Home Sweet Home

I wake up every morning and have to pinch myself. I can hardly believe we finally have our own home. It only took us ten years to get here...(maybe that is why I appreciate it that much more). Every time I pull my car into the garage, or someone rings the doorbell, or John and I get ready in the bathroom without bumping elbows, or I make dinner and have plenty of counter space, I think of how blessed I am to have this beautiful home.

The BEST Birthday EVER!

The day started in our beautiful new home in my bed with all five members of our family. The boys sang happy birthday to me and then gave me breakfast in bed (which consisted of a sweet roll and a glass of milk...simple and yummy). Then they brought me my presents which I also got to open in bed. Then John says the best gift is that I get the day off. So he bathed the boys and got them ready for the day.
We got to have lunch at grandma-greats. Its tradition that we always have turkey soup the Saturday after thanksgiving. The kids all played and enjoyed cousin time. After lunch John and I and Suzette and Aaron went shopping (thank you G&G for watching the kids). We came home and had a pizza party and watched a movie. Suzette made me a b-day cake. It was a wonderful day.
I am so thankful to be blessed with a wonderful family. They are amazing. Of all the things I have to be thankful for (and there are A LOT!) it is my family that brings me the greatest JOY!
Thank you family for the best birthday ever! :)

FYI

Many friends and family have been asking about our new home. We have our final walk through on Nov 17th. Our close date is the 21st and we will be moving in on the 22nd. CAN'T WAIT!!! I will post some pics in the next few days (hopefully).

Trick Or Treat

It was a week of activities ending with the annual soup and rolls dinner and trick or treating. At the boys school they had to dress as their favorite characters from a book. So we decided to make it a family theme. Thing One, Thing Two and The Cat In the Hat had a great time. I was very pleased with how the costumes turned out. They seemed to love them too.

October Fun

"Pesdent Momsin...he's our pophet"

We had a FHE lesson this week about the importance of following the prophet. We talked about the prophets past and the lessons they taught. We also talked about Pres. Monson and how he is our living prophet today. I testified to the boys of the importance of listening to the prophet and how we are so lucky to get to hear him speak this weekend. By the end of the lesson I wondered if they had even heard anything I had (tried) to teach them. Then yesterday my 2 year old comes up to me, wraps his arms around me and says, "Pesdent Momsin...he's our pophet". I was filled with the spirit as I realized the seeds of a testimony were already growing inside of him. I am so thankful for this beautiful gospel and for our wonderful Prophet, Pres. Monson.

Toothpaste

I was reading the blog of a friend last night which was very enlightening to me. I believe it was titled "Crooked towels and sticky handprints". In her blog she talked about how she has a hard time getting housework done with 4 kids under foot. She was lucky to get one or two things done in a day (i can relate) and her hand towels are always crooked. She thought about teaching her kids to straighten the towels but thought it was lucky they were even washing their hands...and what would be the point...and then, it hit her...there will be a time (somewhere in the future) that she will look at her perfectly straight towels and miss the time that her children were there messing things up.
So as i got ready for bed last night i was brushing my teeth. I looked down and saw gobs and smears of toothpaste all over the sink and counter. At first i was annoyed at the fact that i had to clean up the toothpaste (AGAIN). But my thoughts quickly turned to the crooked towels. I thought about how fast time seems to be passing. My boys are growing and changing and someday I may miss looking down at the sink and seeing toothpaste and especially miss the time when my kids were young. So I am vowing to try and just enjoy these moments... Toothpaste and all!

Building a Home

The new house is coming along nicely. It is so fun to walk through it and see defined rooms. The boys are excited each time we go to the house and see the progress. We cant wait for this new chapter.

Under Contract

The couple that came in last Friday made an offer on the condo. It was a little low but we (john) seriously considered taking it. We (I) decided to counter just a little higher to see what would happen. They accepted the counter and we are now under contract. I am sighing a sigh of relief although its not over "til the fat lady sings"....or until you sign your life away :)
I have started packing up a few things here and there. Thought I would get a head start on it. We are suppose to close the middle of September. Now the challenge is to find a place to live for three months until our house is finished. If you know of anyone willing to rent to us for a short time, let us know.
Our house has walls...which is nice to see something more than just a pile of dirt. Although my 2 year old keeps asking where our dirt is. (before they started building we would drive by the lot and say "theres our dirt"...I guess he thought we were going to live on the dirt). It is fun to see the progress.

Getting my hopes up

We had an amazing couple come look at our condo yesterday. They seemed very interested and our agent said they were going to talk to their lender right after they met with her. We are trying not to get our hopes up but I really feel like this might be the answer to our prayers. We shall see.
We are headed off to a Kennedy family reunion this afternoon. Games, food, and a lot of people we dont know....should be a great time.

Summer Fun

I cant believe a whole month has gone by...time flies! Matthew turned 5 last month and he had his first friends party. He got to invite 5 friends and we had a water party at my parents house. I bought a cheap little pool and water guns, water balloons, beach balls, etc. We played a few games, opened presents, had cake and ice cream and let the kids play in the water. It was a good time for all.
Last week I took the three boys to Lagoon. It is a yearly tradition (thanks to my uncle). We spend about half a day there. It was the perfect day to go....i think the only ride we waited in line for was the river rapids. Its fun to go now that my oldest will actually ride some of the "big kids" rides. My 5 year old would have spent the whole day on the cars and nothing else. And the baby wanted to ride EVERYTHING! :) We had a great time.
This weekend we spent three days in Midway. John and my dad golfed in a fund-raising tournament and the rest of us tagged along for the ride. We swam and shopped and John and I enjoyed an amazing dinner friday night. Over the last 6 years they have raised apx 5 million dollars for Primary Childrens. It was amazing the be a part of it all. Not only that, but it is a beautiful part of the state. It was a wonderful little get-away.

Still no luck with the sell of our condo but we havnt lost hope yet. Our home is actually looking like something...not just a pile of dirt. Its fun to take the boys over each week to see the progress. We are looking forward to a new chapter.

Family Ties

We just got back from visiting my sister in Price. It was fun to see her beautiful new home. Aaron has done an awesome job. It made me very excited for our home to be done. I was surprised at how similar our tastes are (mine and Suz's). She had the same tile in her bathrooms that we picked for our entry, her carpet is almost identical to what we chose, and the paint color she has is close to the one I want. Great minds think alike. :)
The kids had such a great time playing. Its always fun to play with cousins. Baby Dallin really took to Zach. He is very selective about who he likes too. Every time Zach would come into his sight he got the biggest grin. I almost think Zach had more fun playing with Dallin than with the other kids. I'm glad we were able to spend the time together.

Still on the Market

We have now had 3 offers on the condo and all 3 have fallen through. It is a little frustrating, but we are still optimistic and hopeful. The hole for our house hasn't been dug yet so we still have time. We are hoping to have it sold in the next few weeks.

DISNEYLAND

We just got back from a week in California. It was so much fun. We stayed in these amazing condos where we spent 3 days just playing in the water and floating the lazy river. The guys golfed and the girls shopped. Then we spent 2 days in Disneyland. The kids loved it! Zach liked the river rapids the best (CA adventure), Matthew liked the Buzz lightyear ride, Tyler LOVED the disney playhouse show (he was spellbound), Daddy liked the rollercoaster, and I loved seeing my boys have so much fun. It was such a great vacation. We all enjoyed being with G-ma and G-pa, and the Howards. We hope to do it again in a few years.

Ever changing

I spent a good hour yesterday looking at pictures of my boys from the past year. They are growing and changing so much. I guess you dont realize it when you see them daily. Zach has a week left of 1st grade, Matthew graduated pre-school, and Tyler...well, he will always be MY baby but he is not much of a baby any more. I sometimes wish I could freeze time. They will be grown before i know it...it's happening before my eyes.
Life is changing along with my boys. We thought we had the condo sold and then the news came on Thurs. that it fell through. So, back on the market it goes. I'm not worried about it selling. I just wish we could have closed before Disneyland. Oh well...go with the flow :)

WII

John and I celebrate our 9 year anniversary tomorrow. He has been wanting a wii for months now and so I gave in and bought him one. I have never laughed so hard. The boys beat him at golf, I came very close to beating him at bowling and he is trying hard to beat the game in boxing. It is hilarious! It really is a good little workout...(and a good laugh). Needless to say it will be family fun for a long time to come. :)

An Offer

We put our townhouse up for sale on Wednesday and got an offer on Friday. We are excited to say the least. It is all happening so fast I need to catch my breath. Now we just need to find a place to live until our house is done. :)

Selling a Condo

We are selling our condo (3 bd 2 1/2 bth, 1700 sq ft, new carpet and paint, amazing neighborhood). If you know anyone who may be interested, send them our way :) Our goal is to have it sold before we leave for Disneyland....the end of the month. Maybe we are being unrealistic but it cant hurt to think positive right!? :)

My three sons

There is never a dull moment in the Kennedy home. We are looking forward to summer and all the adventures it holds. We are preparing to go to Disneyland the end of the month. It will be the first time our boys have been. Needless to say, they are excited. We are also trying to sell are home and getting ready to build. It should make for a busy summer in and of itself.