Great Grandpa and Great Grandma Call…

For those of you who don’t know, I am very close with my grandparents. They live in Orem, Utah, and were basically home away from home for the seven or so years (minus a mission) that I lived in Utah. In fact, they are two of my closest friends. Sean and I preferred watching football and basketball games with them over anyone else, honestly. We ate dinner with them every single Sunday for the last two years that we were in Utah. It’s a tradition that I miss more than anything. One of the most special parts of having lived close to my grandparents was watching them with my daughters. Anika still talks about Grandma and Grandpa Call. She had such a strong connection with them from the moment she was born. I truly believe that they have known each other for a lot longer than Anika’s almost-three-year-long-life. And things aren’t much different with Avery. Avery just turned one in October. The last time she saw Grandma and Grandpa was last May, when she was only seven months old. However, lately she has been doing the most adorable thing. We have a picture of Grandma and Grandpa up on our fridge. Just this past week, Avery has started to sit in the kitchen, point to the fridge, and whine and cry until we pick her up. When we finally do, she continues to point at and lean towards the fridge until we walk over to the fridge. When we finally get there, she touches the picture of Grandpa and Grandma Call and smiles and laughs. I have a feeling that she has known them for a bit longer than 14 months as well. We REALLY miss Grandma and Grandpa, and are forever grateful for their love and friendship. Enjoy the video!

Four Years Ago Today…

That’s right! This incredibly good lookin’ guy and I have been married for exactly FOUR YEARS! Wow. Where in the world has the time gone?! I guess that old saying is right. Time flies when you’re having fun! These past four years have been the greatest years of my life. I mean, everyone says that, right? But it’s so true! I think back on all of the amazing experiences that I’ve had in my life with such fondness. Living on my own and doing the college thing, so fabulous. (Loved the roommates almost as much as I love my man!) Being an EFY counselor during the summers, such a blast. Moving to Germany to serve the Lord as a full-time missionary, indescribable. But honestly, nothing even compares to the true happiness that Sean has brought into my life. Even when we’re bogged down with the normal life things; dishes, laundry, diapers, callings, school, etc. Sean makes me laugh every single day. Almost every night, when we kneel down together to pray, we end up in giggles. These days it’s usually from quoting Anika or impersonating Avery. Those girls have definitely given us a lot to laugh about. All in all, I’m more in love with Sean now than I was four years ago. I have a truly blessed life, and I owe so much of that to my faithful, funny, and unbelievably handsome husband. I love you, Sean!!!

Do you think she liked Halloween?

Last Thursday night, after Ohio’s Halloween, we knelt down as a family for our nightly family prayer. It was Anika’s turn. She offers up the most beautiful and sincere prayers. They truly touch my heart. In the middle of this particular prayer came these words… “Thanks for Halloween. Bless that we can wake up in the morning and try it again.” It took all of my energy trying to suppress the laughter.

It’s been over a week since we celebrated Halloween, but still, every single night, when it starts getting dark, Anika says to me, “Mommy! The sun is going to sleep! TIME FOR HALLOWEEN!!!” She is too cute. I just love my Anika to death.

So You Think You Can DANCE!

I’m sure most of you have heard of the show “So You Think You Can Dance.” I’ve never really gotten into it, but this season is totally different. Why? Because one of my old college buddies IS IN IT! That’s right! Crazy, huh? Her name is Ashleigh Di Lello and she is incredibly talented. In fact, her husband made the top 20 as well! They are both Latin Ballroom Dancers. I have never met Ryan. They married while I was on the mission and were moved out of Utah by the time I got back. Ashleigh is a wonderful girl and deserves everyone’s vote! Yep, I’m calling on all friends to watch So You Think You Can Dance and vote for Ashleigh. She’s not only an amazing dancer, but she is honestly one of the nicest people I’ve ever met. Such a great girl. So get into the show, and have fun following Ashleigh!

Sundays…

Oh how we love our Sundays. For the past month and a half, Sundays have been the only day that we get to have Daddy around, all day long! I’m so grateful that Sean has chosen to not study on Sundays. It really is a blessing to have him around. Plus, let’s be honest, I LOVE the help with dinner time, bath time, bed time, dishes, etc. I wish I could have him home EVERY DAY! :)

Sean just received a new calling today. He is the assistant scout master. I’ll be honest, we are both a little nervous about it. Sean became even more nervous about it when he received the schedule. Holy Cow! I’m not quite sure how he’s going to have time to do all that is required of him. But when the bishop set him apart, he promised him that he would be able to balance his time between family, school, and the calling. He also promised him added knowledge and help in school as he serves faithfully. We are counting on those blessings, and are having the faith that Heavenly Father is watching over us and will take care of us, which of course I know that He is. I love my husband so much and am so proud of him. I know that he will have a great impact on these young men and I look forward to watching my hubby learn and grow.

Well, I didn’t even intend to write all that. I just wanted to post a few videos of our silly girls. Oh, and to inform you all that Avery is well on her way to Toddler World! She took TWELVE steps this evening! Way to go, you big girl!!!

We hope everyone is well! Have a great week!!!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Columbus, Ohio doesn’t celebrate Halloween on a weekend. At first I thought that maybe it had something to do with safety. You know, less hoodlums out on week nights. But then I learned the truth. This city refuses to let anything, Halloween included, get in the way of it’s COLLEGE FOOTBALL!!! Oh boy. Too funny. So needless to say, our Trick-or-Treating was tonight. And what a fun night it was. The girls had a ball! Anika didn’t want to stop! She ran from house to house. Everyone LOVED Anika’s outfit. However, when they saw Avery’s they were less enthused. How dare we dress our child up as a cheerleader for some other college. I mean, really, do any other colleges even matter? I don’t think so!!! At every home I had to say to Anika, “Okay, what do you say?” The response I was looking for was “Trick-or-Treat,” but the men handing out candy said things like, “You need to say, ‘O-H-I-O!’” Another one that we heard a lot was “GO BUCKS!” One guy asked Anika if we (meaning good old Ohio State) were going to win the upcoming game. The look on her face said it all. “Uh…sir…I don’t care about college football, at all. Please just give me the candy that you are holding. Thank you.” Anyway, we had a great time. The girls were too cute. Here are the pictures!

PICTURES OF THE HOUSE!!!

Here it is. Home Sweet Home! We still have two trees coming in the front yard, but this is it! I’ve realized after having taken the pictures of the inside that they’re all a bit redundant. I mean, every empty room looks the same. However, I did promise the pictures, so I will post them. Maybe in a few months, after we are settled and decorated for Christmas, I’ll post more pictures. We’ll see.

Now, without further adieu, our house.

1 – The stairs, located to the right just as you walk in.  2 – The front room, located to the left just as you walk in. It’s supposed to be a dining room, but we’re going to use it as the piano room.

3 – The kitchen. Oh what a glorious kitchen!

4 – The living room

5 – The loft, just at the top of the stairs.

6 – The Master Bedroom and Bathroom

(Anika loves playing in the shower.)

7 – The Girls’ Bathroom       

8 – Avery’s Bedroom

  9 – Anika’s Bedroom

10 – Sean’s Office / Angell’s Scrapbook Room

11 – The Basement

12 – The Backyard

    13 – The view from the porch.

That’s pretty much it! Unless you want to see the front closet, the pantry, or the laundry room! There’s also a half bathroom on the main level – just a toilet and a sink. Very convenient. :)

So this is it! Again, we couldn’t be more grateful or more excited about being in this house. It turned out better than we could have ever imagined. We just love it! It will be a while before we’re settled ( I had NO idea it would take so long) but don’t let that stop you from visiting any time soon!

Hope you enjoyed the pictures! Oh, and Mark and Mary, sorry that I couldn’t swing the virtual tour of each room! Maybe next time.