Who's Going to Help Me Grind the Wheat?

Me!  Me!  Me!

Our church doesn't start until 12:30, so we have plenty of time to do things as a family Sunday morning.  Grinding wheat to our family is not considered work, but fun.  The kids love to help Daddy load the wheat in and watch it grind.  David is very particular and runs the wheat through 3 or 4 times to get it evenly ground into flour.  We made bread and he brought it to work the next day to make a sandwich for his lunch.  He told one of the other builders that he ground the wheat, of course, the guy didn't believe him and really didn't even know what grinding the wheat meant.  I am so grateful for these seemingly insignificant tasks that we have been taught to do in an effort to be more self-reliant.

Riding in the Cul-de-sac

 In an effort to get Kylie excited to move to North Carolina, we told her we would be living in a cul-de-sac and could practice riding bikes without training wheels.  She was super excited about this and has reminded us of this almost everyday since we arrived.  One beautiful weekend morning (there have been a lot of those days!), we gave it a shot. 

She did okay, but decided that she really didn't want to learn quite yet:).  So she sat down in the cul-de-sac and David took the bike for a ride.  I'm working with some parents in the neighborhood whose little girls don't care about learning 'right now' to get together and have "learn how to ride a bike" party.  We're hoping it doesn't become a crying fest, but a rally to get them going.  We'll see about that.

Visiting Daddy at Work

They have been dying to visit Daddy at work especially once they found out that there was a playground and pool there.  Kylie wanted to know if we could bring our swimsuits.  Maybe one day, it's still too cold here!

 All the types of houses they are building.  It's amazing how many different styles can be created from one base plan plus color selection and upgrades inside and out.  Though the houses look similar, they are very different from one another.  This has been a huge change for David in Raleigh.  In Jacksonville, he built mostly mulit-family homes - one or two different plans and not too much to change from one house to another.  Single-family homes have been a bit of a challenge - up to 8 or 9 building plans, basements, crawl spaces and many options.  Needless to say, he's not bored at work and works 11 or 12 hour days, but we are very blessed with work.

Standing outside what is known as the "Taj Mahal" of construction trailers (should have taken a straight-on shot).

 Supervising, managing and scheduling.

He doesn't get bored, just sleepy (Spencer really was out).

So proud of Daddy!

Best Buddies

I love watching our children grow up together.  They teach each other, snuggle each other, scold each other, laugh, play, imagine, work, are silly with each other.  I love catching these moments (don't mind Spencer's outfits - that's another thing they do together:)).

Conference Weekend

Besides listening to the prophet and leaders of the Church, the best thing about General Conference weekend is just being together as a family.  I really have to hand it to my parents for getting us all ready and watching it at the church building growing up.  We are super spoiled to be able to watch it in our home via the internet or cable.  We soak up all the time we can be together.

(Well, Spencer soaks up all the snacks we make for conference weekend.)

 

Conversations with Ashlyn

Kylie:  "Mom, when I turn eight, can I be baptized?"
Me:  "Of course, you can.  Your cousin, Spencer is getting baptized this Sunday."
Spencer: "I not getting baptized."
Ashlyn:  "When I get bigger, can I drive a car?"
Me:  "Yes, do you want to get baptized or just drive a car?"
Ashlyn:  "Just drive.  Friday (everyday is Friday to her) I could touch the pedal, so now I can drive."

That about sums it up.  Ashlyn, a driving force - strong-willed, independent and not afraid to do her own thing no matter what the group is doing.  It is easy to let her be because she is that way, but I have to remind myself that because of that she also needs individual attention.  She is that quiet, smart girl.  Until you spend time with her, you don't know how much she really does pick-up.  We do reading and writing every day and it has been a blast to see her confidence sky-rocket.  Love her!

A Few Lessons Learned From Our First Week in Raleigh

1.  The Urgent Care is less than 2 miles from our house.  Ashlyn smashed her finger in the double doors that lead to the Master Bath so bad that I was certain either it was broken or the fingernail had been ripped off.  Thankfully, it was neither.  But we made our entrance into Raleigh official.  The photo below was taken 2 days after.

 2.  I only have to press the gas one (1) time to get from the front of our neighborhood to our house 3/4 mile away.  Hills can be a good thing.  Okay, so maybe the people at the top of the 2nd hill wonder why I only go 15 mph in front of their house, but after I pass that, I am home free!

3.  Doing "track" workouts in my neighborhood with hills=not a good idea and a bum on FIRE!

4.  There are way TOO many grocery stores here with so many different coupon rules.  I miss Publix!

5.  We love having a porch and a backyard.  Yes, we had a backyard in Jacksonville, but no patio or porch and this has made all the difference in the world!  The kids play outside all the time now.  (The shed is our 'psuedo-garage'.  Garages are far and few between here - it's crazy.)