California or bust

          

I prefer to not bust.  So, we're moving back to California.  We moved out here to Idaho in July.  There were a few reasons we moved out here in the first place, you can pick your favorite: 1)needed a bigger place to live 2) we could live in a house 3) we wanted to be on our own as a family and fly a little (in the figurative sense) 4) we felt this would be a nicer/cleaner place to raise our family 5) insert your own reason here.  Seriously, there were a few reasons we moved here and we felt that our Heavenly Father was guiding us to come here although we weren't exactly sure why.  Since the beginning of the year we'd talked about moving to Idaho and whether or not we were actually going to do it varied on a month to month basis.  Ryan lived here in Idaho when we met and he's always had a fondness for it and a desire to return.  So the right time for us to move came during the summer.  Ryan got a job up here, moved up here, and before too long, Zoe and I followed.  We got the renters out of the house (a house that Ryan bought in 2005 due to their failure to comply with the contract terms, and although it wasn't a pretty sight, they did eventually leave. We were so excited to have a big house with lots of space, a yard, and a garage.  The weather was beautiful for the first couple months we were here.  

Now it's cold.  It's icy.  It's snowy.  But the weather isn't the reason we're moving back.  We sold the house.  Ryan has a friend that has been interested in buying this house for  a little while now and he's finally committed to buying it.  It's a blessing for us because we'll be able to get away from this house which has started to become a bit of a strain on us.  Ryan has been blessed with employment up here, but it's nothing to stay up here for.  To be honest, we both would like to be in a bit warmer climate and we'd also like to be closer to family.  I never really knew my grandparents when I was growing up, and I want to make sure that our kids know their grandparents.  Both of our families live in California and they're just thrilled that we'll be closer to home.  

Moving up here was a test of our faith and moving back to California is going to be yet another test of our faith.  We feel that it's the right thing for us to do, though probably confusing to some.  We're not sure right now exactly where we'll end up, but when you follow the promptings you receive from Heavenly Father, you can't go wrong.  That's not to say that it's going to be easy and that everything will fall into place (although that is what we're praying for), but we're comforted in knowing that our Heavenly Father is aware of us and watchful over us.  He doesn't want us to struggle any more than we want to struggle.  We just need to be willing to do His will.

So there it is.  We're moving back to California.  We'll be back there right after Christmas.  Wish us luck!

Zoe's bonk

Zoe walking in the snow

Grandma and Grandpa got Zoe a big pink marshmallow coat when they came up to visit in October.  I figured that we better get some use out of it before we move back to CA.  Yes, we're moving back, but that story will be saved for another post at another time.  

Family Pictures 2010

My dear sweet sister-in-law Priscilla took our family pictures back at the end of October.  We're lucky we got these pictures done when we did because the following week everything was covered in snow.  

Which one is your favorite?

Someone is walking!

While it feels like it took forever for this milestone, and many a mom told me that it gets worse after the walking starts, Zoe has started walking.  For a month or so she's been walking around holding on to a finger or two of a trusted adult, but a few nights ago, she took some true steps on her own and has been going since.  Check it out:

The snow has started to fall in Idaho.  I'm not a huge fan of freezing cold weather, but I gotta admit, the snow is pretty.  Ask me again how I feel about snow in April.  I'm sure I'll have had my fill by then.  We are all doing well here.  Ryan continues to work hard to provide for our family and I'm still blessed to be able to stay at home with Zoe and get ready for baby #2.  I don't feel like there's been much progress and, in fact, sometimes forget that I am pregnant.  I just finished the first trimester so maybe things will start to show a little more soon.  My mom and aunt are coming to visit tomorrow and will be here for a long weekend.  I'm excited to have them here and to be able to see our little corner of the world.

Halloween

 The before shot.

 This is how Zoe often entertains herself.  She'll pull the towel off the fridge handle, lay it on the floor, and then lay herself down on it.  Silly girl!

 Helping mommy move the seeds from one bowl to the other.

 Waiting for my Romeo.

 Ready for Juliet (they were all out of horse drawn carriages).

 I'm only 3 months pregnant, but I look more pregnant than I am in this picture.  I've never worn something that has so diminished my, uh, endowments.  Zoe was our pet tiger.

 Who carved which pumpkin?

Daddy dressed up as a prison guard for work and I got to bring the lil' toaster by.  I think I dressed her up 3 times in one week in her little tiger costume.  She got really good at growling.

The Pumpkin Patch

Last Halloween, Zoe was barely a month old so we didn't do much.  This year we decided to go to a local pumpkin patch (they're hard to come by out here, while straw/corn mazes are everywhere!) and pick some pumpkins!  We had a great time.

Our poor kids

Our kids aren't going to be inheriting much as far as drawing goes.  Music, on the other hand, they'll have a head start.  Whew!  So last night, Ryan and I had an at home art date.  We grabbed a big box of markers and some computer paper and challenged each other to drawing.  We might actually do ok at a round of Win Lose or Draw!, but for serious drawing?  Please don't seek out us.  We had to share our art work with you because we knew you'd want a good laugh.

 My rendition of Ryan.

 Ryan drew me out walking Zoe.

And then he attempted to draw my face.  The Shel Silverstein-esque drawing below that is his attempt at capturing a shark face that I make.

 Then we drew a representation of our first meeting.  Above is mine.

This one is Ryan's.  He actually does some cute stick figure drawings.

 I think these are my favorite.  The challenge was to draw Zoe's glow-worm with our feet.  Above is mine.

 The Grinch twin is Ryan's version of the glow-worm.

I couldn't get this picture to face the right direction, but that's what we were using as our model.  We certainly had some good laughs last night.  Hopefully you got something uplifting out of this.