The Latest Update and More AI Musings...

First, before I get to anything serious...my take on tonight's American Idol finale.

• George Michael in Paris Hilton glasses and looking like an old, scruffy throwback from Solid Gold. (all that was missing was fringe on his sleeves). Ew.
  
• Bryan Adams sounding the same and not taking himself too seriously (still makes him one of my favorites)
  
• David Cook with ZZ Top (the geriatric version...pretty sure they were packing Lasix) though David sounded superb.
• Some group (can't remember the name) with a guy playing the piano who sang ok. Then David Archuleta joined in and we all quickly realized how little we were enjoying the first guy.
  
• David C. wins, and cries. David A. is gracious. Paula says something incoherent. Simon shows off some chest. David C.'s mom shows up on stage as if from nowhere. David C. calls David A. "Archie." It's all good.

Ok, now for the real stuff.

We move out of this house on the 29th. I'm not going to post all the details of our ins and outs, but I will be sending out an email with all of our new contact info and our itinerary. I was going to write more, but I just realized my eyes are only half open. So instead, I'll post some pics of our new house. Enjoy!

My aunt on the front porch.

Looking forward to relaxing on the porch. Never had a real front porch before...also never realized how strange the word "porch" sounds if you say it over and over again...


The view from the backyard. We have .7 acres...we figure Joe will start mowing on Thursday and be done sometime around noon on Saturday. There were 12 horses out when I took this picture. Lindsay is ecstatic, of course. Me, I'll take the mountains. :)

Title of my Memoirs...um....

I was "tagged" awhile ago by a friend to come up with a 6-word title for my memoirs, were I to write them.

After much deliberation, I think it might be titled,

"To Hear this Command Again, Press Two."

Does anyone else in the mommy world feel like you say everything twice? I think I'm just going to start talking like a myna bird and just say everything twice from the start.

Put it back, put it back.
On the shelf, on the shelf.
Not there, not there.
I said on the shelf, I said on the shelf.

I read like a bad Dr. Seuss book. :)

We're on the move!

Just a quick note to let you know we have purchased a house, and we are officially moving! We'll send out all of our information sometime soon. In the meantime, we'll be buried in boxes, bubble wrap and packing tape. :)

On a side note, go Davids! My guess is David A. will win, but David C. will make all the money. (kinda like Chris Daughtry from a few seasons ago...Taylor Who?)

Joe says David C. will win. Devil's advocate....

Kinda looks like Good vs. Evil, doesn't it? Which one would you like to meet in a dark alley? I think they're both great, but I don't know about the image they're trying to create for David C. Is PR going to have him bite the heads off of live bats next?

The Waiting Game

So we presented our offer on the home we'd like to buy, and now we wait. The house is priced high, and the owner's realtor realizes this. Let's hope the owner does, too, and will accept our offer or at least counter with something reasonable. I don't know how people do this every couple of years...I'm getting new gray hairs everyday! Here's a pic of our house with the sign in front. No "sold" sign yet, but all looks good with that. We're gonna miss this place.
Well, back to packing...

Moments You Just Have to Laugh...

Hannah just came up to me and let me smell her nice minty breath. In a very proud voice, she said, "I brushed my teeth!"

to which I responded, "Wow! What a big girl!"

which she followed with, "I couldn't find my toothbrush...so I used yours."

Gotta love it. :)

Sale Almost Final!

We are thrilled to report that we got an offer on our home and as of last night, it is SOLD! Hallelujah! Now the crazy packing process begins, and life as we know it becomes obsolete. We're ready for the adventure, and so thankful for the Lord's provision in all of this. It's been a crazy road, and I get the feeling it's just the beginning. :) Thanks for riding along!

And the Yo-Yo Drops Again...

Alas, the whole house-selling thing is an incredible test of one's faith, endurance, patience, stamina, etc. For what must be the zillionth time, a phone call came today announcing a client who would like to see my house...in 20 minutes or so. Today was a holiday for Chandler Public Schools, so all 5 kiddos were here, living, well, as children will do. There were crumbs in abundance under the table, various selections of dirty laundry pieces scattered hither and fro, and toys (namely Polly Pockets and Legos....the world's foremost producers of microscopic and seemingly self-reproducing toys) EVERYWHERE. We dashed, darted, and nearly flew from one room to the next, and I must say, the Cross family has become a well-oiled machine when it comes to showings. The house sparkled in 17 minutes flat. As we drove out of the neighborhood, we saw the realtor and the family turning onto our street. And, for the zillionth time, we have heard nothing. Sigh.
On the other hand, we sure are enjoying our pool and the nice weather. The kids have been swimming daily, sometimes twice in one day. I love the laughter- it seems children are just overall happier when they are wet. We are also enjoying having a "yard guy." We've never had a yard guy before, but what a pleasure it is to know we can enjoy our home this weekend and not spend all day Saturday weeding, trimming, etc. We could get used to this...but we'd better not. :)
So, I wish I had more exciting news to post. I am pleased that we've been able to see nearly every episode of American Idol this season (a family favorite). That tells me life is still simple enough to enjoy the little things. We are rooting for the David Duo this year. We love them both, though vocally David Archuleta is well beyond David Cook. Tho, David Cook is more versatile. David A. is a little limited to the more sappy love ballad. Did you ask my opinion on all of this? I'm sorry, somewhere along the line I assumed you were wondering where I stood on this whole thing. My mistake.
BTW, we are temporarily unable to access our old email address book, so if you check out the blog, email me at home so I have your address. We are re-compiling our addresses. Thanks!!