We knew April would start out super crazy with moving and setting up a new house. April 1st was moving day and we had been working so hard to get to this point. We were as prepared as we could possibly be, but even with that and the help of SO many people it was still a VERY long couple of days. Once we got the truck loaded Devin drove the moving truck while I drove our truck down to St. George. Grandma Payne stayed with the girls for one last night in the Lehi house. Unfortunately we weren't able to get all of our stuff in one load. So Devin and I drove to St. George, spent the first night in the new house, unloaded the truck the next morning (with an amazing group of our new neighbors who came to help) and then drove back to Lehi for the 2nd load. Meanwhile, Grandma was driving the girls down to St. George.
Even Coco pitched in to help with the cleaning...
First night in the new house. It was a super long day, with more ahead of us but it felt good to finally be at this point.
This was the group of neighbors who showed up to help us unload in Santa Clara. When we realized we couldn't get the massive sectional down the stairs they opted to take it down the steep hill on the side of the house!
Day 2: After unloading in Santa Clara, we drove back to Lehi to get our second load. It felt so weird to be in our empty house and weird that we were leaving. Again, we didn't feel like we got much closure and it was almost like we just up and left. But we were looking forward to all that lies ahead.
More of Addie's artwork...
And just like that we were permanent residents of St. George. Grandma Payne stayed with us for a week to help us unpack and set up the new house. She is so amazing and always has us up and running and decorated before she leaves. It was also time to start exploring our surroundings.
This is the bike trail that is right next to our house. It was exciting to discover all the places that it leads to and the different ways we can play on it.
Once the dress-ups got unpacked...
Took a timeout to enjoy General Conference...
First haul at Costco! Yikes!
It's always so fun to shop and decorate with Mary-Ann. She makes everything look so beautiful.
Definitely lived on this stuff for far too long...
Addie is always a big helper but she definitely outdid herself during this stressful time. She was so good about helping Coco and finding stuff for her to do as well as the other kids.
It was fun to explore the arboretum that is right down the street from our house. It's a massive lava field with pathways and plants and animals scurrying all around.
Heads hanging out the windows all day, everyday...
First date night since the move. We decided to grab some takeout and and eat it in the back of the truck overlooking St. George.
And before we knew it Easter was here. We even got visit from the Easter Bunny!
And the girls woke up to some surprises...
And an Easter package from Grandma and Grandpa Wayment...
And then an Easter Egg Hunt...
We then went out to discover a new place called Fire Lake. This will definitely become a favorite location. So beautiful.
Always exciting when new furniture arrives...
And it was finally warm enough to use Coco's Christmas present...
Devin had been working with Tess on riding a bike for quite some time. She just never felt comfortable enough with it to get it. She finally decided that it was time to keep up with her sisters and some new friends in the neighborhood and she nailed it.
Since sloths are her favorite animal it was only right to take her here to celebrate...
More of the house set up...
Cutie Pie...
Spending lots of time outside...
Our new home...
Homeschool still in progress...
Quincy saw all these boards in the empty lot next to us and decided to try her hand at building. She's so creative...
Carson was temporarily released from his mission in Chile due to the Coronavirus. So he came to visit while he was home...
Addie's 12th Birthday. It is so hard to believe that she is 12! Addie is one of the kindest, most caring people I know. She is so mature for her age and really is the biggest helper. Her sisters look up to her and love being with her. She loves Stranger Things, Roblox, and anything else that feels "grown up." She loves performing and has the most beautiful voice. She wasn't thrilled about moving but has worked hard at making the best of it. She has an adventurous spirit and loves to try new things. We have loved watching this sweetheart grow into the beautiful young woman she is becoming. Unfortunately, she had quite a few disappointments recently with moving and Coronavirus shutting everything down and her birthday was no exception. I had planned to take her to New York to see Wicked for her birthday but everything was cancelled. Instead, she settled for an awesome early morning hike...
Afterwards she opened presents...
And was pretty thrilled to find out that she would have her own phone and Apple Watch...
She chose In N Out as her birthday dinner and cheesecake for dessert...
Her new YW presidency came by with a sign and a gift. We were so impressed with this, given the fact we moved in less than 3 weeks ago.
The next day was a crazy one. Carson and Grandpa Payne had left that morning and I had felt fine all day. Suddenly, after dinner, I started having a pain in my right side. Nothing major, mostly just annoying. But over the next couple hours it kept getting worse and worse. To the point that I literally couldn't talk or move. Devin kept asking if I needed an ambulance or to go to the hospital but I hate going if its unnecessary. Finally, I couldn't handle it anymore and he took me to the ER. Seriously, this was the worst pain that I have ever been in. I could barely move, couldn't lay down, and even ended up hunched over on the hospital floor. Turns out it was a massive kidney stone that needed to be surgically removed. We are talking 7mm (size of an almond) that was passing though a 2mm tube and had surprisingly made it almost all the way to the bladder before it got stuck. So, they admitted me to the hospital. Devin wasn't allowed to stay (again thanks to Corona) and I brought nothing with me, not even my phone. I was in way too much pain to think about anything else. Since we had no clue when the surgery would be, Devin brought me a bag the next morning with some stuff in it including my phone. But within minutes of getting it they came to get me for surgery which all went well but it took me quite awhile to wake up from it. The nurses had tried several times but I just couldn't quite get out of it. Meanwhile, Devin is at home with no clue what is going on. Finally I woke up and they started all the routine checks before they could release me.
During this time, I remembered that Megan's husband had set up a Zoom call with our group for her birthday. So I got on, hospital bed and all. It was fun celebrating her a bit even though we couldn't do it in person.
We were so fortunate to have Mary-Ann come to the rescue. Knowing that I would be recovering for a few days and that Devin still had work, she decided to drive down to help us out. What a blessing this woman is! Not only that but within an hour of Devin mentioning it to one of our neighbors they had reached out to others and had dinners being brought in for the next 5 days. We truly felt so blessed.
Quincy and McKinley became fast friends. (It helps that she lives right across the street.) This creative duo started building a town for their dolls. Here we have the Movie Theatre.
Wild Child...
A few pics of the new house...
Caught our first lizard on our back screen door...
Our good friends from Lehi, The Bartons, were here on vacation and were so sweet to bring us dinner. We sure love this family.
Dirt Climbing...
Eating Lunch with her doll...
April flew by and it was hard to believe that we had been in our new house for a month. We are definitely beginning to feel settled and adjusting to our new surroundings. Tess and Quincy were surprised to find that there are lots of girls their age throughout the neighborhood and they immediately started making friends. Addie doesn't have as much luck in that area but she has been content having extra Zoom calls with her friends in Lehi. Now that we are feeling settled, we are looking forward to exploring the area and enjoying being outside as much as we can.
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