Youth Temple Trip

Atreyu and Cambria had the opportunity to go with the youth to the Star Valley temple for baptisms for the dead. I feel like they are starting to make some friends at school and in the ward. The ward has changed so much from when we used to live here. I'm looking forward to getting to know the youth better.

Flooring

I haven't taken many pictures of all the work we've been doing in the house, but we have been working our butts off every day. We pulled up all the carpet throughout the house and then painted over any stains on the floor. Our friend, Steve Myers, installed carpets in the bedrooms for us and I absolutely love it! Annie and Cody came down and helped us install our vinyl flooring. I am so thankful for them and their expertise. It was a long, hard day but with their help, we finished in one day. I am loving how the house is coming together.

Lava Hot Springs

We were so excited that the Lockwoods came up to tour BYU-Idaho with Brendan because that meant we were able to see them. I took the kids out of school a bit early, and we meet the Lockwoods at Lava Hot Springs. We haven't been apart from them for too long yet, but it was so refreshing to see them again. I will forever be grateful for and love this family!

Our Little Helper

While the older kids have been at school, the rest of us, including Magnus, have been busy working on the house. Magnus has been a great help to Grandpa handing him nails and he had even done some painting, I'm thankful for these last few months with him at home before he, too, goes to school.

Magnus has even been able to get in some good snuggles with Grandpa as well as many games of Strawberry Shortcake.

I found Atreyu's old pedal tractor in the bin and Magnus loves it!

New School

Atreyu, Cambria, and Cosette started school this week. Each of them is in a different school. Cosette is at AJ Winters elementary, Atreyu is at the high school, and Cambria is at the middle school which she'll only be at until the end of the school year, and then she'll go to the high school with Atreyu. When we were registering the older kids, there seemed to be so many more options for classes. Every grade at the high school can take college courses and potentially graduate high school with their associate's degree. I'm excited for the kids and the things they will accomplish now that we're back in Idaho. Cosette was the only one I was able to get a picture of, but I did get one of the bus driving away.

Chrome in the Dome

Every year Grandma and Grandpa love to go to the Chrome in the Dome car show in Pocatello. We went with them and while the littles enjoyed playing with the Simmons and Josh and Kim's kiddos while we were there, they didn't really care for the car show. They thought it was fun to look at everything for a few seconds and move on and that is not how Jesse or his parents do car shows. Needless to say, they won't be coming next year. Magnus and Cosette picked out their favorite cars and Jesse was even given a mini-American flag for his military service.

Back Home

After 9 1/2 years away, we finally moved back to Bern. When we originally left, the plan was to be gone for five years. Little did we know that Heavenly Father had other plans for us. Since we left so late in the day, and since the moving truck would govern out at 65 or so, and since Jesse didn't want to stop anywhere for the night, we arrived in Bern around 2:00 or 3:00. We're staying at Jesse's parents' house while we fix up our house and thank goodness, we were able to rest for a couple of days. We finally got the truck unloaded into Eddie's Conex after which Jesse and Eddie drove it down to Salt Lake to pick up our new carpet. We started on tearing up carpets and baseboards. It's a big job but I'm excited to have the house fixed up.

Saying Good-Bye

A few weeks before we moved, I felt like I was doing so great with the packing but as our departure day grew closer, I realized how far behind I was. We did so much last-minute packing. Thank goodness for our amazing friends who helped us finish as well as doing a lot of cleaning. 

When I got up Sunday morning, I was folding some laundry and felt impressed to reach out to Andrew. We hadn't seen him for weeks and we really wanted to say good-bye to him. I texted him letting him know that we were leaving that day. Ten to 15 minutes later he burst through the door with tears streaming down his cheeks. He said he had stayed up late and he normally wouldn't have been awake at that time but for some reason he woke up and checked his phone. I gave him a giant hug and then got the rest of the family who were all so happy to see him. He wanted to say good-bye sooner, but it was really hard for him. I know Heavenly Father's prompted us both and I am so grateful to see His hand in my life.

We planned to leave first thing in the morning, but we didn't actually get on the road until closer to noon. We were able to listen to the Union Ward's testimony meeting and a few of our friends stopped by after church for a final good-bye. It was so hard to say our final good-byes. My heart broke as we drove away and I know my life will never be the same. Our family has been so very blessed to have the time we did in Manteca. I wanted to leave for so many years but now I could stay forever with these families I have come to love so much.