Mesquite

Well, we did it.  We made the move and are, for the most part, all settled in.  It was very stressful and hot and I'm glad it's all over.  Here are lots of pictures to commemorate our move!

Asher loves playing in moving trucks!  Unfortunately, it's not as fun trying to move stuff into the truck while he's playing in it.

Our last picture in Kayenta!  Our house was all cleaned out, Asher was already tired, and we had a whole day of moving in ahead of us.

Asher and I took our car and David and Millie took the moving truck.  We were all running on very little sleep so David and I were running on caffeine.  We tried calling the Elders Quorum ahead of time, but our phone service wasn't working in Kayenta, so my dad was very nice and called for us.  We got some help on a very hot day moving our heavy furniture up to our second floor apartment.  And after, they ordered a pizza to be delivered to us!  The people in our ward are very nice and we are so grateful for the help they've given us.

I don't pictures of our apartment yet.  I was going to try and get our pictures and decorations put up and our boxes put away first.  We'll see how soon that happens.  But here are a few pictures of what's around us.

This park is across the parking lot from our apartment, it's very nice to have it so close!  We go there every morning (before it gets too hot) so Asher and Millie can run around and be as noisy as they want.

This is the dog park that's a part of the park by us.  I take Millie here every night.  She loves being off the leash and being able to run around and play with other dogs!  She also makes friends with any other people that happen to be there.  She is the most friendly dog ever.  They have it separated into a big and small dog areas.  There's a man who is always in the small dog area when we get there and Millie will climb on top of the bench so she can stick her head over the fence to say hello to him!  This place and church is where I meet most of the people in this town.

While David and the guys from the ward were moving our stuff in, I was in charge of Asher and Millie.  They were both stuck in cars all day so when we got to the apartment they were both a little out of control.  Asher was crying and throwing tantrums because he was so tired and we had taken all his stuff and put them in a big truck and left his home (moving is so hard on him) and Millie wanted to run everywhere because there were so many new smells and things to investigate.  So I was going crazy trying to keep both of them out of the way of the movers.  Eventually I stuck both of them in the car so I could try to help coordinate things with moving things into the apartment.  I thought they would be fine because there wasn't anything they could break in the car, the car was on with the AC running in the shade, and they were contained.  After the moving was done, I went to get them out of the car.  And did my best not to get very, very mad.  

 

 

I forgot that I had left a permanent marker in the car that I had used to label boxes and Asher had found it and started drawing.  As angry as I was, I couldn't get too mad at Asher because it was the one point in the whole day where he was smiling because he thought it was so fun drawing!  We were planning on running this car into the ground anyways, so it's not like we're worried about it decreasing the value, but now I have to find a way to get it up so it doesn't make me depressed every time I look at it.  I think this move has been a catalyst for the "terrible twos".  

One exciting thing that happened is we got our dryer fixed!  We bought it used (for a very good price), but it broke a month after we got it.  And living in Kayenta, it would've cost a fortune to either pay for a repairman to come all the way out or to buy a new one.  So we air-dried our clothes for a good 6 months.  So I am very happy we don't have to always have clothes hanging from doors or chairs or our bed anymore!  But the day before the repairman came, Asher sprayed a bunch of water into the back of our TV and now the color is all distorted.  So when David gets his first paycheck we're going to try and get that fixed too.  The fact that Asher lived through the move without David or I sending him away, I think, says a lot about us as parents.  I think Asher was mad at us for making him move again.  

The weekend after we moved, Brian and Brittany came to visit!  When we were in Rexburg and Utah, I think I didn't appreciate having family close because I really miss it now.  So it makes me so happy when we have people come stay with us!  They stayed for 2 nights and came to church with us.  And Brittany was so nice to sit in nursery with Asher so David and I could both go to our meetings!  Asher's still adjusting to life in a normal ward where he's not the only child in nursery.  Any family that wants to come stay with us is more than welcome!  

I don't know what else to say at the moment, but there's a good start on our life now.  Here are lots of pictures of Asher!

Reason why my son is crying: I took him to the park.

Our AC went out one afternoon.  We roasted until they could come fix it!  And Asher got to spend all day being naked!  I wasn't complaining.  I like looking at his little chubby legs!

There's a volleyball sandpit in the park.  This is where Asher always goes.  And recently he has to take his big truck with him to play in the sand!

What a goof!

We didn't have a dishwasher in Kayenta, but we do here!  I love it!  And Asher thinks it's his new toy.

His new way of playing with his tricycle.

Grandma bought us the best toy!

When Asher gets really upset, he'll run away, lay on his back, then do this.  It's really weird and I'm not sure why he does it, but it makes me laugh!  He did this in nursery when he didn't want to sit in his chair.  The nursery leader looked very confused.

Asher has started covering his eyes when he wants to hide, it's very cute!  He mostly does it when David is playing with him and chasing him around.  He is such a funny kid!

4th of July and Moving

Oh my goodness, these past few weeks have gone by so fast!  When you have a million things to do, I think time speeds up so you have to rush and rush to get it all done!  I've basically just been preparing for the move since we got back from Rexburg, but on the 4th of July I took a little bit of a break (ok...I still did some packing, but we did fun stuff too!)  David doesn't really like big crowds or fighting traffic, so he is not a fan of parades.  But I love parades and feel that it is a necessary Independence Day tradition!  I wasn't sure that Kayenta even celebrated the 4th, but was very glad to find out they did and even had a parade scheduled!  The main event was the 3 day long rodeo and pow-wow, but I'm not into rodeos and felt too white to go to the pow-wow.  So I dragged Asher out to the parade in the blazing heat!

Since the Native's don't celebrate getting their independence (I'm sure they see it more as a day they lost their independence), they turn the 4th into a day to honor veterans.  They are very big in that and the whole parade (all 30 minutes) was float after float honoring veterans.

I kept dumping water on Asher's head to try to keep him cool.  He actually sat in the chair and just watched for the whole thing!  His favorite part by far was any time a horse walked by!

Waiting for the parade.  It was very hot.

My parade buddy!

David also barbequed for us and we had an amazing steak!  And later that night, after the rodeo ended, they set off the fireworks.  I usually spend the 4th with my family and everyone gets together, so I was a little sad we couldn't be with any family.  Holidays are hard when you have to do it all on your own!  David and I both agreed that if we weren't moving right then we probably would've tried to go to Utah or Idaho.  But it all worked out!

On Sunday, Asher woke up with a fever and a cough.  I had a feeling something like that would happen right during the move.  He's still sick today and it's very pathetic.  He's super congested and has a fever.  I've tried all the home remedies I could, but it seems like we're just going to have to let it run its course. 

What makes you feel better when you're sick?  Goggles and a movie of course!

What else helps?  Eating bananas and laying next to your puppy!

Before the sickness.  I love that smile!

I thought he broke the habit of taking off all his clothes during nap time.  I was wrong.

So this is the week we move.  I told my mom this week is going to require a lot of caffeine.  We are going to try to get everything packed by tonight so that we can spend all tomorrow cleaning.  On Thursday we have to go pick up the moving truck from Flagstaff (2.5 hour drive one way).  We'll probably get home around 5 from that and then we'll have to move as much as we can in that night.  We'll try to get help from the ward, but it's still a lot of work!  On Friday morning, Asher and I are driving to Mesquite to get the keys to the apartment and all the utilities set up.  David has to stay in Kayenta because one of us has to be there when they check us out, and they are only able to do that on Saturday.  David and Millie will hang out in Kayenta till Saturday morning, then bring the moving truck to Mesquite after the inspection.  Then hopefully we will find our bishop over there and get some big strong guys to help David move our heavy furniture!  And then Sunday we crash.  It's going to be a crazy week, and having a sick little boy is not going to help.  So please say a prayer for us!  I guess I should go start packing again...

Packing

If there was an Olympics of moving, I think we would win gold!  We are VERY practiced up on moving, having moved 3 times in the last year (after this move, it will be 4 moves and 4 states in one year!)  I have to say, putting things in boxes gets easier because I know better what I can pack first and how to pack better, but the emotional toll doesn't get any easier.  About 2 weeks before the move, I always get knots in my stomach that don't go away until the move is done.  I just feel sick with worry about our stuff getting damaged or losing things or especially not having enough time to get all the packing, cleaning, etc done.  And we also have to worry about David getting his Nevada license in time and we will all be without insurance until he signs his new contract (the Kayenta district wasted no time in getting us kicked off that!). 

But I know it's all for the best!  We won't know for sure until David actually starts, but it seems like the city and the job will be a much better fit for our family.  Well, all except for the 115 degree heat they've been having!  So even though I'm worrying, I know it will be good.  And honestly, I swear Asher keeps getting more and more fun and cute every day!  His new favorite phrase is "oh boy!" and he says it with such enthusiasm that I can't help but smile!  I love those moments, the ones that keep me going.  Another one of those moments was when I saw Asher sitting in his chair "reading" his book.  I love to read so it makes me happy that I'll have at least one child that will share that passion!  I'll leave you with a video of my funny, quirky little bud.

Mitchell Family Camping Trip

The last few weeks have been quite exciting in our house!  On Monday, June 8, David got a call from a school in Mesquite, NV who wanted to have an interview with him for a music teacher position.  We were both very excited about it!  The interview was for the next day, on Tuesday morning.  So the next day, we got up and waited for the call.  And we waited some more.  And half an hour after the scheduled call, David tried calling them instead.  It was at this point that we realized that our phones weren't working!  My heart just sank.  Since we're in the middle of nowhere, sometimes our cell service just stops.  I told David to try emailing them, but their emails weren't listed on their website.  It wasn't until about 5:00 that night that we finally got service.  David frantically called them and explained what happened, and they agreed to have another interview the next day.  We had service, the interview went great, and 30 minutes after they hung up, they called back to say they wanted David to come to the school and meet with them!  We had very little time to figure things out.  What ended up happening is that we left Wednesday night with all 4 of us!  It was very squishy in that car.  We met with the principal and everything went great.  And shortly after we left the meeting, they offered David the job and David accepted!  We're moving to Mesquite!  We then drove around the town about 7 times looking for a place to live.  We didn't find any place that would let us keep Millie, but David's sister found one place for us later.  We haven't seen it in person, but the pictures look nice, it's in our price range, we get to keep Millie, and it has a pool and playground!  It will be a lot smaller than our place here, but we expected that.

We drove back to Kayenta Thursday night so David could meet with his principal here on Friday (which was the deadline for him to sign his contract here).  Unfortunately, the principal was out of the office so David couldn't meet with him until Monday.  He gave him his letter of resignation, and then David had to meet with HR, where they told him that we have to be out of our place by July 14 (because we live in teacher housing).  So we were feeling the pressure because right after David met with all these people, we left for Idaho for my family's annual camping trip!  I was a little stressed, but I think it will be a good move.  When we move to Nevada, it will be our 4th state we've lived in during the past year!  I'm very tired of moving and hope that we can make it for at least a full year.  We would like to end up in the Northwest area (Idaho, Wyoming, Washington, etc) but this new job will be a good step for us.  David will get paid more, have a job he likes - he'll be teaching 2 orchestra's (yay!), 2 guitar classes, and 2 choirs, and we'll be just a little bit closer to family.  I'm not looking forward to the heat, but I think it will be better than where we are currently at.

Our squishy car!  This is also how it was for the 10 hour drive to Rexburg.

Going to meet the principal!  Virgin Valley High School

Now for the camping trip!  It was very fun and we had fun being around family.  We both like to be with family and miss that close connection now that we live so far away.  My family has recently started a tradition of going camping all together once a year.  My older brother and I both had to travel about 10 hours to make it, but it's worth the travel to get everyone together!  I sure miss all these crazies!  The campsite we were at was right in the middle of a bunch of RV's, and I'm not sure how much they all appreciated the kids running around and being noisy and the babies waking up in the middle of the night!  But we had fun!  Here are some pictures:

Grandpa and Sorren, they are such good buddies!  No one does Paddy-Cake like him.  Right here he is doing his signature paddy-cake with the feet move.

  

All the grandkids!  Poor London is the only girl but I don't think she minds because she loves to watch those crazy boys running around!

Original Mitchell clan.

It's hard for us to have a normal picture taking session....

Family!

Asher had a hard time sleeping at camp.  He's never been a good sleeper, and traveling makes it that much harder!  So I got to have a lot of good cuddle sessions. ;)

I could kiss that face all day!

Me with the babies, Isaac and London!  It was a cold morning so I was glad to have 2 little lap warmers!

Hiking up Cress Creek Trail.  It's a pretty easy hike and lots of fun!

London had the most fun on the hike, she had her sunhat to block the sun, her juice to keep her hydrated, and her daddy to give her a nice ride the whole time!

This is the most smiley girl you ever met!

Isaac had a lot of fun in his own little play area!

London loves Asher!  And Asher loves bath time, even while camping!

Lisa brought this for Isaac, but all the toddlers loved playing in it too!

Dad was either reading or going on pop runs.  He enjoyed camping in his own way. :)

Grandma's tent was the coolest - it was big, has nice rugs, and movies!

These three clowns had a lot of fun together, and got into a lot of mischief!  Ledger (in red) is the oldest, Sorren (in gray) is 4 months younger than Ledger, and Asher is 6 months younger than Sorren.

Millie did this a lot.  Camping wore her out.

Asher was sleeping so sweetly, I had to take a picture!

After we got back to my parents house, everyone was so exhausted that the kids all watched a movie while the adults lounged around.

We stayed in Rexburg for a couple more days and then drove to Utah to spend some time with David's brother Brian and his wife Brittany.  They were so nice to let us stay in their new house!  I don't have any pictures of it, but it's very nice!  We had a lot of fun while we were there and were sad to leave!  Now we're back home and we have just a couple of weeks to pack our house, find a new apartment, get David's Nevada teaching license, and move!  Anyone that wants to help us move is more than welcome!  It will be a stressful few weeks and moving is always hard on Asher.  I feel so bad that we have to keep packing all his stuff up, but hopefully this move will last a little longer!  We miss all our family and can't wait until we get to see any and all of you again!  I'll leave you now with an adorable picture of my two munchkins cuddling.