Haps

The past few days the weather has been heavenly. SPRING FEVER has hit us all in full force! The boys have been playing outside, riding bikes, jumping on the trampoline and we even decided to cook up some smores the other night. It was honestly like a good ol summer night!

I can hardly believe the boys got second place in the science fair and are now heading to regionals next week! I'm SO incredibly proud of us.....er, I mean the boys.

I sure love these two. What will we do without our Landon next year for the whole entire day? We'll sure miss him.

So, apparently this is REALLY happening....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today we were so excited to drive up to the house and see the roof starting to come together! It is so incredible to actually walk thorough and see the entire house and try to visualize what life is going to be like for us in just two and a half months.

As we drove on the next street up we saw some boys playing outside. Parker rolled the window down and said, "Hi guys!" They were friends of his from school. Oh, that made me excited. ☺ One of the littlest boys said, "Hey, wheres Landon?" This is going to be so good. I'm thrilled its not a dream.

So random it hurts

This past week. Much to record:

Wanna know a secret? I hate the dentist. No, like I REALLY hate the dentist. I'd go to the gyno 1,000 times before I'd go to the dentist. I'd rather donate a kidney, shave my head, pierce my tongue. Ok, maybe not pierce by tongue.

Anyway, I haven't been in awhile. Years actually. GASP I know. After every baby I would go to the dentist and hear, "cavity here, cavity here, cavity here." Thing is, I brush with my sonicare, I floss religiously. I use mouthwash. I brush at least 3 times a day if not more. My teeth are evil and I hate them. I have my dad's stupid teeth. I'm glad my kids have their dad's teeth. It's so not fair. I was terrified to go to the dentist again after having the baby. I've put it off and put it off until the guilt of it all was consuming me.

Anyway, I faced my fear this week. I went to the dentist. I got my teeth cleaned. And, I had NO cavities. Cue the choir!!! I promised to get back on track with appointments. I would never in a million years miss my kids' dental appointments but I've neglected myself for so long. It's time I make myself a priority again. With my teeth anyway.

Went to lunch with friends on Wednesday. So fun to laugh and catch up. Sissy wore her new white coat that my sweet friend in Boise bought me. She said it reminded her of me. Landon said she looked like a mad scientist. Wait, maybe that's what my friend meant. ???

Anna wasn't liking Jake so much but he was loving her. Girls are so indecisive I tell ya.

We ran out of jam a couple of months ago and since my husband is a self proclaimed jam snob and we are apparently raising a bunch of jam snobs I had to whip up a batch to hold us off until summer.

The boys thought it would be FUN, EXCITING, AWESOME to sign up for the (not mandatory) Science Fair. We decided to put flowers in water, salt, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and diet soda to see which preserves the flower the longest. We put a tsp. of each in the vases and woke up the next morning to all of the flowers DEAD except for the water. Greeeeeaaaat.  We started over, got new flowers, and decided to only put 1/8 of a teaspoon in instead. Trial and Error.

Went out with a bunch of girlfriends for a girls night on Friday! We went and saw Safe Haven. I usually read every Nicolas Sparks book but hadn't read this. I really liked the movie. It was romantic, intense, scary, cute all wrapped up together.

After living here for almost 3 years we FINALLY caved in and got a Sam's club membership. The whole time we were there I felt like I was cheating on my husband (aka Costco). It will be really nice to be so close and take advantage of the good prices. I love this picture of Anna. First time sitting up in a cart. First time at Sam's Club. First time out in public without a bow on her head. Juuuust kidding!

I've heard of couples taking racy photos of each other. These are the kind that Nate and I take of each other. Love that guy. Will we ever grow up? I think not. 

I've been on a major decrapifying (made that word up) binge this week. I know we don't' move for quite some time but I want the move to be as easy and organized as possible. I was going through a ton of old photos and thought I'd share a few:

Big Nate during Law School:

Me: (Anna is a mini me for sure)

Me and Yamo back in '92: (where are my pants???)

Nate as the Relief Society President while he was on his mission: (He really was)

Ok, getting delirious here. Time to call it a night.

Framing begins

Our house is making huge strides this week! It's fun to actually see rooms start to form! Nate and I drive up there every evening to see the progress.

This is going to be the view from my master bedroom:

Here's the back. I think having a walk out basement is going to be so incredibly nice.

Nate checking it out:

The house next door is coming right along. Hopefully the neighbors are nice. ☺

8 months

8 months old! Who wants to take some pictures to document it?

 

Uh-Oh. Not Miss Anna:

 

She decided to "call daddy" and tell him she didn't want her picture taken:

 

He calmed her down. Then she thought about it for a minute:

 

 

Hmmmmm........

 

Then she decided she was over it and she could be happy again:

Oh baby girl I can't believe you're 8 months old already! I am so incredibly crazy about you. You are eating lots of yummy food now. You can't crawl yet but you can scoot on your belly to whatever you want to play with. You continue to be my BEST sleeper ever. You get very sad when Mommy leaves a room that you are in. You want me right next to you all the time. I still haven't left you with anyone other than Daddy. The YW I teach at church all fight over you every time I bring you to church or to an activity. Your brothers and Daddy all adore you. You say "Dada" but that is all for now. I'm not sure you know what it means but it sure sounds cute. When I say "Mama kisses" you open your mouth and slobber all over my face. Love that. You love your binki, your EE blanket, and your sleepy sheepy. You bring me so much joy. I love you sister girl.

This week

Busy week! Landon finished up a great soccer season. He scored a bazzilion goals. Literally. He played with a bunch of teeny tiny kids (3-5 year olds). It was ridiculous. We won't be playing in that league again! He pretty much thought it was awesome.

It doesn't look like a ton was done on our house this week but a bunch of dirt was brought in and the cement in the driveway was poured. Everything is under heavy tarps so it can dry. Framing should start very soon!

It's a terrible picture but I can hardly wait for these views everyday!

My man got some very handsome new glasses this week. Doesn't he look cute? He hasn't had any good glasses for a few years now.

 

Parker had his end of basketball season party. No parents stepped up to get the boys trophys or certificates or ANYTHING so about 1 hour prior to the dinner I BLITZED over to the trophy store. I asked the trophy guy if he had ANYTHING for a basketball team. He said he didn't have a collection of trophies or medallions that matched. I told him to put 7 mismatching metals together and that would work just fine. I am so glad I did it becuase the boys absolutely loved them. It was the best $20 I've ever spent. After 3 great seasons in a row these boys deserved it.

 

Here is Coach Nate bragging about P-man. What a great season!

 

 Little Miss turned 8 months old! Nooooo! I can't handle all of this growing up! She sure is cute though! Heart this girl.

Deep thoughts

I'm in a bit of a pensive mood today. I'm not sure what triggered it. Maybe its just because its another cold and gray winter day and I am counting down the moments until spring. It makes me so excited to think about the changes we'll have coming up in the next 3 months.

It has been 6 years in July since I started recording the daily haps here of the Starnes Family. That is almost HALF of my married life! This afternoon I spent a good hour and a half looking back through the years. This is what my family looked like back then:

3 very small boys. No one in school yet. Nate a looks SO much different....for obvious reasons. ☺ My hair is darker. I will say (if I dare) that I love that beige trench coat. I still wear it all the time.

I don't consider myself a very wise person but as I looked through a few of the posts from yesteryear I was touched by some of the "kind-of wise" observations I've made in the past. I feel like lately I just write down things that are happening.....documenting the journey. I feel like I don't spend a lot of time writing the things that I am learning. The whole reason I record our lives is for myself and more specifically for my children. I want them to look back and see the things we did together, to read the things that they said, and to remember the good the bad and sometimes the funny. I also want them to know the things that I learn along the way and so I want to try to do a better job of that if possible. Or maybe if time LETS ME I guess I should say!

 As we get closer to moving once again I've tried to think a lot about the lessons I have learned since we moved here. One of those lessons would have to do with my last post. I know that home is where your family is....no matter where that is.  I could live in a cave or in a palace and it will be home as long as my husband and my children are with me. That being said, I am so excited for a fresh start. I am so excited to have real roots, a place my family can make memories in the years to come. I'm excited to move into a house and be in a positive place. I feel like when we moved here I was not happy about it, I was so negative and maybe that set tone for some of the negative feelings I have for this house, this neighborhood, this ward. Things have definitely become a lot better over the years but I still just feel like this isn't where we belong long term. I'm grateful for the people we have met while we've been here and am very happy that we'll still be close enough to have them in our lives on a regular basis.

I think one of the absolute biggest lessons I've learned has been a lesson of forgiveness. I had a big falling out with a friend last summer and that experience has taught me a lot. She attacked my parenting and she attacked my boys and I completely lost my cool. I was so angry. So incredibly hurt. I decided I didn't want her in my life anymore and thought that by pretending she didn't exist that the problem would just go away. The resentment ate at me though. Weeks turned into months. I watched General Conference in the fall and was touched by the many messages relating to forgiveness. I knew I had to do something. I spent an evening writing a letter. I apologized. Even though I felt like I was the one who was wronged, I knew that I needed to get over who was at fault and just be the bigger person. I wanted to move on. I wanted for things to go back to normal. Forgiveness is not something you do for other people, its something we do for ourselves to move on. Unfortunately though, I feel like my apology fell on deaf ears. Things have continued to be awkward despite my efforts but I at least feel peace about trying. I wish it were one of those stories where everyone hugs and makes up. Even though there's no happy ending to this experience I have changed because of it. Perhaps things will change in the future but all I can do is take this experience and move forward.

I've learned a lot about the power of personal inspiration. When we were told by the doctor that we wouldn't be able to have any more children I knew that he was wrong. I knew we hadn't done everything in our power to get our little girl here. I know I was led to information that would help us. It would have been easy to give up and go against what my heart was telling me. I'm so glad that we were able to get to the real root of the problem, that our Anna is now here just I knew she would be. It wasn't easy by any means but it was an experience that helped me to know that my prayers are heard. My prayers are answered and even though at times I felt extremely alone....I wasn't. You have to fight through some bad days to earn the best days of your life.

I've learned a lot about joy. It is something that doesn't happen to us. We have to choose it and work for it each day. This harder said than done. Some days I just want to quit. Some days I just don't care. Some days I really try and it doesn't get me anywhere. Sometimes I try and it pays off 100%. and some days it just comes.I've also learned that you shouldn't postpone joy until you have learned all of your lessons. Sometimes joy can be found in those lessons.

There is more....I have a baby to feed and a house to pick up though.

I drive my husband crazy with always trying to understand the reasons things happen....my over-analyzing of everything.

Hey....his patriarchal blessing warned him that I was quirky. ☺ (for reals)

Together

I had a moment this past Saturday. I was sitting in the stands watching Parker play in his basketball game and I was eavesdropping into the conversation behind me. A couple of parents were watching their son play in the game and the mother's parents were there cheering on their grandson.

"Let's plan on dinner tonight after we get back from snow skiing." the Grandma said. If you don't want to take the baby I'd be happy to stay back and watch her." "What time is Ava's game this week? We wouldn't miss it for the world!" said the Grandpa.

I don't know why but this ordinary conversation just hit me in the gut. My eyes welled up with tears as I thought about how ALONE we are sometimes living here. My kids rarely get to show their grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins... all of the things they are involved in. Sure there are sometimes some very real perks to being by ourselves and relying solely on each other but it made me sad for a minute. It made me especially sad for my kids. My kids are my life. I just rave about them and sometimes I wish there was someone in the stands next to me who could rave right along with me I guess. Sometimes I long for family HELP when we're stuck in a bind with no one to watch a kid or take a kid somewhere.

I'm grateful that I have my little family though. I know that home is wherever they are at. We're together even though we're alone. ☺

Parker's basketball team finished the season winning all of their games except for one. These 2nd graders showed the 3rd and 4th grade teams whats up. They were so dedicated and are light years beyond the skill level of the majority of 2nd graders. We've had leagues call and try to get them to join THEIR leagues because they have heard about the "infamous 2nd graders." Am I on my bragging box....heck yes I am. My husband has dedicated many, MANY hours to help coach these boys. They have taught them life skills and not just basketball skills which is even more amazing. One week, all of the boys were instructed to reach out and do something nice for someone that might need it. A classmate who needed a smile or an invite to play on the playground. All of the boys came to the next practice telling everyone all of the random acts of kindness they had done that week. Melts my heart.

My Dallin scored his VERY FIRST goal this weekend in 5 years. He loves soccer and sure gives it his all. He usually plays defender or goalie but was moved up to forward this game and scored a goal on a direct kick. I was literally screaming my head off. I was so proud of my boy. I may or may not have teared up in that moment as well.

(It's got to be the breastfeeding hormones or something.)

This week I also took Dallin and Parker up to Kelly Canyon for the first time. I lugged the baby all the way up there and looked SO completely out of place with her. I sat in the lodge for hours with her trying to keep her happy. The boys completed an hour of private lessons and then skiied by themselves for about 3 hours. I thought I was going to have an anxiety attack each time they rode up the chair lift alone. I just kept hoping that they wouldn't fall, or run into someone or something. I just wanted to be skiing with them or have Nate there just in case. Overprotective....yes, probably. They did just fine though and I'm happy they had a good time.

Sweet sister has been sick for the majority of the week. Just yesterday she finally started feeling better.

I took some pictures of her today just becuase she's the cutest thing ever. She grows and changes so much so quickly. I can hardly believe that she will be a whole 8 months old next week.

Even though I did have my weak moment it only takes me one second of looking at this handsome attorney of mine and know that we're tough. Together we can do hard things. Even if that means we have to do it alone. He is my rock (even though technically I'll always be his ROCK...haha) and my everything. I love him so much.

 

Also, our house is coming along. We have a foundation and should be getting started on the framing this week. I cannot WAIT until it is done. ☺