I'm Baaa-aaack!

Hi all!  Yes, we did fall off the face of the planet for a while, but we made our way back.  The kids and I went to Hurricane in hopes of being there when my sister Angie (Matt's wife) had their 4th baby.  We ended up staying for a week and a half, and no baby.  So, we had to come back home.  Samantha Helen Excell was born on July 19, 2008 (a week after we came back home).  She was 8 lbs 6 oz and 20 in long!!!!  I can't wait to see her in person, but in pictures she is a cutie, and looks just like her big sister Amberli.

Since we came back home, I have been doing a huge paper-chase, trying to get all of the paperwork in to the State Office of Licensing so that we can finally get licensed to be foster/adopt parents.  As of today, all of the documents are in!  Now, if we can just get those documents to the lady that is doing our homestudy so she can type it up, we can send the homestudy in to the state and get our safety check done.  A few weeks after that, we should be licensed!!!  We are really excited to help out kids, and hopefully one day add to our family!

SLC Temple Visit

After we went to the Chalk Art Festival (see the post below), Bryan wanted to take the kids to the SLC Temple.  They hadn't been there before, and it was only mid afternoon, so we went.  It was fun, and the kids really liked the Christus at the visitor's center and the waterfalls at the Conference Center.  We were there for about two hours walking around and showing stuff to the kids, but then the kids were hot and tired, so we went home.  All in all, it was a good day.

The kids waving SO enthusiastically!  They were tired.

The waterfall at the Conference Center was without a doubt the kids' favorite part.  They loved watching it and running to the different levels to see the different parts.  They also thought it was really loud!

The Chalk Art Festival at the Gateway

For Father's day, Bryan wanted to go to the Utah Foster Care Foundation's Chalk Art Festival at the Gateway in Salt Lake, so we gathered up all the kids and went the Saturday before Father's day.  The art was AWESOME!  It was amazing to see what some people can do with a little chalk and a flat surface.  We took some pictures of the ones that we liked best.  You can click on any of the pictures to see them in better detail.

This is the Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.  Amazing isn't it?

The kids liked this unicorn/dragon/fish one.

This one looked like a poster or a photo!

My girls are really into mermaids right now, so they liked this one.

This one was so life-like that it seemed like she was looking at you and was crawling toward you!  

Our family is really into faeries and dragons and such, so this one was a hit.

This one of the Taj Mahal was so cool looking.  The kids say "Look!  It's the Temple!"

This one was the kids' favorite, of course!

Here's the kids at the festival.  They were back-lit, so it's not the best picture.

The kids enjoyed all of the beautiful flowers as much as (or more than) the art!

And The Calling Is.....

Primary teachers.  We're not sure which class, but it will probably be the CTR 8 class.  We said that we were fine with being primary teachers, as long as it is in Senior Primary, because the twins are having a little bit of a hard time staying in Sunbeams, and if we were in the same room as them during singing time there is no way they would sit with their own class.  Bro. Leavitt said that was no problem, so we'll be sustained on Sunday and start teaching the week after that.   We haven't been primary teachers for a while, about 5 years, so this will be an adventure!

Who Are You?

Take the Quiz here!

You are Marianne Dashwood of Sense & Sensibility! You are impulsive, romantic, impatient, and perhaps a bit too brutally honest. You enjoy romantic poetry and novels, and play the pianoforte beautifully. To boot, your singing voice is captivating. You feel deeply, and love passionately.

The Dreaded "Phone Call"!!

We have been in this neighborhood for about 4 months now, and this morning we got the dreaded phone call!  We are meeting with the bishopric tonight at 7:30.  I guess we have flown under the radar for long enough in the callings department!

Gavin's Self Portraits

Last time we were down visiting my parents in Hurricane, Gavin took over my mom's digital camera and started taking pictures of himself (along with everything else in sight).  I thought I would share his work.

He was trying out all sorts of faces for the camera!  He's a cutie!

Ouch

I took the kids to the park yesterday.  It was only going to be for a little bit, so I didn't put on sunblock.  Big Mistake!  I got a really bad sunburn, my first in a really long time.  The kids were totally fine.  Thank goodness they got enough of their dad's skin genes that they don't burn nearly so easily as I do, and they can actually tan!  So now I have my  trusty bottle of Ocean Potion close by at all times, and I think I'll be staying indoors for a few days!

All I Can Say Is Wow...

I saw this story on a local news site today.  I, personally, think that this is going too far, but tell me what you guys think.

ROCK HILL, S.C. (AP) - Authorities say seven people attending high school graduations in Rock Hill are facing charges after police say they cheered while students' names were being called. 

Authorities say six people at Fort Mill High School's graduation were charged Saturday and a seventh at the graduation for York Comprehensive High School was charged Friday with disorderly conduct. 

Police say those arrested yelled after students' names were called while diplomas were handed out. 

A police spokesman says school officials request police patrols to prevent graduation disruptions that include standing, hollering and clapping. 

He says those attending the commencements are told their behavior can be prosecuted. 

Rock Hill is about 70 miles north of Columbia, South Carolina.

I mean, come on!!  I know that it is sort of annoying for people to clap and cheer while everyone is trying to get through the line and get their diplomas, but really, CRIMINAL CHARGES?

Mini Tour of Our Home

I thought that since no one has really seen the house that we are going to be calling home for the next little while that I would post some pictures of it...

This is the front of the house.  The yard is kind of small, but hey, less to mow!  We really like the rock work.

This is the entry way.  It is big enough that we can keep the toy box here and some of the bigger toys without taking up too much room.

This is the small hallway from the entry to the living room.  There is a half-bath to the left, a large closet (that we keep the rest of the toys in) and the door to the unfinished basement that we use for storage.

This is the living room.  The area over the fireplace is kind of cool!

Here's the kitchen (I'm standing in the dining room) which is right off of the living room.  It's a really nice size.  By the way, you may think that you see dirty dishes on the counter, but it's just a figment of your imagination. =)

So, that's the main level of our house.  The 4 bedrooms, 2 more bathrooms, and the laundry room are upstairs.  We really like it, and hopefully we will be able to stay here for a while until we get everything stabilized and figured out.  The landlord said that he wanted a long-term renter, so hopefully that means that we can stay for a while and not have to move around a lot and up-root the kids every year or so.  But, I guess I'll leave that to Heavenly Father, and we'll go where we are supposed to go.  That's one more thing that I have learned in the last little while - There IS a plan, it's just not mine!  LOL!