Last-minute Trip Up North

With all the craziness associated with our move (i.e. we don't know when exactly we get to leave, I still have a calling in the primary, i have to pack the whole house by myself cuz jeff's job is so time-consuming here at the end that he's not home much, & i have a CRAZY 18 month-old running under my feet), a break hasn't exactly been all that possible. But a few things happened a week and a half ago that made it a little more possible, so I took a trip up to the SLC area.

Thanks, Sandy, for giving Mason and I a ride up!!

So Mason and I got up there on Saturday the 13th. We stayed with Jeff's parents until Monday when the person who was helping my Grandma care for my Grandpa had to go out of town, so she asked me to stay with them for the week and help out. We were there until Saturday morning (all week without a car of my own) when Jeff came and picked us up and we spent the rest of Sat. and all of Sunday at his family's house again...before getting in the car at 8:00 that night to drive home.

Anyhow, the week at my Grandma's was stressful because her house is not babyproof at all, AND Mason kept wanting to get too close to Grandpa's leg, so I always had to be telling him "no" and removing him from parts of the house. The back yard was a nice escape for him, but Grandma Baumann's is always more entertaining because he's got lots of uncles and cousins and his grandparents that chase him and help him have a blast, so he always loves being there.

So on Monday, I met up with my girlfriends Maria (Bertola-Gibson) and April (Omalza, Chris' wife) and their kids at Kangaroo Zoo in Lindon. It was soooooooooooo much cooler than Jumpin Jacks in Saint George!!! And it was way cheaper cuz the parents don't have to pay to go supervise their kids...unlike the St. George one. So I posted some pictures from that.

Amber F. and I went to Janae's wedding reception on Thursday night (thanks for picking me up, since I was your wonderful car-less friend!). She looked beautiful and so happy, and the food was uh-may-zing!

Friday I got to go out to dinner with some other girlfriends and all their hubbies - I was flyin solo that night cuz Jeff was still not in town. It was Becky's birthday...I always love celebrating her birthday, cuz no matter how old I get, she'll always be 2 years older. ;) (You know I love you, biznatch!) So it was me, Nicole & Ben, Amber & Christian, Rosie & Josh, and Becky & John. SO fun!!

This trip was sooooooooo good for me for one reason: I was able to feel like "sheri" again. The time Jeff and I have been in St. George has been a very trying time for our marriage, but we're leaving closer and stronger than we've ever been. But it's been kinda hard for me to struggle with things and not live close enough to my closest friends to be able to just go over and cry with them (most of us go back at least 8 years together...). Anyway, I didn't get to see everyone this past trip, but it was a nice little teaser - I am sooooooooooo excited to get back to a place where I can hang out with my girlfriends, see family (without it being preceded by a 4-hour drive), and just feel like I'm myself again.

I love the people I've come to know here in St. George, but nothing is quite as comfortable as an old worn-in pair of jeans, know what I mean?

So...now I get serious about packing, because I think we'll only be here for another week!!

Peace out! Oh, and enjoy the pictures.

Moving to Florida...

I thought the title would get your attention!! So this particular blog will actually serve two purposes: to fill everyone in on our move from St. George back up to the S.L.C., and to spread the news about my parents' big move to Florida!

Jeff and I moved to Saint George (4 hours south of where we lived before - in the Salt Lake Valley) in August of last year, with the intention of being here for six months while Jeff acted as the Superintendent over the construction of a Mountain America Credit Union. Well...a little over a year later the job is almost finished!! We can thank the wonderful, idiotic city inspectors for the delay, as they waited almost six months before granting a permit for work to begin on the building. On the bright side, we've made some wonderful friends, seen some beautiful sights, grown so much closer together as a couple, and saved lots of $$$. It looks (right now) like we'll be moving at the end of this month. I'll miss friends and the close proximity to Zion Nat'l Park, but man am I ever soooooooo excited to get back to our home! I have missed my friends and our families so badly, and I am so excited for Mason to really get to hang out with all his cousins all the time. Oh man, I can't wait!!!

As for the news about my parents - a few months ago my dad received word that he was being offered a pretty big promotion to be the big boss man at the U.S. Customs/Border Patrol office in Homestead, Florida. Now that Taylor (my little brother) has graduated from h.s. and is about to go on his mission, there's really nothing else that binds them to El Paso anymore, so he accepted the job. Although I'm sure they're going to miss all of their dear friends, and I'll miss being able to see my high school friends during hometown Christmas visits!!! On the bright side...IT'S FREAKIN FLORIDA!!! There are so many things to look forward to now when Jeff and I think about going to visit my parents! I'll include a few pictures in this blog so everyone can see where Homestead is, and some of the things it has to offer. Oh - they're currently down in FL house hunting, and will be moving at the end of September! Time for us to get scuba certified!!!










Here's Homestead on a map













One of the beaches I'll soon be enjoying. Someday, anyway!









2 things Florida is known for - gators and pythons












Oh - the Hulkster and Brooke Hogan live in Miami. Maybe Mom & Dad will run into them at WalMart! haha

Jenn & Ryan's Visit in St. George

We recently had a visit from my sister Jenn, her husband Ryan, and their twins Connor and Isaac - they stayed with us on the way to and from Salt Lake to visit his family. I'm glad we're right in between California and SLC - it's a nice place to stop and rest, and it means we get to see lots of people we wouldn't otherwise see!

Anyhow, we had a lot of fun. The boys played so well together except for the occasional tug-of-war over a Thomas the Train toy...which is to be expected when they're all obsessed. It was so nice to be able to spend time with Jenn and Ryan too, especially since they live so far away and it will probably be a long time before we hang out again.

If only my brother Mark & his wife Bronwyn lived closer so that their son Bennett could teach Mason how to be tough and not cry about everything!

Anyway, enjoy the slide show.

All of Jeff's Worst Fears...

A couple of weeks ago, some friends from church (Darci & Dave) had us over for dinner. They have 2 daughters, Camryn and Madison, who Mason just adores. It was so awesome, because we got to have dinner, dessert, and play games without Mason driving us nuts! Once you see the pictures, you'll understand why...and you'll also understand the title of this blog! :)

Fun With Becka & Patrick

The week that I got home from my trip to California, I kept Becka and Patrick on three different days - Mason just LOVES "Bebba" and "Ati", and they have SO much fun when they play together. Here are some cute pictures from that week.

Wiiiii Would Like to Play

Some friends had us over for a BBQ on Labor Day (thanks Chet and Stephanie!). Jeff and Jordan were playing the Wii, and Mason decided he was up for a little tennis too. Check out the video!

Nursery Preparation

In the nursery here at our church in Saint George, they let the kiddos feed themselves, and Mason will be old enough to go to nursery in two weeks!!! Yippee!! So in preparation for that, we're trying to be more tolerant of messes as Mason learns to feed himself. He's actually doing much better than I expected, and now that he's had a small dose of feeding freedom he gets pretty angry when we try and take over. He does so well with a fork - the spoon thing is still very much a work in progress.