You may think I've abandoned the blog. While that isn't entirely true, I will admit to severe neglect. It's nigh impossible for me to use the computer (or do anything, for that matter) while the kids are awake and when they are asleep, I have so many demands on that infinitesimal chunk of time at the end of the day that I am entirely overwhelmed and end up collapsing on the couch instead of accomplishing the squillion things I have littering my To Do list. I've taken to Instagram and Facebook to help me keep up with recording the happenings of our wee family lately. I plan to sit down once a month and catch up on the handful of exciting things that warrant more than a small paragraph or caption. It's a hard truth that the more you have going on to write about, the less time you have to write about it. But I aim to try. Not please. Try.
If you've become lost as to where we are and what we are doing, we are currently in the process of buying a house. We had been looking in Pullman, Washington, where Brandon is working (and enjoying his job immensely, which is such a welcome relief.) The market this year is as competitive as they've ever seen it and we felt really deflated after seeing what was out there and having them snatched out from under us before we'd finished looking at it. It's more expensive than Vegas (like everywhere else) and we'd be getting a lot less for a money, particularly when it came to a backyard. There are hills everywhere and none of the houses we saw had a particularly great outdoor space. Frustrated, we started to look online in Moscow - Brandon's hometown, just 15 minutes down the road but on the other side of the Washington/Idaho border. Before I say too much about it and jinx the transaction, I'll just say that we are hoping to close early next month. Hopefully more details to follow.
I'm keeping busy with the kids and scouring the sales rack for deals on things for a new house. I have overestimated my painting skills and have plans to paint no less than 8 pieces of furniture for the new house. Which means I will paint none of them. There aren't that many hours in a day. I'm also making plans for Brandon to become a master carpenter under the tutelage of his father, who is currently building a bed for one of his grandchildren. I mentioned a small drying rack for the laundry room and I might as well have asked for a ladder to the moon. He will grow to love it, I'm convinced. Actually, no one's convinced, but if I say it often enough...
Our pending home purchase would mean that our callings may be a little more permanent than we anticipated - Brandon as Elder's Quorum Secretary and me as Young Women's 2nd Councilor. I am enjoying my calling immensely - I've always wanted to serve in Young Women's and the Beehives are the perfect group to start with, as they are still excited about everything we do. It's time consuming and stressful at times, but I have a fantastic group of girls and a great support system to help with kids when necessary.
Like I said, Brandon is really enjoying his work. He has good working relationships with everyone at the clinic and has made a good impression on his employers. They're really good people and I'm happy that he has found a good fit. They were kind enough to give him a merit-based raise and even kinder to increase that raise based on the fact that our insurance rates are rising. So the increase will cover the insurance and give us extra. Add that to the fact that we have been able to save over the last few months living with Brandon's parents and our mortgage payment should be nearly identical to what we were paying in Las Vegas and we are definitely feeling the blessings of tithing. Paying the Lord first is the wisest investment decision we can make and I am so grateful for the blessings that Heavenly Father has poured out upon us and that we are taken care of and always have enough.
Speaking of having enough, we have both reached what we call our Fat Thresholds. Meaning, we've complained until this point but we've reached the point that can't take it anymore and need to lose weight. Brandon is running with his brother Shawn, training for a 10K and I am eating less - see aforementioned collapsing on the couch at the end of every long day. I kept thinking I could exercise after the kids were in bed, but that's the absolute last thing I want to do with that precious time. So I'm being more careful with what I eat and have dropped about 5 pounds. The nice thing about me being short, is that after just a few more pounds, my weight loss should show. That also works in reverse and makes weight gain immediately noticeable on my short frame. I'm going to try to make it work for me. Not like the treadmill.
We are still very much in love and can't believe we'll be celebrating 9 years of marriage later this year. It's still just the four of us and we are talking about adding more. While it took us 18 months and a year to have Teagan and Mason respectively, I've heard way too many stories about couples struggling to conceive and then being surprised the next time with immediate results. So it's best to wait until we are absitively, posolutely ready. And these two keep me hopping - see the Little Richardses blog for more details on why I really should be thinner.
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