Bella's B-day

March has been the month of Bella.  It started the 1st weekend in March.  Mima and PopPop came to our house after church on Sunday.  Katy had a concert the next evening they came for.  We had a mini b-day party for Bella Sunday evening.  She picked a pineapple upside down cake

 Katy's concert Monday evening.  She's had three since we've been here.  Two have been honor orchestras but this one was the entire middle school orchestra

Tuesday was Bella's actual b-day. We the meal she requests ever year for her b-day: BBQ chicken legs and fresh pineaplle.


The following Saturday Bella had a party with a few of new her friends. She picked a Luau theme which was convenient since I had saved the decorations from Xandy's party a few years ago. 

We decorated sun visors and played some fun Luau games like:

Limbo

 Pass the Coconut

 We learned a Hula dance and did some Hula hooping

 

Pin the Coconut on the Palm Tree

 

Musical Beach Towels

 Pool Toy Sand Bucket toss

 Isabella B , Mya, Isabella and Lily

 Bella and mint brownies in place of cake

Of course there were presents opened

 Group picture with the visors they decorated

Crazy daddy

 My surfer dudes

 

 Me and my girls

 Jared and I  with the tree from the Pin the coconut on the palm tree game

This weekend we end month long celebration with the most important part: Bella's baptism!!!!

Crazy Hair

When I was younger I had naturally curly/wavy hair. My sister had straight hair that would not even hold curl when you curled it. After puberty her hair became naturally curly and my hair became straighter. Not completely straight but it lost enough the the waves that were left just looked messy and weird. For a few years, I got perms but I've been straightening my hair for years now. Lately, if I just let my air dry, this is what it does:

Not sure what caused it to revert back to its curls, but I'll take it

Valentine's Day

Jacob and Bella

We had a very "pinterest" valentine's day this year. These cupcakes were our after school snacks.   They were very good!!  Cake is improved greatly by pudding in the middle!

Heart shaped mini pizzas with heart shaped pepperoni and valentine punch (more pinterest ideas)

Our dinner table

My surprise for the day!  Jared had flowers delivered to me.  Funny thing was I was on the 3rd floor exercising and didn't hear the door.  When I came down I had 3 calls from the floral shop about my delivery.  I had to wait several more hours for the delivery guy to com back but the arrangement was beautiful and well worth the wait

I gave Jared lots of little gifts with cheesy sayings on them.  I hid them places like his coat pocket, his laptop case, near his toothbrush, in his shoes, etc for him to find throughout the day.  It was pretty cheesy but made for a fun day. Some examples are: A hundred grand bar - "I wouldn't trade you for a hundred grand"; a container of mixed nuts- "after all these years, I'm still nuts about you. 

A few random pictures

The girls in the skirts Aunt Melissa made them for Christmas

Katy and Bella

The girls have wanted shirts like these for awhile but I wouldn't spend the money for them.  We scored these with the feather necklaces for $6 at Kohls!  

Jacob climbing with his friend Isaac at the Children's museum in Wheeling

Our after church snack on St. Patrick's day while we waited for our cornbeef, cabbage, and potatoes to finish cooking.  Saw this idea on pinterest

Neighborhood

Ironically, this is the most "city"like place we've lived.   We don't have a driveway- which I miss more than I realized I would.  Instead, there is a little alley behind all the houses on the street.  We are lucky in that we have a detached two car garage which is more than a lot of houses around here.  There is a neighborhood playground a few blocks away.  There is also a meat market nearby that I can walk to when the weather is warmer.  The elementary school is also less than a mile away if I walk the back roads.  Its a fun experience but I wouldn't want to live here forever.  I miss my surbanan subdivisions!

Jacob at the playground

The girls in the alley behind the houses

Playing basketball with Daddy at the park.  This picture makes it look like Jacob made that shot.  I'm quite impressed if he did.  I'll have to ask about the picture as I didn't notice what was happening while I was taking pictures

I'm not really into cowboys, but who could resist this one! Jacob wanted to go on our Sunday walk dresses as a cowboy.  I made him wear tennis shoes since his boots hurt his feet but he did insist on the hat that kept blowing off.

Christmas parties and goodbye

The Christmas parties were bittersweet for my girls.  They were sad to be leaving Memorial.  There were lots of tears shed by friends, teachers, principals, and even mom.  It was a great little school and we really enjoyed our time there.

Bella and the rest of Mrs. Arndt's second grade class

 

Xandy and the rest of Mrs. Schoff's 4th grade class

 

Snow Day

One thing we have noticed is that this school district has a lot of two hour delays and snow day.  In fact, as I'm writing this the kids sare sleeping in due to yet another snow day.  The Ironic part is this was supposed to be spring break but they have to go 3 days this week to make up for snow days.  Not sure what will happen now.   At first, I made fun of the area a lot because we would have delays and cancellations and the road in front of the house was fine.  Then one day after listening to Jared talk about the drive to work, I realized why it gets cancels alot.  My road down in the valley might be clear but the district has lots of children who live up the mountains.  Those roads can be quite scary after a snow or ice storm as Jared has realized.  Also, the High School was built up on one of them mountains and the only ways to get up there are very steep with dropoffs.  Probably best not to have teenagers driving up there in icy conditions

Anyway, on one of the snow days, we decided to go sledding.  We didn't get any snow in Indiana this winter before the move.  We had a lot here the week we moved in but I had a lot to do besides sledding that week.  There is a park across from Katy's school with a lot of hills so we headed that direction to see what we could find.

We are glad Daddy works hard to support us, but we are sad he misses out on some of the fun

 Bella loves her matching snow outfit with mom

My crazy "big" girls

 My little snow angeld

 We spent some time playing on the playground after we were done sledding



New Year's and more

We did take some time to play while family was here.  Wheeling is called the City of Lights because of a giant light display the city park puts on at one of their self sustaing parks, Oglebay.  There are bus tours of people that come to see the lights from places like Cleveland and Johnstown.  We all piled into 3 vehicles and set out to see the lights.

A funny story is we decided after unloading the trucks, we were all too tired and dirty to go out to eat.  Aunt Karen went to the store and bought all the items to make spaghetti, salad, and breadsticks for our large group to eat.  When she got back, we realized the oven would not turn on and there was no mircrowave.  We had no idea how to feed everyone.  We called the Landlord who said her husband would come first thing in the morning, but we still had no way to cook that night. They told me to keep unpacking and not worry about it.  Aunt Karen and Rob set off on a hunt for food.  There is a popular restaurant nearby that everyone we met had told us about- Ye Olde Alpha.  Aunt Karen and Rob had stumbled upon it and told them off our predicament.  They came home with two huge trays of the yummiest greek pasta.  The next morning the landlord's husband showed up with a microwave and a handyman to fix the stove (its just hadn't been installed right).

Jacob thought it was great fun to have Alex there sleeping in his room and helping him unpack and organize it.  As I tucked Jacob in one night I said "Goodnight baby boy".  As I left I heard the followinf conversation
Jacob: Ugh, she still calls me her baby boy.  I am NOT a baby anymore!
Alex: Thats just what moms do. Mima still calls me her baby boy
Jacob: (in an incredulous tone) But you served a mission!
Alex: But I'll always be her baby boy and you'll always be your mom's baby boy.

I was grateful for the uncle who is not to grownup and cool to spend time bonding with his little nephew and having precious teaching moments like this.

Mima, PopPop and Alex were able to stay and spend New Year's eve with us.  We blew a fuse that evening (part of life in an old house I guess) but were eventually able to get it back on to see the ball drop. (That part of the house had a separate fuse box that was not located in the basement but in a very random part of the house)

The girls built a snowman on New Years after the company had left while we continued to unpack.
I thought the lettuce hair was cute until I went to make a salad for lunch the next day and was out of lettuce!

The Move

I been writing a lot about the move, but here is a post dedicated to it.

The first weekend in December, Jared and I came to Wheeling to house hunt.  The girls stayed with friend in Valparaiso.  We didn't want them to miss school and they had other activities going on the weekend that they wanted to be a part of.  Katy was playing Mary at the ward Christmas party so she stayed with the Tanners.  The other girls went stayed with th Hofers.  Bella and Alenna saw this as a chance to have one last hurrah together.  We took Jacob with us but dropped him off at my parents' house Thursday evening.  Friday morning we drove down to start our search.  
I was close to crying as we drove into town.  Everything looked run down and dirty.  Jared could tell I was close to a panic attack and assured me it was just the part of town along the river and would get better as we went towards the mountains.  The neighborhoods did start looking better but it took a while to get used to everything being old.  There were no new neighborhoods.  The only new houses had been built on old lots randomly interspersed through the old homes.  I still have only found 1 new sub-division.  Its just very different from the suburbs we've lived in the past. 

Our search did not start well.  There is currently a housing crisis here.  There are tons of workers coming in temporarily for the energy projects.  As a result, the demand for rentals is greater than the supply and the price for rentals is OUTRAGEOUS.  I've even heard stories of long-time renters being kicked out so landlords could triple the price and make more money.  We spent all day looking at houses and didn't find any we liked.  Some we didn't even go in because the neighborhood was so run down we didn't feel safe.  Other houses turned out to be pre-manufactured homes sitting on beautiful lots on top of the mountain.  But, although it was a pretty view, the houses were small and not very sturdy.  There was no storage and the price was still more than we've ever paid in rent. They were also in school distrcits that were not known for the best education. After hours of looking, we were getting pretty frustrated.  We had one last appointment scheduled for the day.  When we met with this landlord I was impressed that at least her homes were clean and in safe areas.  They were still small but do-able.  As we talked with her she said she had one more house she thought we might like. She thought it sounded like the right size for us. She had been hesitant to show us because she was in the process of renonvating it and it wasn't ready yet.  She had just bought it as a foreclosure and it was all tore up as she was updating it.  We assured her the dust and constuction would not offend us. 

It was so much better than anything we had looked at yet.  It would fit all of our things without needing to rent storage.  There was a detached garage- a major step up from other rentals, and a shed in the backyard.  It had a small fenced backyard.  Better yet, it was not only in the best school district in the area, but in assigned to some of the highest rated schools in that district. It was also HUGE and I loved that.  W had been very cramped in the house in Valpo. It was more than we had wanted to pay but when comparing quality vs price with the other places we had looked at, it wasn't so bad  I still wanted to keep some of our appointments the next day and was hesitant to commit.  It helped knowing she wasn't officially showing it yet.  She was going to half to work really hard to get it ready for us. So another bonus was we wouldn't have to pay double rent in Devember to hold it.

We went to our hotel and I made some calls to confirm appointments for the next day.  Jared was humoring me, but just wanted to take that last house.  While confirming the appt to look at a small 3 bedroom, 1 ba home (which was going to be a TIGHT squeeze) with no garage, basement etc, in a less than desirable town, the landlord informed me the price was $3000/mo!!!!! RIDICULOUS!!!! I knew then that Jared was right.  I had done my best to find cheaper housing but it just wasn't available.  I hadn't wanted to just jump on the big house because we didn't NEED a house that big even though it was nice.  I wanted to make the most responsible financial decision but we both felt good about this house.   We were able to get to the price down a few hundred a month when we went back.  All in all, I know we are where we are supposed to be.

The homes on the mountain would have proved problematic since our van decided to stop working during the move.  After having it in the shop about 6x, I think it is fixed but it doesn't do well on the mountains.  Jared's co-worker has a company truck and lives not far from us.  They are able to carpool in the company vehicle, which saves us a ton on gas.  It also allows Jacob and I to drive Jared's smaller more reliable and less gas-guzzling car during the day. 

I wouldn't want to live here forever, but it is fun to live in an old Victorian home.  IT is 98 year old. 

I also have to thank my wonderful extended family who came and helped us unload over the break.  My parents and Alex were coming to help instead of hosting the annual Buchkovich game day, so some of my relatives came and helped also.  Aunt Karen, Uncle Phil, Marcus, Emma and grandma came.  As well as my cousin Elizabeth, Rob and Evelyn.   We were be forever grateful that they used their Holiday vacation to come help us. 

The view out from our front porch

Happy B-day Katy

You may have noticed something different about Katy since I started blogging again.  She had an exciting change this summer.  She got contacts!!!  Her father and I both had to wait significantly longer when we were younger.  Perhaps, that played into our decision.  We both remembered how awful it was to play sports with glasses, so we decided to let her get contacts.

She was already looking so grown-up and contacts just makes her look even older.  I look at her sometimes and can't believe I have a daughter that old.   We are very proud of her also.   She is a great older sister.  She helps out a lot around the house.  She is a good example to her friends and is not afraid to share the gospel.  She does better at that than her mom.  She's proud to share the same birthday as Joseph Smith. She is also nice to everyone. She always tries her best as everything she does.  She has a hunger for learning and wants to know as much as she can.  Her new teachers her were surprised at how she jumped right in to the classes full speed ahead.  She loves soccer and cross-country.  She also is excelling at the piano and violin.  We are very proud of her.

It was hard for me when she entered middle school this fall.  I wasn't ready for that step.  I remember middle school was definately NOT the best years of my life. 

Now she is in Young Women's and I am so excited for her.  Even though the ward here is very small I hope she can have even half the fun experiences I had in YWs.   I don't like how old it makes me feel though.

Katy turned 12 two days before Christmas.  It is always hard to have a party for her because it is such as busy time for everyone.  We did attempt to have a party with friends but due to other Holiday obligations only two friends were able to come(Megan and Courtney).  They played danced Wii and had a blast anyway.  The next week Abby's mom took Katy, Abby, Megan, and Courtney all out for dinner and icecream.  Abby gave Katy a beautiful frame with a picture of all 4 of them in it. 

I know that we are where the Lord wants us, but I do sometimes wish Katy could have stayed and gone to YWs with those 3.  They would've all had a blast.  Young Women's in this ward will be a good growing experience for Katy.  Even though she is the youngest, a lot of the other girls are new converts or come from part-member families and attend sporadically.  As a result, Katy is having to step up as a leader and not be shy.  Last night, we had a Personal Progress activity (I'm in YWs also).  Katy had to help the other girls find where different books were in the scriptures.  They all turned to her for guidance.

This Is Our Story

One of the things that impressed me most about our school system in Indiana was the Christmas music program called This Is Our Story.  The first year I was not looking forward to it.  It sounded tedious and potentially a logistical nightmare.  It consists of all the High School music groups (chorus, orchestra, band ,etc), music groups from both Middle schools, and music groups from all the elementary schools.  The high school groups perform both nights.  Each middle school is assigned a night for its groups to perform at.  The elementary schools perform on the same night as the middle school they feed in to.  

I was afraid it would be long and boring.  With lots of wasted time betweem groups as new setups were arranged.  But, I was pleasantly surprised.  The music department has perfected this into a science.  Somehow they manage to pack all the groups on the gym floor and bottom section of bleacher seats.  The guests sit in the higher sections.  There is no "down time".  One group ends and the next starts right up.   It is actually quite enjoyable.  This year I was really looking forward to it.  They also get away with including more religious Christmas songs by including Hannukah and Kwanzaa songs as well.  Santa makes an appearance during the group sing along at the end (we were in the only section Santa didn't come to- Jacob was crushed). 

This year not only did Katy play in the Orchestra for Benjamin Franklin Middle, but Xandy was in choir at Memorial and sang in the program. 

Xandy sitting with her choir

 Katy with the Orchestra

 It worked out nicely that they were so close to each other.  You can see them both in both pictures.  An appearance from the "guy in red"

Unfortunately, I have not been able to get blogger to load my video for quite some time now so pictures will have to suffice.  Most of what we took with the camera that night was video. If I ever fix the uploading problem, I will add the videos