Another Mission Call!

Last night Matt's brother Alex opened his mission call! He will be going to the Argentina, Salta Mission and is leaving on October 14th! He will be speaking Spanish... which is cool because both Matt and Chris went to South America on Spanish speaking missions. I think we will all need to learn some Spanish if we want to be in on their conversations! We are so excited for him! I have always had a strong testimony about missions and am always so excited for missionaries. We are so proud of both our brothers for being worthy to go on missions. I am excited to be able to teach our kids about missionaries and pray for our brothers with them. I know that praying for my uncles and cousins who were on missions strengthed my testimony a lot. I always said that my "favorite uncle" was the one who was currently serving. Even though our baby will be 2 and Sydney will be 4 by the time our brothers get home, we know that they will look up to Alex and Tim. Luckily Alex will be able to meet our baby boy before he leaves. October will be a very busy month! We are hoping to spend some time with Alex before he goes into the MTC here in Provo. Congratulations Alex!

"Borrowed" Internet

Well we are officially moved into our new apartment! We are so excited to be back in our own place, with our own stuff, and our own schedules! I have the kitchen all organized, and am working on the other stuff, but we have some purchases we need to make in order for me to get much more accomplished. We need to buy a dresser for our room, something we have never had yet, because our closet is small! I need to go to the store and buy some food because I've been living off of Ding Dongs. And I need to get some storage things for blankets and misc stuff, because we have no linen closet. It is slowly starting to feel like home, and it's pretty exciting! We will be selling our washer/dryer, TV, chair/ottoman, and microwave, so if anyone is in need of one of those things let me know and I'll send you a picture. We are waiting for Comcast to set up our FREE cable and internet this Saturday, so I am currently "borrowing" someone else's :) We spent a rainy Saturday moving in. Any one else tired of the rain yet? We'll just say, I really would never want to live in Seattle. Thank you to everyone who helped us move! Matt's brother Alex was in town and had to spend a day of his vacation helping us move and put together furniture, so a special thanks to him!

"Thank you" especially to Courtney and Tyler! We really appreciate you letting us live in your house and figure out our lives. It has been crazy for us, and your patience and hospitality made it so much easier. We hope that you can still be friends with us and that you're not too tired of us :) Sydney will miss being with Kate! It was so fun to watch them hug, hold hands, copy eachother, and do all the funny things they do. Someday we'll tell them of the time they lived together. Whenever we tell Sydney "shh" she says, "Kate." Because she associates that with 'Kate's sleeping'. We'll see how long that lasts, but it's pretty funny! AND if you can believe it, Tyler helped us move, and even let us use his trailor and truck to move our stuff in! We really owe you guys! THANKS!

I'll probably put up more pictures later, when we have our own, free, fast internet!

This Crazy Thing We Call Life...

I can not even begin to tell you how crazy life has been for us the past couple of months. We went from feeling invincible and on top of the world, to having the best laid plans fall to pieces. There have been WONDERFUL things happen, and there have been many not-so-wonderful things happen, but I think overall we are dealing with it pretty well. It has been quite the emotional rollercoaster for me and I think being pregnant has made my emotions even worse, but Matt and the gospel are the two things that have really helped me through it all. I told Matt, that I think the Lord has blessed me with relatively good pregnancies, not throwing up kind of stuff, because there always seems to be so many stressful life events that happen when I'm pregnant. I don't think I could handle it all if I had to throw up too. It's funny the places that you can find blessings when you are looking for them!

Matt found a job! Horray! He actually starts at Comcast this Monday! I am so incredibly proud of him, that it actually makes me cry. Matt has been a rock and has just pushed forward through it all, doing what has to be done. He helps me be a better person and I am grateful for that. I am grateful that he is such a hard worker and that he is willing to take a 50% cut in pay to take care of our family. He is an amazing man and I am one lucky girl to have married him. Even though we are basically starting over, pretty much where we where we we got married except I'm not working, we feel lucky to even have a job. It comes with benefits- good insurance and free cable/internet! We have loved ones and there are so many people who are struggling to find jobs, and we feel blessed to have found one. Those of you who are still looking are in our prayers.

Our condo that we have been building is taking longer than planned. It is the first time that Holmes has built that type of building so they are jumping through hoops with all the fire codes and such. Because it won't be done until the end of the summer we will no longer be able to be approved for the loan. We had planned on still approving through Matt's Discover job, but the timing is off, and we'd have to approve through his new job, which is a huge pay cut, so we will not be able to get it. It has been a very emotional thing for me. We have put so much into this condo. We signed our first papers for it on January 3rd, so it literally has been our plan for the last 6 months. We have saved money, put money down on it, driven by it almost every other day, and dreamed about it. There were so many things I was looking forward to, that it was really hard for me to give it up. Holmes has been wonderful through it all, being patient as we make decisions and giving us all our money back. We are grateful to them for all of the support they have given us.

We have been house hunting now for the past week. It has been quite the process this time, trying to balance a tight budget but have enough room for 2 kids and all our stuff. We have been in and out of the rain for the past 4 days, and I can't even count how many apartments we physically looked at, not to mention the houses, condos, townhomes, and apartments we looked at online or called about. If you need to know anything about aparments in the Salt Lake Valley, I think we looked at them all... but I started getting them all mixed up, so I actually might not be too much help! Our umbrella actually broke because we have been opening and closing it so much going in and out of apartments. One bit of advice... don't search for places to live in the rain, unless you have to! But yesterday... WE FOUND A PLACE TO LIVE!!! It is off of 134oo south and Bangerter Highway. It's somewhat new, so clean and nice, and is a 2 bedroom place. There is a swimming pool and a little playground, and a storage closet. We are excited to have our own place again and are looking forward to moving next Satruday! Courtney and Tyler have been so generous and nice letting us live in their house, and we are so grateful to them. This whole process could have been a lot worse for us if it weren't for them!

Last week Matt drove up to Oregon with his grandparents and Jonne. It was a busy week for them with Molly's year-ending concerts and Alex's graduation! Matt really enjoyed being with his family and participating in events that we normally don't get to go to. We wish we lived closer so we could be there for all of the concerts and games, and we miss being there. We are so excited for Alex! He has so many big things coming up in his life. His mission papers are in, and we are anxious to hear where he will go! He will be a great missionary and we are proud of all he has accomplished! Congratulations on graduating Alex!

I stayed at home while Matt was in Oregon, because my brother Tim was opening his mission call! I can't believe both of our little brothers will be on missions within months, it is crazy! Tim is going to the Ghana, Cape Coast Mission in Africa! We are so excited for him and proud of his patience in waiting for this call! He reports to the Ghana MTC on October 2nd (my birthday) but will leave on October 1st to get there in time. Maybe our baby will come early so Tim can meet him... I am so grateful for missionaries and for what they sacrafice to go on a mission. There was such an amazing spirit when Tim opened his call, as there has been every time I've been with someone when they opened a call. I have so many memories of my uncles, cousins, and friends opening their mission calls. My testimony has been strengthened by all of these men and their faithful service to the Lord.

I love this picture... it is the flags where those in our family have served.

Matt: Valencia, Venezuela

My dad: Connecticut, MA

Michael: Manaus, Brazil

We are excited to add Cape Coast, Ghana to it!

Lastly, there has been one more change...I chopped off my hair. I decided to donate 10 inches to locks of love, so it's a lot shorter now, but I am liking it. It was a nice, non-stressful change. I don't really have a great picture, but you can see it in the picture of my family at Tim's call-opening. I know it's been a long post...there has been a lot going on. We are happy and looking forward to the future. There are so many exciting things happening, even if they are different things than we were looking forward to a couple months ago. We truly are blessed.

Oh and for some cute pictures of Sydney... look at Lisa and Chris' blog http://christopher-lisa.blogspot.com/

It's A...

We are excited to announce that we are having a baby boy!  We are so excited to have one of each!!!  We had the ultrasound on Wednesday and got a good view that he is definately a boy.  The ultrasound results were all good!  He is healthy and big- measured about a week big.  Apparently I just have big babies.  I asked the technician if boys typically were born bigger than girls, and she said yes.  So, any guesses on how big this one will be??? Sydney was 8 lbs 6 oz, so I'm hoping he's not much bigger :)  You can tell here, that he's big, because I am big!  My belly button has been poking out for a couple weeks now and Sydney thinks it is hilarious!  Here is a picture of us on our way to the ultrasound.  We don't have a scanner, so can't put the ultrasound pics up.  Now we need to start thinking of good boy names... any ideas???

18 Months!

I can not believe that our little girl is 18 months old!  It is amazing to see how much she has learned in the past year and a half.  She has such a fun and bubbly personality.  She is just full of energy and is our social butterfly!  She loves to play with her stuffed animals, dolls, and toys.  She loves to read, and she especially LOVES to be outside!  Sydney is constantly grabbing my finger to take me somewhere, many times to the door saying "side."  She follows directions pretty well and understands most of what we say, like "get your shoes" or "throw this away."  Sydney knows so many words now, it's hard to even write them down, but I'll try to write most of the words we hear every day...

mommy

daddy

bebe- baby

car 

truck

shoe

ball

ooon- balloon

uckie- duckie

og- frog

dirty

yummy- food/drink

cookie

aah'ie- allie

beeh- brett

ampa- grandpa

mahma- grandma

key- kate

down

uck- stuck

side- outside

bye

hi

moo- what a cow says

ack ack- what a duck says

cocko ooo- what a rooster says

puppy

ca- cat

bir- bird

moon

su- sun

ishot-it's hot!

whosit- who is it, when the phone rings

whasat- what's that?

Sydney had her 18 month check up on Wednesday and the doctor was very impressed with her language skills.  He said that many 18 month olds have a vocabulary of 5-10 words.  Sydney is very healthy!  Her 18 month stats are:

weight: 23 lbs 2 oz (30 percentile)

height: 31 1/4 inches (45 percentile wahoo!!!)

head size: 46.2 cm (40 percentile)

Who would have thought that MY daughter would ever be such an average height?  Hopefully she keeps that up!  

The Job Search

Matt has officially been on the search for a job since last Thursday.  At the beginning of April we found out that Discover Card would be laying off 500 employees between May 1st and the 15th.  Last Thursday, Matt found out that he was one of those employees.  He has applied for 5 or 6 jobs this past week, and we are still waiting to hear from all of them.  It has been an interesting month for us, anticipating the possibility of Matt no longer having a job.  I am so grateful that we were able to listen to and attend General Conference last month.  It has really helped me understand and deal with the situation so much better.  Many of the talks seemed to be directed specifically for our situation, and I really have recieved so much strength from them.  Today I read Becoming Provident Providers Temporally and Spiritually, by Elder Robert D. Hales. 

( http://lds.org/conference/talk/display/0,5232,23-1-1032-2,00.html ).  He tells us that the Lord will never allow us to sufffer beyond what we can endure (see 1 Corinthians 10:13).  Also, that Christ stands ready to help each one of us.  "Fear not, " He said, "for you are mine, and I have overcome the world" (D&C 50:41).  

I remember when my cousin Brooks was ready to leave on his mission and he became really sick.  We were all pretty nervous that he wouldn't be able to serve his mission, or that he might even die.  My grandpa told my aunt Liz that you can not have fear and faith at the same time.  I remember that she tried so hard to not have fear, so that she would be able to have the faith that was needed for Brooks.  I have been trying to do the same thing for the past month.  At first the thought of not having a job was very scary, but I have tried to not have fear.  Since Matt has been officially laid off, i have had a peace in my heart and I truly am not scared.  I know that because we have made good decisions and because we obey the commandments we will be blessed.  We may not be blessed with all of our wants, but I do know that we will get through this.  

We already have seen so many blessings in our lives this past month, and I wouldn't trade any of those blessings for a job.  My grandpa had a cancer scare, and a near death experience, and we were able to have a family fast for him, and everything has turned out fine!  We are expecting another baby, and I have been blessed with a healthy pregnancy and as far as we know a healthy baby.  We have a beautiful daughter who continues to grow and learn every day.  She is a strength to us and helps us remember what is really important.  We have family members who support us through everything and have actually been in our situation for longer than we have.  I feel like we have been blessed in abundance and am grateful to the Lord for that!

If any of you do know of or hear about any leads on jobs, please let us know.  We have found that the best way to find something is by asking around!  Thank you for all of your support.  We think of each one of you as one of our blessings!

Just in Time!

My dad called me this morning to inform me that we had "moved just in time."  Just in time for what you might ask... just in time to miss the break-in/shooting that took place at our apartment complex last night- in the building just next to our old apartment! 

Suspect fatally shot during Midvale home invasion

MIDVALE -- There was a terrifying wake up call for neighbors in a Midvale apartment complex as a home invasion robbery turned deadly.

Four people were inside the apartment Tuesday morning when there was a knock at the door. They answered it, and that's when the ordeal began. When it was all over one suspect was dead, shot by one of the residents in the apartment.

Police have been able to identify the man shot and killed during the home invasion at the Spring of Country Woods Apartment complex at 6995 S. 1030 East. They say the Metro Gang Unit was able to identify him through the tattoos on his body. They are waiting to release his name pending family notification.

Police say he had been affiliated with gangs in the past, but whether this was gang relates is still under investigation.

Sgt. John Salazar, with the Midvale Police Department, said, "On the deceased we found a weapon, a handgun and two knives. So, they were loaded."

Armed with handguns, knives and latex gloves, Sgt. Salazar says the nine suspects who pushed their way into the apartment were on a mission, but to do what?

"We don't know what was said, we don't know what they were here for," Salazar said.

A man and his nephew were visiting his girlfriend and her sister Tuesday morning when they heard a knock at the door. When one opened the door, the suspects pushed open the door. One of the men tried to close it but was stabbed. Once inside, the suspects held the victims at gunpoint and forced them into a back room.

Neighbors say they heard the rest.

Nicole Hulett said, "I heard screaming, and then I heard three shots and then flashes that happened with the triggers."

Another neighbor, Brian Lee, said, "I heard consistent gun fire, I thought maybe someone was getting murdered."

Police say at one point one of the male victims grabbed a gun from a suspect and opened fire, killing him. More shots were then fired, and the eight other suspects took off.

David Sandford was watching TV in his apartment nearby when he heard the shots. He ran to his porch just in time to see the suspects coming down the stairs.

"It was kind of a free-for-all, everyone was going, getting the heck out of there," he said.

Sandford says one of the suspects, an injured female, ran right past his porch, leaving a blood trail for police. One of the other suspects, he says, was carrying a gun.

"The way he had his hands held looked like he was carrying a shotgun or a riffle," Sanford said.

Police, K-9 units and swat teams all searched the area for hours this morning, looking for the suspects, but so far no one has been located.

Police, however, did locate a gun they believe was used during the invasion about a block from the area.

Police say no evidence was left behind in the apartment, but that everything at the scene does indicate the victim shot the suspect out of self-defense.

I must say, I am glad to be gone from there now!  There were a few scary things that happened to us there, and I'm glad to have missed this one!  While we lived there- 1) Matt's car got stolen 2) Police showed up at our door looking for a bank robber.  One day when Sydney was just a few months old, I heard a knock at our door in the middle of the day.  When I opened the door no one was standing there and I heard someone ask if I was alone.  Unsure of how to answer, I hesitantly said, "yes," while noticing police standing up and down the stairs that led to our apartment.  They told me that their police dog had sniffed a bank robber directly from the bank to our front door, and asked if they could look around.  I said yes, and they came in and looked under beds, in the shower, in closets, and all over.  Then they asked me questions about how old I was and about our neighbors.  After they searched our house, I packed Sydney up, and left to my parent's house, so I wouldn't have to be alone there.   After those two experiences I never quite felt safe there, and after this...we'll just say, we moved just in time!  On a brighter note:  We are excited to be moving to a 'safer' neigborhood!  People have been asking for pictures of our new place.  Here are a few, although they really aren't that great.  It looks much better in person!

Sydney & Baby's Room

Our Room

Along this wall will be our kitchen and dining area

Family Room- notice the BIG windows!

Our deck- that Sydney already loves

A blurry view from our deck

The outside: Ours goes just past the second window on the left