The Update!

Life is crazy as usual around here and I can't believe how fast things are moving! As many of you know, the whirlwind has been going in our home for a while with many things up in the air. I just wanted to fill some of you in who I may not have personally talked to.

For the past few weeks, Christopher has been working full-time at the Utah County Health Department as an unpaid intern. He has actually loved his job and staff and will miss his experience there when he leaves. He has had a broad range of assignments from "handy man" to compliance checks (sting operations with the police where they send in an underage minor to buy cigarettes and see if the stores card properly or sell). He has gained a greater perspective of his public health degree and is grateful for the opportunity to see the world through different eyes. For those who may read my other blog (which I haven't updated yet), we still have so much food storage and can't believe how far the Lord has made it stretch for our period of unpaid employment. We don't feel like we've missed a beat. What a miracle!

We recently had Christopher's CES New Hire Orientation in SLC. It was in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building and will be an event to remember forever. Some of our dear friends were also hired, so it was a great reunion with some of the other student teachers. At lunch that day, we received our school assignment: PLEASANT GROVE HIGH SCHOOL!!! We were thrilled, especially considering Christopher just finished at the Jr. High there and we jokingly told the HR Director we wanted to live there (he lives in PG himself)! Wow, are we spoiled or what!?!

As soon as we found out our assignment, we began the hunt. . .house hunt, that is. In a matter of a week, I saw dozens of houses with a realtor. All I can say is: pictures can be deceiving. I left embarrassed for some of the crazy things we saw. We finally found a beautiful house in PG with a great price tag. Unfortunately, 11 other people thought it was a steal of deal too! 11 offers in two days, way above the asking price. We couldn't compete. . .so, I said goodbye to buying for now. The renting hunt was just as emotionally draining and hard to swallow. The market is saturated with renters right now, so rent prices and demands are extremely high.

After numerous disappointments and heartfelt prayers, we are happy to report that miracles still happen (do you think I believe in miracles? I see them everyday!!!). I will spare you all the details, but just wanted to say, we finally signed a contract!!! This morning we signed the next year of our life away to a 3 bedroom/1 bathroom apartment in Pleasant Grove (about 3 miles from Christopher's work). They are installing new carpet and painting the entire thing on Monday. We will move in on Friday or Saturday next week!!! We are so excited to have actual rooms for our kids!

We also had our closure meeting in SLC for Christopher. We signed all of his papers and he will officially be a salaried employee on June 11!!! Having medical benefits and a retirement plan makes me feel like I'm beginning a life of "real" adulthood. . .blessings and responsibilities! There are so many miraculous details with this hiring process! We still can't believe it! Maybe it will hit us when we get our first paycheck!

Wanna hear another miracle story? Ask me about Christopher finishing his online class. . .PASSED!!! Here we come diploma!

A little Makani update--she is the most adorable little girl in the whole wide world! Her vocabulary is growing exponentially and so is her waistline! We recently had her 18 month appointment and the doctor was pleased that she is now in the 20% for height and the 25% for weight (he said we could stop pumping her full of whole milk if we wanted. . .is he callin' her fat?!?). She has always been "underweight", so this was a great milestone. The doctor was also pleased with her verbal skills. She says dozens of words, lots of two-word phrases, and even says the evening prayer for our family with help. It is strange to try to remember when she couldn't communicate things verbally. I understand her perfectly well now! She is a great helper, the funniest dancer, and loves to sing her favorite songs! She is truly a joy in our life.

As for baby boy- I am currently 31 weeks with no known problems. I will have my eight month appointment on Tuesday, so I am excited to see how he is growing. I am already convinced that this little guy is going to be a whole new ball game for us. He is non-stop action all of the time. We can't wait to see him!

I know I'm leaving out so much, but I think those are the big milestones recently! Here are some of the memorable pictures from our family photo shoot: