Monkey Whisperer

Liam is an expert monkey finder. Just ask him. They are everywhere.

"LOOK!!!! MONKEYS!!! LOOK!!!"

Uncle Max believes Liam is surrounded by imaginary monkeys. If you are really good, he might let you see them sometime.

everything and then some

Well, Its time to get caught up.
The Red Brick House. Our new digs. The kids love the game room, which is never clean, and I love that the game room has a door. It is nice, but it was so so nasty when we moved in. It had never been cleaned. Dead cockroaches were aplenty. As well as hair from a certain region that is particularly nasty in the shower. We slept in a hotel the first few nights while the property management company had it cleaned. I am now known as the crazy lady who lives on Meadow Lilly Lane to the good folks down there at AIM Management. Luckily my Mom came to help with the moving in process and it was so great to have her here. The kids love Grandma. We went exploring, found a good pizza and Mexican place, and unpacked a few things. She helped me decorate as well. It’s nice to have another person’s perspective when hanging a collage of photos on the wall.

Living Room. Yes. I still have not taken down the tree. Damon has been gone and I can't lift the box, so its still up.

Then this happened




I feel better now that I gave a scathing review of the school on every possible school rating website I could find.

THANKSGIVING

We loved Thanksgiving. We went over to our new friends the Tippets. They were so kind to invite us over, we had only been in Katy 3 weeks, and didn’t have anywhere to go. There were several families from the ward, and Zoey made fast friends with Abby. I made 2 homemade cranberry sauces and butternut squash mash that is delish, and the infamous flourless chocolate cake. We were there at 2 and left at 8. There were lots of kids, and it was really great to see our kids make friends and also to feel like a part of a community. It surprised me how lonely 3 weeks can be with no one really to call and hang out with.


December- This is when I got really homesick, as you can tell my my emo post. Luckily the first part of December was busy, and I got to plan and host Damon’s work party. I got to hire a caterer and everything. I felt UBERFANCY. I decorated, and then decided that my tree looked like a peppermint explosion. The party was a lot of fun, so fun, in fact, that I forgot to take any pictures of the event. I loved meeting the people who work for Damon, he has some really great people who all offered to take me and show off the areas that they live in so I can get a better idea of where we should live. After that, Damon left for the ENTIRE week and left me to prepare everything else for Christmas and get ready for our trip to AZ. That was a busy and stressful week. But when he got home, everything was done, house clean, and gifts packed.


The Kids by the tree. Peppermint Expolsion, right?

Beautiful Zoey in her Christmas Dress
Handsome Liam with those Big Brown Eyes.


Then the drive. We are very blessed to have a company car. They pay for gas, insurance, everything. We can drive it anywhere we want. Unfortunately, Damon’s new 2010 Ford Taurus was not built yet, so he had a rental. The first was a Kia Spectra. They first time Zoey saw it she said “Dad! You’re driving a bubble!” Then he traded for something right before the trip. Something Bigger. They gave him a Chevy HHR. I’m not sure how this is bigger, but we will try it. Have you ever tried to get everything for a family of 4 and a dog for 2 weeks and Christmas into a clown car? It was hilarious. We made it 25 miles down the road before the portable DVD’s started to malfunction and I said, “ That’s it, turn around and get the Pathfinder.” I love my new Pathfinder.

The drive was 16 hours. 11 were in Texas.

We arrived on the 20th. Here are some highlights.

Max taught me how to knit.

I love banana grams. Many games were played, and I only won 3 times.

I registered for my classes.

I made the Best Lemon Bars Ever.

I went running with Corinn, and she kicked my trash. She is on the Basketball team, you know.

Settlers of Catan. It gets pretty fierce.

Went to my cousin Ryan’s wedding. It was lovely, and rainy.

The kids played/danced/laughed with their aunts and uncles.

I hung out with Breaelle…..

And she is making me an AUNT!!!!!! Breaelle is due beginning of September, and you can bet I will be there within days to photograph that little baby.

Max wrote an arrangement of “Angels We Have Heard On High” for the family piano trio (Me on violin, Joey on cello and Max on piano.) We played it in church. Listen here!!


We went to the Children’s Museum, and we loved it. Again. The pool noodles were again a fave, even for my little brother Joe.
Making a bracelet with Daddy.


We had the best visit with my good friend Amber. We were neighbors in good Ol’ Queen Creek before we moved to Colorado, and her girls became fast friends with Zoey. We moved when Zoey and Rylee were about 18 months old. Baby Shane was so cute. We spent the day at the park and the girls set up an ice cream shop.

The Eddington family was all together for the first time in 2.5 years. The Eddington house was loud, crowded, and full of laughter, just the way it should be at Christmas. Eddington Family, Dec 2009


On the 23rd, we had Christmas with the Pullmans

Pullman Family, Dec 2009

- First we went to see the new home Chelsey and Seth are buying. It was a beautiful home with Shutters. I am green with envy. They are so excited to own their own home and they got a STEAL of a deal. We arrived at Rylee’s home and commenced cooking Christmas dinner. Over the next nine days we had three Christmas dinners. Zoey and Liam loved playing with their Grandparents and Aunts and Uncle, and the dogs. There were 5, more dogs than grandkids. We stayed up late and played games with the game master, Seth, who probably owns every game on the planet. (BUT NOT PASS THE PIGS, WHICH I GAVE THEM FOR CHRISTMAS) “Christmas” morning we opened gifts, and Z and L were spoiled with Disney merchandise. Buzz Lightyear and Tinkerbell jammas, lighty-uppy things, and a Buzz Lightyear Doll that proved to be one of Liam’s favorites. He sleeps with it. We hung out, ate homemade tamales and not homemade (my fault, lost track of time) cinnamon rolls, and were sad to see it end. Liam, with the three loves of his life. Dot, Buzz, and Buzz Jammas.


We returned in the afternoon Christmas Eve where I organized our traditional Christmas Eve Program. We did talents, Max, Joey and I played the song Max wrote, and we all told our favorite scripture about Christ. It was wonderful to hear how strong my siblings are, and to grow from their testimonies. We sang lots of Songs, which is much more fun now that we all can sing/read music. We also acted out the nativity. Liam was a Sheppard, I think, and Zoey was Mary. We had a lovely night. The kids opened their Christmas pajamas, and went right to bed., but not before the elves made their appearance, ringing bells outside the kids windows… Christmas morning was lovely. Santa brought Zoey a Snow White Barbie and Horse, and a leapster, and the Liam boy received spiderman skates and a lego duplo Thomas the train set. They were in Heaven. Damon got an ipod touch, and I got a beautiful aquamarine ring I have been wanting. It was a lounge day, eating candy and homemade cinnamon rolls and leftover ham from dinner. It was a lovely Christmas and the kids were so spoiled. Pixos are still a very popular gift from Cody and Breaelle, and we are now sucked into buying the refills that are expensive! That night we went to the Mesa Temple and looked at all the lights. With that, the Christmas was complete. We went home, put the kids to bed, and went on a double date with Cody and Breaelle to see Sherlock Holmes. I liked it a lot. We went home exhausted and slept late the next day.

SANTA CAME!!!

Liam with his Thomas Set.

Damon downloaded the fart application to his itouch. He then proceeded to hook it up to the Bose sound system in the pathfinder. My kids have never laughed harder than on that car ride. Liam gave himself hiccups.

We played games with Chels and Seth a few nights, and the rest were played with my family, and one with everyone! I highly recommend imaginiff. It’s a great one.

The New Year rang in at Chels and Seth’s house with games and laughing. I kissed my sweetheart like I meant it at midnight.

We visited Damon’s grandmother and Aunt Kathy, and Katy and Christian. We miss our family in Arizona more than we can say. I find myself replaying parts of that trip over and over.

Bu t we are home. And I have been praying that this will be home for me. I don’t know why I am struggling so much with this move, but I will tell you all something. As I was saying a pity prayer, the thought came very clear and sudden, “You will be happy if you choose to be.”

It got me thinking.

I am so blessed. Damon has an amazing job. We have a pantry full of food. We have a nice home to come home to. We have shoes on our feet and clothes on our backs. We are all healthy, our kids are happy, and we are growing closer together because of this move.

Why should I be complaining?

I don’t know if the Lord knew I needed some encouragement to reinforce my new mantra, but since yesterday morning, when the prompting came, I have been invited to join a bunko group, invited to a play group, invited for lunch with one of Damon’s reps wives, Zoey got invited to a birthday party, and we have plans with two families this weekend. Home is where you make it. We are going to have great friends here, and found our resident babysitter. Texas is beginning to grow on me.

Now we just need to find a house to buy…