Stuff of Life

This picture makes me so happy. It's not a particularly good shot. It's blurry. You can't see Paige at all.

You can, however, see the smiling face of that little boy. That little boy who, on his own accord, held his baby sister's hand and helped her cross the parking lot. He sat her down and slipped off her shoes. Then he carefully lifted her onto the trampoline where he wrestled, and tickled, and played with her. 

That boy. He is such a keeper. 

Moments like these are my most favorite kind. You can keep Disneyland and the grand gestures. Those are good, but true love, and real goodness is found in the everyday-little-fleeting-forgettable moments. As my friend Erin always says, this is the stuff of life. 

Week 6- Is this real life?

As I write this, my back is sore, my legs are sore, my neck is sore, my finger tips are sore, my ankle hurts, and even my forehead hurts.  It's safe to say that nearly every square inch of my body aches.  I now know what it feels like to fall down a window well.

This happened after our group safety meeting and a few days after I nearly shot my supervisor with a nail gun.

If I make it through this without any serious injuries (or causing any to others!) it will be a miracle.

We just finished our first full time week building the houses.  Dallas and I put in just over 41 hours this week, and that doesn't include when Grandpa Kaiserman came over to help for awhile on Saturday.  Everything went smoothly and the kids are no worse for the wear.  In fact, they were disappointed on the days that they didn't have a babysitter!  Here's what the past week's work schedule looked like:

MONDAY
4:30-9 PM- Amy work at the Claim Jumper

TUESDAY
4 PM- Family Dinner
4:30 PM- Annie, choir
4:45 PM- Kids at Grandma Kaiserman's, Annie dropped off by neighbor after choir
5-9 PM- Dallas and Amy work at house
(Kids both had soccer games today, but they had to miss.  Too much going on!)

WEDNESDAY
4 PM- Will, cub scouts
7 PM- Amy, Young Women's
7PM- Dallas, Elder's Quorom

THURSDAY
4:30 PM- Family Dinner
 4:50 PM- Babysitter coming!
5-9 PM- Dallas and Amy work at house

FRIDAY
4 PM- Kristie is here to babysit!
5-9 PM- Dallas and Amy work on the house

SATURDAY
8 AM- Kristie babysits!
8-5:30 PM- Dallas and Amy work on the house
9 AM- Annie, soccer game
9 AM- Will, soccer game

For the most part, this is what our lives for the next nine months or so will be!  This next week is the kids last week of soccer.  Typically both Dallas and I won't be working on the house together on Friday night.  Dallas only has his church meetings on every other Wednesday, so he will alternate between working on Wednesday evenings and Fridays.  It was nice having Kristie to watch the kids this weekend because we could take full advantage and get some real work in!

Everything truly went so smoothly.  I have just been praying and praying that the kids would be able to handle the changes, and so far so good.  Even Paige has been a trooper and hasn't even cried when we've left!  I am so grateful.

As far as the actual building goes...  At times it has actually felt relaxing, and at other times I've wanted to light something on fire.  We are learning a lot, and I'm already impressed at what we have already learned to do. Dallas and I have been assigned the task of the floor joists.  It is pretty time consuming.  We had about 25 hours of work finishing the joists on the house we finished on Saturday.  Hopefully the next house will go a lot faster now that we know what we are doing and have found a rhythm.

I LOVE our neighbors!  We truly could not have ended up in a better group of individuals.  We are so lucky.  I am so sad to be leaving the ward we are in now. We have such great friends here, but knowing that we are moving in by these people makes it so much easier.  By the time we move in we will practically be family!

This next week we have a lot going on and I hope all will go smoothly.  Can't wait to see more progress on these houses!

We were beat after our first long Saturday on site, but still happy!

Paigey is 18 Months!

Wow.  If I thought the first year went fast, I have been blown away by the last 6 months.  She has grown so much!  I don't really notice until I look back at photos from a few months ago.  I must admit one thing- I was in denial about how bald she is!  Now that she actually has some hair, I can really see how bald she was before!  Still, just as cute.

Paige has turned into a climber, even making it all the way up her changing table.  Just today she was getting a friend to hand her toys as she was stranded up there!  She can open and close the back gate, making her into a little Houdini (which is terrifying since it's just a big parking lot out the back gate).  She loves to color- on paper and walls, sings "ashes, ashes, down" to play Ring Around the Rosies, gives knuckles and high fives, will sneak downstairs to "ROAR!" at Will in his bed, and refuses to give most people kisses, but especially her Dad, even replying with "No" when asked so sweetly for one.  She throws many-a-tantrum, even covering her little eyes when her heart is broken!  She is a little character and fits right in with those other two crazy kids of ours.

Along with roaring, and making eerie ghost sounds, Paige says a lot of words.  She says a new word each day and has even started saying short sentences.  I love more than anthing how she says the word banana.  I can't even figure out how I could write how it sounds!  (This breaks my heart a little- I hope I don't forget!)  Here's a list of words: Scootie, ashes, down, up, boom, boo, mom, mommy, mama, dada, Will, Annie, Riley, Sariah, Grace, Grandma, bye, hi, snack, candy, cookie, treat, meow, dog, owl, hoo-hoo, yummy, please, no, all gone, finished.... and that's all I can think of for right now.

Height- 33.5" (95%)
Weight- 22 lbs 3 oz (46%)

She now has at least two inches of hair! And bed head.  ;)

Week 5- First week of work!

Saturday, September 27th, Dallas and I as well as 9 other families began the hands on work on our 10 homes. 

It was pouring rain. After an hour long meeting, we tried our best to get to work, but there was so much water that it kept tripping the breaker for the electricity. We had to quit work, but we were there long enough to learn one important thing:

We needed better clothes. 

We went home, collected our babes from the sitter, and spent the rest of the day shopping for proper clothing. Nearly $500 later, we should be set for awhile!

This is Molly Seawright and me. Don't we look tough enough to build a house?

While shopping Dallas and I were cracking up about the GIANT clothing that's out there!

Sundays at Grandma's

We are really going to miss this porch sitting time as the weather cools.

Will turns 8!

Will turned 8!  This is a big year and we are so excited for all it involves.  Will had a friend party this year.  I had a swim party when I was 8, and that is exactly what Will wanted as well.  We invited some of his favorite friends over for pizza, root beer, swimming at the Kamas pool, and then applesauce cake and mint chocolate chip ice cream.

I will always have a soft spot for my first born.  8 years ago I became a mom, and it was because of him.  What can I say about this boy that I haven't already said?  He has turned into a great friend and truly tries to include everyone.  He is still the best big brother on the planet!  If I need him to, he will play with Paige for an hour just so I can have a little rest.  He is SO SMART.  Will is turning into a little athlete and has some real get up!  I'm excited to cheer on a track star one day.  We love him.  He is our favorite boy on the planet!  Happy Birthday, bud!

Week 4

Things calmed down a bit in the neighborhood this week, but that's a good thing! It means that they are ready for us to start working. 

This last week our basement and garage slab were poured, and temporary electrical was installed. Coming up this Saturday-- we start pounding nails!

Week 3- Backfill!

Now that the house is all back filled, we can finally see how big our lot is. There will be plenty of space to run around, and even for Dallas to build a shop in the back yard (one day). 

The rough plumbing was completed, and the basement and garage floor were prepared for the slab. 

For now, we don't mind relaxing in the basement on the rocks. 

And look!!! Our sign is up! :)

I Love to See the Temple

The first temple day was in Salt Lake.  Dallas and I had the opportunity to see his cousin Nate be sealed to his wife, Becca.  It was a beautiful ceremony and reminded me that the most important person in my life is my incredible husband.  He is, as the sealer said, my ticket to the Celestial Kingdom.  We can't get there without each other, and I don't want to be there without him.

Dark and early the next morning I filled up my car with a group of valiant young women and headed down the canyon.  We were in the Provo Temple at 6AM, and within what seemed like no time at all, the waiting room was filled with youth ready to participate in Baptisms for the Dead.  To see that many worthy young men and young women was inspiring!  There is so much good in the world.

The very next day my husband and I sat with his grandparents as our building was made to be an extension of the temple for the purpose of rededicating the Ogden temple.  What a wonderful opportunity we all had to participate!  The meeting was beautiful, and I was humbled to be there.

I don't know if I will ever end up in the temple three days in a row again, but I hope I will.  Everything we are taught, all we are asked to do, leads to the temple.  What a blessing it is to be able to participate in sacred ordinances and to be reminded of all our Father in Heaven has in store for each and every one of us.  

Twinners!

It's always cute to make your kids match.  Even when your kids are 31 and 23.

***Side note: Scooter needs a haircut.

Boys will be boys!

I cannot keep up with Will.

The holes in clothes, the dirt, the scrapes!  It's one thing or another with that boy these days.  In the last week he has ended up with a terrible rope burn on his neck from riding his bike into a twine rope stretched behind someone's property, he's come home from his friend's covered in mud from head to toe, he showed me a rad new trick on his bike, and he cut half his eyebrow off with scissors.  I can't make this stuff up!

He turns 8 in just over a week, and I have a sick feeling this is just the beginning...

That Annie!!!

These are old, but I have to be sure they are not forgotten!  I'm betting they were said about April of 2013.  Annie still kills us!

"Mom, why did Jesus create bum cheeks?  I think it was to hold in our #1 and #2."
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My cute friend Mindy that just so happens to be 4'10" came to bring us dinner after we had Paige.  Annie says, "Mindy, you are so cute and so little.  Are you a kid or an adult?"

We laugh and Mindy says, "I'm an adult!"

Annie replies, "When I grow up I want to be just like you.  You are so cute and so little."
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Week 2

I may or may not drive by the house up to 5 times a day.  It's like a moth to a flame!  So much is happening and it is all so exciting.  This week our foundation walls were poured, and the waterproofing was painted on.  The other houses are coming along, too.  We were told that they are being built according to which home is easiest to frame.  Of the 6 homes that are being built in this phase, we are 4th in line.

The kids still love to go and see what has been done on the house.  Paige is the most content.  Give that girl a pile of rocks, and she'll be happy for hours!

Canning

I have so many memories of my mom canning.  Since I was called the "Pickle Pusher," it was my job to scrub all the cucumbers.  I would help my mom remove the skin from peaches, pears, tomatoes, and apples.  Our house would be steamy, hot, and full of preserved quarts of delicious harvest for the coming year. It was a labor of love.

I have loved carrying on this tradition with my own family.  My mom taught me everything I know, and this was the first year that I didn't can with her by my side.  Usually I take a day or two and spend it canning in Syracuse with her, but now that I have two kids in school, it is much more difficult to get away.  I will admit, that I loved steaming up my own house, and having my rooms smell like pickles for a change!

I even got my own little helper this year.  I didn't even have to ask, Will just came into the kitchen and asked how he could help!  He was a champ.  He took care of the blanching and the peeling while I filled the bottles.  We were a dynamic duo!

My bushel of peaches only filled 21 quarts this year (we ate A LOT of peaches in only a couple of days.... probably a little too much), and I got 14 quarts of pickles.  Plenty to keep our shelves stocked for the coming year, and to keep our name of the "Pickle Nicoll's!"

Flawless

The temple is perfection on earth.  I don't believe there is a flaw in that entire building.  During my tour of the Ogden Temple yesterday, that is all I could think about.  Did it take lots of time? Yes.  Were there mess ups that likely had to be redone?  No doubt.  With patience, time, and a skillful hand, it was finished.

Flawless.

The Lord will shape us in a similar way.  Be patient.  Don't worry about how many times you have to start over, just keep trying.  Eventually, we will all be perfected in Him.

I attended the open house with two of my young women, Hailey Ostergaard and Rebecca Hokansen.  We had such a great time together!  I am so blessed to serve them.

Week 1: A hole and footings.

Last week we got a hole in the earth! They broke ground on August 26, 2014.  It's pretty astounding to walk through the neighborhood and see 6 giant holes and mountains of dirt all around. Also a little overwhelming to think that we'll be building the homes that go in those holes- and they still have 3 more to dig! Things are really happening!

I swung by today and they poured our footings this morning. It is all so exciting and so great to see progress. In the words of Annie Kate, "This is more exciting than Disneyland!"

One Crazy Summer

From Seattle, to Yellowstone, and Afton and Causey,

We flew through our summer spending an awful lots-y;

On gas, and plane tickets, food and Lagoon,

it seems every night we played under the moon.

We ran down the mountain to hit Seven Peaks,

picnicked in parks, and ate lots of cold treats.

 We shoved it all in thinking any second,

we'd start building our house and that would end it.

We made plans and we waited, building delayed.

So what did we do?  We played, and we played!

With Jenn, James and Alli, and so many friends,

it's hard to believe our summer has come to an end!

Good memories from Girl's Camp, family reunions and more,

of geysers, and Grandparents we'll be sure to store.

We're ready for calm.  For leaves to fall down.

We're ready to spend time in our own lazy town.

This summer was great, we'll never forget it.

Here's to the next season, this one's my favorite.