The Wacky Wardell Family: Family Update-and a Re-Commitment to Keep Up with this Darned Thing!

I know I didn't post ALL summer and I haven't updated this thing in FOREVER but we are still here! Can I just say that this past summer was a BLUR. Everything was so out of sorts that I am surprised we all made it through with at least most of our sanity in tact. Let me start off by saying that we finally moved! We are in an amazing home with room to spare and we LOVE it! Getting to this point was DEFINITELY no easy task, but I am glad to say that we made it and are happy as can be. Most of our summer was spent dealing with house stuff. We spent time packing and searching and packing and searching. At one point in there we were technically "homeless" but thanks to amazing friends, we had a place to rest our heads and call home for a few weeks until we found a home. The Lord truly works in mysterious ways and even though I would have really liked our home buying journey to be less dramatic and memorable, if that is what it took to get us here, I am eternally grateful. So here is an update on our family.

James is still working hard at his job. We moved significantly closer to his work and he now has about a 10 minute commute (with traffic)! This means that we actually get to see him for more than a few minutes before bed each day. Sometimes he even comes home for lunch. I love having him close by. James was released from being the Sunday School first counselor and the Gospel Essentials teacher as we have moved into a different ward. We are both awaiting new callings and are very anxious to serve.

I am busy homeschooling the boys. This occupies nearly all my time, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. I have also taken up Zumba and I LOVE IT! I am still decorating cakes and have kept busy with that as well. I miss my dear sweet Primary kids from our other ward, but I am excited to see where the Lord will put me next.

Alex is growing like a weed lately! The kids keeps outgrowing his pants! He is really maturing quite a bit and is a bright boy. He enjoys Legos, books, drawing and playing piano. He will be learning to ride his bike on two wheels soon! We know it is a little later than usual for kids his age, but we finally have a nice LONG driveway and a quiet street for him to learn on. He is getting more and more adventurous with getting dirty, picking up critters and trying new things. He is excelling in school and piano and will be performing in the homeschool fine arts festival next month.

Eric is still a big ball of cute! He too is growing up quickly and is starting to lose that baby-face he has always had. He is still very compassionate and sweet. he has a hug and a kind word for everyone. he loves stuffed animals (and dressing them in fun costumes), superheroes, Legos, playing outside and everything else a boy loves to do. He is enjoying being homeschooled and also enjoys participating in a Pre-K Co-Op once a week with other kids from the ward.

Josephine is growing up so much! She is definitely transitioning into a toddler. She is extremely vocal and busy. She is into everything and keeps us all busy. She loves her baby dolls and Little People toys. She LOVES being outside and usually dissolves into a pile of tears when it is time to come inside. She is pretty bossy and makes sure that everyone is doing what they are supposed to be doing, especially her brothers and the dogs. She loves our new cat Sarah and follows her around constantly.

That is my only update for now, I will try my best to update more often.

Here are some pictures from our summer.