Unity Pass

      Joe was very worried about making new friends at our new house,  but he was the one kids I was not too worried about.  Every time I had gone to look at the new house I had seen a lot of boys his age running around in the neighborhood,  and I knew it would not take long for him to get to know at least one of them.

I didn't even think about the fact that he is also in Cub Scouts where he would also have a chance to do things with these boys and get to know them.  

      The Saturday after we moved in, his cub pack went on a "hike" (walk)  to Unity Pass.  The entire Family was invited so it was a great way for us to get to meet a few people.   

One of the things Ryan and I loved right away about Eagle Mountain was not the sage brush, but all of the Jogging/biking paths there are around the community.  Unity Pass is the point on the path where it is at Eagle Mountains highest elevation.  It is also located between the Ranches and City Center. The two communities of Eagle Mountain.  

Valerie decided that she was not going to walk.  So Ryan carried her for most of the walk. She has not been sleeping well in the new house,  and has been a little bossy,  so this is how he carried her most of the way.   She was fine with it, just as long as she didn't have to walk.  (Being new to the community we thought when they said hike that we would be hiking.  If we had known we were just walking on the path we would have brought the stroller)

Here is Joe with some of his new pack at Unity Pass.  He made a couple of new friends that day,  Hyrum and Jackson.  He seems to like our new house,  even though he still thinks it is too far away from the old one.

 One other thing........Joe noticed that the water at our new house tastes a little different.  It does not taste bad,  just different.  He asked me why that is.  I explained that in Sandy the water came from the run off in the mountains,  and out here the water comes from wells.  The next time we went to Grandma Bolander's house he got a drink of water and after drinking it told his grandma how much he missed the fresh mountain water.  Kids are funny.

Moving on to "Home Ownership"

     Six years ago we moved to our home in Sandy for Ryan's Job.  We really loved our neighborhood and all of our friends there, but we were renting and knew/hoped that one day we would buy our own home and have to move.  Buying a house was a goal our entire family had.  In family prayers our kids had been praying for a while that we would be able to buy a house.  Sometimes I wondered if that time would ever come,  but a few months ago we felt it was time to start looking to buy.  We then started praying that we would be able to find the right house for our family.  

     We loved the area we were in and did not want to leave it so we started our search there.  It was very discouraging,  but the feeling that it was time to buy became stronger.  So we started to expand our search.  Some were livable, some were not.  there were a couple we started to make offers on,  but we just didn't feel right about them, so we kept looking.  Ryan and I would spend an evening driving around looking at houses,  and I would get a pit in my stomach until we drove back into our neighborhood.  Then it would all feel calm again.  So I knew we had not found the house.  We continued looking, and praying that we would find a home.  

     One day Ryan had to drive from Provo to Tooele for work.  He took the back way just to see how it was.  When he turned off in Lehi, he called me and asked why we were not looking at houses there.  

     So I called our realtor Maryanne and we started looking.    The pit in my stomach lessened and I knew we were on the right track,  but as we looked at houses I still did not feel right about any of them. Even the brand new builds we looked at.  I LOVED the houses,  but something bothered me about them.  

     A couple weeks later I was looking online and found a few houses in Eagle Mountain.  Ryan and I decided that we would drive out and look at them  first before we drug Maryanne out there.  Just to make sure that was really somewhere we wanted to live.  As soon as we arrived in the Ranches we both felt that we had found the community where we would find our home.  

     The next day we went out with Maryanne and looked at houses.  We both found a house we liked,  but again I had a feeling that it was not it.  (Ryan was not happy that I still did not have a good feeling about a house)    There was one house we could not get into until Monday,  so we decided to wait until we could see that house before we put an offer in on the other.  Ryan could not come with me on Monday,  but as soon as I walked into the house,  it felt like home.  It was almost exactly like the other house,  but a little bigger and a few little details were different.  The biggest difference was this house was a short sale so it would be a little trickier to get.  We put the offer in right away and waited.  It was a short sale so we planned to wait a while,  but the waiting didn't take long.  It turned out it had already been through most of the red tape with another buyer and then the sale fell through.  So they just slid us in their place. 

      A monthe later we were told the house was ours and a month after that the yellow moving truck was in our driveway and we were moving into our new home.   

        

     Grandma Bolander provided our last meal in our old house... Kentucky Fried Chicken.......They didn't give us any forks though, and all of our silverware was packed away.  Luckily we came across Valerie's play dishes, so we didn't have to eat mash potatoes with our hands.

Although some of us didn't quite have forks.

The kids had some mixed feelings about moving

Joe was our biggest voice when it came to praying for a new house in family prayer,  but I he didn't realize that a new house would mean leaving all of his friends and school that he loved.   He was very nervous about having to meet new people.  

     Emily was the most excited about the new house.  My friend Laura was really surprised at just how okay Emily was with moving.  I was a little surprised myself.  I remember when my family moved when I was Emily's age.  I was more like Joe.  I did not want to leave my friends.  Emily told me that she has always known we would move out of that house though, because we were renting,  so she was happy we were going to have our own house.  I was glad.  She use to have a hard time with change.

Josh seemed excited about moving,  he was really excited that he was going to get his own room in the new house.  He has always been pretty dependent on Joe though, so we will see how he does on his own.

Valerie seemed fine with the move except for leaving her friend Addie.  I don't think they really understand what moving means.  I don't think we will really know for a week or two how Valerie feels about the move.

Our new home is in a community full of families and kids.  I know it will not take long for my kids to find friends.   I am so grateful for the knowledge we have in the gospel that when making these big decisions the Lord will guide us and help us to make the choices that will be the best for us and our family.  I am so grateful for this blessing of a new home.  We were blessed in many ways during our search for it and I saw the Lords hand many times during this process.  Our prayers were answered,  and I am excited to start making memories in our new home.

 

Playing Catch Up

I know that almost every blog has one or two of these posts eventually.............. so here is mine..............

I have gotten really behind on my blogging and I am very sad about it.  At first I tried to convince myself that I was keeping up by posting a few things here and there, but as I look back at what I have written lately I am sad.  I have missed so many important things.  I really love having a place where I can keep track of the goings on in my kids life as they grow up ever so quickly.  It is nice to be able to have a place to look back....with pictures... and remember those important things.  Facebook is ok,  but It is not the same as being able to write the stories out like you can on a blog.   I now feel that I am ready to recommit myself to this project of getting those moments down if for nothing else, me to look back on and remember.  So today I am going to start fresh.  I am going to do this catch up post,  and then I am going to move forward and once again try to stay up to date with everything  (meaning that things get posted at least within a week or two of them happening.)   So for those of you 2 readers still out there thanks for sticking with me on our adventures.  Here we go again...........

Emily had another great season of softball.

Her team this season was called Pink Adrenaline.  They were all pretty young for the league,  So they only won 2 games,  but they had a lot of fun together.  Emily loved playing with them and was happy to get to be catcher for another season.   

In May my mom's family had a big family reunion for the Workman family.   Growing up they were always good about having reunions,  and I know a lot of my moms aunts, uncles and cousins,  So it was really fun to get to see them all again.  

My Grandma and her 3 remaining siblings are in the middle.  Dale is in the blue shirt,  Eileen in the black and white,  Beth (my Grandma) in the pink and Gloria in the purple.  

While we were getting pictures of everyone we had my moms cousin take a 4 generation picture with my girls.  

 There were so many fun things going on at the reunion that I can honestly say I only saw glimpses of the boys except for when it was time to eat, but I did manage to get one picture of them with my grandma Atkin as they ran past us.

The next weekend Joe had his Karate test.

Where he earned his Full Green Belt.  Watch out.....This boy is dangerous!

Ryan is now a Blue Belt

 But in order to get that he had to break a board. I wondered if the boards would be pre cut or pressed board,  but it was a real piece of wood.   It was pretty impressive to watch him do it.

To wrap up the school year,  Emily had one last band concert, where she did great playing in both the beginning band and the Jazz band.  

Joe and josh Both had field trips that I got to go on with them.  

Josh went to the farm at Thanksgiving Point.  This was our little group. 
(the class pretty much stayed together though.)

Josh really liked the animals,  but his favorite thing was getting to ride on the bus.  

Joe's Class headed to BYU to the Monte L Bean Museum.  

 The highlight of their field trip was the reptile show.  The boys really likes touching the snake.  

 We also stopped by the paleontology museum for a few minutes.  The kids thought that was fun too,  but it was really small for the group that we had.

Early in May when the weather turned warm Josh discovered my stash of kool aid in the cupboard.  He decided he wanted to do a lemon aid stand.  

We talked about it and decided it would be a good idea for him to do it when the kids were walking home from school.  Josh did his stand for two weeks and made quite a bit of money.  The kids walking home started coming with their dimes in their pockets ready to go,  and our cute neighbors came over a few times and bought a cup and sometimes even left him a tip.   Josh was very proud of his stand,  and I was proud of how well he took care of his business.  I helped him mix the Kool-aid and then he did the rest.  

For Memorial day we headed out to Tooele With Grandma and Grandpa Bolander to clean up some of the family plots.  The Tooele cemetery  is fun, because I have family there too.  

The kids worked hard shining up the headstones.

But before we could clean them up we had to find them.

This big one had been on Grandma's list to find for a few years,  but we have never had the time to look for it.  When we found it we laughed at how easy it was to find.  There were a few other ones that were not so easy.  

The first week of June school ended, and for our family that meant big changes.  We bought a  house in Eagle Mountain and it was time to move from our home in Sandy.  (I will do a separate post with more on the new house later)

The boys each had a going away party  First Josh had his friends over for some fun.  

 Nathan, Rowan, Ryker, Jackson, Josh, Camden, and Devin.

The following night Joe's friends came over.  

 Jaxson, Max, Joe, Aiden, Cooper, Ethan, Max L, Jack and Josh

8 and 9 year old boys play a lot rougher than 5 and 6 year olds.  They all had a great time,  and it made it a little easier for the boys to say good-bye.  

This post does not quite catch me up,  but I feel like this is a good place to stop, because this ends our time in Sandy.  As I am writing I feel like I need to give our move it's own post because it is such a big thing in our lives. But this is a really good start to my new goal of staying on top of things here on the blog.   

Happy Mother's Day!

When Emily was in Kindergarten I would go and help in her class every Monday.  One Monday, when I arrived her teacher approached me concerned, and asked me if everything was OK.  I was very confused and assured her that everything was fine.  She then showed me the story Emily had written in class the week before.   If you want to see how your child really sees things, have them write about it.  

Last week as I was cleaning out closets I came across it so I thought I would share it this Mother's Day.  

(Mom Wouldn't get out of bed)

(We went to the hospital)

(Mom had to stay at the hospital for 3 days)

(Grandma had to be my mom.)

     This was how Emily viewed the arrival of her brother Joe.  He was one by the time she wrote it.  The details in the pictures are great.  At the time the comforter on my bed was blue with yellow flowers, and the car that we drove was a green car.  I love that in the first picture she is a poor neglected child without a face and in the last picture she has long flowing hair.  

     With the two pregnancies that followed I tried really hard to "get out of bed" during my sick phase (the first 16 weeks) But when you feel like you have the stomach flu for 3 months it is really hard.  Good thing we have Grandma's to fill in.  

 This story made me laugh the first time I read it, and I laugh every time I find it.  

I am so grateful for my children and the Joy they bring to my life.  

Happy Mother's Day!

Beginning Band

Emily has always liked music.  When she was younger she asked me if she could learn to play an instrument.    I always hoped she could,  but there was never an opportunity for her too.  In fifth grade they learned to play the recorder,  and Emily loved that.  She would practice every day and learned every song she could.

  

Last year when the Junior high registration forms came home She was really excited about the band.  Being a choir person myself I did try to convince her to try the choir, but I knew my efforts were no good.  It was no surprise to me that she wanted to learn to play the trumpet just like her dad.  I knew she would get plenty of support and help from her dad and he would be happy to help her learn.  I also knew how hard she would be willing to work.    

Emily started playing the trumpet in the beginning band last September and has loved it.  I know she loves it, because I never have to tell her to practice, and she has also joined the beginning Jazz band which meets every Tuesday and Thursday after school.  She is pretty good for only playing a few months, and I am really glad she has found something she likes.    This video is part of a song with the beginning Jazz band.  She is the only girl in this extra band, but that does not seem to bother her.    The teacher placed her right in the top middle where everyone could see her though.  I think he was trying to recruit more girls.  

I am so glad Emily is getting to learn how play an instrument.  I love seeing her develop her talents.   

Biking Season Begins

Spring is here so it is time for biking.  

Last summer Joe was getting a little too big for his bike, but when we took him out to look for a bigger bike he was not ready to get one yet, so he happily spent the summer riding his little Orange Specialized bike.  This year, it was time to move on. though.  Joe knew exactly what he wanted and and it took a little bit of shopping around, but luckily he was able to find it.  He loves his new blue bike.

 He told us he thinks it looks like the Tron blue so it is his light cycle.  He had to practice a little to get used to the hand brakes and the gears, but that did not take long.

Last summer Ryan tried to teach Josh how to ride a two wheeler,  but he was not interested.  At all.  Even when his friends learned how and got rid of their training wheels,  Josh was happy to continue to ride around with his still attached.

Yesterday, While Joe was off with dad looking for his new bike Josh and mom went out to get him a new helmet. Josh is a fast shopper so it did not take us long.  When we got home he was dying to try it out.  The only problem was his bike needed some repairs before he could ride it and mom could not fix it.  Josh did not want to wait for dad to get home, so he pulled Joe's bike out and asked if he could ride it.  By then I was trying to help Valerie so I told him he could, but he would need to wait a minute for me to help him.  He asked me a few questions about riding a two wheeler and then went over on the grass and started working on it by himself. He used some of the tricks his dad had tried to teach him the year before.

 Within just a few minutes Josh had figured it out on his own, and can now ride on two wheels.  Now he keeps begging to go ride his bike.

It will be fun to get out on the trails again.  The next question will be whether or not Valerie will be willing to ride in the cart or if she will insist on riding her trike.  I have a feeling It will be the latter of the two.  During one of the shopping trips looking for Joe's bikes Valerie was busy checking out the princess bikes for herself.   Either way it will be fun.

Tea Party

There is nothing more fun for a little girl than a tea party with her friends

Valerie went to her very first Tea party today to celebrate her friend Elena's birthday. It was a princess tea party, so they had to wear their princess dress. Valerie had so much fun, and it was fun for the moms to watch all of the little princesses run around.

When Elena's mom gave Valerie her wand and heart sticker, Valerie ran right over and showed it to me. She had so much fun playing and dancing. She did not want to leave when the party was over.

(I wish I had brought my camera to get pictures, but I didn't so I had to use my phone.)