December 24th snowman

Addie has been in love with snowmen, ao finally there was a day after snow that was warm enough to build a snowmen with Caleb, Benjamin, and Adam.

Adaline is 3 today!!

The exciting day is here, and our baby girl is now 3! And it was such an exciting day to share with Grandma and Grandpa Hebdon as well as Kevin's family. It was the first time we had anything like a "party". She has been in love with Frosty the snowman since Thanksgiving week, and she almost has the whole thing memorized! I was trying to decide what to make for her cake, and Joe said Frosty.  So with the help of mom on the finishing touches, I think her cake turned out perfect. And she was so happy with it!

She got a little people castle, kitty shirt and pants, and 2 tiaras from mom and dad. Jojo gave her Cinderella and Prince Charming little people. Grandma and grandpa gave her a  soft stuffed pony and red shirt with a skirt bottom. The Hebdon's gave her a singing snowman candy dispenser and chocolate marshmellow snowmen. 

It was such a fun day that we thoroughly enjoyed!

Christmas parties

Grandma have been works at the Bannock County Library is. They were doing a Santa Claus visit one day. So we decided to come along. JoJo had no hesitancy to sit on Santa's lap. He was pretty cute. Addy however was not feeling it. And she would not go near him. But she was excited to see him. Maybe next year we'll get her to sit on his lap.

We went to Caleb's Christmas Choir concerts. He did a great job and had some speaking Parts. The kids enjoyed going to see him sing.

We went to our Ward Christmas party. Our second chance to talk to Santa. Again and he was excited to go see him, but she would not go near him. Jojo was a little bit more hesitant this time but Santa was really good. He came and sat you're Jojo and talked with him. It was priceless.

Benjamin and Caleb being the shepherds in the nativity.

Adie being shy seeing Santa Claus.

Moving again for the 9th time in 6.5 years.....

So, interesting to say that the news of our moving was not well received in our ward. No doubt it's exhausting helping people move, gettingto know them, giving callings...... and so it'snot that big of a surprise that we didn't have so much help moving out. But thank goodness for a few good friends, we were able to get the uhaul packed, the kids had fun with friends, and we were out on Tuesday morning. We stopped at Sally and Phil's home in Nampa, Gary was there as well, and we had a yummy Thanksgiving dinner with Joe's family. We stayed the next day,  then headed out on Thursday to Idaho. We're so grateful to Kevin and his family helping us unpack the uhaul into the shop at my parents. Our goal is to stay here til the end of February,  save some money for a deposit and first month's rent.

The kids were loving all of the time spent with family. We are truly blessed.

Jojo is 21 months and Thanksgiving

We were so excited to have our schedule allow us to go to Idaho for Thanksgiving. However, we spent the long weekend packing to move instead! More of that news in the following post. We didn'tknow we weren't going to Idaho for Thanksgiving til Tuesday night. So I didn't even think about what we were going to do until Thursday morning. A little late to pull out the turkey! So we went to a restaurant, but there was over a 40 min wait....not ideal for 2 toddlers. So we ran to the store, bought potatoes, stuffing, carrots, canned pumpkin, corn, and 2 already roasted chickens! Home we went, into the crockpot to keep warm the chicken went, and Joe and I started cooking while the kids went down for naps. All things considered, it was pretty tasty and a good Thanksgiving!

That Saturday, Joe and I decided we needed a break of packing. So we took a trip over to the coast. It was much needed medicine to our souls, stormy weather and it was breathtaking to watch and hear the waves crash their way in. I went on a walk to get seashells while the kids slept and Joe sat in the van with them. I love the ocean, i always will. I leave a part of me behind each time I leave.

I tried to capture the beauty of the woods, but just couldn't quite get it. We stopped at a covered bridge. Even the roatrips are gorgeous in Western Oregon.

I keep saying it, but it's true. Our Jojo bean is just so smart, sweet, and full of energy. I'm grateful we have the two of them so they can play together. Despite the fighting, they are constantly asking where the other is. They are very close and I hope they remain close. They drive me crazy half of the time, and the other half I'm laughing or in tears, but I'm grateful they are mine.

We enjoy going to the zoo,  play dates at the park, driving Daddy to and from work (we're about 8 miles from his work), and shopping. Shopping has become a favorite thing for us to do, even though it's mostly for groceries.

Jojo enjoys putting on shoes, taking them off, and putting them on again. He does not like to wear hats, have the door shut on him, and is on and off about bath time. He is a big eater and wants to be very independent. So therefore he is very messy! Food is always getting in his hair, face, clothes, and floor. But he is determined to do it himself, like his big sister.

Deciding to move back to Idaho/Utah

It has been a crazy wild ride deciding and figuring our what our next move was....literally and figuratively!

Joe also hasn't enjoyed his job as well. It's just so hard when you move to a different facility that is totally different from what you've been trained to do, and they have little tolerance for training their way. Because, who wouldn't do everything exactly how they do it? After all, there's only one way to do things.....

So after deciding that it would be very hard for me to find a job needing only general ultrasound,  Joe noot enjoying his job, and how liberal portland really is,  we've decided maybe this isn't where we should be for our little family. But it was a decision that still brings tears from my eyes. It is a place where I have always wanted to live, I was more socially and physically active then I have ever been.

But that's ok. Joe and I have been reading the Pearl of Great Price and Genesis lately for our study. It has been a frequent theme, leaving a place, sometimes fleeing, for the safety of their families. It's kind of frustrating why things worked out so smoothly for us to move there,  but I'm burnt out trying to answer that question.

Now to explain how things happened, we decided that for the safety of our family, we'd need to stay in Idaho and Utah. So Joe applied for  couple of positions in Boise just before thanksgiving. He also called his old coordinator at LDS hospital. They had a position opening and he was curious to see if they would consider taking him back. The next day his manager called him and had an "interview" over the phone and essentially told him it was his if he wanted. However, we'd neee to make our decision over the weekend. The positive side of things would be that they would treat this as a long term leave of absence, like a maternity leave. After praying and trying to weigh the pros and cons, we decided to accept LDS's offer. Joe was excited to get back to where he knew the protocols and procedures. So he is on and off 7 days in a row, working 12:30 am-11 pm. Not ideal, but all things considered, a blessing.

However, moving there was very expensive and therefore moving back an added expense, and so we wouldn't be able to afford a deposit and first month payment for a rental. So my parents kindly allowed us to move in with them, put our storage in their shop, and stay as long as needed.

Well, now Joe will be staying at the hospital on a sleep room for 7 days, and then come stay with us for 7 days. I'm hopeful it won't be too hard on us to not see/have him around all of the time. People comment on us all of the time, saying we're still like newlyweds because we always want to be together. If we had it our way, we'd work together too, side by side. So this will be very hard to do. Our goal is to save up money and stay here til February/March.

Fall fun in our backyard

I think one of my favorite things about our home is the backyard. It looks like a forest wonderland. I love the rocks, pond, trees, leaves, and even the ivy that i hated on my mission because of all of the cobwebs. I read that ivy was one of the best plants for converting the air into oxygen, so I quickly became a big fan. I just make sure the kids don't go tromping in it. 

Addie loves running along the pathway and down the steps, over and over again. Jojo does his best to keep up and is a good sport. I'm glad they have eachother. Hopefully they will be good friends, and stick up for one another.

I owed a friend from the ward babysitting, so we got her two kids for a day. Clara is Addie's age and they get along pretty well. They are both full of energy and enjoy running around. Ben is 3 months old, and was napping during this time. Jojo especially enjoys playing with him and gets very excited. Addie has held him once and just fell in love. They do really well with babies. For the most part the kids have fun. Clara and Addie bully Jojo a little, which makes me sad. I try to correct it as best as I can and get excited when they are nice to him. But he does his best to keep up and be a big kid too. I love my kids and am glad they have friends at church and playground times.

This morning while Jojo was still sleeping, Addie helped me make some banana bread. She LOVED it! I need to do more of that with her, but with both kids it's hard because they don't want to share, or they get too crazy. But I need to do better.

So unfortunately I had to quit my job at Legacy Meridian Park. During the interview i made it clear i was not a vascular or breast tech, but I'd be willing to train. So i did for the first few  weeks. But sometimes i would be with a male tech who dont do breast. Or there were days that i wouldn't see vascular exams at all. Only training 2 days a week, well it limits what you see. I asked Joe to find out what the ultrasound scenario was at Good Samaritans where he works. He talked with a tech that had been there for 6 months and still didnt do all of the vascular exams. So i thought, "ok, don't stress out. It will come, and they know it takes some time". I'd even ask for help after a month and the other techs said i was on my own, that i needed more confidence, and that if i wasn't sure about somethings I could ask a radioligist. So I thought everything was ok, and I just needed to grin and bear through it. I was totally fine with the general exams and got along with everyone fine.

That is until i got a phone call from the lead tech on a Friday. She said i wasn't catching on as fast as they had hoped, but they liked me enough to try something that they hadn't done before. She offered to extend my probationary time another month, if I could get daycare to do 3 days a week. So I did just that, for a week. However it never got better. They were more critical and picky, even though i was just practicing on a tech and not a real patient. There are so many things to remember and your hands have to learn how to manipulate the image to get things clearly. Well, on my last day the lead tech got frustrated with a tech for taking too long on an exam, even though he was just explaining things I hadn't seen them do there before. So that's  when I decided it was time to just leave. 

It's terrifying because we need the money so much, and it sounds like most places here in Oregon require vascular, breast, and general ultrasound. Whereas where I worked in Idaho and Utah there were 3 different departments for that. So I'm not sure what we'll end up doing. We moved here because of a better schedule for Joe, and more days for me. And everything was so perfect! The way they acted in the interview, they couldn't be more excited about having me. But, i guess sometimes even though we pray, fast, and attend the temple we aren't always going to make the right choice. Or maybe we needed some more refinement. Either way, it's been a stressful few weeks. 

But I do love it here! I love the green everywhere. Its so gorgeous, and i dont mind the rain too much yet. I do get frustrated when i want to go walking with friends from the ward, and its too bad so we go to the mall instead. It gets too hot for me there and i get a headache everytime. Lol, what a complainer! In Idaho and Utah there was snow! The kids love playing in the rain. I love the trees. I love the ward and the friends we have made already. I love having the coast so close, its my favorite part. But if we do have to move, at least I got a taste of what pretty close to a perfect place can be. I find myself crying when I drive through the areas, at the thought of leaving so soon.