Ethan: Dad?
Brian: Hmm?
Ethan: When are you going to go bald?
Brian: ...silence
Natalie: LOL

That was a funny conversation tonight!

Words to live by

Maybe my kids picked to come to this family not because of who we are, but knowing who we can become as we begin to truly magnify and embrace our callings as parents.
That's the thought that came to me tonight during prayer.
I hope I can be a better mom tomorrow than I was today.

Never too late to make a goal

January is long gone. Good! That means maybe this goal will have some weight with it. For Christmas I got an iPad. And for the past 3 months I've been doing my best to learn its ways. Tonight I downloaded the blogger app now allowing me to 'write in my journal' before bed. I couldn't be happier. And my stories will be written down as i sit upon my bed, listen to storms rage outside and not have to worry about losing power :) hooray for technology!

a welcome change of plans

Today, thanks to some friends calling, we decided to go swimming instead of running errands. The kids screamed so loud out of excitement my ears were buzzing. :)

AJ vs. Rootbeer

Tonight we were delivering a meal to a friend of ours who just became a new mom. Of course we're late in getting the meal to them, so as I'm gathering the food, I'm calling out to the kids to get in the car. AJ enters the garage and then Ethan. When I hear the door to the garage open I hear a spraying sound. For a moment I'm confused thinking AJ must be washing her hands in the bathroom. Then Ethan reenters the house calling for me and I can still hear this spraying sound. I call out to him, "Where's AJ?" He responds, "we need you, quick!" My hands are full of the food as I run to see what's happened. All I hear is AJ crying and a loud spraying noise. Has the water heater popped a leak?! That was the only 'liquid' sound I could imagine coming from the garage.
When I reach the door and fling it open AJ is dripping wet...soaked, really...with a busted can of hot rootbeer. So is the side of the van and the floor, but it looks like AJ got the brunt of the angry can. Was she trying to open it? Probably! She's crying about how scared she is as I lift her up into the van and fasten her in her seat. No time to change...! She cries round trip, "Mom! I'm scared of the drink! (sob sob) It was really funny, but she really was traumatized, so I couldn't laugh out loud until she had calmed down a bit. Annie Jane...you are always on the look out for adventure!

G.O.O.D.B.Y.E C.A.L.I.F.O.R.N.I.A.

So sad to leave you: my orange trees, my ocean breeze, Fallbrook friends and neighbors (WE LOVE LOVE LOVE FALLBROOK!), avocados lining the windy & hilly roads, DISNEYLAND! Happy memories from San Marcos too!

Good riddance to: wearing long pants all year round, doing my laundry in the garage, high car insurance, RENT!, eternal marine layers, and yes...fire season.

Next adventure: San Antonio, TX

HELLO TEXAS! OUR HOUSE! NEIGHBORHOOD KIDS! Cul-De-Sac! SIX FLAGS!This is gonna be fun! Hope to see 'Y'ALL' real soon!

...Yes, I know...and hello BIG bugs...

San Antonio, TX

Our life is about to change...BIG TIME. Brian has accepted a inner-company job offer in San Antonio, TX. Last week we went house-hunting while my dear sister and her husband came to our house to watch the kids...little mini-vacation for them! (They enjoyed the one week of hot weather we've had all year!)
I think we saw over 30 houses over a 3 day period of time. We were exhausted! But finally, on the last day of showings there were two homes that we liked a lot...which happened to have a very similar floor plan. (So many floor plans out there, I can't believe it!). It also has a big backyard, and is within walking distance to the community kiddie pool, park/playground, biking/jogging trail AND elementary school. It's in a 'double' cul-de-sac, so as the neighbors put it; "The kids rule the street." It has 4 bedrooms upstairs plus an open area for a 'game room'. Here are some pics of it.

I didn't take a pic from the front door,
but this is what the front room looks like from the kitchen table.

view of dining/family room from the back porch doors.

the beautiful kitchen (no tile counter tops!)

master bedroom

Bedroom #2 (soon to be Ethan's room)

Bedroom #3 (soon to be AJ's room)

Bedroom #4

game room, upstairs

view of the backyard from one corner. There's quite of bit of yard on either side of the house as well. (YES! the playscape stays too!)