Just a few more things we like

I haven't gotten over it yet. The honeymoon continues. We keep noticing little things about our new community that just make our hearts flutter a bit. So here are just a few other things we want to share:

Horses: I have always wanted to live in an area where horses were the norm. I just had never pictured that area to be a developed new construction neighborhood. I love that we enjoy a well planned neighborhood with beautiful new construction homes, well maintained roads and sidewalks, developed amenities AND we still hear roosters crowing in the morning.  Evening walks are accompanied by ducks quacking or sheep bleating. It's not uncommon to see a neighbor in their front yard with a rabbit in their arms. Goats are always jumping up and down from their playgrounds. And horses are on every block.

The little girl in the stroller on the right wanted to pet the horse so this man stopped in the intersection to let her come close. I happened to be pulling up to the stop sign so I whipped out my camera. Love this.

ATVs: I am not what anyone would consider an ATV enthusiast. I think I have ridden one once in Hawaii on a guided tour. But I LOVE that we live in an area where the youth ride ATV's to midweek activities at the church. I love pulling down the street and passing 2 little kiddos (maybe 11 and 8?) riding down the street on their ATV and noticing pony tails and ribbons sticking out the back of their helmets. I love seeing all the dads taking their little toddlers for joy rides tightly clutching their chest with one hand as they drive. I love watching families burn down the dirt roads in their off road vehicles for an evening family activity. I get excited to see neighbors taking off on their dirt bikes for a quick trail ride (it makes me think of my brother). Our neighbors love to play outdoors as families and I love it.

This was a school function and one mom pulled up with a couple kiddos in her off road vehicle.

The church parking lot for mid week activities. There are usually multiple ATVs.

This little guy looked to be about 11. I have seen no less than half a dozen neighborhood youth well under the age of  'teen' out for joy rides on their own. Helmets. Safe driving techniques and awareness. And no adults needed to hover over them. Just out having fun.

Mom and Dad were nearby supervising this little dude. But that is a real gas-powered mini ATV. And mom and dad were perfectly comfortable letting him ride around the park himself.

Kids being kids: I have a confession... I had become a prude and I didn't even realize it. I used to look at those "I survived the 80s" memes and think "Oh, it is such a shame our kids can't do all the fun things we did. If only we could go back in time." And yet, now that we live in an area where all of those things seem to still exist, I have realized I need to chill out a bit. Kids ride in the back of trucks here. Gasp! I have even seen teenagers sitting on the back ledge of a convertible when the top was down 50's style. Gasp! And little boys often stick their head out the front passenger window on the drive home from school. Gasp! I will never forget the time I was driving little Amber home from a friend's house less than one full block from home inside our neighborhood. She was still small enough to need a booster seat. I let her sit in the front seat since we were so close to home (in a seat belt mind you) and a neighbor literally flagged me down and stopped me to shake their finger at me. Here children ride bikes without helmets, play football in the street, and even travel around the neighborhood without parent supervision. Gasp! I love it! And I am coaching myself to unwad my undies a bit and enjoy it. Even though I still make my kids wear helmets and seat belts no matter how far we are going...

Parks: The playgrounds here actually challenge kids to push the limits. In California everything is so safe it's no fun. The playgrounds here are huge and there is always at least one feature that challenges the kiddos to push their comfort zone. I love that every park simply states: "play at your own risk." Nothing is carelessly designed. It is all safe. But kids can break a bone tripping on their front step, so let's be realistic. I love seeing playgrounds that encourage my kids to push the envelope and actually be active in a challenging way.

I didn't even make it to the top...

Parents are present: I love that there doesn't seem to be any helicopter parents here yet the parents are always present. And by parents I mean both mom and dad. I think we are blessed to live in an area that has a lot of telecommuters. 'Cause it seems like there is a ton more Dad involvement here. We have had just a couple school events and have seen a few community events that make it evident the parents here are super involved. Yet, like I said, there is no helicopter feel. The parents are not there to nag or hound or follow their kids around. They are there to cheer. It's awesome.

It's hard to see in this picture, but the parent presence at a mid-day school performance is overwhelming.

Note the cars parked all down the highway outside the school? So glad I rode my bike to this event, there was no parking. 

This was the turnout for 6th grade graduation. One grade. So many parents and family members showed up they had to move all of the students to the stage to have enough room.

Music and Dance: I knew this before moving here, but Utah is definitely still in tune with the arts. Dance is alive and well. We have been to several local parks and stumbled across dance recitals and performances going on. I love seeing rich programs in my kiddos schools and in the parks in our communities. Every elementary school seems to put on an annual dance festival. And wow, not only do they do a great job, they all seem to genuinely enjoy it. How refreshing.

Every single teacher and administrator danced a surprise number for the students. I've never seen so much enthusiasm. The kids had performed by grade. The staff was the finale.

Every Sunday evening there is music in the park. Each week is something different. This is the Pleasant Grove Orchestra. Free. Beautiful. And family friendly. At one point during the performance the orchestra director commented on how she 'loved' seeing the children roll down the hill behind the audience as the music was playing. Half the children rolling down the hill were mine...

Not only a free family event, but free popsicles for the kids. They came out into the audience with scissors to open the kids' Otter Pops. They even offered seconds.

Two things I LOVE about this: fantastic musical talent and the little old ladies soaking it up. 

Seriously. Musical talent oozing from every city (remember, this is just the orchestra from one city...)

Good people: I mentioned some of this in my last bragging post about our new area. But we are seeing further evidence that people here live by a different standard. The kids don't lock up their bikes at school. People can leave items of value on their driveway overnight. People return lost items (twice now I have heard announcements over the speaker at a restaurant or store). Stores leave items of value accessible without immediate theft.  Neighbors frequently lend and borrow tools and offer leftover supplies to each other for free (or crazy cheap.) I'm talking large tools of value like roto tiller, post driver, power washer, hydraulic press, skid steer, extension ladders, sump pumps. And valuable supplies like fresh sod, food storage, water barrels, garden plants, landscape rocks, PVC pipe, fill dirt, baby and sports equipment. And we've only been here observing for 3 weeks!

This cement truck driver stopped at an intersection to let a group of kiddos cross the street. No stop sign here. Just a considerate driver making sure the kids made it across safely.

Amber had run out the the car while we were eating at In and Out one night. When we left the restaurant we realized she had accidentally left the trunk open: WITH MY PURSE in plain view. Not saying it couldn't or wouldn't have been taken at any moment. But it never would have lasted as long as it did in a California parking lot.

Bikes are not locked up on the bike racks. And many of the kids don't even take them into the school. They just leave them near the bike trail right in plain view. This is amazing to me.

Mom is still in charge: My examples are specific to the schools, but this feel is different in general here too. Example #1- Ty's class was going on a field trip and the permission slips had been turned in before we arrived and started school. Ty's teacher forgot to send one home for him. The day of the field trip they realized they didn't have a permission slip for Ty. In California, this would mean he could not attend. Period. But here, the school called and asked if I would like him to go? Of course I said yes. I was expecting to be asked to rush down to the school to fill out his medical information and sign a permission slip. Nope. Mom's word was enough. The medical info they had on file at the school was enough. In California I have had a child denied the opportunity to attend a field trip simply because I forgot to put their medical record number on their signed permission slip. It was so refreshing to hear that I could give verbal permission and an exception could be made for Ty to attend.

Example #2- Caity was late to school the day of her birthday because I had gone hunting for donuts (tradition is tradition whether we knew where to go or not!). So I sent an email to the attendance office. I included the date and period missed and the description "Unexcused-birthday breakfast". In California unless there is a doctor's note or death in the immediate family, the absence is marked as unexcused. I immediately received a reply from the attendance office asking why I had said 'unexcused'? She said, "You put her birthday as unexcused, but you want to excuse it right?" I was taken aback. In California we had received numerous warnings and notices over the years of  the school threatening to contact Roseville police and CPS because our child had tardies or unexcused absences. Our favorite one was the response we got to taking Caitlin out of school to go to the Orpheum Theater in San Francisco to see the play Wicked. We thought this was a wonderful educational opportunity. The school did not. That was one of our first threats to report us to the Police or CPS (they never did, but it is obnoxious that they can). I am so very thrilled to see and feel as though I am the one making the decisions about my child's education again.

Just to be clear: we have never been careless about our children's attendance. And I understand why schools may need to have policies about attendance. But let the responsible parents provide educational and well being/bonding opportunities to their children without threats, please.

Patriots: We have always loved coming to Utah for the 4th of July. The celebration and reverence for our country and our freedoms is unparalleled. Now that we live here I am realizing (and loving) that it is a year-round feel. People here LOVE their country and defend their liberties. From license plates to flagpoles to Facebook posts to T shirts to community events, it is just so very different here.

Click on the images to see closer. But EVERY single house in our neighborhood and surrounding areas had a flag out for Memorial Day either in their yard or on their house or both. The streets are lined with them.

Every single cemetery we passed on Memorial Day was packed with families, flowers and flags. I have never seen so many people in a cemetery before.

This family had flags for each branch of the military.

"In God we Trust" and "United We Stand" 

(sorry, random stranger, for using a pic of your license plate)

Because we make it that way: I love that we are seeing examples of our community holding a standard and taking action. I mentioned above and in my previous post how our area does have a more wholesome "leave it to beaver" feel. But we are not in a complete bubble. Teenage boys are still dumb. Things like graffiti still happen. But when it happens here, the response is immediate. And I mean immediate. A week or two ago someone decided it would be cool to spray paint our neighborhood park with some explicit images. Within the first hour (I had driven by the park before it happened and saw the Facebook post after it happened) a neighbor posted a warning to our Facebook page for families to avoid the park. Within 30 minutes (as we were driving out of the neighborhood) of the post, the sheriff pulled into the park parking lot to make a report. Within 24 hours the paint was gone. Not just covered or painted over. Completely restored. I've never seen such a quick response to something like that.

By contrast, here are two things we ran across during our recent visit to California for medical appointments that tickled our brain a bit given our new surroundings outside of our previous state. While we were in town I had the kids do well visits and get current on vaccinations. For Aiden's well check questionnaire I was asked if he still sits in a booster seat in the back seat of the vehicle? Aiden no longer requires a booster seat because of his age, height and weight so I answered no. Just a couple questions down from that I was asked if I believe my child is currently smoking, drinking or using drugs. My 10 year old son. Who they also suspect may be sitting in a booster seat. Think about that one for a minute.

As Caitlin and I chuckled about the mental image of Aiden smoking a cigarette from the backseat in a booster I happened to notice this poster on the wall.

Caitlin immediately cocked her head to the side and said, "Healthy options?" Now, hear me clearly. I understand that many families choose to allow their kiddos to drink coffee and tea. And most people think we are odd ducks to simply choose not to drink coffee and tea at all. But to claim either coffee or tea with "a teaspoon of sugar" is the healthy alternative to fruit juices or is an equivalent to the healthy option of good old fashioned water does make me wonder.

So, it is fair to say that we are continuing to enjoy our new digs. Utah is feeling more and more like home even though a big part of our hearts will always be in California.

If you are still reading, you may be thinking I am trying to bash California or I am trying a little too hard to see our new state through rose colored glasses. But in reality, I am celebrating my Father in Heaven's great awareness of me and the needs of my family. I was heart sick about leaving California. I actually feel a bit sheepish about it now. I was being an infant on the inside, whining and complaining, naively clinging to what I knew. But God knew better. And He gently coaxed me to what He knew would be amazing for us. Recognizing all of these silly little details is just our daily acknowledgement that God is good.

Someday I will live at home

After spending the first two weeks in our new home without Brad, I traveled back to California for a week with Caitlin and Aiden for some medical appointments (finishing up braces and some post op). Then I was home for a quick weekend before jumping on a plane to my cousin's wedding in Arizona. And next week we return to California one last time for medical appointments again. I am looking forward to our summer at home this year.

Near the medical offices in Palo Alto is a beautiful walking trail. We stop here almost every time to get some much needed movement and fresh air after the long drive (it's a 3 1/2 hour drive from where we lived and where we were staying this trip). I loved this walk even more this particular trip as Aiden was full of words. His speech has exploded since receiving his second implant. He told me all about the birds, flowers, airplanes, and animals we saw on our walk. Warms my heart.

We were only gone 5 days. But it felt really good to see the mountains and 'home' in the distance on the trip back to Utah. So strange that this already feels like home.

Arizona. Late May. Outdoor wedding. (We actually lucked out with the weather. It was not unbearable)

People I love. (Brother and sister in law, mom and dad).

Weddings are fun.

My mom and my cuz (the groom).

Me and my daddy.

First Adventure

We are so excited to start exploring our new state! Last Saturday we loaded up some family and friends and followed my Aunt and Uncle to Goblin Valley for a picnic and hike. What a cool place to let a bunch of rambunctious boys explore!

This little valley has endless sandstone formations that were originally thought to look like goblins (hence the name). The park descriptive says the area looks like mars. I agree. This is a really unique and awe inspiring area. But the kids loved it because they could climb and touch and jump and hide to their heart's content. This would be the ultimate parkour playground for someone who knew what they were doing.

It was a bit of a drive so our first order of business was lunch. It was definitely a warm day but we lucked out with a beautiful cooling breeze.

The littles could not wait to run free!

The boys all immediately began climbing and jumping to their heart's content.

The girls seemed to enjoy themselves too.

Mother Nature is awesome!

My little mountain goats.

Best Aunt and Uncle award!

What we like so far

It's only been about two weeks. But there are a few noticeable differences about our new surroundings that we are loving. I love California. Falling in love with our new state does not mean I dislike our old stomping grounds or do not appreciate where we come from. It also does not mean that the state of California as a whole does not have all of the things we are loving here. But there are a few things I will not miss there and a few things I am happy to discover here.

Number 1: We are LOVING the design of our neighborhood. Everyone here has at minimum 1/2 an acre. Many have a full acre or more. We finally have some space. The homes are all new construction or older custom homes and everyone here is living their own dream. Some have used their property to build a shop or run a home business. Some have all the toys: RVs, boats, jet skis, snow mobiles, etc. Some have horses or chickens and ducks or goats. Some are dog breeders. Some are just Grandmas and Grandpas providing a super fun yard for the grand kids to come play. We are not the oldest or youngest or only with children. There is a beautiful variety here. 

We can actually afford to have a nice house with a big yard here. It is getting harder and harder these days to find homes on large lots and homes with the convenience and ease of being 'in town' that still have an 'away from it all' feel. Our 'dream home' in California (the one I wanted to build in Loomis or Newcastle) likely would have cost about twice as much as we paid to be here. This specific home and lot we have bought would have been at minimum 50% more in the areas we lived in California.

This neighbor has built a cross track in his back yard. Love it.

This is a shot right out my back window. That is our back yard and that is the closest any of our neighbors will ever be. And, lest you think we live in a desolate area, all of the homes surrounding us are brand new construction. Very few have done any landscaping yet so it does look a bit bleak. Just a few streets over there are mature trees, fenced yards and rolling grass covered hills. We'll get there in a few years.

This shot is also right off my back patio. You can see the neighbors' baby trees and green grass. The older parts of the neighborhood have some mature trees and landscaping that show great potential for the years to come.

Just down the street in town things look a bit more developed.

Number 2: People here 'get' families. The children here play outside without helicopter parents barking at them. Boys are allowed (and expected) to be boys. Kids walk and ride bikes to school en mass. Grocery stores cater to young as well as large families. We have been here less than two weeks and our doorbell has rung multiple times by children inviting our kids to come play. The first day we were here our next door neighbors invited the little boys to play in their yard while we unpacked. No one seems to feel inconvenienced by our family size or the ages of our kids. They fit right in here.

We call this the "bush house" (its not big enough to be a real tree). It is just up the hill near our house and the boys can walk by themselves to go play there. But I love that some neighborhood kids trekked their old playground up the hill to build a fort. It is not properly secured. There are nails and screws sticking out of the boards on the ground. The climbing wall occasionally blows down in the wind. But no one is demanding it be torn down. No one has posted warning signs. No one is worried about a lawsuit. The kids just play. 

The other night I let the boys go play at the park 2 blocks from our house. When I came to pick them up there was an entire field full of kids playing a baseball game. All ages. Boys and girls. Just playing.

There is a dedicated trail through our neighborhood to the school. The only cross road has a cross guard with a stop sign to escort the kids across. There is no way for the kids to get lost or distracted. No cars. Just a pretty little paved trail along the backs of horse properties.

The trail leads right into the school playground. They don't even go near the parking lot. Brilliant.

Number 3: Again: only two weeks. But I am more than pleased and more than content with my kiddos schools. The staff has been a dream. They do not hesitate or drag their feet to get my kids what they need. I literally had an IEP meeting for Aiden the day after I registered him as a new student. It has been less than 2 weeks and Nathan has already had all of his assessments completed for grade placement (there was some question if we need to advance him a grade) and the meeting is already scheduled for this week to decide. I have already been contacted regarding my two other kiddos with IEPs.  I have been invited to participate in Aiden's therapy sessions so that we can carry over his practice at home. These people know exactly what they are doing and they don't waste any time. My kind of people. The kids all seem to like their teachers. I am already receiving great communication from all of them. Seriously, I could not ask for more.

Last week we had some rain. Rather than sending the kids to their classrooms to watch movies (the California standard, at least in the 4 schools I had experience with) all of the kids gather in the gym and dance to Just Dance videos.

Number 4: Weather. Yep, I said it. Yes, I know it snows here. Yes I know I have only been here two weeks. Yes I know I will eat my words next winter as I am shoveling snow off my walk (or watching my kids do it...). But I love the weather where we live. We enjoy a lovely breeze in the evening that reminds me of the Delta breeze at home (we may learn to hate it in the winter). The spring weather is fabulous just about anywhere but I love the warmth of the afternoon and the crispness of the evening here. We were all thrilled to enjoy a tiny dusting of snow our first week here. My kids' enthusiasm is what excites me for the snow next year. I can't wait to sled and build snowmen and go for snow walks.

Enjoying treats on the back steps because it was just too pretty out.

I don't think Bella is going to share our enthusiasm for the snow next year...

Number 5: The view. We have mountains in California. And they are beautiful. But the mountains here are different. And, oh my. Everywhere we go the view is just amazing. And it is right out our windows.

Number 6: People here get really excited about their yard. I am sure you will find people all over the country that enjoy some good yard work. But here it is almost a mass frenzy. When spring hits, the Home Depot garden center is a mad house. You can't walk into Costco without passing all of the trees, shrubs and flowers. They are the featured items. Everyone here has tulips. And they are gorgeous. This past Saturday it seemed every single neighbor was in their yard working. The new construction homes are all sorting rocks and raking the dirt and planting trees. The established homes are all planting flowers and checking sprinkler systems. Its fun to see everyone working.

I didn't even know tulips came in so many colors!

Number 7: clean music and language. The radio in California will silence profanity. But not all of it. And we are noticing here a more diligent effort to even omit words like 'sex', 'liquor,' and 'hell.' Every sports field and sport registration page I have seen has had a clear 'no profanity' rule. All athletes and parents are expected to keep their language clean or leave. How incredibly refreshing.

You read that right.

Number 8: A more 'wholesome' feel. This is not meant to be offensive or sound judgmental. We love all kinds of people of all types and styles. But it is more than refreshing to see very few of what my kids call 'butt shorts.' Ya know, shorts so short the pockets hang out the bottom. Or worse, a full handful of a 'cheek' hanging out the bottom. It is refreshing to see the grand majority of boys and men with clean-cut hairstyles. The youth seem to walk a bit more upright here. I sit in the parking lot of Caity's high school each day just admiring the 3,500 students strolling by my car not looking like rejects. (Again, not meant to be offensive.) Literally hundreds and hundreds of youth that are clean cut and well kept. Among the adults in town, tattoos and piercings are still not uncommon. But even those seem to be done more tastefully. I have yet to find nudity or profanity in ink flashed before my kiddos eyes at the local grocery store or playground (not uncommon in our experience in California). People behind the counter or on the phone are noticeably more cheery and eager to assist. I am sure some would find the "leave it to Beaver" feel a bit annoying. But we are soaking it up.

Number 9: Sundays are still special. Many stores and restaurants are not open on Sundays here. Recreational sports teams are not expected to play on Sundays here. I haven't even seen it suggested as 'optional' play like tournaments etc. Believe it or not, not everyone here is Mormon (only abut 50% of the residents in the larger counties are LDS). But this community and region as a whole is catering to a large population of people (Mormon or not) who want the Sabbath Day to remain separate from the rest of the week. We always joke about a sign we saw while visiting a few years ago that proclaimed: "Now serving beer on Sundays!" It's nice to live in an area where Sundays are considered different.

Number 10: We still have family here. One of the hardest parts about leaving California was leaving our parents and my brother. We miss our friends too. But leaving family after spending our entire lives 'just down the street' was something we were nervous about. We are lucky to have family here with their arms open and welcoming us. This would have been a lot harder without some family to stand by.

Our first Sunday here we had dessert with my Aunt Marlene and Uncle Gerald. They brought up the Martinelli's to toast our arrival. It is good to be loved.