Closure

My Filmore St. house

We purchased this house in Aug. 2000.

Sold in June 2011

Our house was on the market for 2 weeks before we sold.

Not too shabby.

In that 2 weeks we had around 35 showings.

Not too shabby either.

This house was originally blue,

we painted it green-my favorite color to paint with.

Steve built and painted the window shutters.

Planted a lot of trees, after ripping out many over sized bushes.

Front room.

I loved the white fire place, and crown moldings.

My dad painted both a glossy white.

My tiny dining room,

with french doors to the backyard.

While it was tiny, at least I had a dining room.

Most houses in the area did not even have that.

Built in china cabinet.

Loved my arched doorways.

The 18 inch tiles were awesome.

The cabinets-not so awesome.

For before pics click here.

From the blue walls, black granite counter tops,

red accent, and blue tiles-I loved this small bathroom.

Steven and mines bedroom.

Luke and Peters room.

Rachel's room.

As I walked through one last time before moving,

this room held the most emotion.

It served as a nursery for all four kids, at one point or another.

Maggie's room.

Downstairs.

Steve knocked out a wall,

and made the staircase.

Cut bigger windows in a couple rooms downstairs.

(please ignore the bookshelf)

I had wanted a window box for a long, long time.

They are very expensive for this size window.

One Mothers Day, Steve made me this window box for me.

It was perfect, and I cried that I had to leave it behind.

I was also sad to leave this flowers behind.

So I (shh..) dug some up to take with us.

Our Realtor actually caught us doing this, oopsie.

But they ended up not doing so well out here at the new home.

My house here in Daybreak now feels like home.

I can't wait to make it my own.

escaping

The Dunhams are not a sit-around-the-house, type of family. Let's face it, we are a little bored and down. I took the kids for a day trip up to the cabin. Everyone enjoyed being in the mountains.

Luke becomes a little Steve, when his Dad is not around: back seat driver, checking the cabin for dead mice, helping me grill hot dogs, teaching me how to open the gas can properly (there is more to it than just opening the lid I found out), putting the ATVs away in the shed, packing up the car, and rolling up the computer cords just as his dad would.

Luke is a great kid, and usually very obedient. But when he sees his mom doing a big project or outing alone, he really steps it up. He makes sure I don't carry the load alone.

Steve prayed with each of the children last night before bed. They each were thankful to go to the cabin, and that mom planned a fun trip. I am grateful too.

I hate to be such a "Debbie downer" but this moving thing is at the top of my list for hardest things I have ever done.

The move was the right thing to do. Better house, better neighborhood, more opportunities for the kids in the future. But the initial road to getting adjusted is difficult. All the children exhibit the stress in different ways. Rachel has started acting and talking like a baby, and Peters aggression and mood swings are utterly exhausting.

Our family moved to an area we know little about. I don't know all the great places to hang out, shop or run. I think everyone is shocked that it is hard to meet people and friends in such a community as Daybreak. But our ward is HUGE. You meet someone one week, and never see them again. I came from a neighborhood where I knew everyone, and I am determined to get to know everyone here as well.

There (in Daybreak) are so many beautiful women with fancy hair and fancy clothes and fancy boobs. Yeah I said it! A friend told me that I need to "get my barbie on!" I am trying not to be intimidated, but I kinda am, because if I have learned anything in life, it is people like you for who you are inside, not outside.

I have a tendency to look at all the hard stuff, and not all the good stuff. A lot of good stuff has been happening too. A lot.

Like....

This funny new nickname from my gym teacher. He calls me "Stepford Sarah". He percieves Daybreak as a Pleasantville, full of Stepford wifes. Him and the rest of Sugarhouse. Sheesh!

P.S. I miss you Dustin. It was fun to talk and laugh (about Mormons) the other day. Thanks for all your love!

Cowabunga Bay with Mrs. Jones

My sweet and very pregnant friend, Molly, let me tag along to Cowabunga Bay.

The kids (minus Rachel) loved the place.

We will probably buy season tickets next year.

As soon as we arrived and sat down,

the wind picked up an umbrella.

The umbrella flew out of the stand

and went flying, pole first into Rachel's leg.

Molly went to get a manager.

And when he only offered me ice,

she went back to straighten him out.

I ended up getting in for FREE thanks to her.

Peter is so independent.

He would hop in the lazy river all by himself.

Find himself a tube, fall out, climb back in,

and wave as he came by.

Thank you Molly!

Side Note:

I love Molly. She is amazing. She does things at 9 months pregnant, that many would not do without any kids.

I have a darling pic of her. But pregnant women don't like their pic taken (even if you do look hot!)

And since I want her to still be my friend, I wont post it. But she is an amazing photographer--check her out! My favorite is her Mr. & Mrs Wood wedding photos. Gorgeous.

kids + iphone

We visited my friend on Sunday night.

Somehow the boys got a hold of Kelly's phone.

giggle

This picture makes me giggle. The Anderson Cooper-like giggle.

This picture was taken as we were leaving Disneyland,

well past midnight.

Luke climbed on this cannon, and wanted a picture.

Pretty sure, he is blind to what we all see.

Best that way.

How immature am I?

Favorite Quotes

Whether you think you can,

or think you can't, you're right.

If you always do what you always did,

you always get what

you always got!

Life is full of setbacks.

Success is determined on

how you handle setbacks.

As of late, these are some of my favorite quotes. Some days are just down and out hard. On days like those, it takes everything I have to just keep going: wake up and go running, be patient with my kids, take one project at a time. I can do this.

Not so funnies

We made it home. But our air conditioning broke down on the hottest part of the drive.

I was sitting in the very back, keeping Peter company. It was getting warmer and warmer, when Steve finally admitted that the fan on the air conditioning was not working.

It was 100 degrees outside. We were sweating inside.

So I pulled up my shirt to under my bra line. Peter kept poking my stomach and singing the song, "big fat lady on channel 80!"

That made riding in a hot car even more miserable.

****

The last day on the beach, Steve took the girls home to the house, while I stayed with the boys to play a little longer. I noticed Steve had forgotten to take the keys to the house. I told the boys, "What would dad do without me?" Luke responded with "He would have a lot more speeding tickets, that is for sure."

I told Steve about this correspondence with the children. He laughed and confessed he had a speeding ticket this spring. Paid it with birthday money, and did not tell me.

Guardian Angles

Pete is an ocean boy. He learned to boogie board on this trip.

If you read my posts, you know that Peter is a wanderer and has no fear of the water. Yesterday was prime example of both combined.

I was sitting on the beach talking with Tiffany, a friend from SLC. I noticed how far out in the water Peter was getting and thought I better go get him. (Peter later told me, he was headed for the lifeguard boat for a ride.)

By the time I reached the water, I could not see him any more, and a wave had knocked him down.

I ran and ran as fast as I could through the water. I knew approx where he was, but still could not see him.

The next thing I knew a young couple was holding Peter and carrying him to shore.

They were my angels.

Peter was in trouble. Those people really stepped up. I am forever grateful.

The whole week we were here, the water was quite mellow. Yesterday was another story. The undertow was strong, even for me. Lifeguards were rescuing strong swimmers, frequently, from rip tides.

Shame on me for not checking the conditions. It was a good wake up call.

But...I love these videos of Peter boogie boarding. We distracted him from wandering by puttin him on a board. He is so light, that he can go forever.

Now I need guardian angels to watch over us on our ride home. Our car is not doing well. Boo!

Never want to leave this place

Peter loves the beach as much as his mom.

He is always near or in the water.

And always has wet shorts.

The kid has NO fear of the ocean.

He goes clear in, many times the water is past his waist.

Isn't she just the sweetest?

Steve got Rachel her first pair of Toms yesterday.

She looks super cute sporting them around the beach.

This morning we took the kids out to fly a kite.

They had a ton of fun.

I ran past this sand creation on my morning run.

Luke wanted to see for himself, and rode his bike down to get a better view.

Pretty cool.

I am so happy for this little treasure I found.

I was on a morning run, and it washed up right in front of me.

It made my run, even more worth while.

I have been very unmotivated to run lately,

and running on the beach, watching surfers is just the cure.

Luke has been letting me borrow his Shawn White jacket. I like it a lot!

And I got a new lu lu lemon running skirt too! I am a lucky girl.

You better sit down before reading this next comment....

Luke and Maggie are getting along great on this trip. Really.

Actually it has been since the move. We have had to stick together as a family.

13 hours of fun!

Did I say fun? Well mostly fun.

Peter had a hard time warming up to the Disneyland Rides.

This is him, after getting off Splash Mountain.

We began with Pirates, and this was the second ride.

(he cried on both)

If you put your hand on his chest, you could feel his heart pounding.

If you know me, I have no sympathy for fear-so I took a picture and we kept going.

We arrived on a Tuesday, and left on a Wednesday!

We played, and laughed and smiled, ALL DAY LONG!

We told the kids they could pick out one souvenir.

They picked these cute stuffed baby animals in a blanket.

How do you like Pete's legs crossed?

The kids all loved the teacups.

We went on it a couple times.

Lucky me!

Lucky Steve-he sat this ride out both times.

Below: it is about 12:15 am.

Mission: success!

Chillaxin'

These are a couple of my favorites. I also have a moto while I am in California: I don't get dressed. No, we are not at a nudist beach, I just refuse to get out of my swimsuit. I am in it all the time. Disneyland, kinda threw a wrench in that plan. So after 13 hours at Disneyland yesterday, I am back in my outfit of choice.