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Friday, December 30, 2011

Christmas

Christmas was fast but wonderful this year. Dax was so much fun! He remembered so much more than I expected him to. I can't stand how smart he is really. He remembered Santa and Baby Jesus and Mary and Joseph. He loved presents and knew what he wanted this year instead of us getting to chose for him. That was fun, but more stressful because he changed his mind so many times I was getting worried that Santa would not get the memo of the final choices and changes of mind on Christmas Eve. But, I guess you should never doubt Santa becuase come Christmas morning everyone was happy! Truthfully I just let everything stress me out too much-big suprise-because I was trying to do it all alone while Robert was in Colorado all the while trying to get packed up and ready to move. Dax and I got to spend a few days in Leamington with Grandma and Grandpa Lovell before the move. We rode tractors and made ginger bread houses and had a fun time like we always do. We picked Robert up from the airport on the 23rd in Salt Lake and man was Dax glad to see his Dad! We got a video of him seeing him for the first time in six weeks and he kept hugging him and pulling away and touching his face like "are you real?" and then going back to a hug that lasted quite a while. :) We had a fun little Lovell Family Christmas party that night. We headed down south for Christmas Eve the next morning and had more parties and fun with the Clove Clan. I was not good at taking pictures for any of these events, but we did get a few that I will add. Dax got spoiled by too many people and still loves all of his toys: trains, tractors, computer, tools, movies, and last but most importantly pirate stuff! That was his current obsession. Santa left a treasure map for him to go on a treasure hunt that led to a chest full of gold doubloons. Yes he does call the coins that and says "arrr" and "mabeys" (mateys) and all of those other pirate words. He got an eye patch and swords and is quite the little pirate! We love his imagination and how excited he gets about his make believe adventures.

I think Dax ate more candy than helped but grandma's concentration couldn't be beat!

Can you say cheese?!

Cool car that lights up from gma and pa Lovell

Trying to be a wiseman...he didn't cooperate so well

The Clove cousins on Christmas Eve with new baby Elsa!

Waiting for everyone to wake up and get ready to go downstairs on Christmas morning

The loot
Hand in hand downstairs to see if St. Nick came

Dax thought Maddie's stuff was so cool that he didn't even look at his stuff for several minutes

Playing farmer
After our Christmas celebrations packed up and moved...it was a crazy and fast holiday, but we were so happy to get to be with our families and have a minute to pause and think of the Savior and be grateful for his life. We love Christmas!


Thursday, December 29, 2011

Changes...

So this post is very bitter sweet. This is the moment we have been waiting for and yet a very big moment of dread! Robert got a job!! Yea! It is great news and very exciting for him. The slight downfall...it is in Wray, Colorado. Wait you have never heard of it? How could it be that you have never heard this cute little town in eastern Colorado? It has a whopping population of 2200 and is off of the beaten path by quite a ways, it is nearly to Nebraska and Kansas and tucked away in some bluffs in the middle of the flat lands. It really is quite a cute little place though and in our experiences so far it has proved to be very friendly and fits us quite well. When we would pray about Robert getting a job andwhere we should go and where we should look, we both had feelings that we would go to a little town away from our families and go and tryto do some good, especially in a place where the church isn't very prominent. This job opening came up and we looked it up to find out that it was a little town and our "ward" was really a branchthat was 30 miles away from Wray. I think right then I knew this would finally be the interview we got and sure enough. Robert and I went out to visit at the end of October and to interview. I think that I almost got interviewed as much as Robert. They knew they wanted him, they had to make sure his wife could really handle it! Almost everything has felt right about this and we have just known that it was what we needed to do. Most things have fallen into place quite nicely and helped us to know that it is where we need to go. There are still several days that I have to reconvince myself of this, but I am trying to be brave...I have realizedthat I am just not quite as brave as I wanted to think that I was! I hate when that happens.

Robert moved out before us in the middle of November. Dax and I stayed in St. George for 6 weeks without him while I tried to keep making us money, sellingour house and trying to box all of our junk up! It was not anything I would recommend! In fact, I have told Robert that I will never again box up a house alone, be left behind ever again and I never want to move anywhere near Christmas EVER! But we made it and lived to tell the tale. Robert flew back to home on December 23rd and we had a very good Christmas and a few days of quality family time before we loaded our Uhaul and Vue, said our painful goodbyes and began our trek.

packing...

King of the boxes!

Dax and Maddie's goodbye


(don't you love Dax's headband? Pick you battles...what else can I say?)

Although every goodbye we said was terrible, I think my worst moment was watching Dax and Maddie say goodbye to each other. It was terrible! These two have spent a lot of time together in their short little lives and Dax definately misses his "best Maddie" and asks for her often. How I have loved watching their little friendship and wish we could have brough her with us!

The ride was LONG and well....LONG! But we made it and we are now here in our new home. We were greeted here by wonderful friends from our branch that helped us get everything unloaded. Robert's boss, Keith, showed up after it was all finished to help as well. I think he very carefully planned that. :) We were so grateful for everyone who came to help and welcome us. Robert's job is so great for him. I am going to work part timeish out here and will soon be getting a new job. Our house is getting put together slowly...maybe there will be pictures if I ever get it in order enough to want it documented! It all seems a little crazy that this is my life now, but I feel at peace and know that it is going to be good for us right now. I am excited to see the things we will learn and the experiences we will have. I hope I am ready for them! I hope the year we have just had has prepared us and made us strong enough to do this! We are excited and grateful to be together as a family again. That is how it is supposed to be and I am so grateful that we are forever! Anyway, that is the new part of our life with hopefully more to come in our Wray diaries!