House Hunting

S in his house-hunting apparel:

Today we went hunting again for a place to call home. We love what we have seen in Reston. What do you think of our 2 favorites?

Choice #1: 2 bed/ 2 bath

Pro's

Freshly painted, new detailed stone flooring and beautiful dimming light fixtures

Beautiful tile details in bathrooms & wood details in bedrooms

Huge wood closet in master bed

Dropped rent, Includes all utilities in rent payment

Two reserved parking spaces

Very convenient to Reston amenities including the Town Center

Woods, lots of trees, open back yard

Stacked washer & dryer in small closet

Parks close by

Con's

No warm carpets, just stone and tile (carpets are important to Jared)

Not so open layout, have to walk through kitchen

No linen closet. a shallow, large "medicine" closet instead, in main hall

Broken, but easily fixed shelf in coat closet

Lots of teens in that community, but the one we talked to was very polite

Racing another VERY interested renter to get this place

Choice #2: 2 bed/1 bath

Pros:

Walk to Reston Town Center & Lake Anne

Inviting condo complex, nicer than choice #1

Granite countertop, maple cabinets, stainless steel appliances, ceramic tile floor in kitchen

Wood burning fireplace

Carpets & tile

Full washer & dryer in a large closet/tiny room

Large master bedroom with walk-in closet

Walk out patio

Club house, pool in summer & exercise room

Con's:

Second bedroom is off living room (Stu would be far from master bed and close to visitor noise)

Carpeted dining room - Jared pointed out

Utilities not included and higher rent

What do you think? Any suggestions for house-hunting renters like us?

Welcome "Home"

We've arrived. Here we are in our temporary, corporate housing in Virginia. Some descriptions I've heard from others on our place are "posh" and "slinky." I sure like it. Especially since Jared and the little man are with me.

The progression of our housing is so funny. We lived in ID in a 425 square foot attic with maybe 3 right angles in the whole triangular unit. We thought anything in DC would be a step up. Then we move here for a short while:

2 bedrooms

2 bathrooms

walk-in closets

2 floors

3 televisions! (we've never even had one)

electric fireplace

wide open spaces

balcony deck in the back

full washer & dryer

I know we can't keep up this standard of living out of our own pocket, so after living here for 2 months, we'll "downgrade" again. No matter where our permanent home ends up, I know it will be more comfortable than our beloved attic. No matter: I'm very grateful for each step of this exciting journey.

Thumb sucking

This past Tuesday, the guy found his thumb. He is so adorable sucking on it, but one day I might be upset that he likes it so much. So might he when the orthodontist asks, "Did you suck your thumb as a child?"

Gingerbread Men

.... and women. We have had a lot of fun the last 2 weekends making and decorating gingerbread men and sharing them with various friends, coworkers, and neighbors. Jared wanted to make them (and both times he did; I just cut and decorated) because of an Ondricek family tradition he grew up doing. His family always makes gingerbread men at the beginning of December and then wraps them in a long strand of plastic wrap, each one separated by a bow. They drape the long strand of plastic wrap with all the gingerbread over the front door, inside their home. When a visitor comes by, they cut off one cookie in the plastic wrap for the visitor to take home with them. That is a beautiful family tradition we have begun to adopt. Thanks Mom and Dad O.! That embodies the family memories and friendly giving that makes December special. I love the goodness of that tradition, both good tasting and good spirited. :)

Thanks to the Perry's for joining us. They are so much fun!

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving yesterday! Jared, the guy and I had the privilege of spending it with the Ondricek side of the family, getting to know some folks we don't know very well. It was a neat day of food, family, photos, and football! I especially enjoyed looking through Ondricek family photo albums and learning some family history.

Below: S's shirt says "Baby's First Thanksgiving"

The Ondricek clan we enjoyed: Jared's aunts, uncle, cousin, gma, and us!

The clever turkey my visiting teacher made for me.

S's Thanksgiving art project. Those are his tiny fingertips that he used as paint brushes.

New favorite toy

S loves this toy. He recognizes and smiles at himself. He talks to himself and reaches up at the toys. It makes changing time more fun for him. Thanks, Dara, for giving it to us!

First Snow

It snowed last week. I was so excited to take S out for pictures of his first snow experience. I enjoyed it, but it will be more fun when he knows what to do with snow one day. :)

Thanks, Stephanie, for getting out so early in the morning and taking pictures of us! We love you.

Thank you, Marcia and Kye, for lending us the cozy hat and gloves! I was thinking of Kye when he was this size. He grew up so fast!

So handsome.

Our little house. That top window is ours. We live in a tiny attic, but it has been so good to us.

Like Father Like Son

I love this onesie. It is true. I hoped and hoped my whole pregnancy that our little boy would look like his daddy and be as good looking as him. Be careful what you wish for.

Roll over, boy!

I sound like an idiot mother, but to my credit this "Parentese" language we speak to babies is actually very good for their development. We tend to use a higher pitch, many more facial expressions, and much more inflection in our voices. The short, simple phrases spoken help baby learn to communicate. (Parents As Teachers handout)

Anyway, he's been rolling over like this since he was 5 days old. Seriously. My mom put him on his tummy and he rolled over several times. Thanks for challenging him early on, mom! We're so proud of his growing set of skills.

Halloween

S and I celebrated Halloween this year at two different parties in two different costumes:

Super Woman, Spiderman, and Jackie Kennedy at the Ward Halloween Party.

The Super-est man in MY life! This Superman costume is actually a kid costume, but my friend bought it for her husband to wear and so she cut off the feet and tried to make it work for a grown man. The crotch didn't work out the way she hoped even after trying to sew in more fabric. Consequently, the shorts were necessary to not embarrass everyone in the room. I love that the belt is so high, the abs at his chest, and the pecks at his collar bone. :) He was so supportive of me asking him to wear this. The theme was famous couples and we HAD to match.

Thanks for the costumes, Michelle!

Super hero powers run in the family.

Me and S at the Social Work Department party. Thanks for the costume, Jenn!

Brittany loves S. I think she's my friend just so she can see him. :) Just kidding. Thank goodness for good friends like her.

Future Missionary

At first I thought I might dress S up as a "Future Missionary" for Halloween so we borrowed this adorable suit from Dri (and Thomas) Marshall. Thanks Dri!! He wore it to church and he is so handsome.

Homemade Baby Gym

Thanks to the Parents As Teacher program, we got this idea to create a make-shift baby gym for S. He sometimes reaches up for the toys, like they say he should, to develop his motor skills to the next level. Mostly, he eats his hands instead of reaching with them. :)

Thanks, mom and Jenn for providing the toys!!

Also, he talks a lot these days. It's a little awkward in church and quiet meetings when he talks so much and so loudly, but I don't want to discourage it yet. He's such a good learner!

Rexburg is such a funny place

So I was walking home from class just a few minutes ago and I realized that something was different. Apparently we are now depending on tax dollars to tell us to look both ways before crossing the street - even in a crosswalk.


But even with this new development, I realized that it wasn't every crosswalk on my way home. It was only in the ones near campus - NOT in the residential area. So it seems that it isn't necessarily little kids that need this reminder, but the big kids. The ones who are too distracted by texting, listening to their iPods, or playing a game on their smartphones. (I wish I had a smartphone :( Maybe Christmas?) I think the saddest part about this is that it might actually improve the conditions around here. I'll leave you to your own conclusions.

Smiles

Our guy has been smiling and responding to our smiles for a couple weeks now. He is such a joyful child and spreads that joy wherever he goes. I love both his dimpled chin and double chin in this video.

God sure knew what he was doing when he planned to send us these sweet little people. Children are to be taught, loved and enjoyed.

Ode to the ATM

Last weekend we went to Utah to attend perhaps my last Arizona Tempe Mission reunion. We have enjoyed living close to the Mormon Mecca where we can attend these reunions regularly, but will be moving at the end of the year.

Attending the reunion reminded me of the delightful intoxication of loving and living the Gospel of Jesus Christ. President Buttars, the leader I served with for almost the entire 18 months in AZ, had me laughing and crying all in the same 30 minutes. He rejuvenated my enthusiasm to live the rigorous and Spirit-saturated lifestyle I used to. President Craig, my leader for 6 weeks, returned from AZ recently and reported back on how the mission continued after we left. It sounds like we are still the "Greatest Mission in the World." :)

In fact, at every transfer meeting - and at the reunion - we sang the hymn "Called to Serve" with a third verse added. The words are: (we sang "Casa Grande" like gringos so that it rhymes...)

Called to preach the gospel to our neighbors,

Giving Christ the glory He deserves.

Called to teach the truth and restoration

in the areas where we serve:

Tempe, Mesa, Gilbert, Yuma, Buckeye, Casa Grande

Queen Creek, and White Mountain

And with Chandler here we stand.

Go-o-o-o Hard Work is our motto

And our banner is unfurled.

Arizona Tempe Mission,

Greatest Mission in the World!

Arizona Tempe Mission,

Greatest Mission in the World!

It never fails, even over three years after I've returned, I still cry as we slowly repeat "Arizona Tempe Mission, Greatest Mission in the World!" Those 18 months were the best 18 months of my life to that point, and still remain some of the most special up until today. I thank God for that privileged life I lived in AZ and for the people I met there.