Addie Turns 9!

Addie's birthday fell on President's Day, so she got the day off from schoool. We started out the day by sleeping in, followed by crepes and homemade jam for breakfast. Addie opened her presents and then we went out to eat at Cici's Pizza. She spent the rest of the day playing with her new toys and playing the Wii with her brother and sisters. We ended the day by eating her super cool ladybug and bumblebee cake.

We went to a church spaghetti dinner with a cake auction for the Young Women girl's camp on Sat. night. We donated a flip flop cake like the one I had made for Addie's birthday last year. We planned on just getting a Costco cake the following Mon. for Addie's birthday. We were going to maybe bid on a cake, Chase wanted to bid on mine, but the bidding started at $50. I thought for sure the prices would fall as we went along because there were far too many cakes for the amount of people that were there to bid on them. My cake was one of the last 3 to bid and it sold for $32.50, still too pricey for our liking. When the auction was over a dentist in our ward who bought close to half of the cakes brought over the 2nd most expensive cake and insisted that we take it home. I think it sold for $80. or more. I finally relented and said we could save it for Addie's birthday. Addie of course was more than thrilled. All the kids had been dissappointed that we hadn't bid on anything. Addie later found out that her primary teacher had been the one to actually make and donate her cake.

We are so happy to have Addie in our family. It's hard to believe she is 9 already. Addie proclaimed this to be the best birthday ever, but I've heard that before. Addie is such a sweet, silly, happy, and fun girl who's easy to please. We love our Addie Mae! She is always thinking of others and is such a big helper and a super sister and is always making things for everybody. Her smile and giggles can light up any room. Happy Birthday Addie!

Making Cupcakes

Valentine's Day!

Taking pictures in front of the house since everyone was all decked out in red and pink Valentine gear.

Valentine card I made for the kids and Chase.

Joelle enjoying her jello heart.

Bailey helped by making the special Valentine punch.

Jello Hearts.

Cantaloupe Hearts with Orange Arrows. I was supposed to use watermelon but couldn't find any.

Hot Dog Hearts with Cheese Arrows.

Bailey came into the kitchen with this battle wound on her cheek. I asked her what happened and she said she was injured by her candy when she was trying to open it. Of course mean mom has to laugh and then takes a picture.

Handsome Cam!

Silly Addie :) (She finally calmed down after freaking out about possibly falling off the 2 foot high porch railing.)

Looked over and caught Bailey deep in thought about something. I teased her and called this her model picture, so I had to put it up too.

Sweet Bailey!

Funny Joelle!

Crazy Emery!

My 5 Little Monkeys!

Chase Graduates!!!

Chase with his dad Jack before the graduation ceremony.

Chase graduated from the San Antonio Firefighter Academy on Friday, February 4th! It seems like forever ago he was getting laid off and we were forced to sell our home and move in with family. What we thought would be a brief time of unemployment turned into 1 1/2 years. After being laid off, Chase began a more intense approach to actively becoming a firefighter. This was something which he had wanted for a long time, but due to different life situations was never able to do until now, so I guess you could say Chase getting laid off was a blessing.

So, after a lot of hard work and months of separation from our family, Chase was finally able to take the oath of a firefighter and walk across that stage to accept his well earned diploma! I can't express to you how proud of him I am, it warms my heart just thinking about that moment! I was so happy to see him all dressed up in his uniform with his name tag and diploma with his badge attached. I might add that he looks pretty darn good in uniform :) We are so blessed and excited to begin this new chapter in our lives. I am so grateful to Chase for all of his time, effort, and hard work put into providing for us and fulfilling his dream to become a firefighter and serve others as well.

Yesterday was Chase's first day of work. I proudly kissed my man in uniform as he left for his first day as a firefighter. I got a text later from him that night just plainly stating that things were going well. I woke up the next morning and was told by my father-in-law Jack (who flew in for Chase's graduation) that Chase got called to his first fire the night before and had posted it on his facebook account. So, I guess he had a busy first night and had about 8 calls out at the station he was at. He also cooked dinner for everybody at the station.

I've posted some pics of the night of his graduation. I have a really sucky camera and the lighting was bad, so not many pictures turned out. There are a few with us goofing around with the kids while waiting for the ceremony to start, and some posing by the stage. I tried to get one of him going across the stage and standing up for recognition as being a class Treasurer in the class Presidency, but they didn't turn out. I was able to get pics of a couple of his friends, but when I tried to get one of Chase, the camera was too slow.

I'd like to also mention that this day was very special for another reason as well. My new nephew Jace Emery was born to my awesome sister-in-law Ceri! I will never forget his birthday, that's for sure. Ceri is going to be the bestest mom ever! We are so excited to have Jace join the family and can't wait to meet him!Chase accepting his diploma and badge.
One of Chase's friends, Evan, who was awesome enough to come and help us move. Chase's friend Johnathon also came over to help us move, but I wasn't able to get a picture of him because that was one of the times Joelle started acting up.
Chase's friend Zach who was also awesome to come and help us move. Zach and his wife Jessica are actually the ones that helped us find a house so we could be here with Chase, Thank You!!! Zach's dad also was kind enough to come over and help us defrost our water pipes after they froze, Thank You! I might add, that this is how Chase's picture should have looked.
Chase's friend Jason. Jason was the class President and gave a really inspirational talk at the graduation. Jason and his wife Amanda were kind to have us over for dinner right after we moved here. Amanda made an awesome lasagna that even Emery ate and asked for seconds, a miracle in itself, so you know it must have been excellent.
Bailey, who stole my camera to take this picture of herself.
Addie (posing), Grandpa Fox, Emery (looking serious), and Chase being goofy of course.
Addie, Grandpa Fox, back of Emery's head, and Bailey.
Joelle and Cameron looking at the program and being silly.
Crazy Joelle
The Fam :)

What's Happening...

So, real fast, since we don't have internet and I'm using Chase's phone that he got some cheap internet for. We moved to Seguin, TX, just outside of San Antonio and about an hour away from Austin. We drove here Christmas day and the day after. I have been cleaning every day since then with a few days off for my sanity's sake. I have faith that the house will be a good house for us once everything is cleaned up. The house is a rental on 3 acres just on the edge of town, enough not to get a lot of city services, hence the constant battle to get internet services out here, hopefully it will be resolved sooner than later. We have to hire out our garbage pick up, but really we are not that far out there, it's ridiculous really. We live across from some cows and next to a small pecan orchard, but there are houses down the road and a restaurant kitty corner to us and the freeway is just behind us.

The house had been vacant long enough to acquire some unwanted house guests. I have been cleaning up mounds of mice poop, cockroach poop and eggs, and recently found a snake skin, and skeletal remains of some animal, probably a mouse, or snake. Many of my days consist of putting on a face mask, rubber gloves, and grabbing my trusty spray bottle of bleach. I am slowly getting it done, even though it feels like it will never be done. I am trying to remember that we are together again, and that is something to be happy about. I am trying to remember my favorite motto which is written on a tile placed above my kitchen sink..."Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, but about learning to dance in the rain." It's hard to be happy when you're cleaning up mouse poop and crying hysterically after finding evidence inside your house of something you fear so very much.

I want to tell Chase that I love him and that I know it's not his fault the house turned out the way it did, although I secretly wonder sometimes if this is how he's getting back at me for picking the Lehi house. I know he is working very hard and is doing the best for us. I want to apologize for my breakdowns (I've had a few). I am glad to be here despite the house conditions and nearly stepping on said feared creature mentioned above (see Chase's blog for details). I am freaked out no doubt, and will soon be making my visit to the closest hardware store to purchase a shovel. A family that invited us for dinner from church mentioned that we should familiarize ourselves with the local poisonous snakes and always carry a shovel..."Happy thoughts, think HAPPY thoughts!"

In all seriousness though I believe this will be a good place for our family. I am thankful for a wonderful, loving, hard working, husband, and I am thankful for fantastic, sweet, helping, brave children. I am thankful my husband has a job. I am thankful for my own house again, and will be even more so if I survive the clean up process. I am thankful for my Heavenly Father who is always mindful of me in spite of myself. I am thankful for the wonderful weather we have here and that Joelle getting off of her 3rd antibiotic and 3rd ear infection in 3 months and sick with bronchiolitis finally seems to be healthy and well. I am thankful that the bus picks my kids up right outside our house (Because the school they were supposed to attend was capped for 1st graders, they sent us to a school further away and ended up having to bus my kids.)

I am thankful for the beautiful creatures that exist here too, the deer outside my kitchen window, (even though they scared the crap out of me at 1:30 in the morning when I got up with Joelle), the squirrels, and pretty red birds that I think are cardinals. I am thankful that my car runs, and that I have a husband who could fix it. I am thankful for music and silly kids and a husband that dance to it. I am thankful to all the awesome thrift and second hand stores they have here since we couldn't bring all of our stuff (most of our things are still in storage in UT). I am thankful for a husband who after getting home from working all day comes home and realizes the crap I've had to do and cooks dinner for everyone. I am thankful for a nice tax return hopefully coming soon. I'm thankful for a library that provides cool books and free movies for my kids.

I am thankful to the friendly people who have invited us for dinners and make us feel at home here. People here are very friendly, I've had people help bag items for me at the store, and help me try to fit purchases into my trunk. I am even thankful to the crazy ladies who wanted to buy my hair at the Goodwill, it gave me a good laugh, still a little nervous, but a good laugh none the less. I am thankful to all of Chase's friends from the academy who showed up at a moment's notice to help unload the moving van. I am thankful for kids and a husband who put up with my grumpiness and craziness, and still love me, I hope. I am thankful that we can be together forever as a family. I love my husband and kids and hope to try to learn to dance when it "rains" and be a happier and better person for it. Well, better get to bed, finally got the baby to sleep and have another long day ahead tomorrow. Oh, and if I don't moderate your comments right away, I'm sorry, it will probably be a while before I can get back on here, but I will try to keep updating.