Christmas Letter

My Girls

My girls are so patient.  This move has been a bit rough on all of us.  Between cleaning, moving, thanksgiving, the funeral etc. they have been troopers through it all.  I hold them tighter and kiss them more often realizing what a blessing they are to me.  Oh how I LOVE being a MOM!!

On Monday, Nana and Papa came with Jeremy and Crystal for a fhe visit.  We went to pizza and had egg nog shakes.  It was such a fun night!!  That night Molly woke up with a fever.  The next day she was lathargic all day and fevered but no other sympoms.  She did a lot of sleeping...the sign that she is really sick and today she seems great.  (She slept from 8pm-10am the next day and took a nap)

Here she is all curled up snoozing.  So sweet.

Avenley at 4 Months

I love this stage.  Avey is full of Smiles!!  She smiles at anyone who smiles at her and she can light up a room!  She still takes 3 naps a day and nurses in between.  She is nursing without the shield now and doing well with that.  The day before she was 4 months she rolled over from back to front.  She has rolled from front to back as well, but does back to front better.  She likes to be held and prefers her mommy but will go to others too.  She is so easy going and only cries when she is tired or hungry.  She likes her binkie now.

Jason Bjorn Crowther

Last week a friend of mine passed away.  Jason and I met while I was living in Nauvoo.  They had a dance at the Academy and he asked me to dance.  He asked for my phone number that night and a few weeks later we were "dating."  Jason and I dated even after I left Nauvoo and until he left on his mission.  (for about a year)  He was a very kind and generous person.  That is something about him I will never forget.

I was pretty disturbed with the news of his passing as it was a suiside.  He had been struggling with depression for a long time...even before I met him and he took his own life, leaving a wife and 3 young boys.  Jessica and I went to the funeral in Saratoga Springs last Monday.  It was really heartbreaking.  I have to remind myself that he was sick.  Thoughts and prayers still go out to his family.

Thanksgiving

Between the cleaning and unpacking we were able to go to Grandma and Grandpa Whiteheads for Thanksgiving.  We stopped at the Sidwells for a long overdue visit with Nana and Papa first.  (Nick had gone up the day before to see Jeremy in a play)  Enjoyed spending a little time with them before heading to Price.  Molly was in heaven when all the cousins arrived.  We ate such great food, and had such a fun time together.  Avey and Molly were both spoiled with attention.  They did great though and slept great too.  We also got to go to Breaking Dawn with my sisters and older nieces and shopping too.    Love how sweet Avey looks snoozing.

DIRTY!

Well we learned a lesson with this move...don't look through a place quickly without power on.  When we were looking for a place to move we were impressed with this duplex mostly because of the size, location and garage for the price.  Most of what I looked at was half the size and an apartment for the same price so we looked quickly and signed on the line.  When we got up here to move in...we looked beyond the "cleaned" carpets and were really disappointed.  We ended up spending the next 4 days CLEANING!  Not unpacking...just cleaning.  Mom and Dad came to help and my friend Amy came the day they left and helped too.  It was SO NICE and generous of them!!  We are now in a CLEAN duplex 2 weeks later.  We are loving the ward, library and location.  Can't wait to see what Davis county has to offer us!

Along the stairs.  We ended up washing the whole house...walls, appliances, cupboards, windows, etc.  

 Broken front window.

 Window seals.

 Along the stairs.

 More window.  You should have seen what we found in the vents.  Yuck!

Bike Ride

We got this trike for Molly when she got potty trained, but she never got very good at riding it before winter.  Then this summer, I didn't get it out much because I was big and pregnant and didn't want to get down and help her.  (Lazy mom I know)  So this fall when we got it out she really enjoyed it.  She can peddle herself now but doesn't like to go fast.

Sisters

Molly has really been into holding Avey lately.  She didn't really care before, but the last while she has enjoyed getting to hold her.  I hope they are close sisters like I am with mine.

PS-Molly just got up for the day...she doesn't always look like an orphan.

Locks of Love

Since my hair is doing the major post pregant fall out...it was time to chop and donate.

Bath Time

Nothing better than a sweet, clean baby.  She loves her bath time.

Homes & Moves

We are mostly packed. Everyday this week I will just add the things that are left over, but I feel like I'm on schedule. Just for memory sake we have moved a lot since we have been married.  Just wanted to record them:

1.  A Levitt apartment in Cedar City. It was #7 and one of my favorite places we have lived.  Nick worked for the Levitt's the summer before we got married and they gave us a great deal on this place to make sure it didn't flood.  It was a basement apt. And had been flooded in the past. It had all been fixed, but they didn't want to rent it out until they knew for sure it wouldn't flood.  So we got this all redone two bedroom apartment for $199 a month!!

2.  Also a Levitt place just a few blocks from the first one.  The number on the door was B4.  It was a one bedroom. We met some of our best friends, the Askeroth’s while living there.  I also got to live by another close friend Amanda Frandsen.  While we lived in this place I was in the RS Presidency of a student ward.  I think we paid around $200 a month for this place too since it also had a history of flooding. 

 3.  Lehi-John’s basement.  The summer before we left for Grad school, Nick worked for Ivory Homes with my brother and we lived in their basement.  All of our stuff was housed in Cedar City at our friends, the Mickel’s garage.  Such a fun summer!  I did a little tutoring job.  We loved building memories with my brothers family.

4. 1000 American Pacific Dr. in Henderson NV.  We lived in this one bedroom apartment and paid close to $1000 a month.  It was on the second floor.  I remember Nick, Mom and Joseph moving us in in August with 117 degree weather.  We loved spending time in the pool and hot tub there as well as the gym.  We didn't have cable TV so I would exercise when Smallville was on so I could watch it.  We made close friends here like the Johnson’s, Woolfs, Mayers, Coxes, Pehrsons, and Wynns among others.  I taught 2nd grade while Nick taught art at Abracadoodle and went to school. I also tutored and served in the Primary presidency.  It was at this address that we found out we were finally expecting our first baby.  It was at this address that I lost our first baby.  We found out we were pregnant again the week before moving from this address.  

5.  Back to Cedar City for 3 month while Nick did an internship.  We lived in some friends house that was really nice, but most of my memories were throwing up from my pregnancy.  I did enjoy spending time with the Mickel’s and Askeroth’s again.  

6.  Logan Blackhawk Condo.  We only paid $550 a month for the 2 bed 2 bath condo with a one car garage.  We loved this little place.  Jessica found it for us and we moved in without ever seeing it.  Good memories here.  This is where we brought Molly home from the hospital to.  Loved our little ward and our friends the Hardings.  

7.  Our first home!  489 W. 900 N.  My dream home!  We moved in when Molly was 9 months.  We picked everything out with this house from floor to ceiling and really loved living there.  We landscaped our own yard and this was a home that truly felt peaceful all the time.  At this time Nick worked for Cache School District and I served as RS President of our ward.  First year we paid $925 a month and refinanced the second year and paid $831 a month.  Loved being so close to my sister Jessica and her family!

8.  Mom and Dad’s in Price Utah.  We lived here for free...minus our groceries.  We started in the basement and a few months later found I was pregnant again.  So excited...So sick.  Mom took care of all the cooking and watched Molly until I was better.  I taught a music class while living there.  Mom and I took turns cooking when I was better.  We were so blessed to be able to live here while we sold our home in Logan.  Lots of fun!

9.  Our current address...for 6 more days.  The Hansen home in Price.  We rented this 5 bed 2 bath home for $700 a month.  Ryan and Lindsey Hansen were awesome landlords and we loved living in this home.  It was the home we brought our Avenley home to.  Molly had her own room in the basement.  We made great friends in the 5th ward including the Hansens, Behunins, and Richardsons.  Molly loved dance from Miss Julia.  

10.  325 E. 100 N. will be our next address.  It is an older duplex with lots of room.  When we learned we would be moving to Davis county, Farmington felt the most like home so that is where we looked.  We will be paying $900 a month for a 3 bed 2 bath and hope to make it home.  

Something I have learned from all these moves:

 I HATE to pack and unpack.

There are wonderful people everywhere.  

The church is strong wherever you go.

Any place can be made into a home. 

The most important thing is family.

Budget trucks are usually the cheapest.

Apple boxes are the most sturdy.

My Little Clown

 We liked this costume and even though Molly didn't wear it, I had to take some pics. anyway.  I love her expressions in these pictures!!

Halloween

Our Halloween festivities started Monday night.  Molly was so excited to go to Jorden and Cari's for family night.  We made hot cider and a monster cake to take.  Cari made candy corn tortillas and hot dog mummies for dinner.  When we actually sat down to eat, I kissed Molly's head and noticed she felt warm.  Within a few minutes she started dry heaving and we headed home without eating.  When we got home Molly wanted to go right to bed.  Luckily she never threw up but was feverish the next day too.  Wednesday-Halloween luckily she was better.  It was sad having my little girl sick.  She even took a 2 hour nap on Tuesday which she NEVER does.  Poor thing.  I was just happy she felt better so we could enjoy the holiday.

We did some early trick-or-treating to Grandpa Echers, Dorris and Grandmas.  Then Grandpa and Nick took Molly to a few houses.  Four more houses later and her bucket was full!  We headed home to eat our Dinner in a Pumpkin with Jorden and Cari, carved our pumpkins and finally ate our cake.  Molly loved being Minnie Mouse and Avey liked her costume too...she kept eating the tulle on it.  Nick made his Peter Pan costume all by himself.  My little red riding hood was kind of a cop out, but I liked it.

Campfire

Nick and Molly have really been into doing a campfire lately.  We have done two the last week or so.  I think they were a little bummed we didn't do much camping this summer since I was pregnant.  And then there were all the fires in Utah so it was not an option.  We got this small fire pit a while ago and put it to use burning our "shred" paper pile and roasting hot dogs.