8 years, 4 kids, and lots of laughs later.......

December 7th, 2001....that's the day of my first date with Ben. We doubled with his parents ( I know, you're jealous) to his company Christmas party. Little did I know that within 2 weeks we would have gone on 7 dates and fallen head over heels for each other. We got along with each other from the start and had an eerily close sense of humor! Anyone who knows Ben knows how scary that is that I think the same way sometimes!!!
Now, over 8 years we have made so many memories together. We've had our up and downs and through it all, we're still standing. I couldn't imagine going on this journey with anyone else. Ben, I love you and I'm glad Shannon gave you my number 8 years ago.

Thankful!

This week has been an emotional roller coaster for me...(big shocker there, I know) I've seen people around me have struggles that I would crumble with. And I find myself torn between feeling thankful that I don't have that problem and feeling somehow guilty that it is them and not me. I know my thinking is a little irrational, but I hate to see people I care about hurt. It also makes me worry that my trials are not far off, and for anyone that knows me well....I worry incessantly about the unknown. So with all of these emotions running through my brain, I want to try to stay focused on the great things in my life....my family, my health, my faith, my freedom, my friends. If your reading this, you're someone that I care about... and your trials are my trials, but your happiness is my happiness too!!

I'm a slacker!!!

Ok, so I haven't updated my blog since we left Colorado. I know, its been a while. I'm not even sure that anyone will read this, but I just checked all my blog lists and realized how much I've missed out on.
For those who don't know, we welcomed our 4th little boy to our family on Aug. 20th. His name is Ethan James McClurg and I'm amazed at how natural it feels to have him here. It seems like he has always been there for Brett to kiss as he walks by, or for Adam to pat on the head. He is a wonderful baby that I feel so blessed to have.
I feel like you can learn a lot about people by reading their blogs. There is something very honest about the way people can talk about their lives when they blog. Whether they are experiencing sorrow, new found joy, or just everyday living....It's interesting to me to know what and how they are feeling. I always feel like I learn something when I read other people's blog. So to those of you that are faithful in your blogging, thank you....It helps me to feel connected to you even if I'm not always close by. Hopefully, I'll be able to keep up on my blog a little better now that my life has calmed down a bit.

Not quite the ending I was picturing.....

Well, if you would've asked me 2 months ago about moving, I would've griped about the HOA. Ask me today, and it's a completely different reason. Layton's job at the Four Seasons inVail is no more. On Thursday, the owners notified Layton employees that they were terminating the contract. It was written as a "termination of convenience". That, from what I am told, means they could find no fault with Layton, but decided to finish the job with another contractor. This means that we, along with all of our Layton family here in Colorado, will be moving in the next few weeks. As of now, we don't know where we will be placed or when we need to be there, but a move is coming.

We've had some great times here and have met some truly wonderful people. Working out of state has been a great experience for our family and has made us closer than I could've ever imagined. We're both leaving behind callings that we love and people that we are better for knowing. I will look back on our time here with very fond memories.

We don't know what the next chapter of our lives will be yet, but it is our prayer that we will have the faith to know that things will work out. So, even though its not the ending I was picturing in my mind.....It's the ending that needed to happen.

HURRAY!!! THE HOA IS BACK!!!

Well, my favorite people in the world are back at it making people's lives a living hell. We just got another letter put on our door siting the violations this time. This time we were only in violation of 5 of the 6 listed!!! WooHoo!
The wording in this letter is absolutely appalling. "we continue to have residents violating some of the basics thus jeopardizing those exact reasons we moved to MacDonald St." If my kids using sidewalk chalk, riding bikes and having a stroller set on my porch "jeopardize" anyone's reason for moving here, then we moved here for completely different reasons. I thought this was a kid-friendly neighborhood, but apparently I was wrong.
As I have stated before, were my house not attached to 3 houses on either side, I would have no problem putting bikes in the garage at night. But, where I am 6 1/2 months pregnant, I don't really want to have to carry 3 different bikes around all of the houses to the back where the garage is located. I think storing them on MY porch should not make a difference to anyone else. And now they have said that if they are not actively in use, they must be put in the garage. I don't know about any of you, but my kids don't ride their bike one time a day. They ride it, get off and play, ride it, get off and play, etc. To ask a mother who is already busy chasing 3 little boys, to put their bike away whenever they are not on it, is retarded.
We've been told that sidewalk chalk must be washed away every night. Even though the sprinklers wash 90% of it away anyway. We also got our reminder that only owners can have dogs. I still stand by the fact that my dog is better behaved than the dog of the lady on the HOA board. Her dogs sits outside and barks all freaking day! And it's not my dog pooping up and down the street.
The thing that really gets me is they had the audacity to tell my friend Elissa who has 4 small children that she isn't allowed to run a daycare out of her home. SHE DOESN'T RUN A DAYCARE....SHE JUST HAS 4 LITTLE KIDS!!!!!! They told her that her car is constantly pulling up and driving away from her house. Hello!!! Mother of small children!!!!! Errands need to be run! And they told her all of this to her face!
So, here I sit, waiting for my landlord to call and say"well, the HOA sent me another letter about renters having dogs and you not obeying the rules. So, I guess you'll have to find another place"
And with only 5-6 months left here in Eagle, its not the best timing. I told Ben that if we don't get kicked out, I'll do my best to abide by the most retarded and controlling rules I have ever heard of.
BUT, just for spite, I'm gonna leave all kinds of crap out on the lawn (not my porch) for the next nine days and then move it right before they can fine me!!!!!!!! I'll show them! HA!

Happy birthday Adam!!

Adam is now officially 4 years old. He has been asking me for months when he would be 4. I think it was so the neighbor would quit calling him a baby.(unfortunately, that didn't work) Adam is such a special part of our family.
He is our sweetest boy, our cuddliest boy, and the one who looks the most like Ben. His smile is perfect and for the most part he is a very happy kid. He has a love for animals and never misses an opportunity to kiss Beau on the head when he walks by. He is by far our best eater and never misses a meal either. It will be fun to watch him grow up even more this year. We love you Adam!!

Teacher Appreciation....its finally done!

Well, for those of you who haven't talked to me in the last few weeks, I've spent the last month(or two or three) helping to plan and get ready for our teacher appreciation night. The youth of our ward have a tradition of nominating their favorite teacher. Most of the teachers are from school, some are private music teachers. This year, a favorite substitute got nominated and much to my disapproval, so did I.
Things went soooo good this year. Out of the 16 teachers that were nominated, 14 were able to come(one was at a funeral). So with the teachers and their guests, the students and their family, we probably had somewhere around 80-90 people. We set up enough seats for 100 and there were not very many empty seats. It was a great turnout. We also did a dinner for that many people. In the past it was thought that we couldn't do a dinner because it would be too crowded, but we did it and it turned out so great.
I got the job of making enough cole slaw for 100 people!!!! It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be and it turned out great. I got a lot of compliments on that cole slaw. I also was in charge of buying the supplies and making the gifts for the teachers. We did an 8x6 tile with a vinyl lettering quote from the student about why their teacher is special. I think I spent at least 10 hours cutting, peeling and transferring the vinyl. There were 20 different quotes done in .40 inch font. Can you say a pain in the butt!!! But I must say, they looked so good when they were done. We also did a slide show, played the newlywed game and parodied a song for the video.
So after all the preperation, the night came and went. I think the best part for me was having the girls in our ward come up immediatley after and say "Thank you so much Sister McClurg! You guys did such a great job. I know how much work it was." That to me, makes it all worth it. They were so gracious. Their parents were so gracious. And the teachers were so gracious. It was a ton of work, but to be able to show a teacher just how much they are appreciatied is awesome.

Spring Fever

I've got it! Spring fever is out in full force at the McClurg house. I would love nothing better than to be able to leave the windows open and let in the cool mountain air all day. But, that dang snow on the ground makes the air a little too chilly to leave them open too long. It's supposed to be in the 50's today, which is warm to me!!! Hopefully it will melt the snow and help melt away the crabbiness that I've had for the last two months. I counting on the spring to lighten my mood, brighten my home and bring nothing but good for Ben and the entire jobsite. Hopefully we can put the long hard winter behind us and start moving forward in a positive way.

It's official.....

It's official...... Ben has too much testosterone!! We are having baby boy #4!!!! Once again, Ben's high testosterone levels have overwhelmed any chance of me ever having a girl. But all joking aside, we are thrilled to know that we have a healthy, happy boy growing away inside of me. I'm definitely experienced with boys and I'll take a healthy baby any day!
People keep asking me if I'm ok with having a boy. The answer is yes. Did I want to have a girl, of course. But that does not take away from the fact that I love my boys and would not trade them for the world. I won't lie, there was a part of me that thought, "Can you check that again.... maybe it was a finger" But I think the other part of me always knew he was a boy.
If I'm half as patient as my mom, maybe there will be a #5 and maybe that will be my little girl. And if not, well..... I guess its a good thing I was always a little bit of a tom boy myself.:)

Music and memories!!

Have you ever noticed how certain songs just bring back memories faster than others. Well, being married to the human I-pod that I am, this weekend has brought up some that I haven't heard in a while. Here's to good memories!!
Firehouse- Love of a lifetime- This song will always remind me of Greg and Kellie. I'm pretty sure they danced to it at their wedding reception.
Eiffel 65- Blue- This song will forever make me think of dancing with Becky at the women's home in Ogden, and trying to recreate her brother's awesome moves :)It also makes me think of how obsessed Mark's kids were with this song.
Evanescence- Bring me to life- Reminds me of Sam(Ben's sister) She has an amazing voice and sounds just like the singer on this song.
Anything Bryan White -will remind me of spending countless days in Shannon's bedroom, doing who knows what.
STYX- Babe- This one reminds me of Paul. I never knew he could sing until I heard him sing this song in his old Truck. It also reminds me that I lost all of Steve's CD's including his STYX cd. Let's not bring that one back up!
Celine Dion- Because of You- I haven't heard this one in a while, but when I think of it, I think of Michelle. I may be wrong, but I think that I remember her saying ( a long time ago) that this song made her think of her mom and how much she had done for her.
They Might be Giants- any of them- Any song from them makes me think of riding in Amy's silver bullet and blasting this tape with all of our friends. That was a small car, but we fit a lot of people in it.
Anyway, just took my own trip down memory lane. If any of my memories are tainted, let me know, so I can refresh them :)

pro's and cons

So with all the drama we've been having, I've have been scouring the classifieds looking for a place that might work out for us. We've found 2 that actually might work out if everything plays out well.
The first one is in Eagle-Vail. The pros are:
Its closer to work for Ben
It's only a few blocks from our really good friends, the Daly's
Great location
Around the same $ we pay now
The con's are:
It's a furnished house. (Ben is worried about our kids destroying someone else's stuff) Go figure?!!
We'd have to switch wards
Landon would have to switch schools for the last 4 weeks of school, or I'd have to drive him every morning. 25 minute drive
No fenced yard for the kids and dog
Only renting from April -Dec.

The second house is in Gypsum. The pros are:
It's 2 minutes from our church
Fenced yard
Same size as we have now
storage shed out back
nice amenities in the house
2 car garage and an rv pad that we can put the trailer on
$150 less than we pay now
The cons are:
Landon will have to switch schools or I will have to drive him every morning. This drive is only 10 min.
Not as nice of location, but still quiet.
The owner is ok with dogs, trying to decide if he wants a big dog like ours.

Ok, with that said, remember, our lease is up May 9th. We'll be here until at least Dec. if not March of next year. Both of these places are on the market now, and may not be around next month. When we moved out here, the company paid for our first and last months rent, and our security deposit. We've been infomed that they will not be doing that with this move.(kinda frustrating, but whatever) They will let us use the deposit on the next place, though.
Ben's plan is that our last month(which is already paid for) will be April. If that's the case, then we can use our rent money on our new place in April, move in that first week, and use the rest of the month to clean up this place and make sure everything is better than we got it. (It's confusing, I know. I didn't understand at first.) If our landlord decides that our last month is may, then we'll have to figure something else out. For me, the ideal situation would be not to have to move, but I think that option is off the table. Any advice???? Love to hear it!

They went tooooo far!

OK, so I was already annoyed at the HOA and neighbors for how they were handling themselves. Well, last night Beau heard someone in my backyard!!! I'm not gonna point fingers but a well dressed woman was snooping around my backyard last night and my neighbor tells me the lady had a clipboard! They have gone too far and are now trespassing in my yard. When I got up to see what Beau was barking at, she turned and left. Then, when she got out of the gate, she waved at me like she was my friend or something. Not many friends would take off when they see you coming, now would they???? I have had two horrible nights sleep over this stupid thing and I just don't have a good feeling. I think no matter what, this is gonna end badly!

Time for the weekly venting session!!!

This week, I would love to know which one of my neighbors complained to the HOA about us. When we got our dog, we asked permission from the landlord and she said yes. We thought that would settle the matter. NOPE! One of our lovely neighbors called the HOA on us. Apparently, only home owners can have pets! Well, if our landlord gave us permission how is that our fault. So they put a letter on our door yesterday listing the things we needed to take care of. But they didn't stop there. They called our landlord and sent her a letter as well. Apparently in the uber prestigious Eagle Ranch, you are not allowed to keep snow shovels on your porch! Dumbest thing ever. And you can't have toys or tools in your backyard either! (neighbors can see over the fence) So my landlord shows up on my doorstep this morning with her copy of the letter and basically says we've got a problem. She went over her concerns and admitted that she didn't know there was a rule about homeowners and dogs. Then she says, have Ben call me and we'll have to figure something out. So I spent my morning preparing for the worst. Our landlord is at least a reasonable lady and said she would tell the HOA that she asked us to get rid of the dog. If it comes up again before our lease is up in May, she said she'd tell them that we were looking for a new place. My only concern with that is what if the unidentified neighbor doesn't let it go and her covering for us doesn't give us the three months that we need. Then what???? Will she let us out of our lease early since it was her fault for not knowing the stupid rules? I guess time will tell.... keep your fingers crossed.

Homesick!

Have you ever noticed that when you're homesick, things always seem worse than they are. I have found that to be so true over the last year. When you're homesick, it changes everything. Kellie told me that when she gets homesick, she shops. Well, I'm a Mudrow, we shop all the time anyway. No, for me, when I'm homesick, all the little annoyances suddenly become huge! A problem with a friend, or the house being messy... doesn't matter, it becomes HUGE! So, I thought that by acknowledging that, it would be easier. Nope! Not a chance. I'm just glad that Ben is a good listener, because on days like today, he gets an earful!

Good Days

Good days are here again! Landon has been behaving at school, Adam is back to being my happy child, and Brett....well, Brett is just Brett, but its a lot easier to deal with his antics when the other stresses are gone.
I've even been able to do some crafting this week which always is a stress reliever for me. I must say that having a cricut was a dang good investment for me. It's fast enough that I can do small projects in between the chaos.
For those who don't know, Ben and I are expecting #4 at the end of August. We're very excited and I'll take and love whatever I get, but I can't help crossing my fingers for a girl. A girl can dream, right??
P.S. I know this is cheesey, but thanks for the support on those bad days. It's really nice to know that distance doesn't matter when it comes to family and friends. Sometimes I think words have a healing power.

Being a mom

So I find myself sitting here and wondering how on earth my mom raised six boys. I have three and some days I feel like I have no sanity left. Today is one of those days. I feel like my life is spinning out of control and I have no way to stop it.
Landon has really taken to school and has up until recently been a great student. Over the last 2 weeks, he has gotten in trouble quite frequently. I've talked to him and his teacher and have yet to come up with a reason as to "why?". He has never gotten in trouble before and now he is making a regular habit of sitting in the hallway during writing time.
At the same time, Brett is well into his terrible 2's and throws tantrums quite regularly. Adam is my happiest most of the time, but when he gets mad, he stays mad. And lately, it seems that they all 3 need to be acting out at the same time.
Where we live so far away from family, I rely heavily on the support of Ben and our friends. But, when your children are acting like that, it makes it hard to do anything but sit home and feel sorry for yourself. There is no going out to lunch with the other moms.... not when your kids act out all the time. There is no going on a date.... not when no babysitter in their right mind would come and watch 3 rowdy boys and now a puppy!
So, most of you who know me are saying "what's new?" Well, dealing with the chaos is not new, but the overwhelming stress of wondering will it get better before we add number 4 is. Or am I doomed to have screaming as a background noise. Being pregnant and trying to stop the spinning is harder than it has been in the past.
We had a lesson in YW about finding the joy in womanhood. With all the craziness that comes with being a mom, its easy to forget to look for the joy in it. I'm guilty of it, I think we all are, but when all is said and done, I am a mom. I would not trade my worst day as a mom, for a day without my kids. I love them dearly and that is why I deal with the whining, crying and yelling.
That is why I change the diapers, clean the house and fix the food. Because everyday, even bad ones like today, I can find things about my kids that bring me joy! So, now I know how my mom raised six boys and still had enough love to have 2 girls.... it's called being a mom!

The newest McClurg!!

On new years eve, we welcomed the newest member of our family into our home. We picked up our French Mastiff puppy, Beau, Wednesday morning. He is a cute little puppy who seems to make people fall in love with him. You just can't help it!
So far, he is doing great with the potty training. He is learning very quickly and hasn't made too much of a mess. He is very inquisitive and wants to know what every new sound is. Otherwise, a very healthy, happy puppy.
He used to prefer Ben over me, but after today's visit to the vet, he hasn't left my side for too long. We'll see who gets the attention when Ben gets home. Probably Ben, but a girl can dream:)