How to build a house

Step 1. Find the home you want
Step 2. Move your family of 4 1/2 in with your mom
Step 3. Wait MONTHS and MONTHS for it to be built before you can move in

Seriously. That's what we're dealing with.

So to back it up you have to know that Chris and I loved Victor, ID. Well, "things" about Victor Idaho we loved. The small community, the safety (we never locked the house up unless we were out of town), the quiet, and of course the views. Waking up each morning to beautiful mountain views was the best. What I didn't love was feeling so far removed from everything. Yes, Idaho Falls was only an hour, but it's an hour I wasn't used to traveling to hit the mall, movies or anything specialty I needed. Had I grown up in a small town, it might not have bothered me, but growing up a city girl, it did.

When Chris received his promotion it brought us back to Utah and we started really talking about the place we want to settle down in. I really thought we'd end up back in Layton, maybe east Layton or even west Farmington. We could have easily kicked the renters out of our small Layton home we still own, but we've always talked about investment properties and since things are going quite well with the home, we didn't even think twice about that. Chris had plans of Heber, maybe Utah and Davis Counties, and then mentioned Mountain Green. I honestly wasn't too familiar with Mtn. Green having really never spent time there. We have friends who have a brother who built there and said how much he loved it and how everyone see's the area expanding due to growth.

One weekend before we moved back we drove through Utah county and immediately cancelled it out. We headed up into Heber, drove around what felt like ALL DAY and just never really fell in love with the area. You still have some great views, but for the house we wanted and with our budget, we just couldn't find something we both loved. It just felt crowded.

We drove the back canyon into Mountain Green and found a great builder in our budget and a great neighborhood with a new phase of lots. We picked up all the information from the sales guy, drove back to Idaho and started our research. The more we looked into it, the more we fell in love with the area. The following weekend we moved our stuff down into a storage unit and immediately drove over and put a deposit down on a sweet corner lot in Mountain Green.

I've had people question why we're moving "so far away". Seriously, it's not THAT far from our first East Layton home. It's 5 minutes up Weber Canyon. We've actually timed it and leaving our lot and making our way to my mom's house in Taylorsville takes about 35 minutes. That's about what it took from our west Layton home to my moms. South Weber and east Layton are minutes from the canyon and provide ALL the amenities I need. Chris's work commute will be a tad shorter than what he was driving from Victor to the Jackson Hole Airport. Plus he drives a company car so there is no worry about gas.

Chris and I have always dreamed about having a big home where we can raise a family. A home we can grow into and not grow out of. Chris works so damn hard that he deserves to have a home he loves, in an area he loves. Did I mention we're like 10 minutes from Snow Basin Ski Resort? BONUS!

We've picked out our floor plan and our interiors, and this week we sign off on our final designs and once the plans are drawn up for completion it will finally it will be submitted to Morgan County for a building permit. That's what will take the longest, waiting for the county approval (which if you ask me is dumb since the new phase of lots are already in an established neighborhood, designed for homes and already set with the engineer plans. What's to approve??)

According to our salesman, the permit will take about 3 to 3.5 months to receive, building time will be approx. 3 month... so that puts us into February/March move in date.

Um did someone forget to mention I'm having a baby in November??

Well as with all good things, we'll have to wait. Why rush for what we could have now, for what we really want later? Living at my mom's isn't ideal, but it's a sacrifice we're willing to make to get our dream home in the end.

Plus think about 7 months ago. What were YOU doing 7 months ago? Right, seems like so long ago. These next few months will fly by and it will be so worth it.

People these days want instant gratification, but if Chris and I have learned anything it's to do it right and do it they way we want it. Short term pain for the long term gain.

We are super excited and cannot wait to be back into our own home. So here's to the next 7-8 months FLYING by and hoping we can survive it!!

One chapter closes...

May means school has come to an end. This has been a crazy year, having one in elementary, one graduating high school, one preparing for preschool next year, and one in the incubator.

 

We were sad that Anna was no longer able to be part of the Spanish Immersion program with us moving out of state, but her school offered some fun programs. For 6 weeks during winter she participated in the Winter Sports Program. She received weekly ski lessons in a small group and really excelled at kicking my butt down Targhee. She loved skiing and we're happy we'll be able to continue the sport with her.

 

Anna, first day 2nd grade

 

Field day at Victor Elementary

 

Last day of 2nd grade

 

My niece Autumn chose to come live with us for her senior year of high school. It was stressful at times, but mostly we really enjoyed having her with us. She's so damn funny! She made me laugh all the time and helped out when I asked. The girls really loved having her with us.

 

Autumn's first day of her senior year

 Graduation ceremony 

 

 Last day of high school. I'm so proud of Autumn for how hard she worked her senior year. She completed a bunch of college courses this year and I wish her the best in the future!

Oh, haven't you heard?



We got a little planned surprise in March. Last September we decided that if we were going to try for #3, now was the time. We are both getting "older" (seriously, when did 38 become OLD?), and the thought of starting all over again with midnight feedings, diapers and sleepless nights was loosing its appeal. So we took the plunge and I had my IUD removed.

If you know me you know I have PCOS, which means I've battled infertility in the past. It took us 2 years of trying, multiple attempts at A.I. (artificial insemination) and a few rounds of clomid with NO positive outcomes. We ended up getting pregnant with Anna about a month after I had my tubes flushed (which was no day at the park), but had with no extra help. With Abby it took us a year of trying. We were actually at the doctors office getting ready to discuss the next steps when we found out we were pregnant with her.

The one consistent thing that happened prior to getting pregnant each time...loosing weight. I lost about 10lbs all three times before getting pregnant. Having PCOS makes it quite hard to lose the weight and carrying around extra weight means more side effects of the condition...one being infertility.

Because PCOS messes with your "schedule", there was really no way for me to calculate ovulation. We just guessed, had fun and waited. And waited. And waited. I took a few tests throughout the winter and nothing. Come March I had only had 3 periods since September so being extremely late was not unusual. I felt crampy, was moody (extremely moody) and my boobs hurt. All totally typical PMS symptoms that I've dealt with when not on some type of birth control.

So one day back in March the girls and I headed to Idaho Falls to get out of the snowy town of Victor. We first went to lunch where I got a little woozy and then went to see a movie. On the way home I stopped off at the store and decided to pick up a pregnant test. As sad as it is to think now, I had told myself #3 wasn't going to happen and had planned to call the GYN in the morning to get back on birth control until summer, when Perk would get the big V. I bought a test thinking "the doctor will ask since I'm so late, so I might as well take one". This was a common drill when dealing with infertility doctors, they always had me test before starting the "next step".

I took a test that night. That test turned POSITIVE quicker than anything! I was shocked! What?? Pregnant? When did that happen?? I called Chris in "um, I have something I need to show you". He came in, I handed him the test, he smiled and I started BAWLING! All these crazy emotions just came flooding over me. Finally this explained WHY I had been an emotional crying-on-the-bathroom-floor-mess just two weeks before. Finally this explained why I couldn't not (and I mean COULD NOT!!) stop eating Cadbury mini-eggs. And I mean CRAVED them like a smoker craves a cigarette type craving!! It was bad. I brought down inventory at the local grocery store!

I had prematurely told myself #3 wasn't going to happen, so I was totally okay with just having the two girls. I was okay with not having the chance to have a boy. Abby was finally old enough that I thought this fall we could go to Disneyland. The girls were finally old enough that we can start traveling with them and they can have fun with us.

So when the test show we were pregnant and I started crying, it's not that I didn't want #3, I was just so relieved it finally made sense why I was a mess the past few weeks and I was mad at myself for giving up so soon on the thought of expanding. It's hard to explain, I was shocked, a little scared and very relieved.

We told the girls a few days later, swore them to secrecy until our first appointment and that sealed the deal. Seeing the girls SO EXCITED to have another baby is well worth the sleepless nights to come. They rub my belly and talk to her (yes, another girl! Bust out the pink tutus!!), they ask questions about being pregnant all the time (some I am so NOT answering truthfully at this point!), Anna talks about how she'll help out and the best part is that they are in love with the thought of a baby in the house. It took me a few weeks to really start feeling "pregnant".

Now at 20 weeks I am finally showing that there is a baby in there and not just a few extra burger and fry meals. I rub my belly every night and I'm feeling her swim around.

I've learned that sometimes my plan doesn't always match up with the plan God has for me. But in the end, his plan is always the one that leads us to our next miracle, our next blessing, and now our next little girl come this November!

The Test

 

Our fun announcement my good friend created for us.

 

At our 18 week appointment. The girls dressed in blue...but in the end it's all PINK!
 

 

The 20 week belly 

This guy turned 40

When 40 comes around you have to celebrate HUGE right?

 

For MONTHS I had been planning and scheming to get some of Perk's friends to come up for the weekend to help celebrate.  

To start the party off, I hired a fishing guide to take Chris and Josh on the Henry Fork River. All I can say is that is was a huge success because the pictures I got of them...SMILES FROM EAR TO EAR!! Perk even said "I've been spoiled, it's the only way to fish now!"

We spent some time shopping and wandering around Jackson Hole. The kids loved the candy store (as did Brett!), the stuffed animals and of course the ladies loved the shopping!

 

To make the weekend even better, we all pitched in and rented a beautiful cabin for the weekend in Wilson, WY (right outside of Jackson). It fit us all (had bedrooms for everyone, including one extra!), had a hot tub that the kids loved and was surrounded by trees! Perk was so happy to be able to have all his buddies in one spot for the weekend. Let's just say Friday night was long and loud!

 

The kids were in the hot tub any chance they got!

 

The cabin was also quite cozy. I loved the oversized chairs. Nothing better than snuggling up with your BFF!

And of course trying to get a normal picture of Sara and Virginia together is always difficult.

YOU'RE A LLAMA!

 This is the cake you get when you walk into Smiths, grab one at the bakery and they don't really have anyone in the bakery dept that can decorate on such notice. I'm so creative!!

"Just write 40 OLD" and that's what I got. 

 

 

 

Saturday night we all went to Q Roadhouse for Perk's birthday dinner. The food was amazing and we all left stuffed! 

Thanks so much to the Tamagawa's and Wheatley's for making it up for Perk. We had a great time and love that you guys helped Perk ring in 40!!

Ready for Spring

Don't get me wrong. I love skiing.

But I'm SO ready for spring.

I've had enough of the snow.

The snowy wind storms.

The slick roads.

The plowing of the driveway.

The slush and the ice under the slush.

 

 

The Teton Diet

Let me first start off by saying "You're Welcome"

 

Because after you eat a hamburger from Brakeman's Grill in Victor, ID, you will never again want what "the other guys" call a "burger" at a drive-thru fast food place.

 

Brakeman's is by far the best.

And if they are closed or are too busy to seat...you walk across the street to what looks like a closed business called the Station...and you eat a burger from them. Very close 2nd place in my book.

 

This is why Dolvett is my new BFF. He helps me avoid things like this until it's cheat day. BUT then gently reminds me that I should still be "smart" when tempted with something like this. Smaller portions, enjoy a salad first, Maybe no bread or cheese? But then again, it's MY cheat day so I ultimately get to decide.

 

 

We also make up for our cheat days by juicing. Perk LOVES to juice everything under the kitchen sink! The more fruits and veggies you pack into that thing, the better he feels. I definitely now know I will have a veggie garden box this summer in our back yard!!

I really need a name for my home gym

 Well here it is. My home gym. There isn't much but it definitely has enough to get most of the job done. I'm pretty proud of my set up here because I can really work out hard and mix it up and get all the exercises in that I need.

 

I have a Proform Treadmill that has a kick ass incline option

Next to that is my old skool weight bench. It has an incline for chest presses, can do flies and then ham & quad curls and I've got quite a few weigh rolls so I can increase the intensity as I build up.

HA! We're still building up so I pretty much keep it at 25lbs for now!! LOL

 

I've also incorporated my old Reebok Step Bench. It's great because I can lower or raise it for different cardio jumps or body lifts. I also have a yoga mat (that the dog things is his) that I use for floor exercises or stretching. 

I have a large stability ball and a smaller one. The large on I actually had at my office and would sit on it while working to help build the core up a bit. Most times I'm afraid to say I did nothing more than bum rolls and bouncing on it! :)

 

I have a nice supply of free weight ranging from 2lbs up to 25lbs.

I would LOVE to get a kettle bell, but lifting one of those compared to doing the same exercise with say an 8lb dumbbell doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me.

 

Speak up ladies? Kettle bell. Is it worth owning???

 

I also bought this contraption.

I really wanted to have bands to work on shoulders and of course upper arms.

So far no kids have been yelled at and the cat could care less.

Win-Win for Me!

 

This is my leftover box. It contains a few older bands and a small medicine ball. It's kind of like me "go put it in or go find it in" basket 

 

 And lastly...my trainers.

I have the P90X set

I have the Insanity set

I use the Nike Training App on the iPad

I have exercise videos from Jillian Michaels (I totally ordered her 2 yoga dvd's tonight...honest to God I did!!), I have some Shakeology free DVD, the full Zumba kit, The Firm, MMA Deka 10 and countless others that are still themselves stuck in the 80's...VHS tapes!! I miss Buns of Steel and Step Bench from the 80's.

 

I really need to get a VCR so I can reinvest time!! I might need some hot pink spandex and a can of aerosol hairspray to pull it all off!!

Anyhow ladies, this is my gym. It's at home in my basement and it's where the kids know that when Mommy is working out, they need to be playing or reading or anything else other than being in the room asking a million questions, or tattle telling, or yelling that they are hungry.

This is where Mommy puts on her headphones and zones out to HOUSE OF CARDS for 55 minutes of ME time. Most times I just pretend I can't hear a single word they say when I'm in the zone.