Friday, December 28, 2007

Bittersweet Goodbye's

1st Goodbye:

Photobucket

My brother came to get it Thursday. It is such a relief to know that it is sold and we're no longer responsible for it. But, we were so sad to see it go! It was the first car Kam and I bought together. We have had so many fun trips in that car. We've gone up the mountain a ton of times, 4-wheeling everywhere, AND it was the car that we brought Kason home from the hospital in. But, it was time to see it go.

2nd Goodbye:

Photobucket

We had to get rid of him so we could move. We can't have indoor dogs at the new house. I am so sad to have him gone. It's hard getting rid of a pet. But, he went to a great home. The lady is older and has another small dog. She travels all over in her luxury RV. In fact, the day after we gave him to her, he was headed on his way to Montana. I really hope he has a great life with her but, it was hard to see him go.

3rd Goodbye:

Photobucket

My dad came to visit right before Christmas for a few days. It's always so much fun to have him here. Since he lives in Colorado we really don't get to see him as much as my mom or Kam's parents. So, we really love having him visit. But, this goodbye may be for a lot longer than normal! The crazy man may be moving to Mexico. There is a possibility he will be taking a job down there. So, if all works out and he moves down there he won't be able to travel as freely as he normally does. I will be sad to have him living down there but, it's such a great opportunity that I say, "go for it!". Besides, it might be kind of fun to visit him in Mexico!!

4th Goodbye:

Photobucket

As of January 12th, we won't live at this house anymore!! We have lived here for 2 1/2 years! This house is filled with so many of our memories!
- All our families here for Thanksgiving in 2005.
- A positive pregnancy test in the bathroom.
- A couple new dogs came and went.
- Kason was brought home to this house and reached so many milestones here.
I am grateful for this house we have been able to call our "home" for the last 2 1/2 years. It has been a good home and hopefully, whoever moves in after us, will be able to enjoy it as much as we have.

It's good to move on and experience new things and go through major changes in your life but sometimes it's just so hard to say goodbye!!


Oh, here's a picture of our new house!! Isn't it so cute ... I'm SO EXCITED!!!

Photobucket
(by the way ~ the landlords are letting us move in January 12th but we don't have to start paying rent until February 1st ... AND they're not asking for a deposit!!! Can we say, "MEANT TO BE?!?!" This house has already been a HUGE blessing! I can't believe it. I am SO grateful!)

Haban's Christmas

Our Christmas was really good! We just stayed home this year, which was a nice change. It was the first year since we have been married that we didn't spend Christmas Day with my family so, I missed them but, it was fun to have Christmas with just our little family.

Gift wise, it was a great Christmas too. Kason got so many toys. We may have gone a little overboard with his gifts but, we couldn't help it!! From us he got some books, a video, a wagon with blocks, an animal train, from grandparents and uncles (this is where he really got spoiled!!) he got: a piano toy, a stack and play, clothes, a singing Eeyore, a bath toy, a stuffed dog and I'm sure there's more. He seriously scored ... look at all this stuff!

Photobucket

Kameron got some tools, clothes, a deep fryer, a stoneware muffin pan, a fog free mirror for the bathroom, some church cd's, a hard bound copy of the Cambodian Book of Mormon, a couple gift certificate's a food.

I got some scrapbooking stuff, a spa kit, slippers, a sign with "Haban" on it for our front door, Harry Potter 5, and Old Navy gift card, See's Candy (YUM!), some other food and this AWESOME camera!! I'm so excited about this camera, I was so ready to destroy our other camera, it was so old.

Photobucket
Kason on Christmas eve:
Photobucket
Santa Came!
Photobucket
Opening some gifts with Dad:
Photobucket
Photobucket

Checking out his gifts:
Photobucket
Photobucket
We got to talk to Kameron's brother, Daniel, who is serving his mission in Oregon (Spanish Speaking). It was good to talk to him. He already has a thick Spanish accent and he's only been out 6 months!!
Photobucket
(Kam talking to Daniel ... well, we all were listening - it was on speaker phone)
I didn't even get ready on Christmas so we have no family picture but,
We hope everyone had a great Christmas and has a SAFE New Year's!!!
Kason says, "I LOVE CHRISTMAS!"
Photobucket

Monday, December 24, 2007

A Story for Christmas Eve

This morning after Kameron had already left for work, Kason woke up and I went to go get him. Then we both fell back asleep on our bed for about 45 minutes. When Kason woke up, he looked in the kitchen, he looked in the bathroom and then he looked over to Kameron's side of the bed. He looked at me and had a sad look on his face. Then he yelled out, "DAD?!"

It was SO cute!! He missed his daddy.

Right now, Kam and Kason are sitting on the couch, watching a Christmas movie and sharing a slice of pumpkin bread.

I love this time of year. I can't believe Christmas is already here. This year has gone so fast.

Have a wonderful Christmas everyone!!

Friday, December 21, 2007

Santa Claus is Comin' to Town!



Tonight was our ward party and of course, Santa Claus came to visit. Kason thought he was pretty interesting. He would stare at Santa and then look around to make sure Mom was still close by. It was so cute. I'm glad he didn't kick and scream and we got a good picture of Kason checkin' Santa out.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Posted by Picasa

Sunday, December 16, 2007

Blessings

This is a post for me. A post so that I can record things for posterity. I just want to get some things written down so they can be remembered. It's going to be long and filled with personal things ... If you read it ... I hope it doesn't bore you.

It is funny how our lives seem to go in a cycle. We have several weeks where life is a little rough. Trials are thrown in our way, life is busy and stressful, children are cranky or sick and life is just not too much fun.
During this time we usually put the important things on the back burner. We don't pray as often as we should, our daily scripture study turns into a weekly scripture study, time that should be spent with our family is usually spent taking care of unnecessary obligations or things that add more stress to our lives.


These past few weeks have been like that here at our house. Money has been tight, jobs have been stressful, people have been sick, and it's been cold. Christmas time just wasn't feeling very "Christmasy". Then it seemed like a switch was flipped and everything gradually started getting better...
Kameron and I had really been looking for a better house to live in. The house we live in now is OLD. It was built in the early 1900's. The carpets are seriously probably from the 60's. They are a nasty orange color. They're covered in rips and holes and stains. They're gross. Plus, the kitchen stove doesn't work right, the heater is horrible and only heats one room, the swamp cooler doesn't work, and the list goes on and on. So, we'd decided that since we have Kason we need a better house. A couple Saturdays ago we looked at a house that was for sale. The price of our payment would have been exactly the same as our rent. We really liked the house and we were really excited about it. Then, after being home for about an hour, the owner called and said someone had written them a check for $6000.00 above their asking price. We were SO bummed. We had really been excited about having a bigger, cleaner, nicer house.

So, at church the very next day, a girl that Kameron grew up with in Sierra Vista came up to us and asked us if we would be interested in renting their house because they are moving. whoa! How did she know we were wanting a better house?! Her dad owns it and wanted to find someone trustworthy to rent it out. So, we go look at it after church. WE LOVED IT!! It has 3 bedrooms (okay, really 2 1/2 - the 3rd bedroom is pretty small), 1 bath, a laundry room, a huge back yard, grass in the front, A/C and good heat, AND a DISHWASHER! Not to mention it's about 100 years newer than our current residence. So, we call her dad and he says he'll rent it to us for $650 a month (we pay $400 now, eeks). So, we think about it and decide it's something we want to try and figure out a way to do. We call him and tell him we'll move in the first of February. YAY! After talking to Kameron's parents, we found out, he originally was wanting to rent the house out for $1200.00!!! But, since he knows Kameron (and his parents) he is giving it to us for $650.00!! For some unknown reason, I cried when I found this out. I don't know if it's because I was so grateful to the Merzs'(the owners of the house) for their generosity, or if it was a sort of realization that this was a huge blessing to our family or maybe a mixture of both. I was just so grateful and happy. Finding this house is such a huge blessing.

Well, since we decided on moving into the house, we just increased our rent payment by $250 a month. We decided we would try and sell the Durango again (as opposed to one of us getting an additional job). The combination of the payment on that + the insurance we pay = just about $250.00. So we started advertising, posting it on craigslist (and blogs). One day, my dad mentioned something to me about Jeremy (my little brother) wanting to get a new car. So, I talk to him about it a little bit and he says he'll think about it. A couple days later he says he really wants to buy it! So, as soon as we can work details out, we will no longer have payments on the Durango! That makes it possible for us to make that $650 rent payment!! So, thank you Jeremy for making this move possible for us. Blessing #2 comes to pass.

Since it is December, and Christmas gift buying time, money always seems to be tight during this time. And, Kameron's paychecks haven't been what we thought they would be ever since he started this new job (that's a completely different story!) So, money is tight, we have lots of gifts to buy, and the normal monthly bills to pay. I go to pay bills Friday afternoon, after Kameron gets his paycheck, and as I go to pay our auto insurance, the balance due is 1/2 of what it normally is!! How awesome! I always forget that our insurance company gives a sort of "reward" if you pay on time all year. So, we didn't owe quite as much. That was a pleasent suprise. Then, the bulk food that I sell was delivered this past week and the amount that I will make is about $100 more than what we thought it would be. That extra money made Christmas not so stressful.

Yesterday, we were able to go to the temple. We hadn't been in a really long time. It was nice to sit in the temple and feel the spirit there and remove ourselves from the hustle and bustle of the holidays. While we were there I was able to be given the reassurance that everything is going to work. I guess I kind of worry that somehow everything we're hoping for won't work out. Maybe I think it's too good to be true. Perhaps I'm afraid to get my hopes up only to have them let down a few months later. I am worried that Jeremy may not end up buying the Durango, for whatever reason. If that happens, we won't be able to move into the house. So, when we were in the temple I was reassured that things will work out and everything will be okay. I guess that now that I know that, it's just hard to be patient. It's also hard to not know if what we want and what we've planned for is what is really in store for us.

In the meantime, I will just be grateful for our many many blessings.
At times like this, it makes me realize that Heavenly Father really does have a plan for us and we just need to be patient and realize that everything that happens is for the best and happens for a specific reason.
I am excited to move in to our new house. I just hope and pray it really does work out.

Isn't it funny how things work out??


Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Sales Pitch

I just want to take up a post and advertise this ... bare with me :o)

We are trying to sell our 1998 Dodge Durango
It is a SLT Laramie Edition.
It is in really good condition.

It has:

CD Player
Leather Seats
Rear Air Control
3rd Row Seat
5.9L v8 engine
Tinted windows
Tow package
Premium Sound System
Roof-rack
Heavy Duty Cooling
Fog lights
Everything Power (windows, locks, seats)
Oversized on-off road tires
4x4
Clean interior and exterior

The rear tail light needs to be fixed and we have the replacement, it just needs to get put on.
It is such a good, fun truck. We are sad to have to sell it but, there are other things that need the money that goes towards the payment.

So, we are asking $6,500.00 (obo). If you know of ANYONE who might be interested in purchasing it ... PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE let me know asap! We are needing to sell it as quickly as possible. Thanks so much!

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket
NADA Guide's Used Car price = $6,625.00
KBB Used Car price = $6,665.00

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

What a Pain!

There are only two things, that I have experienced, that are more painful than childbirth.

#1. Kidney Stones
#2. Ear Infection
I'm not kidding. I would much rather go through labor again then have to deal with either of the above ailments.

Numero Uno I experienced in May of 2006. I had been having some painful cramps. I was actually on fertility medicine at the time so, I pushed it aside and assumed it was a side affect of the drugs. Until the night before I was to graduate from EAC I woke up and was in so much pain all I could do was pace back and forth and cry. It was SO painful. I told Kameron we had to go to the Emergency Room. He thought I was crazy because it was 2:00 in the morning. But, when I yelled at him and told him I couldn't handle the pain, he realized it must be something serious. I have a high tolerance for pain so, Kameron has come to learn that if I am crying over the pain, it must be super painful!!

So, we go to the ER, nobody else is there, so we get right in. They run all sorts of tests. Blood work, pee tests, even a CT scan! (that was pretty neat!) And apparently the doctor's work slower at night because it seemed to take FOREVER for the doctor's to get anything done. In the meantime, they give me some AWESOME pain killers and I take a little doze. Finally a doctor comes back and informs us, "You have a kidney stone."

I was SHOCKED! So, he sends me home with a perscription for pain meds, and a urine strainer. We go home and crash for the rest of the morning. Then, we had family come and visit and I actually walked my graduation that night!! I was in a ton of pain for the next couple of weeks. I missed a lot of work. Cried alot and finally, one day, the pain was gone. I don't ever remember passing the stone and I didn't care, the pain was gone!! I never want to experience that again.

Number 2 ... I am experiencing as I type this. I guess you forget how painful ear ache's are until you get one. No wonder kids are so miserable when they have them. They hurt SO bad. I cried for an hour this morning because of the pain. I cried for two hours yesterday morning because of the pain. I have so much ibuprofen in me and I'm still hurting.
One amazing thing that happened that I am so grateful for - I was up at 1:00 Monday night because the pain was unbearable. I prayed and pleaded Heavenly Father to please release some of the pressure so I could atleast sleep comfortably. The moment I said 'amen' ... my ear popped atleast 2 dozen times and I was able to lay down comfortably. That was a reassurance that the Lord hears and answers our prayers. He is able to offer a hand at any moment in our lives. He is amazing and I love that He is the most important thing in our lives.
So, I have doctor's appointment in about 30 minutes. I can't wait. I just want to be done with this discomfort and pain. I am very grateful to Kameron though. He has been such a wonderful help through all of my sickness the past few weeks. He's been cleaning, doing dishes, cooking, taking care of Kason and he's just been there when I need him. I am grateful to him and his wonderful husbandry. (is that a word?)

Now, my labor was painful but, I don't ever remember crying during labor. And I didn't even have an epidural. So, that proves to me that kidney stones and ear infections are by far ... more painful than childbirth. So, bring on the labor!! (and pray this ear ache kicks it soon!)

Sunday, December 2, 2007

This Toy's Funny Mommy!

Kason thinks this toy is so funny. It's not that exciting of a toy but, he always laughs & giggles when he plays with it. It's just the funnest toy ever (in a 9 1/2 months old mind anyways!)!!

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket
Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Christmas is coming!

We got our Christmas tree put up, it's so much fun. I love the glowing of the lights, remembering all the memories from the ornaments of the past years, the feeling that's in your house when "the halls are decked", and if we had a real tree ... the smell of Christmas.

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket
Dad and Kason decorating the tree:
Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket
Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket
Happy Holidays Everyone!

New Favorite Toy

My mom got this toy for Kason & he LOVES it!!! It's so cute to see his little body learning how to walk. Definately a great purchase by Grandma!!
Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket


Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket


Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket


Happy Walking Kid!

Thanksgiving!

For Thanksgiving this year we went to Payson to my mom's house. It was a nice little break. We were all sick but, we survived the weekend (thanks to my mom and dad taking care of Kason all weekend!)

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket


Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket
YUMMY DINNER!!
Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket
Happy Late Thanksgiving!!
Hope everyone had a good holiday!

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

So much to blog ... so little time.

So, we got our stolen stuff back!! YIPEE!! A guy called me and asked when I could come claim my stuff. Of course I went the very next day. It was exactly how I hoped it would be. He opened up a huge storage unit, FILLED with stuff these people got away with and he said, "Go get your stuff!" I was so glad he did that because there was a lot of stuff in there that belonged to us. Check out everything they got from our storage unit:

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket
5 boxes of stuff, some of Kason's toys, a lamp, a shelf and a big ole'
La-Z-Boy chair! What jerks. So, after I get all my stuff loaded up he asked me...

Mark: "Do you know _______?" (he named all the suspects)
Me: "Nope"

Mark: "Did you give them permission to get into your storage unit and take your things?"
Me: "No"

Mark:"Do you want to press charges?"
Me: "Heck YA!!"

Then he told me that if they need me to testify in court they will call me and I will be notified of his trial regardless so I can attend it :o)
I'm so glad we got our things back.
I'm glad I am going to get to press charges.
I'm glad there is a good chance of a trial.
And I hope they all get some good jail time.