Happy Birthday! I have a FOUR Year Old!

Wow! Sunday was Keara's birthday. It was sad to not have friends and family to celebrate with (Shaun's family was out of town), but we had a great weekend. Since her birthday was on a Sunday, and a fast Sunday at that, we celebrated most of it on Saturday.

We started with pancakes...apparently a family tradition. Her's, of course, were number 4 pancakes, as per her request.
We kept saying we were celebrating her last day as a three year old, so here she is showing herself as a three year old. The next day, she showed us how tall and strong she was, how much she had grown, how fast she could run, how high she could jump, how well she could hold Avery...because now she was four.

We went to this awesome indoor playground called Edinborough. So fun. It had the most awesome play structure, about 4 or 5 stories high (not building stories, but tree house stories). It was a total workout and so fun to play with the girls. Braden and I took turns staying with Avery Goose.

Keara got in a pretty bad mood, so she wouldn't smile, let alone look, at the camera, but here's proof that we were there.

Then we went into the "Great Hall" which is just a big gym with padded walls and a bounce house. They have these awesome little chairs that are on wheels that you can push around, or these great hand bikes. I was so impressed that Keara got it so well but then SO surprised that Taryn did it too!That night, we put all the balloons we had in our house in the girls room for when they woke up.

Keara was so excited to open presents. I love her innocence. She got 2 dresses and 3 shirts from Grandma, a book, game, and tutu from us.

This dress came with a mini dress for a doll.

My beautiful four year old. Doesn't she look so grown up (especially compared to that picture when she was ONLY three years old) :)

She let Taryn wear her other dress. Two beautiful girls.

Happy birthday Keara! You are such an incredible little girl. I love having you as my helper, playmate, companion, and friend. I love you!

The Busiest Weekend

My brother (Shaun) and sister (Susan) (in law, though sister in heart) are the busiest people I've ever met. Last weekend was no exception. We got in on Friday afternoon, right in the middle of my nephew's book club. After dinner, we headed over to unload our truck...only to discover the house was locked. The people had worked on it that day and left, forgetting to leave the front door unlocked. Darn, there went our evening plans.

So we waited until Saturday. My brother had a 6 am bishopric meeting, then picked up my parents from the airport at 8, drove to pick up the key to our house on his "way home". When he got back, we loaded up and headed over to our house to unload. We had Braden, my brother, my dad, my 2 nephews, and my brother (in law, though brother in heart). They worked for a couple hours bringing all that stuff in! We could hardly walk anywhere!

Then we had to rush back to the house, getting home just in time for my nephew, Jonathan's cello recital. He played about 20 songs by memory...and he's 8. Awesome.
We headed back over to the house to work some more, then rushed over to the church for my nephew Nathan's Court of Honor. I never knew that only 5% of scouts actually achieve their Eagle. I guess I thought it was not as prestigious as it is because so many LDS scouts get it, but nationwide, it is a very small percentage. I am so grateful that Braden is an Eagle! And my nephews (Joseph, Nathan, and Talon) plus my brothers are too. What an honor.

(From left, Joseph, Shaun, Jonathan, Susan, and Nate the Great)

The most awesome part of this Court of Honor was that there was a live orchestra. I love being surrounded by so much talent!

In this picture, you see Susan's sister in the back on violin (maybe viola?); her son in the BYU cap next to her, probably also on viola; her other son in the plaid shorts; her daughter in the front in white on violin; my nephew Joseph on violin.


Then you had my brother on piano, Nathan on bass, and Susan's niece on cello. Jonathan didn't play his cello for the event, but he could have! I'm hoping to start Keara on violin...

After the court of honor, we went BACK TO THE HOUSE and worked until 12:30. When we got in bed that night, I couldn't believe that the morning had really been a part of the same day. It felt like the longest day ever. But we were so grateful for all the help!!

Cousin Fun!

I can't tell you enough how much I love that my sister's kids are the EXACT same age as my girls. We had a great time together over the weekend and look forward to MANY more get togethers now that we live so much closer. Avery was asleep for the picture, but here are 5 of the 6 squirts, ages 3 and under.

Keara was in HEAVEN with these two babies!!

I love Avery's smiles in these pictures! I love how her face lights up when she sees me. On the drive here, every time I'd pull her out of her car seat she would smile with the biggest smile, as though to say, "OH! You're still here!! HOORAY!"

On the Road Again!

The best part about our trip cross-country was stopping and seeing so many people along the way. After leaving our home, we stopped at Braden's parents' home and spent the weekend with them and his brother's family. On Monday, we traveled thru Albuquerque and had lunch with one of his childhood best friends. That night, we got to Denver and stayed with my sister.

The next day, we spent with my sister's family and my brother's family. How great that they live a mile apart! It was a gorgeous day, so we went to the park.

Janae kept all her kids home from school which was AWESOME so we could play with them. Keara and Kyler were like two peas in a pod, despite the 5 year age difference. Kyler and Keara share the same genes...both tiny!

I don't have any pics from the rest of our trip, but after Denver, we stopped in Missouri and spent a day with Braden's sister's family. SO great to finally be in their home. A day was not long enough.

And then we finally made it to Minnesota...where we spent the weekend with my brother's family, my sister's family, and my parents.

Empty Nest

I have a picture just like this of Keara when we moved into our house. Now here's Avery sitting in our empty house, the exact same age, four years later.

You Probably Never Knew...

Did you ever know that Braden is/was an artist? A little known fact about him. While we were at his parents' house, we took pictures of his artwork since we couldn't very well transport the originals. Here's a smattering of his talent.

(I think that pictures is odd. But the point was that he drew them while looking at his hand, so he had to draw one with his right hand and the other with his left. That makes it impressive. You should see me draw with my left hand...)

One of my dreams is for him to draw a picture of our family. Maybe someday...

Saying Goodbye

Whew! I'm back from a LONG blogging hiatus. There's going to be a LOT of posts and a LOT of pictures, so if you catch me mid-blogging, come back later for the rest. Now, starting backwards...

We had a lot of people we needed to say goodbye to when we left Arizona. It wasn't easy, believe me. I have more pictures, but I can't get them off my camera right now, so these'll have to suffice.

We had a family dinner at Si Senor with Braden's aunt and uncle (and dad and sister's family, but no pic). We love these wonderful people!

Keara had to say goodbye to Parker. So sad! I love these girls. We talk about Parker a few times every day...and probably will for a LONG time.

And our wonderful pediatrician. Seriously, you may not believe me, but I love my pediatrician. I am so nervous about ever finding another one who is as good. So we had to get in one last appointment to say goodbye.

Vote for Kerri!

Hey all! My sister is in the top 15 finalists for a free photo shoot and needs your vote! The person with the most votes will win, so if you could please go to www.julia-wade.com/blog/2010/03/14/top-15-finalists/ and vote for Kerri that would be AWESOME!!! To vote, you just need to leave a comment with her name in it. If you could post it, facebook it, tweet it, or whatever, let's get as many people as we can to help her win!

We've helped a complete stranger (to most of you) win a free stroller, I'm sure we can do this for Kerri!

"All my Bags are packed, I'm ready to go"

It's time! We're on our way to begin our next adventure!

And now, for some parting words.

Dear Arizona,

Well, the time has come for us to up and go. If this were a yearbook, I'd probably write things like TTFN, ta-ta for now, Keep in Touch and Don't Ever Change! You've been real good to us, Arizona, but it's time for us to move on. I hope you understand. It's not you, it's me. You've smiled your sunny face on us for so long, but can you blame us for craving snow? Changing Leaves? Other Seasons besides hot and hotter? Thunderstorms? Finding that the 50's is actually WARM for March, not cold? No, you may not understand, which is why we must part ways. We weren't meant for each other, but you sure gave me everything I could have ever dreamed of in the past 4 years. Our first house. Our first business. 2 more kids. Dear friends that can not be replaced. Close family ties. Memories that can not be forgotten. And most of all, a place where we could grow and be happy. Thank you so much for all of it. I will miss you and please, take care of all those I love and am leaving behind. They mean the world to me.

Love,
Cheri

Sittin' Pretty

Avery's cousin, Alana, is 5 days older. When Alana sat up for the first time, I said, "Ok, Avery goose, you have 5 days to sit up." And *POOF* she showed her stuff at 4 and a half! What a gal!

And now, she is a sitting pro!

The Funniest Thing I've Seen in a LONG Time

Did you understand a word she just said? What is "the Iraq" anyway!?

Yard Sale Mania!

Jill and I had a yard sale this morning...and it was UNBELIEVABLE!! Friday is definitely the best day to do a yard sale and we were swamped with people. I can't believe how crazy it was, how much we sold, how much we made, and how little is left. We'll be out again tomorrow (Jill's house) to see what else we can move, but after that, it's going to Goodwill...

IDK...My BFF Jill

BFF: Best Friend Forever

Best Friend Forever: Someone who you can spend hours upon hours with and never get bored or angry or annoyed, yet who you can also tell "it's time for you to go home" and no one is offended.

Why a BFF is hard to find: You need to both enjoy each other...and each others' kids...and each others' spouse. And your spouses need to enjoy each other too. You need to have enough in common to understand each other, but enough differences to keep things real. You need to be deep enough to have meaningful conversations, but shallow enough to let things roll.

I'm not sure I've ever had a BFF like Jill. I certainly wasn't looking for one and definitely didn't think I needed one. But I found her. And I will miss her terribly. I can honestly say, I don't know how I'm going to get on without her. She is my neighbor, my taste-tester, my left-over eater, my baby sitter, my cup-of-whatever-I'm-out-of giver, my confidant, my soundboard, my think tank, my inspiration, my creative genious, my server, my reality-check giver, my always-fun-to-have-around friend...she is my very best BFF. In fact, I think I have truly only had 2 BFFs in my life. Jill and my sister.

She has taught me so much about paint and crafts. She has taught me to enjoy fried foods, yet not eat high fructose corn syrup. She inspires me all the time with her creative genius. Her home is stunning because she just keeps making things she wants to have around. And she has an eye for decor. She has inspired me by how much she adores her children and would rather spend a day home with them than do anything else. She taught me how to coupon and score BIG on great deals. Then she also taught me you can go broke on a good deal. She's who I could always drop in on and know either I'd be welcome or she would honestly tell me it was not a good time. She's who we could always throw plans together with at the last minute and have a great time. She doesn't like pork and doesn't like to get her hair wet. She loves frozen chocolate chips. She has an amazing mom and really great sisters. She is gorgeous and always looks good, even though she doesn't think so. She is always smiling and I think everyone who meets her, loves her, and wants to know her better. I love that her living room used to be purple and her bedroom used to be a hideous dark green. Sorry Jill, it's true. She loves Goodwill and can transform anything she finds there into a masterpiece. She owns a few different saws...and she's the one who uses them (I know, John...you do too). She is an awesome cook and great baker and everything she's ever made is delicious.

What will I do without her? If in 27 years, I have only had one BFF that is not family, I don't know if or when I will ever find another like her. And unfortunately, her daughter Parker is Keara's BFF. I don't know what Keara will do without Parker. We may just have to cry and eat chocolate together. And her husband, John, is awesome too (as are Quinn and Paisley, of course). He is so easy going, real, and helpful. Never complains...at least to us.

AND, Jill also happens to be just about the most creative, talented, visually artistic crafter/home decorator/refurbisher/WAHM I have ever met. You need to take a look at her talents. Sorry, Jill, I'm stealing pictures from your blog.

Simple, I know, but this is her Thanksgiving Table spread. Just beautiful.

Her eye for decor.

Her home business...gorgeous signs

One day, she got an idea, whipped it out, and hung it up. Oh, and she made the frame too.

Simple but fun. A week later, I saw the same idea on Martha Stewart's site...but John just got the idea from his own mind.

She got this beauty...

...and turned it into this.

Then got this beauty...

...and turned it into this.

John, Jill, Quinn, Parker, and Paisley...we are going to miss you SO much. There simply aren't words...

Baby Food

Do you feed your baby jarred meats? I never have. But I get 31 jars of Gerber baby food meat from WIC and I don't think I need that many. Do you want some?

I also have a TON of soy Go and Grow formula from Similac. If you want that, PLEASE take it. I'll put it in my yard sale tomorrow for people to take, but if you want it, let me know. I'd love to give it to a good home. It's perfectly good, sealed, everything. We just don't need it anymore.

Working

Well, it's been 5 days since finding out about the move and our house packing is well underway. We're having a yard sale tomorrow at Jill's and I can't believe how much JUNK we've been accumulating. And this is my ThIrD(!?) yard sale in 4 years...

I'm grateful for the chance to go thru everything and really evaluate what is worth moving and what is worth selling and what is worth donating to Goodwill and what is worth donating to Mother Earth to decompose.

I know the girls are going to have a hard time watching all the toys, clothes, books, etc that we are selling be taken away.

We decided to go with ABF moving services (you pack, they drive) which charges by the foot, so we're trying to get rid of as much as we can so we don't have to pay to move junk. We'll see how we do.

Thank you to everyone who has watched my girls or who is watching them next week. I can't tell you how helpful that is!!

So, why am I blogging instead of working? Because.

These Girls

It's amazing how these two can go from "ARRGHH!!!" to "Awww..." so quickly. There's a lot of fighting that goes on over here, but I adore these girls and LOVE their sweet sister moments.

Birthday Fun!

My birthday was really fun. The greatest gift my girls gave me was a HAPPY day. They were in great moods, I was in a great mood (though the day didn't start so hot...), we had a happy day.

We made a cake...
It didn't turn out pretty but it is YUMMY! And chocolate...milk free! Ooh...you should try the frosting I made. It didn't actually end up ON the cake, but it is DELICIOUS!!! I'm eating it by the spoonful.

That night, we went to Joe's Real BBQ and Joe's Farm Grill for free dinners in Gilbert, then to Krispy Kreme for my free dozen glazed donuts. DELICIOUS!! Wow, I am SO glad we went to Joe's Farm Grill before moving. We really would have missed out had we left without trying it. If you haven't been, GO. It is really good, really fresh, really inexpensive, and has a great feel. For those of you who don't live here, you can check it out some time this month on Guy Fieri's Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives show on whatever channel its on. They came out a year ago and did a spot on it. It was excellent.

It was a late evening and the girls were tired, but it was a great day. Thanks for all the phone calls, the emails, the comments on my blog and facebook, the visits...you guys are awesome!

Braden gave me two gifts...this purse from Target. I love it! And a Ped-Egg...LOVE IT!!

Birthday Date Pics

Here's some proof of our date. However, it doesn't prove that we went with John and Jill on this date. We'll have to work on that...

(squished in the back of the truck for the drive-in...yet neither John nor Jill are in yet...it's about to get a LOT cozier!)