Dear Father Time...

I have realized over the past few days that you do not give nearly enough of yourself...

I have laundry to do, dishes to wash, groceries to buy, meals to plan. I have a bathroom to clean, clothes to sort through, stains to remove, shirts to iron. I have rooms to pick up, furniture to dust, windows to wash, and a kitchen to paint.

And I need to finish sewing a few shirts I started to sew, edit pictures, answer emails, read my scriptures, mow the lawn, take the old A/C to be recycled, and figure out what to do with the cluttered looking jungle we call our backyard. I need to email pictures and hang the roller shade in the boys room, and change the bedding, and find a world map that isn't tons of money.

I have the interior of a house to paint (a job we have taken on) and projects I want to start but can't, because I feel so torn in so many directions. I have people I want to meet, thank you cards written in my head but not on paper, and phone calls to make.

And with all of that, I have children. Children who need me...children who need my love and attention. They need me to run and play and roll around in the grass with them. I have children who need to do art projects and read stories and laugh. And we have museums to see, parks to explore, adventures to share.


I need more minutes in an hour... and more hours in an day....So I can somehow do it all.

A little bit of everything...

I did a little bit of everything this weekend. Painted an end table, painted some shutters for our house, painted a frame...picked out a new wall color for our kitchen...lots and lots of painting. Cleaned up around the house, and all that normal stuff. Oh ya, and I made a shirt for Jenna and got a good start on a second one too.

Not much to write home about really...

As a side note: Spencer is the craziest little guy. He INSISTS on wearing a bike helmet all the time. Well, Jenna's bike helmet to be exact. And a belt...seatbelt style. :)

...and I have let him go out in public like this...

....and I think it's funny...

...but he probably won't someday. :)

Today I taught a lesson in Relief Society at church. I actually really enoyed doing it...I just hope I did okay! It really gave me a chance to focus and ponder on the things I need to do better for my family and in my home. I am grateful for that.

In other exciting news, the kids were in bed and sleeping by 7:15. So Brandon and I took our kid free time and cleaned the kitchen together. Boy do we know how to party or what?! I love working side by side...

We've got a good week ahead of us...Brandon takes his first set of boards (a.k.a. BIG test!) and we have some visitors coming...and it will be JULY! HOW, HOW, HOW is it July already? I can't believe summer is well on it's way to being half over! Hoping to take advantage of every sunny, fun, free moment! Lots planned ahead of us...

Happy Sunday...

Playing catch up...a post of pictures

Been pretty hot here...and we've been doing our best to keep cool...here's a rundown of some of our fun...

On Wednesday I had a crazy day...like, the kids were INSANE and the messes they made were even worse! :) I was feeling frazzled at the end of the day. I called up my friend Crystal, who just moved here, and asked if she would be up for some Olive Garden...nothing like drowning your sorrows and stresses with soup, breadsticks and pasta. :)

YUMMY food, great conversation....girls night at it's best!

THANK YOU CRYSTAL for going with me. :) You made my day!

After we filled up on delicious food, Crystal proposed a brilliant idea. ICECREAM. We headed to a place we had never been, but always see BUSY! Figuring it was a good sign, we decided to go for ice cream! :)

YUM....boy can I see why it was busy. It was TASTY! (CAN YOU BELIEVE THE SIZE I GOT WAS THE SMALL??? holy moly!)

It was a great night out!

What else have we been up to? Well...park playing! We went to one of our favorite parks the other day and met up with Crystal and her little boy, Jace. My kids have an unwritten rule that whenever we get to our destination, they decide to take their shoes off. :)

It was SUCH a hot day....soooo hot in fact, that all the kids turned SUPER red and sweaty within minutes.

Jenna met a little friend and they waited patiently for the safety town light to say they could walk across the street...and then they RAN. :)

Here is cute little Jace. :)

When the drink bottle was passed around, Jenna got all bent out of shape when Spencer drank more than she thought he should (her rations are more like a few drops instead of sips!) :)

see their poor little red faces?

We eventually just packed up and went home--WAY too hot to brave the outdoors.

But today, we headed outside again in the morning to try to do something fun. The memphis kiddie park was calling our name. We met up with Crystal and Jace again, and her husband Danny as well. We were sweating before even riding the first ride...whew!

This was really the first time that Spencer got into riding the rides. I was SO excited to see him so happy about taking his ticket and hopping right on! He is getting to be such a big boy!

Here's Danny and Jace on the Carousel. Pretty much the only ride Jace would go on. :)

And after the Kiddie Park and lunch and naps...we PAINTED. I bought little birdhouses from a craft store for $1.00 and the kids each painted one to hang up outside.

Gotta say, I am afraid their paint designs might just scare off the birdies more than drawing them in! :)

Some of our little painters didn't quite get the concept...

I think we're on bath #3 today...

and the day is not over yet. :)

But there. My pictures should be caught up again and I think I am on track. Feels good. :)

A blizzard of heat

That's what it's felt like for the past few days. HOT, HOT, HOT...

I find myself drenched...completely drenched....just by walking through the air conditioned house. A sweaty mess...ick! We went outside to the park today, and it was SWELTERING. Heat, and humidity, swirling around us like a winter blizzard...just very much the opposite.

I have felt like I had NO energy...just wanted to sit around and relax in a tub of ice while drinking a fruity drink. But no...

I have so many pictures to post and things to write about what we have been up to, but my better half is using my main computer that has my pictures on it... :) Will get to that tomorrow.

Jenna has been very funny lately--in a literal way. For example, I told her we could fill up the kiddie pool. She was SO excited and ran right out there only to come back in a few minutes later VERY disappointed. She wanted to know why there were no KITTIES on it. But along with being funny, she has been sassy. Since when does a 5 year old use phrases like, "WHATEVER!" and "You better let me do what I want to do!" Good grief. Visions of a calm and peaceful teenager have been dashed. :)

Kaden is talking more and more. He is such a sweet boy--although Jenna's tantrums have been starting to influence him some...grrr...he is doing well in speech therapy and loves his therapist. He loves his new trains and spiderman (even though he has never seen the show...) and is a very funny kid. Just love that little guy. He has, however, been backpedaling with the his potty habits. All of a sudden we are having accidents a few times a day...little ones..but accidents nonetheless. It's driving us nuts, because he KNOWS how to go. He just won't go in time. I would love some advice here...have your kids ever really regressed?

And Spencer...Spencer is getting a mind of his own. He is VERY opinionated now. Wants to choose his own clothes, etc. and throws a FIT if he doesn't get it his way. He is also excelling in drink spilling and food mashing...and mixing both to make a glorious mess. I used to mop my floors like once a week...no judging now! But lately, I have mopped my floor 5 -6 times in the past 2 days. No joke. He is a responsible little guy though, who throws away his diapers after being changed and he has started to sit on the toilet all by himself when he has to go potty during bathtime. I am surprised, but happy!

As for me, I have started repainting a piece of used furniture for our living room...pictures to come soon. And I cut out the patterns for 2 shirts for Jenna today. Can't wait to get them sewn. I love being back at projects and getting things done. It is so exciting to see things come to life!

I will post pictures and all sorts of exciting things tomorrow... :)

But for now, I am hitting the sack! Night.

Time to celebrate!

Lots of celebrating today...



Celebrating half moons... (hahaha)



Celebrating FRESH FRUIT!

CELEBRATING NEW LIBRARY CARDS!!!

Today we took the kids to the library to sign up for the summer reading program and get some new books. But the most important reason to grace the library with our presence was to get Jenna a new library card! While there is no age limit for getting a card, we decided to wait until they are five and able to take on a little piece of responsibility. SHE WAS EXCITED...however, I only got cheeseball faces for the picture. :)

It was one of those productive, yet unproductive day. I don't know how, really. Just felt that way...I did get lots done, and I am glad. But there is always more. :) The list never ends.

I am getting ready to start our Lovin' Summer reading program. I did this last year with the kids, and we LOVED it. You can see all our last year projects here.

I am excited to get this rolling again. It made the days so much fun...

But I am also excited about having some down time tonight...getting to bed before 11...and spending some time with my sweetheart.

Night! :)

5,423

5,423 MILES...

That is how many miles we have driven in the past 5 weeks.

WOW.

We've got the car unloaded, the laundry washed, and we are just getting back into the swing of things. It feels good to be back. Well, ya know....good in a bittersweet kind of way.

I am taking a picture posting break today because tonight, I just need to write.
Random things...lots of random things...

--Today, for the first time ever, I said NO to the people who call asking for us to set out clothing/goods donations. I always agree. I always set it all out. They never show up. So this time I declined. It felt good.

--Tonight, also for the first time ever, I tried popcorn flavored ice cream...and I liked it. :)

--One thing I love about living here is the fireflies...oh they are so beautiful! I might have to sneak Jenna out of bed after dark tomorrow night to see them.

--Our house is getting a fresh coat of paint...on the outside! I am excited to see how it turns out and pick the accent color.

--I love my bedroom. After we got all unpacked and settled back in, we got the bedroom all cleaned up again...and it feels like such a haven. I could stay up there all evening long. Sigh...

--Got bills paid today...and after a phone call to Dish Network, I realized that we have enough credits on our account (that we negotiated in the beginning of things) that we won't have to pay another dime for the next 10 MONTHS. We really did get a sweet deal with them...and I was pretty excited about it.

--It is so nice to be in my own house and cook my own food. I loved eating out, and sharing meals with others. But there is a certain satisfaction that comes from being in my own kitchen. I think the satisfaction also comes from being able to serve other people--have company for dinner, etc.

--ECHO, ECHO, ECHO...anyone still out there? As far as my blog goes, I write for me. I do. But I also hope that you all have not dropped off the face of the earth being bored by my travel log and waiting for me to read your blogs too...and comment. I have been TERRIBLE at that this past month, I know. I just felt that family came first...and spending time with them while we could was important. I hope some of you are still out there...it's just a nice thing to know sometimes...ya know? I will be back on your blogs soon...really soon.

Anyway, randomness aside. Guess it's time to hit the sack.

Happy Monday everyone. :) Happy Monday.

Happy Father's Day

It wouldn't be Father's Day without our traditional picture.


Dear Brandon,

I don't know that I have words to express how much you mean to me as a husband and father. You are such an incredible example of love and I am so proud that our children are being raised to see that.

Thank you for your sleepless nights staying up with the kids while I sleep. Thank you for doing dishes, changing diapers, playing with the kids, building forts, coming up with cool date ideas, and doing great art projects with the kids. Thank you for helping to potty train kids, discipline, and teach our children the gospel. And thank you for putting up with me and my many faults.

You are my best friend, my sweet husband...and I love you so much!

Happy Father's Day....

And to my own dad...

Dear Dad,

I feel such pride knowing that once (many years ago) I was your little girl...and that I had you to look up to for so many years. You meant so much that I looked for things in a spouse based on the things you had shown me a guy could be...I will have you know I expected a lot. :)

I feel especially emotional this Father's Day because we got to be with you the week before...I will forever cherish the time we got to spend together. I will always hold dear seeing you snuggle the kids and watching your contagious smile...and I will always find comfort in hearing that boisterous laugh. :) You are such a hero to me, for many reasons.

I cannot express enough gratitude for all you did for us while you were here. I hope I can pass it on...in every way. You have taught me to live a life of service and giving...and I love you for that.

Happy Father's Day daddy...

Ode to the Birthday Boy!

In the mix of all our travels and coming back and unpacking, Kaden has turned 3!!!

While my dad was here we had to do the traditional celebration dinner at Red Robin.

I had a coupon for a free dessert and so we got the mountain high mud pie. YUM!

After dinner, we came home and opened presents. Kaden got a semi truck full of cars (we got this on clearance for only $5 a few months ago! What a steal!)

And he got a wooden train set...which he was THRILLED about!

THANK YOU GRANDPA AND GRANDMA!

The kids have all played with it for HOURS thus far. BEST GIFT EVER!

Proud daddy...

Funny faces...

And the last group picture before the goodbye...we LOVED having my dad here for a few days after we got back. We got to spend some fun times together and we loved every second of it. THANK YOU DAD for coming and spending time with us. WE LOVE YOU!

Fast Forward to today...father's day. We finally got to eat cake and he got to blow out the birthday candle (a few times...because he got anxious) We had our friends Danny and Crystal over and our friend Dan (whose wife is out of town) and we had a big barbecue...I feel TOTALLY ridiculous that we didn't get any pictures of the yummy food or the fun company! IT WAS A BLAST...Thank you everyone for coming... :)

A happy birthday to my special little guy...you are an amazing little boy and you really fill our lives with such joy. LOVE YOU TO INFINITY AND BEYOND!

Beautiful Nauvoo...and heading back to Ohio

We drove and drove and drove....and late in the evening we got to Nauvoo, IL
We stayed at the Nauvoo Family Inn and Suites in a nice family suite with a bedroom to put the kids to sleep in. It was a late night, but the kids fell asleep quickly and we got ready for the next day.

Monday was supposed to be a great day to explore and see all sorts of things in Nauvoo. EVERYTHING is free and you could spend several days and still not see it all, so I had big plans...

We started the morning with rain. Rain, rain, rain. We ventured down to the breakfast buffet at the hotel and sat down to enjoy a nice, big breakfast.

What happened instead was: 1 spilled glass of hot chocolate...a Spencer boy on the lose which equaled a broken restaurant chair, a bonked head, a random fall off the newly replaced chair...it was chaotic, to say the least.


I should have guessed that would set the tone for the day...


We gathered everyone up and went for a horse drawn tour around Nauvoo.

The tour was to last 55 minutes. The kids lasted 4 of those minutes...

The other 51 minutes were filled with kids shuffling back and forth between seats, laying on the floor, fighting, turning on a loud noise-making car that was stowed away in the diaper bag, begging to go potty, and the littlest one filling his drawers and then some...onto my pants. Nice.

I did manage to take a few pictures in there...but gave up once I realized I needed to play straightjacket for a naughty little boy.

The tour was the one and only thing we all did together in Nauvoo. I just came to realize that the kids were through. Period. The month long, whirlwind vacation was just over for them, and that's just how it was going to be. So we went back to the hotel and I fed them lunch, and laid Spencer down before going to heading out to the temple by myself.

Can I just say, those were the best 2 hours! Peace, calm, contentment...I loved having time to just ponder and to feel so close to Heavenly Father. I had such a wonderful experience...

When I went back to the hotel, the kids were swimming with my dad in the hotel pool. As I walked in and saw them all swimming in their clothes, I realized I had taken the swimsuits with me. I had to chuckle when my dad told me how Jenna handled the situation. To every person who came in to swim, Jenna would exclaim, "we are swimming in our dirty clothes!"

-----TOTALLY glad I was not there... :)

In the evening, the sun was out...the rain gone, the kids rested...and my dad and I were ready to take pictures of Nauvoo. Here are a few shots we took.

We got to see a GORGEOUS sunset from the view at the temple.

(this is a picture of my dad and Kaden. I didn't mean to catch this shot...I only noticed it as I was going through my pictures and thought it looked pretty neat!)

One more night in the hotel and we were ready to start the last 10 hour stretch towards home. I loved seeing all the beautiful farmland and nature on the way home.

IT RAINED A LOT....RAIN, RAIN, RAIN.

After changing a few dirty outfits, we just threw our hands in the air and let Spencer go home in his birthday suit--and diaper. No worries.

I WAS SOOOOO EXCITED to see the stoplights after taking the exit to get to our house.

The kids ran to the door and rang the doorbell and were anxious to see their daddy! It was so weird to be home again...everything looked so familiar, yet different all at the same time.

I came home to lots of changes...a new bathroom sink, a new bathroom mirror, A PAINTED KITCHEN (no more aqua tiles!!!!)...lots of work happened while I was gone. :)

WEDNESDAY we got things unpacked and Brandon did some studying while I showed my dad some photo editing stuff...and in the evening Brandon and I got to go to dinner...kid free...and it was SOOO good. :)

But, while dinner was good, the overnight getaway we had was even better! We NEVER get to take advantage of this kind of thing now, being away from family. So when my dad agreed to stay with the kids, we jumped at the chance to have some US time.

It was such a nice night. We had a lot of good time to talk and set goals for ourselves...it was the perfect ending to a long vacation.

The hotel was SO beautiful. Even eating breakfast, I felt so posh! :)

THANK YOU dad for your generosity....for watching the kids and allowing us to have a wonderful getaway! And THANK YOU Brandon for taking time out from studying to spend time with me...I love you!

My dad had wanted to take us to dinner one night, so we went to Bob Evans--my dad introduced us to this place and they don't have them back West...so we always go when he comes. :)

(p.s. check out the picture above...look close. There are nests in the words! )

And I thought Kaden looked so cute in his cape, which he insisted on wearing to eat. :)

We all got breakfast for dinner....sooo yummy. The biscuits and gravy are delish! :) The home fries, bacon....everything.

And a kid after his grandpa's heart...Spencer had to pour the ketchup himself. :)

We had a great time together...

It is sad that time has flown so fast and my dad will be going home...but we are glad to be home and getting back to a schedule...

...lots more to come....soon. :)