Catching up

I was going to wait to write this post until we knew whether Farris got the job or not...but we were supposed to know this week, and by Friday we were a little nervous, so Farris sent an e-mail. I guess it's a good thing it was him and not me, in the state I'm in I would have said something like "Hello! Do you remember me? We're waiting here not very patiently while our WHOLE LIFE IS ON HOLD, so can you get a move on?" Pregnancy hormones can be rude, sorry. So Farris sent a calm e-mail and then he got a voice mail back, saying that the decision making had been delayed {insert my thoughts: "ummm, what in the world does that mean???} and that they hope to get an answer for everyone next week. Sure, no problem, we just need to turn in Farris' notice at BYU, find a house, sell a house, find a doctor and a hospital, and box up our house all before August 1st, which is when they would like the people who get the jobs to start. OK, sorry about the sarcasm, just letting out some frustrations. Back to our Newey Family motto: We're OK!
Now on to the good times. We left early, early, early on Monday the 27th for Rexburg. When we got there I dropped Farris off at the interview, and went to the Splash Park in town. So much fun! The kids had a blast. It's like a regular playground with slides but with water pouring and shooting all over. I also got to spend some time with my friend Leah (we were roomies at BYU-I when it was Ricks) and her kids. I haven't seen her for so long and it was great to see her sweetness again. She's also having a baby (a boy) in August, so we got to compare. I'd love to live near her! Then we picked Farris up, he dropped us at a hotel so I could take a nap (thank you!) and he went back for round 2. I have to say a little about this interview: Farris had to prepare a 7 minute presentation, study up on a case study so he could discuss it, write a paper, and then he had a regular interview, too. Whew! No wonder they are having a hard time making a decision, they have tooooo much information! Anyway, we had a picnic dinner at a park with Sam and Kolleen and then drove around the area looking for houses and areas we liked. The next day we met with a real estate agent and drove around some more. The kids were getting way bored of all the driving (but we found some beautiful communities, all that green grass and open space!), so we promised them Bear World the next day. Next to Rigby is kind of like a reserve with elk, deer, wolves, buffalo, and of course bears. After a drive through (we counted over thirty bears, they were beautiful! We even had a bear brush up against the van, the kids were squealing) they have a petting zoo (we got to pet deer, goats, a pig, and there were lots of geese, ducks and peacocks, too) and watch six bear cubs playing. The cubs were my favorite, they were completely adorable in their play. There is also about six little kiddie rides that the kids loved. I went on the little roller coaster, but we couldn't put the safety bar down all the way because my basketball shaped stomach got in the way, hee-hee. Then we headed to Grandma Child's house, only two hours away, nice. We spent the next day helping her in her beautiful yard. Well, Farris did, I was starting to feel the effects of too much traveling and not enough water and sleep. We had so much fun at Judy's, the kids love being there with her, and it was good to chat and get caught up on everything going on in the family. We even got to see Charitie perform with the rest of the youth in her stake in a dance, she did such a good job(they danced to Dream Big by Ryan Shupe and the Rubber Band, I added it to my music on the blog). Friday was the highlight of the week, we went to the Twin Falls temple to see our nephew get his endowment. It's such an amazing thing to see the next generation growing up, and growing into such a good man. I love him and I'm so proud of what a great person he is. He's a wonderful example for all his younger cousins.
On Saturday we visited with Farris' grandma Larsen (one of my favorite people!) and then headed back to Utah for a family reunion. The next day was Sunday and Cindi and Scott were blessing their beautiful little girl Shailey. What an amazing family week we were having, from grandparents to temple endowments to baby blessings! I love having a family that we can enjoy in all seasons of life. The next day was the Forth of July. In our family the tradition is to meet in Huntsville, where my Dad grew up, and enjoy the small town celebration. I love Huntsville, it's in a valley with a reservoir and is one of the most gorgeous places on earth in my opinion. Farris and Scott ran the 10K, we had the town's pancake breakfast, watched the parade, and then lunched at my aunt's house. All the kids were running wild with their cousins and enjoying it. I love watching my kids enjoying time with their cousins, it brings back memories of playing with mine (me'n'Amy!). After awhile we decided to head back home, we were missing our own beds and needed to get back to our own routines.
On Tuesday we started our waiting game to hear from BYU-I and I went to a doctors appointment. The baby's kidneys were swollen in the first ultrasound, so they wanted to check them during the third trimester to make sure they went back to normal. Thankfully, they were fine and the baby is growing well (and she's still a girl, whew). But because of dehydration and a busy, crazy week my amniotic fluid is low, so I received some strict instructions to drink LOTS of water and take it a little easier (breaks with my feet up every couple of hours). All I need in this crazy time is to be on bed rest, so I'm following her instructions to the letter.
Now we're just back to the waiting game, I'm praying for patience, we're all praying for guidance, and we're enjoying the wonderful rainy weather mixed with heat so the kids can play on the slip-n-slide. I do love summertime!