I should be...

PACKING. 

That is what I should be doing...right this second.  But, I'm going to post instead because I can't believe how neglected my blog has been this Spring.  I'm going to seriously kick myself later for not updating as things happened.  I had planned on posting a countdown of my favorite things from living here (which I still may do because I don't want to forget any of them). And bucket list items we were finally able to cross off.  And, most importantly to me, the wonderful times I've had with friends as we've been saying goodbye.  (But you can check out the amazing party the class below us put together for the graduating seniors here, good thing my friend Paige is a stellar blogger!)  Alas, I didn't do any of the above things and we are leaving in a matter of minutes to meet my family down in Anaheim for a couple of days of Disneyland fun. This is it, I'm out of time!  Graduation is Friday and we move this weekend.  Because of that I won't be posting for a while, maybe a long while since I no longer have a laptop, just a home computer which will get packed. 

So, if you will, please picture us Friday morning (as I like to) with huge smiles on our faces as we celebrate Kris and his accomplishment.  And if you are having a hard time picturing it, maybe this will help:

We had this taken and sent out with Kris' graduation announcements.   I love this picture, I love my family.  I am so proud of my husband.  And I'm proud of me, too.  I can say that, right?  'Cause I am.  It was hard.  But we did it! 

And I can't wait to celebrate!
  

Proof that my kids sometimes pay attention at church

When my kids say something that I find hilarious but they are being completely sincere, it is all I can do to keep from laughing out loud and then wishing that anyone else was around to hear it, too. 

Ryan and Ethan were watching Dinosaur Train while I was sorting through things.  (We are packing around here and I have to come to terms with the fact that this house will never be clean again as long as we are living in it.)  Ryan and Ethan began telling the other what their favorite dinosaur was and then Ryan asked how we knew what dinosaurs looked like since they weren't around anymore.  I told him that people that study dinosaurs looked at dinosaur bones and fossils that they've found and then made the best guess they could. 

This answer did NOT satisfy. 

"They guessed?!?!  I don't think so Mom, maybe the Holy Ghost whispered quiet in their ear so they knew what dinosaurs looked liked.  Yeah, that's what happened, he whispered in their ear real quiet so they could know."

Ha!  I loved it.  Proof that he is actually soaking up something during church, even if he does apply it to dinosaurs!

We're moving to...

TEXAS!!!

(The boys were excited to announce this news wearing the shirts given to them by the Dr and his wife.  We were going for T is for Texas in this last picture)

We are happy, thrilled, excited and relieved to announce that Kris has accepted a position in Denison, Texas at the office of Smart Mouth Family Dental. 

We feel so blessed to have found this position because we already know Dr. Hill and his family.  Ben, with his wife Dori, was a fourth year dental student when Kris was a first year.  Dori was the first person to introduce herself to me and make me feel welcome in our new ward.  They invited us to join them for pizza in the park, Kris assisted Ben during Ben's WREB examinations and Ben performed a root canal for me during his senior year.  We feel like we are in good hands!

The boys were sad when they first heard the news.  Ryan cried and said he wanted to go to Utah and live by his Grandma's.  We got online and found some pictures of Texas and a few houses in the area WITH BACKYARDS and told him that soon we were going to live there and he would have a yard to play in and space to run and explore and new friends just waiting to meet him.  We had him at "backyard".  Plus we told them that Ben and Dori have 4 girls their ages so they are excited to meet some possible new friends.

 

I never imagined I would ever live in Texas.  I've yet to even visit!  But then again, I never really thought I'd live in California either.  My life with Kris has been a wild ride so far and really it's just beginning.  Utah, California, Texas, who knows what else is in store for us?!  For now I'm content with Texas.  We both feel that it is the best place for our family to go after graduation and we are excited and very much looking forward to this new adventure.  If any of you have some experience in Northern Texas, or know someone in Northern Texas (we'll be about an hour North of Dallas), or can share some must do's and see's in the area let me know!  For now, I'm trying to enjoy our last 4 weeks in California.

Bye, y'all!

(sorry, I couldn't resist.)

Easter Egg Hunt

The boys and I headed to South Pasadena's Easter Egg Hunt while Kris was busy at a dental clinic Easter weekend.  I felt pretty proud of myself for doing it on my own.  Besides being hot, there were a ton of people and maneuvering through the crowds with three kids in tow was tricky.  Basically they had the middle section of the park roped off, filled it with plastic eggs and let the kids go snatch them up.  Each age group got to go on their own so that the 2 year olds weren't competing with the 6 year olds.  Which is good, because it was pretty cutthroat out there!  Grey was lucky enough to find three eggs and examined them all by trying to eat them.  What I didn't get a picture of was the little boy that tried to take it from him, while Grey was sucking on it!  It was pretty funny to see Grey's reaction! 

When Ethan's turn came around I was told I wasn't allowed to go with him, so I told him to run over to where I was and hunt for eggs there and I'd take his picture.  When the mob was finally released Ethan was one of the last one's in and because of that he only got one egg!  But luckily it didn't seem to matter to him, doesn't he look so happy with his find?

Ryan is a little quicker so he snatched up about six eggs before they were all gone.  We played a few carnival games and called it a day.  We had fun, but we were beat when we got home! 

Go Marlins!

Ryan started off his first season of little league baseball a few weeks ago and is loving it.  We have a few things to work on with him, like paying attention for starters.  :o)  At one point Ryan was playing outfield and a flyball came toward him, bounced right between his legs, and rolled away and he didn't even notice!  But, he is having a great time with it and we enjoy watching him.

Go Marlins!!!

yo ho, yo ho, a pirate party for me

Enjoy some scenes from a pirate birthday bash. 

Happy 6th and 4th Ryan and Ethan! 

Love, Mom and Dad.

4

Happy Birthday Ethan! 

I can not say enough good things about how Ethan is doing right now.  He has been such a happy, fun, helpful boy lately.  I also had a parent teacher conference with Ethan's preschool teacher (I know, funny, right?!) and she said he is doing great!  He really takes his time when he is trying to figure things out.  He'll sit and work on one thing until it is completed.  He is really into creating paper crafts at the moment and my kitchen table is constantly covered with his art projects.  Most recently it has been puppets, maps and telescopes. 

We had his birthday cake and balloon sitting on the table waiting for him when he woke up. 

 Grandma K sent checks for the boys with instructions for them to go pick out a fun toy at the toy store.  Ryan picked out a Hot Wheels Dinosaur Racetrack that has been a huge hit.  When it came time for Ethan to pick something out Kris and I made a few suggestions, he picked one thing, then another and then...he spotted it.  The toy he wanted and nothing was going to change his mind.  

Roller Skates!

If you know Ethan, you know he's, well, he's a bit clumsy.  Adorable, but not too coordinated.  :o)  He just grows too fast!  We made sure to get a set that included a helmet, wrist guards and knee pads.  Oh, I love it!  I think he looks adorable.  We haven't ventured outside with them yet.  We're giving him a few days on the carpet and linoleum to get used to it.   

His birthday fell on the free day at the LA Arboretum so we met up with friends to enjoy the nice weather.  It had been a while since I had been there and when we turned a corner I saw a turtle statue and remembered this picture I took of Ethan on our first trip to the Arboretum.

This was taken in October of 2009.   He was a year and a half.

Ethan today.  He has grown up so much!

We love you Ethan!

6

Today was the day my little guy turned 6!  I was right last year when I said that things were going to change once he turned 6.  He has changed, but all in wonderful ways that I couldn't have imagined.  He's still my fun and loving little boy, but he's also maturing and taking on more responsibility.  He is thriving at school.  I just had his parent teacher conference and this boy is doing great!  I'm so proud of him!  His teacher says he's a sweet boy with a good heart who loves to learn, he is just a little too likeable sometimes for his own good.  (Read between the lines:  At times he's a bit of a chatterbox with friends when he should be listening.  But if that's the worst she can say I'll take it!)

A Sunday birthday can be a bit of a bummer, besides church we didn't go anywhere fun or exciting.  We are having a little birthday party with his friends this weekend and Kris and I decided to wait and give him his birthday gift then.  It's a big gift so we decided it was enough, but then after we had already put the kids to bed my mother's heart felt terrible for not having a single present for him to open on his actual birthday.  I dug something out of our gift cupboard, wrapped it up, and we woke him up to open it.  He was thrilled, as we knew he would be.  This boy is nothing if not grateful!  It makes loving him so easy!  We let him stay up and Kris and I took turns playing his new game with him.  It's a memory I'll cherish.

Happy Birthday Ryan!

9 Years

Happy Anniversary to us!    

I think now is a good time for an update on us, since it seems a little questionable that I will ever really go back and blog about the last 3-4 months that I missed.  That absence came about for a variety of reasons. 

Number one, my laptop began to show signs of shutting off and never turning back on, so I quickly backed up all of our photos and then waited for us to get a new computer which we weren't able to do until recently when we received our tax return.  No computer = no blogging.

Number two, my Grandpa passed away in late November.  My Grandpa Creamer was possibly my favorite person ever.  I grew up, literally, right next door to him.  There was not a day of my childhood that I didn't spend a small portion of it with him.  One year for Father's Day I gave him a card thanking him for being like my second Dad.  His passing has been so hard.  And I was really sad for a long time.  I have all these beautiful photographs of him that I wanted to post and stories of him that I wanted to share and every time I sat down to do it, I just couldn't.  I will eventually. 

Number three, last year of dental school.  That should be explanation enough to anyone who's ever done it.  I've decided dental school (or medical, law, etc.) is like a marathon.  For a long time you are striving for that finish line that's way off in the distance. Just as that line is in sight and you are exhausted there's a sprint before you can get there.  That's where we are, at the sprint.  I can't speak for Kris, but I am tired!  This last year has been rough.  Kris is working so hard to get everything completed in time.  There are so many things to do in preparation of graduation that it can be overwhelming.  We just hope the stars align and everything gets done, he finds patients for the WREB (Western Regional Examination Board) and then qualifies for the WREB, and finally passes the WREB. 

Number four, we still aren't sure where we are going when this marathon is over and I am a wee bit stressed about that.  The unknown is hard for most people.  I am no exception.  Getting through these last 2 months, graduation, and then our move to a yet to be determined location are all good and exciting things.  But even good and exciting things can be stressful.  And that is probably the best word to describe us lately.  STRESSED! 

Okay, now that I've sounded like a Debbie Downer for the last four paragraphs I'll leave you with a bit of sunshine.  We are still here!  We still love each other!  We love our boys!  We LOVE our life!  Even with the stress and hard times I am gratified to know that I am happy in my unhappiness.  Doesn't sound right, does it?!  What I mean is this: tough times come, as they always do but underneath the stress and sadness that comes with life I will always find happiness because of my husband, my boys and the Gospel.  We had a talk the other night (one of many) about everything that is going on in our lives and the different worries and concerns we have.  At one point I told Kris that I didn't expect him to fix or solve any of these things but as long as I can share them with him, then it makes me happier.  Just knowing he is listening and he cares, eases my mind.  I love talking to him.  I love just being with him.  We are happy together.  And we've earned it.  Every day, for 9 years.

Go us!

p.s.  Another benefit of being married nine years is that your spouse knows you so well.  Kris just got home and gave me my anniversary present.  A cotton candy maker. 

I love that man.

The "Super" Market

Ryan stopped playing to ask me, "Mom, does the supermarket have a hero?"

"No, why?"

"Then why does it have the word 'super' in it?"

"Super is just a word that is used to describe another word.  It means that something about it makes it better, bigger, or special in some way."

He thought about this answer for a second and then said, "Oh, like how the doors at the market open and close by themselves!"

I like how this boy thinks!

that dreaded "f" word

Funk.

That's the word people use when they are feeling a little down and unmotivated and just can't seem to be able to "rally the troops" to get things done.  Yep, that sounds a lot like me the past few months.  

But, I'm workin' on it.

I am.

The fog has lifted and I feel close to my old self again. Man, it feels good. So, hopefully I'll be back in a bit with all kinds of backdated posts.  Because, come on, we had Christmas, Grey turned ONE(!), and my parents came to visit.  And just around the corner is our 9th anniversary and Ryan's and Ethan's birthdays.  Not to mention that the countdown is seriously on for Kris' graduation.  (Can I get a HALLELUJAH?!) 

I've got milestones to record, memories to preserve and a Mother-in-Law to keep happy!  ;o)
(Hi Dawn!  Pictures of your grandchildren are coming, I promise.)

See you soon. 

(Hopefully.)