Heating Up

You'd think after 12 moves in 16 years, I wouldn't think moving was hard anymore.

I do.

It is!!  No matter how many times you do it, or how much you purge throughout the year to be able to fit into a small home, when you have seven people, you accumulate junk stuff.  Already, I have found things that I don't need or want congesting our home...and I have more space than we have had in years.

I love how it is coming together, but I am exhausted.

Oh, and we bought 8 blinds last night, some of which are for massive, beautiful windows.  We started to put them up today, since we need them for the 106 degree day we are going to have today (can you say hotter than the surface of the sun?)...all were cut wrong.  Back to seventh circle of hades Home Depot for like the 110th time in 2 months. 

Moving is WORK!  It's 10:30am and I wish I could take a nap.  For a week!

Potato

I read something yesterday that has made me decide to be a potato.  Not a couch potato (although I'd like to be one when this move is over and the new house is organized, especially since we don't have anywhere to sit currently), but a delightful boiled potato.  I'm not sure who said it first, nor do I know if I will state it in its correct wording, but I think it is pretty profound.

~The same boiling water that softens the potato hardens the egg.  It's about what you're made of, not the circumstance.~

So, aside from my exhausted mind and body's desire to become a couch potato for a few hours years, I, in all seriousness, want to be like the potatoe- softened by life's hardships and trials.  I will continually strive to keep my heart from becoming hardened when life becomes 212 degrees again, instead living each day with a pliable will that says, "Heavenly Father, prove me."

Because Faith is something I choose to live each and every day of my life.

Oh my gosh, I love my life.

Secrets revealed

I took the kids with me this morning to grab some food to tide us over until our food is available at our new house.  It's trapped behind plastic and tape in our new pantry.  After grabbing things that can be heated in the microwave, we had a few hours to pass before I had appointments at 10:00 and 11:00.  Caden was telling Keilie that there was a Pokestop two buildings down, so I told them that we could drive around for a bit collecting Pokemon.

Cheers and excited screams, "Really?  You're the best mom ever!"

I've unearthed the secret to being a cool mom.  Sweet! 

Halt!

As with so many of our ideas and plans, things change.  Randy and I made a big push yesterday to get things moved over to our new house.  Spencer and Brittany have now allowed us to rent the house from them until our loan goes through, so we started moving stuff from this house to that one.  Around 3:00pm- after Randy and I moved the piano by ourselves (more on that in a moment)- the painter came to give us a bid for the new house.  While talking to him, he said that if we would stop moving more stuff in, leaving what we had already moved in in the center of the rooms, they would start painting the new house the next day, a week early.  So we halted everything!

So now we are living between two homes- one of which isn't very accesible with all of the tape and paper and plastic hanging around.  We have stuff from kitchen drawers moved over, but not much from the cupboards.  So, if you come over, plan to use your hands to eat with and to sit on mattresses laid out on the living room floor.  Other than that, our home is 96% empty- with all of our stuff still in another garage.  Don't get me wrong, I am thrilled to have the paint done before we get things completely moved in, it's just a bit hectic here.  Isn't it always?!

As for the piano...it was supposed to be only a "look to see if it could work" job that turned into a "OK, we're just gonna do it.  PUSH, PUSH, PUSH!!!!"  Then, when it was over at the new house, it was supposed to be a "We'll wait for John to get here" kind of thing that turned into, "OK, I've got an idea.  I'm gonna lift, just PUSH, PUSH, PUSH!!!"  And it was in the new house with me sweating from exertion, adrenaline, and nerves.  My beautiful piano made it to its new home.  Safe and sound, thank goodness!

We're gonna hang out in an almost empty house for the next three days.  And swim.  Lots and lots of swimming.

Moving an entire house, just the two of us, was super easy.  We took many small trips throughout the week, and many trips on Friday that got the job done.  It was surprising to see how quickly we got it all moved, actually.  But, like so many things in our lives, it wasn't meant to stay easy.  But in the end, seeing the final project, I know it will be worth it!

I didn't cry once today because of this move.  Progress!

Excitement

One of the things that has made this move a little more bearable is seeing Caden's excitement about the whole thing.  He's excited for change, excited to be closer to more friends, but mostly excited to organize his stuff in his room.  He's my child in that way.  I love taking stuff I love and use, and place it in a new space.

While at the new house yesterday, I caught him taking boxes he'd packed up to what will be his new room.  When we told him that we weren't occupying the inside of the house yet (although the garage and shed have been overtaken almost to capacity) he because quite agitated and grumpy.

Again, I love that my son gets to be a normal teenager- totally bothered that things aren't going his way.

He is my child after all!  If there had been a table nearby, he probably would have contemplated clearing it in a temper tantrum rage.  He would have thought about it, but not done it.  Unless he had lost 17 games in a row of Settlers of Catan...then he would have cleared the table, if he really was  like me.

Done

I knew I was done having kids even before Tyson was born.  Forget the fact that my body was damaged from being pregnant with Brennon so close after injuring myself while pregnant with Shelby, I just knew it deep down. 

I still know it.  My sister, Danielle, found out she was having a BOY this week!  Yay!!  She has two little girls, so a boy is just what she hoped for.  I miss the anticipation of finding out the gender.  I miss feeling the baby for the first time, in awe that something so wonderful was beginning.  I miss browsing through the baby clothes aisles.  I miss snuggling sweet babies.

Also this week, I get to have Ashlee and her five girls visit.  Her little Everly is crawling and teething.  She is also standing on her sweet 8 month old skinny legs, ready to walk WAY TOO EARLY!!!  She is just so tiny!  And I get to snuggle her while feeding her a bottle.

But as I'm preparing for bed tonight, it has hit me again: I am happy to be DONE having kids.  I'm grateful to have my kids in bed.  I'm grateful to know I will sleep through the night.  I LOVE this time of our lives.  My kids are independent, but still love to be with us.  My kids don't love to clean, but they don't argue when I tell them to do something.  They are helpful, happy kids.  There are things I miss about younger kids, but I and happy to be here now.  These must be the golden years of raising children. 

I LOVE BEING A MOM!

Fascinating

While the rental was in-between renters, I decided to throw a little Girls' Night party on the night before demolition began.  I had everyone bring a snack to share that they'd made from Pinterest ideas and we just sat around and chatted, ate, and laughed.  It was so refreshing!

One subject we talked about was driving.  A friend made the comment that she has had a license in many different states.  This got me thinking about how I've had one in Utah, Texas, Wyoming, and Washington.  Then my mind remembered that when we moved back to Utah for Randy to graduate in 2002, my license number was the same as the number I was given when I turned 16.  And then something crazy happened....

I remembered my drivers license number from all those years ago.  I was issued that number in June 1997 and I have never forgotten it!!

I may not remember what I had last night for dinner, but you better believe I remember my Utah Drivers License number! 

The mind is a fascinating thing!

Style

In her lifetime, Shelby has had many different hair styles. Always blonde, but bald, rats nest, bed head, long, shaved, pixie, fast-growing, you name it. 

We can add one more now...

Goggle head hair. 

A new trend she has begun this summer. 

She is very versatile, my Shelby! And always beautiful!

Hair?

I love it when I can be sneaky and catch my kids in their adorableness. 

Tyson asked, while lifting his arm, "Mom, do I have any chest or armpit hair yet?"

I told him I would take a picture to show him. This is the face I captured. 

"Well, do I?"

Before and After

As things have progressed with the purchase of our new home and the eventual renting of our current home, my mind was set that we'd move our things into the new one, clean the old one, have the carpets stretched and cleaned, have the walls painted and then be done.  An empty home is easier to clean and show.  But, with Randy's hope that this one can be rented August 1, Alan (our property manager) said it would be best if we could take pictures and show it while we live here.  Randy set up an appointment to have pictures taken on Wednesday.  And let me just say, the anxieties and stress more than tripled.  My home is nowhere near showable.  I have stopped cleaning as much as I normally do, focusing more on packing and normal summer activities.  Getting it ready for pictures and keeping it ready for showings was NOT going to work for me.

Instead, I started looking through my millions of pictures to find some that could possibly work for their advertising.  If those didn't work, they'd have to wait until we were out.  We'll see what eventually happens with it all, but it was amazing to see the transformation of our downstairs.  I love before and afters.  Looking at what we have now, I can't even imagine why we would have purchased this home to begin with.  This is why I love my home so much...

Before

I don't have one of the dining, but next to that pantry was just a plain wall that acted as a little nook.

 During

 Notice the mismatched appliances and mismatched countertops, with the new one we placed.

 After

I was trying to show the matching appliances, so I didn't get the whole kitchen, but I forgot to capture all angles before I started to pack. 

And my glorious pantry.  I am going to MISS it!  My whole kitchen, actually. My entire house!

My mind has not shut down since deciding to move.  My new kitchen is already organized, so that I will move from one to the other effortlessly (I have done this for every home I have moved into).  I have ideas for decorating and furniture placement, too.  It is getting more and more easy to think about leaving my home behind, but man, it is still so hard.  Especially seeing these pictures.  I feel that they don't even do the space justice.  It is so much more beautiful in person. 

I hope I can eventually love my new home as much as I love this one!

Home Sweet...

Two Sundays ago, we were looking on Realtor.com (our hobby, remember) and saw our friend's home for sale.  They had purchased another home that we've been drooling over for two years now, so naturally, they'd sell the home they currently live in.  I'd been in it before, so I knew the layout and loved it, so I decided to show it a little more to Randy.  He jumped on the opportunity to talk For Sale By Owner with them.

They were out of town, so they had their mom take us over and let us look around.  It has four bedrooms, but an extra room over the garage that Brennon and Tyson would share.  Over the next few hours, we went back and forth with them, finally coming to the agreement that if it wasn't sold by the time they returned from their vacation, we'd look into buying it For Sale By Owner.  The next day they accepted an offer.  The idea was put to bed in my mind, all was right in my world again.

Friday, they asked us over for our opinion on tile and carpet in their new home.  While there, we asked when they would be able to close on the sale of their old home and fully move into their new one.  They then told us that a couple hours earlier they'd found out that the sale had fallen through.  So the idea was back on the table.  Only thing is, I couldn't think about it without all of the old nerves coming up.  We were back and forth about it, finally telling them that we couldn't do it.  I was having too much of a problem thinking of moving.  That was Saturday morning.

By Saturday night, we were back on.  Sunday had us talking about prices and the logistics for the Sale By Owner.  Monday had signed contracts.  Tuesday we took our contracts and earnest money to the Title Company with applications completed with two banks.  It also found 95% of the character (decor) packed away, leaving my home bare and depressing.  We should have our bank stuff figured out today, maybe knowing a day that all of this will close.  Randy is hoping for renters in my beautiful, left behind home by August 1. 

That was how we roll.  Make a decision on the fly and just roll with it.  Each day gets a little easier to think about moving.  Things still hit me pretty hard at random moments, but the kids' excitment over the whole thing is making it a little easier each time. 

Imagine this:  Brennon and Tyson running around their shared room- a room that is the entire size of the garage below- shrieking about how they are the luckiest kids in the family, even though they share and the others don't.  Or this: When we walked through it, I found Shelby, Brennon, Tyson on the couches with their arms, legs, fingers, toes, and eyes crossed, chanting, "I hope we buy this house.  I hope we buy this house."  One more:  Keilie ended her Family Home Evening Opening Prayer and forlornly said, "Whoops, I forgot to pray about buying the house."  To which we replied, "Guess we're not gonna get it then."

Except we did.

Strength

*First time back in 7 months*

We've seen this time and time again now- Caden gets sick, brought to a low of all lows, and then claws his way back to actually living. We worry about how much he's losing, worry about how he's not eating, worry about how little he moves around, worry, worry, worry. 

But he always comes back as soon as he can. The moment he feels well, he's eating like a teenage boy again, rejoining his siblings at Taekwondo, and even going on a white water rafting trip that will plunge his raft down a 17' waterfall just four months after his body was in "wasting" stage of malnourishment.  He doesn't look back, he doesn't let the lingering weakness stop him, he just runs with life, taking on the world. 

Whatever happens from here on out, I'm going to remember his strength will always come back, and that his courage never leaves. He's got too much life to live, just as soon as he feels well enough to chase it. 

Cards

Tyson came home mega excited from church yesterday, eager to give me a card he'd made me while in Primary. 

I was excited to see what he was so eager to say. 

Just being me, apparently!

Who needs multiple words when one sums it up so well, I ask you?

Hunt

Shelby woke with an idea that had her giddy with excitement. She put together a scavanger hunt for her brothers and sister. 

With authority and complete cuteness, she stood before them like she was announcing her candidacy, "You know the rules. Caden, will you read the first clue?"

The prize at the end of the five clue hunt was toys that she didn't want anymore. She was SO happy to see the kids grabbing for toys they "wanted". Caden even played the cool brother part by getting excited about his prize: a plastic bead necklace. 

Brennon and Tyson are now sitting at the kitchen table, constructing their own hunts for their siblings. 

Shelby's excitement proves the point that "Giving is better than receiving."

*Shelby trying out her gangsta groove*

Smolder

Whenever we do fireworks, Randy always has the hose ready. Always. He may be a crazy, blow torch wielding pyromaniac, but he is safe about it. 

On Monday, Randy said that Caden could light off a few fireworks during the day. We had had some saved from last year, so with the new stuff they'd purchased that day, Randy said Caden could do a few before our own little show. Caden lit four that truly sounded like M-80's. In fact, our neighbor came over to see what they were. In all of the excitement with the new toy, Randy's giddiness had them in the backyard with a 5-gallon bucket, a jelly roll pan, and a camp chair. 

They would light the flower, throw it and the match into the bucket, cover the bucket with the jelly roll pan, and then put the chair on top. The flower would either blow a hole in the side of the bucket, or blast the pan and chair off the top. With the kids standing around the perimeter of the yard, one child with hose in hand, they'd all loudly cheer at either outcome. There was a lot of noise coming from the Dirks' house- fireworks and humans alike. 

When the last one had sent the pan and chair flying, Randy exclaimed that he needed more. He immediately loaded all the kids, but Brennon, into the car, headed for West Richland. Brennon and I stayed near our nervous Mira. After they left, Mira would still not leave my immediate side. As in, she was stuck to my leg. I made the decision to go to Petco to get her a Thundershirt. I loaded Mira and Brennon into the car, and set off for the best purchase we have made for Mira. 

Fast forward 15 minutes. We both pulled in at the same time- Randy with $13 dollars of flowers, and Mira sporting her new "comfort blanket".  I had taken a few extra minutes to get out of the car, so the excitement that was coming from the backyard was interpreted wrong. When I heard that the bucket was gone, I thought maybe Randy had put like 10 of the flowers in the bucket at once, blowing the bucket up. Nope, while we were gone, the bucket had caught fire internally and smoldered to nothing in our backyard. I came out to an astounded Randy! His face showed both terror and concern. We weren't gone long, thankfully, but we could have been. So much more could have happened than just a round burn mark where the plastic was welded to our grass. 

So now we can say that Randy is safe-ish with fireworks. Because he blew off SEVENTY TWO more flowers in a different bucket, and it didn't internally combust. You better believe the new bucket was doused way more than needed, for good measure. 

Jump!

The kids have decided that they don't like going swimming in the afternoon as much as at night, because of the mandatory 10- minute breaks every hour for the lifeguard. So when we asked them what they wanted to do yesterday, it was a unanimous "swim at 6:00pm."  So instead of sitting around all day, we pulled out the badminton set again, and had a Dirks Family Tournament after dinner. And not to brag, but there is one member of the family that is just a bit better (and a bit more competitive) than the rest. We won't name names (we'll call her S. Dirks, or Stephanie D., you choose) but she killed it!

One thing that we never considered was weather. At our normal time of 1:00pm, it was sunny and perfectly warm at 80 degrees. At 6:00pm, it looked like this

But as you can see, it didn't stop my crazies from jumping in. 

Literally

*No goggles- this is huge* "Mom, when are we going to buy me water underwear?"

Right before we left, I captured this picture at 7:32pm

Just one hour later, at 8:48pm, I captured this one at home

Can you get any more beautiful?

It's a good life!

How much?

I asked Keilie to make some Chex Muddy Buddies before we got home. She loves to bake, so I thought she would be excited to have the chance to make something without us even being home.

I should have turned off the TV as soon as we got home, however. First, she put the chocolate and peanut butter in a bowl that she knows is not microwave safe. Next she put the warmed mixture on the cereal and left it, not even trying to coat all of the Chex. Then she asked me if the 11 1/2 cups of powdered sugar could be right. I told her no, that it said 1 1/2 cups, in passing, and went about my chores. I came back to something like this...

With her almost finished adding all 11 cups of powdered sugar. She was too busy multitasking with both counting and watching a movie, she didn't hear me say it was only 1 1/2 cups. 

This doesn't even show how mad I was. 

We all got a good laugh later, though, after she dumped it all, when Randy said, "Keilie, I'm doubling the banana bread recipe and need twenty cups of sugar. Will you measure it for me?"

Terrarium

I love Scout opportunities that allow the family to participate. Brennon needed to make a terrarium to finish the Grow Something merit badge. 

Add one inch of marble sized rocks to the bottom of the jar. 

Add half an inch of Active Charcoal next. 

Fill half way up with potting soil. "I'm gonna wash my hands good after this."

Plant your plant. 

He also added a sea shell for decoration. 

The kids all want to do their own now. It was a fun family project!

Randy wanted a walk down memory lane. He had to have the kids try these candies. Seven people popped one in their mouth. Six candies were spit out the window before leaving the parking lot. 

...Shelby liked it, and has asked for another since. 

So much for beloved memory candy. 

Unexpected

Last night Keilie told us she wanted her birthday to turn out how she wanted. Since she wasn't going to have a friend party, we asked her what she was talking about. She told us that she wanted a Surprise birthday party, like one she had while living in Casper.

So we did!

We surprised her with the exact Oreo cake she said she'd had, on a day she NEVER would have expected. 

We'll save the gifts for her actual birthday in 49 days, but we couldn't wait to surprise her with her wish. 

After all, we ruined her wish by making her tell us. You can't have a surprise party if you have to ask for one, can you?!

Keilie painted my toes last night in a design all her own. She did her own, Shelby's, and one big toe of Randy's. The kids went CRAZY watching Randy get his done. It was a blast being in this house with all their giddy excitement and surprise. 

Happy Independece Day 2016!

*Star hair for Star girls!*

And Happy Early Birthday, Keilie!!

Summer Lovin'

Blue skies with super cool clouds and 95 degree weather sure makes for a gorgeous day. I love that it felt pleasant in the shade. Perfect weather to pull out...

Badminton!

Tyson was the most enthusiastic, but everyone played to their heart's content. Nothing like Krispy Kreme and Kung Fu Panda 3 to finish off the night.

I love summer!!! But I love my kids more!