Ginny is 2!

Our sweet little Ginny turned 2 years old and we had a nice celebration with my parents over the weekend.  It is amazing how fast they grow, and it seems like only a few months ago we were bring our tiny little girl home from the hospital. I can't imagine what our lives would be like without her in our family.  She brings so much sweetness, sensitivity, and extra love to our home!  Happy 2nd Birthday, Ginny!!!

Virginia and Virginia.

This girl loves Dora!

Pretty bracelet.

Not bad for a garage sale find!

She had the same cupcakes for her 1st birthday.

Yep, cutest girl ever!

Easter

I waited for Scott to come home to do our Easter FHE lesson.  We invited our good friends over for the lesson, some pizza, and egg dying.  Ginny was not a huge fan of egg dying, it was all too boring for her.  Max only wanted to dye his eggs green, and Easton and Luke had a ball trying every single color creation. 

 

On Saturday, our good friends had their annual Easter Egg Hunt/BBQ.  I look forward to it every year, and we always have good weather!  Almost every young family in the ward was there, and it is so much fun to see the kids racing to find eggs.  Then afterward we get to eat, chat, and play with our friends.  I told her that we'll have to come back for it next year.

 

 

 

 

We had our own Easter hunt at home, but I only took video.  And having a girl totally pays off on the holidays.  I get to buy her cute new dresses!  We loved getting to share more with the older boys who are understanding the Atonement, Crucifixion, and the Resurrection.

 

I'm so glad when daddy comes home....

Scott finally got to come home after almost 3 weeks of being away.  It was wonderful!  A certain little girl wouldn't let her daddy out of her sights.  Easton was almost in tears when Scott surprised them all at the door.  And Lucas got some help in figuring out his 2-wheeler.  After about 10 minutes, he was cruisin' the neighborhood, saying "Look, no training wheels!" to all of his neighbor friends.  He is now a pro!  We got to keep Scott for almost 4 whole days, and we'll see him again next weekend for General Conference.

Trip to Dayton

After being away from Scott for almost 2 weeks, we paid him a visit.  We saw where he works, where he has been living, saw the grade school, toured our apartment that we'll be living in temporarily, drove around town, looked at some houses, and just tried to get a feel for Dayton.  We got to have some fun too, and we got a family pass to the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum.  It is a huge complex, and we even saw a 3D IMAX film about airplane racing.  The boys had a blast.  On our way home we stopped at the Portland Temple and toured the grounds.  We even saw a cute couple getting engaged!  It was a great weekend, and the kids and I are getting anxious to be reunited with Scott permanently in Dayton.  Thankfully, he is coming home for Easter this weekend.

Changes

The weekend before we left to Hawaii, Scott drove to an interview on the other side of the state.  We didn't think much of it, because he has been doing that at least once a month for the last year.  I didn't even know where this place was located.  Then, two days before we left for Hawaii, he was offered the position.  We were both shocked and unprepared!  We told them we'd let them know by the end of the week.

We went to Hawaii with a prayer in our hearts.  We calculated numbers, discussed pros and cons, and got all of our questions answered by the city offering him the job.  Then, we knew we were going to have to make a decision.  I didn't think I was going to be able to enjoy Hawaii because I had so much anxiety over it all.  We made our decision together on Thursday (our first day in Hawaii) and then we were able to go to the temple on Friday morning.  Our decision to accept the job was confirmed, and Scott called them as soon as we left the temple. 

Dayton City Hall

So....we are moving to Dayton, Oregon, and Scott will become their new City Manager.  He actually started last Monday, and so far he is loving it and happy with the decision to take the job. 

When we returned from Hawaii, we knew we had to put our house up for sale.  We listed it ourselves through an internet listing agency to save money on realtor commisions, and in 18 days, we had two offers and accepted the better of the two.  We will close on the sale on April 18th, and then the kids and I will move over to Dayton to be with Scott. 

We are going to miss our first house!

We have truly been blessed in the events that have happened since accepting the job.  We know we are supposed to move to Dayton.  The Mayor is a member of the church, and one of the Council members is the Bishop in the Dayton ward.  They found a place for Scott to live, a casita on one of the members property's that is vacant, rent free.  Our house sold amazingly fast, and we got what we asked for it.  And we've recieved so much support from our current ward, and from our new ward in Dayton.  We are still trying to look for a house to buy, and are hoping to build a home in Dayton, but we've at least found a place to rent, month to month, while we shop around.  We are all excited, and nervous about our impending move, and we will miss our home, friends, ward, and family in Hermiston!  We'll try to post more updates as we move farther in the process of our move to Dayton, Oregon. 

p.s.  If anyone would like to visit us, we are only 1 hour from the Oregon Coast, 1 hr. from Portland, plus we're just lots of fun to be around and we would love visitors!!!

1/2 Marathon

Mile 9

Finishing with his boys!

Awesome job, Scotty!

Scott had been preparing all winter to do his own 1/2 marathon.  He raced in the Tri-Cities Half Marathon in Richland, on Feb. 23rd.  It was a pretty cold, and very windy morning, but the sun eventually came out half way through, and he did awesome!  His final time was 2:02!!  Easton and Luke ran across the finish line with him.  We are all so proud of him!