We went to the park in February because we are having a weird climate change winter. No snow!
We helped clean the church on Saturday morning. The kids playing with Play-Doh.
We went to STEM night at Layla's school.
I keep a running list of things I want to record on my blog, but I can't seem to find the time to update regularly like I tell myself I will. I've finally decided that once I'm done with school and my kids are older, I will have more time to update as often as I want.
2018 is starting off great. Mitch and I were able to get away to San Diego with Kevin and Nicole for a weekend. Ahh, it was so fun to have no plans and just do whatever we felt like, whenever we felt like it. We shopped a lot, ate a TON, and went whale watching. Nicole and I both got sick on the boat. That was not fun. I love when Mitch and I can go on little getaways like that. I always miss the kids like crazy, but it is so nice to have uninterrupted time with my better half. I love him.
While we were in San Diego, we told Kevin and Nicole about our decision to move. We had been meeting with our builder, Ed Green, about a lot we want to build on in Fruit Heights. This decision was a long time coming, and it has been accompanied by some pretty neat and spiritual experiences.
It's a long story, but I'll try to shorten it. First, I have been frustrated with driving Layla to and from school every day now that she's in the gifted program. She is SO happy in the program, that taking her out is not an option. So I started talking about moving closer to her school. Mitch was not totally sold on the idea, but agreed to look at a few houses. Of course, being the picky people that we are, we couldn't find any we loved.
At the same time, we also considered moving to Mountain Green. Man, I still love that place and would love to live there. We looked at various home and lots up there. I checked into the schools and found that they do not have a gifted program, which was a huge drawback. And it just never felt right. I couldn't make myself commit to Mountain Green because as beautiful as it is, it felt wrong for us. Mitch felt the same, so we stopped considering it.
I was so sad. I really had my heart set on a home with a beautiful view. But I knew we needed to be closer to the gifted program in our current school district (it's pretty great). We continually checked the MLS for existing homes, but never found anything worth checking into.
Towards the end of 2017, our school district announced a change in high school boundaries to accommodate for the new high school opening in 2018. We ended up being just one street away from being in the boundaries of one of the best academic high schools in the state! I was incredibly disappointed. I know that our kids would be happy and successful if they went to either high school (heck, I went to one CRAPPY high school myself, and did well in college), but if I have a choice, I want them to go to the best one. Who wouldn't, right?
This led us to consider building a new home in the better high school's boundaries. We found a lot that we fell in love with. And ... it has a beautiful view of the mountain! The neighbors behind us have an acre of land, so we don't have a backyard neighbor close by. I feel like it's the best of Mountain Green, but in our current school's boundaries. It makes me really happy! We went up there the other day and saw deer tracks in what will be our backyard!
Currently, we have our house plans in with the architect. She should have those back to us this week, then we will go to the bank and get financing and start building! We're hoping to be into our new home in September, October at the latest.
I feel completely spoiled, but also grateful. There were signs along the way that confirmed to me that we are doing the right thing. We fasted about it, and had the lot open up to us unexpectedly; I've had my own confirmations, and we both feel good about it.
That being said, it does still feel bittersweet. How do you leave the best neighbors in the world?! Seriously, we have some of the greatest friends here. But it helps to know that they are lifelong friends.
We are putting our current house up for sale in April. I have a feeling that it won't be hard to sell. We have already had two families come look at it just through word of mouth from our neighbors. We had two more people in our ward ask about it on Sunday because they know potential buyers. I really feel like we'll just sell it by word of mouth, but we'll see.
Overall I'm so excited. I LOVE the area we are moving to, I couldn't be happier about being so close to Layla's school, I want Marcus to be in the same program she's in so it will be nice for him too, and they will get to go to a great high school. In a year from now, when we're all moved in and have made new friends, I'm sure I will be so happy. Right now I'm still a little sad, but I know we're supposed to move there and I'm excited too. Lots of conflicting emotions.
The kids are excited, but I don't think they totally understand it all. Layla will be fine I'm sure, she hasn't made excellent friends here, just okay ones. Marcus is sad because he does have some good friends here, but he is young enough that I'm sure he will make new friends easily and be just fine.
Mitch is excited too. I think he has a little sticker shock, but not enough to stop him from doing it. Knowing that it will be our forever home helps. And that it will be paid off by the time he retires helps. Then we can go into retirement mortgage-free. He's funny and had very specific things he wants in our new house: open stairs to the basement, a huge hidden pantry, white cupboards, and 12 foot ceilings. And of course his giant garage.
So that's where we're at now. I do have a few other things I want to mention:
-Marcus is coming around to preschool more now. I can't remember the last time he complained about going. He has also improved a lot on his writing skills. The main problem now is that he writes his name as Marcuz, with the s backwards, so we tell him that Marcuz is his rapper name, lol! He is also learning to read and is doing so well. He can read sentences like, "Pam ran in the sand" and "the fox sat on the box." He knows dozens of words and is starting to catch the reading bug!
-He still calls his teacher "Smif Tiffany." He has a good friend in his class named Smith, and he pronounces his name "Smif" so he confuses Miss Tiffany with Smif Tiffany. I love it.
-The other day while doing online preschool, Marcus said, "That was easy! I could do that in just one piece of cake!" He also calls my bobbypins "hair needles."
-Recently when he was mad he said, "One day when I'm a grown up and I still live here for a little bit, I will know how to spell and I will put sign on every door that says, 'No naps, not ever!' " I love that he recognized that he can't be a grown up and live here forever, as we've told him many times in a loving, care about you sort of way, so he said he'll be a grown up and live here "for a little bit."
-Another time when he was in trouble he told me that I would make a really good bishop. I questioned him about that and he said, "You know, a person who's good at getting mad at kids when they're naughty." I finally realized that he meant a school principal! Hahaha! Yes, I do get mad when he's being naughty. ;)
-Layla and I have seen the movie "The Greatest Showman" together twice. We LOVE it and listen to the soundtrack every day. I have loved singing the songs with her and discussing the many life lessons in that movie with her. I just love that girl!
-We had Layla's parent teacher conferences a few weeks ago. She is amazing. She is reading at a high 3rd grade, or beginning 4th grade level. She is working on 3rd grade math. She is loved by her peers, but her BFFs at this time are Eleanor Manwareing and Issac Raehl. I am just so happy that she's happy!
