five years

Josh and I celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary. We had the most amazing 16 hour vacation ever! Liss watched the kids last minute and we headed up to the Park City Hotel to a cottage, dinner at Ruth's Chris. It seemed too simple to be so great, but it was. The stress of the day was long forgotten entering Parley's Canyon and fun memory sharing of the last five years ensued. It's funny how many big things happen in the midst of feels like the same 'ol, same 'ol. This is just a few of the major events...

Bought our first home in the Santa Cruz mountains three weeks before we were married (much to the dismay and chagrin of many friends) but it worked out great josh had time to move in and get things ready before we were married and it's where we spent our wedding night.
Three weeks after our wedding Josh leaves his steady corporate job to make his way on his own with real estate and mortgages (rocks Laura's tied to the dock, anchor loving stable boat)
Laura continues teaching 1st grade in Palo Alto (3 attempted burglaries in my classroom, 2 scary confrontations with thieves, my identity stolen)
Remodel our first home...while pregnant with Noah
Josh buys a home to flip in San Jose while we have our home in Los Gatos, a rental in Utah, and our future home on Coalville way that I won't see for the first 8 months we own it.
(Yep, that's four mortgages, one very pregnant wife, and one very stressed 24 year old.)
Laura works on her hands and knees trying to get the San Jose home ready to sell while extremely pregnant.
Sell the home in San Jose days before Noah is born and just before the California real estate bubble bursts
Our first born, little Noah comes.
Big scare with Noah in the NICU for one week when just three weeks old.
Move to Utah without having sold our home in Los Gatos and with no secure job for Josh - still feels right.
Josh finds temporary work as a lender rep and then starts with his current company First National Mortgage of Utah.
Fix up and sell our rental property in Provo.
Josh goes back to California to fix up our home in Los Gatos so we can sell it. We sell our Los Gatos home (it was so sad to sell that home that we loved so much)
Josh buys out his partners at the mortgage company.
One home, one child, one dog, life is simple.
One more addition, our sweet Clara Jane, life is even better.
Buy a new home, still in Draper.

It's interesting that our response typically to the question "Whats new?" is the ho-hum "nothing much" response. If you had told me on our wedding day that five years later we would have sold/bought/remodeled five homes, moved from CA to UT, visited China, traded in the Trooper and Passat to drive the 10 in every parking lot Pilot, and had two beautiful redhead children and a dog. Why that's plain crazy talk. Well here we are in a place where we were led and were we need to be. Can't even guess what is to come next.



(three squeezes josh)

Dad
user of trees, doorways as back scratchers,
father of the cannon ball, can opener
helper to all,
collector of a lot,
big dreamer, big doer
jolly,
wearer of hats,
sought after pioneer dance partner,
project leader,
flutist, conductor, bass singer extrodinaire,
stealer of noses,
piano mover,
excellent free throw shooter,
king of the dad jokes,
friend to the latinos,
teacher,
giver of advice,
seeker of truth,
loyal son, kind brother
righteous father
patriarch,
hard worker,
rough hands, softer heart
keeper of traditions,
rocket lancher,
mechanic,
cautious driver, tractor driver, boat driver
home builder,
builder of character,
goldtowner,
grandpa.

moving... part 2

The New HouseThe Old House
Morning after our first night in the home

oops, water heater had not been turned on so we boiled water on the stove and added it to the cold of the sink to bathe the kids...they didn't seem to mind
Grandma Pat helped Noah transition easily to life in the "country" (Don't worry Dad we will come to you for any real tractors)
Who needs toys when you have boxes to play in?

Wow, this has been quite a process and we are still not done. We began moving a few weeks ago and yet just brought our last load from the old house last night (now all that is left to do is clean and get her shining ...Liss and Mark move in next weekend so time is ticking). Yes, it is a circle of life, my sister and her husband are buying the South Mountain home which just solidifies how right this has felt from the start. We love that home and are so happy to have family who love it too get it. The new home is amazing but not without adjustments. I have turned around for a minute and lost Clara (she thinks its so funny to hide in closets), we laid sod in the back (25 pallets!!) Clara and Noah love to play in the dirt in the front pasture. Let's just say bathing is not just part of a calming, nighttime routine but a necessity, (they get so dirty). I find myself having to reign in my projects and keep perspective of what needs attention right now. I have this grand picture of the family tending the garden, gathering eggs from chickens, composting, canning our own fruit ...etc. Like all worthwhile labours it will take time. For now I need to happy with unpacking a few more boxes, while maintaining the every day upkeep of the house and tending my own chicks.

the move: part 1: ode to noah's neighborhood buddies

We moved to Utah and into our neighborhood right around Christmas 3 1/2 years ago. I remember a nice neighbor welcoming us and exclaiming we'd see them come spring. I found the comment a little odd but sure enough everyone kept tucked in their cozy homes (except for a friendly wave if you were out snow shoveling at the same time). Then, just as she said, as the snow melted, tulips peeked, and sun shone the streets filled with kids on bikes, scooters, neighbors out working in their yards visiting with one another. It turned into the most pleasant, friendliest suburb out there. So spring is definitely not the most ideal time to move. One walk around the block and I am saying, "how can I leave this." Can you tell I am getting melancholy already with this move? I know it will be especially tough on Noah to move from a neighborhood setting to more of a country feel. From the time he could walk he'd beg to go outside and play with the kids while they waited for their bus. Even still, as soon as he wakes from nap time he checks out the window and says, "my friends are waiting for me." He is usually greeted with kids running over to him, "Noah's out! Noah's out!" That is so sweet especially considering he is at least a year younger that most of the kids he plays with. Since Noah is too little to play out by himself, I've been out there with him the past three years getting to watch and interact with his buddies too. What fun. I'm hoping we will get to do the occasional play date even though we will be a whole 5 minutes away. (It is crazy that in Utah it means a whole different school, ward, even stake.)

happenings

Noah has been cracking us up daily with his little comments. Josh, in particular, wanted to make sure this one made the blog. On Friday, we were in the Costco parking lot (a typical family date night activity) and I was telling Josh where the new exit was (when I think someone is not seeing what I need them to see I tend to repeat myself louder and faster) Noah pipes up from his car seat, "Mom, Daddy knows how to drive." Josh could not have been more proud to have his buddy backing him up.

Saturday was a glorious spring day. We spent the morning washing cars, cleaning out the garage. A neighbor friend asked Noah to play at his house and to our surprise he answered, "no thanks, I want to stay with my mommy and daddy." Really, he chose work with the family over friends on his own. Josh and I glanced over at each other with big grins. I know those choices will have to made more and more as time goes on, I hope in years to come the answer will sometimes be the same.


Our sweet, mobile Clara was also part of the family work day. Unfortunately, she was just walking on the sidewalk and fell right on her face. She scraped her nose pretty good. This was her first big ouchy that has everyone asking "what happened?" Just a little reminder how easy the bumps and scraps can happen even when your just happily walking along in life. A few new developmental updates: clara jane's added clapping and high fives, and a new word (of sorts) dawh,dawh for doggies.

Which leads me to my last anecdote. I have had more than my share of Marley and Me moments the past week. We are dog sitting for my brother while they are in California for the week. (Trev got in a major accident while there...we love you, and are taking good care of roanin for you.) Roanin is a playful, energetic beagle and still a puppy. I was never good at chasing (not boys, not dreams) and now certainly not dogs. I have been out-run, out-smarted, and out-sized trying to get our little guest out of the house, toys out of his mouth etc. At one point after barricading with chairs, having Noah/Clara/Scout herding him, as I played the wrangler he still managed to bust through. I was so whipped I just laid on the floor and laughed, which led to kids copying mommy and Roanin himself seemed to chuckle at our pathetic attempts. I now know their (Trev,Cody,Tuck,Sadey's) fitness secret.

noah's prayer

During Noah's night prayers he did one of his fast ones "please bless mom..amen" I whisper a little prompt to also say what he is thankful for and he continues "thank you for my red helicopter from Aunt Beck, thank you for (pause) what fire truck did Jesus give me? (answers himself) I think it was the big one. Thank you for my big fire engine."

hawaii 2009

aloha!
Hawaii was such a special trip for the family. Like any vacation it was not with out its ups and downs. Yet, already looking back on it, the happy moments are what's remembered. The kids did great on the flight. A couple on the plane waited until we were deboarding to say we had the most delightful, well behaved children they have ever flown with. These are words I never would have expected to hear, way to go kiddos!

The first night we arrived there was the most beautiful sunset. Noah, who on our last ocean vacation didn't get in the water, jumped right in the first time. Six months makes a big difference with kids and the beach just outside our hotel had a wave barrier which was perfect for them.

Day 1: travel, settle in, Waikiki beach

Day 2: Beach, Pearl Harbor, Beach (Josh rented a surf board for the week so he went out in the mornings and Noah and I tried a little during the day.)

Day 3: North Shore, Polynesian Cultural Center

Day 4: rain, Pali look out, Pizza in Waillea

Day 5: North Shore (watching surf spots, maszumoto's shave ice, mommy sick)

Day 6: (clara and mommy really sick...Sunday so we rested in the hotel all the day...Josh upgraded the room to family suite so we were not in a 10x10 with sick germs...good man)

Day 7: beach, beach, beach (daddy threw out his back...again...surfboard returned)

Day 8: Yummy breakfast, St. Patty's Day parade, pack, go home.

I called home well into the trip to talk to mom for advice with being so sick and dad answered. I asked him how in the world they traveled with all us kids (6) when were little and without a pause he said, "You'd have to ask mom". I need to say a big thanks for taking us on so many adventures as a family, because being on the reverse side I recognize the effort it takes as the parent. My memory from my first time to Hawaii when I was about Noah's age was eating fruit loops, so we made sure Noah had that experience as well. Josh and I both agreed the best moments of the trip were playing with the family on the beach. Noah got a souvenir ukulele, which he just loved, he took it out in the ocean and played songs about the helicopters flying over head. The other tourists couldn't get enough of him and were sneaking pictures right and left. Clara had no hesitation digging, crawling, in the sand and water. Noah's already been asking, "Can we go to Hawaii tomorrow?"