Happenings and NOT Happenings....

***WARNING: This is my first long journal entry on our blog, but it had to be done!

Another day of not going to church... Everyone probably thinks we've gone inactive! Everything that is happening and also not happening for our family has really made for an interesting past couple of months.

Happenings:

Emma has grown up so much the past few months. Not just physically, (we all do that,) but mentally, (which some of us never do!) Bryan and I are so amazed at the mature young lady she is turning into. Besides getting straight A's in school she has become responsible, self engaged, a great leader and a wonderful daughter. She has really grown out of the whole "little kid" phase. Of course as I hear her running the house now with her brothers she also has the gift of enjoying her child hood. She may want to do all the grown up stuff and be responsible but she loves to have fun. I look up to her sometimes... She is a good example for all!

Elijah has grown up so much, too! He has become a more focused boy when it comes to his awareness of everyday happenings. (Which is usually not the first thing boys develop!) He is able to look at situations and decide for himself what he wants the outcome to be and he takes action! He knows the routine and knows how to get what he wants by completing his part first. His speech is so amazing now and he has turned into quite a leader now that he can communicate easier! He absolutely loves to help with everything mommy and daddy do and he takes pride in the quality of his work.

Scott, my little two year old! Besides the fact that he is a slow teether and can't sleep through the night cause of his mouth... he is such a great kid. He is definitely a third born as he wants and tries to do everything else that Emma or LJ does! He is talking a lot and is a very big helper. He is sort of like LJ where he loves to help mommy and daddy out (Emma likes to help with her own task which in turn helps us!) Scott is VERY energetic and a very busy man. He keeps us on our toes with all the raiding adventures in the fridge or cabinets and with climbing on everything he can. He loves to be a part of the group and if bored he will tease you until you play with him! He is very animated and is a hoot to watch movies with!

Bryan is starting school next week! A full load in fact! When he started Rhino Linings back in 2002 with his dad and with our growing family (and me stopping work to stay home) he had to put school off. Now he is going back and finishing his Psych degree and might be able to squeeze in a communications degree with that as well. It will be weird having him in school and also having a job (hopefully soon) but it won't be much different from the demanding schedule he had running Rhino Linings. He is excited but also a bit thrown off cause he will be in school!!

Missy... I mean: I, am pregnant. Of course this is no new news, unless you've been out of the loop. I have 11 weeks to go and thank goodness for that! With scoliosis and a previous tailbone/pelvic injury every pregnancy has been harder on my body. Mostly it's in the walking and moving around department. I would love to be going to a chiropractor right now... But we just got medicaid and I will be looking into that to see if I can get covered fully to see one. I have also finally, after 6+ months, have about fixed my iron level, (along with Dr's care, of course) and my energy level is improving. I am needing less naps and rest breaks and feel so much better. Bryan and the kids have been so patient with this pregnancy and most of all Bryan has been and ENORMOUS help. He is an amazing man and I am thankful that he is home at this time to help out where I am not able to. His business closing has been a blessing in disguise for me... I feel the baby move like crazy but now that I wear the maternity support band, (which I highly recommend for heavy bellies,) she moves mostly when I take it off at nights, ya know when I want to sleep!! I think it's because she is being "hugged" all day!!

NOT Happenings:

Emma has such a demanding schedule with school... being gone from 8am till 4pm and then having 1 hour of homework to do with bed time at 8. (It was at 7 but I felt guilty that she didn't have enough time to play.) She doesn't have many friends her age and wishes there were more kids at church her age to play with.

Elijah has NO friends his age in our ward and since he is not in preschool mommy and daddy have become his "buddies". He does have friends from the kids of my friends but we are the only family that doesn't live in their area so getting to them not only requires gas money but for mommy to be able to function that day to get there.

Scott is, well he's all happening!

Bryan, well, let's just say that job hunting is now on my list of another way to kill a man. It is harsh. There are, believe it or not, job openings out there that he finds and applies for. He follows through with them, calls them, even goes as far as to meet the district or area managers to get a job. The problem is there are too many unemployed people out there that business are taking advantage of being able to be picky. And by picky I mean it is like the housing market only backwards. They interview lots and take the one who can manage the job for the least pay. When I say least pay, I mean the LEAST pay. Bryan has been passed up a few times because someone else took a dollar less, which in turn he tells them that he as well would take it for the same. He also gets passed up a lot for being over qualified. How crappy is that. I understand that even the bigger businesses are having to make cuts but having a manager at your store who can't meet goals or raise numbers/profits or employ and maintain a productive team... they will be sorry in the future.

For all of us... as of the 1st of February we will officially be in our home for a whole year as squatters. By that I mean we have not been able to pay mortgage as well as other things since the business hit its slow down-fall in the middle of 2008. It was a tough holiday season in 2008 but this last year was our toughest. At least in 2008 the business, (while falling behind waiting for the completion of a big job,) kept our home expenses barely paid for. Now it is like a scavenger hunt trying to support our selves. We have found ways every month to keep the utilities going and gas in the car by having yard sales, selling off furniture and selling the remaining odds and ends that the business has left us with. It's really tough to find buyers and even then everything sells for practically nothing. We are on food stamps and medicaid, we've received lots of help from family and the church has provided for us as well... (mostly family, although our Church provided our children with a happy Christmas morning! OK, so mommy and daddy were very happy too! Nothing like seeing your kids filled with joy and excitement and them knowing how blessed they are, too!) We usually are a self-sufficient family but at times like this we have had to humble ourselves into accepting and asking for help. I think that is the hardest part for us. At least for me it is. I know in the future we too will be in a position where we can pay it forward and help others in need. Even now we still find ways to do so. We may not have money but we do have our talents and bodies to work and help out others!

We are all sort of at a stand still... waiting for the day that we get the notice on our door that we need to get out... waiting (but not without working towards) Bryan finding a place or a job/career to belong to. Waiting for the baby to arrive and mommy to be able to function fully again... Waiting, waiting, waiting. It can drive one crazy. We keep busy but life is so different playing the waiting game that mentally we are surprised we haven't lost it yet! Emotionally it has been a journey we will never forget. Bryan and I were joking a few weeks ago how it is nice that so far we don't have our "crash" days on the same days! It would be like all of your kids have a bad day at the same time. Not good!

All in all we are taking it as an adventure. Soon we will move. Soon daddy will find his place in the working world. Soon I will be able to get out more and especially go to church or maybe even the Temple!! Soon we will not be living in boxes and in construction. Soon we will have a car of our own... maybe even two! Soon we will be back to being more self-sufficient. Soon, soon, soon! We can't wait for the days ahead and hope for a new year to be put back to a somewhat stabler position. We know things can still turn for the worse at any point but we remain hopeful. If not then at least we have each other. As corny as it sounds, when you get to as low as you ever have before it always makes you appreciate what you do have. We can't imagine going through this if our kids were older... At least they are young and not in their teen and pre-teen years. I'd imagine it would be harder for all. We also can't imagine if we started out this down-fall with a big fancy home, nice cars..... you know, even more debt and bills, bills, bills. This has reminded us that staying out of debt prevented this from happening in 2008. Unfortunately it still happened but we have gained an even bigger testimony of how important it is to live within our means, to stay out of debt and be prepared for times like these. We are very blessed and are thankful to all those who have given and showed their support. We love you all and are thankful to have our family and friends in our lives. Thank you.