Midway and Missions

In July, my parents got three condos in Midway for all of us to stay. It was such a great vacation! Each condo had two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a murphy bed and a kitchen. My parents and Emily had one, my brother Dave and his family had one and we had one. They were all right next to each other and across the hall so we could go from place to place while still having privacy (and a quiet spot for sleeping babies). They were also on the golf course with the mountains right behind. It was beautiful!

It was nice because it was only an hour away, so not much traveling, yet as soon as we got there it felt like a very remote destination. And I was instantly relaxed once we got there. Instantly there were no projects to do there. Mostly, we just relaxed and hung out together. We played games, ate meals together and watched movies. We took walks on the golf course almost every night. We got to go inside the crater at the Homestead where they have natural mineral springs and walk on top to look inside. Really cool.

This is one of the walks we took.

 And on our way back.

  

 One day we went fishing. Alex caught the first fish!  

We caught 7 in all and Becky cooked them up for dinner. Yum!

Erin caught a baby frog.

 And they all fed the ducks. We were noticing on this trip that the kids almost always sit or stand in order. We don't make them do it, it just ends up this way so much. Kind of funny.

 One day we took a "mile" long hike, which turned out to be about double that. This is everyone except for Jared, who was taking the picture. Not sure if my outfit, greasy hair and backpack straps from the baby carrier could be any any less flattering (I figured I would be hiking, after all), but everyone else looks good.

 Sweet Hallie fell asleep.

We flew kites twice. The first day wasn't windy enough, so we tried again another day. It was perfect. We had like 8 kites for all of us and everyone had a fun/relaxing time. A few of them got stuck in trees, but I'm pretty sure you haven't flown a kite if you haven't had one get stuck in a tree before. As we were all sitting there on the grass watching the kites in the air, my dad commented that there was nothing better than this, meaning being with family and doing something in nature that is so relaxing. Basically meaning that everything is right with the world at that moment. That's how it felt.

The girls spent a morning shopping at the outlets in Park City while Jared and the boys went on a walk/excursion. Jared learned how to ride the rip stick on this trip. Too bad I didn't take any pictures of him doing it. It is no surprise that he could pick it up so well. He is so athletic. My brief try at it was both non-athletic and terrifying. I have children to think about now!

We went on a couple of crazy mountainous roads on this trip. One was Cascade Springs where we followed a sign saying it was 7 miles away. Not too bad... until we got on the windy, bumpy and cliff side drop off road! Crazy. We went the long way home just to avoid it. The other one was a wrong turn that we missed. We ended up going up this steep, windy road and over the mountain into Park City when we were almost out of gas! Again, a little scary. I have always hated those steep roads that make you feel like you will slip off the road at any moment.

We also went to a parade in a neighboring town where my kids made out with a good amount of candy. And it's always great for the adults because the kids do the work gathering up all the candy and we get to have some (after the right amount of begging that is).

The first Sunday on the trip was my nephew Sam's mission farewell, which we came back for. He gave a great talk. I am so impressed with that kid. He has grown up to be such a friendly, kind, funny, spiritual, talented and smart kid. He took tons of AP classes and got straight A's in all of them. He is an amazing trumpet player and can play just about anything on the piano in any style or any key, by ear. He's pretty much a genius. He was the sterling scholar for music and made it to the state level. Anyway, I am just proud to know such a great person and know he will be a great missionary in North Carolina. He will be missed!

The next Sunday was my parents' mission farewell. Their talks were both really good too. The week after that we got to go to their house to see them get set apart as missionaries. It was a very spiritual time to get to hear everyone talk about my parents and hear their testimonies as well. They are going on a Family History Center mission in LA. I have always seen my parents do family history, especially my mom, and I am so grateful for all the work that they have done. Even though I feel like I haven't always been that interested in it, I have also felt strongly lately that there is not much of a better way to spend your time than doing family history and temple work. It is lasting and so important for our ancestors to receive their ordinances. A few weeks ago we all got to be part of a sealing session for many of the names my mom has found. I felt the spirit so strongly while we were there and received personal insights as well. Anyway, I am just grateful for all that my parents do and are doing on their mission. Luckily, we get to talk to them regularly and hopefully will get to make a visit or two during their time there, so it's not as sad (even though we won't see them as much).

Ode to Cheryl (and Lincoln)

 

One of my very best friends in the world got married yesterday. You have no idea how excited and happy I am for both of them. On Monday night she had a dinner for close friends and family. It was lovely. Beautiful weather, gorgeous back yard, great food and touching speeches. My fork did break in my pork roast, making everyone at our table and the next bust up laughing during one of the more sentimental speeches. Comic relief, I say. Cheryl played her guitar and sang some fabulous songs about and for Lincoln, and he gave the most incredible speech I think that any groom could have thought up. There is no doubt in my mind that he loves her so much! The one thing that I was both unaware of and unprepared for was the fact that there would be open toasts. And not only that but that we would be giving one. When I say we, I mean the Pin-Up Girls:  Jana, Marinda, Cara, Jen, and me (not including Cheryl of course). We all got up at once and each said something random that came to mind, but every one of us came up with something much better to say the next day after we'd thought about it more. So to Cheryl and Lincoln, I want to write what I would have said if I had had more time to think about it.

I did say in the toast that I have known Cheryl for over 20 years. But what I didn't say was that in that 20 years, we have gone to school together, lived together, gone on many trips together, worked at the same jobs together, and dressed like old ladies to go bowling together, among many other things. We have made up and used various nick names over the years, like Chert (Lert, Mert, and Jert) and Laverne and Shirley. We have been silly and done crazy things in our time together, like march around band camp with toilet paper trailing out of our pants and roll down a huge hill acting out the Princess Bride. We've taken racquetball classes and harmonica classes together. We've owned more than a few pairs of matching shoes over the years. I've received many letters from Cheryl during our freshman year of college and on our missions that invariably made me laugh out loud. She's hilarious! She is someone that I can always have fun with, whether we are in a group or alone, and no matter where we happen to be. We have always been able to make our own fun together. But not only is she fun, Cheryl is someone that I can talk to about anything and everything, no matter how dumb or serious, crazy or spiritual. Eleven years ago I got married and moved to Florida. Cheryl was one of a very few that I always wanted to talk to when I was there. I called her often about everything--my joys, my trials, when I was lonely or needed a laugh, and I still do. In fact, she is #3 on my most frequent list of people I call (only behind my husband and my parents)--check my phone, it's true. That's how good of a friend she is to me. And she helped me through one of the worst trials I have had to face in my life. I can never thank her enough for supporting me, listening to me and encouraging me through that time. She has always has a strong testimony and been a great example of faith and diligence as she has gone to the temple and lived an obedient life. I love her for that! And after nine years when it was time for me to move back to Utah, I was especially excited because I would now have someone who I knew would dress like a cow with me to get a free meal. I love that Cheryl is always up for things like that, things that we would never do alone but would have so much fun doing together. Since I have been back, the Pin-Up Girls have made it a monthly tradition to have a girls' night out, and I owe it to Cheryl that we have all stayed friends. She is giving and caring with all of her friends, and I feel so lucky to be among one of her many friends. Through all the years that I was in Florida, I would love to hear about the different guys she was dating, but... none of them were good enough for her. None of them until now. As I have heard Cheryl talk about Lincoln, and have interacted with Lincoln personally, I feel confident that not only is he good enough for her, but that she is also perfect for him. I want Lincoln to know that by loving Cheryl, he has made our dreams for Cheryl come true as well. I welcome Lincoln to the Pin-Up Girls and can't wait to have more fun times with Cheryl and Lincoln in the future. I truly love you both and wish all the happiness in the world for your marriage and life together.

Shirley, hopefully that will make up for me not writing in your wedding book (or your yearbook). You see, when you love someone as much as I love you, comments like "Congratulations" and "Stay Cool" just don't seem to cut it.

The temple ceremony was the next day and it, too, was lovely. These are some pictures we took afterwards.

 The Pin-Up Girls--20 years and counting...

 This picture was in honor of all the wedding pictures we ruined over the years by doing a thumbs down.

Cheryl grabbing our arms trying to change them to a thumbs up. Didn't see that one coming.

  

Look, even she did it.... in her own wedding picture!

I love this one of Cheryl laughing.

 

I thought these would be good spots for some friend pictures.

(we think we are sooo funny)

 

(no really, we do)

  

 

At night, instead of a reception, they had a party. And boy do they throw a good party! They had bounce houses, face painting, balloon animals and feeding the ducks for the kids. My kids all loved it. One of them said it was the best day of her life (and she's had five years of life to compare it with).  As a side note:  one of these kids is going commando in this shot due to an "incident" involving diarrhea, a pair of Diego underwear that will never be seen again, approximately 47 wipes and a bathroom stall I don't ever wish to go into again.

 

Back to the party. They gave out tickets so that we could buy whatever we wanted at 5 or 6 different food trucks. It was just like a carnival. So creative! They had badminton and croquet, and quilting and live music inside. I think there may have been some cow milking too, but I wasn't there for that part. Everyone got to dress casually while Cheryl and Lincoln wore their wedding clothes. The best part was the outdoor laser tag with Cheryl in her dress. It was so fun! She even got second place on her team. Just imagine if she'd been wearing shorts.

 It was seriously the best wedding I've ever been to. Nice job you guys!

June, June, June--Birthday Month

First off, I just want to say that if you have the option to plan out when to have your kids, don't make them be born within two weeks of each other (unless, of course, you are going for a Guinness record and happen to have them all on one day. That would actually be cool). Other than the fact that it is easier to figure out how old everyone is because they're in increments of two and all turn at the same time, I see no other benefit to this strategy. My excuse, if it is one, is that none of our June births were initially intended to be in June. One took me 9 months to conceive and one was not exactly planned (definitely wanted, just sooner than expected). But complaining about it will not change the fact that from June 3rd to June 18th our family experiences 4 birthdays--and, to make it sound that much worse, Father's Day to boot.

I know I shouldn't bother worrying about birthdays so much, and I really do try to not go overboard, but the fact remains that June is a really stressful month for me. If I don't do anything for everyone's birthday, nobody will. This June has been one of the most stressful, but that's another possible post. I guess I just want everyone to feel special on their birthday and do something fun that they want to do. I'm not talking about having some all out birthday party, just go where they want to go and eat what they want to eat. How hard is that?

To start off, Jared's birthday was on the 3rd. I think I was bracing myself for the summer and the rest of the birthdays, so I really didn't do much for Jared. I know he went to work and bought donuts for his co-workers. I also remember taking 5 children to the grocery store that day, making BBQ pork ribs and cleaning the house. What I couldn't bring myself to do after shopping with the kids was buy Jared's present. He's got to know I can only do so much. So after dinner we went to Lowe's as a family and got him a router (so predictable--my parents were not surprised that it was a tool either). As we got home and started eating some cherry pie, my parents dropped by because they were in the neighborhood, and amidst everything that was going on at the time, we totally forgot to sing to him. I put a candle in his toast the next day to make up for it. This is the one picture we have of him on his birthday. We also had all of Jared's family over the next Sunday and that was kind his party.

Next up, Marissa turned 5 on the 6th. Five!!! For some reason I can't believe that she is actually five. Connor turning 3 and Erin turning 9--those I can believe, but Marissa can't possibly be 5. Ever since last year when Erin got to go to Build-a-Bear on her birthday, Marissa has been saying that's what she wanted to do on her birthday. She picked a pink Hello Kitty named Sparkle with a sparkly dress and a cell phone. I think it's so funny to see what kids pick when they get to make all the choices. Definitely things I would never choose. When they got home Erin got hers out and they played some sort of exclusive game involving just Build-a-Bear stuffed animals.

She wanted to go swimming so I braved the pool with all the kids by myself, along with my neighbor and her kids (oh, and about 50 other people in our neighborhood). I am constantly counting kids when I go to the pool! Marissa had been wearing the same swimsuit since her second birthday (I'm sure it just stretched as she grew). It was definitely time for a new one. This is one she got for her birthday.

We had pizza and crazy bread for dinner and then went to Trafalga where the kids rock climbed and rode on some fun rides. That night our neighbors came over to help us eat her cake. She wanted a Strawberry Shortcake cake so this is what it ended up like. I will admit that it actually looks better in this picture than it did in person. I was just excited that my food coloring concoction actually made the skin color look like skin color.

And there were no pictures of her blowing out candles or opening presents. That's all she got in the way of pictures this year. In addition to Sparkle the weird pink Hello Kitty, she also got a barbie and an art set. I think she had a good day.

 

Just a note about Marissa. For probably 9 months now she has wanted her own scripture and prayer at night after our family scriptures and prayer. This is something Jared started with her when she couldn't go to sleep, and now she kind of demands it. I will admit that sometimes I just want her to go to sleep, but I love that she is sensitive to the spiritual things. You can't say no to a child wanting to read scriptures and pray.

The next week was Connor's 3rd birthday.

 He said he wanted a "Fiderman" cake, which means Spiderman in Connor-ese. This cake didn't look any better in person either, but I think most people could tell is was supposed to be Fiderman. At least it wasn't my worst cake (that was Jared's infamous fly swatter cake of 2012).

In the morning, he dressed like a dinosaur...

...and in the day we went to the dinosaur museum where he played in the wet sand play area and the dry sand play area.

 We went to get some ice cream at Thanksgiving Point, since we were already there.

 They love the sitting on the bar stools.

And, oh yeah, I went to Lowe's to pick up some sand for the sand box that we'd built but was sitting sand-less. And when I say "some" I actually mean 700 pounds of sand! Yeah. I could barely move the cart let alone get it in my car. But according to my calculations, that is how much I would need to fill it up (and it's not even that big!). So the kids finally had sand to play with on his birthday. He got a whole bunch of sand toys, a giant tennis ball, a Spiderman glove thingy and another ball and mitt sort of toy. I'm sure I will read this in years from now and wonder what the heck those descriptions actually mean.

The sand box is a huge hit around here. It gets played with every single day by our kids and about 20 others. I love that there are seats, and I love it when they track sand inside... They are learning rule #1: go in through the garage, meaning they have to walk across the grass before they come inside. And also rule #2: no throwing/flicking/dumping sand. I'm glad we have it.

I don't have a picture of it fully closed, but here is a shot of one side closed when we were still building it. I still think it is such a clever design and I only wish I had been the one to think of it.

Lastly, Erin turned 9 on the 18th. She is growing so fast. She is no longer a kid, she's like a tween now. Weird. Her day ended up being really busy. We had swimming lessons for 4 kids, gymnastics for Erin, lots of playing and Activity Days at night. Alex also had a piano lesson and while I was running over to take him, Erin decorated her cake. She started with purple frosting, and when I came back I could hardly see any purple at all because of all the sprinkles she used. Always the artist.

 

Activity Days was a Daddy/Daughter Olympics so they had to dress as matching Olympians, racquetball players, of course.

These are her presents. One had slippers and Mad Libs, another had a Barbie color and make-up artist set and the last one had a huge box that she was dying to know the contents of since we got it several weeks ago. It was a hammock chair for her room. It is really comfortable and fun. I just may have to get a couple for me and Jared.

She had been planning a birthday party for over a month, all on her own. She made some invitations and goody bags from random things she found around her room and wrapped them in cute fabric. She only wanted to invite two friends, and in the end one of them couldn't come. Erin didn't want to invite anyone else (even though she gets invited to lots of girls' parties), so it just became a two person party. Sometimes it worries me that she relies so much on one friend, but it dawned on me the other day when there were six girls playing over here that she gets really stressed out when there are so many friends around. Marissa needs tons of friends, Erin only needs one really good one. Right now that friend is our neighbor, Emma.

So the party was a spa party and it was really easy and inexpensive to do, since we mostly just used things we already had. We set up her room as the spa with candles and relaxing spa music. I think the music was the best part for me. Even though I was the worker at the spa, I felt so relaxed afterwards too. They started with Satin Hands and then a foot bath with Listerine, Vinegar and water (thank you Pinterest). I served them ice cream during the foot bath and then used a pumice stone and gave them foot rubs. I also buffed their finger nails at this point.

After the foot bath we did pedicures and manicure (just painted nails).

Next up was the face masks with cucumbers on their eyes.

Then I put a little make-up on them. Such pretty girls! I also did their hair and gave back scratches. In the end I'm glad there were only two girls and that Emma is such a calm girl because it made it so fun and relaxing for everyone. Seriously, it was the perfect birthday party. Oh, except for the part about Marissa and Alex crying about not getting to stay up late or have a spa like Erin.

 Happy Birthday Family! I love you all!