Easter egg hunt

Lynndyl puts on a cute little Easter egg hunt.  It is a really nice one.  There is a good size crowd, but not so many kids that they have to fight to get some eggs.  We had a great time.

 It was a little bit cold if you couldn't tell by how the kids are dressed.

 Inside the eggs there were a few coupons for a free baby chick at IFA.  Of course we headed right into town to pick them up, and they were all out.  I wasn't all that disappointed. 

 Sawyer had a coupon for these bunny ears too.  He obviously didn't notice they were on because he left them on all day.  His life is pretty good...taking a nap with a treat in one hand, fish snacks in the other, bunny ears and cowboy boots. 

The kids all dressed up for Easter Sunday.

Major Life Changes

In February, we received the news that Platinum, the company Matt has been working for, was closing its doors.  We were surprised with the news, and suddenly found ourselves unemployed.  It has been pretty tough for everyone involved.  I was a complete mess for a couple weeks, but we pulled it together and decided to try to rent out our house.  We were so blessed to find some great renters.  It meant we had to move a little sooner than we originally thought though. We packed up our house, and moved to Leamington in March.  Leaving Mapleton was really hard for us, and I still cry occasionally when we drive through.  We loved it there, and have a lot of great friends there!  Luckily we have been close enough to visit sometimes.
Matt started working for Absolute Air, and was making the commute from Leamington.  My parents were nice enough to let us move in with them while we did some work on their old house.  That project has been both fun, and a big pain...I will post more on that later. We knew Matt's job was only going to be a temporary one for him, but we kept having a hard time figuring out what our plans for the future were going to be.  When we thought we should go one direction, things didn't work out, so we would change again.  We finally made the decision for Matt to go back to school full-time.  This decision has felt right from the moment we made it, and we are excited for the opportunity!  Going to school full-time with a family is tough though, and we have been so blessed to have help from so many people!  We really could not do it without them!
So, here we are.  We have now moved into the house I grew up in.  Honestly, it has been great!  Being in Leamington has made all of this a lot easier.  The kids love living on a "farm" and being by Grandma and Papa.  It really is a great little town and hard not to be happy here.  We feel like we will really be able to enjoy these next two years instead of just wishing they would go by fast.  While this has certainly been a trial for our little family, I am amazed at how the Lord continues to bless us and make our burdens light! 

Digging for trilobites

Around Christmas time we also headed out to the west dessert to dig for trilobites.  It was pretty chilly and a long drive, but the kids loved it!

 Poor Sawyer had to wear his sisters extra clothes.  I didn't have anything warm for him.  He looks so cute though!

 

Catching up/Christmas 2011

I am finally going to try to catch-up on this blog.  It has been a while, so I will just post a few events/activities that we have been up to.  I guess I will have to start with Christmas time:

We spent Christmas and a few days afterward in Leamington with my parents.  It was just our little family, so it was pretty quiet for the most part.

 Maxwell and Sawyer in their matching PJ's

I have mentioned before how one of the perks of Christmas eve in Leamington is that Santa comes to visit every house to drop off a bag of candy before he starts making his rounds delivering presents.  The kids were pretty excited, and kept watching out the window for him to come.

They all got to sit on Santa's lap....some appreciated it more than others.

 Savannah FINALLY got her Rudolf!  I don't know what it is with her and that reindeer!

Maxwell got a Hot Wheel set, and Sawyer got a ball popper toy that I am pretty sure has NEVER been played with.  Oh Well, you win some you lose some. 
We had a great Christmas!  I love when Christmas falls on a Sunday.  It's nice to be at church, and spend that time to worship and think of the Savior!