Sunday, November 4, 2012

bust'n moves

Damon

I am just so cute and everybody loves me!!





Check out my brother's white boy moves:


So far we have been to everyone of the CMU women's volleyball games to support daddy and to see awesome volleyball. All the girls adore me and treat Houston like he is a rock star.

Thursday, November 1, 2012

Grand Junction So Far

Damon
When people ask mommy if she likes living in Grand Junction, she usually gives the same answer: no complaints about the town it’s self. Overall it is a great place to live and there are many positive aspects:
1. We love our ward! There are lots of families similar to ours and we are developing lots of new friendships. Mommy got a calling in the Young Women’s presidency and she just adores the young ladies and other leaders she gets to work with (and they all adore me – if mom ever has to bring along to an activity during the week or to class on Sunday, all the girls are usual fighting to hold me). Houston also loves going to church because he loves going to nursery. All the nursery leaders that are so dedicated and loving and he always comes away learning something new. His new favorite primary song is “I Love to See the Temple” and he sings it to me all the time. He even lets me help him build temples and churches with his blocks. Daddy should also stay busy with his new calling as the Elder’s Quorum secretary.
2. Daddy loves his job! As expected, Dad gets along with everyone and I’m sure they love him and his dedication to his profession. One huge blessing is that the head trainer at the university, Josh is LDS and has a lot in common with daddy. They seemed like best buds from the start. His wife, Amberlee and mom have also become great friends. They have 4 children who are so sweet to Houston and I and we love playing with them. Overall their friendship has made the transition a lot easier for our family and we are grateful for their welcoming efforts.
3. Grand Junction is a great size! Mommy always compares it to her hometown, Medicine Hat. It is big enough to have everything we need but small enough that it isn’t to crowded and crazy. And no rush hour!! One of the best parts is, there are tons of really nice parks and the city seems family friendly. Also, there are a few little surrounding cities (comparable to Red Cliff, Bow Island ect) that also offer fun things to do. We are discovering new fun things to do almost every week!
4. Mommy can work! Unlike Utah Valley, piano teachers are actually in demand here so mommy has been able teach 5 students from home. She also got a job teaching group and semi private piano lessons for a local music school (Sera Schools). She works for them 2 days a week and we get to have a super fun babysitter come watch us. Our babysitter is so fabulous, she can even get me to sleep which, if you know me, is no small task. So far mom is enjoying the work, especially the students she teaches at home.

One thing we were obviously scared of is that we wouldn’t see family as much. But since we have moved here, we have had so many visitors and we are so grateful! Our first visitors were Great Grandma and Grandpa Campbell. Having them come gave us an opportunity to go explore some of the touristy things the area has to offer. The coolest thing we found was the National Monument that is 20 minutes from our house. It is basically a mini national park and has some breath taking views and lots of hiking trails. Another thing we experienced was the down town farmer’s market. There were lots of fun things to see and sample and we had a great time.



One weekend mom was informed of a peach orchard that was allowing people to come pick peaches for FREE! If you know my mom, you know she LOVES peaches so she was in Heaven after filling two boxes with peaches and eating about 5 a day.

Houston
Later in August, Granddad and Grandma Cari were our second visitors. Their visit was over Daddy’s 30th birthday and it was great to celebrate with them.

Daddy’s big gift was a ride in a tiny little airplane over the spectacular landscape that surrounds us in Colorado and Utah.





Granddad and I made some pretty awesome memories! One night, I got to stay up really late and go to a CO Rockies (Grand Junction’s AAA baseball team) game. I had a pretty good time hanging with the guys!

Hat switch:

Granddad also took me on my first bus ride!! It was pretty exciting especially because I got to ring the stop bell and eat ice cream at our stop.



Grandma and I also got lots of playing in whenever she wasn’t holding Damon. She also took me on my first visit to the Dinosaur museum in Fruita.






Bath time!

Craft time!

Normally I love pizza but this night I decided to give mom a fight. But she was pretty determined to have me eat it so falling asleep was the only way out. I won that round!

My little brother is so fun to play with!


Lastly, mom has recently joined a Recreational volleyball team called “the church ladies”. She plays every Wednesday night and is ecstatic that she can be a part of organized sports again.