oak and very heavy. In the process of looking he dropped the lid on his big toe. There was Jackson crying because he had just about chopped off the tip of his toe and then there was Dallan crying because he felt bad for little buddy. So we loaded up in the car and headed for the nearest urgent care (an hour's drive). One x-ray, 4 stitches, and one lost toenail later we headed back to Kearny. Once we got there Dallan packed up the clothes, costumes, and kids and headed to Mesa by himself (I stayed at my grandma's). Madelyn went trick or treating with her cousins and Jackson got to be pulled around in the wagon. After the festivities were over Dallan and his brother made the hour drive to the apartment and cleared out Dallan's things. I think they got home after midnight.

Here is a picture of his poor little toe once it had been cleaned up. The toe nail is just sitting on the nail bed. The doctors wanted it to stay on there as long as possible. The stitches came out on Tuesday and the nail finally fell off yesterday morning. Madelyn was so impressed with it that she insisted on taking it for show and tell today. Believe me I tried talking her out of it but she was adamant about showing it to her class. My grandma told her that all the kids were going to say "OOOOHHH GROSS" and she said no Hannah (she calls my grandma Hannah) they will all say "OOOHHH COOL". I am sure her teacher will love it!

Hanging in There....

Mostly anyway! I will try VERY hard to post pictures soon. Especially Halloween. Madelyn decided she wanted to be Dorothy which means buddy is being forced to dress up as the scarecrow (he makes a terrible scarecrow...he is too cute to scare anyone). We had a dress rehersal and they looked adorable. Thanks everyone for checking up on me....I love you for it.

Two Words I Have Come to Loath

"WHAT IF".....here are just a few....

1. What if we can't sell our home in Idaho
2. What if we can't rent our home in Idaho
3. What if we run out of money and we can't pay both mortgages then what??
4. What if the housing prices increase and we missed an opportunity to buy a great house at a great price.
5. What if we never see a 5.5% interest rate again
6. What if we wait too long and then we can't afford to move into the neighborhood we want
7. What if the whole world goes to heck and no one can afford a home
8. What if the house in Idaho NEVER sells or no one EVER wants to rent it
9. What if we rent and waste all our money and then can't buy a house
10. What if we (me and the kids) just move back to Rexburg by ourselves
11. What if I go crazy because we can't make a decision...who will then raise our children?
12. What if we don't go and get our furniture now but end up needing it in a couple months? How will the movers get our stuff packed in all that snow?
13. What if a pipe breaks in the Rexburg house and no one is there to notice it


You think I am kidding but I AM NOT! That is just a sampling of the questions that have been asked OVER and OVER during the last few WEEKS. Same questions...same replies....I DON'T KNOW!!! So after ALL that drama and $3000 in earnest money we have decided NOT to buy the house on Evergreen. So Evergreen...so long....so long to your...garden tub and gas range and lastly (with a tear creeping down my face) I have to say farewell to the carpet that feels like clouds. I think we could have been happy together but the bottom line is...There were just too many WHAT IF'S!