We've Moved

We have had an incredibly busy and emotional 9 months and that's an understatement. I am just going to highlight things instead of trying to catch up. Blogging to me feels much like journaling. Once I get behind it's so overwhelming that I just ignore it. Oh, the little voice in my head never lets me completely forget so I, like any normal human, I ignore it. Yes, sometimes I do ignore that inner voice and I always pay a price for it. Now here I sit hoping I can at least catch all the highlights and lamenting the fact that we have learned so much that could be lost now from our memory.

Not too long after we got home from China in March with Simon Doug and I both started to feel like we needed to move. We discussed it many times and began to pray. By the beginning of June we knew that we were to move and that move would take us to the state of Missouri. So 6 very long months of getting a house ready to sell, looking for a job and home, packing our belongings and waiting sometimes patiently and sometimes very impatiently we made it to Missouri. Our lives were on hold with many of our belongings boxed up the majority of that time. We were in limbo and that was hard.

In the process of preparing to move, our daughter Sereen and her husband Jared and their kids moved to Texas.Then in October Tyler and Jessica and their kids moved to North Carolina. Our family was getting spread apart and it was hard. When we left Utah we said goodbye to Ressa, Jason and Charlie, Britton, Michael, my brothers and sisters in law and nieces and nephews, my niece Kayla and Kurt and their girls and a sister that just moved closer to me after a couple years of being gone, Doug's sisters and many good friends. It was in the top ten of the hardest things I have done. It still hurts often and I struggle.the kids struggle and Doug struggles. We are making new friends and will love them just as deeply but will always have a hole as we miss those we left behind.

The Walker Clan

Our Nauvoo Family

In July we also had the opportunity as a family to participate in a musical production of the journey many LDS saints made in the late 1800's to follow our prophet  and come from Europe to join their brothers and sisters in Nauvoo, Illinois. We took two weeks in Nauvoo and had the blessed opportunity to preform for thousands of people portraying the true sacrifice made by many. It was a wonderful opportunity that we will always be grateful for. We made some eternal friends and learned a lot!

Precious Lyla

Just before we left to got to Nauvoo in July Jessica had our 5th grandchild. We have a beautiful little Lyla that is one of the happiest people you will ever meet. She has really blossomed and is now beginning her emergence into the world of crawling. She and her older brother Grant are made of the same mold. Those genetics are strong.

Look at those blue eyes!

The kids pulling and pushing our camera man.

With all these great things going on we also had the privilege to be featured in a show produced and shown on our local TV station KSL. They showed our adoption of Simon and trip to Nauvoo. The show ended with a synopsis of our family. It was fun to do and we got to spend some time with a couple really great people! Here is the link to that story. Now We Have 20

Hyrum with his dad just before he got baptized.

In December Hyrum chose to be baptized. He was so excited to take on the name of Christ. It is a highlight in his life. He looks so cute in his new suite. He loves Jesus Christ and going to church.

We had many times to enjoy family and friends from out of town. There were a lot of gatherings late night games. We had so much fun!! There was almost too much fun and stress that we were looking forward to life slowing down some once we got to Missouri. Just last night Doug and I talked about how life really hasn't slowed down much. We're just social people and when we see a need we have a hard time not trying to fill it. Just this Sunday Doug was called to be the Young Men's President, meaning he organizes the young men's groups activities each week, Scouting, teaches lessons on Sunday, mentors, loves and teaches. He is going to be very good at it but it will also be a very busy calling.

Michael and Amy on their first date.

We had planned on moving in October but were delayed for different reasons. We were able to spend Christmas in Utah. We had a good friend, Amy, from England come to spend the holidays with us. With a little help she and our very good friend, well pretty much family, Michael began a relationship that turned into an engagement just recently. We are so excited for the two of them and had so much fun being with them and our older kids during the holidays. The difficulties of being in limbo and all our possessions packed ready to be put on a truck turned into something awesome. I really wouldn't trade that time for ease of life. Michael and Amy are so worth it!

Our new home

Now that we are here and getting settled in Missouri we see things a little differently and treasure people and places we have taken for granted. We knew this was not going to be easy but we could not have anticipated how hard it would really be to move a family of 15 to a new state and leave everything and everyone we knew. There is still a great struggle and mourning we all are going through. I am now, after 7 weeks, hearing from Emma that she loves our new house. Because of her innocence and faith she is the first to express this feeling. Not that Doug and I don't appreciate what we have but we have so much going on that there are days we feel like we are being buried in the struggles. (We will probably write about the challenges we have faced since we have been here in another post. One day we will look back and be in awe that we made it through.) We are grateful for our home but we aren't quite ready to fully embrace it yet. It will come I know. So we look forward with a hope for blessings to come.



Amidst all the change and struggle there has been some very good times. We have been taught by the Spirit and basked in God's light. We know that our Father in Heaven loves us and is watching over us. Our family will love it here in Missouri and the blessings will flow in to us individually and as a family. We hold on to this knowledge and thank our Father in Heaven for all he has given us.