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December 1st

It's going to be a long month for Miss Kelsie.

Tuesday Letters

I stole this idea of writing letters (or venting what's on my mind) from my friend.  Thanks Karen, hope you don't mind.  Here I go.


Dear Big Banks,

Hi.  My name is Amy.  Remember me? Probably not.  We've been working with you since July to get help with our new home.  Does anyone REALLY work there?  And if you really do have employees, do you ever speak to each other or work on the same days?  It seems as though the only way I can get any sort of response from you is when my husband physically goes into your office and sits in front of you until you do something.  The second he leaves you totally forget about us.  I do not like you very much at all.  You are making my life more miserable.  I hope you never need anything from me because I can tell you I will not make it easy or pleasant for you.  I'm just returning the favor.

Impatiently,
Home owner stuck in a rental


Dear Builder #1,

Thanks for convincing us that we really could build this on our own MUCH cheaper than going to a "tract" builder.  Thanks for trying.  Thanks for your honesty.  Thanks for waiting until the very last day to tell us your fee was a brand new truck more than you originally told us.

Frustratedly,
Looking for another builder

Dear Builder #2,

I am so happy that you got my hopes up.  You told me that everything would be fine.  The other builder was way too high.  You could do it NO PROBLEM!  "I'll take care of everything," you said.  Whew!  What a relief!  Oh. I'm sorry.  What's that?  On the LAST day of our three week waiting period you tell us your fee is a brand new truck, too? Didn't I just watch that movie?  You are on my list and I feel very sorry for you.

Defeated,
I'm so done

Dear Jacob, Kayla & Kelsie,

I love you with all that I am.  You have been nothing but perfect children through this whole mess I got you into.  You have shown me how to truly be grateful for what we DO have.  You love each other, and fight with each other, and bring me back to reality, and our reality is awesome.  I love how you share a room and help each other, most of the time, to keep it clean.  You are humble and sweet and you show me everyday how to truly love.  You sincerely love your new neighborhood friends and ward family.  You are the greatest examples to me.  I hope to be that for you some day.

Love you truly,
Mom

Dear Sweet Realtor who gave me hope,

I've been looking for you.  I had lost all hope.  I am glad that I listened to the voice in my head that told me to go and see you today.  You gave me a lot of answers.  You were so kind and sweet.  I hope you weren't just being a "Salesman" today.  I am not 100% ready to give up on the land we are looking at now, but I feel my options are running out.  I'll probably come see you again.  I enjoyed the tour you gave me.  I am intrigued by the information you gave me.  I want to explore my options.  It seems like you have made LOTS of my friends happy, maybe I could be too.

Curiously & Prayerfully,
Family wanting a home again

Dear Kevin,

I'm sorry for being so whinny.  I'm sorry for making you feel like this was all your fault.  You work so hard for us and I know you are trying your best.  It's not your fault that there are stupid people out there who don't keep their word and bait you in just to let you go again.  You are more than capable of building us an amazing home, I just wish other people could see that.  Maybe we rethink this AGAIN.  Whatever we do, we'll do it together and it'll be great.

All my love,
Your wife



I feel much better now.

Just A Reminder . . .

Are you gonna come watch it with us? 15 More days People!!!

Catching Up on the Story of Us

I sit here in my cozy little rental house wondering what to blog about.  So many events, so many topics.  So I'll write about what's on my mind right now. 

This year has been filled with a roller coaster of emotions.  Back in February, Kevin and I discussed selling our house and building a new one.  I didn't think we needed to.  Our house was small, but it was ours and we made room for what we needed.  Sure it was cluttered and cramped, but it wasn't unbearable.  We pushed the thoughts aside until after Spring Break in April.  The topic came up again.  This time I was really leaning towards Kevin's idea.  I was feeling cramped and claustrophobic in our little house.  We need more space.  After a couple of nights of prayer, I ran to Lowe's one mid-April morning, bought a For Sale By Owner sign and stuck it in the yard.  I made up a little flyer and I was ready! So I thought.  After only 4 showings and 10 days "on the market" we received an offer for our full asking price and we took it.  WHAT?!  I honestly thought it would take us at least 3-4 months to sell.  10 DAYS!!  Suddenly my head was spinning and there was no more order in my life.  We had to pack up and clean out 7 years worth of stuff.  Of course I put things off until the very end and was rushing at the end of June to get moved out and moved in to our rental house.  We were lucky to find this place.  Occupancy rates were at 99% and I was having a hard time finding a place for us to live where we didn't have to change schools and move too far away.  A friend of mine from high school got married at about the same time we needed to move.  She read my plea on Facebook to anyone who knew of a place to rent out in our current school district.  She was moving in with her new husband and was trying to decide whether to sell or rent her house.  It worked out for us all and now here we are, a family of 5 in 1100 sq ft. 

But what about the new house?  This is where ALL of my stress and frustration lies.  I was so naive.  I thought it would be so easy.  Boy was I wrong.  Sure, it would be easy if we went to a builder like everyone else and picked a lot, chose package A, B or C, and wala! The house would be complete.  WE decided that we could build the house on our own and get a bigger house for less money and have more room.  3/4 of an acre!!  Can you hear the bankers laughing at us?  I had no idea the red tape and hoops that we would be jumping through to get this thing going.  It has been such a long process.  No one tells you what you need to do.  It's all been trial and error for us.  Just when we think we've got everything they want turned in and filled out, they find another document that they are missing or a step we forgot.  I wish they had a check list.  I'm good with lists.  I make one for myself everyday!!  Give me a list of documents and permits that you need and I'll get it to you.

It's been 4 months since we moved into our rental and we are still waiting.  Now, as far as i know, they have everything they need, the loan has been approved and now we are waiting for the appraiser to say we can build the house at the price we have come up with (after a month of chasing down tons of bids).  The lady at the bank said we'd know in 3 weeks.  It's been a week and a half.  SO many times throughout this 4 months I've said, "I'm done."  Let's just build or buy a house they easy way.  This is too hard!!  Luckily, Kevin does not give up that easily and when times are tough, he fights harder.  I thank him for that.  I wanted to be in my new house by Christmas.  I hoping for Easter now.

The kids have been AWESOME through this whole process.  Not one complaint. Not once.  I've been the whiny one complaining for 4 months.  They share one bedroom.  All three of them, 1 boy 2 girls in 1 small bedroom.  They have adjusted to the new neighborhood and made lots of new friends.  They ride the bus to school and are enjoying our new ward/church family.  I have been the exact opposite of them in practically every way.  They are such good examples to me and I am SO thankful for them.

I am hoping to get a real answer in the next week and a half.  I am hoping we can take our shovels down to our little piece of land and start digging before Thanksgiving.  I will be patient.

First Field Trip

What?!  A post by Amy?  Nooooo.  Yep. It's true.   With the boys away hunting and the girls in bed, what else is there to do?  I've been away for a LONG time.  I'm not promising an everyday post, but I hope to MAKE the time to hop on here a lot more often.  I like it.  I miss it.  I've enjoyed catching up on all your wonderful posts.  I've missed SO much.  I have TONS to blog about, but for tonight, I hope you enjoyed a peek at Kelsie's very successful first ever Pre-School Field Trip to the Pumpkin Patch.

Kayla vs the tailgate

*WARNING - This post may not be for those with weak stomachs. There are pictures that may be too much for some people.*

As many of you know, we had a little accident in our home last Wednesday. Gosh, has it really been a week already? Well, it may be a week late, but here is the story of my brave little girl and her trip to the ER.

Last Wednesday was pretty much just like any other Wednesday. Got the kids off to school, ran a few errands with Kelsie, had lunch with Kevin and went home to wait for the kiddos to get home from school on early release day. Our plan for after school was to head over to Lindsay's house to work on some Destination Imagination stuff (That's a whole post in itself for another day).

As I was waiting in my kitchen, making sure I had all of my supplies together, I looked at the clock and I knew they should be walking in the door any minute. After a few minutes, I heard a scream. I stopped and listened. I heard Jacob's voice yell, "Mom there is lots of blood!" What?! I ran to the front door an opened it. Standing in front of me was my beautiful six year old daughter with blood streaming down her face. It was like a scene from a horror movie. Literally. There was blood in her eyes in her nose in her mouth, everywhere. I screamed. Jacob screamed. Kelsie stood frightened. What the heck happened?! Did she get hit by a car? Did someone throw a rock at her? Did someone push her down? Did she fall? WHAT?! It finally came to me that I should do something. Jacob and I are the LAST two people you want with you in an emergency situation. We both panic very easily. I get my wits about me enough to run Kayla into the bathroom and bark at Jacob to call his dad. I grab a washcloth and turn on the faucet and try to figure out where the blood is coming from. There is SO much blood!! I never knew how bad head wounds bled until last Wednesday. Jacob comes running into the bathroom and says that Kevin is not answering his phone.

I finally think to ask Jacob what happened. Kayla is really crying this whole time. He proceeds to tell me that they were just walking home together and Kayla decided to start running home when they were near our driveway. She starts running, Jacob stays behind and the next thing he knows she is screaming. She had ran directly into the tailgate from Kevin's truck that had been left down the night before when we were unloading DI stuff from the truck. We NEVER leave the tailgate down. Stupid thing is that I saw it earlier that morning as I was leaving to run my errands and I thought, "Huh, the tailgate is down. We never leave it down." Kevin, too saw it when he was home and thought about closing it but rushed off to work. If only we had listened to those little prompting.

ANYWAY, I see the 1 1/2 inch long laceration in her forehead. The source of all the blood. We apply pressure to the spot with the wash cloth and clean up the rest of her face. By now I have re-dialed Kevin and he answers. I bark at him to get home asap, we have an emergency. Luckily he was not too far from our house and rushed right home. I take another peak at her forehead. The second I remove the washcloth it starts to gush with blood again and I am shocked as to how wide and deep this laceration really is. Even though my daughter is bleeding, I still have DI on the brain so I call Lindsay to tell her that we will not be coming over, we have had an accident. I don't remember what I said to her, except that I felt really panicked and I was kind of freaking out.

Kevin gets home, we hop in my car and we drive to Kadlec's ER. They take her back after about 15 minutes. By this time the blood has stopped, thank goodness, and the nurse is able to REALLY see the gash in her head. Kayla makes a comment about how now she will look like Harry Potter and we all laugh. Typical Kayla. They agree that she will need stitches. They put some lidacain ointment on her and tell us they will be back in 30 minutes. So Kayla took this opportunity to literally chill in the hospital bed. Kick back, remote in her hand, watching Sponge Bob. No worries. Cool and calm, just like her dad. Jake and I are still freaking out about the whole thing. Doctors comes in, Jake and I step out. I hear him tell her he may have to inject a little more numbing medicine. Uh oh. Jake and I take a walk. About 10-15 minutes later we wander back and they are all done. That's it? Yep. Kevin said she just laid there with her hands behind her head. The doctor started stitching and he asked her if it hurt and she said just a little, and he kept going. He did not use any more medication, just the topical ointment. Kayla is a ROCK STAR, she is my hero. She hops off the bed and out the door. We get into the car and start on our way home and she asks, "Can I play with my friends when I get home?" I tell her she may need to lay down and take it easy after all you just got 7 stitches!! We get home and I try to give her some Tylenol and she refuses. She gets bored on the couch and runs off to play. Really?!

She is so much like her father in that way. I would have milked it as long as I could have, not her. It was a waste of her time to be laid up for an hour or so.

So there is our story of Kayla vs. the tailgate.

SCENTSY 10% OFF SALE

ATTENTION SCENTSY FANS!!

February is the perfect time to STOCK UP on all of your favorite SCENTSY products. To make room for our exciting, NEW Spring/Summer 2010 products, everything in the Fall/Winter 2009 catalog will be offered at a 10% discount for the month of February. (Some exclusions do apply) Check my web site at http://www.amyo.scentsy.us/ for a list of the current fragrances and warmers that will be DISCONTINUED come March 1.

Call me and let's set up a Scentsy Open House or Basket Party!! They are lots of fun and you can earn FREE product.

Scent of the Month - VANILLA SUEDE - Classic, comforting vanilla combined with rich amber and hints of sandalwood and spice - a cozy and subtly masculine fragrance.

Warmer of the Month - PAWS - Animal lovers everywhere can now express their affection for their furry friends and add beautiful Scentsy fragrance to their homes at the same time.

A Getaway Giveaway!!

WOW!! Go here or here for the most amazing giveaway I have ever seen!! Seriously. Browse around and you'll find some really great work!

Have a SUPER GREAT weekend!! Mine has started by getting my butt kicked by Kelsie in Candy Land, making brownies with Jacob, and dancing all around the kitchen to 'FOREVER' with Kayla. Add a movie and some popcorn or a Chiawana Basketball game (we are still undecided) with Kevin and this weekend is off to a SPECTACULAR start!!

So Random

I can't believe it is now the 13th Day of 2010 on this is my first post of the new year. What's up with that? I use to be a devout blogger and blog follower, I am not sure what as happened. I think I need to learn some time management or maybe I have been spending my time on more important things than blogging. Is that possible? Yeah, I think it is. Maybe not as fun but possible. I have numerous things to say, not to anyone in particular, just things I need to jot down for myself, to help me make sense of my thought.

• I have been analyzing myself since the beginning of the new year, maybe a little too much actually. I have some things to work on. I need to be a better friend. I need to just randomly show up and say "Hey, how are ya?" I need to make those phone calls to keep connected and to start getting better connected with those people in my life that uplift me and that I want in my life. I need to serve more.
• I feel like I have been such a Debbie Downer lately. I feed off of positive energy and I try to create my own, but there are times, lots of them lately, that no matter what I try there is negativity slapping me in the face. I don't like that at all. I like to smile and laugh and be happy. It takes too much energy to be mad or in a bad mood, but I feel like that cloud is just hanging over me. Hopefully there will be a change in the weather (or a new house built quickly) very soon.
• I have been overwhelmed by the amazing women in my ward. They have no idea how much I NEED them. I love seeing each of them on Sundays. I recently was given the new calling of Compassionate Services Leader. I truly thought it was just setting up meals for families who just had new babies born. Boy was I wrong! There is so much more to it than that, and I am loving my new calling. It's keeping me busy, but the love and willingness to serve from the sisters in this ward is seriously overwhelming. If your phone rings and my name shows up on your caller ID and you live in my ward, I will probably be asking you to serve in some capacity, or maybe just to say hi!
• I love my kids. They are simply heaven sent angels. When that cloud is raining on me, you can bet that those three can blow it away. With their sparkling eyes, amazing laughter and unconditional love, they let me know why everyday is a good day.
• It's in the water. Babies everywhere. From dear little Eva to dashing little Jeremiah and so many more in between, what's a girl to do? I try to love on them and hold them and then give them back. Problem is sometimes I want to take them home with me. Everyone keeps asking me if you are "done" yet. To be honest, I don't know. One thing I do know is everyone tells me to go to the Temple for my answer. I know they are right, but I have a feeling that whatever the answer is I probably won't like it at first. I don't think that I am ready to take this question to the Temple yet.
• One word: LAZY. I have been soo lazy so far this year. What is the deal! I despise getting up in the mornings. I am not really a morning person. I have been taking late showers thus starting my day later and later. I don't want to do those little things around the house that I know should get done but don't necessarily need to get done. It's really sad that I get winded just carrying the laundry basket from my bedroom to the laundry room. My body is not happy with me. I am out of shape and a few pounds overweight. I am not happy with me. I feel icky. I don't like running in the cold, winter months. I only run March through September. I can't afford to join a gym, or maybe it's an excuse, I don't know. I have some really great workout DVD's and Yoga DVD's that I really love, but again, I am lazy. To use them would mean to get up early all on my own and actually do them. I need to put on my running shoes and just run. I need to challenge myself again. I need CAMI to say she's gonna pick me up in the morning because that was the only reason I got out of bed at 5:30 in the morning. I want something to train for, something to look forward to. I want to feel like I am gonna puke and my legs to feel like jello from a good run. Did I really just say that? I guess I did. And you know, I think I really mean it.
• I think I am going to start being really selective about where I volunteer my time. I feel that I have said yes one too many times and I am spreading myself way too thin. All the things I have going on right now are just about enough. I don't think I will be taking on any other roles for now. I will finish out what I have started and then not replace that hat with a new one.
• I need to reconnect with my husband. Can I just say right now I have THE BEST husband ever. He knows me so well. We annoy Ashley when we finish each others thoughts and sentences. The girls love to giggle and point when they see us acting like Troy and Gabriella, their words not mine. But since we have had "roommates" for the past 4 1/2 months, things have changed, not in a bad way, just different. He's a trooper, not many men could deal with the in-laws for that long. Hopefully just a little while longer. I am thinking of taking him away for Valentines Day or maybe his birthday in March. Nothing fancy, just an over night trip, somewhere not too far away. Portland? Idaho somewhere? Spokane? Chelan? Even Tri-Cities? Any suggestions?

Just a little randomness.