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Three hundred and fifty one days.  That's how long we have been living here in Canada.  It definitely has been an adventure in more ways than one.  There have been lots of really hard, dark and difficult periods.  And the moments of joy and light have been unbelievable. But as we approach our one year mark in Calgary and begin the next rounds of adventures I have been reflecting on our life in Arizona.

When we moved we had been living in our home in Tolleson for about four years.  Those four short years brought many blessings and great memories to our family.

 William was only two months old when we moved into the house.  He was such a delightful little guy. In very little time Bryant and I realized that while we throughly enjoyed having three sons, we were outnumbered and the boys were quickly going to take advantage  realize that fact.

Our dog Charlotte also adopted us in roughly the same time period.  I never would have imagined us owning a dog, but I can honestly say it was a true pleasure having her with us for the time that we did.  William especially has a fond spot for animals( extra soft spot for dogs).

 Being the impatient type of people that we are, it wasn't long before Ethan joined our growing family. He has been hands down the best Christmas present I have ever received.  He has made our life richer and more exciting and with out a doubt, much louder :-)

One of the reasons we bought the home that we did was because of the yard.  It was perfect, well, except for the 10 million tons of rock that was implanted in the back.  For nearly two and a half years we work on transforming the yard.  Sometimes moving the rock felt like punishment, but with the boys and Bryant, somehow it always ended up being enjoyable.

The biggest project was when we laid sod.  It was hard and sweaty work, but the finished backyard was a bit of paradise for us.

While in Tolleson, we learned to love doing things as a family.  We camped, went exploring, enjoyed Grandmas and Grandpas and mastered surviving the Phoenician summers. The boys were also beyond excited when cousins began arriving to the family. They sure do love Reed and Jameson and Elizabeth.

Then our family learned something very important.  Kids grow up fast- Faster than I thought was possible, and before we knew it Seth had started school and Jeffrey followed one year later. 

Jeffrey didn't like the idea that school couldn't wait for him to finish playing in the yard.  But he was just as excited as Seth, perhaps even more because that year we explored the exciting world of homeschooling.  Quickly the boys learned that Mom+homeschooling+expecting baby boy number five= lots of silly mom moments.

Nathaniel arrived in January of 2012 and we could not have been happier to welcome another wonderful little guy to our tribe.

Perhaps our most favorite thing about living in Tolleson (besides friends and family, of course) was the privilege of being so close to the Mesa Temple.  The boys and I usually went and visited every other month or so, but in the beginning of every spring we would spend an entire day there as a family. It was one of our happiest family traditions.

I don't know what life will look like when we have completed four years here in Canada.  But I do know that the time will shape and mold our family, provide us joyful memories to wipe away the sad and painful ones.  If the next four years are and good as the four in Tolleson, then I am looking forward to the adventure!