Big News!

 No we are NOT pregnant again. We're building a house! We realized after searching for a few months that there were a few things that we really wanted and couldn't find in an existing home so we decided to explore our options by going the building route.

We wanted:

#1. To be in the same school district we are already in. We love the school the boys go to and it would be less traumatic for them if we could find a place in the same boundaries. Actually, the school they go to is open enrollment BUT we wanted to be somewhere where they were actually IN the boundaries of the school. Now I won't have to drive them back and forth all day every day because they will be in bus boundries! (Well, next year anyway)

#2. We checked out the ward and it seems like a fantastic fit for us. The kids already knew a bunch of the kids from school...especially Landon's age! I'm so happy that there are so many kids in this ward. I'm excited for the boys.

#3. We wanted a lot with a view. If there are no mountains to look UP at we might as well have a beautiful view of the city AND sunsets every night that take your breath away. I'm giddy already for the 4th of July. We'll be able to see ALL sorts of fireworks just looking out our windows! Squeee! We'll have a deck off of the back of the house which will be a great place to hang out and watch those sunsets and fireworks. YES, it will be even more windy then it already is down here in the city....in eastern Idaho, there is NO escaping the wind. Wind is wind....and I hate it all.

#4. We wanted a nice sized lot but not OVER the top. It's a little over half an acre and I think that will be PLENTY of land for us to try to manage.

#5. We wanted a nice walk out basement with 9 foot ceilings downstairs. I don't want to be in the basement and have it feel like were down in a dungeon. I want it to just feel like apart of the house...a place that I would WANT to hang out.

#6. We want a quiet street where cars drive slowly. A place where my kids can play out front and I don't have to worry CONSTANTLY about them being run over.by a person driving 40 miles an hour! The house we are currently in is on the busiest street ever and it annoys the absolute crap out of me if you can't tell. ☺ The neighborhood right next to ours has a park and walkways, and seems more like the neighborhoods we were used to in Boise.

SO..............wanna see the lot???





Behold....the site of the future Starnes Family Home:

 Here's a view from the back:

 All of the sheet rock is for the house that is going up next door.

 The view just goes on and on.......

This is a shot from the street ABOVE our street. I wish I could capture the intensity of the sun setting. My camera just doesn't do it justice.

Our house will look very similar to this house:

All of the boys will have their own rooms. We'll STILL have a guest room (hint hint), Nate will have a bike room, there is a huge storage room and cold storage room. O yeah....and we'll have an office! (We've never had an office before.) What I am I MOST excited about? I'd have to say having a fireplace again. I have so missed having a nice fire going on those cold, depressing winter days.

I am thrilled beyond words and scared out of my mind. We're putting down some real roots and there are so many mixed emotions associated with that. We only have 3 weeks to choose all of our colors, cabinets, counters, etc.

We've got a lot of time until it is done. It will be nice that we will move in after the school year is over. We close on the 1st of June!

Crazy and exciting times!

Family photos 2012

Here are a few of the proofs from our 2012 photos! I didn't put them all up because I'm saving some for our Christmas cards this year. Also, these are the super pixilated shots since I haven't received my cd yet. We decided to change it up this year and do a little more of an "urban" look instead of the traditional fall leaves.

What do you think?

Love this family of mine.

Forget Yourself

There’s a well-known story by our church’s late prophet and leader Gordan B. Hinckley. He was a young man, only about 19 or 20 years old, and living in England serving a church mission.

“It was early in his mission, and he was discouraged. The work was hard, and the people were not receptive. However, there came a time when discouragement turned to commitment. For him, the beginning was a letter from his father in which he read: “Dear Gordon, I have your letter. . . . I have only one suggestion: Forget yourself and go to work.”

In describing what happened next, he said: “I got on my knees in that little bedroom . . . and made a pledge that I would try to give myself unto the Lord. “The whole world changed. The fog lifted. The sun began to shine in my life. I had a new interest. I saw the beauty of this land. I saw the greatness of the people. . . . Everything that has happened to me since that’s been good I can trace to that decision made in that little house”

I have been thinking a lot about this story lately, whenever I get frustrated or discouraged that life and responsibilities bog me down. So when I remembered this story and the message hit me over and over.

We got some disappointing news yesterday and today. It isn't HUGE news, it isn't earth shattering its just a bit discouraging and frustrating. I know that when I'm feeling that heaviness that those words always ring loud and clear in my mind.....forget yourself and go to work.

Last night for FHE we tried to do just that. We went around to homes in our stake and picked up outgrown or broken bicylces for deserving children for Christmas. The bike shop in town is collecting and repairing bikes and Nate is helping with the project. It felt great to go around and watch the boys get involved.

Love this one. "Shut the door people! It is COLD out there!"

And here are some pictures of Parker at the shop getting some of the bikes ready!

Marching forward

 Kids get older and life just gets busier. I remember a time when I would search for things to blog about. These days I can hardly document all of the things going on. Weeks are just filled with homework, piano, basketball games and practices, cooking, nursing, diapers, YW activities, teaching, parent teacher conferences, scouts, FHE, cleaning, laundry, grocery shopping and now Christmas shopping! Lets just throw in 2 more sports in a few weeks shall we?

Alas, I will continue to try. Writing down the everyday craziness is important to me. I was noticing the other day how it unimportant it has become to so many people who used to blog and now don't. Of my 65+ blogging friends on the side of my blog, only about 10 of them remain committed to it. I guess its uncool now. Or just too time consuming. Facebooking is easier, I get it. Whatever the case, I'll keep at it. If for no one else...just myself and my family.

This week was pretty monumental as far as the nation goes. Another election has come and gone. I love to vote. When I hear the words, "Staci Starnes has voted" I honestly get a bit emotional. It makes me so humbled and grateful when I think of the lives lost so that I get the right to make my voice heard. As I looked down at my sweet blue eyed Anna after voting I wondered what kind of world my sweet daughter would face as she grows up. The world is definitely changing. I will do everything I can to protect her and prepare her.

I'm not going to lie. I was disappointed with the results. Life goes on though. Music and good quotes....these are the things that always make me see the rainbow after the storm. I spent the day listening to beautiful hymns and favorite church songs. I came across this quote and just LOVED it.

Saturday was very busy. Parker had a basketball game. He played against an all girl team. The boys destroyed them to say the least. Coach Kenny and Nate had to tell the boys to play easier on them AND to play left handed. I was proud of those girls though. They tried and gave it their all. I found myself cheering for the girls instead of my own kid's team! haha

After the game Anna and I headed over to ISU campus to help Dallin out with the Weblo's WOW. Basically it is a day dedicated to earning merit badges. Dallin started at 7:00 am but I didn't join in until about 11;30. It was fun to see the scouts learn about computers, engineering, and first aid.

 LOVING the crazy 70's safety goggles! He looks like Nate as a boy! They had to bring their popsicle stick bridges that they had worked on for the past couple of weeks and see how much weight they could bear. Dal's ended up holding around 65 pounds. When it did crack it only broke in a few places...it wasn't smashed to smithereens like some of the bridges. It was fun to watch.

Satruday evening we got together with some friends for an action packed game of AMAZING RACE! Our team was team ORANGE and we had to dress accordingly. I was in charge of dressing our team. We went with orange beanies for the boys, clip in orange hair for the girls, glowsticks, and orange duct tape for arm bands. We had to run all around Idaho Falls, figuring out clues, finding coins and code words. We also had challenges as well. One of which was carving a potato into the shape of Idaho. It was so much fun. We ended up in 3rd place but should have been in 1st since we had 2 babies in tow. (Who needed to be fed, and calmed down a couple of times!) haha. Great night. I LOVE doing things like this!

SpookyCross

Saturday we spent the afternoon up in Victor to watch Nate's cyclocross race. The weather was absolutely BEAUTIFUL! It is hard to believe it is November with temps like we've been having!

He got a nice solid 4th place finish. We decided on pizza for dinner but then saw that the place was closed. The only other restaurant in town was a bar. We decided it couldn't be too bad since it was about 4:00 and no one was there. The food was GREAT too! The funniest part was when I had to take Landon to the bathroom in the back and just so happened to notice 2 stripper poles in the back room. NIIIIICE.

Nice parents we are.

4 months

She's a little bit of sunshine

She's a smile to light our days

She will steal our hearts and keep them

With her darling little ways

She's our precious little daughter

With a sweetness from above

Who fills our days with laughter

And our lives with lots of love.

4 months already! The princess is doing all sorts of things. She has found her hands and toes, loves to play with blankets and small toys. She can't quite roll over but she sure is trying! She loves to "talk" with everyone and still sleeps through the night. She has giggled for us a couple of times too.

We love her to pieces.

And yes....she still has YET to wear the same outfit twice to church. ☺