Update

It has been awhile since I've blogged an update on our family. So here it is:

We are starting to feel a little more settled each week here in Henderson. We are a little overwhelmed with all the projects and painting that we need to do on the house. I try to keep reminding myself that it will all get done with time. Unfortunately, I am not very patient when it comes to home improvements. There is just so much to do to make it feel like our home and I wish we could just do it all now. We have had some family members come to help which we have appreciated greatly. Every extra set of helping hands makes a huge difference. I will post pictures of the house when we get closer to finishing each room.

We have tried to mix work and play to keep our new home a fun place. We discovered this fun little hike a few weeks back. It is a perfect little hike for the kids, plus the view is spectacular. We also had fun at the chocolate factory where we watched them make chocolate bars. The samples at the end of the tour were definitely the highlight. The sample lady was asking us if we would like dark, milk, or white chocolate. She went around to all of us getting our samples and then asked if Aliza could have one. Aliza responded "I would like dark please." Everyone around us burst into laughter because they didn't expect such a tiny girl to respond like that. I think sometimes because she is so petite people are surprised when she speaks so clearly. She looks much younger than she really is. She then was really embarrassed that everyone was laughing at her, but it was just so darn cute.

Having Aliza home with me all day while the girls are off to school is fun. She is my little buddy, and we have a lot of fun together. Each morning she insists that I pack her a lunch too, and most days she throws a backpack on to take the girls to school. She is always asking me when she can go too.

Last week we took the kids to school and I started straightening up the house while she was just dancing around playing by herself. Time flew by and when I realized that we hadn't eaten yet I turned to her and said "would you like some cereal." She responded with "I already got me some mom." She pulled out a baggie full of fruit loops from her little purse. I had to take a picture of it because it was just kind of funny.

Avery is quite the little monkey. We feel very lucky that we moved into an area with a lot of great parks. Within walking distance we can visit at least four different parks. It sure doesn't feel like winter here in Nevada which is strange. We love to head to the park at least a few times a week or walk to the library which is so close too.

When we first started school here in Henderson I knew that Avery did too well. For having struggled with school since her first day of pre-school it was just too easy. I was right. The past few weeks have really been a challenge for her. Each morning she has a stomach ache and just cries and cries when she first gets to school. Her teacher is so kind and just takes her by the hand to class. I have tried so hard to just be strong and drop her off each day with a smile on my face while getting her out the car door. It's just as hard for me as it is her sometimes. But after two weeks of struggling she seems to be doing much better. This past week there were no tears before school (still a stomach ache). But she seems to be doing much better. We really have been impressed with the school and teachers. They are amazing and each teacher is perfect for each of my kids personalities. We feel very blessed that the class sizes are small, and they have both learned so much from them already this year.

Abbie is doing well. She has been working hard on her times tables, and catching up on her cursive hand writing (they were just finishing here with cursive, but just starting it in Utah before we moved). Friends are everything to this girl. She has had fun writing her friends from Utah, and has made a few new friends here in school and church. Not a great friend to play with at home yet, but that will come with time. When they go off track in February we are planning to head to Utah to spend some time with family and friends. We also want to celebrate Abbie's birthday there with her good friends she misses so much. I can't believe that we will have a nine year old soon.

Micah is enjoying his new job. He is training for the Canyonlands half marathon in Moab this upcoming March. He appreciates that he can run outside without freezing to death--a treadmill is great, but the fresh air is even better.

About two weeks ago I was called to serve with the Young Women's organization in our ward. It has been such a great blessing for me because the girls are so fantastic and the leaders are great to talk too. It has given me some new friends and an "out" every Wednesday night for activities. I was needing that "out" really bad--not to get away from my family, but just to feel like I had something more to do than just sit at home to do cleaning and laundry. I think we all need that sometimes.

Thats the recap. All-in-all we are adjusting to our new home and community and are enjoying the nice weather...of course the scorching heat will be upon us before we know it.