San Diego Zoo favorites

The San Diego Zoo did not disappoint.  We saw monkeys, zebras, pigmy hippos, giraffes, reptiles, and everything else in between.  I love this zoo because not only are the animals neat, but the landscape is beautiful and the size is enormous.  Our cousin and one of James' best friends, Isaac, was in town for Thanksgiving Break, so he got to come along for the day.

Happy Birthday James!

James has finally joined the ranks of an 8 year old.  This is an exciting birthday, because it signals the beginning of cubscouts and the eligibility to get baptized.  James' one request for months was that we go to the San Diego Zoo for his birthday (which fell on Saturday).  When our friends the Gondas found out that we were headed to San Diego that day, they quickly invited us to dinner and even had candles ready for James.  It was so thoughtful.  We are very grateful for our James.  He is smart, thoughful, creative, and full of hugs.  He is also very easy to please, which makes him a great little guy to hang out with.  I should also mention that he is a passionate BYU football fan, so the helmet and jersey were an exciting gift.  We love you James!!!

Jardines photos

Moving woes

Sometimes life brings unfortunate events, and our family has definitely experienced this over the past months.  Knowing that we would be adding a caboose to our family, we decided to proceed with the search for a new house and the sale of our old one.  Despite knowing that this was the right thing to do, Joseph and I still mourn for our beloved home on Jardines.  We had many wonderful memories in this home and its so weird to drive by it and know that it isn't ours anymore.  For some reason out of our control, we are currently homeless and bunking at my inlaws.  What started as a three month stay has now turned into a ??? as we have yet to find a suitable replacement.  I am trying hard to let my faith carry me through this setback, but the situation is very discouraging.  For those unfamiliar with the California housing market, it is NUTS.  Unless you have your ducks in a row AND get lucky, you simply cannot buy a house.  It is very common for nice homes to get sold in 2 days with 10 offers at once.  Foreign money also brings cash buyers, which blocks out the locals.  I guess we should be grateful that we live in a desirable place!

Life is a blur...

Before I continue with my updates from 2016, I think it is best to begin with the most recent change in our lives.  Miraculously, baby #5 is preparing to come to our family.  I found out that I was expecting on December 24, so I believe that this was God's little Christmas gift to our family.  The due date is around September 3.

More Candy?

We seem to have two Halloween events every year: Trunk or Treat and Halloween.  These pictures are from Halloween.  We were invited to have dinner and trick or treat with Anna Gordhamer (Joseph's sister) and her family.  James insisted on wearing his ENTIRE costume, even if it meant that he could only move like a tin man.  Emmy hated Xander's tree costume and made all effort to avoid him for the entire night.  The candy usually lasts at our house for a a few days and then gets quickly confiscated when the kids get cranky.  I remember as a child eating all my candy in one day.  I always felt so sorry for my friends who had parents that regulated their sugar intake (like my adult self!).

Happy Halloween

Pictures from our ward Halloween party... James had the hit costume, I believe.  The girls were cute mermaids.  David was a convincing injured person.  I hope that he never looks like that in real life.   My green face was a last minute attempt to look like a witch.  The moment of shock that hit the kids' faces as I emerged from my bedroom was worth all the effort.  The following morning, Emmy checked out my sleeping face just to make sure that it wasn't still green!