Breaking Dawn

I went to a release party on Friday night for the new Twilight book, Breaking Dawn with some friends from my new ward. It was actually a lot of fun. They had a trivia scavenger hunt, a pin-the-tail on the werewolf game and a trivia showdown. It was fun to be there at midnight when we all got to rush in to buy the books. I hadn't pre-ordered one, so I was way at the back of the line, but one of my new friends (who also had not pre-ordered) won a raffle and got to be 5th in line and she was able to get one for me, so that I didn't have to wait. Thanks, Karen.By the way...four of the five women above are pregnant...there are 22 pregnant women in our ward at the moment. There must be something in the water!!
I ignored my family all of yesterday and part of today and finished the final book in the series. It was great...I can't wait to be able to discuss it, but I won't post any spoilers here yet. I am, however sad that the story of Bella and Edward has come to a close. I am always sad at the end of a series. But I am sure I will get over it, in time!

Finally...a picture post!

Yes, I have my camera yet again! When I went to California for my friend's funeral, I was able to finally pick it up. So here are some pictures of what we have been up to the past couple months.

Here are some pictures of our house before we moved in. I know they aren't great, but I have to wait until I have the house better put together before I can take more pics!






















































July 24th was the funeral for my good friend, Ginger. I was fortunate to be able to go to Cali for it. It was a lovely tribute to her life. I was strengthened by the testimonies that were shared by her family. I am still so sad about her passing, but trust the Lord in all His wisdom. I had another friend, Laura, that flew in from DC for the funeral as well. It was wonderful to spend time with her and some of our other buddies from Simi. We were also able to have a girl's night out to remember and celebrate Ginger's life. She was terribly missed that evening, but it was so good to see my friends and be able to share and mourn together.Thanks, gals, for making the time to spend with us!

Last week, we had our niece, Marissa, come stay with us. We had so much fun with her and hope that she had a good time, too. Here are some of the fun things that we did:
We took a tram up to the top of the Sandia mountains. It was beautiful and green. Unfortunately, it was really cold up there and we were not prepared, so we didn't stay too long, but we will definitely be back when I need a "green" fix!Gotta love the "cheese!" This is how Dyl poses for most pictures these days!

We also did some swimming and went to the Rio Grande zoo and aquarium down in Abq. I decided to buy a membership so we can go back whenever we want. It's a really fun zoo. The aquarium is really small, but has some fun exhibits.

Grapes and Watermelons

The following conversation took place between Jesse and I while standing in line for Costco pizza:
Jess: Mommy, is your baby getting bigger?
Me: Why? Because my tummy's getting bigger?
J: nods and smiles (he's trying to be tactful!!) and then says: How big is the baby now?
M: About the size of a grape...but I'm the size of a watermelon...not quite fair, huh? At this rate, I'll be the size of a house by the time I'm done with this whole thing!
J: Nooooo!
M: Well, at least the size of a car!
J: That's just nonsense!
He was far kinder than that little girl of mine!
Grace: Mommy, your tummy's getting fat...if it gets much bigger, you're gonna be like a fat person!
Me: Thanks!!!
They are right on both accounts I am getting way bigger than the last three times, Jesse just had a nicer way of stating the obvious!

Beautiful Ginger!

A beautiful and wonderful friend was taken home today, far too early in my opinion. I am still in total shock and disbelief. She went to sleep last night and never woke up. She was taken to the hospital where they found that her heart just stopped. She was young and healthy and Heavenly Father just must have needed her. That's the only explanation I can come up with.
Ginger was...
just 30 years old
a wonderfully fun and loving mother
a wonderfully fun friend
a dedicated and loving wife
a sweet daughter
a sister to 10 siblings
She was one of the most real and genuine people that I knew. And I will miss her so much. I don't understand why Heavenly Father took this beautiful, young mother. But I have to trust that it must be for something really important and special. Don't you just wish you could peek through the veil, just for a moment, to get a better understanding of Why? I guess that's where faith comes in....Why is it just so hard sometimes?
Ginger, you will be missed terribly by many including me. My thoughts and prayers are with your family and loved ones.
I love you, Ging!

Our first visitor and some other news!

How much fun...We just had dinner with our good friend and family member (he's Danny's step brother in law!) Josh. He's a pilot for Sky West and he had a layover tonight in Abq, so we met up with him for dinner. It was so nice to have a familiar face around, even if it was just for a couple of hours. Thanks for thinking of us, Josh, and putting up with our rowdy bunch for dinner!
In other news...I am feeling a little better, thanks to all the well wishes. However, it is still hard to get the motivation to do anything around the house as I don't feel terrific...Heck, it's hard for me to be motivated when I'm feeling great, so you can understand the dilemma I face! That being said, I've just decided that it is going to take me another month or so until I get my act together, and I am fine with that...I just don't know that Danny shares the same sentiments...unfortunately, he doesn't have much choice in the matter! He's being very patient and understanding, though, I do have to say.
The kids are enjoying the new house and settling in pretty well. They are, however, missing our old neighborhood with the abundance of playmates. I told them today that it just takes a little time to get to know more people. They are being patient (as can be!)
We did go to a place called It'z today that was lots of fun. It was a Chuck E Cheese-ish place, but way better. We went with some new friends from our ward. The kids had a great time playing and I enjoyed visiting as well.
An update on the kids...
Jesse is getting excited about starting 1st grade. They begin school on the 20th of August...that means we only have a month left of summer! Bummer! He's really looking forward to making lots of friends.
Grace is loving having her own room. She will be even more excited when I can get it together enough to decorate!
Dylan is continuing his destructive behavior! The other day I got out of the shower to find that he had climbed up onto the counter in the kitchen, got hold of a knife and chopped all the bananas to smithereens. I was just grateful that there were no fingers included in the massacre! He's becoming quite the little independent kid, which has its pros and cons, but I am loving not having him attached to me at most times.
I was hesitant to put out another post without pictures, but I know that I enjoy updates with or without pics...hopefully my camera will decide to come home soon!
Tomorrow...10 great things about NM...stay tuned, I'm just too tired to do it now.

Quick Update

We are here in NM in our new home with all of our things, but things just can't go smoothly at all this move! I am sicker than I have ever been and so things will get unpacked at a much slower pace than I would like.
The day that we moved in, I was throwing up (sorry!) anything that crossed my lips, so I spent the day on the couch directing traffic as best I could. However, amidst all the chaos, we have been extremely blessed. We have come into the best ward. We moved in on the 4th and despite the holiday, we had so many wonderful guys show up to help. Some even came back with their wives over the next few days to bring meals and treats and morning sickness remedies. It has been so wonderful. I was too sick to go to church on Sunday, but I am looking forward to meeting all these wonderful people that have been so helpful and giving.
So, I guess some things can go smoothly after all, just not my stomach!!! Was anyone else sicker with the 4th child than with the others? Just wondering. I have to say that if this had been my first, I am afraid Jesse would have been an only child! I am a lousy sick person and I really, really hate being sick. Just thought I'd let you all know!
As soon as my camera gets back from California (it decided to take an extended vacation since we were there last!), I will post some pics of the new place. We really love our house and the area. I just hope I can feel better soon so that we can explore the area a little more.
Love to all!

Some good news and some gripes!

The good news...guess! We are having a baby! While we are excited and thrilled to be having another baby, the timing could have been better. I have been sicker than a dog for the past 2 weeks. I'm sicker this time than I was with the other 3 and it's just not the best time, what with moving and all (with all the other hassles as well!) However, I am being blessed and am able to muddle through.
Some more good news. Our stuff finally arrived in Utah on Tuesday, we were able to get our stuff on the truck bound for NM and we are now in NM awaiting our belongings yet again. I just checked and the stuff is expected to arrive around 12:30 this afternoon. Yeah! Finally a light at the end of this too long tunnel. Danny refuses to be optimistic at this point (who could blame him!) but I think we can only be closer to the end of the excitement. (Knock on wood!) I am really looking forward to being bored! I've had enough excitement for the rest of the year!
I will update later, but I am hoping it will be from our own home surrounded by our own things!