WE MOVED!!

I can't believe that I haven't posted anything in so long. It has been a crazy, insane, stressful couple of months to say the least, but things are starting to get back to normal. Jake and I finally moved down to Las Vegas where we bought a home. This home was a short sale - which I would never recommend if you have low stress tolerance levels because the short sale process is quite the ordeal. But after sticking it out, we finally got the home we wanted at an amazing price. We actually live in Henderson, Nevada. It's about 10 minutes from the Las Vegas strip. I really love it down here, the area is so nice and there are tons of things to do and places to go. The people here are great and the ward is awesome. I'm really excited to get to know more people.

As far as everything else goes... I think Samuel is getting ready to make his debut. He is moving around a lot and I have had a lot of Braxton Hicks contractions. I have a doctor's appointment next week so I will check in with Dr. Irion and see what he thinks. As the time gets closer I become more anxious and scared, especially of the unknown. I wish I knew exactly when Samuel was coming and exactly how much time I will have with him. I have had this recurring dream that I am walking towards a black hole and as I walk closer, the hole just gets bigger and bigger. I know that the black hole is the unknown. If I could walk with more faith I don't think the hole would be as scary as it appears to be. In the midst of all my anxiety, I have felt a lot of peace. On Sunday at church we talked about trusting in the Lord. Sometimes it is so hard to just have faith and put your trust in the Lord. It's one of those things that is much easier said then done. If I could have more trust in the Lord when it came to moving down here to Henderson, I would have avoided A LOT of undeserved stress. With Samuel, I would like to be able to put all of my trust in the Lord. I know that with the more faith and trust in the Lord I can have, the less I need to worry. Another thing we talked about at church was the Atonement. And how important it is for us to fully understand the Atonement and how by doing so - it can change our lives. I always say how Samuel has blessed my life in many ways already, but I can say without a doubt that the Atonement has really become more clear and more real to me through this experience. It is because of the Atonement and Christ's selfless sacrifice that I will be able to always have my Samuel - regardless of how long his life here on earth will be. The atonement gives purpose and value to every person, every soul. I know the Lord has a plan for my sweet Samuel.

I continue to receive such great support from friends and family. I am so grateful for the amazing people the Lord has placed in my life. I hope that I can be as great a friend/family member as those people have been to me. I say "I" a lot just because I am writing but I ALWAYS mean "WE". Jake is busy with his new job and improving our new home but we are always on the same page. He is enjoying this huge change in our lives and is currently busy painting the walls and shampooing the carpet as I speak :)

Here are some pictures that I have taken in the past few months that never got posted...

Grandpa and Grandma are BUSY BUSY Mission Presidents in Milan, Italy. We think about them often and pray for them daily. Manoa misses eating dinner on Grandpa's lap.


I went to Zion's National Park with my sister and brother in law in June. Manoa of course had a blast climbing all over the rocks.





Another picture of Manoa with Grandpa... napping. (and with food on his face, of course). I know he misses them just as much as we do.


Sprinkler time. And look at that grass!!! Something we miss a lot down here in Vegas.


Here are a few pics we took at Thanksgiving Point. Manoa LOVES animals. He even fed a cow at this petting zoo.