The Stork Has Arrived!  blogged by N8 and JME

This is just to let you know that after a pretty rough labor and much prayer, our little June Bug was born via caesarean June 22nd at 10:34am.  She is 7lbs 6oz and is 20 inches long.

 Both mom and baby are healthy, happy, and safe albeit pretty shaken up.  They are both doing great and are already teaming up against dad to get their way!

Our Mountain on Fire - Blogged by JME

The other day while I was unpacking our office, I kept hearing sirens from ambulances or fire trucks or something. It went on for a good hour and I couldn't help but wonder what was happening close to our house that required so much attention from emergency responders. I was sitting on the floor sorting papers and filing and getting rid of a lot of old stuff. When I finally stood up and looked out the window, I could see why I had heard sirens for the last hour. 

Our mountain was on fire.  You can see the fire fighters in the yellow in this picture above.  They had it pretty much in control by the time I noticed what was going on.  We have a friend that is a fire fighter.  He didn't respond to this but told us that someone saw some kid running down the trail away from the fire and so they suspect that this was human caused.   

I called N8 to let him know what was going on.  He was on his way home from work and could see the smoke 20 miles away. 

You can see a few of the flames in this picture.  Luckily, no one was hurt and they got the fire under control quickly. 

Our House is a Very, Very, Very Fine House - Blogged by JME

Due to some upcoming changes in our lives, and the way interest rates have been, N8 and I decided that it was time for us to buy a home again.  This was pretty challenging, as there are a lot of short sales out there that were pretty beat up and most anything good was out of our price range.  However, we had an amazing realtor that was incredibly patient with our inconsistent ideas of what we wanted and where we wanted to live and helped us find what we needed. 

If anybody reading our blog is looking for a home, looking to sell their home, or in the market for a great realtor, please let us know.  He helped us buy and sell our first home as well, and we would definitely use him again if the occasion called for it. 

What do you call a man that has no arms or legs that lays on your doorstep?  Mat!  N8's mom gave us this mat as our first house-warming gift.  It absolutely fits us and we love it!     

Now come on in and take a tour of our new home . . .

This is our front room.  It has hand-scraped wood floors that are very beautiful and unique.  As you can see, we haven't had a chance to put pictures or anything up on the wall yet.  It's a work in progress. 

This is our dining room.  There is a lot of sunlight that we get from all the windows in this house.  It makes it very cheery.  Looking out these windows in the dining room is an amazing view of the mountains that are only about two blocks from our home. 

One thing that I really wanted while we were looking for a house is a window over our kitchen sink.  I can't tell you how amazingly boring it is to do the dishes while staring at a blank wall.  This window faces the mountain as well and so not only do I have a beautiful yard, trees, and birds to look at, I can also see the colors changing on the mountain.  Dishes have become tolerable again!

One thing N8 really wanted while we were looking for a house is a TV room that he could put surround sound in.  This TV room already had shelving for our speakers and had the perfect set-up for the surround sound.  N8 was in heaven. 

I also have my own little rose garden in the front.  I've never had a rose garden before.  I have to do a little research and learn how to take care of them, but they are beautiful and smell so good.  I feel so domestic when I'm out there clipping them down and weeding them while N8 is mowing the lawn.  It's our own little home, sweet home. 

Take Me Out to the Ball Game -

Blogged by JME

N8 recently started playing for a softball team in the city that he works for.  He is #13, which is his very favorite number.  This number bears significance due to the fact that he was born on the 13th, he received his mission call on the 13th, and his last paycheck before his mission was for $13.  Somehow, that number has just stuck with him and will pop up all over the place. 

Hey batter, batter, batter, batter.  Swing batter, batter, batter.

He's not too bad!  Here he is running into home. 

This picture is kind of blurry, but it's sort of cool cause the yellow streak on the right side of the picture is the ball being pitched to N8.  Hit a home run, babe! 

This has been really fun to go to his games and watch him play.  Plus, it's a great way to spend the evening together.