As many of you know we moved our little family to North Salt Lake, UT in Feb so that we could all be together. So what did we do with our home you may ask? Well, we rented it out to a family that is friends with one of Josh's former colleagues. They've done a great job with keeping it looking nice. We did have to go out in May to fix the irrigation system because it had cracked in several spots, but other than that it's been a good thing for us. We started out renting an apartment here but have recently moved into renting a home. It feels so much better and we were able to stay in our ward boundaries, which meant not having to switch wards again :)
Since April we have made 5-6 trips out to Idaho for family affairs and fixing things at the house.
We were able to go and see my sweet Grandma Craner shortly before she passed away in May. It was hard to imagine that she wasn't going to be here with us for very much longer, but oh how glad I was that we took the chance and that our last living memory of her was a wonderful one. Her funeral was held on May 11th in Rexburg Idaho and then the next day her body was laid to rest. It's amazing how one life can touch so many. With the size of family we have it was amazing to know that everyone one of her grandchildren were present to celebrate the legacy she left behind. The only thing that would have made it more perfect is if her 2nd eldest daughter would have been able to attend in person (Aunt Brenda and Uncle Stan are serving a mission right now and were not able to come, but we felt them in spirit that day).
Josh and I celebrated our 7 year anniversary on May 13th. It was my year to plan and so I had ordered us Rumbi for dinner, got a babysitter for the kids, and we took a walk down memory lane. In June we were able to get away for a night without the kids when my sister-in-law came to visit as well.
Since being here we've been able to go to Hogel Zoo twice and also took the kids to the Kangroo Zoo (a big bouncy house place for kids that is just down the road from us). We have also been able to get together with family members for dinner occasionally.
We spent our 4th of July in ID. We stayed at my parents house while there. On the 4th we spent the morning in Rexburg with Josh's sister Melissa. She invited us to breakfast and then we watched the parade with them. Josh's mom and 3 siblings came up to watch as well. In the parade we had Josh's sister Elizabeth walk for the BYU-I portion and my neice Emily was also in it seeing that she is a cheerleader for Madison. That night we ate pizza, played games and watched the fireworks over in Menan with my brother Sam and his wife Nicole. On Friday and Saturday we spent time between Aunt Kathy's house and in Rexburg for Josh's side of the family's reunion. Friday night we honored Grandpa Harmon and on Saturday it was about Grandma, which was perfect seeing that it was her birthday.
The remainder of this post tells you what we have been up to individually and then pictures at the end.
Josh is working as an accountant in Salt Lake for the Family History Department of our Church. He is also working on getting his CMA and trying to figure out how to get his Master's Degree done. He has several options to choose from and we are just trying to sort out everything so that we can make the best decision for our family and his career. I'm trying to convince him to take Jacob to the ward Mancamp in a couple of weeks. He loves having a ward calling and finally got one a month or 2 ago. He is the assistant finance clerk in our ward.
I took a job in March up at LDSH Hospital and work nights. For the most part I love my job. I have a great boss and supervisor who are willing to work with my schedule so that Josh and I don't have to have a babysitter. We meet up at the hospital each night I have to work (4 nights a week) and switch vehicles and the kids. It's definitely not the most ideal situation for our family but we are making it work. It's a lot different than working in the Madison Memorial Hospital in Rexburg but it's really nice to grow and evolve in the processes I'm learning. Now I just need to decide if and what I want to finish my degree in. I have the opportunity to serve in my ward as a district supervisor. To those who've had this calling you'll know that it really depends on the ward in how successful it goes. I'm still trying to figure out ways that I can help the sisters on my route get there visiting teaching done so if anyone has any ideas please let me know.
Ashlyn is my big 4 year-old. She loves to color and play house. She can now count to 12 without any help, can identify most of the alphabet, and recite stories from memory. She is also very creative in putting twists in stories to change them up. She loves to help mom make cookies and bread when the occasion arises. She recently memorized a small line from the Family Proclamation and has been telling people proudly that "Families are ordained of God". She loves to play at the park and with her friends (Hailee and Payson). She is very much looking forward to turning 5 next year and going to preschool. Her favorite shows right now are Cailou and Scooby-Doo. When you ask her what she wants to be when she grows up she replies confidently that she wants to be a doctor.
Kaylee had her 2nd birthday 2 months ago and sadly we don't have any pictures of it. Since moving here I have had trouble keeping tabs on my camera and having a charged battery. She was pretty excited to get a veterinary set that came with a pink puppy. Kaylee loves to follow Ashlyn in everything. She is going through the "I hate bathing" stage right now which can be challenging and has trouble going to bed.. Ashlyn was the same way at this age but not nearly as stubborn. Kaylee loves to call people on the phone, if I'd let her she'd probably have one attached to her ear. She is able to count to 3 now and loves to mimic everything you say. She loves nursery now and her favorite thing about it is the bubbles. She loves Bo on the GO and Wheels on the bus. She still loves milk and anything that is easy access for her to grab. It's a challenge to keep her out of the fridge. She is such a great big sister to her little brother and loves to help take care of him and play with him. Her favorite toys right now are her Mickey and Minnie Mouse stuffed animals.
Jacob is growing up so fast. It's hard to believe that he will be turning 1 next week. He is the Jedi master of crawling everywhere and has recently taken to walking along the furniture and climbing. He loves to hold hands and walk to. He's transitioned nicely off the formula to regular milk, even though I still give him formula here and there since we have 1 can left. He eats anything and still gets excited when you talk about food. He is completely off baby food as well now. I'd have to say his most favorite food item right now is a toss up between cereal and waffles. Most of his 12 month shirts no longer fit him because he is so broad. He and Kaylee are the same weight. He loves to clap and laughs a lot when Ashlyn is doing pretend ballet lessons. He's such a content little guy for the most part. He has his bottom 2 teeth and his top side teeth with his top middle ones trying to come in. In the coming month he will undergo a corrective procedure up at Primary Children's Medical Center. So glad it's just a same-day surgery and that I can be there with him. Just wish his dad could be there to but Josh will be taking the day off to be home with the girls. I love my snuggle bug and wish he could stay at this stage forever. He's so much fun!
.JPG)
