Quick Update

So I was asked to give a quick update on the past month.  I got a super nice camera for Christmas and have been taking awesome pictures with it, but my computer isn't set up so no pictures with this update just lots of words.

Let's start at the point where I moved in with my WONDERFUL parents.  We moved in on Dec 15th just in time for my boys to realize that Christmas really was coming and their mom wasn't crazy to only allow them to watch Christmas Movies and listen to Christmas music(when your packing up your lives just before Christmas it's kinda hard to feel the joy surrounded by boxes with no wrapping paper, a tree, lights, and sitting on camping chairs instead of couches).  Anyway, Christmas was amazing!!  We really got to enjoy it.  The boys enjoyed Christmas Eve so much that they didn't get up until 8am on Christmas morning!  It was killing me not to go wake them up at 6am so I could enjoy watching them open their presents.  When they finally woke up (with a little help from mom and dad) they loved their presents.  Dan and I also got to open an exciting present; there was an envelop that said baby on it.  We opened the envelope pulled out the ultra sound picture and discovered there is another beautiful BOY in our future.  That's right folks I will be even more out numbered.  Luckily, I enjoy my boys and we have all the boy stuff so heck why not right. Since Christmas fell on a Sunday we got to attend church too.  Luckily, my parents ward doesn't start until 11am so it was perfect for us to get up and enjoy opening presents and still have time to get ready and head for church.  At 1pm we headed over to my Dad's brothers house, Uncle Doug, for the annual Drake family Christmas breakfast.  We moved it to 1pm because most people would be out of church by then and able to attend.  At first my mom and Aunt Helen toyed with the idea of actually having lunch but when most of the kids complained that we wouldn't get tuffys(grandma Drakes special Christmas scones) they decided to have breakfast anyway.  Of course the food was great but it was even better to get together with all the Drakes that could make and catch up on our lives.

With Christmas done it was time for Dan and I to start focusing on finding a place in Vegas.  On Christmas Eve a member of our ward from Salt Lake called and asked if we would want to use their Wyndam vacation in Vegas because they could no longer use and they couldn't cancel and get their money back.  It was a wonderful gift and we gladly accepted!  So for two days while Dan worked me and the boys drove around with a great realtor looking at prospective places to rent.  After looking at more than 30 homes and rating them from 1-10 I had it narrowed down to 5.  We came home on Wed and on Thurs we headed back down with my parents and grandparents.  My moms sister Diane that lives in DC was in town for Christmas to they wanted to get together and visit.  We dropped Grandma and Grandpa off at my cousins house and headed out to check out my 5 remaining houses.  With the help of my Mom and Dad we narrowed it down to 2.  Mind you Dan has not seen any of these house; I was left to do this on my own.  He told me he didn't care as long as I liked it it would be great.   I made him come with me to check out the final two places and we picked one.  I was relieved!!  Finally, we could be a family again.  After arriving back in Santa Clara Dan calls me and says I want to look around on my own some more I think there might be more out there.  I could have reached through the phone and STRANGLED him!!!!!!!!!  But whatever fine knock yourself out. 

This was on Dec 30th so thankfully New Years eve was the next day to help distract me from wanting to kill my husband.  Sarah and her crew came down to party and it was great.  The kids had a great time as usual and it was sad to see them go New Years Day.

Dan went to lots of houses and narrowed his search to 3.  So once again myself, Mom, Angie, and the boys got back in the car and headed for Vegas.  The first house we saw we loved! We went to a couple others but decided it didn't matter we wanted the first place. Naturally, we call the management company and guess what an hour earlier someone turned in an application.  That sucked, but we didn't give up Dan called back later and tried to hustle the guy in to putting our application in first and then we learned the house we set for a short sale and they only wanted tenants for 1-3months.  Wow, I felt better.  Unfortunately, that put us back at square one. 

As we're leaving town Angie mentions her friend whose aunt lives in Vegas and might know someone looking to rent.  On a long shot we contact her.  She gives us the name of a lady and Dan gives her a call.  This lady just so happens to know a family with a house just like we we were looking for trying to rent it themselves.  Dan heads over there one night and instantly likes the place.  We do face time on our phones as he takes me on a tour of the house, PERFECT! Since there was a long weekend coming up the boys and I headed down to Vegas one last time to check out the house and hang out with my cousins.  I can finally say we have a house!  Last Saturday, in the rain might I add, we loaded up three trailers and headed to Vegas.  They still had some cleaning to do but we were able to move all our stuff in to the garage.  On Thurs Jan 26th it will be ready for us to officially move in.  Thank Heavens!!!

Finally, a real family.  No more weekend Warrior stuff. Every night Dan gets to kiss his boys goodnight and read them Stories.  No more Drake telling me when he gets mad that he's gonna go to Las Vegas with his dad cuz I'm mean.  I am so looking forward to it.