Mella Family

Living with your parents really isn't bad

2009-06-08T18:58:00.000-07:00

We have been SO busy and having such a blast since being back in Provo. Erik is now 95% potty trained, but that is a topic for another time. Whew... Anyway, we have been able to meet up with many old friends and hangout with family like never before. This will definitely be a fun summer. I had to include the view of my parent's next door neighbor's incredible pool. They are the kindest people and open it up to the whole neighborhood once a week. Erik is already hooked.

Visits from the Tias

2009-06-08T18:25:00.000-07:00

Erik had not seen either of his Tias in person since he was seven months old. We had great visits and he remembers them by the items they had given him. Adrianne is remembered for her baseball blanket and Natalie for her bat towel. We love you guys and hope you visit again soon!

House Pictures

2009-05-02T12:44:00.000-07:00

Our Big Move

2009-05-01T18:04:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Mike accepted a job offer where he used to work (the Energy and GeoScience research institute at the U of U). He has only been unemployed for two months, but we have had a crazy roller coaster ride of emotions during that period. We were sad, but not surprised when Micron announced the closure of its Boise manufacturing plant. We were kind of in denial at the beginning at exactly what this job loss would mean for us. We were optimistic that we could make something work and stay in Boise where we had planned on living for 10+ years. Reality hit about a week later. The job opportunities for Chemical Engineers had dried up in the Boise area. Mike considered getting a teaching license to teach high school Chemistry until the economy recovered, but Boise is having to let teachers go. We knew we would have to leave our first home, the wonderful ward, and great neighborhood we had planned for Erik and our future children to grow up in. It was devastating. I was mad, then scared, then just sad. If you can't already tell, I like to have a plan for everything. :) Basically, my entire perspective needed to shift. Once I was able to accept the needed changes (which took about a month), life got easier. I still had/have hopeful and stressful and mundane days, but over all, things are much better. I listened/watched Elder Wirthlin's 4 min YouTube video "Come What May and Love It." I highly recommend this great 4 min pep talk to remind you everyday to laugh and be optimistic. Recently, my aunt and uncle who live here gave us an amazing book to read Who Moved My Cheese? (It is a short 1 hour read!) It helped us to realize that change is inevitable and your attitude and actions regarding change determine the quality of your life. I haven't been able to bring myself to update my blog about these recent changes in our lives until I knew I would be able to be positive. We have our first silver lining with Mike's new job and now we will just need to deal with selling or renting our house and moving in with my parents for a year. I am optimistic that change will bring "wonderful new cheese" and I hopeful I will embrace it.

Erik's New Quilt

2009-02-10T14:21:00.000-08:00

A few minutes ago Erik's aunt Audy (Adrianne) sent him the cutest quilt. I just had to get out the camera! This is her first patchwork quilt and it turned out SO stink'n ADORABLE! Erik loves it, especially since she stitched his name on one of the baseballs. He spells it out in the video. It was perfect timing coming today, because he just learned how to say his name this morning. Thanks Audy!!!!!!!

Christmas 2008

2008-12-25T20:05:00.000-08:00

Erik's little body could not contain his excitement over his new train! Kick, kick, kick!

Motherhood

2008-12-03T18:08:00.000-08:00

So it may be the season, or the fact that Erik just turned two, or that I just read the Christmas Box, but I wanted to reflect on the wonderful gift from my Father in Heaven which is my son. I am So grateful for his health and how much he loves life. He gets SO excited by the smallest things. He LOVES sprinklers, fruit snacks, splashing water, kicking/throwing balls, the movie CARS, hide-and-seek with Mommy, wresting with Daddy, running free at the zoo or park, and most of all anything that spins. He wakes up SO happy in the morning and without fail, asks for Daddy. He FINALLY said "mama" a few days ago and is starting to get a little bit cuddly. I am amazed how fast time has gone and how small he used to be. He has learned SO much, but I think I have learned more. He notices everything which has helped me to more fully enjoy the little things in life such as running up and down a hill over and over. That really can be fun! I have learned a lot of patience and I'm sure will have to learn more as time goes on. I am grateful to be a mother. What a WONDERFUL gift!

Reflection

2008-12-03T17:31:00.001-08:00

My little boy is 2!

2008-11-12T13:21:00.000-08:00

Meg's baby shower

2008-11-12T13:06:00.000-08:00

I went to Utah last week and my mom and I threw a shower for my little sis. I can't believe my little sister is about to be a mom. I still can't believe I am a mother half the time. I still feel 18 years old in a lot of ways.

Mike kept his job!!!!!

2008-10-24T14:17:00.000-07:00

We are SO happy!

2008-10-21T10:37:00.000-07:00

Erik was a bit afraid of the dog this trip.

RSL's new stadium is NICE!

Me with a Thriller zombie

A Happier Note

2008-10-21T10:15:00.000-07:00

I was reading Susie's blog the other day and had the same feeling. Mike and I had planned a trip to Utah prior to finding out he might lose his job. We had purchased tickets to see a Real Salt Lake soccer game and the Odyssey dance theater's Thriller concert, so we had to go. It was awesome though. It was just what we needed to get our minds off of the potential layoff. Mike and I were able to go to the temple, tour temple square, go to some of our favorite restaurants, the concert and the game. We had tons of fun, but it also helped me to appreciate Erik more. I needed a short break.

Who Knows

2008-10-14T13:37:00.000-07:00

So I have been going through a wide range of emotions this last week. We found out Mike's group will be cutting 40% of the staff. My first emotion, panic. We have lived fairly frugally except this last summer. We have money in the bank and no debt except our house payment, but I can't help but worry. I knew all the debt would catch up to the country someday, but I thought if I had followed the rules, I wouldn't really be affected. I love to have a plan for everything so this has been hard. I was able to block it out a bit with Rockband Saturday night. Sunday helped Mike and me a ton. It was good to interact with people who weren't feeling totally down about things. I am so grateful to be able to feel the Holy Ghost give me comfort. I am also SO grateful to have a hard working husband who has done all he could no matter what the outcome comes to be. We all have our health and still live a great life, so I shouldn't really complain. :) This has been a good wake up call for me. I do check prices on most things I buy, but I think from now on I am going to be loving the bulk section at WinCo. I looked at the price of a 5 pound bag of brown rice I had purchased a couple months back and it was $7. I looked in the bulk section and the same rice is a dollar per pound. Good to know even if Mike is able to keep his job!

Pictures of my cute boy

2008-07-28T20:01:00.000-07:00

First Blog

2008-07-28T19:24:00.000-07:00

So I have finally succumbed to the power of technology and decided to create a blog. This summer we went to visit our good friends, the Christensen's in New Jersey. We were able to go to Philadelphia and New York during the trip. Summer is almost over, but we still have a few fun things planned. My little sis, Megan, is graduating from BYU in a few weeks. I'll be taking Erik down to see the grandparents again. Mike's parents and aunt came to Boise and my parents are also going to come up shortly. I walk with my neighbor almost every morning and am still working on getting this baby weight off. Not very likely. My baby isn't really a baby anymore. :) I recently became an aunt again and my little sis is expecting in December. I have lots to be grateful for!