"You guys must be crazy."

I know you are all thinking it or you will be thinking it after you read this. We do sometimes feel crazy. My new motto is Enjoy the Now.

I have been waiting to update our plans to be sure that we weren't going to change our minds again. I haven't figured out a way to explain our plans without people saying "Wow", "crazy", or "you guys sure are adventurous". I definitely do not feel adventurous and it would be kind of nice to answer "what's up?" with a simple "nothing, just the same old". Anyway here goes...

1. We bought a townhome in Springville. And I still have a few boxes to unpack, but we are feeling settled. I am sure I will make friends, but I really miss my Boston ward, friends, and neighbors. We like being close to family, and Josh is really loving being the center of attention.

2. Ben has postponed Business school for a year to contine working on Personal Pathways. It is a really good experience for him, and he is enjoying the challenge and responsibility. Since we are living in Utah, he is commuting to Washington D.C. every other week. He has leased some office space in Orem.

3. In January Personal Pathways will launch a test site in D.C., and Ben will need to be on site full time. So we will move to D.C. sometime in January for probably six months. I think we will rent some place furnished and just bring some of our stuff.

The rest of the plans are still up in the air...

4. We may just leave our place as it is and empty. Or we may try to rent it to family. Either way hopfully we won't have to pack up much stuff. (I can't actually imagine turning around in January and putting stuff back in boxes).

5. Ben has deferred his acceptance to BYU MBA until next year, so we may stay in our townhome and he will go to BYU. Or we are still toying with the idea of applying to a few other schools. This is a hard one, because Ben really likes the program at BYU. Yet in the past we have both felt that maybe we should be somewhere else. What it really comes down to is that we just need to understand where the Lord would have us go. And then the decision will be easier.

Ok that's that. No guarantees that it won't change, but for my sanity I sure hope it doesn't. Oh yeah... I really like our cute townhome. I will post some pictures as soon as it is put together enough.

SAN DIEGO

Ben had a week off work so we decided to go visit my Grandma in San Diego. She hadn't seen Josh yet, and was so excited to see him.

Josh likes to pull himself up into standing position, but then he thinks he can let go. This is a time of many falls and bonks.

I love these two pictures....


We went to a Padres baseball game. Josh liked sitting in his own seat. He also fell asleep on my shoulder for the last half of the game. It was pretty sweet.
Joshua and Grandma Kathy on top of her amazing house.

Hike to Stuart Falls

What a fun Saturday. We hiked up to Stuart Falls a few weekends ago. The last time we did this hike Ben and I were still just dating. It was fun and Josh really loved it.

Josh's favorite thing to do...chew on his strings.

At the falls.

Josh fell asleep on the way down. I couldn't believe he was comfortable, but he slept the whole way.

Learning to Crawl

Joshua is starting to figure out this crawling business.

I love the just woke up from a nap sleepy face.

"Hey Mom, look at me!"

So I wasn't fast enough with the camera for this one. His pants were all the way on, and then he crawled right out of them. It was pretty funny.

Josh dumped over the shredder and was trying to eat the paper. I was in the same room, but he is getting fast. Josh really likes to play with all things dangerous. He loves cords, ropes, ties, and electrical outlets. I swear he crawls faster when he is going for something he can't play with. He is also very determined and focused. He doesn't forget when he wants something or if you take something away from him.

Lake Powell and our Little Fish

We went to Lake Powell with my family over Labor Day. It was still really hot, but a lot of fun. Josh was really good and he absolutely LOVED the water. He was perfectly happy swimming with his Dad. He cracked us up with his dance moves in the water and constant chatter.

Uncle Pete trying to get Josh to kiss his fish.

Just driving the boat.

Ben's favorite game to play. This picture looks really scary--even to Ben. Too bad the kids love this so much.

Change is in the Air

So it seems that the only thing consistent around here is change. Ben has decided to postpone school and stay on with Personal Pathways for 10 months until they are up and running. He is excited about it and it is an opportunity we couldn't pass up. However it means life is a little less certain for the next year. We may possibly need to move to Washington DC the first of the year for 3-6 months.

We had a lot of fun in California, but our place was empty and with the dreaded year mark approaching we decided to leave early so we could be in Utah over August 16th. I am glad we did this because it was nice to be with family and to have Grandma babysit so Ben and I could be in the temple that day. However now we are in Utah and we don't have anywhere to live. We have been trying to decide if we should buy a place, and after much back and forth and frustration we have decided to patiently wait until Ben's uncles place is available (hopefully early October).

Ben's parents are kindly letting us stay in their basement and now that I have relaxed about buying a place things are going well. We are just trying to enjoy this time with family. Josh is really loving all the attention from his grandparents, aunts, and uncles. I cannot believe how fast he is growing up. He is a wiggle worm and likes to wrestle. He is fast and coordinated with his hands, and really enjoys pulling hair. He just sprouted his 3rd tooth (the top one). I will post some pictures of him soon....

SWEET CAMERON BOY

Thinking about our little buddy Cameron, and how much we miss him...

We miss you Cameron and hope you feel and understand how much we love you, and how special you are in our family.