My gratitude list

I try not to complain, really. But the past few weeks have been a tad bit rough on our little family, and anyone that dares call me, sadly, gets an earful. In efforts to get me to stop complaining, my all-too-wise sister recommended I come up with a gratitude list...so after days of considering, here are 10 things I am grateful for...and in no particular order:
10. The squirrels that run around our backyard. Any time Max starts arguing with me or London starts yelling, I just shout "Squirrel!" (yes, like on the movie "Up"). Distracts them every single time.
9. My feet not being filthy all the time...I still don't understand why they were always so black in AZ??
8. London dancing in the kitchen until she falls over.
7. My moms texts just checking in on me.
6. 1 running car...I'd prefer 2, but I'll take the 1.
5. Really nice girls in Gainesville that are beyond friendly.
4. Phone calls from old friends.
3. Morgan trying to catch a frog to impress Max. What a good dad.
2. Karl Rove's 500 page book that gives me an excuse to sit in the bath and read every night. With jets that now work! (Again, grateful for Morgan!)
1. A pool a few houses away. I don't know how we'd fill our days without it.

So fine. I do have a lot of things to be happy about, and I know it. It's just hard to pull out of that moving funk. I guess I'm not as adaptable as I thought. Or maybe just spoiled from AZ. But, I'm in the Sunshine State for crying out loud! Best be getting my sunglasses on, my diet coke out, and enjoying it while we're here. After all, if time flies like it did for Med school, it'll be over before I know it.

Outside of our house

Ok, I'm working on pictures of where we live...

View out of our front door

Front of our house


More to come...

Can I have a taste?

What is it about Sundays that makes me want treats?? I guess it's something I've passed to my daughter...and she sure loves to help! Anytime I get that Kitchenaid going, she brings over the stepping stool and hops right on up, eager to shove her little fingers in for a taste!

Swimming, crafts, and playdates

Story of my life:)

All she needs is a diet coke

Makes me wonder what else she's picking up from me....

Anastasia Beach in St. Augestine

Morgan had the day off so of course we headed to the beach! The kids went crazy collecting shells, building castles, digging holes, and the favorite for both was definitely the time spent in the water. The water is definitely warmer here than in Cali...but I sure do miss that blue...

I'm ready to go!

Morgan helped the kids with the sand castle...London played King Kong and destroyed it within minutes.

Max was jumping and diving into waves like a maniac...until he bodysurfed and got a mouthful of really salty water...then he was done.


London is clearly having the time of her life...can you see that smile? She was laughing so hard, even when the water would splash into her face. This girl knows how to have a good time!


Collecting shells

Max was confused why we had to leave..."But mom, it's not raining yet!!" He was easily distracted with a kidsmeal, lucky for us:)

2 minutes into the drive home...ahhh...

Crescent Beach

We had the greatest time, too bad we got rained out.






Some of the girls in my ward invited us to the "local" beach. It took 2 hours to get there but once we did, the kids had a great time. We built castles, looked for seashells, and played with all the other kids. London INSISTED on wearing her life jacket. I didn't mind a bit because she loved being in the water. I only got the first part of the day in pictures, but towards the end, we just sat in the surf and let the waves hit us. Eventually some really scary clouds moved in and the lightening started hitting the water. Once the lifeguard made everyone get out we headed back to the car, but not fast enough. The rain is INSANE here! So, although we spent 4 hours in the car and less than 2 at the beach, we'd say it was definitely worth it!! Can't wait to head back:)

Week 2

Well we are in our 2nd week of Gainesville life and here's what we've been up to:

Swimming, every day. London only lasts about 15 mins and then she climbs out for snacks. I can usually get her to stay about an hour but she likes to lounge out for most of the time. Max has become a diving phenom! He can dive up to 4 feet and loves to swim the length of the pool and back. He's improved so much!




Planting was a fun activity. Every day the kids water their plants and see if they're blooming.




Making messes is a constant form of entertainment. I almost get as much time to unpack as I do cleaning up the mess.



Bug and Lizard catching! Max got a new bug catching kit and so every night we go out looking for gross bugs. The other day we were fortunate enough to catch a lizard! I let him go, though. Much to Max's disappointment.

(By the way, the tupperware is NOT the bug catching kit. That was the only thing big enough I could put him in.)

Mostly I'm still unpacking, organizing, and decorating. I am not ready to post pictures just yet of our new house, give me a few more days. I don't think you all realize how much I LOVED my Arizona home...it's been quite an adjustment.

Happy 4th of July!

We started off the weekend with a breakfast in our new ward. Max got to play with a bunch of new friends while London got to meet TONS of sweet little girls who shared a love of coloring at the craft table.
On Sunday we lucked out and got Morgan home before the kids went to bed and got to do fireworks together. Max hates the loud ones so we got some smoke bombs, sparklers, and flowers. The town went a little crazy and we heard fireworks going off the whole weekend. One fun thing about living in such a small area is that people really go all out. I can't wait for Halloween!!:)
Happy 4th everyone!!

We made it!

Good-bye, Arizona!






Good-bye, Utah!










Life on the Road







10 states, 4 days of driving, 2 amazing kids, and we're here!
Welcome to Florida!