Summer Vacation

We had the most WONDERFUL vacation to Utah last week. It seems like the kids brains just explode when we're on vacation. Anna learned to walk, drink from a sippie cup with the valve in it, and take straight cow's milk on our vacation. Michael and Sam didn't fight the entire week because they felt so loved and so stimulated by all of our fun family and activities. Alas, it had to end and we're back home, but feeling oh-so-rejuvenated and full of fresh ideas and goals. Nothing like getting out of the rut.

Here you go . . .

Thursday- Pioneer Village with Shawn and Sarah and their pretty girls. My boys loved talking with these fun girls! Here's Michael and Kristina in the train.

We spent four hours there, felt like we just saw the tip of the iceberg and the kids wanted to stay and see more! We'll have to go back there next time.

Michael finally got to ride a pony while Sarah and Josh finally got to sit down and catch up a little bit.


This was the first day Anna had to take a nap on the go. Used to taking two naps a day in her quiet, dark room at home she was a trooper.

Here's Kristina and Kristina. We kept saying each others' names all day. Our hair even matched, totally unplanned too. What a sweetie!

After Pioneer Village we headed up to Park City to swim and have dinner at Shawn and Sarah's hotel. Have you ever sat in a hot tub with a waterfall in it? At the base of a ski lift? While holding your children and giving them kisses while the water mists into your faces? I highly recommend it.We ate dinner in the hotel while the kids all watched The Backyardagains together.

Friday- We spent in Stockton with Josh's grandparents. The boys put on a show with the ukeleles and we had a nice visit. We visited his other grandparents in the afternoon and I didn't take a single picture.

Saturday - We went on a hike to Doughnut Falls in Big Cottonwood Canyon with Becky and Brent. Besides being the most generous hosts, they spent their entire Saturday morning patiently hiking with us. Michael declared a beautiful pine tree, "The Queen of the Trees" and said he was glad Heavenly Father created such a beautiful place. He was a slow hiker, but very observant and appreciative of the scenery.

Uncle Brent lives large in the boys' memories. The whole drive there they were anticipating playing with him on his Wii in the basement. He took them there the first night and played the jousting tournament that leaves the looser dripping in water and weeping huge tears while the winner is cheered by a wildly enthusiastic crowd. When asked what we did in Utah, Sam tells people he played Wii with Uncle Brent.

Uncle Brent also got the boys these great cowboy boots and hats! Michael has worn them everyday since. He wants to take his hat with him in the van and have it nearby whenever possible. He's been playing Sheriff and defending our home against stuffed animal robbers. Sam gets to be his deputy.
Saturday we also took the kids to the Conference Center where Anna took her first steps. She'd been taking a few here and there but decided to go for something in the auditorium and walked about 10 steps. We were all cheering! Great going Anna!

Here's when I put down my sunglasses and Sam's baseball hat which Josh had to go back for later.
The south visitor's center has a model of the temple, cut away so you can see how the inside looks and is furnished. After spending some time there Sam said he loved being there and that he wants to get married in the temple one day. Michael said he knows Heavenly Father is real when he sees the temple. This is why we go there.

Michael thinks this is how cowboys shoot their guns. Hee, hee!


Sunday- We went to church and spent the afternoon with Debbie and her kids. The boys were dying to see whether they had brought their knights, castles, and legos with them when they moved. They were in heaven playing with their cousins the whole time.

Anna enjoyed her special attention as well. That evening we had John and Linda's birthday cake back at Becky and Brent's.

Monday - We had planned on driving home but decided instead to drive 3 1/2 hours up to Rexburg to see Josh's brother Ben, Kristy, and their kids, including newborn Kohl. Michael spent the last 30 minutes of the drive screaming that he would "never be happy again" because we didn't have any scissors in the van to cut a string off of his new cowboy boots, but Josh saved the day by pulling it off without it unraveling. Neither one of us had been in Idaho and we had so much fun with Ben and Kristy! The boys with their cousin Noah, who is one week younger than they are, didn't stop moving until we put them to bed at 10:45 that night. Rowyn kept right up with them.


Uncle Ben had a huge pack of sparklers and fireworks and the kids were so excited they didn't know what to do with themselves.


I'll leave you with a little glimpse of the fun and the ukelele jam session. Twice, apparently.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

I love vacation. It is so RELAXING! I love taking a step back from my life to appreciate it and find ways I'd like to tweek it. Wish me luck following through on some new goals!

Go Guppies!

The thermometer read 58 degrees when I loaded up the kids in the van for the boys' first swimming lessons. It should be in the 90's by 9am this time of year.
They spent 25 minutes of their lesson sitting on the edge of the pool refusing to get in. "No way, Jose" was heard more than once.

Anna ate banana bread and watched from the sidelines.Finally, another instructor finished up her lesson and came over to help. She was very friendly and took charge, just taking Michael into the water with her. Sam soon followed. At least they got in. Tomorrow we'll work on scooping the water with our hands. AND, it is supposed to be about twenty degrees warmer tomorrow!

On the way home Sam said he would like to invite his teacher over to have hot chocolate with us. Michael suggested we might give her some perfume as a gift at the end of the swim lessons. I think they will want to go back tomorrow!

Accomplishments

Anna in and of herself is not so much an accomplishment of mine, but she does look darling in her Swedish hat!

With the thought in mind that I would post about something I accomplished each day I became suddenly overwhelmed with how much I accomplish each day! Who knew!

I nurse the baby.
I make breakfast, often three different things, for me, Anna, the boys, and Josh.
I make Josh's lunch.
I clean up the breakfast dishes and put away the clean dishes from the night before.
I water the garden.
I give everyone their various vitamins and supplements and make sure they have had a drink.
I put Anna down for a nap.
I help the boys make their beds.
I help the boys get dressed.
I comb the boys' hair.
I read to the boys.
I open all of the curtains and blinds, turn on the radio and shower and dress.
I clean something.
I make lunch.
I clean up lunch.
I go: grocery shopping, to the library, to visit a friend, to the playground, to the fruit stand, to Costco, to Walmart, to the grocery store, to Target.

Speaking of Target, I have seen my first major signs of inflation there today. I am usually very accurate at estimating how much a given shopping list is going to cost, but today I was way, way off:
Anna's size 3 shoes estimate $10, Actual price $13
Boys' socks estimate $5, Actual price $7
My sunglasses, broken by a certain adorable baby, estimate $10, Actual $16
Sunblock lotion estimate $5, Actual $8
Sterling silver 1" hoop earrings, lost by the same adorable baby, estimate $10, Actual $15

I didn't get the earrings. After all, Anna will just play with the new pair and soon they'll be lost too. Inflation, I tell you. But I digress. I did the Target run.

Back to the accomplishments.
I make a snack.
I clean up the toys.
I put Anna down for another nap.
I rest for 5 minutes.
I break up fights.
I refocus attention.
I make dinner.
I clean up dinner.
I put Anna to bed for the night.
I close all of the curtains and blinds.
I read a story and sing songs to Sam and Michael.
I catch up on friends online.
I plan out and adjust my budget, my menus, and my calendar/ schedule.
I read the scriptures.
I do 10 minutes of lunges, pushups, ankle exercises, and stretches.
I do or do not watch t.v. and eat ice cream or popcorn.
I talk to Josh and hear all about his hopes and dreams and their current states of realization.
I pray.
I go to sleep.
I may or may not wake up in the night to help Anna who is teething.

I start all over again.

The thing is, I love it. I love what I am able to accomplish. Sometimes I get to have a friend come over or lay on the grass with the kids in the back yard. I soak it up. I love being busy and I love trying to teach my children about the sense of well being that comes from a job well done.


And here are Michael and Sam today, on their first last day of school. An entire year of preschool under their belts they are the proud possessors of such knowledge as the alphabet, writing their names, and that bears eat berries and fish. I am especially proud of Michael who persevered in attending even though he always told me he didn't like it.

Moe has accomplished an incredible feat According to Sam, on this bear's impromptu birthday on a rainy day last week he turned 15 years old. I guess that's 3 in human years!Monkey, however, only turned one year old. That's 4 in people years. Animals do age differently, you know!

What I've Been Doing

(For what I've been thinking about, see the post below).

Here's what I've been doing while not blogging . . .
Jammin' to some rockin' music.


Smiling.
That's mix-matched pajamas, a light sabre-horse he's riding, with rain boots on the wrong feet, and a baseball bat, just in case of, well, who knows.

Getting lost in blue eyes.

Soaking up the joy.

Playing make-believe 24/7.

Reading.
Michael took this. He and Sam love their scriptures and remind me to read them out loud to them every night. Every morning after she nurses (yes she's still nursing twice a day) Anna reaches for my scriptures and I read them out loud to her.

Snuggling.

Field-tripping.

Using lots of hand sanitizer.

Dancing.

Playing outside.

Watching movies at night.

Playing with my doll.

Also, strictly following a budget, monthly meal calendar, and weekly house cleaning schedule. Signing up the boys for swim lessons, making homemade bread once a week, twenty minutes of daily ankle exercises, planning a preschool co-op, and a new obsession with Disney's Tangled.

Coming soon, daily accomplishments. No matter how small, there has to be something every day. It will be a little boost for myself. Don't be surprised if there are multiple days where the picture is of my nicely-made bed. That usually gets done!

What I've Been Thinking

Life is a journey, not a destination. Good thing. I've been thinking about some of the destinations I have dreamed of and I am so grateful they were not the end of my journey. Some would have been great big mistakes. Others worthwhile but unfulfilling. (Why does Blogger say that's not a word?) I am excited about where I am in my journey and looking forward to the future.

Time is a funny thing. It seems like TODAY will last forever. Sometimes an afternoon or a bedtime routine seems never ending, but it always, always passes and another day invariably comes. Tonight Sam observed, "It's always day, then night, then day, then night again!"

I have learned that we never earn the right to stop working, growing, and learning. Happiness, fulfillment, faith, health, security, relationships, they must all be strengthened daily because they are fragile.

I am aware that I will pass through seasons in my life. My book club has a lot of women over age sixty. Widows. Others are empty-nesters. My children think they will be small forever. They tell me they want to live across the street when they have to leave home. Michael said he will come visit me every night and he'll bring his wife with him so she won't be lonely while he's gone. He said if he has to go back to heaven without me, perish the thought, he'll parachute back to me in the backyard.

Time just speeds up and our lives take turns we never anticipated. Who would have guessed my life would be what it is today, where I am today. I am not a fatalist. I understand that we must plan for our futures. In fact, I think I am finally learning to take responsibility for myself in a way I have been afraid to in the past. But with all of our planning, we can't pretend to plan out all of the events that will shape us. We must prepare for the future and embrace the present. Nothing new, but it's made an impression on me lately. Plan for the known, prepare for the unknown.

I'm grateful that I have the life I have now and that I have been, and will continue to be, tutored and shaped in ways I cannot foresee. Vague enough for you?

Easter Greetings

Happy Easter! This is really my favorite day of the year. Ever since I spent Easter in Jerusalem in 1996, I can't celebrate Easter the same. It is real. I feel grief on Good Friday, I feel joy on Easter and I feel so GRATEFUL for my Savior.

This year the Easter Bunny brought me these three shiny Easter Eggs. I couldn't ask for anything sweeter.
Josh gave a great Family Home Evening lesson on the atonement last Monday which the boys really understood. I am so grateful for him and his love of the gospel and his involvement with our children.
Here's Sam with his bed-hair. He was the first to discover the baskets and had to go wake up Michael. The Easter Bunny had hidden more eggs around the house, which they found a little more easily than they did last year! They're getting so big!


We had the missionaries join us for dinner right after church which meant I had to make everything, including the pork roast, ahead of time. I reheated it when I got home and it was great. We ate two dozen rolls. The boys and I each had two so you do the math for how many that left for Josh and the two missionaries!


I had my first day in my new calling at church helping in the nursery. It's a big change from teaching Relief Society, but it's going to be sweet. The night before church I was bemoaning how big Sam's hands are getting. Flash forward to nursery the next day when I had the job of helping 16 little ones use hand sanitizing gel before snack time! I was in baby-hand heaven. A handsome two year old boy in a pin stripe suit took a fancy to me and led me around by the hand. It was a great day. When Anna is 18 months in the fall, she'll be in there with me and I'll get to help her make some little friends. It's actually very exciting! So, this is me with my sugar-high from the Easter cake, and the joy that He Is Risen and the feel of tiny hands in mine. Quite a day!

Also, here's Anna in her girly-girl clothes from Grandma and Grandpa. She has discovered her shiny church shoes and asks to wear them all the time.

Here she is in her skirt, pretty shoes, talking on the phone and playing with a measuring spoon and cup. I could eat her up!
She calls me Mom-mom, asks for Da-da all the time, and calls herself "Nana." Baby Nana is so fun to say it might just stick.

Then, today, Josh took the day off work and we drove 100 miles to see the BEACH!

We build a small, lame sandcastle and had fun watching the waves carry most of it out to sea. Michael raced right down to the water and put his feet in.
The boys dug in the sand and drew in it with sticks.

As I came around the corner with Anna in my arms, the ocean came into view. She pointed to it and excitedly said/ asked "That!?" She giggled and wiggled the whole time. I didn't think we'd stay two hours and I didn't think about the sun and she has a tiny sunburn but I'm sure it will be gone by morning.

Spring Fever

Spring has arrived and, once the rain stopped, we've been having lots of fun! Anna is just old enough to cope with missing a nap and can eat on the go much more easily than ever before so we've been able to be out a lot more. (Silent cheers!)


Our favorite friends to do things with are moving 30 miles away when the school year is over and we are already sad. The boys get along so well and the girls, well, they will learn to play together soon! I've read that it can be difficult to find friends for twins who can put up with the special relationship twins have, but this guy is so much fun he just jumps right on in or takes a step back and lets my guys work things out if they need to.


Michael keeps saying we have to move close to his friend's new house. Maybe in a year or two, but for now we're doing all we can together before it costs $25 in gas to make a round trip! Here they are at the Jelly Belly Factory for our tour.


Just thought you should know that we had green french toast and milk for breakfast on St. Patrick's Day. I gave a vague explanation of why we have this holiday and tried to brush it under the table since I don't really know. "He helped the people in Ireland and Ireland has a lot of green." I am SUCH a great teacher!


Sam loves helping Anna. He thinks of ways to help her and really makes a difference in helping her when I can't get to her right away. She gives him big hugs every morning.


I took a trip to Utah for a few days for a sister's weekend and only took three pictures! Here they are!

Anna with Great Grandpa -
Anna with Great-grandma Georgiana -


Anna watching "The Spoken Word" with Grandma. She sat still for at least 15 minutes watching and listening with Mom. It was so sweet. That's the dress mom bought her for Christmas. I didn't think she'd still fit in it but she did and it's a good thing since it was SNOWING there that morning!

Sam took this picture on Anna's birthday. I love this man. I don't know why he loves me sometimes but he assures me he does and I believe him and count my blessings.

Here is my future ballerina dancing at the lunch table the other day while the boys were at preschool. I danced around a little bit first and she clapped and clapped and waived her arms around like a real ballerina. I about died of joy right there! So I got out the camera and this is what I caught - enjoy!

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