Hello...is anyone there....???

So...it's been a while.  But in my defense, things have been a tad busy!



For one...we moved back to Arizona!  Chandler, specifically, and we couldn't be happier!  We left Texas - after several tear-filled goodbye's - and headed west.  We decided we were going to make the trip an adventure for the kids, and treat it like a summer vacation, and boy did it ever work!  They were practically perfect on the long two day car ride!  They enjoyed the sights, Abbey enjoyed asking to stop to pee at every.  single.  rest.  stop., and they really didn't even argue over sharing the iTouch and the DS.  Creepy...I know, right??


After a trip to California with Laurie's family and a spontaneous gloriously perfect day at Disney Land for just us and the kids, we are finally settled in our "short term" rental.  It's really cute!!  It's walking distance to the HUGE community pool, so we've been pretty much living in the pool the last few days.  Why a short term, you say?  Well, I'll tell you!  Our amazeballs, enormous, too-good-to-be-true-but-it-IS-true house won't be ready for us to move in to until September 1, but trust me...it's well worth the wait.  First of all, it's right across the street from Laurie and her family, which makes me SO SO happy.  I have felt so far removed and at most times flat out helpless over the last year being so far away from everything, and I'm so looking forward to helping her out with the boys and watching the kids play together.  I'm also looking forward to an even closer relationship with both of my sweet sissy's.  Of course we're already close, but talking on the phone and actually seeing everyone on a regular basis are two very different things.  Watching the boys grow up firsthand, instead of thru pictures, and being here for the final planning stages of Nikki's wedding....there are things that make me smile like a loon.

Our things are staying in storage as the short term is fully furnished, so it really is pretty painless.  School starts out here on July 25 for Cole, so we're gearing up for that next chapter.  He had his coach draft for football on Saturday and we can only hope his coaches are half as great as his coaches were the past three years...but they sure seemed nice, so that's great!  This is our first school year on a year round schedule...July 25 first day, fall break is for almost three weeks in October, then Christmas break, then an almost three week spring break in March, and finally last day is the end of May...and I have to say I'm pretty excited about it.  First of all...hello!!  Three weeks off in October!  This is wonderful news to me!  The weather is nice pretty much everywhere, it's off-season most vacation spots...perfect time for a family vacay.  Who needs summer vacation when you can enjoy perfect weather and no crowds in October??  Hooray fall vacations, I say!!

Scott is still waiting on "the call" from Casa Grande Fire Department.  He was placed on their short hire list (he made the top 10 out of over 300 who interviewed, thankyouverymuch), and he was told it could be anywhere between then (May) and six months.  The chief told him he will be a CG fireman, but as for WHEN...we don't know yet.  So we're being patient, and the kids are REALLY enjoying having Daddy home so much lately.  Frankly, so am I.  Things sort of shifted to a slower pace when we moved here...lots of stress was lifted (and even better...lives over an hour north of us now!!) and we're enjoying just being together as a little family right now.  I know that "real life" will catch up and Scott will be busy as soon as he gets called in to work, but for now we're enjoying ourselves VERY much.

One update on Jack:  he is doing AMAZING!  He looks amazing and he feels amazing.  His next scan comes in August, so the nerves are starting back slowly, but we all have faith that he will receive another clean bill of health...not only in August, but for all the future scans to come.  And remember...September is Childhood Cancer Awareness month.  I will be making gold lapel ribbon pins, and if anyone would like one to wear, just let me know.  They will be no charge, as long as your promise to wear them and tell people what they represent. 

"DID YOU KNOW???  Only one new drug has been approved to combat pediatric cancer since 1980, a period that saw over 50 medications approved to fight adult cancers.  The National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) federal budget was $4.6 billion. Of that, breast cancer received 12%, prostate cancer received 7%, and all 12 major groups of pediatric cancers combined received less than 3%."  – Facts courtesy of Cure Search


Together, We CAN Raise Awareness and Bring HOPE to Children With Cancer.    Awareness means fundraising which means more money for research which means more new drugs which means a CURE!

Hope.  Faith.  Cure.
http://www.thejackmortonfoundation.org/