New year, new changes!

Yeah, I know - you missed me.

Thanks to the gentle prodding of a couple friends (thanks Sarah and Emily!) I'm back.  Why the long vacation?  Well, it's hard for me to blog when I don't have anything nice to say - which pretty much means my entire pregnancy I didn't blog.

I'll have to tell the story of my attitude adjustment later.  First though I wanted to announce the fun new changes we've had since the new year.

#1 - NEW BABY!!!

Yes, Samuel Jayden was a very welcome addition to our family on January 17th, 2011.  He was 6 lbs 7 ozs and a short 19 inches long.  He's been little since, but most of my babies have.  We love having him in our family.  He hasn't been the easiest baby.  In fact, he requires quite a bit of attention.  But I tell ya - the older the rest of my kids get and the more kids I have in teenagerdom, the more I appreciate the simplicity of a baby.  I am loving my baby!

#2 - NEW JOB!!!

Thank goodness we are done with American Express.  Ryan started with Zions bank on March 7th.  It is a great change and an answer to many pleading prayers to my Heavenly Father begging for relief.  Again, a story for another post, we are just grateful he has a job and that it is good.

#3 - New vehicle

(Note this is not in all caps).  Yes, we seem to have to get new cars as we outgrow our old ones.  And what kind of family outgrows a suburban?  We do!  So, our new vehicle is a 15 passenger van.  We went with a 15 passenger for the storage space.  Everyone loves the van.  My feelings for the van are at a little different level than everyone else since it is my vehicle and I have to drive and park and maneuver around in it.  But, it will be good to have a vehicle we can all drive in together when we go somewhere.  And did I mention how much the kids love it?

One thing to note however - the kids still fight in a vehicle the size of a small aircraft.  I just look at the van as proof of the blessings we have received in our family.  We've received so many blessings that there isn't enough room to fit them in anything smaller.  :)

I'll expand on the above more another time.  My time on the computer gets shorter and shorter all the time.  Our computer is our television (we don't have cable or any stations right now), homework helper, entertainer, and movie/music source. So you can imagine how often it is being used.  I need my own computer!  :)