Just a quick note...

to let you know that we didn't fall off the face of the planet.  We moved all of our stuff into the new house on Friday and have been busily cleaning, unpacking, and organizing our things.  I'll post more when I find all of my camera cords and such.  And when we have internet.  :)

Disney!

We had a blast at Disneyland this past week to celebrate Buzz' upcoming graduation from medical school!!!

Sparkle loved everything about Disneyland and had a blast riding all of the big roller coasters while we were there.  She was often heard breaking into spontaneous song while dancing in circles and jumping up and down, "I'm the happiest girl in the world!  Yes I am, yes I am!"  We spent our first day with friends from Utah who were also on vacation in the magic kingdom.  Sparkle had a blast getting to take it all in for the first time with one of her dearest friends.

Sunny had fun too.  She was nervous when we first arrived and wanted to be held at all times, but eventually she relaxed and was happy to explore and enjoy what was going on around her.  My favorite quote from the trip regarding Sunny: "[Sunny], NO!  We do NOT raspberry the trash can!"

We have a lot going on in our lives right now, what with the med school graduation and cross-country move coming up in the next week or so.  I'd love to blog more often, but that will have to wait until things settle down a bit...

(Notice that my baby bump has made it's appearance?!)

Fingers Crossed!

We returned LATE last night from our whirlwind Midwestern house-hunting trip and are happy to report that it was very successful!

We are under contract on a house that we are very excited about.  It is 3300 square feet, on over 1/3 of an acre of land, with 5 bedrooms, 3.5 baths, and a finished basement.  Here's a picture of the front of the house:

And here's a picture of the back yard taken while standing on the back porch.  The house you see in the center across the way is Aunt T and Uncle T's.  We're very excited about living so close and having our kids go to the same schools!

It's a little nerve-wracking to be so excited in this housing market.  I think I'll be holding my breath all month long in hopes that nothing falls through on either the house that we are selling or the house that we are buying.

We feel very fortunate that each and every time we have moved, it has been to a less expensive housing market.  The house that we are buying costs two thousand dollars less than the one we are selling and has much more to offer.  Just how funny is this God that we serve?  Five years ago when we helped T &T move I saw this house model and fell in love with it.  I wished with all my heart that we could move right then and there, but felt God telling me to wait.  Isn't it amazing that in an area where not many houses are for sale, the exact one that I had my eye on for all these years was ready and available for us to buy?  God is good, isn't he?

Spring...

...has sprung!

We spent the afternoon with our favorite girls (and a few dashing gentlemen as well!) at the Thanksgiving Point Tulip Festival.

Sparkle and her friends had a grand time!

Sunny, on the other hand, well... she wasn't so sunny.  More like a little thunder cloud.  I think that she's going to more than make up for the fact that Sparkle was an easy two year old!  She wasn't much for being photographed (so sad since I worked so hard to coordinate the girls' outfits today!), and this was the happiest she was all day long.  At least we have some proof that she was there.

My heart is more full than I can describe looking at these photos... it's really hitting home lately how short a time we have with our sweet, sweet friends here in Utah.

On that note, we have VERY good news to share today:  our house is under contract!  We are happy with the deal and if all goes well, we should be closing a few days after graduation.  We leave tomorrow for MO to search for our new home.  Wish us luck!

*Thanks again goes to MI for her pictures.  Mine remain trapped in my camera.

Sparkle testifies...

to my spectacular mothering ability...

and has me completely humbled (and laughing!) in a moment:

"Mommy, Sunny's crying a lot because I have the Elmo Ice and she wants the Elmo Ice but I fell and bumped both of my elbows AND both of my knees and I NEED it.  She doesn't need it and I didn't do ANYTHING to her, but she won't stop crying..."

(long pause while I finish brushing my teeth)

"You can start yelling now."

I know...

I've yet to post pictures from Sparkle's fifth birthday.  Call me crazy, but listing our house and showing it five times, getting an offer (and losing it the next day), and coming down with the stomach flu all within 24 hours made blogging a low priority.

Sadly, we had to cancel Sparkle's joint pool party on Sunday because we have done a great job of sharing in our small group - every family has had at least one member with the GI upset.  We had cake at home instead (Buzz was kind enough to make it since I was still on the couch) and spent the day relaxing at home.  Thankfully, no one looks at homes on Sunday in Utah and it was a nice break from having to leave at a moment's notice throughout the day.

Here are a couple of pictures from my friend MI.  They had us over on Sparkle's birthday (Thursday) so that we could avoid all the chaos at our house.  After a yummy dinner and cupcakes for the birthday girl, we went to the home of friends of theirs who have built an amazing basement theater (seriously, better than any movie theater I've ever been to - rumble packs in the seats and everything!) where we relaxed and watched a kid movie for the rest of the evening. 

More photos of Sparkle's birthday morning here at home to come... maybe later today?

Also, here's the link to our house listing and tour.  Pray that we are able to find the right buyer quickly!  We'd hate to have to start residency by imposing on Aunt and Uncle T and I might just loose it if we're not in our own house by the time the baby comes!

Dance!

Somewhere in the craziness that was Match Day, Sparkle had her first dance recital.  We met a little early to take some photos with her friends.  Thanks again to MI for her pictures!  If I can locate some video from the day, I'll post that too.