OCEAN PLAY TIME!! YEAH!!

CHASING THE WAVES on the Santa Monica Beach.

Amber couldn't wait to jump into the water. She was the first one in!

Cody was a natural boogie border.

Sterling and I had fun watching the rest of the family as they played in the water.

Cody caught wave after wave. He got completely submerged by a big wave just before we had to leave--and it scare him pretty bad. Hopefully, he'll be just as excited to venture into the surf next time.

Hunter is such a great coach--in EVERYTHING!! He taught each of the older kids how to boogie board and catch the waves. Here's Cody on his first try.

Mariah and Hunter

Amber

CHECK OUT THIS VIEW!!

What a great group!

Sunday Family Pics--(Sterling was sleeping)

Marina del Rey--"Mommy's Beach"

Today, Cody started using his left foot again! I was so excited--since he's not put any weight on it since our trip to the Westwood Park last Monday. He loved building sand castles. He's such a good boy.

Jean (to the left) set up a "mommy play-date" for our ward at the beach today. The kids and I took a day away from unpacking to enjoy the great CA weather. Although I didn't have all the right beach equipment (since we were prepped for Minnesota weather instead), we still had a great time. This beach was more like a lake--since the waves were non-existant. It was perfect for smaller children. I'm still trying to get used to the fact that I'm now settling on the west coast instead of the mid-west! HUGE change. The people we've associated with thus far are absolutely wonderful, though!! We are truly blessed. It appears we've found a patch of paradise in this big city. Tender mercies.

Amber and Eva (Jean's daughter).

Amber and Cody

Mariah

LA Westwood Park

I ventured (on foot) to this park a mile down our street--with 4 children!! I didn't know how far the park was from our home--and I hadn't gotten brave enough to DRIVE in LA traffic yet--so, walking was the transportation of choice :-). Unfortunately, I hadn't figured accidents into the picture. Not 5 minutes after I took this picture, Cody crushed his foot under the metal teeter-totter. I had to sit him ontop of the stroller and hurry him home--as he screamed the whole way back. AGH! Just to make matters more difficult & challenging, our sewer backed up as well--AND our electricity turned off in half of the home! AGAIN...AGH!!!!! Fortunately, our landlord had people come and fix all the house problems yesterday. YEAH for Rotor Rooter!!! So--unpacking with all these kiddos is a bit (or EXTREMELY) tricky! Sterling likes a lot of attention, so I have to plan my work schedule around his naps. Amber and Mariah have been really helpful with Sterling--AND Cody, as we've had to heft him around the house throughout the day, too. It's been trying, to say the least. However, I really love our little home. From what I hear, we got a great price for a great space! Yes--our "little" home is considered a mansion here. I have to re-program my thinking. Land is extremely expensive! Renting is rediculously pricy! Anyway...I'm so grateful we were put in such a great place. I love it!

Mud House Reunion

What an ADVENTURE!

From Washburn Law School in Topeka, KS, a summer internship with the MN Vikings, a year-long internship with the Kansas City Chiefs, another summer internship with the Vikings---and...(DRUM ROLL)...finally...a job in Los Angeles, CA with one of the most well-known attorneys in the NFL!! This whirlwind adventure came with a lot of angst, stress, and--quite frankly...FEAR!! Law school was far different than what we were expecting, but fortunately, along the way, we met some of the greatest people on earth. We feel extremely blessed.

Thank you to all the men who helped to move us in and out of all of our homes--however short our stay was :-). Thank you to all the fine women who helped with child-care and moral support. Thank you to our parents who have offered far more than shoulders to lean on. And, most importantly, thanks be to God--for guiding us along and puting so many exciting opportunities in our path.

We count ourselves lucky to have so many great friendships. We want to keep and foster those relationships forever. Please feel free to visit us at any time!!

We were ACCEPTED!!!!! HOORAY!!

We received the phone call today--a day earlier than we were expecting. We've been approved for the home in LA. If you want our new address, please feel free to contact us any time. :-)

MORE BIG NEWS!!

So--just when we thought we were in a place where we could "settle down," Hunter received a great job offer from a firm in Los Angeles!! Kevin Warren, the Vice President of Legal Affairs and Chief Opperations Officer for the MN Vikings, pulled Hunter into his office and explained that a good friend of his in LA, Bob Buch--an attorney for Seyfarth Shaw, LLP, was looking for a possible candidate to hire, and he (Kevin) had recommended Hunter. Hunter contacted Bob and they conducted several interviews. Bob then contacted Woody Dixon, the Salary Cap Director and General Counsel for the Kansas City Chiefs, and asked him about Hunter. Woody also reccommended Hunter. Kevin and Woody--two of the greatest mentors in Hunter's life, gave our family an opportunity of a life-time!!

With Kevin's blessing, Hunter and I RE-PACKED our belongings into an ABF truck and shipped it across the country. We piled our 6-person family into our minivan and ventured 34 hours from Minnesota to CA. Our 3 oldest kids spent time in AZ with their grandparents while Hunter and I went to CA to look for a home. For 4 days, Hunter and I drove around LA searching for a home for our family. Driving was insane!!! About 12 hours a day, we scoured neighborhood after neighborhood.

We had access to the internet in our vehicle--so we researched school districts and community resources as we drove along. We looked at nearly 30 homes!! We found that we were going to have to sacrifice square footage in order to live in a top school district. However, we found the ideal home--just one mile south of the LA temple!! We filled out the application for rental, and we plan to hear back from the management company by next Tuesday. Please send a few prayers our way--as we HOPE this home will be our next home---the home we will finally get to "settle down" in.

This is the home we're hoping to get into. It's a 3bd/2ba home with a 2-car garage and an adorable "back-house" that is about 10' x 20'. WE LOVE IT!

Hunter's new office building--Seyfarth Shaw, LLP. 2029 Century Park E, Century City, CA.

Blessing after blessing--miracle after miracle. God is real and He hears and answers prayers. I'm a believer--there's no doubt about it!!

Minnesota Fun!!

Chaska, Minnesota

The kids and I flew up to Minneapolis where we met Hunter after an 8 week separation. We were THRILLED to see him--and he was excited to see us, too :-). We arrived at our home to find most of our things in the middle of each room--and painters working from room to room. Still, in the middle of the chaos, we enjoyed a fun family night --with baseball in the front yard and ice cream for desert.