Rain Rain Go Away

The rain started yesterday afternoon and hasn't stopped since then. Overnight we have gotten a new swimming pool and a river going all the way from the backyard to the street. With at least 2 more days of rain ahead, it looks like they'll be here to stay for awhile. Jon and his mom have been outside all day trying to shovel water and redirect it to the street. It is a mess!

The new swimming pool. Last time we measured it was about 6 inches deep.

This is the beginning of the river. The water is almost to the top of the first step. The water goes out the gate...

and all the way across the front lawn to the street.

Emma REALLY wanted to come outside. It didn't last long.

As nasty as the rain is, I would still much rather have it than the snow!

Cause for Celebration!

Today we faced something that I have been looking forward to and dreading for the last several months...nursery. I was SO worried that Emma wouldn't let me leave her because she can be kind of clingy. But off we went anyway. She did great. All the other kids were screaming hysterically and she just sat there looking at them like they were crazy. It was a proud moment for me. Anyway, I left and checked on her a couple more times during the rest of church. The last time I went and peeked in the window she was curled up in a big recliner fast asleep. This girl loves her sleep. It was so cute. She has also been sleeping in her toddler bed this week and has done great, even with naps. She is growing up so fast!

We Made It!

Well, after several stressful days of packing, way too many hours in the car, and a few near death experiences we have made it to California. We spent all last Thursday loading the moving truck and cleaning the apartment...thank you to everyone who came and helped. We never would have been able to do it alone. Then Thursday night, in the middle of a huge snowstorm and with almost no visibility we drove to Salt Lake and barely made it. Let's just say that our exit came up really fast, our car has no snow tires, and we had to get over two lanes...we being our car and a 16 foot moving truck. Not the kind of excitement I want to ever experience again. Anyway, we stayed at a hotel there with my dad. We got up the next morning and started the long drive across the rest of Utah and Nevada. It was pretty nerve wracking in the snow but once we got out it was fine. Emma was so good to just sit in her seat and sing and sleep. As long as we kept her bottles filled she was good to go. We are so grateful for that. We drove all day and got to my aunt's house in Sacramento at about 10 pm. We had fun visiting and appreciated the nice, warm beds. We got up Saturday morning and finished the last couple hours of driving. All in all, what is usually an 11 hour drive turned into 18 hours of driving. It is so nice to finally be here! My dad stayed another day and it was fun to have him here. We really appreciated all his help with driving and it was fun to visit. Here are a few pictures of our trip. We have several more, especially from Christmas, on our other camera so there will be more posts coming when we get those on the computer.

The beginning of our pile of packed stuff. Also doubled as a great jungle gym for Emma.

We couldn't leave Utah without one last major snowstorm.

After way too many hours of driving we finally stopped at McDonalds. Emma was so excited to be out and play we couldn't get her to eat anything. The play gym had too many big kids but she loved sitting with Ronald.

At my Aunt Susie's house. Emma is a major animal lover. Aunt Susie has 4 or 5 cats, a goat, and several chickens so Emma was in heaven.

Jon and Emma had so much fun swinging on the rope swing.

Here is Emma's new big girl bed. Jon's little sister were nice enough to let Emma share their room. We set up the bed today so we'll see how it goes tonight! Either way, it just looks so cute and she was so excited about it.

The Results are In!

Well, we just got back from the doctor and it's official...we are having a boy! We weren't really surprised but it's always nice to know for sure. Everything looks good and they moved my due date to May 14, so that was exciting. I know it's only 3 days sooner but it's something. We plan on naming him Matthew Steven Farrell. We are so excited for him to come!

Little Helper

This morning I was trying to get some packing done. I figured it was probably time since we're moving in a week and nothing is done. Anyway, I was packing pictures and decorations but I was wiping them off before I packed them. Emma saw what I was doing and immediately paused her very intense game of Rummikub to come help me wipe pictures. She had our family pictures and after she wiped she would look at it and name the people she knew. It was sweet. I love this age when she's starting to make so many connections like this. She is such a fun, sweet girl.

There is Nothing More Entertaining Than

ITUNES!!!
With the below freezing temperatures, our days here have been really, really long. Especially on the days that Ryan is here. They just feed off of each other's energy and it can get really crazy. So, the other day we rediscovered the iTunes Visualizer! They cuddle up together in the big computer chair and watch this thing forever. It's great. I love iTunes!

Playing the Waiting Game

I thought I'd post a little update on our lives right now because everyone keeps asking what we're doing and if we've heard back about jobs. So, where to begin...
The short version- We are learning A LOT about faith. Almost more than I want to know. And we are still waiting to hear back about jobs/internships for January.
The long version- Jon interviewed with Pixar 5 weeks ago. We were supposed to know within 3 weeks what their answer was. We are still waiting. He interviewed with Dreamworks 2 weeks ago and they said they would get back really fast. We are still waiting. To take any job/internship in January we have to move before Christmas because we live in student housing and Jon won't be a full time student if we don't stay here. So, we debated for a long time whether or not we should put our move out notice in. After a lot of thought and prayer, it really felt like the best thing to do. So we put our move out notice in and we are moving on Dec 21...in 9 days...ahhh! We are planning on moving to California and will live with Jon's parents until we can get a place of our own. This works out really well because they live really close to Pixar. So now we just need a job offer. :) So, in a nutshell, this is what we are doing right now. It has been SO hard to walk blindly and take such huge steps totally in the dark. But we can't deny the feelings that we've had and the tender mercies that have kept us going in the direction that we are going. So many things have happened along the way to push us along this path, and I know that they aren't just coincidence. As we have started planning our move, EVERYTHING has fallen right into place. Everything has happened how we needed it to in order to be able to move so soon. It really has been a blessing. We just need an offer now and then everything will be set. So, we'll keep everyone updated.
Sorry to go on for so long. On a happy note, we get to find out what we're having next Wednesday! Our doctor doesn't do ultrasounds until 20 weeks and I will only be 18 1/2 but I talked her into letting me do it before we move. I am so excited. We'll let you know what we find out!