Missing Steven...

Is this what my sister will be feeling for 104 weeks. Well, I guess you can minus four days from that time, since my nephew will be able to call home on Mother's day and Christmas. My nephew has been called to serve in the Columbus Ohio Mission and Steven is at Scout camp. Steven has only been gone three days, and since he does not have a cell phone and we cannot call him. I am thinking this is what it will be like in 2015 when Steven will go on a mission. Lizzy will be hanging out with Steven's friends. She played with Melissa all day on Tuesday. Robert will be the lifeguard, he and Kyle started swim lessons today. Robert was the pool buddy with Kyle this afternoon. And Kyle won't be able to sleep upstairs without Steve. I am missing his sweet smile and longish stories. I miss asking him to help take the garbage out, or just hanging out with him. I like to think that he and I are pretty good friends (except when Steven gets into trouble, then I am nobodies friend). I think that moving has been a bit of a challenge for Steven, but once we get into school and he has his friends he will be fine. I love him and can't wait for Friday when he will get home.

Home Sweet Home..and a bit of sour milk

Well, we are now sleeping in our Manteca house. We are busy driving everyone around town. Robert is doing Cub Scout day camp, Steven is doing a writing workshop, Lizzy has gone to activity days, tap, ballet, and jazz dance class, and Kyle has been hanging out with me. We have painted almost every wall in our house, the base boards, chair rails and trim are waiting for the second wind. Our painting got derailed when the furniture arrived. But I am so glad that our friends the Sousa family, helped us get over the hump and getter done on the walls and the ceiling that has needed to be painted for 5 years!!
My computer would not turn on so I "had" to get a new one. Which I love!! So I had to buy Dave a fun Father's day TV, it would look better in Stansbury house, but the neighbors down the street can see our 46 incher. Happy Father's Day Dave!! So our old house is looking new to us with lots of color!! Jenn- you would be blown away at the color. I even painted my bedroom something other than beige or tan, or white. It is blue(three tone paint)!! I can't wait to have the inside good so that I can work on the outside. The kids have loved the POOL! It has only been unused in the evening because of the unseasonably cool weather we are having, yet it is going to be in the90's for a few days this week. I need to get the camera. Kyle is loving jumping off the diving board and swimming with his brothers, until he gets to cold, and then his brother's tease him. Lizzy is having allergy issues with her nose, and has stopped swimming for the last couple of days. I may need to get her some medicine.
Now on to my sour milk...
Jenn helped me clean out my house before we left. I was trying to get the frig all cleaned so I would not have a big mess to deal with when the frig arrived in Cali. Well, I had put about a half of a gallon back in the frig, intending to give it to a neighbor before they packed it up. And as we drove into Wendover, and I finally had time to process that last week in Stansbury, I realized that the milk had never gotten taken out of the frig. So packed away into the tight confines of the BEKINS truck,we could only wait and see what the 10 day storage would bring to us. It could have been worse. Thankfully my frig does not smell like sour milk. I just can't believe that I did that.
I miss Stansbury very much. Their is nothing like looking out your window and watching your kids play with your neighbor kids that you love. I miss seeing Cooper bang on his window when our truck pulled up. And Syd and Brooke with their big curious eyes to see what we brought home from Costco. I miss hearing Lizzy and Bri talk about school and T.V. shows. Riley and Keddy playing in my loft, with the puzzles, or playing house with Robert and Kyle. Or hearing the Taft kids on their trampoline, and my kids begging to go over there, yelling out the window to the girls and Peyton. I miss the mountains out all my windows. I wish I could have gone to the opening of the Church History Library (please someone go for me and write me about all the wonderful books that are there). I even missed the noisy Sacrament meeting. It is VERY quite in our ward. Someone asked me tonight if I was happy to be back, I just gave a little "yes", and he said how happy that they are to have us back. I will grow to love it here again. I love all my friends here, I love my house too, it does have so many wonderful memories. But most of all I love that my kids have their dad just down the street, and home every night. I think Robert was hoping that Dave worked at home in the house, and did not have to go to the office. I moved back to make sure that my husband was happy. I think he is... I need to stop reminiscing and get to work. I miss you everyone in Utah. Yet I am happy to be back, and it feels good when everyone here says how happy they are that we are back. I love being able to see so many familiar faces and getting to know some new ones. Until I see you... Samantha

A Bowl of Cherries

We moved. After a wonderful last three days of school and two days of watching the movers, pack and load our things into their big truck, we drove to California. We arrived at our house at about 4PM on Saturday, the first thing in the pool at 4:20 was KOTA. That dog loves the pool. The kids soon followed. We took a survey of our new suroundings and to say the least our house has been a rental for almost three years and looks like it. We will be very busy with taping, mudding and repainting almost the entire house. It should be a great summer project. My kitchen, aside from an attempt by my last renter to put up a boarder, is still a wonderful kitchen and will be the heart of our home, next to the pool that it matches.

Now for the hard part, I am so sorry that I did not get to say "see ya later", to some of our friends and family. It is horrible to do that. But I know that we will be there to visit, and the kids will want to stay with you, so save us a spot on your couch or floors. It was really hard for all of us to leave. Steven was even crying. It is sad that it takes leaving to realize what wonderful friends we really have in Stansbury. Thank you to everyone (Jenn and Tara) who helped late into the evening and even until we drove away. I know I was suppose to live in that house, and make the friends that we have. Thank you again, all of you, for being our friends.

Now For the Cherries...
We pulled into our driveway and started unpacking the Uhaul trailer, and about a half an hour into getting acquinted with our house, my neighbor across the street Maria, who speaks limited English(but more than when I left) brought us a bowl of cherries. She was so excited to see that it was us, and that we are staying. That made me feel so welcomed home. She has boys that can play with my little boys in the neighborhood. So the saying all you get out of a bowl of cherries is the pits...well we might plant a tree with our pits. Once again the bittersweetness of the situation, I am so happy that we will have Dave everyday. I will miss so much of what was my life in Stansbury, but feel that I have things here that are not done, and I look forward with great anticipation to see what they are and how the Lord will strengthen us in this move. I love you guys.