We Moved!

That's right, we moved!  Well, technically we are living with Brannon's folks until June 9th but all of our things are in Redondo Beach California except 2 suitcases full of clothes.  Brannon and I drove our car and a Budget rental truck down to our new apartment with my bro, Kyle and Brannon's sister Carissa.  It was so wonderful to have their help, we couldn't have done it without them.  And just to recap, we live a few blocks from the beach, 1/2 hour away from Disneyland, 1/2 hour from LAX, 1/2 hour from Long Beach Airport (my preference (Jet Blue rocks!!) and we have a pool AND a spare bedroom so  .   .   .   .  vacation anyone?

Long Beach, WA Leadbetter Farm May 2009

Our trip to Leadbetter farms was amazingly fun!  We learned that you don't have to be big to catch big fish (Kaylee)!  Walkie-talkies are still a fun form of communication no matter how many times you use them (Jayden  .   .  and Josh) and the celestial kingdom can only be described as "Disneyland" (Belize).  Thank you so much to the Olsen family for inviting us.  Since this family is FOREVER, I'm so happy you guys are part of it!

Mother's Day

As I was cleaning the house and packing the family for our week-end trip I found myself alone in my thoughts (usually kids voices somehow creep into my head). The question popped into my head, "What makes being a mother so . . . wonderful?". With the daily craziness, I can't often pinpoint specific things of why I LOVE this so much. So here are my thoughts:

Heavenly Father could have sent us to earth on our own - He could have sent us as adults without the blessing of procreation, leaving us to figure out everything on our own. But He didn't, he gifted us parents, he gave us families.

. . . . why?

First, I think it was to learn about Him. He is a parent and so things that we learn about ourselves and in our role as parents, we learn about Him and our divine potential.

Second, because He loves us so much that He wants us to feel the joy in being a parent that He feels.

My heart is so very full of gratitute that He blessed me with motherhood and for my children who let me experience the greatest joy. I cannot describe in words how much I love my children and how happy I am to be their mother.

(Someday this picture will be so much fun to show to Rio's fiance, but he does make a cute girl don't you think? - Brannon obviously does not know this is being posted :)

And I could not mention Mother's Day with out thanking some of my mothers:

Mom, Carmen, Grandma Gregg, Grandma Hawkins and Grandma June - you are all wonderful and I am amazed daily at your powerful force to do good for your families and for others. I love you!

(Helamon speaking of his 2,000 young Nephite warriors) "Now they never had fought yet they did not fear death; and they did think more upon the liberty of their fathers than they did upon their lives; yea, they had been taught by their mothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them. And they rehearsed unto me the words of their mothers, saying: We do not doubt our mothers knew it." (Book of Mormon, Alma 56: 47-48).

On the Market.

It's kindof ironic that we will be paying hundreds more for an apartment verses a beautiful condo that we love (minus the need for more space and a yard).  Everytime I walk through our painstakinly clean and purged house, i'm finding myself get more and more sentimental about it.  This was Belize and Rio's first home, we scrimpt and saved to buy our first couch.  Richelle and Sarah painted the blood walls!  I ripped up all the baseboard when I was 8 months pregnant and then Brannon and Abuelo put in the floors.  My Dad built the mantal cause we couldn't afford to buy one.  I assembled ALL of the kitchen cabinets (the price we pay for IKEA prices) and everyone helped to get our house market-ready.  Thank you so much to all of our families, we couldn't have done it without you!  So without furthur adue -here are the final results:

BEFORE:

AFTER:

BEFORE:
AFTER:
BEFORE:
AFTER:

BEFORE:
AFTER:
BEFORE:
AFTER:

Unit #203 we will miss you a lot but please FEEL FREE to move to someone else's loving arms ANYTIME!!!!! :)

March & April videos 2009

f