L.A.

Chad and I have had it in the works for a long time to go to California for our fifth anniversary.  I actually figured it out almost two years ago.  I took into account all aspects of family planning before deciding the kids would be old enough to leave for a week since nursing and all other binding activities would not be a part of our lives.  Yea!  We packed up, dropped the kids off at my wonderful mother-in-law's house and away we went.  It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be to leave the kids.  It does help that I know they were in the best of hands.

As we were getting ready for our plane to take off and as I people-watched and wondered what each person's story was, I thought: I'm a mother.  And I wonder if I look like a mother, if these people whom I am watching know that I'm a mother.  And I thought about how becoming a mother is such a life-altering happening.  How I'll forever be tied to those two little people.  Much like Adam and Even becoming mortal--something changing in their blood.  The point was further driven home to me when my mother texted later that night to make sure that her grown and married daughter had made it safely to California.  Forever tied.

We started our vacation with the rumbles of the beach and the enormous board walk of Santa Monica pier under our feet.  I loved watching the vendors as they sold their various commodities along the way.  It reminded me of Brazil and how the people there make anything they think will bring a buck.

Our second day was also filled with noise and bustle at Knott's Berry Farm.  We arrived with about ten middle school buses and after standing in line with them for thirty minutes at the first roller coaster, I was sure I was going to kill them all.  Luckily we lost the crowds after that and blissfully walked right onto every roller coaster until after lunch time.

I can say a few things about L.A.  It really is pretty there.  The rolling mountains covered with foliage of some type or another eventually smoothing out into the beaches and the ocean.  And the weather!  Oh, what wonderful weather.  BUT the traffic!  The traffic would be enough to relocate me if I lived there.  It is truly terrible.

Just the opposite of the noise and hustle of traffic and theme parks, we visited the L.A. temple in such tranquility.  I LOVED that temple.  I don't know what I was expecting, but I was not prepared for the gigantic rooms and the beautiful murals.  It rivaled the inside of the Salt Lake Temple and actually one of the workers said that the session rooms of the L.A. temple are actually larger.  I loved it and was so grateful that there existed a place like that amid such madness.  (And they had really cool trees on the temple grounds).

 We spent the rest of our time eating and driving, visiting museums and Hollywood (which wasn't worth the drive), going to a movie or eating whenever we wanted.  It was so nice.  And I loved getting dessert twice a day.  In the end, I was anxious to see my babies.  But they did well without us and that encourages me to think that maybe Chad and I could get away again sometime.

My Animals and a Birthday Girl

 My crazy little Halloween animals.  The cutest bat you've ever seen (although I thought his costume was a dragon when I bought it) and one crazy kangaroo (and yes, she was the same thing last year, but she insisted.)

 I tried to get a picture of the two of them, but they were never both looking at me except for in this shot where Lydia is ceremoniously picking her nose. We actually went door-to-door trick-or-treating this year--in the rain.  We only went to five or six houses before Lydia was done, but it was still fun. 

Lydia's birthday party was Saturday.  She chose her own theme and cake: a pink party with a pink elephant cake.  Can't believe my cute girl is THREE!  She is a lot of fun.  She's very expressive and loves to be close to us.  She got the cute green dress and boots from my mom and I think they are adorable.  Lydia, of course, hated them.  She has opinions now on what colors she wears or what color plates she eats from.  She's attached the things she wore in the past even if they are way too small.  And she wants nothing to do with potty training.  Hmm.  Maybe I should prepare myself for even greater parenting challenges with this growing girl of mine.

P.S. And thanks to my friend Nicole Ekberg for taking our new family photos.  I love them and will have to post more of them.

Much Ado in September

The first few weeks of September were CRAZY.  So crazy, in fact, that the stress got to me and put my back out two days before my triathlon.  But let's start with Labor Day.  We went to Bear Lake with some friends from our ward (which we are really enjoying).  Russell will crawl right into the water and Lydia won't even get her toe wet.  Funny how different my kids are already.

One thing that made me the saddest about leaving North Carolina was leaving the beach.  I LOVE the beach.  There isn't a better kind of vacation.  So I was thrilled when I remembered that Utah has its own little beach town--Bear Lake.  We've been twice this summer and it was heaven.  There's nothing better than playing on the beach with good company.  Even if my kids do get incredibly dirty.

Two days after Labor Day, it was Russell's birthday......But he got trumped by my sister's wedding.

It was a nice day and I thought Lydia looked gorgeous in her dress.  I did have to bribe her so that she would wear it.  Maybe not the best parenting tactic, but definitely affective.

My sister's wedding was on a Wednesday and so we had Thursday and Friday to get everything done before Saturday because Saturday was the triathlon and Russell's birthday.  What I mean by "get everything done" was a ton of things like a playdate, cake making, cleaning the house, but what it meant most of all, was finishing our kitchen remodel.  Talk about pressure.  I've can't remember the last time I felt so stressed about having too much to do.  And let's be honest, the triathlon was causing me quite a bit of anxiety.  So what happened?  As previously mentioned: my back started to hurt.  It's a pain that I've had on and off since Russell was born, but it is in large part triggered by stress.  And it is so debilitating that I can barely carry my kids or do laundry.  It hurts to stand, sit, walk.  And it usually lasts about a week.  So you can imagine the freakout I had knowing that my triathlon was only two days away.  It was literally the straw that broke my back.  I had a massage, I went to a chiropracter, I rested, I prayed and luckily by Saturday morning, I was at least functioning.  It did hurt to walk so I was definitely nervous about the run.  But there was no way I was missing the race.

Above on the left is me waiting to begin.  I realize that may not be the most flattering picture, but what's a girl to do.  Then you can see me coming up to the finish line in the other.  I really had fun doing this.  The biking is my favorite.  And the run really did hurt my back.  In fact, I think I could've run a lot faster if I weren't hurting.  But regardless, I came in at an hour and 18 minutes which is a lot better than my personal goal and I finished fourth in my age group.  Not bad.  I can't wait to do it next year.

Me after I finished.  I think this picture is fun for some reason.  Many thanks to Chad and the kids for watching the ENTIRE race.  Seeing them at every loop was the funnest part!

Me and the girls I trained with.  Too bad they're all faster than me!  Ha!

And last, but definitely not least, Russell and Chad's birthdays.  We celebrated Russell's on the eleventh since we were otherwise engaged on his actual birthday and we had a very quiet little to-do on Monday for Chad.  Of course, I took lots of pics at Russell's birthday, but they are mostly uninteresting so here are just a few.

Me and my baby in front of his dump truck cake which took way too long to do.  Why do I try to do fancy cakes again? 

And Russell eating his own little cake which did look like a tire before he dug in.  He was cute and timid at first until he got going a little.  But then people starting going outside and that is what he wanted to do so he started getting mad. "Mom, get me out!!"  That's what he is trying to say.  I think it is a funny picture though.

And the only picture I got of Chad's birthday because of camera issues.  Happy Birthday, hon!  And that sure was a yummy cheesecake.  We ate the whole thing in three days. 

Next post: the kitchen!  Man, what work!  We do finally have all the construction done.  Now it just needs decorated.  Anyone want to help with that?  I'm a little overwhelmed with it.  But I must say I love it and will post before and after pics soon.

Um....It's August?

Where have we been all summer?  Well, it all began when we bought this:

A cute little rambler that took months and months to find.  Our house hunting adventure was ridiculous.  We probably toured almost 70 houses in person and we looked at over 1,500 online.  And then it all came together.  A house within our price range with a reasonable commute to Chad's work, in a decent neighborhood that met our MUST-HAVES list (well, except another half-bath upstairs would have been nice).  And there you go.  We found it, offered, and three weeks later, signed our lives away.

For two weeks, we really got to enjoy ourselves:

 I loved playing outside with the kiddos when the temperature would cool a bit.  I thought, "This is why we wanted a house."  And I already feel quite a bit of affection for our house even though it isn't exactly my dream house. 

And then it was time for my boys to get down and DIRTY....

(If you'll notice his completely black feet...

...and Chad is COVERED in insulation dust in this picture)

All because we decided to do this:

Though it is looking better now, it is definitely still a project in the works.  We have a long way to go.  Meanwhile, every second of Chad's time has gone to working on the kitchen.  We still have boxes to unpack and pictures to hang, but all is on hold for now.  We are really hoping to be painting by the first part of September.  Cross your fingers. 

Even though the house has literally taken over our lives, we did manage to squeeze in just a little bit of summer fun:

We also got to go to Bear Lake for four days with Chad's family.  SUPER fun and will be featured in a future post (I hope).  And just last week, I decided to train for a triathlon that will be on September 11th.  That's right, I have only a month to train so I've definitely been busy too. 

The kids are growing fast.  Lydia loves playing in the front yard (I think especially because I'd prefer her to play in the back) and Russell is getting really good at standing and stuffing his face just like a teenage boy.  They'll both be having birthdays in the next two months and I can hardly believe how fast they've grown.  I still struggle with motherhood, but I must say that my kids are pretty dang cute (most of the time).

And that is our summer.  Well, most of it.

Ever heard of Grouse Creek, UT?

Probably not. The once-was town (if you can even call it a town) probably doesn’t even reach 100 in population and requires travel on miles of dirt roads to get to it. First settled by five families from Henefer, UT in the late 1800s, it seemed an oasis in the sage brush where kids grew up on farms and were raised on traditional values. Chad’s grandpa was born there and talks about how Grouse was a green valley where water flowed and berries grew wild.

Now, it is almost forsaken and in a few more generations may not exist. Even today you drive along and see two-story abandoned homes that once were beautiful and family-filled and now they sit broken and mice-ridden.

The people who remain are everything but faint-hearted. The nearest city is Tremonton, UT—at least an hour and a half drive. That is where Grouse Creekers have to go often to visit the dentist and shop for groceries. They literally live in the middle of nowhere—and they love it. Where else can you go to church and find the ward directory attached to the building’s telephone? Everyone who lives there is included—and all names and phone numbers fit on one page. It’s a place where you can still leave your cars and doors unlocked and people still check on their neighbors just to make sure everything is okay.

And that is where we go at least twice a year so my husband can round up these:  
                                     

And do this:

(And he LOVES it) While the kids and I do this:

And we get pictures like this:

So though most of you have never heard of Grouse Creek and will never get the pleasure or “working the cows” there, I’m glad it is part of us and our family.

Five Guys

Yesterday I woke up on the wrong side of the bed and continued the pity party all morning.  At 11:00 everyone was bathed, dressed, and fed and we had an hour to kill before lunch.  Russell was ornery but didn't want to sleep and since I definitely wasn't in the mood to entertain we headed to Target with no real purpose other than to buy me a bottle of nail polish.

I tried to enjoy browsing the store, but Lydia's deaf ears to my persistent warnings about opening the bottle of nail polish definitely interrupted.  Carrying on my pity party, I decided I would at least splurge on a treat for myself and sneakily eat it during the kids' nap time.  However, the bakery at Target's didn't have anything I wanted.  Or maybe they did, but I can't ignore the nutritional labels they put on their desserts--I'd rather just not know.  So being just a little ways from a delicious little cake store called "Nothing Bundt Cakes" I got a harebrained notion, loaded up the kids and drove there ignoring the motherly instinct that told me I should just go home.

We crossed the insanely busy parking lot (me pushing a stroller with one hand and dragging Lydia with the other as we ran) and I again thought, "Why am I here by myself with both kids in one of the busiest lunchtime areas in the city?"  But the lure of that delicious cake kept me walking.  I acquired the piece of chocolate heaven I wanted.  And just as we were walking out, Lydia started to tantrum at the same time that I realized Five Guys was just next door.  Before she could get very far and before I thought it all the way through I said, "Should we get some fries?"  Tantrum solved.

I didn't get three feet into Five Guys before I knew it was a mistake.  The restaurant is always crowded and resides in a building that is smaller than my apartment.  Russell's stroller got caught and banged against every pole, chair, and table as I struggled through.  I enjoyed my burger, but was annoyed I'd forgot to order a cheeseburger and thanked heaven that Lydia was content with her fries.  And then it was time to leave.  I had to ask two men to completely stand up from their chairs and tuck them in so I could get Russell's stroller through, then I had to ask another kid to move his chair from the aisle, and since my struggle was so completely obvious, another guy held open the swinging garbage can lid for me and another held open the door as I tripped through.  I felt more like I had tried to run the gauntlet than simply walk out of a restaurant.  I was a little embarrassed and thankful at the same time when the last guy helping me said, "Hang in there."  It made my nose and eyes sting as I suddenly fought tears and the desire to live someone else's life just for awhile.  Three thoughts crossed my mind, I brought this on myself, what was I thinking, and I need a good cry.  Five guys (really) just had to help me leave Five Guys (the restaurant).  Thank you! Sigh.

After all that, I got home feeling so full of grease and bun that I knew I wouldn't enjoy my cake the way I would've if I just listened to my motherly voice, come home, and eaten the over healthy, homemade vegetable soup I had planned on eating that day.  I had made my little treat feel more guilty than pleasure.

That is why, today, we are staying home.

How do you eat your yogurt?

Like this?

How about your sweet potatoes?

Get them in your eye much?

Ordinary Pleasures

Life as a stay-at-home mom is...well, interesting to say the least. One minute I'm ready to give my kids away, change my name, and move to Mexico. The next I'm lovingly looking at my kids and wondering how I got to be so blessed. It's funny how ordinary pleasures of everyday life can seem so extraordinary when the moment is right. Here are a few of mine:


Little man outfits...


Impromptu lunch-time birthday celebrations and a gift that will further my attempts at domesticity.....


Little boys after their baths....


Little boys' faces after rice cereal.....


Looking forward to days when I can use my new stroller and get started on my athletic ambitions....

Walking with your hands in your pockets.....

Awesome aunts and uncle......

Pianists......

Riding side saddle.......

Oh, yeah, that rice thing again.....

And cell phone cases that hook to your belt (or pajamas, in this case.......get it? case?)

Isn't life grand?