Goodbye Oklahoma!!

I have been totally MIA latetly, but I am happy to say that we managed to get the whole house packed by the time the movers arrived on Tuesday and now all of our stuff and ourselves are enroute to Spokane. Ray got back last Saturday, and I had mostly everything packed, but we got all the loose ends tied up and the closing went perfect on Wednesday, so we are officially no longer Oklahomans! I have to say that I was a little sad leaving, we met so many great people and I absolutely loved the little town we lived in, but the terrifying thunderstorms/tornado warnings that we went through the last 2 nights in our house did a little to curb the sadness!! I had to resort to giving my dog prescription anti-anxiety medication during the storms this spring, CRAZY!! We are taking a little pit stop for a day in Pocatello right now, but tomorrow we will make the final push to Spokane. We are all really excited!! I have taken lots of pics to document our trip, (and Grace's new haircut) and I will put a full report on...eventually!!

Mullet Girl

So, I walk into my room this morning after cleaning up breakfast, to find hair all over the floor.  A LOT of hair.  Grace has cut her hair before, but it has always been salvageable.  This, I'm afraid, is not.  She cut one side way up above her ear.  The other side isn't as bad, but one side is all it takes.  It looks like she has a mullet.  I honestly don't know what can be done with it, she will have to have it cut like a boy.  The kicker is, I can't have it cut until Saturday when Ray gets back (I can't take all 3 kids to the hair dresser).  So, she has to wear it like this to school!  I can't even put it in barrets or anything, it's too short!!  My stomach totally sank when I saw all that hair, but when I saw her I just burst out laughing, she looks so funny!!  Ray said that we should just leave the mullet, people in Spokane will expect it with us moving from Oklahoma :)

Happy Birthday Ray!!

Happy Birthday Ray!!  We miss you so much and wish that we could be with you on your big day.  I was just thinking about that a song that goes, "God bless the broken road that led me straight to you".  That is how I feel, I can see God working in my life even then.  You are the definition of what is good, honest, faithful and true.  You are the real deal.  Everyone who meets you can see that, that is why everyone wants to be your friend :)  I am so grateful for a husband whose first thought is always about what is best for his family.  The kids miss you so much, it just isn't the same without you here.  We can't wait until you  come home!!  I hope you day is great.  I love you.

Happy Birthday Leslie and Dana!!

Happy Birthday Les (today) and Dana (May 4)!!  (Sorry I missed your day, Dana, I was out of town!)  I want to celebrate these two women who I am lucky to call sisters.  They are the most amazing people who are constant examples to me in my life.  They are my true and faithful friends and I love them with all that I have.  Happy birthday girls, I hope it is great!!

It's been a nice 8 years...

I think that it has literally been about 8 years since I have laid a finger on a lawn mower.  That is something that Ray has always done, without complaint.  I am beginning to have a whole new respect for my husband's duties.  Ray has been gone for about a week and the lawn was looking really bad, so I decided that I needed to mow it.   So yesterday I put Maggie down for a nap and went to work.  Starting it was comical, I'm sure if the neighbors saw me they were laughing.  But I finally got it started.  It is self-propelled and maneuvering it was interesting, to say the least, especially in corners around the fence!!  And, oh my goodness, the back yard goes on forever!!!  Our lot is 1/3 of an acre, and let me tell you that is big when you are mowing the lawn!!  Anyway, and hour and a half later, I was done, sweaty and tired-just in time for Maggie to wake up!  I didn't even attempt the weed eater, I know my limits!   WE MISS YOU DAD!! 

(I had to include the bottom picture of Grace, her face is so hilarious when she is concentrating on running fast ;)

Since You've Been Gone...

Ray left about a week ago for Spokane.  I told him that I would post lots of pictures on the blog of how we have been spending our time.  These kids are sure keeping me on my toes, and trying to entertain them for 15 hours a day is exhausting!!  I am sleeping really well at night, except when one, or two, of them crawl in bed with me!!

Maggie learned how to climb on to Elliot's train table.  She gets up there then cries and screams until I come in and get her down, she hasn't figured that part out yet!

Elliot found the bungee cords in the garage and made some letters with them on the driveway.  Elliot likes to make letters with anything he can- crayons, pretzel sticks, markers, etc.  Great job Elliot!

Maggie LOVES to be outside with the other kids.  She gets on the big wheel and just sits, or she pushes it around.  I win the bad mom of the week award, my precious little baby had little sunburned arms after we came inside.  I felt so bad!!

We had a painting extravaganza the other day.  They painted lots of great pictures!

Inevitably, they turned the paint brushes on themselves...

They got in the bath right after this was done, Grace told me that it looked like they were swimming in chocolate milk!

The read lots of books-Grace puts the books in Elliot's little clothes hamper and drags them out to the living room.  I also shaved Elliot's head earlier this day, I think he looks so cute with his little shaved head!

A couple of nights ago the kids all went in Elliot's room to play.  I was so relieved to do the dishes in peace, as I heard no fighting coming from the room.  This took them about 10 minutes, those are the pieces from the train table on the window sill.  They took all the books from the book shelf and put them in the now open train table and emptied Elliot's drawers.  Grace told me that they wanted to make a club.  It was really cute...until I had to clean it up.  I know I should have made them help, but I just didn't have the energy!

Maggie enjoying the club...

Maggie figured out how to crawl under the gate, she about gave me a heart attack!!  She was so proud of herself!

Maggie is just really good at being cute!!

Elliot's trip to the fire station

I do a little preschool one day a week with some other moms from my church.  Sometimes we will go on field trips.  We recently went to the fire station.  It was a big hit with the kids!!  They got to go inside the ambulance and climb all over the fire trucks.  It was really fun and even I learned a lot!!

Congratulations Jez!!!

Ray and I went to Logan this past weekend to attend Ray's brother Jez's college graduation (thanks again, mom, for watching all 3 kids!!  Gotta love grandmas!).  He got a bachelor's degree in Business.  Yes, you counted right, he did this all while having 5 children and working full time to boot!!  We are so proud of Jez and Trina for this amazing accomplishment.  If any of you know Jez from his former life you can realize and appreciate how far he has come and what a truly amazing accomplishment this is for him and his family. He is such a good, faithful man with such a huge heart.  Ray always talks about what a good example Jez is to him.  He and Trina are such good parents.  I didn't hear either of them raise their voice one time to any of those precious little kids, and believe me, having 5 children (including a 5 month old) at a college graduation for 4 hours is no easy feat!!  We are so happy for and proud of Jez and we are excited to see what new adventures their life will now bring!! 

On a side note, I haven't been in Logan for a really long time and I was once again reminded of how stunningly beautiful it is.  It is such a pristine place.  The Wellsvilles were absolutely killing me!!  Logan is one of my favorite places in the world, if you ever get the chance to visit, I highly recommend it!