Citizen of the Month

Our eldest was awarded Citizen of the Month in February.  I have to be truthful here, I cried when I got the letter.  There is nothing more rewarding than to have someone see what you see in your child and recognize them for it.  We are so proud of our boy.  Here is what his teacher said (I am, as usual, omitting his name):

Although, he is a fairly new student to our class, he has certainly been a positive role model for his peers.  One of the many excellent qualities we see in him is his politeness and how he is courteous to everyone.  He always remembers to say please and thank you.  We are extremely happy to have him at our school and in our class.

Our oldest also had a great experience with his basketball team this weekend.  They were in the championship tournament and after triple overtime in the final game the team pulled ahead by two points and won the championship.  The boys were so excited.  Our eldest wore his medal around all day.  

Eight is Great

Our second turned 8 in February.  The fun started with a trip to Claire's for an ear piercing job.  Then we planned a super fun party with all kinds of girl things like painting nails, making bracelets and going on a treasure hunt.  We even sent the boys and baby away for the occasion.  

Then we started planning her baptism.  A friend waited a few weeks to be baptized with her.  We took a picture of the two for the program.  We girls have so much fun!

Didn't Your Mother Ever Tell You NOT to Drink the Bath Water

We have a flock of wild turkeys that live in our neighborhood.  One day I caught one of the Toms standing on the bird bath drinking.  By the time I got out to take his picture he was on the ground again.  I would say that bath is just the right size for those thirsty birds.

We get a kick out of the turkeys.  The Toms are often strutting their stuff with their feathers all out.  They run so funny and make really goofy noises.  

We also have deer that come around, but a true Oregonian curses the deer because they poop in your yard, eat all of your expensive plants, flowers and grass, and trample things.  I am apparently not a true Oregonian yet because I still enjoy watching out the front window as they come walking by.

So, I would say we have a plethora of wildlife here.  When the kids complain that we haven't any pets I remind them about the turkeys and the deer.

Richard is 34

Shhh, don't tell him I posted his age in the title.  Hee, hee.  I only put it there to brag because he doesn't look his age at all.  

He is loving his job teaching the 8th graders math at JoLane middle school.  He started coaching the Roseburg H.S. track team this month and has some great athletes with some real talent.  He does the horizontal jumps (long and triple jumps.)  Those are his events from H.S. and his triple jump record is still on the wall of the high school.  His mission is to train an athlete well enough to crush his record.  

In church he teaches the 16-17 yr. olds.  He really enjoys it.  There are a lot of great kids in his class.  He was also called to help plan Aaronic Priesthood camp.  That, I believe, is his dream calling because he learned and grew so much from his experience as a young man at that camp and is now given the opportunity to help other boys in the same way.  

So, overall, Richard is LOVING Roseburg.  He wanted so badly to move here and he has loved every minute of it.  I have too and I can't stop feeling excited when I see him come home from work happy in every way.  

Our Baby Turned Two

Party time.  Our youngest celebrated her second birthday on Jan. 31st.  We went to the museum and did some excavating in the children's section.  We had cake, opened presents and had a fun time making a fuss over our new two-year-old.  

I have noticed that the terrible twos have really surfaced with her.  We have to work hard to keep her calm when she doesn't get what she wants and she throws more tantrums in public than I care to remember.  I am always worried that security cameras will catch me hauling a screaming baby out of the store and forcing her into a car seat.  Can I be convicted for that?  At least I know at this point in my life that it is a phase and it will pass.  

The New House

Well, we finally made it into our new house.  It was our fifth offer in this area and I am so glad that we didn't get any of the other houses because this one just fits us perfectly and I am absolutely thrilled with it.  I get excited every day just walking through it.  Our family saying is that it is not too big and it is not too small, it's just right.

This home is almost the same as our Provo home.  We have 3 beds, 2 1/2 baths, living room, family room, kitchen, laundry and garage.  The square footage is 1725 and the lot is like a third  of an acre, all fenced and a lot of fun landscaping.  

This view is from the dining room looking into the living room and out to the front yard.  In this room I love the huge windows and the window seat.  At night I turn the piano light on and enjoy the ambiance.  

This view is from the living room into the dining room.  Here I really like the built in bookcase and the space it provides for all our office supplies (since we have no office now.)

This is the view into the kitchen from the dining room.  We have a lot of counter space and tons of cabinets.  The backsplash here is the only project we had to do.  I like how it turned out.  Also, all of the appliances are nicer than I would have ever purchased for myself.  That makes it fancy for me.

This is the hall bath upstairs.  I love that it has two sinks (dubbed the boys' sink and girls' sink.)  Also, not pictured is a skylight that brings in the natural light.  This is one of my favorite rooms.

I am not including the bedrooms yet.  They are not done.

At the foot of the stairs is this laundry room complete with utility sink and toilet.  It has some great cabinet space and plenty of room for the laundry baskets.

This is the downstairs family room.  I love the pellet stove (which we use any time we are down there.)  Also, the windows bring in a lot of light.  

Richard wanted a picture of the "view."  Well, today the view includes fog.  Behind it are a bunch of trees.  The deck this picture was taken from is great.  It spans the entire back of the house and wraps around to the front.  It is a lot of fun.

The neighborhood is right next to the community college which is fun because we have access to a track, swimming pool, tennis courts, etc.  Also, we have a shared 3 acre parcel that is river front property where we can dock a boat or go to swim and play with the kids.  We can't wait for the summer!!

I never dreamed I would live in a split entry again but here I am and I absolutely love it.  Who knew!!!

Our Christmas Story

We had one crazy Christmas week this year.  It all started with our traditional Christmas eve Santa pizza.  This year we were joined by our cousins the Brigantis.  Christmas day we opened presents and I made the traditional turkey dinner.  It was so yummy.  I was surprised that everything turned out, even the stuffing.  I am more confident now for future holiday events.  

Things started getting a little crazy the day after Christmas when our house was swallowed by dozens of boxes.  By Saturday we had the moving van packed but no keys to the new house (it's a long story.)  So we ate on the floor, slept on the floor and sat on the floor for the weekend until Monday at 3:00 p.m. when we could get our keys.  

We slept well in our new house that night...on beds!!