A Spur-of-the-Moment Trip

Since Jesse is going to be starting his new job, we decided that we wanted to go do something with just our family. We had enough points with LaQuinta Hotels to get two free nights so we went down to Salt Lake and stayed a couple nights. Per the kids request we went to the aquarium and a pet store. They liked the aquarium but Cambria would only want to look at something for a moment and then be off to the next thing and true to kids' form, they liked the fake animals more than the real things. Atreyu, however, loved the shark tank and another small tank that had sea urchins in it.

I love this picture of the kids standing in front of the anaconda and the look on Cambria's face. We had to reassure them that the snake couldn't get to them as we took the picture.

Atreyu is pretending to be a shark in these pictures.

The kids had fun swimming at the hotel, going out to eat at different places, going to Asian City and trying on masks, but mostly they loved going to Wal-Mart and picking out new bikes for their birthdays. We were planning on getting Cambria a bike for her birthday and decided that she would be able to use it longer if we got it now than in the middle of the summer. She picked out a pink princess bike with a seat for a baby doll. Since Cambria was getting a new bike, Atreyu thought he needed one too. We told him that would be his birthday gift and he picked out this cool bike with huge wheels.

It was such a fun little trip and I loved having the time to spend with our little family. What a blessing all these spirits are in my life.

A Life Change

For a while now Jesse and I have tried to figure out how he will be able to help his dad on the farm. Since farming is mostly weather related, there's no way Jesse can request days off in advance to help out. His schedule at the hospital is also terrible and has been taking a toll on him. He is scheduled day and night shifts in the same week and it's just getting really hard on him.

As we have been thinking of what to do, Jesse visited with one of the male LPN's that was also working at the hospital and this guy told him that he had been talking to travel nurse recruiters and found out the if he was specialized in a certain area, Jesse would be able to make as much in about six months travelling as he does all year at the hospital here. This got us thinking and Jesse decided that he was going to apply at different hospitals and try to get a job as the OR circulator. He interviewed in a few places and was offered a job in Salt Lake City at LDS Hospital. He gave his two weeks notice to the hospital here and he is scheduled to start work down there on Monday.

I know this is going to be somewhat difficult for our family. He will be working Monday-Friday every week and staying at his sister Janell's home. He'll come home on weekends but I know we are all going to miss him. I keep trying to remind myself that this is nothing compared to when he was in Iraq. I know this is a great opportunity and that this is what we are supposed to do. Once he gets enough experience, we are going to probably travel for at least six months every year and then we will be home in the summers. This whole thing is going to be crazy but I am excited (and nervous) about the whole thing. Once we start travelling, I 'll have to homeschool the kids but I think that living in new places will be a great opportunity for all of us.

Dr. Suess' Birthday

I picked Atreyu up from school the other day and he mentioned that they could wear a Dr. Seuss hat or something the next day for Dr. Seuss' birthday. He then quickly changed the subject and I forgot about until about 15 minutes before the bus was to get here the next morning. I made a quick scramble and was able to dress him up as "Thing 2". Thank goodness for Grandma and her white plate. I was all out and she saved the day!

He was so excited about the last minute costume and he had a fun day.

Feeding Cows With Grandpa

Every once in a while, Cambria will wake up in the morning and want to go feed cows with Grandpa. He loves her so much and always wants to make her happy so he always lets her come even if it's not that convenient for him. I love that they love each other so much. They really are best friends and I am thankful my little girl can have such a wonderful relationship with her Grandpa. I hope it always stays that way.

I had to get a picture of them driving away. It was such a beautiful morning and I wanted to capture the moment.

A Little Walk With Daddy

I have really enjoyed having Jesse home for the past couple of months. He's been off work and it's been so nice to have him home with us. Our family took a walk a few weeks ago and it was so nice to get out and move. It was a beautiful winter day. I love living in Bern!

Friend Fun!

Our friends, John and Kristina Olson, recently moved back to Montpelier with their family. Their two oldest kids are the same ages as our kids. Atreyu and their son Harrison are such good buddies. They are really two peas in a pod and get along so well. Cambria and their little girl Reagan...not so much. They will play a little with each other but Cambria has told me that she doesn't like Reagan. I asked he why she doesn't like her and she told be that Reagan told her that Cambria wasn't going to marry Asher because Reagan was. I think that was over a month ago and Cambria still talks about it. The drama begins!

We had Harrison and Reagan come over one Friday and we also invited the boys' friend Kostner. They had fun playing in the snow and with all the superheroes. The girls actually played with each other for about five minutes but Cambria spent most of the time playing with the boys. It's nice to have good friends!

John and Kristina just had their fourth baby a few weeks ago. I took the kids and Cindie over to visit for a few minutes and Cindie loved it! She loves holding babies and they make her so happy. I remember when I first started tending her Cambria was a little baby and Cindie would sit and hold her for hours. It's so sweet.

Cambria's Haircut

Since Cambria was born, she has had very little hair cut off. I trim her bangs occasionally and Annie gave her hair a very little trim last year. I loved her long hair but it was constantly getting tangled and it was a pain to get the tangles out. I decided to get her hair cut for real. Our friend Karylle cut her hair and it turned out so cute. She didn't take a lot off but it is so much easier to brush now.

Cambria wiggled quite a bit and she kept laughing and making funny faces. I am grateful Karylle was so patient with her.

After Karylle finished cutting, she curled Cambria's hair and it was so darling. Cambria really liked it.

Jesse's Hernia Repair

A few years ago, Jesse was working out lifting weights when he felt a small pop in his stomach. It turns out he got a hernia and it has slowly been getting worse since then. He decided that it was time to get it fixed. I found out that Jesse had health coverage with the VA so he ended up getting the surgery done here in Montpelier for free. It took a little longer to get all the paperwork and such done with the VA but he was finally able to have the surgery done. The day that we were hoping to have the approval from the VA, Jesse ended up picking up a shift because we really didn't think they would have it approved. I called the VA as soon as Atreyu got on on the bus and an hour or two later, I found out that the surgery was approved and Jesse had it done that afternoon.

As an employee and fellow co-worker, Jesse knew that his fellow nurses would do something to him while he was under anesthesia. It ended up not being as bad as he was expecting. He also had his finger and toenails painted and random tattoos.

I felt it was such a blessing that a 1095 tax form was sent to us stating Jesse's VA coverage. If that hadn't come, we would never have known that Jesse had coverage and we would've ended up having to pay a couple thousand dollars out of pocket. I am also thankful we got the approval the day we did otherwise he would've had to wait another week before having the surgery. Thank heaven for tender mercies.