First Real Snow

We had our first real snowstorm and Jace couldn't wait to get out into it. Since he hasn't seen real snow since he was 13 months old, he just loved making tracks in the snow. The good thing was that we could tell exactly where he was and where he had been. He didn't even complain about the cold.

Growing Girl

Jenna has passed the five month mark and started eating rice cereal. We think she loves it and is always eager to eat.

Temple Square

We took a trip down to temple square last week to see the lights and finish up our Christmas shopping. It was an adventurous trip, but a lot of fun. After a huge fit by Jace in the middle of Target, getting lost, and not being able to find a parking spot at Temple Square, it was good to get home even if it was at 1am. But it's the memories that are important, right?..............Right?

Hair Do

Just got a little bored one day and started experimenting with Jenna's hair. Thought the corn rolls turned out cute even though they didn't last very long.

Holiday Greetings

Happy Holidays

2008 has gone by so fast,
Many things are now in our past.
All in all, it has been a big year,
Events that have brought about many a tear.
But be sure that happiness outweighs the bad,
For looking back on this year does not make us sad.

We are living in Wyoming- for the time being at least,
We’ve forgotten that the wind and cold never seem to cease.
Waiting for our house to sell in Tennessee, it’s true,
Before making permanent roots in an area that’s new.

Blaine enjoys his new job and mostly works from home,
As Project Manager over Wyoming- there’s lots of room to roam.
Keeping tabs on commercial construction and all that it entails,
Emails, phone calls, blueprints- no more pounding nails.
Being close to the mountains again, it is a dream come true,
Snowmobiling, camping, hiking is what he likes- just to name a few.

Angie has many titles that she carries through the day,
Cook, maid, chauffer, teacher- she receives the highest pay.
When she looks upon the smiling faces of her ever-growing crew,
All she wants in return is a hug and “Mom, I love you!”
She enjoys sports, crafts, and being outside too,
But to find the spare time is a hard thing to do.

Jace is our energetic 3-year old who’s always on the go,
Also adjusting to the cooler weather and big flakes of snow.
He loves books, blocks, and anything with wheels.
It’s even hard to get him to slow down for his meals.
He doesn’t rest, but recharges as he continues on his way,
He brings love, energy, and happiness and fulfills us every day.

Jenna joined our family in the summer this past year,
Our sweet, quiet little girl- we love to hold her near.
She still surprises us with a head of long, dark hair,
And we’re jealous of her big, blue eyes and pale skin that’s fair.
She’s starting to be mobile now and tells us what she needs,
She has us wrapped around her little finger- her every sound, we heed.

Many changes have come our way in the year 2008.
2009 holds many a promise, for this we cannot wait.
But for now we reflect on our favorite time of year,
And gather friends and family close, and enjoy having them near.
The birth of our Savior is the reason we celebrate,
To feel his love and mercy for us this year as we did in 2008.

Declo Football

We had the opportunity to go and watch 2 of my brothers play in the state football playoffs in Pocatello a few weeks ago. This was a playoff game and they went on to play for the championship, but lost by 1 point in overtime. Bummer! It was so fun to watch them and I'm sure they enjoyed getting to play with each other. Here are some great action shots. Way to go Chad #52 and Cody #60!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

We had a fun time in Burley for Thanksgiving this year. Its nice to be close enough to not have to spend a whole day flying. We were only missing Westy and his family who vacationed in Arizona. We spent the long weekend skeet shooting, playing basketball, doing puzzles, shopping, making gingerbread houses, Wii playing, movie watching, visiting, playing games, and lots of eating. It was a lot of fun being together. Friday morning Chelsea, Amanda, Daliss and I got up at 3:30 am and headed to Twin Falls for some great Black Friday shopping. I love it- somewhat of a rush- saving so much money. I figured we saved over $500 as a group. Can't go wrong there. What a fun weekend- thanks Mom and Dad.

The Kids

For all you back in Tennessee and Colorado.

Your wish is my command.

The Move!

Well even though we have been back here in the good ole West for a month now, I thought that I would finally get around to sharing our experience and some pics. It was a good trip but I'm glad its over. Jenna did great in the truck and Jace had fun driving back with his Grandpa Pickup. It took us 3 long days to make the trek and we are now in Wyoming, waiting anxiously for our house to sell in Tennessee. Enjoy some pics of our travels.

Our Growing Girl

Jenna turned 4 months old today. I thought I would jot down some things she is doing. Sorry about my lack of pictures. We are still getting settled and everything in a proper place.

*She still has a shock of dark hair, although it is lighter and sweeps to the side. Plus a nice bald spot in the back.
* She sleeps from 8pm- 9am straight!! Golly, I love her! She also takes two- 2 hr naps during the day. I love to hear her wake up happy and talking to herself before I go in and get her.
* She is so content and happy. She has a huge smile and it doesn't take much to get it out of her. She is starting to laugh consistently at things.
* She sucks on her two fingers on her right hand. (index and middle) I partly contribute this to her good sleeping habits.
* She eats well, about every four hours during the day. She still spits up, but not nearly as much as before. She fashions a bib most days just to save her from wet, stinky clothes.
* She is a momma's girl, but doesn't have a problem with new people. (Most of the time)
* She "talks" all the time and does this funny thing where she grunts and stiffens her arms and legs. Funny!
* She lets her brother kiss and hug her, mostly without complaint. He does do it a lot.

We love our little Jenna girl. She is such a blessing in our home and it's hard to imagine life without her. Have a very merry un-birthday Jenna!!

We Made It!

We finally rolled into Mountain View around 6pm Saturday night. It was a long 3 days of driving, but after 2000 miles, $600 in gas, and 2 nights in hotels, we were ready to stay a while. Jenna was a great trucker and I finally read "Twilight" front to back while Blaine drove the whole way. We were welcomed by family who was ready to help us unload our truck. It didn't take nearly as long to unload as it did to load it, but we did have 1 casualty (so far). A bottle of wood stain somehow tipped over and leaked all over our refrigerator and my fairly new sofa. It makes me almost physically sick to think about it. So if anyone has any tips on how to make a miracle (or getting stains out of upholstery) I am more than grateful to hear it. I hate moving! We wanted to give a big thanks to everyone who helped us out. Gail- thanks for coming over and cleaning my entire house. You saved my sanity. Manda for the lunch gift certificates and for always thinking of us. Christina for the gift and watching Jace for us so many times while we were packing. Sandy for freeing me of some crafts. I know you'll appreciate them. April for the clothes for Jenna. It was great knowing ya, even if just for a little while. For nine great guys who took time out of their day and from their families to help us load our life into the back of a 26 foot truck. It would've been impossible without them. Baslers- thanks for being great nursery leaders. Jace misses you already. I know I have missed many people who were great friends and examples to us. You won't be forgotten (I'll be blog-stalking!)
Also a big thanks to Devan & Jackie, Justin & Amanda, Brent & Collette (sorry we missed you), and Lori for being willing to help us unload. Dad for driving our car back for us with Jace. He had a great time. Hamblins for letting us stay with them until our house in TN sells. I love being by family!

Bless You!

So I take back what I said about not posting for awhile. I've even surprised myself, but I couldn't let this experience be forgotten so I am documenting here. I was holding Jenna on my lap yesterday when Jace came up to us and announced that he needed to give Jenna a prayer. And with that he put both hands on her head and mumbled a few words with a loud "Amen" at the end. Since then, both Blaine and I have received these very special blessings. :) Kids- they notice so much!

One Month Anniversary

So I know that I am such a slacker and it has been exactly one month since my last post. Wow, how time flies. The scoop on us is pretty straight forward. We have enjoyed our last Saturday in Tennessee. My dad is flying in as we speak and next week he and Jace will drive our Honda Pilot (oh yeah- my birthday present!) back to Wyoming and pull our trailer. He volunteered to take Jace and Blaine and I jumped at the chance. I wonder if he realizes what he got himself into? I think they'll have a good time and a nice bonding experience (25 hours in the car can do that to ya!) My dad will drop Jace off at my sister's house to spend a few days (and Halloween) with his cousins. Come Thursday- Blaine, Jenna, and I will head out in our 26 foot Penske moving truck while pulling our other car. We will hopefully have everything loaded the night before and leave early in the morning. We hope this will be a little easier drive since we're together this time and Jenna should sleep through most of it. We have been packing for the last couple weeks and have most everything in boxes and stacked in our garage. Today we had a garage sale to rid ourselves of a lot of things that have moved almost as much as we have. Doesn't hurt to make a couple of bucks! We are still in the same position with our house. We have someone who is interested, which is good, the waiting game is just hard. Our contract ends on Thursday, so hopefully we'll have some answers then. Even though we are beyond thrilled to be moving back, there are so many things and so many people here that we will miss terribly. It has been a wonderful experience. We never thought that we would have ever lived in Tennessee and there are so many things we never took advantage of doing. Thanks to all who befriended us and made us feel welcome and loved. We will always remember you- plus I will be blog stalking! I don't know the next time I will post-- bet on a month! :)

Blogging Slump

I have heard from many of you about my lack of blogging. Well I do have an excellent reason believe it or not. Blaine got a job with a commercial company out of Sandy, UT. He will be their Project Manager over Wyoming. The company is Perry Olsen Drywall and they do the metal framing and drywall for commercial projects. They currently have four projects in Wyoming- a couple in Gillette and one in Rock Springs and Kemmerer. So the reason that I have not been able to blog, or anything on the computer for that matter, is that Blaine works from home. This has both good and bad points. It is so nice to have him here with us during the day and we haven't got on each other's nerves----yet. But it is hard for him to concentrate and separate himself from the ongoings in the house. Jace hasn't yet grasped the concept that even though Daddy is home, he is actually at work. Confusing! We are still moving as soon as we close on our house and we are in the process of choosing where we want to live in Wyoming. Even though Blaine does the majority of his work from home, he will still need to visit the different sites occasionally and attend company meetings in Sandy once a month. Anyone have any ideas, thoughts? We are really excited for this opportunity to move closer to family and hope everything works out. I will try to bully my way onto the computer to post more often! :)

On a more personal note, we are all doing well and looking forward to the cooler weather. Jenna changes so much everyday. She smiles and talks all the time and is such a content baby. She is already 2 1/2 months old. Time really flies. Jace is a great big brother and just loves her to death. Like I said before, Blaine stays busy with work and I am getting ready to teach a toll-painting class for Super Saturday (if we're still here) and playing volleyball and softball. Life is good.
P.S. Sorry no pictures. Camera is still getting fixed- hopefully.

We've Returned!

We have returned from our trip out West and are finally getting back into the groove of things. We had a great time visiting and was able to see just about everyone. We started out in Mountain View where we stayed a few days and enjoyed some down time. All of Blaine's siblings came up and it was good to see everyone and we're amazed at how much their kids have grown. Blaine and Jace were able to go out on the desert one morning with Mike and Kathy and they had a great time and brought back a few fossils. Jenna and I enjoyed some one-on-one quiet time while they were gone. We also took some family pictures before most of us started out for Idaho. We all enjoyed a great dutch oven dinner when we got to my parent's house. Thanks to all who were able to come. (we missed you, Brent and Collette!) All the grandkids got reacquainted and had a fun time with each other. Sunday morning rolled around and Jenna's blessing went great. Blaine did a wonderful job- it was great to share it with so many friends and family. We were only missing 3 siblings and their families. Another big dinner at the Pickup house (thanks Mom and Dad!) and everyone started for home. Sunday nights are always full of fun and games and this night was no exception. I love being there and reminiscing and laughing with everyone. The next day was Labor Day and we all just took it easy. Tuesday Blaine, Jenna, and I traveled to Idaho Falls to start job and house searching. Jace stayed and played with his cousin Lucy. It was a long day and we were glad to get back. Bright and early Wednesday morning, Blaine drove back down to Salt Lake to catch his plane home. We really missed him. The rest of the trip was spent watching my sister play volleyball, brothers play football, some friendly family basketball games, a lot of visiting, and my new niece's blessing as well. It was bittersweet when it was time to go home, but we will hopefully be moving closer soon. But this time my mom was returning home with me. The trip home was going pretty smoothly until our layover in Denver when Jace tripped and sprained his ankle. So then we had to carry both Jenna and Jace. So glad you were there Mom! He was pretty whiny the rest of the day. We finally got home and settled down into our own beds. Everyone slept pretty good that night and recovered from the travel. It was great to have my mom here and do some fun things with her, but mostly to have her to myself for some very rare one-on-one time. With 10 kids in the family, that doesn't come often. She was such a great help and so patient with Jace. I just loved visiting with her and I feel like I got to know her better. I love you Mom! She left this morning and we miss her already. So now back to the old grind.

The West or Bust!!!!

The time has finally arrived for us to return home for a visit. We are so excited and are desperately trying to tie up all of the loose ends before we leave tomorrow at 5 AM! Wish us luck with our journey--hopefully both kids will act OK on the flight. Just a reminder, Jenna's blessing will be in Burley (Springdale 2nd ward) on Sunday, August 31st at 10:45ish. You are all welcome to attend and have lunch with us at the Pickup's house afterward. We'd love to chat with all and catch up.

Kid Updates

Thought I throw in some things the kids are doing these days. Unfortunately, no pictures-- see post below.

JACE

Jace is really into being a different animal everyday. His favorites include a tiger, cat, horse, and dog. His imagination knows no bounds. He loves Jenna and will run to get his step stool so he can watch me dress her or change a diaper. We are never short of kisses when he's around. We went in to the doctor for Jenna's 1 month check up and the pediatrician asked Jace how he was doing. His response, "I'm good and my baby sister's doing great!" He is a great big brother and a huge help. I saw this on a friend's blog and thought I would try it, although I tweeked it and asked my own questions.

Mom: Where did Jenna come from?
Jace: the doctor

Mom: What do you do in nursery?
Jace: I share the train

Mom: What is your favorite movie?
Jace: Finding Nemo

Mom: Why do you like Nemo?
Jace: I found him on TV.

Mom:Why do you like your daddy?
Jace: I like my daddy at work.

Mom: Why do you like your mommy?
Jace: I like my mommy at home.

Mom: What do you like to do outside?
Jace: I like to ride my bike.

Mom: What do you like to do in the house?
Jace: Play with my toys.

Just some random, everyday questions, but received some interesting answers. But I assure you, he prefers to have his daddy home rather that at work. :)

JENNA

Jenna is growing up so fast, already 5 1/2 weeks old. She is starting to show her first smiles and is such a joy to be around. She is a really even-tempered baby, but will let you know when something is wrong. She prefers to be held and is a pretty good sleeper, will only wake up once or twice a night. At her 1 month check-up, she weighed 10 lbs. 2 oz. and 21 inches long. That puts her a little above average. Her hair is either lightening up or thinning, but still long enough to wear a clip. Jenna loves to take baths and to be free of the diaper. We love her so much.

There is never a dull moment in our house and I am still getting used to having two kids. Crazy!

Pictureless Weekend

Last weekend we went to the Wilson County Fair in Lebanon, TN. We had a great time walking around and enjoying the somewhat cool day (I think it was around 90 not including humidity). Something different about the fair here is that they don't have a rodeo. I have never known a fair not to have a rodeo before. Instead they celebrate with Super Pulls. We went to it last year and had fun, but this year Jace was so excited. He started yelling "Come on trucks!" the moment we sat down.............an hour early! He loved seeing the tractors and told everyone sitting around us that "it was just like his tractor at home." Jenna wasn't too impressed with it though and slept through the whole thing. Amazing because everything was incredibly loud. We thought that maybe she was sleeping so well because she went deaf, but she proved otherwise the moment we got home. Unfortunately this great weekend with go undocumented besides my inspiring words here, because our camera failed to take anything other that black pictures. No pictures of the petting zoo, pig races, dog competition, our little farmer, anything!! Bummer. Canon sure got an ear full from me and will be fixing our nearly new camera-- or else!

So Much to Do, So Little Time

Well, many of you are probably wondering where we have been. We have had quite the adventurous last 2 weeks beginning with Blaine getting laid off. This may seem like bad news to most people, but it is bittersweet to us. Although Blaine enjoyed his job most days, many off the people he worked with were less than par. He was ready to be out of the corporate world and is looking forward to new opportunities. Although he planned on leaving Pulte eventually, we would have preferred to do it our terms instead of theirs, but oh well. With the housing market like it is, many people lost their jobs that day. Since we moved out to Tennessee just for this job, this was the opportunity we had been praying for the move back closer to our families so we wasted no time putting our house on the market and waiting for it to sell in order for us to move. We were expecting a long wait (our house in Denver took 6 months to sell), but the 2nd day on the market we had our first showing and an offer!! We couldn't believe it. This sell is contingent on our buyer selling his house, but is nearly set in stone. We couldn't be happier and although we don't yet know our closing date, we expect it to be soon after we return from our vacation. We decided long ago that we would like to settle down around Idaho Falls since it is in close proximity to both our families. Let the house hunt begin!! We will probably be staying with Blaine's parents (hope that's not a surprise) in Wyoming until we find a house and a job (small detail). We are very excited to live near family and for Jace and Jenna to know their cousins. Now if I could just get time to move faster.................

Nashville Sounds

Jace participated in the Summer Reading Program through out local library. Because he read so many books, he received a free ticket to the Nashville Sounds baseball game. He and Daddy went this past Saturday and had a lot of fun. It was pretty hot, hence the sweaty looking kid in the pictures. He was supposed to be in a little parade before the game, but unfortunately, they arrived a little too late. Oh well.