Moving is stressful.

One week from today... YIKES!!

Just a little update...

One of these days, I'm planning to do a fun little post about all of our "stomping grounds"-- places we've lived together. Since we're on the cusp of another stomping ground, it seems fitting to do a tribute to the other wonderful homes we've had. But, that will have to be on a day when I have a little more time. For today, I am just doing a little clarification/update.

First of all, yes, Chris did get a job in Idaho Falls. It's a career change, in fact, and we're both very excited about it. His first day is August 31st, which, coincidentally (or not), is also Tom's first day of school.

I've been practicing this sentence: "I'll take care of the dishes if you'll get the kids ready for bed." Since Chris has worked in the evening for more than 9 years, I don't get to say that nearly as often as I'd like. I can't wait!

We're packing up the house now, but it's still for sale. We know that there is someone out there who needs our house, so we're just praying that we can find them soon. It's a little bit stressful, but I'm really trying hard to practice the art of faith. We're moving on the 27th into... my parent's basement! Hooray!

Actually, that's not sarcasm-- I really am excited to move in with my parents. Their house is nice and roomy, especially now that almost everyone has moved out, and we'll be able to live there while we sell our house and save up a bit for something in Idaho Falls. I'm impatient and would like to buy something right away, but we realize that we'll probably be in our next house for a long time, so it's smarter to wait a bit and find the right place for the right price. Luckily, my parents are laid back and patient, two qualities I should probably try to emulate a little more!

I'll find out this week exactly which school Thomas will be attending, but I've already secured a pre-school spot for G-Man. I think I actually knew the girl who runs it in high school, but I'll know that for sure when I take him on the first day. I'm going to have to get used to the high school de ja vu, because I have a feeling it's going to happen a lot. Good times.

We're definitely going to miss Logan-- it really is such a great town. Idaho Falls is also a great town, though, and we feel like this change is a good thing. This isn't a reason to move or anything, but I am SUPER excited about having a Target in town! Whee!

So, that's our story for now. More to come, I'm sure!

DeArtons Unite!

On Saturday, Chris and I tackled the fun and exciting job of cleaning out our crawl space. I re-packed the box full of old journals, yearbooks, dance pictures--ah, the hilarity!... I think I am actually glad that Chris and I didn't know each other in high school and therefore didn't attend any high school dances together because he had posing issues... I should really do a blog post about that because I guarantee you would be laughing! Anyway, I couldn't help but read some old journal entries and thinking the "little did we know..." thoughts. Would I really have used an entire two-page journal spread writing my name with a certain boy's last name attached if I had only known that eleven years later, my initials would be ECH instead of EC...? And could Chris have imagined, when he wrote about a letter he received from a redhead in Idaho, that someday he'd be wrestling with their three sons? It's kind of fun to think about.

The real subject of my post, though, is not us, but my parents. Little did they know that nearly 31 years after their marriage that they'd be standing in a picture, wearing funny red shirts, and that all of these people would, in some way, belong to them...

That's right, there are 19 people in that shot. Little Brynnie was asleep in a tent nearby, so counting her, there are 20.

Granted, two of them are my grandparents, so not progeny, but still. Pretty impressive, don't you think?

We're big enough now that we need to have our own reunions, and this year was our first! We spent a weekend camping at Cherry Hill in Kaysville and it turned out to be so much fun! Of course, we DeArtons are very good at having fun, so that part certainly wasn't a surprise!

The cousins had a blast together! Here they are in the back of the van, playing with some light necklaces my dad brought back from Disneyland.



Nonny and Bob brought the little girls these adorable headbands from somewhere in South America. I really wanted to steal one for myself, but couldn't really picture anyone taking me seriously. Oh well. Doesn't Dall look stinking adorable?!



My parents were assigned the fun job of a morning devotional on Saturday morning, so they had us write nice things about each other. These guys look like they're concentrating pretty hard.



Most of Gordon's nice things included the word "enthusiastic".



Nearly our entire day on Saturday was spent in Cherry Hill's water park. Since my camera isn't waterproof, I had to make do with some "before" shots. Gotta love goggles!



Thomas did have a fun little event-- he lost another tooth! Little pirate! He was sitting at the table, nonchalantly eating some chips, and I came up to ask the whereabouts of something I can't remember. His reply: "First, I have an announcement," and he held up his tooth.



Our reunion ended on Saturday evening/Sunday morning, and though it was short, we agreed that it was the perfect amount of time to spend. Everyone had fun and everyone left happy and smiling-- not too shabby for 31 years, Mom and Dad! Can't wait for next year!

Tidbits

In the past couple of weeks, we've done a lot of...

silly smiling...


splashing...


swimming...


relaxing...


hiking (and baby-lugging)...


reading...


celebrating...


swimming some more...


playing...


and hugging...


... whew! It's been such a fun summer!

More pictures and such to come, but for now, I'll fill you in on our latest adventure-in-the-making...



That's right, we're moving! We'll be IF residents at the end of next month! I keep thinking of one of my favorite Bon Jovi songs (and you know how I feel about Bon Jovi ♥) "Who says you can't go home?"

By the way, if you know anyone in Logan looking for a wonderful little house, let me know. I have a fun little blog set up, but for privacy reasons, I don't want to link this one and the house blog to each other (this one has our names, that one has our address...).

JULY!

We're only a week in and already July has been jam-packed! Of course, it doesn't help that we have a huge holiday within the first few days!

I'll get to our 4th in a minute. On the 1st, the boys and I went down to Provo where we met up with my BYU friend, Ashley to hang out with her and her cute son, Jaxon, and take advantage of her sweet photography skills. Ashley showed me one of the many reasons why I will never be a professional photographer: patience. While the kids ran around, whined, ate sticks, and were just general stinkers, and while I sat, sweating profusely in the summer heat, Ashley maintained an absolute cool and just kept clicking. That alone is amazing, but the girl has talent to boot! Check out these fantastic pictures of my kiddos on Ashley's photography blog. LOVE HER!

After the picture visit, we separated so that I could take the boys to Seven Peaks, a water park in Provo. To my utter and grateful surprise, the boys were actually more interested in swimming in Caitlan's apartment pool than going to a water park, so we saved the money and had a blast! College kids really do make the best baby-sitters-- I think they may even have had fun. The boys just loved jumping into that pool!




Caitlan (and friends) graciously watched all three boys so that I could meet back up with Ashley and our other friends, Amy and Laurie, for dinner. It was so fun to catch up with these amazing girls-- women!-- and just enjoy each other's company. It was such a refreshing evening for me and it reminded me that I need to do this more often!



On Friday night, we all went up to Idaho Falls to spend July 4th with my family. I love this holiday-- I just find the whole day so much fun! Chris is not a big fan of the summer, but even he has to admit that Independence Day is great fun.

We started the day off bright and early with the "Firecracker 5K" on the parade route. My time was regrettable, but hey, at least I ran/jogged/walked a 5K, right? :) Plus, I got a tee-shirt. It's a fun tradition that I hope to repeat, and hopefully with a better time next year!

Here are the runners (and walkers): Andrew (Jake's friend), Dad, Mom, Caitlan, Jake & yours truly



After the 5K, some resting and picnic prep work, we went to Freeman Park to set up for the rest of the day. I love being by the river and watching the hoards of people who also gather there. And, without fail, I always run into at least one person from high school.

Thanks to an early afternoon rainstorm, the park wasn't too crowded and we managed to find a pretty sweet spot. We cooked hot dogs and hamburgers, played Power Grid (I won! woo hoo!), lawn games like Bocce and croquet, and just hug out. And, to top it all off, the weather was perfectly mild.





I'm so grateful to live in a country where I have the freedom to make my own choices for me and for my family. I'm so glad that we could honor our country's birth and the people who still protect and defend us today. Happy Independence Day!