It's Officially Official! The BiG Announcement!

We are Moving!!!!

Yes, it's true! We are moving away from Phoenix (thank goodness) to South Central Missouri near Springfield!! In September!


We are so excited that James got a great job working as a Family Doctor for St John's/Sister's of Mercy Healthcare system. He will be working in a family practice clinic as one of only 2 docs. This is great! He will have a lot of autonomy and will basically be a partner in his own clinic (that is owned by St. John's - ha). All the benefits of a private practice without the hassle of owning your own business. The benefits are FABULOUS! We are so excited!!

A little about Springfield. First of all it is MY (Stephanie's) Hometown! Of course I am extremely biased and more than a little thrilled that my husband is taking me home. Springfield sits on top of a large plateau of the Ozark Mountains. It is a smaller(ish) town of about 400,000 people in it's greater "metro" area. (Ok, I don't think you could call anything about Springfield "metro" but work with me here). There is a lot of stuff to see and do.

Springfield is actually known as the birthplace of Historic Route 66.
There are a lot of historical landmarks and cool 66-"residue."

Springfield is also home to the National Headquarters of Bass Pro Shops!

Springfield is also located in Tornado Alley so it can get a
lot of exciting Spring weather!
A basement will be a "must" for me (take note James) when we move.

Just down the road a piece is Branson, MO. The country music capitol of the world! Or is that Nashville? Anyway...Branson is home to worlds best Hillbilly Amusement Park...Silver Dollar City! You can guarantee that we will be proud season pass holders to SDC! This roller coaster is called Powder Keg! It boasts that it takes you from 0 to 60 in a little more than 2 seconds...ooohhh, it is SO fun!
Springfield is also home to the one and only original
"Springfield Style Cashew Chicken."
Yummmmmy!

Speaking of Yummy things... Springfield is also home to Andy's Frozen Custard. A sweet treat that is WAY better than Ice Cream. Trust me. My favorite?

The James Brownie Funky Jackhammer.... heee heee heee haaw haw HAW!
I'm drooling already!

Oh and let us not forget the forever-yummyness of Steak n' Shake.

Home of the world famous steakburgers....
Believe it or not...I love Steak n' Shake so much that I made my in-laws eat there for lunch on my wedding day. =) Yes..it really is THAT good.

So, there is a whole lot more to say about my hometown, but that is enough for one blog posting. I'll finish by adding this. Yes, I have a lot of family living within a 1 hour radius of Springfield...oh, and yes we plan on seeing them a LOT so I hope they are Ok with that. =)
Yes, we also plan on buying a house. With at least one extra bedroom so we can entertain visitors! And YES! That visitor could be you!

If you want to learn more about Springfield and the Ozarks, check out my other blog:
http://echosoftheozarks.blogspot.com!

Kayley's Self Portrait

It's funny. Everytime I upload photos onto my computer I always have one or two that I wonder...how did those get there? Kayley is so stealthy! I don't know when she sneaks the camera...and how she manages to get a photo of herself on my camera everytime...but somehow she does. Crazy Girl!

And the Winner is.......

Krystin!!!

Congrats and watch for your specially made Kayley bookmark in the mail soon!!!

Jonah and the Whale - FHE

For Family Home Evening tonight we learned about Jonah and the Whale. It was pretty clever. I created this big plastic whale out of a milk jug. Kayley had a fun time "swallowing" Jonah (one of her Fisher Price little people) and "spitting" him back out over and over again... A good FHE for a toddler!

Resolve National Advocacy Day

RESOLVE Advocacy Day: Why Me? Why Now?

Today we are in a unique moment in US history where the future of healthcare reform is being discussed in the halls of Congress. Together we need to make sure that the leaders of this discussion hear firsthand what those touched by infertility need in our healthcare system.

Today members of Resolve are uniting all over the world to take a stand against astronomical prices for fertility treatments and demanding insurance coverage for procedures that, to those who suffer from infertility, is more than a "cosmetic" procedure.

Click on the link to find out more about what you can do!

http://www.resolve.org/site/PageServer?pagename=advday_takeaction