10 Years

This May would mark ten years that we have lived in this house. When we moved here we thought we'd only be here for a few years, but then we fell in love.

Next week we close on our new house (hopefully). As the time grows closer to pack up and start a new, we can't help but reflect on our time here.

Here are 10 things I will miss:

So I went a little overboard on the pictures, but I had so much fun looking back through these – I couldn’t help myself. Most are of only Abigail and Carly, but that’s only because I started this blog before Jason was born so Jason and Katie have their entire lives on the blog already.

1. Our ward. Over ten years we've seen a lot of changes, friends moved away, youth grew up and left home, many even starting families of their own, seven years ago there was a boundary change that left many friends attending another ward. But even when the ward was small and struggling to fill positions we have always felt blessed to be acquainted with amazing individuals and families. We've been surrounded with wonderful examples of the gospel.

This past Sunday was our last Sunday in our ward and Justin was asked to speak. Right before the meeting started a dear elderly widow in the ward approached us with tears in her eyes and expressed how much she would miss us. Right then Justin knew it would be hard to stand up there and pretend it was any other speaking assignment. Had it not been our very last week it wouldn’t have been near as emotional, but knowing that this would be the last time you’d see many of these people made it difficult for even my non-emotional husband.

2. Our House. If course we are super excited about our new house, but there are a few things we will miss about this house.

My Office: No doubt the best thing we did in this house is converting part of the garage into our office. Easily the most used room in the house and perfectly situated by the family room and kitchen so I can be in the office, but still be part of the action. The office in the new house is right near the front door so not only will it be a little removed, I'll also have to keep it clean. It also has glass doors so I can’t just shut the doors and hide my mess.

One of my favorite pictures of Abigail (I found her quietly reading in the office when we were nearing the end of construction)

Mudroom: Several years ago I finally succeeded in convincing Justin to add shelving in an unused part of the laundry room. Best decision ever! We can store so much stuff on these shelves and even better is that we are no longer tripping over shoes every time we enter the house. When we enter the new house from the garage we will walk right into the kitchen so doing something like this isn't really an option. We'll likely have to keep our shoes in the garage, which wouldn't be so bad if that wasn't where icky bugs and spiders live.

Our Yard: We've put a lot of time and money into our yard and we love it. The patio design is fun and unique, we have beautiful, mature plants, and my favorite feature is our sunken garden.

This “after” picture above was taken just this past year

The amount of stone that was brought into our yard was incredible

The slope was leveled and my garden took shape

Abigail and Carly with our first bounteous year of produce

3. The Neighborhood. We live in an awesome neighborhood! Living across the street from a culd-e-sac is perfect. We enjoy all the benefits of living in a culd-e-sac (tons of playspace and away from busy streets) without any of the negatives (lack of parking and kids messing around in your yard). If the sun is out you can pretty much guarantee that the culd-e-sac will be full of kids. What makes it even more perfect is that it's flat, ideal for riding bikes, drawing with chalk, and rollerblading.

4. Friends. We have been blessed with great friends here. I seriously doubt I will find a better group of friends anywhere else. The kids have created friendships in the neighborhood, school, church, and through sports programs. Walking away from that is tough. Starting over will be hard for us all. If only we could take everyone with us.

5. Mt. Rainier. This is a layout of my trip to Seattle to meet Justin’s parents when we were dating.

The upper right picture is Mt. Rainier. I remember wondering why people thought Mt. Rainier was so special when I grew up in Utah next to an entire mountain range. We had no idea that someday we would move to the very city that picture was taken. Let's be honest, there’s no question that we are getting a better overall view in Snoqualmie, but I will miss seeing this mountain from my front window on a clear day.

6. Proximity to Shopping. Auburn doesn't have a lot of great shopping or restaurants (nor does Snoqualmie), but it does have some great stores to save money. The Supermall is home to great outlet stores like Gap, Banana Republic, Gymboree, and Nordstrom Rack. Our old, tattered Wal-Mart was just replaced with a new supercenter (waited 9 years for that) and we also just got a new Winco close by. How crazy is it that after we move many of these stores here will still be the closest of their kind to me. And the store I frequent most often, Sam’s Club. I'm going to have to switch to Costco (which will cost more, the exact percentage I'll share after I complete the research I've been working on for several months, but it's looking close to 10% which is a huge chunk of change in a year).

7. Memories. Each of our four children were born while living here. As babies they all slept in the room at the top of the stairs and took their first real bath in my bathtub. So many memories of their childhood were within these walls.

8. Diversity. The demographics at our current elementary school vs. the elementary school we are transferring to are:
Our current neighbors include Japanese, Pilipino, Mexican, and African American. I love the diversity we enjoy here, the different cultures and languages my kids are exposed to is unique and wonderful. And at this young age these kids don't care that they are different. I asked a close friend (who is from England and married to a Korean) why Snoqualmie isn't as diverse, she thought it was because Asians tend to live in more populated cities and Snoqualmie is too rural. Whatever the reason, we will miss the diversity we enjoy here.

9. Close Schools. We live within walking distance of our elementary school. I can be there in less than five minutes to volunteer, take Jason to speech, or bring something to school that the girls forgot. The school is only 5 years old and the teachers are great. Due to overcrowding at the closest elementary, our new little neighborhood is currently getting bussed 15 minutes away. I think the girls will end up glad they no longer have to walk everyday, because as it is now rain, shine, snow, or hail they always walk to and from school. However, I'll definitely miss having their school so close by.

10. Our Community. We live is a master planned community, the neighborhood as a whole is huge, easily over a thousand homes. We pay annual HOA sites to keep the trails, parks, etc... looking nice. And they do a great job. As a family we love going on bike rides through the area. It its beautiful. It is clean. It's safe. People are always out going on walks. They clean up after their pets. Each year our dues also sponsor a neighborhood Easter egg hunt, a fun summer social, and donuts with Santa. These activities are very well done and something our family really looks forward to each year. We hope that as Snoqualmie continues to develop we will have that same strong sense of community that we have enjoyed here.

Carly was very excited to see the Easter Bunny at the neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt – Easter 2005

The girls at the annual Donuts with Santa event – December 2005

It’s hard to imagine living anywhere else. This home is all we have known as a family. We are so excited, but we are also very nervous and sad as well. We've had a wonderful 10 years here. As I looked through old pictures I can’t help but wonder what the next 10 years will bring.

Off He Goes

I've mentioned before that Jason is very excited for his birthday. He knew that after Abigail’s birthday in January, there would be Carly's birthday, then Katie’s, followed by mine, and then finally his. He'll go through this chronological list any time birthdays come up. As we were nearing Carly’s birthday earlier this month I proposed an idea to Jason that he forgo his birthday and stay three forever. It was working for awhile, but then he started to change his mind. He didn't want to be my little boy forever {sniff, sniff}. Yesterday was further proof that my boy is growing up. And growing up too quickly.

Jason's training wheels broke on his bike last week. Yesterday he got on and with a little direction from Justin my little guy took off.

Down the street, off to college, family of his own...

House Update

My last post started, “Barring any further delays...” Well, this week brought yet another change to our closing date. We were hoping to move next weekend, but unfortunately, they can’t finish the kitchen island until late next Friday, which doesn’t leave enough time to close before the weekend. So we are currently planning on closing on Monday the 28th and moving what we can that evening and the following day. The girls will still start school on the 28th but we will have to drive them there and back. So that’s the latest on that.

Yesterday we had our walk-thru at the new house. We were both nervous because this was our chance to point out any cosmetic flaws in the house. After closing any scuffs, scraps, and chips are on us. Besides the kitchen island and installing the a/c the home is complete. When we got there they were putting the last coat of stain on the front door and installing the handle.

This was our first time seeing the wood floors sanded and finished. Unfortunately, by the time we were finished with the walk-thru and ready to take pictures, they had already covered most if it up to protect it while they work on the kitchen island... so no pictures this time.

Thankfully, we didn't find any major issues, mainly just areas that need a little touch up. Justin was very thorough and plastered the walls with blue painters tape so they wouldn't miss a thing. It was a good thing though, cause when he was checking out the window in the master bath he noticed a crack in the wood trim on the window seal.

Here’s a view of the backyard – I think it looks huge from this angle (a least for Seattle) and the sod seems to be doing really well.

There were hoof prints all over the front garden beds. The superintendent told us they would replace the plants in the front yard that have been destroyed by the deer right before closing and then it was up to us to find a way to keep them from eating everything. As we were leaving there were two deer across the street at the park munching on the grass.

They are fearless - I think we might have to name these guys cause it seems like will be seeing a lot of each other.

Our “New” School

Barring any further delays, the girls first day in their new school will be two weeks from today. When I called the school last week to get some questions answered the gal in the office was very nice and suggested we come in and meet with the principal. He would give us a tour of the school and it would also give him an opportunity to meet the girls. She said this would help him determine the best classroom/teacher to assign them to. I was thrilled with the idea and grateful to see that we will be moving to a school in which the principal is actively involved with the parents and students. Since the girls didn't have school today it was the perfect day for us to check out their new school.

When I say "new" school, I mean new to them. Their "new" school was actually built in 1917 so it's been around a few years. The original school has been converted into the gymnasium and the newer portion of the school was built in the 60's and 70's. It definitely looks dated but it's been renovated with all the modern educational gadgets.

If you look closely you can see the kids playing around near the front of the gymnasium. The main school entrance is to the right.

The principal was awesome and spent about 40 minutes with us. He met with us in his office first to answer any questions we had and then he walked us around the whole property (although, we forgot the one room I really wanted to see - the cafeteria - so glad my kids will no longer be eating lunch in their classrooms).

I went into our visit a little leery, but left confident. The school district is ranked 8th in the state (that’s out of 216 districts) and our “new” elementary school has received equally high ratings. Abigail was concerned when she found out we would be walking around the school when school was in session – she hates having the attention on her and walking around with your parents and the principal does create a bit of attention. Of course the girls didn’t have much to say in front of the principal and I was having a hard time reading their reactions to the experience. But when we stopped by Grandma & Grandpa Fletchers on the way home they were bursting to tell them all about it. Although I’m sure they will still be nervous to transfer to a new school, it’s comforting to hear them express some excitement as well.

11 Months Old

This is my last monthly post documenting Katie’s first year. On the next update my baby will be one and I'll be writing about her first birthday. That makes me sad. These last few months have flown by quicker than any of the previous. She is changing so quickly.

This past month Katie has started to crawl and that means she gets around.

That also means she can get herself into trouble. Katie recently discovered the dishwasher.

And a cupboard I left open

Then last week while I was vacuuming she ventured up four steps before I saw her - really, I'm shocked that we are already at this stage.

Katie had also started to pull herself up on things. Usually it's me she is using as a climbing toy. The first time she stood herself up was by using the shredder in the office.

Once she's up though she has zero balance so we really need to keep an eye on her.

With all her new mobility it is becoming difficult to keep her entertained in one spot. One afternoon I had to get some things done in the office so I set the diaper bag in front of Katie and set her loose. I knew she'd pull everything out, but I didn't know she was cleaver enough to open a Ziploc baggie and proceed to munch on a bagel (um, just a small choking hazard). Thank goodness Jason was paying attention.

Katie is also cutting more teeth, but is going a little against the norm and is getting a top side tooth before her two front teeth.

Not the best picture, but you get the idea

Katie is liking her binkie a little more these days and although we try to keep it to sleeping (and of course church) it does seem like we are seeing more and more of them these days.

Katie takes two 2-3 hour naps everyday and usually doesn’t want to bother with any of the rocking to sleep business – she’d rather we just lay her down. Right after I lay her down she usually rolls onto her right side with her blankie and goes right to sleep. Thankfully, she will still take a nap away from home which has been a blessing these past few crazy weeks.

Who wouldn’t want to walk into a room and see this happy little face beaming up at them?

This girl brings so much JOY into our family.

Packing Up

Can you guess what we are working on this weekend?

I think we’ll take this one with us for sure!

Moving Update: Our closing date has been moved out a few days, but we’ll still be moving on March 25^th and 26^th – just in case anyone feels inclined to lend a hand

Nothin' better than Chick-fil-A

This was my first time tasting Chick-fil-A in Washington and it tastes just as great here as it does everywhere else, even after a long special delivery by my mom from way up north (Bellingham).

House Update

It’s been a while since I’ve done an update on the new house. Truth be told I’ve been avoiding it. If I thought building a home was a roller coaster ride before these past few weeks I was severely mistaken.

The details are incredibly complicated (and very frustrating), but in short – once the kitchen island was complete we realized there wasn’t enough space between the bar and the family room. Correcting it entails new cabinets, new granite, weaving in new hardwood, moving lighting, etc... I felt the responsibility for this was the builders and of course they felt slightly otherwise. I fought against Goliath, then Goliath’s Daddy, then Goliaths Granddaddy (actually, Goliaths Granddaddy (a.k.a. the President of the company) wouldn’t talk to me personally, but I tried – more than once). I was unarmed and without even a stone to sling at them – just words and what I perceived as logically reasoning. I should have been intimidated, I should have cowered in their presence, but I learned I’m stronger than I thought possible.

In the end we reached a compromise – we will get the island how we want, but we will need to contribute a portion of the cost (small in comparison to what they will pay, but not the ideal outcome I was working toward). I am incredibly relieved that we have found a resolution to this issue and glad that we can get back to being excited about this move and the home we will soon call our own.

Here’s our kitchen in it’s current state of remodeling:

Today was our inspection. We hadn’t been up to the house in nearly three weeks so it was neat to see some of the final touches in place. During my recent battle with Goliath I addressed a few other concerns I had. One was the frustration we’ve experienced with the master bathroom – specifically that the company fabricating the countertops couldn’t locate a slab of marble long enough for the countertop. To avoid a seam I selected another countertop and hoped it would work in the space. Well, that countertop looked like this…

Which was incredibly different from the sample and not at all what I was going for. Thankfully, Goliath himself agreed that it was unacceptable (shocking) so he offered to let us go back to the original marble and they would make the seam as seamless as possible. I agreed that a seam was better than what was put in.

Today when I walked into the bathroom I was shocked to find that somehow, somewhere they found a single slab of the marble I love – it is beautiful and 100% seamless.

Anyhow, the inspection went really well – it’s a new home and the builder does have a fabulous reputation (we’ll leave Goliath out of this). We can’t wait to move in, but of course the drama can’t quite end yet, we learned today that the changes to the island are causing some delays so we may have to push out our closing date another week or so. Not the best news, but if it means everything gets done right then it’s OK with us.

Happy Birthday Carly!

Carly celebrated her seventh birthday on Friday. In our family food is an important part of any celebration and Carly's birthday was filled with some of her favorites. Justin went to work late that morning so he could make her a special pancake breakfast before school.

Carly’s been waiting for several days to open up her present from Grandma Kesler. She could tell that the package included a pack of icebreakers and also guessed there was some type of clothing as well. Also included were hair accessories that were immediately put to use.

For lunch Carly requested that we eat with her in her classroom. So Katie, Jason, and I picked up some McDonalds and were waiting in her classroom when she came in from recess. Abigail was also able to join us since she has recess during Carly's lunch.

For dinner we headed to Red Robin with her free birthday coupon in hand. I could tell she was excited for the servers to sing her, but you'd never guess that from her look of complete indifference while they serenaded our table. Carly has always been such a shy girl.

Carly has known for several weeks that she wanted to watch “Despicable Me” as a family for her special birthday activity. We borrowed the DVD from Justin's mom at least a month ago and have eagerly been waiting for the big night. Carly got to pick out several treats to munch on during the movie (Oreos, Milk Duds, licorice, whoppers, and popcorn). We limited how much the kids ate to avoid a repeat of Abigail’s birthday movie night two years ago when Carly ate so much junk food that she puked.

Carly loaded up this plate for her and I to share

The movie was cute and the kids had lots of fun. Snuggling up on the couch with my kids and hearing them crack up over a show is so fun for me as a mom.

Early the next morning we were awakened when we heard Abigail throwing up in her bathroom. Of course we immediately associated it with the candy bingeing from the night before. As it turned out, Abigail was sick all day Saturday so I think it was just an unlucky 12-hour bug.

Carly's cousin Hannah has a birthday on Monday so we decided to celebrate both birthdays on Sunday with Justin’s family.

The birthday girls

Things have been pretty crazy around here lately so decorating a big birthday cake would have been difficult for me to pull off this week. Justin suggested that a four layer dessert would taste even better and Carly jumped on board with the idea, making my life much easier (and it WAS delicious).

Grandma and Grandpa Fletcher gave Carly some fun crafts, a new hat, hair accessories, and new outfit. Carly also loved the small turtle pillow pet from her cousins.

As I look back at pictures of Carly from last year I’m surprised how much she has changed. She looks so much older since her baby teeth have been replaced with her big permanent teeth. Carly can't resist playing with a wiggly tooth. Last Tuesday she got hit in the mouth with a beach ball and immediately afterward noticed a loose tooth. Less than 10 minutes later it was out.

Carly is Katie's second mom. She is always the first one willing to help take care of Katie and often makes comments about how irresistible Katie is and wanting to kiss her cheeks and hug her tight.

Watching the snow fall with Katie

As sweet as Carly is she's also full of spunk and spice. She adds a little drama to our family and seems to enjoy testing her little brother’s patience.

By the end of 2010 she'd really lost interest in reading. Justin gave her a challenge to read everyday in January and she did really well sticking with it. Carly has even started taking AR tests at school. I love to see her wrapped up in a good book.

Carly’s favorite color is blue. She likes taking showers and blow drying her own hair, but she doesn't like her hair parted on the side. She loves to climb trees, dance with her little brother, and spend time with her big sister. Carly is still very artistic and enjoys doing crafts and writing stories. Her favorite activity these days is rollerblading. Carly loves to help in the kitchen, and wear the cute apron she made in kindergarten.

We sure adore this girl and feel very blessed to have her in our crazy family.

Happy Birthday Carly Ann!