Hotel Living...

We were moving all our things to a storage unit and cleaning like mad on our anniversary, and since we are now homeless we decided to take a mini family vacation (although, Darin still had to work.) and stay in a hotel for a couple days. I forgot to get a picture of a room but Darin was able to get a good deal on a nice hotel room with a jacuzzi...exactly what ALL of us needed after the stress of dealing with landlord Bruce and moving. The hotel had a pool as well. Nash hated the pool last year, but this year he LOVES it. Not necessarily getting all the way in but touching it, putting his feet in and splashing.

It was so nice to spend some time as a family, before Nash and I headed off to Utah!

Nash and I couldn't fly out until Thursday, June 3rd because he had an appointment with the Pediatric Specialist. He was referred to Dr. Sneft because of some developmental delays. It takes about a year to get in, so we were happy when we only had to wait 4 months! Although, a lot had changed during that time, and Nash grew out of some of his quirks with the help of the OT and Speech Therapists. Dr. Sneft did a series of tests on him and she verified what we already recognized was going on. Nash is a very anxious little boy with OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) tendencies as well as sensory motor issues. She recommended we continue with Early Intervention with OT and Speech and then add a medical Speech Therapist from Darin's hospital. She will follow up with us in 6 months to see how he has progressed.

House Troubles...

On May 28th, Darin and I somewhat celebrated our 5th year anniversary. We have been living in Pennsylvania for 1 year on May 28th as well. In February of this year we hit our limit to dealing with our landlord and decided to begin looking for a new place to live. After talking it over and viewing many homes we decided to go ahead and buy. Although this meant leaving our beautiful 1906 home in Emmaus....

I really loved this home because of all the space, the location and the character of the home. Although, there was several things we didn't like about the home.

1.) Because it was built in 1906 it was very drafty and cold in the winter, and a beast to heat.

2.) In the summer our landlord only allowed us to have 1 air-conditioner (window unit) for the whole house. Before we moved I found 3 at a yard sale and he said he wouldn't put any of them in for us because they were too old. So we had to go buy a very expensive air-conditioner, which he informed us would be a permanent fixture in the home. Then he came into our home before summer was over and took it down, without our permission.

3.) We live in a HIGH Radon area and our landlord wouldn't test our home for Radon or lead. Our pediatrician now wants us to get Nash tested.

4.) The master bedroom had the only full bathroom, which made it a little awkward for guests. We had our bedroom in the other rooms, but it was to hot in the summer for Darin to sleep in the daytime without the air conditioner. I solved this problem this past March when my brother Cody came to visit. We had an extremely large closet in the master bedroom that was always cold and really dark. I decided to see if our bed would fit...

It was a perfect fit...just a little wrinkling on the top. :) The first time Darin walked into the house after I moved the bed he said "ummm where is our bed?" lol

We actually really liked it in the closet and Darin was able to rest well after a long 30+ hour call.

We are very sad to leave Emmaus, it is such a fun little town, with things happening all the time. Most of Nash's playdates are in or around Emmaus. We loved being close to 2 really great parks, the swimming pool, walking distance from the grocery store, pizza hut around the corner, and an awesome running trail. We lived on a very busy street which made it a little unnerving to have Nash outside playing. But the yard was HUGE and our landlord took care of it. It was great for a yard sale. We decided to have one a few weeks ago and sold almost everything. The only down fall of the yard sale was when our landlord decided to mow our lawn and mowed right in the middle of all our things. Yeah I guess you can see that the BIGGEST down fall of the house was the LANDLORD. So we decided to COME OUT OF THE CLOSET, packed up our things...

AND MOVED!

Our lease ended on May 31st. The townhouse we are trying to buy was to close on May 28th (our 5 year anniversary). Although, we have had MANY set back with the loan companies. During the process we were referred to 3 different lenders and nobody really knew how to go about selling us a house because of our LARGE student loans. We finally found someone, and they just were not on the ball. They got our closing date wrong, and then told us we still needed to track down and submit some paper work. After talking to several different physicians we have learned this is a common practice in our area.

Darin and I worked hard to get everything done, he had a couple of days off so instead of getting a moving truck, we just piece mailed everything to a storage unit which we found for only $16, close to our hopefully new home in Breinigsville. Thank goodness for our good friends the Dowling's and the Holtzhafer's for letting us borrow their pick-ups. It didn't take us too long and Darin and I did it all ourselves. The Dowlings were moving to a new apartment as well. The original plan was to share a moving truck, which we did for a few BIG items like the treadmill. Thanks Nick and Kristen for helping us!

We had some ward members come over and help us clean, and a few of my club mom friends watched Nash for me. Moving was a little stressful this time, especially since we had no clue where we were going to live. The mortgage company asked for a 15 day extension which has left us homeless for 15 days. We looked into renting a home for a short time. Our friends the Ockermans found us a great deal for a hotel extended stay. But once we processed the numbers it just made more sense for Nash and I to fly home to Utah for a visit. Darin had to work so he stayed back, and is living with the Dowlings. THANK YOU AGAIN!

Nash and I fly home this Sunday and hopefully our home will close on the 15th. Please keep us in your prayers.

Birthday Cake...

In Darin's mind, a birthday is not a birthday until you have an ice-cream cake. He would rather have a Dairy Queen cake but a cake from the local grocery store seemed to suffice as long as it was ice-cream!

I had to laugh at the size of this cake, especially since it was just our little family of 3 going to eat it. Darin was so excited to have the whole cake to himself for the rest of the week.
Lighting the candles was VERY serious business....we did it 3 or 4 times.

We love Skype, we were able to celebrate Nash's birthday with both grandma's. I didn't take a picture of opening presents with Granny C. but I love this picture of Grandma W. watching Nash blow out the candles.

He would take these big breathes but then he would close his mouth and blow little amounts out...

That didn't work so well so he started waving his hands and that was the most effective...not to mention the most fun!

We lit the candles at least 4 times because Nash had so much fun putting them out. Finally we were allowed to cut the cake and EAT. Boy was it yummy!

I can't believe our little Nasharoo is TWO!!!

Nash turns 2!

We have officially entered the TERRIFIC TWO'S!!! Nash turned 2 years old on May 23rd. The month of May was a crazy one for our family but we wanted to do something special to celebrate our sweet little boy. Nash's good pal Will is 5 days younger so his mom Christine and I decided to do a combined birthday party/playdate since they basically have all the same little friends. This party was very low maintenance. It was held in Will's back yard, which is great because it is fenced in, they have a fun little playground and sandbox, and nice deck. We invited 10 little friends ranging from 2-3 years old to come over eat cake and play outside with Will and Nash. We requested no presents and there were no organized games.

I decided since the party was so low maintenance that I would put a little effort into the cake. I found a great website on Parents.com that has step by step instructions on how to make a variety of different cakes. I let Nash choose which cake he wanted and he chose the frog cupcakes, and the Monkey cake. It wasn't too hard but it took me 2 tries to get the cake right. I think they turned out pretty cute. I figured if a 2 year old could tell what they were I did a good job. :)

A big reason why we kept the party low maintenance is because these 2 cute little boys really didn't know what all the fuss was about. They were just happy to eat cake and play with friends.

2 year olds are so funny to watch, they just wander around not really interacting with each other but happy to be out and about. Darin bought a bubble maker that spits out bubbles at an outrageous amount. It was a hit with the kiddos!

I made some playdoh for the kids to play with.

We only had 1 squabble..caught on camera. It was between the birthday boys over the lawn mower and it looks like Nash got the upper hand....

We were happy with how the party turned out. The weather was beautiful and it was VERY low stress. Which is exactly what both families were looking for. Will's dad is a doctor at the hospital and they are in the process of moving to a new home as well. So life is a bit busy for both sides. We are so grateful for such good friends out here. Here are Nash's little buddies...

Riley, Will, Travis and Rufus

Brooke, Edward, Weston, Ava and Kathryn

(I am missing a picture of his little girl friend Camryn)

Sweet Blessings...

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY! We are very grateful for both our mother's. I know both of us miss our mother's very much. They are the rocks in our life and we owe everything to them.

My mom is one of the hardest workers I know. She is always busy creating things and will drop whatever she is doing to help her children. She is the best Internet babysitter that Nash has. :) She also has a good sense of humor and Darin enjoys patronizing her.

Darin's mother is a blessing in our lives too. She has a very kind heart and I have always found it very easy to talk with her. We both think of her as a spiritual giant, I ALWAYS seem to learn something spiritual from our talks.

We want to be our best for both our moms and we are grateful for the blessing they are in our lives. Thank you both for all that you have done for us...WE LOVE AND MISS YOU SO MUCH! Today I am home from church sick with Bronchitis. Hopefully on the tail end of this awful bug. Darin took Nash to church so the house is quiet and I have uninterrupted time to think and reflect on all the many blessings I have been given. Yesterday, Darin took Nash to Sam's Club for some shopping. He came home with a carpet cleaner for me for mother's day. To many of you this may seem like a ridiculous Mother's Day gift. The truth is, it is exactly what I wanted! I am not one who has ever wanted flowers, chocolates or jewelry. I like practical, useful things. Thank-you sweetheart for the AWESOME Mother's Day gift!

Yesterday he also gave me a gift of watching Nash and the Ockerman kids so I could go to dinner with some church friends. He was so good, he bought the kids pizza, and ice-cream. They flew kites, played with toys, and watched Shrek in 3D. Nash was so happy to have the Ockerman's over he wanted to go home with them. :)

The girls night out was fun, it was to celebrate Maria and Brook's birthday's. Neither one of them knew we were taking them out. Thank you Kristina for organizing the night for us.

She also made these WAY cute presents for Maria and Brook.

We had a hard time deciding where we wanted to eat and drove around for a while until we finally decided on an Italian restaurant which I can't remember the name of. My brain was a little cloudy at the time. BUT it was yummy!

(L to R Christina, Maria, Brook, Kristen and Kristina)

I am super thankful for these "sisters".

Kristina (orginally from Orem, UT) has been so sweet in calling me almost everyday this week to make sure I am okay with packing, taking care of Nash and feeling well. It is amazing how a little kindness can lift your spirits in so many ways.

Kristen (orginally from Las Vegas, NV) is a "resident wife" and thus understands when I complain about how hard it is not having a husband around. She is always willing to help out with Nash when I need a last minute babysitter. AND she is always up for ice-cream...YUM!

Maria (originally from Indiana) is my photography buddy. I love getting together with Maria and playing with PS and our cameras. She is an awesome mother who is pregnant with her 5th child AND home schools! She is always reminding me how important teaching our children is, but to also follow our own dreams as well.

Brook (originally from Idaho) is a genuine person through and through. She is the type of person that I would love to be. She is quiet and a bit mysterious ;) but someone that I find to be my true friend and that I LOVE being around. Plus she enjoys exercising like me. :)

One thing I have learned from moving around is there is always one consistent thing we can always count on: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Moving to Pennsylvania I was a little apprehensive because we wouldn't be just a day drive from our families anymore. We REALLY were on our own. I found peace in my heart knowing that we wouldn't be completely alone. Because we are members of the church we are not forgotten. It is easy to make friends with people that believe the same as you. I love all my friends here in PA but these ladies (and others not present) hold a dear place in my heart. I don't have to worry about fitting in, alcohol, vulgar language, or off colored jokes, or explaining my every action. It is easy to be ME when I am around them and that is what makes them special. We have a common bond of having a testimony of Jesus Christ and it is evident in our conversations that there is a level of respect for each other and the covenants we have made with our Heavenly Father. I am grateful for this SWEET BLESSING in my life. Thank you girls for being my "sister" in a crazy world.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Race for a Cure!

On Saturday, May 1st I was able to run my 3rd race of this year. It was a 5k run that benefited the cure for childhood Alzheimer's disease. The race was at the Little Lehigh Parkway which is one of my very favorite places to run, and it isn't far from our house. Darin was very sweet in letting me run this race. He worked call Friday night and got home just in time for me to hand Nash over to him, give him a kiss and run out the door. It was hard for Darin to stay awake at home to be attentive to Nash so he decided to pack him up and come watch the race. I didn't know Darin and Nash were there until about the half way point when I heard him calling my name. The funny thing about that is there was a girl I ran next to the whole race named "Christina" as well. She had friends and family through out the course cheering her on. So in my mentally focused mind (ha) I was imagining they were cheering for ME! So when I really did have two fans it caught me off guard. This next picture is of me realizing who they were and about stumbling over myself as I came back to reality! :)

It was also my strategy to have the whitest legs possible to try and blind all the competition!

This is myself passing the other "Christina." :)

I finished at 26:28. I was a little disappointed in this time since the whole week I had been running a 5k between 23 and 26 minutes. The course didn't have any mile markers and I didn't wear a watch. :( AND... I tend to talk a lot to the people around me on the course. Although this time around it was very helpful and I learned a BIG lesson. I like to uplift and encourage the people around me, so I say nice things to them as we run side by side. Sometimes I pass them, sometimes they pass me. This time around I was in the same group of people for most of the race. One girl I had been following until the last 1 mile and she started to hit her wall. So I started encouraging her to keep going. She looked at me and smiled and said "You seriously are my best friend right now!" haha, soon after I passed her (oops!) it was time to kick it in for the final stretch. As I broke away from the group I heard voices behind me saying "Do it girl!" and "Finish strong!" It was nice to have my own little cheering squad. After the race several people came up to me and said "Thank-you" for helping them out during the course. What an awesome feeling!

I ended up placing 61 over all, 9th in the 19-29 age range (male and female) and 4th female in my age range. Not to shabby!

My friend Jessica from Club Mom also ran the race. She had a baby 8 months ago and hasn't ran a race in 10 years. She is part of the weight-loss challenge I am doing and has lost over 20lbs! (I sound like a weight-loss commercial!)

Her time was 33:45. Way to go Jess!

Nash was loving all the characters walking around. This is the mascot for the "Iron Pigs" baseball team.

He decided to try out the trail as well. He currently only has one speed right now and it isn't always in the same direction you are going!

Congratulating mama after the race! It was so fun to have Darin and Nash there to cheer me on. Thank-you Darin for watching Nash so I could have a bit of "me" time! :)