How are we doing??

This morning a friend from our old neighborhood wrote me to find out how we were doing in our new house. She asked a simple question and I gave her a pageant! I figured maybe there were other friends and families wondering as well. Be aware, this is also a pageant!

Here's the scoop! We have been here for almost four weeks! FOUR weeks! Time flies when you have to unpack, organize and clean! We love this house. We are very comfortable and feel like we have been here for years. It fits us well! I absolutely love having all our stuff under one roof and easy access to it. I have lots of storage options and plenty of room to continue to grow into it! Danielle has planned a weekend of making a load of craft decorations. She is so excited to help me get my new house cute! I have already purchased and put up three new vinyl sayings for my walls. I love it!

We have two new sets of leather couches - love them! My kids are having a hard time not using them as their personal jungle gym. We are reteaching them to respect our property! We also just barely bought a Monster Sak too. Now we have plenty of room for sitting in the family room. Last, but not least, we bought a new dining room table that seats eight! My kids are not allowed to use it until I can get a glass top for it. They WILL hack at it with the end of their spoon and I can't take that chance!

But would you like to know what I love most? The holy of holies...my mud-laundry room! Jeff is an amazing artist! I couldn't be happier with his cabinets! My kids' jackets, backpacks and shoes all have a home. No more floor or over stuffed closet. I have all my laundry stuff put away nicely in the laundry cabinets too. It truly is fantastic!

So how are we doing anyway? Well, the ward is nice. People have introduced themselves and know we are new! We don't get lost! It is going to take some time to get used to new faces, but we're eager to go to activities to get to know everyone. Our real estate agent, now our great friend, Angela lives in our neighborhood. She has introduced us to many people and has made us feel welcome. She even brought us dinner the first Sunday we were here. She is in the primary presidency and I feel happy and at peace when my kids go to primary and see her. I know she takes care of them.

Also, in my ward and neighborhood is an old friend I use to go to high school with. It has been fun to chat with Jessica and start where we left off so many years ago. We now car pool together and that is a huge help.

The neighborhood is great too. Two houses down there is a family of four boys. The boys are the same age as our kids. All the kids have become fast friends and spend almost every afternoon together. I have also become friends with their mom, Tammy! She made me feel welcome the first time I met her. We instantly had a connection and the more we talk the more we have in common. Our husbands haven't quite connected, but they will! This family is a real blessing for all of us.

It has been great living so close to Seth and Jill. Jill has checked up on us and is making sure we know where things are in Spanish Fork. She tried to help me find a preschool for Celeste and even went grocery shopping for a few items when I needed it most! I didn't even ask her! Our kids love to play with their girls. I hope this summer we can spend more time together. What a treat!

Zach misses his old friends and his old school. He wishes we could take this house and move it into our old neighborhood. His new school has been a hard adjustment. There are a couple of boys that haven't been kind to him. He's the "new" kid after all. I talked with his wonderful teacher (who happens to be best friends with my cousin - small world) and things have been improving this week. Zach says the kids aren't as rude to him anymore. I feel like his math and reading-spelling has improved. His teacher is teaching at his level and doesn't have concerns about his behavior. She told me once that she doesn't expect her class to have their arms folded and completely quiet at all times. Her class is 2/3 boys! WOW! Even though Zach has had a hard time, this is the perfect teacher and class for him. He has become great friends with the boy next door, is loving cub scouts and meeting with his pack once a week, and starts soccer soon.

Alaina really enjoys her kindergarten. She loves her teacher and is adjusting well to the new routines. There is a girl in her class that was also in her preschool class (the world gets smaller). She had an instant friend the first day of class! Angela also teaches dance to the kindergartners once a week. It thrills me that Alaina is taught dance by Angela. Dance is not Alaina's forte and it makes her feel nervous and self-conscience. But Angela tells me that Alaina is happy and feeling comfortable with her surroundings. :) Alaina loves our new home and loves sharing rooms with Noah. She starts soccer in a couple of weeks and Jeremy is going to be her coach. It will be fun for the both of them!

Celeste is a busy body and can get naughty if she gets bored. She just recently took a hammer to my bedroom furniture. Although there are no major gashes, I have white nicks all over my night stands and some nicks on my bed frame and dresser. Danielle says it isn't so bad - it just looks distressed. I'm still not happy! Anyway, I now have Celeste in preschool twice a week. I searched for a few weeks for a preschool for her. Most of the ones I called were filled for the year. Jeremy saw a sign on a ward members lawn and I called it. This preschool meets twice a week for two hours and the class has two girls from our ward. So Celeste made friends with the girls quickly. Celeste also goes to Tammy's house twice a week for two hours. Tammy used to teach preschool and wanted Celeste to join her and her sons for "preschool time." Tammy has been heaven sent!

Oh, and I have to tell you another thing. A couple of weeks ago, our neighbor from across the street came over with her daughter to meet us. She brought Celeste an invitation to her daughter's 4th birthday party. I was floored! How kind and thoughtful!

Noah tells us almost on a daily basis, "go home." I'm not sure when he will realize he is home. At the very least his sleeping patterns at night have improved. Jeremy and I don't get up with him as often any more. He has christened the house though. He has written on the couches with pen and spilled milk and dumped blue sugar candy on the carpet. He just recently took off a poo diaper in his room. Luckily the poo was solid and was sitting nicely on TOP of the carpet, not embedded!

We look forward to this spring! Jeremy is planning to put in sprinklers and sod right away. Hopefully we will be able to afford a fence too. I can't wait to plan my gardens and play with new flowers. My dad and I have already bought seeds to start indoors! We are ready for the weather to get warm and spend more time outdoors meeting and playing with neighbors.

Through all of this, I know the Lord has been watching over us in this hard transition. I have seen a lot of tender mercies. Thanks to everyone that helped make this moving process easier for us too. I made thank you cards, but I never got them out. Just know I love you and I'm very grateful for all you did to help us. We are thrilled to have visitors because now we have space! Come see us!

p.s. I will post pictures of our move as soon as I can get them from Heather!