What to do?

My last little while at Jills was pretty bittersweet, I got to really get close to Lyndsey but at the same time it was getting a little closer to going home. I packed all my stuff up and moved it over to the friends house I had thanksgiving at a week ago Thursday. I got to spend some time with them before I flew back up home. I am here for Christmas while I decide what to do next. I can either move back home and try to find another job or go back down to our friends house and live with them since they offered me a room there. I don't have any permanent jobs either place and they both have their ups and downs. I thought I had all the answers and then life just throws it back in my face that I don't. Now I am back to square one with no job and Christmas just a week away. My family is going to our friends house for New Years and I will either just be staying or would be packing up my stuff and coming home. I'm still in the process of deciding, and yet at this time of year when my problems seem so little compared to how much is going on around me, and me being so worried about me makes me feel selfish. Maybe part of my decision making should be less me and more of others.

All I know is my heart is torn it two. I love being home and being with my family but at the same time the Powells have really become a second family to me and I really feel at home there. I am trying to weigh all my options and be absolutely sure that I pick the right decision and I know that I can't make this decision by myself and am trying to get all the help I can. I was so sure I would be going back to Arizona but now waking up today it makes me so sad to have to make a decision to pick.

On a lighter note I love this time of year it absolutely makes me so happy. It is just magical I got to go to a family Christmas party on Monday and got to go see lights at the temple and it was just amazing to be with my family and get to do something like that together. I also got the chance last night to go drive around with a friend and look at all the lights around town which was also very exciting. In our house we are still working trying to get our Christmas tree up when usually we try to be the first house with it up. Everyone at my house is just always so busy and no one has had time. Hopefully we get it up by the end of this week!!

Angela has a band concert tonight I am so excited to go see it and see some of the people that will be there. Being home really is amazing and I really have no room to complain I am just so amazed at how much I really have been given and that I get opportunities to choose what is best for me. I will update with my final decision and with all the rest of things to update. Hopefully I will be in a much better mood ha ha. Merry Christmas!

Thanksgiving brings changes.

I went over to some really really good friends of our families for Thanksgiving. They are closer to me then any cousins I have so thats what we call each other. Now that is cleared up I got to spend the whole weekend there. Amber comes from this family and it was so good to spend time with her and to stay up late talking and watching movies just to fall asleep and wake up and try to watch them the next day falling asleep all over again. She is my replacement sister as I have been down here and really love having her around. They took such good care of me while I was there they really are a blessing to me!

Now for the bad news, once I got home from this fantastic weekend it was to the realization that I would need to be leaving my home here with Jill and the girls. I am so sad that things didn't work out they way they were supposed to and have already shed some tears even though I'm sure there will be more. I love them so much and have been my family here for the past 3 months. I know I will always try to visit them when I am down this way and will keep in touch. They are really great and it will be sad to leave but right now that is what I need to do. Things didn't work out with Jennifer and I need something that will be paying me more money so I can go to Europe and save up for my mission. I will be going home for the holidays and trying to figure out my next step after that.

Here are the pictures of Thanksgiving and my weekend with Amber and her family.

Dinner done now its time for after dinner talk.

The wonderful hostess and cook of my weekend Sue!

Lounging on the couch.

Now the weekend begins!

Taylor  at the shaved ice place not eating any shaved ice...

Amber and I were twinners it was so fun.

Me being the funny face person like usual...

Mmm shaved ice

Ambers idea :)

It really was a fun weekend! It was a good weekend without having to worry about kids at all and getting a little break. Even though at the time I didn't know I would be having a bigger break then was to be expected from the girls :( I know things happen for a reason and I will be ok even if sometimes it doesn't seem like I will. There are harder things out there to go through and its time to move forward.

Making Memories

So I haven't updated in awhile but now that I am getting to it I have a couple things to post! We had some fun times recently. These girls are so much fun and I am really happy I have got to get to know them and have them feel comfortable with me.

We made a fort while Jill was visiting Brent and it was just me and the girls for a couple days. Amber came and stayed with us which is always a blast.

                                                             Our Sleeping Area

                                                          

                                                            Our Game and Activity Area

The bed, Amber and Reilly

Reilly was excited!

King Blitz taking over.

Then we went to TGI Fridays and were extra giggly and took some pictures there also right after Jill got back from seeing Brent. It was so much fun and here are the pics

 

Yummy Lemons!

Reillys attack mommy time! ha ha

 

Whos eye is which?

Hmm?

Got all three of them so far?

Last one

Reilly coloring with Christmas colors!

So first eye was Jill, then Reilly, then Lyndsey and then mine. Not like that was to hard to figure out or anything but there ya go!

Then the other day since Reilly didn't have school we made a surprise tea party for Lyndsey for when she got home from school. We cooked and cut and cleaned and got dressed up. It was so much fun all it was missing was a teapot! We made place mats with our names on it that Reilly made and it was so much fun. We made caramel hazelnut cookies, chocolate milk, rolls, had fruit cheese crackers and nuts. We had it all set out and it was just so much fun.

 

 

These are memories I always want to keep with me as times are hard and sad I want to think of moments like these that just make me feel a little big happier. It really was a fun couple of weeks trying to finish all the things we started!

True Joys

Wow I know it has been awhile since I have written anything but its been crazy. We got the flu at our house... yuck! So two weeks ago I went from nanny to nurse taking care of Jill, Lyndsey, and Reilly. Then on Tuesday it started to hit me. Even after all of the cleaning and washing and vitamin c taking I still got sick spending a week in bed. Totally miserable yuck. Everyone is better now and the house is purged of sickness from cleaning everything imaginable. 

Lyndsey had a birthday on Thursday and I made her Owl City CDs and made covers for the burned disks so they would look less tacky and was actually very happy with the outcome

 

We had a party for her at Jills dads house with her cousins aunts and uncles. It was really fun we had mexican food which is slowly starting to grow on me and got to sit outside for dinner in November! I am not use to that. 

Lyndsey Reilly and I have started reading scriptures and saying prayers at night together and it is incredible to me to see their sweet spirits. Reilly earlier today kept asking me if we were going to read scriptures tonight she was so excited :). Then we also started doing Family Home Evening and learned about tithing today as Lyndsey is trying to do everything she can to go to the temple when she turns 12 to do baptisms and can't wait. She is so amazing and just soaks up the scriptures and what they are saying. Reilly is always asking questions trying to learn more and constantly telling me things that surprise me. They are truly children of God and are so loved and guided. Their guidance helps me all the time with their simple faith that we all should start to copy. 

I am so lucky to be with such precious children all the time. I will update more on Jennifer's family again but haven't been to see them for 2 weeks while people have been sick so I wouldn't spread it. Latest news from Connor though I asked him what his favorite part of Christmas was and he told me "New toys and presents." Then a couple minutes later came up and told me he changed his answer, "Actually no, it's Santa and his reindeer and all that, it's just magical!" It made me realize that even these little children can see that Christmas time really is different, it truly is magical.  I am anticipating the holiday season very much and am starting to listen to Christmas music. I just love Christmas time and Thanksgiving. Its a time to be happy for all the special gifts in your life!

No Kids?

What does a nanny do when there are no kids around to nanny?
Play with Jill of course!!

Jills side of the family all went camping this weekend and so Jennifer Jason and all their kids went. Reilly and Lyndsey wanted to go too even though Jill couldn't go because she had to work so Jills parents took the girls and that leaves me and Jill childless from Friday- Sunday!

Friday we ran errands went and ate and Cafe Rio and took a nap while watching a movie! Then we had a GNO and went to dinner and a Gelato place with live music. It was so cool and we had the absolute best dessert ever! Then we went to wal mart and stayed up late knowing we could sleep in on Saturday with NO interruptions!

Saturday rolls along and I can't sleep past 9:30 dang it! So I got up and cleaned the house after Jill cleaned the kitchen the night before and her bedroom and bathroom. Which didn't end up leaving me that much just all the things I had been neglecting. That part wasn't fun but then we did my roots and our eyebrows and got ready for me to sit in with Jill at work as a 911 dispatcher! It was really cool to see what happens behind the scenes and everything that is involved. Then we went to the gas station with one of the officers for a minute and went to wal mart again to get things for dinner and stuff for s'mores. Then getting home at 3 am we decided to make the s'mores that night. Cooking the marshmallows over the stove and using nutella instead of just regular chocolate and taking pictures while trying to not let our marshmallows light on fire! Then after me being freezing all night long stuck my comforter in the dryer and pulled it out and cuddled with it while watching tv until about 4:15. Finally falling asleep at almost 5.

Sunday I woke up around 10 not being able to sleep longer! ugh! Then laying in bed trying to fall back asleep but having to much on my mind then getting ready for church having to pull Jill out by the hair to come with me (not really but I was about to sit on her and spray her down with ice water :D) Then going to church ended up completing my magical no kids weekend! It was a blast and was really good to get to spend time with Jill since we don't get to see each other tons between her working and me watching Jennifers kids.

I get to see my family the week and I am so excited to see them! I have missed them so much while I've been gone and know it will be awesome to see them. Two weekends in a row of pure fun. I am so happy and have been so happy. I am really tired at the moment due to lack of sleep and so I feel like I am rambling through out this whole post. That was my weekend and I will blog again when I get back from visiting my family!

The Joy of Sharing

Wow I have started and stopped this blog so many times thinking I would do it later so once and for all I am going to finish it! Even if it is going to be soo soo long!

So last Thursday was fun as me and Brayden got to play with his bendaroo things that are just waxed yarn ha ha but they are so fun! Brayden made a cow by himself and a horse and helped make a flower and butterfly and a guy and we made up a whole story with these things. The cowboy in the picture has a rope that is stealing the butterfly off of the flower because the cowboy wanted the flower all to himself and the story was really long so that is as much as you get to hear.

Last Friday Brent had an army farewell thing and it was outside and to hot for the little ones so I stayed in a nice air conditioned house while the others went and braved the heat. I got to spend some good quality time with the little girls Shaylen and Avery

this is how Avery feels about pictures ha ha jk :)

I'm so sad I cut off part of Shaylen's head because this picture would be so cute!

Then this week has been so crazy. I have been sick because Reilly decided to share her germs with me after she was sick. Which is why this is titled the way it is. So Saturday through Tuesday I spent a lot of time in bed trying to feel better. I still have a cough which keeps me up at nights so that is no good.

Reilly, Lyndsey and I all played makeovers scary edition Tuesday night and had so much fun!! The reactions I got from the girls when they finally got to look in the mirror were priceless. I was sick of being in bed and decided that a makeover was just what I needed ha ha but maybe next time I will consider the makeover artists :) I let Reilly do one half of my face and Lyndsey do the other side. It was very entertaining though and we had so much fun!

I think I look dirty like an orphan or something

Lydnsey after she looked in a mirror :)

reilly after she looked in the mirror

Oh the joys of being a nanny!

We have been trying to get Shaylen to crawl she is learning to move around a room without crawling ha ha so these are her attempts

Today is Shaylen's birthday! So that was really fun! Jennifer had a party for her and we came over ate cake and played outside. I got to sit in the warmth with the kids which was fun and got to watch Shaylen play in cake :)

Reilly and Lyndsey and their other cousin

Connor on his bike

Brayden rolling down the hill on his bike

Shaylen's Cake

Avery and her aunt G (Jill)

Brayden with his cousin Savannah

Connor eating his cake and loving itSisterly love

This is the finished version of Shaylen eating her cake before I leftThese past couple weeks have blown by but have been so much fun!! I hope that it continues to be this good. I'm glad I am finally feeling adjusted and have a schedule to follow and know what is expected. It really has been life changing moving so far away from home but it has been so much fun and I wouldn't change a minute of it so far.