House update

OK- quick update- we did find a bank that will process our home loan! Now it is just up to the underwriter to approve it. Apparantly (according to the bank), we do qualify for an FHA loan, because Jon has a signed contract for employment for a year- and it is the same profession that he has been working in (even though he was a student). The banker told us that she just went to training on these kinds of loans last week- and is pretty sure we qualify. So- everyone pray that the underwriter approves it! We won't know until next week. We still feel extremely good about this house - - so I have faith it will work out. If not- we were meant to go through the trial of it! I am feeling a lot better- but still cautious with my emotions- I don't want to get too excited and not have it work out again.

Emotional Roller Coaster

Up and then Down, Up and then Down- roller coasters are supposed to be fun . . . so why am I not having fun? I always knew buying a house was difficult and stressful . . . so- I want to get all the advice I can for any of you out there.

So- we found the perfect house for us! And our offer was accepted at a really great, affordable price- UP UP and away! It is a manufactured home in a really good part of town, with a great ward, great schools, it was even on a cul-de sac so my kids could ride their bikes outside . . . the house needed a lot of minor maintenance and a lot of work in the yard (which we could TOTALLY do, with Jon's past experience)- but it is the perfect size for our family . . . We were so excited that things were working out so wonderfully. We put down our earnest money then . . .

The realtor and the banker started communicating, and come to find out the kind of loan we were pre-approved for doesn't work for manufactured homes. We were going to get a special "doctor" loan which means we didn't have to pay a down payment, and they made allowances for the fact that Jon hasn't started his employment yet- but will. The only other type of loan this bank could do for a manufactured home was an "FHA" loan, which we don't qualify for because we currently have no income, and Jon hasn't started his employment yet. I did a search online, and no other banks (that I could find) could help us. We can do a 3% down payment, but that's all- which cuts out most banks who require more. And the fact that Jon hasn't started his employment . . . Down Down Down we go. It is amazing to go from a super high, and then a few hours later a super low. I feel like we have looked at so many houses- and we found the same thing over and over, houses in our price range and large enough for our family, and not needing MAJOR work to be livable were in really bad neighborhoods. I worry about fining anything else that will work so well for us.

Jon and I received such spiritual confirmation that we are supposed to buy a house, and we did feel so good about this one- I guess I just need to have faith that it will work out. If this house doesn't, it isn't meant to be, and we WILL find a house that will fit our needs (like not being in a SCARY neighborhood!) and will work with the "doctor" loan. So, why am I still stressed out? Please pray for us- and please let me know if anyone has any advice!

Marcus' "Super" Birthday

Happy 7th Birthday Marcus! We had a party at the park with his friends- it was really fun, except for the gale force cold wind!! We had a Super hero party. Some of the kids dressed up- it was so fun! Jon and I had fun making his super hero cake! Can you guess the layers?

The super-hero training course. Afterward, I handed out Super kid awards with a cape for them to take home!

The hulk vs. superman muscles. This was a really fun game that the kids loved- we had a bunch of small green balloons for one team and a bunch of small blue balloons for the other (muscles) which they stuffed into a large sweatshirt. The team that stuffed all the balloons first wins! Which do you think has more muscles- superman or the hulk? (see the picture below- blue is superman, green is the hulk).

The hall of justice and our spider marcus. The invitations said "Calling All Super Heroes! Please report to the Hall of Justice . . . "

House Hunting

Stressfull!!! Well- Jon and I have decided to try to buy a house in Yakima. We feel ready to take this step . . . I am really excited, but also really scared - it is such a huge decision. We spend all day yesterday in Yakima- looking at many houses. It is going to be difficult, I think, to get the size of house we need (our family isn't really small any more!) for the price we can pay- but there were a few that seemed good. So we will see. I am also really freaked out about having a mortgage- and all that goes on with buying a house for the first time. Does anyone have any advice????

Water Lilly

Our little "Water Lilly" . . . Lillian has always loved being in the water!This picture was taken last October at Grandma and Grandpa Monson's house- one of the biggest smiles she has ever given for the camera! Then today, while Cynthia was taking a bath- we heard Cynthia scream something about Lillian - so we ran to the bathroom and found this:

She wanted to get in the bath so much- she just hopped in, clothes and all!

Healthy!!

Another update on getting healthy- I have now lost 15 pounds over 6 ish weeks!! I feel so much better in all ways. I still need to loose another 25 pounds- one pound at a time! Just had to toot my little horn- I have been working REALLY hard on it- and trying to do it the right way.

Oh- and I just made the BEST very low fat (and low calorie) dessert- a yummy strawberry cream trifle. I put the recipe over on the right hand bar (right under the picture from Yosemite) as my recipe of the week. It didn't taste low fat at all- it tasted very creamy- mmmmm- I have been in the mood for strawberries. So check it out!

Phew we made it home!

10 days of vacationing- 2500 ish miles of driving . . . without a DVD player! Marcus did OK, Cynthia was GREAT and Lillian was horrible (though it is fun to watch her explore and learn)! Phew I am tired! It was an amazing week of seeing some incredible scenery and visiting family. I was even able to visit one of my friends from 5ish years ago in Spokane that now lives in Sacramento. Mary- it was great to visit! Marcus earned 3 Junior park ranger badges- from Yosemite NP, Redwoods NP, and Oregon Caves NM. On the way home we stopped at Oregon Caves National Monument- Marcus and Jon did the full 90 minute cave tour (Lillian and Cynthia were too little to go). Marcus was so excited about the cave- it was the first one he has ever been in. It was worth the stop- even though we didn't arrive home until after midnight!

It feels so good to be home!

Redwoods National Park

On to the next bit of beautiful California Scenery! We drove from Yosemite on Friday all the way up to Crescent City, CA- to see the coastal redwood forest and the ocean. We stayed in a Kamp Kabin at a KOA- this time with two rooms, so a little better (we still had to walk to the bathroom, and Lillian still was a stinker about keeping us up at night). It was fun because we got the camping feel, without having to get wet in a tent (it did rain!).

The redwood forest is AMAZING!!! The pictures don't give justice to how big and beautiful the trees are. I can imagine I am trasported back in time to a fairy tale- wasn't that a little gnome running behind that tree? We went for our longest hike ever- we went over 7 miles! We just kept going and going . . . I could almost feel myself getting thinner! Anyway- we hiked to the biggest tree in the area- called the Boy Scout Tree - 27 feet in diameter. It was worth the hike.

The "Boy Scout Tree" - it fills the whole frame of this picture.

Yosemite National Park

AMAZING scenery of huge cliffs and tall waterfalls, lots of driving on windy roads (including a car-sick baby), a couple of good hikes, a nice condo . . . . this summaraizes our trip to Yosemite! We drove in on Wednesday, taking the long way around to Bass Lake where we were staying so we could see the park for a little that day (which was a huge mistake-we did WAY too much driving that day- especially on very windy roads! We found out Lillian gets car sick . . . I don't need to give more yucky details). We loved the Worldmark Condo that we stayed in for Wednesday and Thursday night (we are Worldmark Members)- ahhhh- our own room! It was actually about the size of our apartment- and much nicer. We also really enjoyed their hot-tub!

We had a WONDERFUL time seeing Yosemite National Park- I hadn't been there since I was a teenager. I could never get tired of the huge cliffs and beautiful forests. It was truly awe inspiring. The sky couldn't have been more blue, and the day was crisp and fresh. The kids did great hiking about 6 miles on a couple of different hikes- even one that was pretty steep- actually, I was really proud of myself!

Gold anyone?

California history- centers around Gold, right? Well, some of it anyway. Today we went to Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park to learn about the gold mining in the foothills near Sacramento. It was so fun to learn how people panned for gold in the river (which still has some gold in it! A tiny speck is worth $5!). There were some historic buildings and a mill- and a bit about the few members of the Mormon Batallion who were hired to help build the mill (they were coming up from the Mexican war). The scenery was INCREDIBLE - beautiful green valleys and forest, and of course the weather was perfect.

How many monkeys hanging in the tree! Cynthia wanted to climb higher, but I wouldn't let her . . .

Up on the rocks we found hollowed out divits where Indian women used to grind nuts and grain.

Looking at Lizards in the rocks

The Mormon Cabin

Jelly Belly Factory

Jelly Bellies . . . MMMM. Especially fresh out of the factory. Monday we had a great time taking a tour of the Jelly Belly Factory in Fairfield, CA (45 minutes or so from Sacramento towards San Franscisco). No picture taking allowed of the factory itself- but it was so fun to see how they make jelly beans! The kids loved the robotic arms and conveyor belts- and of course the free bag of Jelly Belly's given out at the end of the tour.
This is the only picture of all 7 of the cousins together.

Lillian and Cynthia with the hats everyone has to wear during the tour.

Cousins!

The kids have had a BLAST visiting their cousins in Sacramento!! I have really enjoyed visiting Brian and Tara and their family too! (Jon's stepbrother and his family)

It's fun how they stair step in age from 8 down to 18 months! The only one missing from the picture is the 3 month old baby Jillian!

Interesting sculptures at the park- but fun for the kids! The neighborhood in Sacramento is BEATIFUL! Thanks for a wonderful stay, Tara and family!