Life Chapter 3: More Change

"They" (whoever that is) always say that the most consistent thing in life is change. Such is the case in our house in the last few weeks. If you haven't heard the recent news it is two-fold:

1) we are pregnant
and
2) we are moving back to Utah
Shocked? So am I.

Baby #3 is definitely a surprise, especially since when we found I was still nursing my 8 month old BABY! Hello?! Quinton and his younger sibling will only be 16 months apart. Corbin will barely be 3... so come October 19th (my due date) I will have 3 kids ages 3 and under. That was never part of the "plan", but plans CHANGE and hopefully for good reason. Besides, I know the Lord wouldn't bless me with anything I couldn't handle. So my mantra these days is:
"I can do this, I can do this...."
Anyway, we feel lucky to be parents again, regardless of the time frame so here is a peek at our little peanut from our ultrasound on Friday. So glad it is only 1! :)

The other news comes by way of an internal transfer through Jeff's work, Grand Canyon University. Their campus in Bluffdale, UT contacted him 2 weeks ago about transferring and after a week of awaiting the news we got word Friday afternoon that he got the position and that his start date it FRIDAY, MAY 1st. So, our heads have been spinning all weekend trying to break the news to family and friends near and far... and then get a handle on the task(s) at hand: house-hunting (for a rental) and packing. Those of Jeff's family in Utah are ecstatic (needless to say), and my family has mixed emotions. They are happy for Jeff and the opportunity he'll have to move up in the company and look toward career options, but sad to see us go. It's hard to move away from your comfort zone.... but, "we can do this, we can do this."

So, if you know if anyone who wants to buy a house in Mesa, AZ-- ours is still for sale. And if you know of anyone who has a home to rent somewhere in Utah County let us know-- we're interested.

Chapter 1: Young married life, working, no kids, living in Orem, UT.
Chapter 2: Moved to Mesa, AZ, new jobs, bought first house, new parents.
Here's to the Moss family life chapter 3: back to UT, new job, another child, more change.

Back to Jeff's beloved mountains...4 seasons...and snow...

Spring Break Fun

Although Spring Break around our house is really no different than any other week, we DID take advantage of the fact that our cousins were out of school and got to visit the Phoenix Childrens Museum with them. Corbin had a blast with his cousins and we wore them out real good. Luckily... it also happened to be St. Patrick's Day that day so we got in on some fun Patty's Day art projects. PCM is a fun place for the kids and the parents to have fun and visit in a creative atmosphere. Check out all the fun:

After a night of little sleep I was in no mood to do too much Wednesday morning.... BUT I got a call from the realtor around 10:30 that someone was coming to see the house between 12 and 1:30 so I HAD TO CLEAN THE HOUSE AND LEAVE! (I hate that.... lunch and nap time with 2 kids and a sleepy mom... not a good time to exit the house.) So, we picked up a salad and kids meal at Arby's (their chopped salads are amazing by the way) and headed to the park. It actually turned out perfect! The boys loved picnicing under a tree and playing on the slides. We really enjoyed each other, the 3 of us, and soaked up the relaxed time together.

Clap, clap, clap!

Blondie and blue-eyed

MMmmmmm... drinking from a straw!

Corbin's most favorite slide ever!

Quinton and I on the slide.... Corbin's amateur photography work...
not bad for a 2.5 year old BOY! (click to enlarge and you'll be able to see us)

A few days later Samantha came over for some more fun... swimming, sliding, and sprinklers! Despite the 1 little patch of sun in the lawn they still had a good time slippin' and slidin' in the backyard... catching some sun:

The Bucket Filler

One of my really good friends/college roommates, Natalie, recently invited me to be a contributor/author at this blog: The Bucket Filler . I'll be totally honest - I love it because it's a GREAT idea and because I have the privilege of being a part of it!! There are 5 different women who are contributors and we are all in the same "boat" of life right now... meaning we are young mom's.

The blog is a virtual-style scripture study group, or institute class of sorts; Specifically, The Book of Mormon. We just launched on Monday and Elise started with 1 Nephi chapter 1. Tuesday my friend Alicia shared her thoughts on chapter 2, Chelsea did Chapter 3 yesterday and today was my debut.

This is a great way to motivate each other to study daily!

If you're interested in learning more about The Book of Mormon, and reading along with us - you'll love The Bucket Filler! Like I mentioned, we just started so you can easily join up!

Our goal is to complete The Book of Mormon by the end of 2009! Come check it out!

Childhood Pleasures...

Lately we've been busy trying to have as much fun as possible...aka: taking advantage of the mild AZ winter weather. So here is a quick picture/video update of what we've been up to as of late.
Attending park play days each week:

(You can't tell but Corbin is at the top of the slide and the kids lined up at the bottom are taking turns "catching" Corbin at the bottom, so his mom could rest...or get some chatting done.)

After a family birthday dinner at Costa Vida for my sister Katie we checked out the nearby Toy Store, which Corbin could have spent HOURS in... he loved this 10 cent horse ride... good thing the ice cream store is right next store so we could lure him away from the toys. He's a natural, don't you think?
(Might want to kill the music at the bottom of the page before you continue.)

Sammy, Corbin's cousin, has been coming over to play and last week Corbin and Sam got creative painting their backyard clubhouse...

(The finished product is much more colorful... I'll post updated pictures soon. Please notice the chalk "road" in the background as well, it was a busy day in the backyard.)

Playing at Grandma & Grandpa's house is never complete without a ride on the swing and a few bounces on the trampoline. Even Quinton got in on the action this time:

(See those Suns shirts?... that's fun too, to sport your favorite team shirt, even if daddy complains and tries changing your mind EVERY TIME you do.)

(Like Quinton's crazy hair?)

Trying a cookie for the first time will undoubtedly be the beginning of one of Quinton's continued childhood pleasures:

Childhood pleasures certainly include blue tongues from suckers... after you've gotten a great home-haircut from daddy!

Another fun memory with cousin Sammy... reading books together after story time at the library. Samantha was actually making her own story up in this clip because that book had no words. Corbin had no idea, but loved it anyway...


It's certainly a pleasure to snuggle with mommy in the rocking chair before naptime too!

Paul Allen, speaks out on Mormons...

Found this article to be really interesting and thought I would share it will you. It is a little lengthy but very good.

NFL Owner, Paul Allen, speaks out on Mormons...
MICROSOFT FOUNDER, NFL OWNER, PAUL ALLEN, SPEAKS OUT ON
MORMONS
Paul Allen is the owner of the Seattle Seahawks, the ones
who played the Pittsburgh Steelers for the Super Bowl. He is also the
owner of the Portland Trail Blazers NBA basketball team and is
co-partner with Bill Gates in Microsoft. He wrote this editorial in the

Santa Clarita, California newspaper, 2006:
I have heard and seen enough!
I have lived in the West all my life. I have worked around
them. They have worked for me and I for them. When I was young, I dated
their daughters. When I got married they came to my wedding. Now that I
have daughters of my own, some of their boys have dated my daughters. I
would be privileged if one of them were to be my son-in-law.
I'm talking about the Mormons.
They are some of the most honest, hardworking people I have
ever known. They are spiritual, probably more than most other so-called
religious people I have encountered. They study the Bible and teach
from it as much as any Christian church ever has. They serve their
religion without pay in every conceivable capacity. Not one of their
leaders, teachers, counselors, Bishops or music directors receive one
dime for the hours of labor they put in.
The Mormons have a non-paid ministry - a fact that is not
generally known. I have heard many times from the pulpits of others how
evil and non-Christian they are and that they will not go to heaven. I
decided recently to attend one of their services near my home to see
for myself.
What a surprise!
What I heard and saw was just the opposite from what the
religious ministers of the day were telling me. I found a very simple
service with no fanfare. I found a people with a great sense of humor
and a well-balanced spiritual side. There was no loud music. Just a
simple service, with the members themselves giving the several short
sermons.
They urge their youth to be morally clean and live a good
life. They teach the gospel of Christ, as they understand it. The name
of their church is "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints.
Does that sound like a non-Christian church to you? I asked them many
questions about what they teach and why. I got answers that in most
cases were from the New Testament. Their ideas and doctrines did not
seem too far fetched for my understanding. When I read their "Book of
Mormon" I was also very surprised to find just the opposite from what I
had been told I would find.
Then I went to another church's pastor to ask him some of
the same questions about doctrine. To my surprise, when he found out
that I was in some way investigating the Mormons, he became hostile. He
referred to them as a non-Christian cult. I received what sounded to me
like evil propaganda against those people. He stated bluntly that they
were not Christian and that they did not fit into the Christian mold.
He also told me that they don't really believe the Bible. He gave me a
pile of anti-Mormon literature. He began to rant that the Mormons were
not telling me the truth about what they stand for. He didn't want to
hear anything good about them. At first I was surprised and then again,
I wasn't. I began to wonder.
I have never known of a cult that supports the Boy Scouts
of America. According to the Boy Scouts, over a third of all the Boy
Scout troops in the United States are Mormon.
What cult do you know of that has a welfare system second
to none in this country? They have farms, canneries and cattle ranches
to help take care of the unfortunate ones who might be down and out and
in need of a little help. The Mormon Church has donated millions to
welfare causes around the world without a word of credit. They have
donated thousands to help rebuild Baptist churches that were burned a
few years ago. They have donated tons of medical supplies to countries
ravaged by earthquakes.
You never see them on TV begging for money. What cult do
you know that instills in its members to obey the law, pay their taxes,
serve in the military if asked and be a good Christian by living high
moral standards? Did you know that hundreds of thousands of Mormon
youth get up before high school starts in the morning to attend a
religious training class? They have basketball and softball leagues and
supervised youth dances every month.
They are recruited by the FBI, the State Department and
every police department in the country, because they are Trustworthy.
They are taught not to drink nor take drugs. They are in the Secret
Service - those who protect the President. They serve in high
leadership positions from both parties in Congress and in the US
Senate, and have been governors of several states other than Utah. They
serve with distinction and honor.
If you have Mormons living near, you will probably find
them to be your best friends and neighbors. They are Christians who try
to live what they preach. They are not perfect and they are the first
to admit this. I have known some of them who could not live their
religion, just like many of us. The rhetoric which is spread around
against them is nothing more than evil propaganda founded in untruths.
(Others) had successfully demonized them to the point that the general
public has no idea what they actually believe and teach. If you really
want to know the truth, go see for yourself. You also will be
surprised.
When I first moved here some 25 years ago there were five
Mormon wards in Santa Clarita, Calif. Now there are 15. They must be
doing something right.

Book Club Retreat

Once a month a few friends in the neighborhood agree to read the same book and gather for an enlightening discussion. A fun and intellectual gathering for sure. In the past we've read some great books, had good conversations, and even enjoyed entire plates of homemade cakes! It is always sure to be a great time, no matter the book or topic at hand. This last months' meeting was no different as we added a third element: ADVENTURE! That's right we all left our kids with our husbands and drove into the mountains for a sleep over at my family's cabin to discuss this month's book, The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch. It's a great book that really gets you thinking about life and death and living and dreaming.... we even got to watch The Last Lecture on DVD to complete our experience.

(L to R: Sophie, Danielle, Becky, Front: Teresa, Jessica)

We certainly enjoyed our night free of children, husbands, and other distractions... and full of laughter, conversation, enlightenment, and yummy food.

I am sure we were a little deliriously slap-happy at times... a few of us, anyway. That's what happens when you stay up past 3am eating sugar.

Jessica's a poser.

Like my lame attempt at a fire? I lost count of how many matches I used... that was awful firewood and Reader's Digests don't work so well as kindling. But, it kept us fairly warm and it was still smoldering in the morning...

Becky... so glad she joined us, even if she is the new bishop's wife! :)

Dr. Pepper late at night... mmmm!

Okay.... you can barely see her, but Kate was there. Something strange happened to her back either on the ride up or in an attempt to push the car up the hill and over a small ravine. Jessica dished out her I.O.U. with a nice back rub. Poor Kate.

This is why every woman needs other good women in her life to provide relief, support, comfort, understanding, explanation, laughter, sympathy, and fun. Thanks for a fun weekend girls!