Moving...

Well, in honor of moving to Idaho I am also moving blogs too... you can check out the details at my new home: http://lovejoylane.blogspot.com. All new posts will be there! Sorry if this totally complicates your day :)

Empty...

My house is empty... it echoes, smells like way too many cleaning products, and has nothing left to prove that we were ever here.

We came to Mesa with NOTHING. I swear everything we owned - including our clunker car - was a hand-me-down. This home was like a mansion compared to the apartments that we were in at BYU. It made a good home - it welcomed our first two children to this world, hosted numerous YW and YM activities, and was perfect for dinner and games with friends.

Ten years from now, I wonder how much we will remember about living in AZ. Will only the sweaty summers and unfortunate run-ins with cactus come to mind? I hope not. I am glad I have this blog to always remember the moments that made this house our home... it was a pretty good home and I never thought I would be this sad to say goodbye.

More tricks!

I guess Cosette didn't want Paisley getting all the attention for "growing up" - so she decided to unleash a few tricks of her own today!

First, we were outside blowing bubbles and she said "Bubble!" This is definitely her first word - fun to finally hear what she has to say instead of her just yelling at me.

Second, she is still super wobbly and always holds on to whatever she can when standing; but today she got distracted by the paper she was ripping up and she stood on her own for a good minute. She has always been happy just being a baby, so it is fun watching her grow up!

Movers coming tomorrow - AGGGHHHH! Back to work!

Hallelujah!

When Paisley came out of her room this morning it hit me how BIG she has gotten. Just one of those "who is this kid and where did my baby go?" moments. She proved just how big she was today too!

First, we had to go her final appointment for her tubes to make sure they were still in place before we left. She hates going to the doctor and I could tell she was super nervous when I told her that we had to go have her ears looked at. She usually screams bloody murder the second we walk into the exam room - but today she tried so hard to be brave. I could tell she hated every minute of it but she didn't cry AT ALL. I was way impressed - this is huge for her!

Second, we had our first successful trip to the potty. She HATES the potty - has some serious phobia of it. It took months of stickers and treats just to get her to sit on the thing. Since last May, she has sat on it over 100 times with nothing. So you can only imagine how ecstatic I was when after dinner, we went - we sat - and she peed! Only a Mom would ever be this happy over urine! I know we got a long ways to go but glad we at least are on our way now!

Here she is with her "blue ice cream cone" - her treat of choice for being such a big girl! Oh Paisley - you made me so proud today!

Ole!

Blake and I have always been surrounded by generous people in our lives and we are grateful for this. This time we were given two tickets to the Fiesta Bowl by Blake's old boss and a night of babysitting from Diane Durfee. It was Boise State versus TCU - since Boise is going to be our new home we cheered the Broncos on to a victory. It was a fun night... good game, free chips and salsa at our seats, and another date (we are out of control!).

So long '09...

Didn't post much about our holidays - here is a quick re-cap!

*Blake got lots of time off work in which he filled with eating treats, playing video games, and hanging out with his girls.

*Cyndi savoured all the extra time with Blake - we went on 3 dates in two weeks... wow! Also, put in a personal record for distance with a run of 15 miles on New Year's Day.

*Paisley discovered the gloriousness of hot chocolate. Loved seeing the Christmas decorations and spending lots of time outside in the amazing AZ weather.

*Cosette is trying to learn how to talk so she can express her displeasure in her parents since all she got for Christmas is socks.

Upcycled!

Before:

After:

You know how people always say "I am just going to give my kid a cardboard box for Christmas because they play with that more than the toy." Well, I took that to the next level and made Paisley the cutest kitchen with a bunch of junk. The only thing that I didn't have laying around was the contact paper that I covered the box with. I had fun figuring out how to put it together, making the felt food, and watching Paisley open this giant present on Christmas morning. I would like to say that it entertains all day long, but that is just impossible. The only thing that keeps Paisley entertained is having someONE to play with instead of something. So, I have her make me soup, we pretend to wash our hands (she keeps asking for water to come out), and Cosette enjoys ripping off all the velcro'd on food. It is a fun addition to the house and the best part is when we (meaning me) get sick of it - I can throw it away.

P.S. The faucet and handles turn - kind of proud of the engineering on that part.