guys, stuff is happening...

i just stink at blogging about it. also, if you haven't already heard, we are expecting a little bambino in january, so i haven't felt like doing much of anything lately. we went in last friday and had the dr. make SURE that there was only one kidlet before we moved all of the doubles we have of baby stuff (crib, car seat, double stroller...). now we get to leave all of that stuff here, in a good new home.
anyway, we are excited about the new changes that await us. obviously, the new baby is our most exciting, but also on the list? well, we will be moving to reno this month. on the 21st to be exact. jordan and i flew out a couple of weekends ago to look for places, and we found a cute little home just east of campus, which is perfect since jordan's building is even on the east side. if you are interested, below is a little link with some pictures of our new place:
660 Maddux
it will be an adjustment moving from jordan's parent's spacious house to a much smaller one, but we are just grateful that we found something! and that it was a single family home with somewhat of a yard. after having a yard, i doubt i will ever be able to go back to apartment living. i just enjoy the outdoor living space too much.
so, we will be out there approximately one month before jordan needs to be on campus, which will be nice. we can get ourselves nice and settled, and acquainted with the city before i'm pretty much on my own. i have to say that while i am excited to open this new chapter in our lives, i am a little nervous about it. i am going to miss jordan, like A LOT. we have been super spoiled with his dreamy work schedule these last couple years--and we will really miss having him around as much. but people have done grad school and lived and we will do it, and everything will be fine. AND, at least i will have my little buddies there to help me and entertain me. they really are my best little friends, and i feel so blessed to be able to take them with me on this adventure. plus, we will only be 2 hours away from my family, so that will be a nice change.
anyway, happy fourth everyone! hopefully you are doing something fabulous with those you love. what better way to celebrate freedom?!

of all the tulips in the world, jordan's are my favorite...

...but these were still pretty amazing:)




the thanksgiving point tulip festival made for an enchanting family home evening one monday... we were all oohs and aahs over the vibrant colors and lovely scents that surrounded us.




maybe we'll come back and go again next year...

obsessed....

these girls are almost as obsessed with ballerinas as i am with these girls...

if they could, they would watch clips of ballerinas dancing on youtube all day. looks like we have quite a few dance recitals in our future...

is it too late to post about easter and mother's day?

probably. but i am going to anyway. easter was wonderful! we were worried our after church easter egg hunt was going to get rained out, but by some glorious easter miracle, the weather turned nice for those 45 minutes, and we got some great shots of the kiddos in all their hunting glory.
lindsey's adorable easter table, pre-feast...


tilly and avery looking very intent on finding those darned eggs...




and that was the only shot i got of them together that day--totally blinded by the sun. good mom right here.

and speaking of being a good mom, on to mother's day. mine was lovely. what a wonderful thing to celebrate. we skyped with our moms (grandmas) and the saturday before i received a surprise from the girls that looked like this...

i knew it was from them because of the way the card that came with them was written...

and yes, avery does call me maci. in fact, 60% of what she says to me during a whole day begins with the phrase, "maci, look!". i love my little girls, and i sure do love being their mom:)

projects...

i wish i would have documented all the before and afters of projects we have undertaken while living at jordan's parent's house, but alas, i am not so good at thinking ahead. we were hoping to take on a lot more, before their return home in a year, but since we will be moving in july, someone else will have to pick up where we have left off. we haven't done anything too major, but jordan and i did really want to make improvements to the house while we were there, as a thank you. mom and dad stutz are amazing people who have always put the needs and wants of others before their own-- and we think that they are more than deserving of an improved upon living space to come home to. seriously guys, i really do have the most amazing in-laws. anyway, here is one recent project i did document somewhat... some time ago, mom and dad re-did much of their upstairs, including putting laminate flooring throughout the living room and hallway. we thought it would look nice to finish it into the dining room, giving the appearance of more space. jordan and brother-in-law tim worked hard to take on the project and it was finished in under 9 hrs. way to go boys!
the old linoleum close up...

old flooring removed all the way down to the original flooring jordan remembers when they moved into this house twenty-something years ago...

new sub-flooring, being thoroughly tested by the girls for durability...

and finally, the finished product!

looks awesome, right? i have to say it sure is handy to have a handy husband--plus he looks really cute whenever he does something manly:)

for your consideration radio city music hall...

they sing...


("i hope they call me on a mission"}

they dance...




and they will be happy to bounce out any unwanted riff-raff a la friar tuck in disney's robin hood...






so,what do ya think? impressive,right?

isn't that picture scary? well friends, it looks like we will be joining the "wolf pack" soon--this august to be exact. we received the news last week that jordan had been accepted to UNR (University of Nevada Reno) for his graduate studies, and had been given a very generous offer (can you tell i am a proud wifey?). we are so pleased with the way things have turned out and are so grateful for the heavenly guidance we have received as we begin this new chapter in our lives.
i am excited to be only two hours away from my family, and still not too far from jordan's. not to mention being able to still live close to a temple, and beautiful mountains--two things i will miss about utah.
while these changes are exciting, there is still a big piece of me that will miss utah. especially now that my sister and i are actually living close to each other! that will all change this summer. but utah has been good to us. we finished school here. we started our family here. jordan had his first real job here. we have made good friends and become even closer to family here.
it will be an adjustment for sure--but for now we are just excited to see what the future holds for us. go wolf pack!