My Buddy And Me

We have always called Simon "Buddy." I'm not sure where it started, but he's always been Buddy. Not anymore. Today I called him Buddy (like always) and he told me "The name's Simon."
I'm sad that he grew out of that. . .he's not my Buddy anymore. :(

Our Happy Halloween

We have always had family Halloween parties, dinners, and decorations to go to, until this year. So, I decided that I wanted to make it a fun Halloween for the kids. I must say, I was successful! On Thursday and Friday night and Saturday afternoon we had Halloween meals. My sister-in-law asked me if I had any good ideas for a Halloween dinner, so I went online and found some way cute ideas. . .

I called these sea monsters:

This one was my idea. We had "boo" sandwiches, mummy Cheetos and pumpkin shaped cheese
Then we had a pizza snake and eyeballs! Yummy!

On Friday night our neighborhood had a Halloween party. We went down to the clubhouse and the kids walked in a parade and got candy at the end, then we watched Monsters vs. Aliens outside. Yes, we watched it outside! It wasn't even cold! I don't remember ever having a Halloween that wasn't really cold. Such a nice change. We just sat on our blanket and had popcorn and drinks. The kids loved it.
As you can probably see, Bella dressed up as Tinker Bell. She loves anything Tinker Bell. She also gets mad at me when I take her costume off. Lucky for Ben (who hates spending money) Simon and Nolan decided (with no persuasion from parents I might add) that they wanted to be the same things they have been for three years now! Simon was Darth Vader and Nolan was Spiderman. Too bad next year the costumes won't fit them. . .and they will be so worn out that they probably won't work anyway! Poor Ben.

On Saturday, we had a block party for our little cul-de-sac. They had music and dinner and games for the kids. They also had a pinata, which was Simon's favorite part. My favorite part was that everyone brought their bowl of candy with them and when it was time to go trick-or-treating, we put them on a big table for the kids to walk around and grab from each bowl instead of going to each house. A few of the adults, that don't have little kids, stayed and monitored the amount of candy being picked up. That means I got to go trick-or-treating with the kids!

Bella had to be the cutest thing. She would walk up to the door with her pumpkin bucket and say "tick-teat". Everyone thought she was adorable so they would load her up with candy. Then Ben and I would say "What do you say Bella?" and she would say "Mo" (more). Then the people would give her more candy because they thought it was so cute. We would ask her again what she should say, and then she would say "tayou" (thank you) . She got way more candy than the boys. Simon and Nolan did even it out a little with the pinata. It rained quite a bit which didn't bother the kids at all and we all had a good time, even with the rain!

Simon wanted me to put a picture of their goodies:

. . .We only went down one street.

Curly-Q. . .Or Not.

I decided that since Princess Bella has such long hair, I would try putting curlers in. Worst case scenario, her head would be a poof ball and we would just wash out the curls. Best case, she would look super cute with all of her curls.

It's funny, because I remember, quite well, when my mom would put curlers in my hair. I loved that my hair was so curly when I woke up and took them all out, but I hated everything else about it. I hated sitting there while she put them in, and I definitely hated sleeping in them. They aren't comfortable at all, no matter what the package might say. I say it's funny because here I am, subjecting my daughter to the same torture that I had to go through! Ha!

She was so good while I put them in. She just sat there looking in the mirror smiling at herself. Here she is with her curlers in. Don't you think she looks so sweet and angelic in this picture?

Well, you are wrong.

When Ben and I were on our way to bed, I thought I'd go in Bella's room and see if the curlers were staying in while she slept. This is what I found. . .the little stinker.Three curlers made it through the night. Three. I'm pretty sure the only reason they made it was because she couldn't reach the top of her head to take them out.

The plan was to post a cute before and after picture. However, since none of my plans typically work out (especially when Bella is involved) I guess I'll settle with a cute before picture and a not-so-cute after. . .Dang Kid.

And this picture just because I think it's so funny. . .

So Cute

How could you not love these kids?!?

Our Little Chicken Nugget

Apparantly we haven't had enough changes in our life lately. . .because we are going to have another. I'm pregnant! I'm due April 3.
Because of the last miscarriage, I really wanted to wait until I was past the 12 week milestone to tell everyone. We didn't even tell Simon or Nolan. We knew they would spill the beans! So, when we finally did tell Simon he immediately wanted to know if he's going to have a new brother or sister. I told him that we won't find out for a few weeks and we'll just have to wait.
Then he wanted to know what the baby's name would be. I told him that if it's a girl she will be named Malia, and we don't really have a name picked out for a boy. He proceeded to tell me that if it's a boy he will be called Chicken Nugget.
We find out what the gender is next month. If it is a boy, Simon will be so sad that we aren't naming him Chicken Nugget. . .but it sure is a good nickname. :)

. . .and yes, this time I am excited!

BBQ's and Not-So-Great Ideas

There is a family in our ward, the Halls, that have adopted us. They are the nicest people, and our kids love them! They invited us over for dinner a while ago, and the kids just loved playing in their pool. Lucky for me the Halls have teenage boys who swam with the kids so I didn't have to get in a swimming suit! Other than Bella almost drowning and me almost jumping in the water fully dressed with my camera around my neck, it was really really fun! We roasted s'mores in their fire, and had a yummy BBQ dinner. They are just good people, and fun to be around.

Bella is in her toddler bed and she takes advantage (way to often) of the fact that she can get out whenever she wants. I am used to Simon and Nolan (and Bella when she was in a crib) taking 2-3 hour naps every day. Needless to say, I am entirely sick of her getting out of bed. She maybe takes a 30-45 min. nap now. For my sanity, that had to be fixed.
I was talking to my mom the other day, expressing my frustration, and I jokingly told her that I was so close to tying her door shut so that she can't get out. I never mentioned my idea to anyone else. I was a little hesitant to do that. If something were to happen, I didn't want to have to deal with untying a rope.
Last Sunday, we were all sick, and we all stayed home from church. Everyone needed a nap and Ben and I were all to aware of the fact that Bella wouldn't be taking a very good one. I was putting Bella in bed and Ben walked upstairs with a rope in his hands, ready to tie her door shut. To ease my concerns about an emergency we put a knife close by so we could just cut the rope. We had the best nap. . .a whole three hours! . . .and then I looked in Bella's room. . .

She had gotten out of her bed, and realized that she couldn't open her door, so she looked for other ways of entertaining herself. She pulled out every single toy and every item of clothing she owns. It was a mess. Not the greatest idea, but totally worth it.
I have since come across another idea. Ben is going to turn the door knobs around so that we can just lock her in from the outside. You just have to turn the knob to unlock it, so I think I will be a little more comfortable with that, I have resigned myself to the fact that her room will look like a bomb hit. . .and I'll get my two hours of quiet!! Problem solved.

I know! I know!....

I'm horrible. Everyone keeps asking me to put pictures of our house on here, and I keep finding other things to do. . .but first things first. . .
My poor little Bella was sort of forgotten on her birthday this year. It just happened to be in the thick of the move. Luckily, we had a little party for her before we left. . .so I'm not a totally hopeless mother. . .right?! My sweet Bella turned two at the beginning of August. . .and really she's not all that sweet. ;) She is always into everything. She will climb up on the counters and get whatever she can reach. (She bit open all of the bananas and took a bite of each of them. She has spilled the sugar everywhere, and also opened the chocolate milk mix and spread it all over, and she's always getting into my makeup, among many many other things). She keeps me busy, to say the least. However, she is so darn cute and I just love her to pieces! My mom says that I was exactly the same way when I was little so I deserve her. . .I'm not sure that's fair.

Also, Simon started kindergarten this year! He is so excited to go to school every day. He gets to ride the bus and he acts like that's the best thing that has ever happened to him. They have all day kindergarten here, and he is loving it. I'll have to tell you all about his school in another post but just so you know how great it is, it is one of the top seven elementary schools in North Carolina. I love it! Nolan seems to be a little lost without his buddy to play with. He is always asking me when Simon will get home. I'm looking forward to having some one-on-one time with him though. I just love that sweet Nolan boy.

And now, I'll include some pictures of the house. Keep in mind, the rooms aren't totally done, but good enough to show everyone. I'll put a before and after of each room. Some of the rooms I haven't painted yet, so you'll have to see those later! For now, we'll start at the top. . .
The Boys Room:

I still need Ben to hang the other curtains, and the walls need something on them but I'm not sure what to do yet. . .any ideas?

Bella's Room:

I need to get her some curtains. If you ever think you want to do stripes in a room, don't! They look awesome, and I love them, but they were so much work. I'm very particular so that probably didn't help, but I don't think I'll do stripes like that ever again! Yes, that's her new big girl bed. Oh how I wish I had the crib back. . .and that she couldn't climb out of it! She can get out so easily now, and she does.

Master Bedroom:

I haven't painted this room yet. I really don't have any idea what color to use (again. . .any ideas?). I'm going to have to think about that for a while. I'm having a hard time finding a color that looks good with our bedding. This is my new bedroom furniture, and I wanted to show it off, hence the picture. I also got a new comforter set!

The Bonus/Game Room:

We aren't painting in here, and the boxes in the middle of the floor won't be there, they just haven't found a home yet. I love this room. It keeps me sane! If the kids aren't outside, they are playing in here.

Upstairs we also have another bathroom an extra bedroom, and there is a little room off of the bonus room. Those haven't been painted yet. Oh, and there is the master bathroom, and I haven't taken a picture of that either.

Downstairs we have. . .
The Kitchen:

This hasn't been painted yet. It will be an olive green color. It doesn't look bad now, so I thought I'd include the picture.

The Living Room:

This isn't totally done. I am still going to paint the other two walls a light brown. I do love the rusty color of that wall. This is also my new furniture! I can't tell you how excited I am to not have the futon in the living room anymore!

The Laundry Room:

I love all the counter space, and the nice deep sink! It's connected to the garage and also has a door to the back yard, so I guess it's a mud room too.

The Bathroom:

I don't have a before picture.

There is also a dining room, a guest bedroom and an office on the main level.

Then we have the backyard.
This is the view from the deck:

And this is the view from the play house:

I'll have to include a picture of the garage later. It's still a work in progress! So, there are the pictures that I have so far. All of the rooms aren't completely done. They all need curtains, and I still have things to hang on some of the walls, but they are good enough for now. I'll post more pictures as I finish the rooms. I'm completely sick of painting right now, so I imagine it won't be for at least a few more weeks! I will, however, try to be better at updating this blog, and checking out all of your blogs too! We really love it here, but we also really miss everyone in Utah. It's different here. But it's a good different Everyone, everywhere is so nice and it is so beautiful. However, they don't even have cinnamon bears, or salt water taffy. And the Subway's haven't even heard of a seafood sub! I mean, really?! I guess we'll have to load up when we come visit! :)

P.S. Here is my new haircut!

One week later. . .

Well, it's been busy busy busy! We arrived here in North Carolina on July 26, and we haven't stopped working! It is so much fun to paint and decorate our new house, and yet very stressful. It sure looks nice when it's all put together though! We were so lucky to have Ben's mom come out and help us for a few days. She was a life saver! The kids were so happy to see her too. Now they call the room she was staying in Kai's (that's what they call her) room, and the bathroom is 'Kai's bathroom'. My mom will be coming this Friday to help out. I'm so excited! We are painting every room, so there's a lot of work to do! So far we love it here. I know it's only been a week, but it's been a good week. The kids love the big back yard, and go exploring often! We went to church yesterday (and had to drive 40 minutes to get there. . .yuck). Everyone was so kind and friendly. We really are having a great time! Sorry for the short little update. I don't have much time right now. I am going to take before and after pictures of the rooms, so I'll post those as I get them done. . .oh, and Ben bought me new furniture!! No more futon! Hooray!

The 4-1-1

Last January Ben and I were driving home, and he asked me if I had ever thought about moving out of Utah. Coincidentally, I had been thinking that very thing at the same time he was.
To make a long story short, we decided that was something we wanted to do, and found out where Wells Fargo had offices. They had a small office in Charlotte. We prayed and fasted, and felt like that was where we should go. So, Ben sent a resume to the manager there, and told him of our interest to move.
Now, a year and a half later, Wells Fargo has bought Wachovia, which has a huge presence in Charlotte, making our move possible!

Ben was told of the job opening (doing the same thing he is doing now) at the beginning of May. Before Ben and the manager in Charlotte (Randy) discussed the position, Randy flew Ben and me to Charlotte to meet the team members, and show us around a little. It was so much fun. It was almost like they were trying to convince us to move. They really like Ben, and want him to come work for them. We knew we were making the right decision as soon as we got off the plane. Everyone that Ben will work with is so nice, and it is absolutely beautiful there! We both love it!

Ben accepted the job at the end of May, and last week Ben and I flew out there to find a house. That was stressful. We had the end of Wednesday, all day Thursday, and most of Friday to find one. I think we went to see 30-35 houses. The last house we saw, was the one we chose. . .why couldn't we have seen that one first!? Anyway, we sent them an offer on the house Friday night, and they had accepted it by Saturday afternoon, while we were still on the way home! Hooray! Here is our house:
I'll post more pictures when we are there, and I get some time! We are so excited!!

Side note: Simon had a game while we were in NC. The little stinker made four goals! It's way funny too, since Ben told him he could have $5 per goal. Haha! I made Ben give him the twenty bucks. His last game is tonight. I hope he makes more goals so that I can see. . .and so that Ben has to cough up more money! Simon was pretty thrilled when he got all of that money. :) He has earned almost enough to buy a Nintendo DS (we are too cheap. . .Simon has to earn the money and save up for it on his own). He's almost there!

Catch Up

I know, I'm a total slacker. I've been busy. . .really I have.
So, about soccer . . . Nolan doesn't play anymore. We took him to one last game so I could record him playing. He kicked a goal and everything! As soon as he kicked the goal, he came walking off the field saying "I don't want to play soccer." We figured that if kicking a goal doesn't do it for him, nothing will. We decided not to fight him about it. He sure is a cute little stinker though!

Simon is still playing, and loves every minute of it. Ben really wants him to kick another goal, so he has upped the price payed for making a goal to five dollars. . .but Simon still hasn't made another one, even with the incentive. Two goals is good though, right!? . . .I think it is! Simon also graduated from Preschool! He's getting so big. He starts kindergarten next year! YIKES! It was fun to watch him sing all of the songs, and show some of the things they learned throughout the year. He did awesome on the little test they give the kids going to kindergarten the next year. His teacher said he was one of the smartest kids and he was at the top of his class!

Mother's Day was great! I just love being a mommy. There's nothing better.Ben had a birthday yesterday! He is 29. . .so old! It's actually quite strange to think that he is almost thirty. Anyway, we had dinner at his parents house. They cooked yummy steak and funeral potatoes per Ben's request. Yummy! Happy Birthday Babe!

Oh, and one minor thing that has kept us a little busy. Nothing major, we're just moving to North Carolina in July, that's all. :) We are so excited! . . .I'll explain later!

And just because I feel like she got left out of this post. Here is a funny picture of my princess. This is what she does when she doesn't get her way. If she were on the floor, she'd be rolling around and kicking her feet. She's an angel. :)