Bowling with Max!

Jayni has been excited all week for today. Today was the day we went bowling with Max!

Max LOVES basketball. Just as much, if not more than Tom. Can you believe that? Max is such a sweet guy! He's fifteen and Tom has been helping him with basketball.

Tom actually arranged for Max to go to the Big Bend Vikings Basketball Camp in June! So, we'll see him again in Moses Lake!! We arranged for him to stay with my Mom, but his Dad decided to go and wanted to stay in a hotel. Tom's planning a Seattle Mariners game with them. I hope I get to go, too!! Isn't he a cutie!

Max was so sweet to Jayni. I think he helped her more than Tom and I did.

We captured video of Jayni's disappointment after not hitting any pins. She wasn't disappointed for very long though!

The way she reacted to that totally reminded me of something Tom would do after missing a basket or something to do with sports. I loved her tap dancing afterwards! She was doing it all night. She hasn't done it before but I know she saw a little girl doing it on TV, so I guess that's where she got it from.

It was nice to get out of the house and have some fun tonight! After bowling, we came home, bathed the kids, put Mason to bed and had dinner. After dinner, Tom and Max went to have a night out playing video games with some guys from our ward. I got Jayni to bed and decided to take tonight off myself. I haven't had time to post anything or read up on other blogs. Just relaxing!

Hopefully I'll be able to fit in some more blogging before we board the airplane for Washington! I'm not counting on it though. We'll be leaving the house here, at 2 am Thursday, to catch our flight. We won't arrive in Seattle until 7:30 that night! Oh, it will be such a long day. I'm really not looking forward to it!!!!

Very Boring, But Busy

I pretty much have not left the house in the last three weeks. I try to get out and walk with the kids but with all the rain these last few weeks and getting ready to move, it hasn't happened!

We have been able to get things packed and even started on some of the cleaning today. Thanks for all your help, Tom!! I've been packing and Tom's been cleaning.

We told Jayni that she'll be going home in a suitcase. She was all for it until we flipped the lid up on the suitcase.

We promised that we'd put some cookies, water and other snacks in with her but she still didn't like the idea. That's just as well since I need the space in the suitcase for more clothes.

Yesterday, Tom and I celebrated our 5th anniversary! We went out to dinner with the kids. They were great! It was nice to celebrate with them. Of course, we didn't have a choice! I hope to get away for a weekend without the kids shortly after we arrive back in the States. Tom was sneaky enough to get me two dozen roses. He got them when I sent him out on an errand earlier in the day and he had Jayni give them to me right before we left for dinner. I have such a wonderful husband...and kids!

Rain, Rain, GO AWAY!!

So, it has rained almost every day for the last three weeks. We had a really big pouring a few days ago. Jayni wanted to go outside and play, so I let her. Of course, she didn't let me put a jacket on her.

That didn't last long! As soon as she stepped outside and the rain hit her, she stood there and said, "It's cold, it's cold". Then she turned around and wanted a jacket. I don't think the sandals helped either but they were the only pair of shoes she had downstairs.

 

Here's a short clip of Jayni enjoying the rain!

Tom's Mustache

So, after we decided to move to Washington, Tom decided he wasn't going to shave or cut his hair. He's been getting hairy ever since. Thursday nights he plays soccer in a league with some guys from church. Last Thursday, after work, he took a shower and came downstairs and said, "What do you think?".

I about died seeing his mustache! It was funny, at least at first and I had to take a picture. I was glad he shaved off his three week beard and was looking forward to him shaving the rest off. Tom couldn't stand it being so itchy. I HATED his facial hair! It was so itchy and prickly. But he did promise he was going to shave the mustache after his game that night.

Tom came home that night more excited then ever because he had scored his first goal. He has always played goalie but he moved positions that night. Since that happened he thought his mustache brought him luck so he didn't shave it off Thursday night.

Even though I don't like him having facial hair, I didn't mind him having the beard and mustache until we moved. I couldn't handle the mustache on it's own though. Sunday morning I begged him to shave it off before church. I'm sorry to say, but it was SO embarrassing. Why do I let things like that bother me? Of course he didn't shave it Sunday. After work on Monday, Tom came downstairs after his shower with a nice smooth face. I loved it!

I love my husband! I love how he can be silly and not worry about what people think. I wish I could be more like that and not get embarrassed and worry about what other people think. He's so carefree and I love that about him! He makes me laugh!

Does anybody else get worried or embarrassed about little things like this or do you not sweat the small stuff?

A Saturday Afternoon at the Malvern Hills

On Saturday we walked the Malvern Hills. Jayni was great! She walked the whole way by herself. When we were walking uphill, she kept saying it was hurting her back.

Of course Jayni wanted to take pictures too. She snapped this one of me. 

Tom with his long hair and mustache. Hair, not so bad...mustache, yuck! I don't think you can tell he has a mustache in this picture though. It doesn't fill in very well. HAHA!

I'm not sure what Jayni was thinking when I took this picture.

We hiked all the way up this trail. Tom wanted to hike the top trail so we could go to the very top. It was pretty steep, Tom had a hard time pushing Mason up in the stroller.

We were planning to go further once we reached the top, but the wind was so bad that we ended up turning around and calling it a day. Mason wasn't too happy with all the wind.

At the bottom of the hill there was a little roadside stand that had ice cream. Tom treated us to some. Jayni and I spotted this little bunny while we were waiting.

Jayni had a chocolate ice cream cone. Tom had pralines 'n cream and I had chocolate chip mint (surprise!). Mason enjoyed a little bit of each.

We had a good day spending the day as a family. I can't believe I didn't take any pictures of Mason though...I'm such a terrible mom!  It was windy, wet and cold but it was still great to get out and enjoy the beautiful countryside of England.

I'm really going to miss the beautiful green countryside of England!

The Blahs!

I've been feeling so "blah" lately. I don't know if it's because of all that's going on in my life right now or what. Actually, I'm sure it's change, I HATE CHANGE!

I'm not looking forward to packing up our house and figuring out what to do with the stuff that I know we won't be able to take back to the States. In ways I'm putting it off. But I plan on starting tomorrow!!

In some ways I'm not looking forward to moving back. It's not just the packing, it's a lot of different things. I'm really going to miss going to church with the great members of the Worcester Ward. This ward has so many great people. My testimony has grown so much because of this ward! I've grown close to a few sisters in the ward and I'll miss them so much. I'm going to miss England's BEAUTIFUL countryside. I'll miss those I've gotten to know through my kids and basketball.

I'm looking forward to being able to drive again. I haven't been driving here in England because we didn't want to pay for the insurance since we really didn't feel a need for me to drive. I'm looking forward to spending time with my sisters (including in laws). I can't wait to get to know them better and I'll finally be close enough to be able to do so. I'm looking forward to meeting new people and finding new friends. For those of you that know me well, you know that's a hard one for me. I'm so desperate for a good friendship even if it's just with one person. I've always been too shy or I've felt like I haven't had anything to offer to a friend. I've come to realize that I'm really missing out and my goal is to work at being a better friend, even to family members. I want to strengthen relationships!

Here's to strengthening relationships and having a better day tomorrow! And getting to bed, at least for me, I'm up way too late!

Bedtime, Nap & Fun in the Rain

Lately, Mason has been turning himself around in his bed and falling asleep. I think I need to change his bedding so that he can sleep the way he likes.

Tom had laid Mason down for a nap but Mason decided he wanted to play for a little bit. I guess he wore himself out because he fell asleep like this...

...doesn't it look uncomfortable?

First thing yesterday morning, Jayni wanted to go outside to play. I told her that it was raining but she still wanted to go out, so I got her dressed, pulled her hair up, put on her shoes and gave her a bag of carrots and she was off.

She didn't last too long though. She came back inside after just a few minutes. FYI, Tom is refusing to cut the grass, much to his wife's displeasure! He hates the lawn mower.

Washington, Here We Come!

 

Well, we finally know what's going to be the next step in our lives. We're moving to Kennewick! Tom has accepted a job with Jesse's Lawn Maintenance as a Landscape Manager. He's super excited. He's worked for Jesse for a summer before his mission and the first summer we were married, before we moved to Idaho.

I on the other hand am okay with it, but it's not exactly a place I really want to live. I just haven't ever been a huge lover of Tri-Cities. I swore I'd never live there! When I lived in Ephrata, that would be the place we'd go to shop. Never any luck for me there! Shoes were the WORST...never anything in my size. I'm really hoping shopping is better. Boise has a GREAT mall. I came to love Boise so much and I thought we'd end up there again. But, the Lord works in mysterious ways and my heart has softened to the idea. I know that's where He wants us to be.

I'm looking forward to being so close to our families. My parents live in Moses Lake, about 70 miles away and Tom's parents live in West Richland, about 22 miles away. All of Tom's siblings, except for Jake are living in West Richland and most of my siblings are scattered around the Columbia Basin. Since living here in England, I've come to appreciate my family even more. I want our kids to have a relationship with their grandparents and cousins. I enjoyed that when I was growing up and have many, many fond memories.

We'll be flying into Seattle the 24th of May and Tom has immediate plans. He'll be playing at Moses Lake's Springfest Basketball Tournament on May 26th. SHOCKING!!! He's crazy, I know he'll be really tired. That flight is SO long! At least we'll have all day Friday to lay low. We'll catch up with family and friends the following week and then Tom will be starting work on June 4th.

I can't wait to see those we haven't seen in a long time and hope to catch up with old friends. I'm getting pretty excited. Oh, the fun that will be had!

What's a Mom Worth?

Found this great article that I thought other mothers would appreciate, The Price of a Mom.

Would it not be nice to have compensation like that for taking care of our children?

My Hair, UGH!!!

Nice picture, huh? I actually turned the camera over to Tom and let him take a picture of me! Can you believe it!? I must be going crazy, oh wait, I already am. I know it looks goofy, but if you know my husband, you'd understand. He was making me laugh, I started to lean forward and he captured it. But, sadly it was one of the better ones. Why am I so critical of myself in pictures?

Anyway, I'm so sick of my hair! I can't remember a time that it's been longer. I know it's been longer, just because I have a picture from 1st grade that proves it to me. I love my hair short. I don't like to pull my hair back in a ponytail, I just don't think it suits me. I've been forced to do so these last few months because Mason is constantly pulling at it if I don't.

I have not had my hair cut in almost a year. The last time was when Mason was a couple weeks old. I feel so yucky and outdated! It's driving me crazy, I'm ready to chop it off! So, I've been looking around and thank goodness we get American Idol here in England because I loved Gina Glocksen's hair. I'm also a rocker at heart, just don't have the talent! I've seen similar cuts in England, this just gives me a picture to show how I want mine done.

So, when we get back from England, the first thing I'm doing is getting my hair cut. I hope you don't mind doing it for me, Melanie! I need to make appointments for all four of us in a real bad way. We all look pretty run down, I'm willing to do ANYTHING for us to look decent again!!

Has anyone else seen a cut that you think would be good for me? I'm most definitely open to ideas. Please, send pictures my way or any ideas you have. I'm desperate!!

Mason's 1st Birthday

We had a great day celebrating Mason's birthday, although we ended up not being able to do what we planned. Jayni thought we should have a picnic but the weather decided not to cooperate.

I had forgotten to get ice cream at the store, so we had to go before having cake and ice cream. At the store, Jayni REALLY wanted to ride on the ice cream truck. I never spend the money for the kids to do these things but let them do it this time. It had two seats so it was perfect for both of them to do together.

This was Mason's personal birthday cake. Jayni had her very own for her 1st birthday so we thought we'd do the same thing for Mason.

Mason ended up picking up the whole cake towards the end. At that point he was all caked out!

Mason stayed cleaner than I expected. On Jayni's 1st birthday she had cake all over her from head to toe.

This was bath time after cake and ice cream. I had to show this because Jayni was splashing water on Mason and he was laughing hysterically. By the time I got the camera, Mason wasn't laughing quite as much, but he still has some good laughs.