New Job, New Year

It's been so long since I've updated the blog I feel like so much has changed. We've had Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and A NEW JOB! It's kind of a bitter sweet thing to be leaving Las Vegas. I am loving winter in the desert, probably my favorite time of year! The leaves are falling and we've had "cold" weather (in the 40s and 50s).

A little recap on the last 3 months:

October: Caleb got glasses and he looks pretty smart!
Halloween: Caleb went as Spiderman, I was a bee, and Chris wore a Transformers T-shirt (his idea of dressing up). Caleb loved running from door to door trick-or-treating and watching all the other kids in their costumes.
November: Chris (and I) were going crazy with all the nonsense from his job. He had been job hunting the last few months, went to a job fair here in Vegas, and thankfully got a follow up call a few days after the job fair. He was offered and accepted a job with AirEvac. We are so excited for this new opportunity and are grateful for such a blessing in our lives! Shortly we will be relocating to Arkansas. I've joked that we should make moving a profession because we do it so much; this will make our 10th move in 10 1/2 years of marriage. We were able to join our families in Utah for Thanksgiving this year and were excited to spend time with them before we go.
December: Chris began and completed an intense training course with AirEvac, complete with Night Vision Goggle training (NVG). We are so proud of his hard work and diligence for a new job! While Chris was gone Caleb could hardly wait until his daddy came home and asked about him constantly. He often says "Can I go to Arkansas with Daddy and work at AirEvac?" He can tell you daddy now flies a Bell 206 and flew an red A Star in Alaska and a blue A Star in Las Vegas. He is fascinated by a flight magazine Chris brought home and wants to know the name of each helicopter and what it does.
I've stayed busy with school, packing (with Caleb's "help") and growing the baby.

baking bread

Christmas dinner by candlelight 

  

 

best buds

 We hope all of you had a wonderful holiday season. We wish you the best for 2013!

Oh Baby!

We are VERY excited to announce we are expecting baby boy #2! Caleb enjoys announcing he is going to be a "big bruder". I jokingly told Chris the Lott family must feel the need to repopulate the earth with boys (ours will be the 8th boy in 10 grandchildren). Honestly it doesn't matter to us what the gender is, we just want him to be healthy.

You may or may not know we have struggled with infertility in the past. Before Caleb came we didn't share too much because it was a painful subject for me, especially among family and friends who seemed to have no trouble having all the babies they wanted. When we moved to Arizona 5 years ago we made several close friends who have struggled, and some that still are, to have children. Their support and strength has taught me a lot. Long story short after more than 4 years of tests, treatments, surgery, and more tests we were blessed with Caleb. 

It was looking like we would have to travel down the same path with all of our children. We put off infertility treatments this time for many reasons mostly due to the lack of insurance coverage and Chris being gone to Alaska for 6 months. Finally this spring I was overwhelmed with the feeling that baby #2 needed to come to our family and it was our responsibility to get him/her here. I knew from experience it wouldn't be easy emotionally or financially but it was something we needed to do NOW. As it happens I found out a few weeks later I was pregnant. To say we were shocked and surprised is an understatement! In more than 6 years I have NEVER gotten pregnant on my own, and many times not even with IUI treatments. I didn't think it was possible. I am so grateful for this new little one, and feel the miracle of answered prayers in our lives. 

Summer Camping

We've finally made it out of the heat of the city to do some camping last weekend. We went to the Dixie National Forrest and had a blast. There are some beautiful sights and lots to do- we'll definitely be going back!

The origin of the Virgin River

The trail

the view

Motorcycles

While we were in Utah this May Chris and Caleb had some good old boy fun. This was his first time on a motorcycle and Caleb was so excited he could hardly stand it! 

10 years!

Wow, time sure does fly! If you had asked me 10 years ago where we would be today I would have given a completely different answer from where we are now. That doesn't mean it's bad, it's just different. One lesson I've learned is life doesn't turn out how you expect. For example, when we got married Chris wanted to be a dentist so I thought we'd be a year or two settled into his practice, own a home, and have a few more kids by this point. I thought I'd be an RN and work very part time while I stayed busy with our kids. I have to tease Chris about his drastic career change but I admit I did the same. Reality: we have one child and are extremely grateful for him, I've returned to school and still have a few years ahead of me, and we are temporarily settled in Las Vegas where Chris flys helicopter tours. I think Chris said it best when he said we've had ups, downs, and all arounds. Hopefully we've come through stronger and better people because of it. Here's to the future!

Seal Beach at Sunset

Caleb's photography of the boats in the harbor 

3 musketeers, top deck of our boat

Corona Del Mar

For our 10th wedding anniversary we packed up for a few days and headed to Cali to escape the heat. We spent 1 full day at the beach and had a great time. C loves the sand and water and was in heaven. He asked multiple times in the days preceding to go to the beach. The day of he was so excited and announced "It's beachy time!"

Dolphin watching

Kangaroo Zoo

We had a blast with the cousins at a place called Kangaroo Zoo. It's filled with slides and bounce houses of all shapes and sizes. The kids had a great time jumping, sliding, falling, ect. It's awesome for any age!