The benefits of FINALLY living close to family...

And there are many!  I already feel like I'm home, as far as my relationships with my Mom and Dad are concerned.  I've seen them more in the last several months than I did in YEARS when we lived in New York and they were DILIGENT about visiting at least once a year!  They are my dearest and oldest friends and I can't believe that I might have missed out on knowing this.  The kids and I took a long weekend in October to drive to Utah to meet our newest nephew and cousin, Liam Garner.  He was and is the most beautiful little baby!  I honestly wanted to take him home with me!  It's awesome, too, because Jen and her family moved to Utah around the same time we did so I still get to see her.  I love my family so much.  Words can't describe how much.  I added a few pictures of McKenna running cross country.  She is amazing.  And she met the best new friends.  Oh, and Channing discovered juice boxes for the first time in his little life!

October Birthdays

Brielle and Jaden have birthdays just 4 days apart.  We had only lived here for two months when Brielle shared with me the list of girls and women from 4-40 that she wanted to invite to her party.  She had been very busy making friends!  And Brielle is the best friend you could ever ask for.  I am grateful every single day that I get to be her mother here.  There is something very great about her precious little  soul.

Jaden is 18 now.  Breaks my heart just a little.  He'll be leaving the nest soon and nothing could have prepared me for the emotion of that thought.  He is funny and talented beyond description.  We celebrated with him as a family.  He has always been so sweet about family.  He is a HUGE part of US.  Just can't imagine a home without music and laughter.  He has important things things to accomplish in this life, I'm sure of it.  I just hope he'll always come home.  

Homecoming Dance

Jaden's friends set him up with a date since he didn't really know anyone.  I thought it was adorable the way he asked her:  "Hey, I don't know you, and this is crazy, but my name's Jaden, Homecoming, maybe?"  If you know the song, "Hey, I just met you, and this is crazy, but here's my number, call my maybe."  Anyway, he had a great time with his buddies.  I think he's adorable.

August and September

This is really sad.  I don't have a SINGLE picture from the month of August.  We moved into this home on August 1.  Brian had to fly back to his job in New York right after the family reunions.  My Mom and Dad and the kids and I moved here on our own.  Thank goodness for my parents.  And a very, very sweet ward.  In a nutshell, August was the hottest, hardest (physically and emotionally), most testing month of our lives.  September wasn't much of an improvement.  I'm certain that I cried myself to sleep every single night.  We knew this was the place for us, regardless of the difficulties we were all experiencing.  I'll tell you some of the things I learned in a later post.  If I was all caught up, I wouldn't have known what I know now.  

I try to take pictures of each child on their first days of school.  Jaden can hardly be called a child anymore.  He's a senior.  Where in the world did those days and months and years go?  I remember his first day of Kindergarten.  Cole was a brand new baby and we had just moved to Texas.  He had just met his best friend, Kelson.  Who knew that they'd be Seniors together?  And still best friends.  McKenna is a Sophomore.  She was missing her XC boys deeply.  Cole is a 6th grader.  He amazes me with his depth of character.  He KNOWS who he is.  Garner is in 3rd grade.  He's the shyest.  And the one that all the girls love.  He has a quiet self confidence and has been a little rock through all the storms we've faced as a family.  Brielle is the self-appointed queen of the neighborhood.  She wasted no time getting to know all the kids and adults in our cul-de-sac.  Let's just say that she's a lot of people's BFF.  Little Channing discovered the art of opening doors.  It gave me numerous heart attacks.  Luckily, we live by a lot of sweet people that didn't turn me in to child protective services.  

McKenna and Cole ran cross country.  We had sweet reunions with friends we hadn't seen for years.  Jaden and I cried our eyes out in Les Miserables.  I'm glad that I don't cry myself to sleep every night anymore.  I'm grateful that the kids are happy and involved and adjusted.  Mostly, I'm glad that we're a family again.  I'm deeply grateful for the way Heavenly Father has answered our prayers. ALL of them.