Family Time

Once again it has been a very long time since I have posted anything. Time seems to fly by. Mike has just about completed his job in Salmon and last week we had him home for the first time in five months. Sadie loves having her daddy home to play rough with. We are just grateful that Mike still has a job when many do not. Sadie is definately in her terrible twos or terrific twos depending on the day. Some days I feel like all I do is chase Sadie around and clean up her messes while she is making the next mess. She seems to know what she is not supose to get into. Sadie is very bossy and likes to tell Mike and I or anyone around what to do. She has had alot of fun interacting with her new cousin and helpin take care of her. Whenever Twylie cries Sadie says "Sh, Its alright I'm here"as she rubs her head. Being her mother is one of the greatest joys but also the greatest challenge. We have also been busy making Christmas presents as a family, trying to give more meaningful gifts. It has been alot of work but also fun working together.

What's Up with Us

Wow. I haven't updated our blog in a long time. Alot has changed. The biggest change being that Mike had a JOB!! He started working for Pacific West Construction in May as just a laborer but with the promise of something more. Then the beginning of June he got a promotion to a supervisor of the Sacajewa Learning Center in Salmon. (Not sure if thats spelled right) That was the good new but the bad news is that he works in Salmon all week and is only home on the weekends. Sadie and I really miss him but it is a good oportunity and learning experiance for him. He is not yet doing the job that he got his degree for but it is one step closer and we are greatful. I am still working part time at a partial care but did pick up a few more hours during the summer. I work two full days a week and three half days which isn't too bad but I miss spending that extra time with Sadie. I am also getting more burn out and have been considering quiting but can't yet. If I could get pregnant I would have more reason to quite but as of yet that has not happened. I guess I just have to be patient. Sadie is growing and learning so much. She seemed to be advanced for her age. She can say six word sentinces, has her favorite books memorized, can count to 5 almost 10, and can sing songs such as "I'm so glad when daddy comes home" on her own. I don't know. Maybe she is not ahead for her age but I still have to brag. She would make a great big sister. We have to be careful what we say because she will repeat everything we say. She has a little attitude and when I ask her to put her clean up she says "You clean up" in a sassy tone. I often have give her an incentive to do what I want her to. She is working on potty training but is refusing to sit on the potty. She seems to think monsters live in her potty. We'll just have to keep trying.

whats up with us

We have had a very interesting past few weeks. We went to Boise to visit Mike's friend who was visiting from Afganistan and had a lot of fun seeing friends and family.

While there Sadie picked up the cold and flu virus and has been sick all week along with mom. We were very worried about her because she wouldn't eat anything and is already so skinny. She just had a doctors visit and only weights 22 lbs at 19 months and is 34 inches tall. He said she is in the 25th percentile for weight and 100th percentile for height. Anyway, we are all on the mend and Sadie is finally eating again. Mike was able to say home with her because he just got laid off from his job. So if anyone knows of any job openings feel free to let us know! Anyway, I am still working at the partial care although I am getting a little burnt out. I am grateful that I have a job even though I would like to be home with Sadie. Sadie is growing so much and mimics everything we say. Today she was starting to sing some of the words to Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. She loves to dance and is fasinated with bubbles. We would like to provide her with a little brother or sister soon but as of now that has not yet happened. We will see...

Latest Update

Wow, it has been forever since the last Wanstrom Family update. Alot has changed. Mikes job that we moved back to Idaho for did not work out so we had a major change of plans. Mike worked for a temp agency for a while but is now working for a framing company based out of Utah. He is working on two LDS churchs and will be starting a new one in January. He is still looking for a better job that he can use his degree in but we are thankful for the work that he does have. I am also working part time as a social worker at a partial care. I work with kids with behavior problems between the ages of 5 and 7. It is a challenge but I like trying to make a difference. I had a hard time taking Sadie to daycare but she stays with a sister-in-law that runs a small day care and is very good with her. Sadie loves going to Dawn's house to play and doesn't seem to care when mom leaves. Sadie is growing so fast and is such a smart girl. She had a mischevious streak and loves to wait until mom is looking then does something she knows she is not supose to and takes off running. She had just started to climb and will push her little table around the house, climb up on it, and get into things. She is talking alot although most of it we have yet to understand. Her faviorite words are "uh oh" and "no no no". She is almost 17 months old and his such a doll. We have a hard time keeping up with her.
Well I will try to update more but if I don't before Christmas we wish you all a wonderful Christmas season.

Moved to Idaho

A lot has changed since my last post. The weekend of August 23 we moved back to Idaho and are now living in Idaho Falls. We found a very cute house we are renting that is small but just right for our family. Mike is working at a temp job while he waits for security clearance. Once he gets that clearance he will be working at the INL and will actually get to use his construction degree which we are really excited about. But clearance could take up to 3 months so hopefully it is sooner rather than latter. I just started working a part time job today which is a huge change since it is the first time I have worked since Sadie was born. I am working at partial care running a group of 6 and 7 year olds that have been in domestic violence homes. I think it will be a lot of fun as well as a big challenge. Sadie get to play at my sister-in-laws house while I work. She has a small day care and lives only a few blocks away so I worked out really well.

Wild Fire

We have just had a very exciting and scary weekend. On Friday a wild fire was started about 3 miles south of us in Spring Lake by a fallen power line. Sadie and I heard the sirens and saw the smoke around 3pm. Then at around 8pm we started for a walk along the route we always take but the road was closed because the firefighters were using the elementary school along that route as refueling base. At that point we saw the fire up on the mountain but it looked like it was contained. By the time we got home from our walk, the flames had grown higher and the wind had picked up and was blowing the fire toward our house. I was starting to panic and Mike was not home from work yet to calm me down. By the time Mike got home around 10pm we could hear the police on a loud speaker telling us to evacuate. The fire was at the edge of the orchard and was less than a mile away. We threw our pictures and clothes in the car and went to Mike's sisters house in Midvale because we were going to help her on Saturday anyway. There aren't words to express my feelings as we drove away from our home knowing that all our earthly possessions could be gone in the morning.

We got back late Saturday night from Mike's sisters so it wasn't until this morning that we saw the damage of the fire. No homes were burnt but the fire came within 200 yards of our house and burnt all along the edge of the orchards behind our house. I guess they turned the water on the orchards so they acted as a barrier between the fire and all our homes. Everyone evacuated is within our ward boundaries so we had a very thankful fast and testimony meeting at church today. I think that the fire is mostly out now. It was burning on the other side of the mountain but we can no longer see it. We did see a huge helicopter sucking up water from the irrigation pond right across the street from us all day today. Sadie enjoyed watching the helicopter. We watched it suck up water than ran to the window in back of our house and watched in spray the water on the mountain. At first it was exciting to see all the action but it quickly got old because the helicopter was so loud.

Needless to say, we are very grateful that we still have a home to live in and grateful that everyone in our ward is safe.

July

Well we have had a very busy month with a lot of exciting news. Mike just received and accepted a job offer at INL as an associate engineer. Therefore, we get to move back to Idaho!! The only draw back is that Mike has to get clearance before he can start working which could take up to three months. So we don't know went he will start and what he will do until then. oh, we also have to move again which I am not looking forward to.
Another big even this month was Sadie's birthday. We are now living with a 1 year old. She turned 1 on the 29th of July. We had a big birthday party for her last Saturday with family members. Sadie and I made her a teddy bear birthday cake. Sadie enjoyed the frosting more than the cake. She was spoiled by her grandparents and aunts. We also celebrated on her birthday by inviting her friend Isaac over to swim in a kiddy pool, eat Popsicles and play with Sadie's new birthday toys. They had a lot of fun together.