Chicks Dig Scars

Ok, so this won't scar, but it's still pretty gross.

Here's the wound from falling on our stairs last night.

It's looking really good here at the 24 hour mark!

Too bad you didn't get a look at it yesterday.

Eeewwww!

Provo Hillbillies?

Thomas was packing up to make a trip down to Richfield.  I told him we looked like the Clampettes and he didn't know who I was talking about!

These people Thomas!

 Thomas starts work tomorrow so thought it wise to take down some things since he's going anyways.

He's an engineer for sure... he whipped up these wood racks so his truck would hold lots and lots of my junk!

Now all he needs to do is strap my rocking chair to the top and stick me in it... the Clampettes indeed!

Well I'm doing the single, pregnant mother thing all week while attempting to pack... sure does make me appreciate when life is a little slower!

"Let's go fly a kite, up where the air is clear"

Monday was a blustery day.  Perfect weather for a little kite flying.

Family night is the perfect excuse to go pick up some kites right?!

It was a lot colder than we thought it would be by the time we found a kite, put it together, and got ready to send her up.  So Macey stole Thomas' jacket and looked like a little creature. 

Henry still reacts to wind like a baby.  He can't hardly breath and it makes him cry.  When does that reaction go away?  Anywho, he and I loved watching from the car where it was nice and warm.

It eventually got cold enough that Thomas came and got our "emergency" blanket from the car.  It was a pretty funny site to see!  (Picture through the front windshield so it's not so good).

The Hunt for a new Place!

We drove to Richfield early Saturday morning with one goal: find a place to rent by lunch.

I looked online for possible options and only had 5 places on my list... the pickin's were slim.

The first 2 houses were terrifying.

I was scared of hantavirus (the mouse poop disease).

We then looked at a single wide trailer that smelled like cigarettes.

Then the 4th place we looked was this little beauty.  The owner just left the door unlocked so we could look around with out her so we felt like we could take pictures.

Can you see the wall behind me?

 Random hole right at the top of the stairs.

 Don't worry the "backyard" was just mud and weeds, and tires, and old boards, and a washing machine...

 Weird little holes with the weird ceiling up stairs.

 Thomas then notices this near the window upstairs... he laughed and said, "look someone recorded their days in captivity!"  That's how happy this house felt.

So I was feeling pretty discouraged and mentally preparing myself to buy a case of Febreeze so that we could move into the smoky trailer.

We ate lunch at the park; Thomas took the kids out to play and I just sat in the car thinking.

Then noon rolled around and it was time to see the last house on my list.

We pulled up and the sun seemed a little brighter.  It was on a quiet street, had a nice little carport and the lawn even had grass (not just mud and weeds!)

We went inside and I was in shock!  4 bedrooms, a toy room, a living room  up and down stairs, a kitchen the size of my last apartment, new carpet, paint, and windows!  The backyard is even fenced in!  

I LOVED IT!  

We were sold. 

Prayers are answered!

We went to get a money order for the deposit and rent and while we are out the man calls and says someone else just called and wants to take it too.  He and his wife will have to "talk about" who they want to live in the house...

Wait.

What?

I'm going to live there.

Didn't we just decide this?

I tell him we need to go back to Provo soon and he says he'll call within a half hour.

We go to the McyD's to the kids a creamy cone.

I'm on the verge of tears. I knew that I needed to buy that Febreeze now...

Well, the heaven's shined down on us, they called, we can live there, we just can't move in as soon as I planned.

So now we are planning on moving April 9th... 

I've done tons of packing, so now I have a 2 week break from it all!

The kids were so excited to be home to normalness that they played and played together in Macey's bed!

Helping?

You know your a baker when you have 4 sizes of muffin tins...

 Henry isn't minding all of the moving chaos.  He's getting away with a little more than normal!

Yes, he's standing on the door with the wrack in his mouth...

Some Big News!

Guess what!  I'm pregnant... oh wait.  That's not new.

We are moving!  In a week and a half!

AAAhhhhhhhh Let the packing begin.

After lots of thought and prayer Thomas  has decided to take a job in:

He starts the 28th of this month!  They weren't kidding when they said they would like someone to start soon.  

We are going down to look for a house to rent this weekend and will hopefully move a week from Saturday.  

It's fun and exciting, stressful and tiring, and sad and a little heartbreaking.  Provo has been our home for over 5 years.  This is where my besties live, where my babies were born, and the only home I've known since becoming a Griffiths.  

I am a little in shock.  There's no time for tears now; I have a household to move in 10 days!

March's Slower Days

These are my "everyday" pictures.  You know... the ones that are just of life.  

They are fun to look at when your baby has had a soaring fever for days, won't sleep without being held, and is just miserable.  I'm 90% sure he has RSV.  We are keeping him hydrated and his breathing isn't too labored, so no doctor appointment yet.  Hopefully we'll be over the hump soon.

It's so hard to watch though!  No can describe to you how it feels to watch your own child suffer; you don't know it until you live it.

Today I am super grateful that I've never seen true suffering in my children.  

How do moms watch their children go through surgeries or chemo??? 

I'm counting down the days until Henry will want to walk on his own again, but until then I am counting my blessings that he will walk when he feels better.

Filling Macey's shoe's with dirt...

Watching the trash truck.

Reading The Friend with Dad before bed.   What a comfy seat she gets!

The Ranch

Thomas and I met one summer while I was working at Clear Creek Ranch.  It was a guest ranch that specialized in family reunions.  It's nestle up North Fork Road just a few miles outside of the East entrance to Zion National Park (aka some of the prettiest land in the country).  I got the job after stopping by a fun looking booth at a BYU career fair in the Wilk.  There were 10 other kids from BYU that went down and worked for the summer.  We cooked, cleaned, drove tractors, put on barn dances, crafted with the kiddies, and lots of other fun activities.  It was a dream job really.

Thomas was home from his first semester at BYU after his mission.  He was working for his dad in Orderville.  Orderville is the closest town to the ranch, so that where all of us ranch kids went to church.  He introduced himself at Stake Conference, my second Sunday there, when he thought I was looking back at him.  I only slightly remember meeting him, because I was looking back at someone else :)


There is another ranch just 5 miles up the road that is much bigger... probably 40 collage aged kids work there for the summer.  So Thomas and his friend had lots of motivation to drive out to the ranches to hang out and meet people on the weekends.  Let's be honest, 90% of the people working for the ranches were girls.  Thomas was no dumbie, he knew where to spend his free time in the summer.

One night we were in the kitchen with lots of kids, eating ice cream and Lucy Charms when a guest came in and said his wife had fallen off of a rope swing and her arm was broken.  He needed some help.  Thomas, the local, knew where the hospital was and offered to take her so the husband could stay with their kids.  I was the ranch rep "on duty" that night, so offered to go with them.

The 3 of us got into Thomas' truck, so conveniently I had to sit next to him in the middle.  We chatted while the woman got a cast.

I've been grateful she broke her arm ever since.

The first wild flower bouquet from Thomas and our 24th of July together - our summer (2005)

As we drove by the ranch this past weekend on the way to a friend's home, I pointed out the place and told Macey that was where I met her dad.  I told her that I thought he was funny, and I thought he knew a lot about the stars, and that he was so cute.  Then I told her that her dad thought I was so pretty, and so this that and the other.  She listened quietly from the backseat.  When I was done listing a few of the things we noticed about each other, she begged me to tell the story again.  She made me list over and over again the things that we first noticed about each other.  It was such a fun and special experience.  I thought I should write it down so that I would remember it and remember to tell her the story more often.

Grandpa has all the toys!

Terry is a pretty fun grandpa.

He has all the toys a little (and big) boy could dream of!

The kids love going for rides.

He's also really good at making and sharing popcorn before bed.

What more does a kid need?

Zion National Park

We headed down to Orderville yesterday morning.  The kids were great in the car, but were less than thrilled to be there.  Isn't this great- they aren't tired- just super sick of the car!

Today we went into Zion National Park just to poke around and be outside.  We just explored an area we hadn't been too, broke ice on the remaining pockets of water in the creek bed, and played in the sand.  It was warm even if there was snow on the ground.

My manly mountain goats.

Macey took to the rock like a fish to water.  She'll do well as a Southern Utah girl :)

Snow and rock - isn't it pretty.

Belly shot!  29 weeks in.

Macey and Thomas made an igloo out of sand.

It's such a pretty part of the state.  If anyone wants to go, we love bringing people to Orderville with us and have a National Parks pass, so it would be FREE!  

You just let me know!

First Talk

 Macey was asked to give her first talk in Primary this past week.  On Monday night we wrote the talk and most nights we had her stand on her stool on top of her "podium" and practice.  Here is her practice :)

Here is the cute (and very reverent!) audience.

She was so excited all week to give her talk.  We practice lots!  She couldn't wait for Sacrament meeting to be over when Sunday finally came!  The Jr. and Sr. Primary meet together on Sunday in the chapel for the opening part - when her talk is.  She got to sit on the stand and when it was her turn and we went to stand at the pulpit she froze!  Looking down at all those kids was too much.  She hid in my shoulder while I held her and I gave my first talk in her primary :)

She was so sad when it was all over, even with lots of praise.  She said to me later, "I'll try my talk again next week, ok?"

It was a cute and proud day as a mom, even if it didn't go as we planned.