The Wise Man Built His House...

This is how our land is coming.  It's been a slow process, but it's coming along.  We redid our floorplans about 3 times and finally came to something we could both live with and met our most important wants.  I say wants because that's the kind of house we are building.  The house we WANT to live in for the rest of our days.  Nothing fancy, but roomy and nice.   We finally met with the architect and are now started down the road.  I have been through MANY model homes in the last weeks trying to get ideas and room dimensions and some sort of verification of what I thought I really wanted.  Here are just a few pics of the many I took, lol.  Noting, my house will never look like these!

 This is actually the floor plan of the the home we used as our base.

 another angle of our base floor plan

 This is what I would like my kitchen to look like

 or this...

And this is what I gave Ben, the architect to use as an inspiration for my front elevation.

I'm sure this road will be long and frustrating, especially since we plan on being our own GC, but I'm way excited to actually get going on it!  Hopefully this time next year I'll be begging you all to help me move. ♥

I'm a Temple Worker

This whole temple thing has  been quite a whirlwind of awesomeness!  Because of it's location, I have driven by the temple at least once a week, often more, since it first broke ground.  For the three years I watched it "become", I never really though of it being special to me.  Being "mine" if you will.  Then I got asked to teach the choreography to the youth for the Cultural Celebration.  Pretty cool.  Later that day I was asked to be a tour guide during the open house.  That has been amazing.  I have spent 3-5 days a week walking that temple for the last three weeks.  The experiences, while nothing miraculous, have been positively sweet and joyful.  I have loved every minute spent down there.  I can't believe there are only a few days left.  

Several months ago I started paperwork to become a temple worker once its dedicated.  After what seemed like forever, I finally got the call.  I met with the Temple President on Thursday.  He assigned me to work in the baptistry every Thursday from 11 - 4.  I'm so excited to be able to spend my time serving in the Temple!!  A whole new chapter beginning.  Now, as I take my tours through that beautiful place, I imagine all the wonderful experiences I'm going to have down there.  I affectionately call it "my temple".  The blessing have certainly been pouring down.

Rhett Gives a Talk

This kid.  Some days I can't stop my heart from swelling so much I think it might burst, others...well...let's just say he's lucky to be alive.  Last Sunday, he received his Patriarchal Blessing.  It's always such a special time to have that experience with my kids.  This was no different.  He truly is an amazing kid with so much potential and talent.  I can't wait for the day he can see it and take off.  Right after his blessing started, I got this major coughing fit, you know..how you are gasping and can't inhale and tears are running down your cheeks?  Oy.  But it was really special and I'm so proud of who he is becoming.

Today he gave his first talk in church.  I was a little worried because he's a bit lazy and doesn't put a lot  of effort into much.  So we hadn't seen or read his talk before he actually presented it today.  I was absolutely so proud of him.  He did so great and his talk had substance and order and he didn't just read it.  Proud Mommy moment.  He turns 16 in three days and our whole world is gonna start changing.  Dating, driving, trust, independence.  I'm not sure I'm quite ready yet.....

Katy turns 7!

 While Dalin had low key days, this little one had birthday overload.  It just so happened that ON her birthday, her school was having a cheerleading camp.  So she and her friends spent the whole day together learning cheers and jumps and chants.  (Pics far below.)  But first, we had a little birthday breakfast on the way to camp.  She chose Chick Fil A.  Pictures are all out of order. Ü

This last Saturday, we had her actual party. Chelsey is doing this thing where they send her free stuff, she tries it out and then reviews it.  Well, one of the things they sent her was an entire party pack of Disney stuff.  Soooo, we had a party!!  She invited 10 girls for a breakfast party.  We made pancakes and used the Mickey cookie cutters to make Mickey cakes and sausage.  Throw in some muffins and chocolate milk and the girls gobbled it up.  We played Bingo, painted faces, took silly pics and opened gifts.  They all had a swell time!   Grandma, Whitley and Chelsey were all there to help so it was super easy and it was awesome.  Thanks Chelsey!!

Rewind to her actual birthday, cheerleader in the making: 

The afternoon of her birthday, we opened family gifts and had cupcakes.   She wanted them made into a seven so that's what we did.  There was one specific Monster High doll she really wanted so that was her big gift.

Skip back to her birthday party day... After her party, Grandma took her for her birthday lunch.  She chose Red Robin and so graciously let me tag a long.  This year she didn't mind when they came and sang to her.

Bo's first Pinewood Derby

From the first mention of pinewood derby, Bo wanted a car that looked like an ice cream sandwich.  He didn't know why, it just came to him and he stuck with it till the end.  He and Glade worked on it with the help of a neighbor and his tools.  We spoke many times before the start of the race about "plan to lose, winning is a bonus, just have fun!"  (aka: DON'T CRY) Well, fun he had.  Plus he took 4th place.  I guess winning tends to make things a little more fun.  I had to leave to go to mutual so I didn't even get to see him win, but Glade was there and he came home totally pumped and unable to sleep.  Way to go bubsy!!

Dalin turned 13

I'm lame.  This is the only pic I have of this sweet boy on his birthday.  Actually, I have one from the temple.  I'll have to find it.  His birthday was on a "no school Monday", the day we took the kids to the temple.  I think I mentioned that he attended another friends party that day so it was a fun day, just not about him.  We finally found a day to celebrate and all he wanted to do was go to Jumpstreet.  It's a trampoline place the kids just love.  So he took three friends: David, Kimball and Caleb with him.  Bo and Rhett paid their own way and tagged along as well.  I'm a mean mom like that.  We ate pizza in the car on the way over, then the boys spent the next two hours getting sweaty playing on all the different tramps.  He had a great time and as always, was a good sport about his "belated" party.  

This was the day after his birthday, at the temple