So after surviving the move and finals, all in the same week, we are finally settled into our new place. We love living in a small town. This is the first time for Mike, but not my first small town living experience. We love our town house, love the beauty of the mountains, love passing fields and farms as we drive home, and the clean air and the smell of rain on the wild sweet grass. It was a smell I had almost forgotten after 10 years of living in a city. It is interesting driving into work, and seeing the smog cloud I did not even realize that we lived in. Our new ward is wonderful, although we have only been once because unfortunately the boys were sick (we have had colds all week, and for some reason, last night the boy's became worse.) So we have not made a lot of friends yet but we have only been here two weeks. It is a tremendous blessing to have a home with lots of storage, because it is that much easier to clean and keep clean. This is one of my favorite spaces, the toy room/play area.

I have always wanted a toy room for the boys. But with the homes we have lived in, it just was not possible. So when I started planning the layout of rooms and what furniture we would put in each room I made a decision to have one. When my Grandma lived in the house, she had the dining room right behind her living room. This would be fine, but my Grandma has carpeting in this space, which food and carpet do not go well together. So I made a decision to put the kitchen table in the kitchen, and actually I love having a little less space in my kitchen, because the pay-off of having my boys in the kitchen while I make dinner, as well as not having a tv in our dining space, and thus allowing the space for my boys to have their own play area is just a tremendous benefit to our little family. I will get pictures of the boys room posted as soon as I get them finished. We painted their rooms before we moved in. Jacob's is a linen color, and Collin's is a light blue-gray. Pictures will be coming in the next week or two.

 Jacob has mastered the stairs in the first day and half we started living here, which he now loves going up and down. He has started walking a few steps, but still seems unsure of himself when left to walk alone. His vocabulary seems to increase each day. My favorite new word is "hello." He has said "hi" for awhile, but the hello cracks me up. When we talk to our family on the phone, they always think they are talking to Collin as Jacob learns new words and sounds more and more grown up. The people from the early intervention (it's called Kids Who Count) came this last week and could not believe how well Jacob gets around and they hinted at Jacob not needing their services much longer.

Mike has always worried about Jacob. He has always rocked while in chairs or seated on the couch (which is something my brothers, my dad, and my uncles did/still do) and covers his ears when the blow dryer is going or the vacuum is running. But he talks, moves, and goes up to complete strangers to be held, and loves to be cuddled. So I asked the evaluators what they thought, and they actually laughed. Apparently he is as far from autistic as possible, which really helped ease some worry with Mike. I was not actually that worried, as I have worked with Autistic children and adults and Jacob did not fit into the description of being autistic. Along with Jacob turning 18 months, he has started some tantrums when he does not get what he wants or if he is tired. He saw his doctor this week for a well-child visit and we took this video. Apparently Collin taught his brother how to say "cheers" and then click their cups together. I did not know they even knew how to do this, so this was a new experience for me. And apologies for it being sideways!

Collin can drive us nuts one moment and than just be cute and hilarious the next minute. He is kind of sneaky, as he sneaks snacks that are up in the cupboard or on top of the fridge, or by taking our phone and hiding so he can play games on it. He scared me this week, hiding behind some boxes in a closet and not responding to my calls, as I went running outside, sure he had snuck out, sans bra and shoes (I had a shirt on at least.) After 15 minutes of me calling his name while having a panic/asthma attack, he finally reappeared, much to the delight of my neighbors and myself. Worst. Feeling. Ever.  Ugh, I hope I never experience that again. There is nothing more terrifying than thinking your child is gone. The sweetest phrase Collin has learned since moving is telling those he loves that he misses them. When I work the two days a week I work, he will tell me on the phone "I miss you." And he told me this morning, "But I need Tatum, and Grandma, and Papa, and Grandma and Grandpa Gourley." He definitely needs his family close by. He is learning so much each day, and teaching Mike and I even more. We love our little boys so much, and are so grateful to take the summer off and spend time as a family.

I have been missing Lilly and Ryker, as I sort through boxes and find little things that were theirs. It is crazy that they would have been 5 and 6 this year. I would be getting Lilly ready for Kindergarten, which has that bittersweet feeling. What is crazy is that had Lilly lived, and if Ryker had lived, we would have had two very high-risk little ones. I am grateful that they are able to escape the hate and evils of this world, as I grow more and more terrified for Collin and Jacob, and what they will face. I am grateful for the knowledge we have of ways to safeguard our family. Someone brought up a beautiful fact in our church meeting last week, that because the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is family-centered, we have programs already in place to teach our children correct principles through theses days where confusion seems to abound, and we are already aware that their is an ever-present attack on family-time. So I am grateful for the principles it provides me to hopefully make the difference in my children.Anyways, I will post more again soon, as it is late and I need to get to bed!  :)