We Have a House!

After lots and lots and lots of trips up to Logan, we finally have a house!! It's not officially ours yet, but we have a verbal agreement...and we're keeping our fingers crossed that everything goes through okay!! Finding a house is sooo stressful. We wanted the perfect one, but after looking at a gazillion and one, we realized the perfect one wasn't out there, so we settled on one that's really close to perfect. It's weird how things worked out with this house...the Lord certainly works in mysterious ways...but we are soo glad to things are working out. Logan...here we come!!

oh, and to welcome us to Logan, we had a magnificent snow storm up there yesterday.

Fall...a wonderful time of year!!

Cornbelly's, Pumpkin Patches, Halloween Festivities, Rocktoberfest, and Fantastic Fall Weather...who wouldn't love fall?

Happy Birthday Sambo!!!

I tried to find my super embarrassing photos of you, but this is all I could come up with!! Happy 29th B-day! You and all your silliness are greatly loved, Mr. Stroman!!

Dexter's Big Day

It was a beautiful day. The weather cooperated. Family and friends gathered. All to celebrate our little boy. And the wonderful blessings he has entitled to him. What a wonderful day.

This is the extent of their relationship. Savy trying to get as close to Dex as she possibly can. And Dex screaming to get away from her. (Okay, so I fib a bit...Dex already adores her and searches the room to find her when he hears her voice.)

Four generations of the Whittaker family. Sam comes from some wonderful people, and we're blessed to have them in our lives.

Four generations of the Thomas family. I have been so blessed to have these wonderful people in my life. I hope they'll be around for a lot of Dexter's life.

Proud father with his son. Thanks, Sam, for being a conduit for the Lord's preisthood. You gave a very neat blessing to our son.

Two of my crazy sisters. I heart them and all their silliness.

Proud mother and darling son. I can't get enough of my big boy and his chubby cheeks!!

The silly Stroman family. Savy can't take a normal picture. She says "1, 2, cheeeeeeeeese" the whole time the picture is being taken. Dexter's still getting used to our family. I'm not so sure he's comfortable with what he's gotten himself into. Oh, well. We have eternity to show him how fun it is to just be silly.

Thanks to everyone who showed up to support our chubby little boy. We love seeing you all.

These two make up my life at this moment. I have all day to devote to them. I used to think I didn't want to be a stay at home mom. And I thought it was pretty selfish of me to think so. I enjoyed getting out every day and doing something worthwhile. Something that meant something to more than just two little people. I felt needed and I felt like I could make a huge difference as a teacher, and I felt really good at what I did. I loved it. Then I got to spend time with my little ones. And actually sit down and worry about nothing but them. I didn't have the constant worry in the back of my head about the other 26 kids in my life. (You teachers know how it is. You can't ever stop worrying about your students.) I had a really hard time the first few weeks. I craved adult conversation and I felt overwhelmed as a mom. I didn't feel appreciated. Then something clicked. As I read stories to my daughter while feeding my little man I realized this is what it's really all about. These two are what it's all about. If all I do all day is make my daughter giggle and my son smile, I've made a difference. In two of the most important peoples' lives. My children. So whether you're a stay at home mom, a working mom, a mother to be, you've been a mom, or you mother someone else's children, remember what it's all about. Them. And make a difference in their lives. Make them smile.

Summer Camping Trip

As summer came to an end, my family decided to say good-bye to summer and drive to Currant Creek for some camping. There is no better way to say farewell to the warm summer days and welcome to the cold winter nights than being in the outdoors, sleeping in tents, and sitting around a campfire.
We enjoyed roasting marshmallows over the campfire (and I enjoyed eating all of them), trying unsuccessfully to catch some fish, throwing rocks into the water, taking a ride in the canoe, tossing around frisbees, chasing cousins around, and most of all...getting dirty! I was surprised at how often one of the six walking grandkids fell over and skinned a knee!! The kids loved camping! (and us grown-ups did, too)

Jack (my parents pup) was the most exhausted. He chased anything he could into the water...rocks, sticks, more rocks. Savy discovered a new fascination while up there...ROCKS! She loved tossing them into the lake.

Eli was the busiest boy I've ever seen! He was all over the place! (Savy loves to feel grown up and help Eli out)

Two of my three heart throbs.

And here's my third heart throb. Although by his cross-eyed look, one might wonder how he could melt any one's heart!

Thanks, fam, for throwing together such a wonderful weekend. Maybe next year we'll last longer than two days!!

The Average Joes

After months of cheering, the kickball season has come to an end. Savy, Dex, and I had a great time cheering on Sammy and the rest of the crew. There were many great moments (and only a few embarrassing moments)! Now I find myself wondering what will I do with my Thursday nights? I guess I'll have to be satisfied with watching SYTYCD.