Here we go again...

Apparently we have house committal issues or something! We are moving again this weekend. Trust me, I don't enjoy moving but somehow it keeps coming up. So here's a rundown of our residence history.

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4010 S Pearl St. (Jan '02-Jul '03) If you follow the path to the right of that car you'll find our cute little newlywed studio appartment. The whole apartment could fit in the living room we now have. There was barely enough room to walk between the couch and bed and only one person could occupy the bathroom at a time. We loved it there but there was no way to fit a baby!

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448 Spanish View (Jul '03-May '04) - Yeah baby, look at our big house! Uh no actually zoom in on that window at the bottom, that's our basement apartment. But boy that apartment looked huge with two bedrooms and we even had a washer/dryer unit! We brought baby Emma home to this apartment and layed her on the table by that window to try to cure her jaundice.

Mom's House in Summerlin (May '04-Dec '04)- For awhile we lived with my parents while we finished school and taught and tried to save money. Emma and Nana became best friends and they both cried when we moved. Apparently Mom's gated community kept googlemaps out.

Grandmother's House (Dec '04-Aug '05)- Jamie's grandmother needed to move into a nursing home so we moved into her home for a time. It was nice to be in a real house all by ourselves even if the garage and yard we're unusable. We felt useful in the ward's youth programs and peeled off a whole lotta wallpaper in that home.

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Terrasanta condo (Sahara & Sloan) (Aug '05-Aug '06)- Jamie had just recently gotten a job teaching English at LVHS and we were thrilled to find this condo for rent just down the street. This is the home we brought Weston home to.

Canyon Willow Condo (Aug '06-Feb '08)- We finally owned our own home and loved this beautiful condo with it's fun paint jobs and large rooms! It's a good thing we love this condo because I think we'll end up having the blasted thing forever! It will be a great place to live when we retire and still haven't sold it. Andrew was born while we were here (just before Jamie moved to Georgia).

4112 Wells, Douglasville, GA (Feb '08-July '09)- We were thrilled to get a huge backyard, basement and carport with this house. It has suited our needs amazingly and we are sad to leave! Love those beautiful fall colors here in Georgia!

New house DV, GA (Jul '09-? Wanna take bets on how long we'll last this time?)- I'll post pics when I can. This house is certainly more space than we need but cheaper than what our current landlords are asking. So we have room for anyone wanting to visit! We're excited for a garage, an outlet in our bathroom, groundfloor laundry (opposed to the basement), treehouse and less grass to mow.

So yeah, we have issues. I think we need to sit down and get psychoanalyzed sometime so we can settle down someplace where we can plant a garden and actually be there long enough to enjoy the ripe vegetables, hold a stable calling, and let our kids stay with their friends (especially now that Em's starting school). Anyone got any theories? But each home has brought new memories and experiences I'm glad I didn't miss. I've made good friends, admired great examples, and served with different people in each ward and grow each time. So, good has been done I suppose, but honestly...I'm getting tired. I think I'm going to shoot for two years this time, a record for us.

"Because of what someone did for someone else"- Christopher Robin

For those of you who were disappointed that I skimmed past Emma's heroics and focused the last post on the camera, fret not, Emma had her recognition. We decided to throw Emma a "Hero party" (remember "Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day"?) We had pizza and pudding parfaits (no cake, my baking supplies are already packed), then we tossed her in a blanket and carried her on our shoulders all the while singing and cheering. Then we shared our favorite scripture hero ( it was FHE) and drew pictures of our heroes. Emma did a story board telling the story of her heroic act. In the beginning humble Emma was telling me she wasn't the hero because she didn't get Weston out of the pool but after awhile she decided that the party wasn't enough to pay tribute to such a saint as herself.

Emma-"Where's the balloons and the presents? You didn't even decorate!"

Mom- "Well it's not a birthday party, it's a hero party"

Emma- "Well then you should have some hero presents like a big hand that could help save people."

Then, she got upset when she was temporarily de-crowned so Daddy could get his hero moment after fixing the van. She was very proud of her crown and her achievement and wore it to bed and the next day so all her friends would know just how wonderful she is.

By the way, these pictures are courtesy of Emma's Fisher Price digital camera from a few Christmases ago. Thanks Grandma!

Casualties

Yesterday Weston got a little pink from sitting out watching the parade. Then he came home and crashed his trike riding at full speed down our long steep driveway and got some minor cuts and bruises on his face. Typical Weston moment. Then last night we were at our friend's for their 4th of July party. I took the kids into the bathroom to change into their swimsuits and on our way out the door I stopped to peek at the game going on in the kitchen. As I stepped outside Emma comes running over yelling, "Weston's drowning!" Except she's excited so I think maybe she's kidding or dramatic but run to the pool anyway. And sure enough he's underwater! I quickly jump in (fully clothed) and pull him out. He coughs up some water and whimpers for awhile, clinging to me. He was fine but he didn't go back into the pool last night. I sat down with him, kinda shaky, trying to figure out what just happened. After sitting awhile it occurred to me that I had something bulky in my pocket and I remember I had our camera in my pocket. Camera's don't like water. Before it's immersion, the camera had a fuzzy screen and I could never tell what I was getting until I put the pictures on the computer so I was starting to get itchy to buy a new one. But I was talking myself into being a good frugal girl and waiting until it was completely dead. I'm thinking by tomorrow (unless my tearing apart and drying efforts prove successful) I can officially pronounce the time of death. Don't get me wrong I was really trying to make the thing last but this makes it a little easier. At least it died nobley.

I've been wanting to upgrade our camera. I LOVE taking pictures and photography is just awesome and I want to learn how to do it well. Originally I had this plan of doing all the research to decide what camera I was looking for, then watching prices and waiting for the right deal to come along to buy. But I'm not sure how long I can go with NO camera. These kids have too high a cute photo-op frequency. So, long post, but I want to ask everyone what kind of camera you have and what you like about it and what you would recommend I get. And in the future I will keep my kids and my electronics away from the pool!!!

Dr Emma quotes

I made this book many months ago because I had a free photobook offer. I haven't shared it because I had hopes of making a more affordable one using another site. But that's not happened yet. If you like the idea and there is enough interest I will look into making that cheaper book. If you're a die hard Dr. Emma fan and money is no object to you, feel free to order the original.

Click here to view this photo book larger