A hunting we will go

(Grass skirts and coconut bras provided by Grammy from Hawaii trip.)

A couple of weeks ago, Andy and I were in pursuit to find a new place to call home in LA. We felt that the best place to keep the kids was with our family. So we headed for Utah, relaxed for a couple of days then headed to sunny California. It was a very stressful quick trip, but in the end we found a cute little 3 bedroom house to rent. We took pictures along the way of the houses we were most interested, but we were so pressed for time (to catch our flight) we forgot to take any pictures of the one we ended up with. We were able to stay in Utah for Conference weekend (my favorite) then head home to Portland. We have been busy ever since trying to get things ready for the big move. So if you don't see any new posts for a while, you'll know why.

Birthday Girl

Although her birthday was a couple of weeks ago, what kind of mother would I be if I didn't post this special day? We had a fun-filled day of preschool, out-0f-this-world pizza, dinner provided by Rachel (thank you!), and of course, birthday cake!

Later on that week we had a little birthday bash of bowling. It was crazy, but I think everyone enjoyed themselves, including the birthday girl. Thanks for all who came and wished her a happy birthday and spoiled her rotten!

well, all I can say is...I am really proud to be Grace's mom! hard to believe she's a little independent four year old already. I love you sweetie!

Good News, kind of...

(btw, this post has nothing to do with this picture, I just like it!)
So let me start by saying, I have been waiting a little over 2 months (some days it seems like longer) to make this post. As most of you know, Andy was laid-off of his job at LAIKA in December. They decided to pull the plug on the movie he was working on. Right after he called me to tell me the news, I cried. I was not worried about him finding another job, I knew we would be taken care of. My main concern was having to leave. I really love it here! From the moment we moved here, we began making many friends. I had it in my head that we would be here for at least 5 years, or more. And then I felt that my feelings were confirmed when Andy was called into the bishopric. In fact, I had been looking at possible homes to call our own. So once Andy got laid-off, we both thought that they would call him back to start work on another project and we could go right on living here. Just to be safe, Andy sent out several portfolios to other major studios. Well, Laika did contact him, only to tell him that they wouldn't need him until the end of the year. So thankfully, we did get an offer from Sony Pictures (in LA)! I am thrilled that I will have a husband who has a job and will be doing something he loves. But at the same time, I want to cry every time I think of leaving. It will be very hard, but I know this is where we are suppose to be in our next leg of the journey.

I have been meaning to post these pictures of the kids. These are the outfits they wore for Christmas (but it's ok, cause Grace wore this same dress today, and I did her hair the same way, so it's as if I just took this). I just can't seem to get them smiling for me together in the same picture! But Clark has learned to say 'cheese' and pose for the camera.

Super Freak

It seems that in the past couple of weeks, Clark has been growing up way too fast! Everyday, he learns something new. He now can crawl, stand on his own, take steps and shake his lil' booty.

Finally!

It's been so long since I've blogged, I forgot that my pictures load up in the opposite order. But instead of doing it all again, I'll just post from end to beginning. Over the Christmas holiday, we traveled to Utah (12.25.08-12.31.08). So this shot is of us heading home. The flight home was a whole lot less terrifying than our flight to SLC.

As I was looking through the few pictures I took during our little trip, I realized I did a real crappy job. I didn't take any pictures of my family or during any present openings (of either family). While there, Andy got sick, so he lounged around just trying to get better. So we ended up not seeing any friends, but got to spend some quality time with the family, playing rock band. I especially enjoyed hanging out with my sisters (who both work for a school district, so they had that week off).

One of the highlights of our trip was taking Grace and her cousins to see The Nutcracker. I really enjoyed it! And I could tell that Grace was enjoying herself, when she was dancing in the aisles during the intermission. This may seem silly, but I was impressed that she knew when to clap. During it, I kept wanting to tell her to clap, but before I could, she would be clapping along with everyone. I wasn't sure if it would hold her attention, but she loved it! All three girls however fell asleep, towards the end. Now she is constantly talking of taking ballet class (which she'll be doing in March, after she turns 4). Thanks Kathy for a wonderful time!

All Grace wanted for Christmas was a kitchen and a pink umbrella. Luckily Santa was able to find her both. Every year, Andy and I make sure we have our own christmas morning, no matter what. Since our flight didn't leave until 5pm, we had plenty of time to open presents, which took all of a couple of minutes, and play with our toys! I was fortunate to get a new set of pots and pans, thanks to both my parents and in-laws.
We weren't sure if we would be getting out, with the snow and all of the other flights that had been canceled. But we left without any problems. However, it started to snow, hard, in Salt Lake. They even closed the airport it was so bad. We had to circle around in the air for a while before we knew if we could even land. Fortunately, we did. But I had never before been so nervous to land, I thought I was going to throw up. We had all of Andy's family waiting for us to get there. We didn't show up until 11pm that night. So we rushed through opening presents before everyone left. It was so great to see everyone again! Love to all!

Snow Day

If we were playing by the rules today, we would be at church. But due to the inclement weather, and a very concerned bishop, they decided to cancel church. I just have to laugh, because we have gone to church in much worse. But here in the northwest, they are not equip to deal with it. I think there's about an inch out there now. The question now is whether Andy will get a snow day tomorrow? It sure has been nice to be home and actually take it easy on the day of rest.

This week for Grace's preschool field trip, we went to see Santa. As you can tell from the pictures, Grace is not quite ready to sit on his lap. She wouldn't even talk to him, I had to do all the asking for her (she wants a kitchen and a pink umbrella, I think Santa will come through). And I didn't even attempt to get Clark on his lap. I knew that outcome. Merry Christmas to all!

Tis the Season

Merry Christmas everyone! I have sure been enjoying this holiday season, thanks to a little 3 year old. She is excited about everything, which in turn, makes me enjoy it so much more. She loves anything to do with Christmas, especially the tree and lights. So I was way excited to go see the zoo lights. Thanks so much to Rachel for arranging it! Luckily it wasn't too cold or raining or crowded.

Here is the latest video of Clark. He always brings a smile to my face!