The new office

A few weeks ago, Nate moved into his new office He and his partners built it out so it is a perfect fit for them. It is close to the old one but it has more room to grow and expand. It is in a perfect location and a great place to be in the years to come!

We still need to hang up all of Nate's diplomas and certificates on the wall and get a few more pieces of art to hang up. It is so beautiful and I can't help but be so proud of all of the hard work that he has done over the past 8 months. I am grateful for his partners and for the goals that they continue to set and accomplish. Leaving the old firm was the best decision ever. "Having a bad day when you work for yourself is better than any day working for someone else." Love it!

Anna, what do you think?

Someone needed a nap. Hehe.

St. George. Last Day.

The last day we headed to Snow Canyon since it was somewhere I have never been. It is a very small canyon but it was very beautiful. We got out and hiked a little bit but it didn't last too long with two cranky babes. Later that afternoon we went to good old Swig's for a tasty treat and then went back to the FUN (and free) Children's Museum again. It was the perfect easy going Spring Break for a mom with too many children. We stayed busy but were able to squeeze some good naps in every day and we were able to see Grandpa Whitaker one evening which was great too. Lots of work, TONS of boys fighting but we made some good memories so we'll focus on the positives. ;)

St. George Days 3-4

If the boys were good on the drive down to St. George EE promised them a fun surprise. The gifts she bought were SO darling. Look how cute these boxes are! New books and games were all a hit!

Gotta love the little photobomber Tyguy in the corner! 

Sunday while EE took a nap I took the kids over to Tornaquint Park to feed the ducks and walk the nature trails.

 Later on that day we flew kites because it was so breezy. Good thing we bought dollar store kites because they all blew away or broke within an hour. Long enough to enjoy them but no disappointment. ;)

 We ate at Golden Corral. (Puke) The boys thought it was the absolute BEST place they had ever been in their lives. They are STILL talking about it.

 During the evenings while the babies were asleep, Ee would look after them while I would take the boys on some night swims. So fun to spend some time with just the boys.

 I was also able to squeeze a couple of runs in which felt amazing. Running outside is seriously the BEST.

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Great to spend time together and enjoy the beautiful surroundings!

Spring Break 2014 Day 1

Getting behind again! Aggh!

I was a tad hesitant to travel without my husband for Spring Break this year. I knew I would go and pick up EE and that once she was with us we'd be fine. Then I realized that I DO have an 11, 9, and 6.5 year old. They are old enough to help me with the babies and they really do a good job of stepping up at home when I need them to.

It started HAILING as we were packing up the family truckster which was even more motivation to get out of town! QUICK!

We made it without incident and in pretty good time. The next day we stayed in Salt Lake to play a little. We met up with Ash and her girls at the zoo which was SO much fun. We were pretty much the only ones there for a good hour or so. We got to watch the elephants paint and the sea lions do all sorts of fancy Sea-World type tricks!

After the zoo, I forced the kids to go up to the University of Utah to the Museum of Natural History. I had a free pass that was expiring in just a few days and even though they were all tired from the zoo, I just wanted to see it....even if it was in fast forward!

Both babies did pretty well for about the first 3o minutes and then they started to self destruct. We ran through the entire thing and we saw some really cool things. We'll definitely have to make time to go back and enjoy it for a longer amount of time. The boys loved the chocolate exhibit! Honestly though....who wouldn't?

And that.....was day 1!

Lava Hot Springs

Since Spring Break is right around the corner and it always feels like Daddy misses out on all of the fun we decided to get out of town this past weekend and do something fun together with our entire family. We invited a few friends and headed an hour south to Lava to spend a day at the indoor pool and kiddie area. It was a stressful morning as the boys were fighting constantly and even though they did NOT deserve to do anything fun it ended up being a really fun day and I'm glad we went. 

Anna was absolutely hating the water when we first got there but she soon warmed up to the idea and then she turned into a little fish. It was fun to see her face light up when she realized that it really was like a big bathtub! 

It was a great family fun day. Makes me excited that summer is coming soon! 

 Jessi and Sterling!

 Yay! This is so fun mama!

 Parker's hands always turn into "corpse hands" after playing in the water for a couple of hours. I haven't ever seen hands that look as nasty as his!

 Shooting hoops with friends!

 Still getting used to seeing my mouth with braces! It's so strange!

All of the noise and water put our Tyguy right to sleep. Love these boys of mine.

Magic

So we're in the middle of finishing a bathroom in the basement for the boys. It has been fun watching it all come together and it will be so amazing to finally have a guest bathroom and boy bathroom down there. The annoying part has been being stuck at home every day while the various workers have come to contribute to the project. Yesterday the cabinets came and oh, I adore them. Ya know what else I adore? The cute cabinet man who made them. He was so sweet to my kids and so kind to me. When he walked into my house he was very complimentary and sweet. He looked at me....baby on my hip, screaming so loudly I could hardly hear what he was saying.....toddler handing on my arm, cranky and teething and begging for my attention...and son sprawled out on the couch.....home because he had a horrible sore throat. Guess that that cute little cabinet man said to me?

He said, "You are in the middle of the most magical time of life young lady. I hope you are trying to love each minute of it!"

At first I thought he was teasing me. Nope. He was serious and the way he said it told me that it was a comment straight from the heart. He was right too. I thought about it all day long. I thought about how this crazy life of mine is overwhelming, exhausting, tough at times, sometimes boring, sometimes fun, exciting, fulfilling and incredible. It doesn't feel magical all the time but I realize that is is fleeting and I will continue to try to make the most of it. I'll push though the tough parts and continue to make the most of this season of life with my precious kids and my husband.

I feel like all of this "magic" going on around me has kept me so busy and its getting harder and harder to find the time to write things down. I may not write as much anymore but I will do the best I can and I won't beat myself up about it.

Anyway, back to the bathroom. It was supposed to take 2 weeks but looks like it will take closer to a month now. It's all good because we've made it work for us this long so I am sure we will somehow survive. I'll be sure and post some pictures once its all done.

In other random Starnes news;

1. I got braces this week. I thought I could go in to the ortho office, pick up a new retainer and be on my way. Apparently my teeth have moved so much that braces were in order. Luckily a good friend in our ward is an orthodontist and is hooking me up with a good deal. 6 months or so until perfect teeth....I'm excited!

2. I've started running. Yes, I know....running is for criminals (as my husband always says) but I've been at it for 3 weeks now and I'm actually really enjoying it. Between running and my new POUND class (hardest class ever...SO much harder then Zumba), I am working hard and feeling good. 3 weeks until my first 5k. I'm nervous but confident at the same time. It feels good to have some goals and fun to see my progress as my health gets better and better. Gotta lose this baby weight. 2 babies back to back is brutal on the old body.

3. One week until SPRING BREAK! I can hardly wait. I'm packing up the kids and my Grandma and down to St. George we go. Changing up the scenery is good for us. Just wish Daddy could come along with.

4. Speaking of Daddy....Nate moves into his BRAND NEW OFFICE in a week or so. The other space was too small and didn't accommodate their firms growing needs. It is looking fabulous and I am SO SO excited for him and his for his partners. If I get a chance I'll try to get some pictures for the old blog of the new office. With underground parking, a gym, showers, and access to his own patio, I'm thinking this new place is going to be pretty amazing.

5. Landon joined the Spanish club at school. He told me "Mom, I need to learn some Spanish so that I can talk to Uncle J when he gets home from his mission in 4 months." Cutest boy in the world. Countdown is ON for Elder Rock's return. We all MISS him so much and can't wait to see him and hug the crap out of him!

6. My bubsie is 4 months old already. He is the sweetest anti sleeper around. I guess I deserve ONE kid who doesn't sleep. All my other kids had it down by now. Not this little stinker. He fights and fights it some more. We'll still keep him though. His sweet coos and ticklish belly make up for the lack of sleep I guess.

Daddy and Tyguy

His big arms hold him near, his big voice grows soft and dear.
His big smile full of pride, his big heart now worn outside.
His little kisses brush his cheek, his little eyes, joy they speak.
His little hands tug him tight, his little smile beams true light.
I'm my Daddy's Little Boy, he's my hero, I'm his joy

Loving where I live

I seriously never thought in a million years I would say this. I love love love living here. Once I finally got over the crazy wind and the colder winters its easy to see the beauty all around. (Although, I will say that this winter hasn't been bad at all)

I love that there aren't a ba-gillion people that live on this side of the state. I love the clean air and the inversion free winters. I love that I see people I know everywhere I go. I love that my friends are so down to earth, not high maintenance and are 100% ok with answering the door in no makeup, in their pjs, with a messy house in the background. I love that our ward is a great mix of people....surgeons, doctors, dentists, business owners, teachers, coaches, contractors, and more. I love how I drive through my neighborhood and each and every person who is either outside or in their car waves to me. Even if I don't know who the person is!

 I love that my kids go to a great school so close by with teachers who have done wonderful things to help push them and challenge them in the few short months we've lived here. I love that my kids have adapted so well to the new school, the new ward, and have friends in the new neighborhood. I love that we live close to some of the most beautiful places on earth and when I need a family fix I only have to drive 3-4 hours to get down to UT or over to Boise. I will admit, being little bit away from the family drama does make me happy too.

I love my new house. I love that is isn't perfect. The walls have a few small dents and the wood floors have a few scratches but we LIVE here and we can have roots here and that makes me much happier then living in a house where everything is pristine.I appreciate having my own home after those 3 long years of renting in our old house. I love that I have wide open spaces all around me and that I can see deer, elk, and jack rabbits in my backyard but at the same time I am literally 5 minutes from Target, the mall, Walmart, Kohls, Cafe Rio, and Cocoa Bean. Mmmmm...Cocoa Bean. I also love that in just a couple more weeks we'll have a bathroom in the basement and the whole house will officially be completed! It's been fun picking out the cabinets and colors and seeing it all come together. I love that it is a BIG bathroom too. Plenty of space to accommodate all of the boys and guests that come to see us!

I love that my husband is his own boss now. I love that his partners care about him. I'll always remember when I locked the babies in the car in my garage with the car running. I called Nate in tears and not 10 minutes later Nate and his 2 partners came RIPPING into my driveway....leaving their lunch in a panic just to come to my rescue. I love that work is good and is so successful. They are so busy they can hardly keep up and are in the process of building a new office to accommodate their growing firm. So lucky...and so blessed. I love that I finally feel like we'll be able to pay off all of these looming student loans and we'll be able to afford to help our kids out with missions and college one day.

I love to get away and go other places. I love visiting Utah and Boise and spending time with family but I always LOVE to come home. "I love my house, I love my nest...in all the world my nest is best!"