the "little boy"

You know how people always tell you to not wish away the times when your kids are young and with you constantly because when they get older you see less of them?  Yet when you have toddlers you think it's not possible that they will ever go away?  Well, I can see it happening with Alexis already.  She still needs plenty of things from me, but I've realized lately that I don't see her as much as I used to.  Between being at school all day, piano, tumbling, activity days, friends, homework, her new favorite computer game, and reading, our interactions have dwindled.  The boys still follow me around like I've got candy falling out of my pockets (Tyler because he's bored and Ryan because he's that age), so it's not that I'm lonely, but I do miss my frequent interactions with Alexis.  That's one reason why family dinner every night is a priority to me, and I've also learned that it's not such a bad thing to sit down with her while she does her homework even if she doesn't need my help.  But more importantly, I've seen that if we are interacting less frequently I better do my best to make as many of those as positive as I can.  So I guess I should also learn to better appreciate every morning that Tyler is still following me around asking, "What can I doooooooooooo?" because those times will soon be gone too.

On another note, see this kid right here?



I happen to think he's the bees knees.

Sometimes when I have a two-year-old I start to worry that I'm playing favorites, but then I remember that the child is not my favorite (I love them all the same...), but the age is most definitely my favorite.  And since they were all two once, they all had their chance at being the favorite!

Anyway, I am enamored with Ryan as a two-year-old.  In my eyes he can do no wrong (except on occasion), and everything he says is captivating and funny.  I'm pretty sure most people feel the same about him, though my vision might be a bit clouded by my bias as his mother. Nearly every night I ask Jeremy, "are you SURE our other kids were this cute when they were two?" He assures me that they were.

Lately Ryan's into telling me things are boring.  Anything he doesn't want to do is boring.  Eating dinner is boring.  Wearing any jammies that aren't his doggy jammies is boring.  Going to bed is boring. Sitting in his car seat is boring. And when he's mad at me (or anyone) he says, "I'm not playing with you mom!" He knows that's the ultimate punishment.

Alexis has trained him to call her "Alexis Mommy".  One time she told him to call me "Lisa Mommy" but I put an end to that real fast.  I didn't give birth to the child just to have equal ranking with his sister.  So during the day he'll ask "When's Alexis Mommy coming home?"  He loves her and misses her a lot while she's gone.  I'm sure he would miss Tyler too if Tyler were gone all day instead of just part of the day.  Because that part when he's home? He makes himself unmissable by torturing Ryan constantly.

Ryan also seems really unwilling to give up his status as the baby, and I don't think it has anything to do with the prospect of a new baby either.  He just likes being a "little boy".  I asked him if he wanted to sleep in a big bed and he declined, saying he liked his crib.  He has never once acted interested in sitting on a toilet seat, and if you ask him to he absolutely refuses.  If you make the mistake of calling him a "big boy" he will correct you and tell you he's a "little boy", except at the times when he wants to do something the big kids are doing, then he's all of a sudden a "big boy".

And his hair?

I don't even know what to do about it.  A HUGE part of me doesn't want to cut it, but another part of me knows that it needs to get cut.  He's starting to look a little girly, and he has such a cute face that is hidden behind all that hair.  But it's so thick and curly on the ends and such a pretty color that I just can't cut it, but...he's not a girl. His nursery teachers have joked about signing a petition saying we can never cut it, but we may have to disappoint them.  What would you do?

And to end it, a picture of two handsome boys in a moment free:of torture.

5 1/2 months later...

Do you think I've put off blogging long enough that no one even reads this anymore?  I do, but it looks like I'll blog again anyway.

This move has been a little rough for me.  I knew I was bad at change, but I guess I'm finding out just how bad at it I really am.  And to top it off, I'm pregnant with baby #4 (boy #3), and being pregnant really sucks the life out of me.  So, there are my excuses...

Let's recap what we've been up to since September:

*Alexis was baptized as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It was great and we love her.  She definitely adds some pizzazz to our family.  And I love Ryan in the second picture--he almost has me fooled into believing that he's not the constantly moving insane child that he actually is because he looks like an angel there.

*Tyler lost some teeth.  Pardon the dirty fingernails.

*We enjoyed the fall leaves and did some exploring up the canyons that we now live by.

*In October Tyler turned 6 (Oh my...) and had a soccer themed birthday party:

*He also finished up his soccer season.  Tyler seems to be a natural at soccer, but he has a tendency to fall down a lot.  I think this was his last game, and he probably fell down a million times.  We started taking a picture after each time because it was happening SO much.  Obviously he's not on the ground in this picture, but I love it because it shows how hard he works.  He doesn't ever slow down during the game, he's so excited to be out there and he knows the meaning of the word "hustle".

*Jeremy and I also took a Rhino trip without the kids.  It wasn't supposed to be this cold when we planned it, but that's the way it worked out.  I have NEVER been that cold in my life.  Jeremy has taken me out four wheeling in some pretty cold temperatures, but this was by far the worst, so we spent most of the time hanging out in our cabin instead of on the trails. I felt bad for ruining his fun, but he was a good sport about it, and I think he was a little glad that I was there to force us back because it was cold even for him.

 

*We went to a local nature park to feed the ducks and we were swarmed!  I'm a little afraid of geese (I know, I'm a sissy), so it made me nervous.  But Ryan obviously loved it. 

*Then Halloween happened.  It was the best weather I remember having on Halloween in a long time.  Here we have a punk rocker, a transformer (Ryan's costume was a bit snug on him...) and Wolverine, ready to trick-or-treat at dad's office.

 *In November we planted some fruit trees (maybe that happened in October), and Jeremy poured some cement and moved our shed from one corner of the yard to the other.  That involved screwing some 2x4's inside of it, and having about 20 guys over to lift it by the 2 x4's and walk it across the yard.  It provided some great Saturday morning entertainment for me, but Tyler slept right through it and was really disappointed that he missed it.

*We also had our first real snow, so we took advantage of the empty lots around us and tied a sled to the back of the Rhino and pulled our kids and the neighbor kids around.

*We decorated our Christmas tree, and eventually the rest of the house for Christmas.  Including hanging Christmas lights on the house for the first time ever!

*Alexis and Tyler baked a cake basically all by themselves!  They were very proud and it was delicious.  And it gave me the idea to have each of them help me make dinner once a week, in the hopes that by the time they are teenagers they will know how to cook so I can put them to work!  So far they have loved it and no one has chopped off a finger or burned themselves!

*Ryan tried (unsuccessfully) to dress himself, and was really cute in the process.  His hair has gotten longer and we've successfully rid him of the pacifier...when he's awake.  He can have it when he sleeps only because I want him to continue to sleep, especially in the middle of the day so I can have some time to myself.

*Tyler fell off his bike and skinned his forehead.  And then they all got new helmets for Christmas.

*Then there was Christmas.  We did Christmas morning on our own this year, then got together with family later.  Christmas morning is always so fun when kids are involved. Jeremy likes to build suspense and make them wait in the hall as long as he can get away with.  It's pure torture for them and me.

*Alexis and Tyler both got some badly needed new scooters and a whole bunch of other stuff that I can't remember (helmets!).  Alexis did get a bunch of new clothes, including some black boots that she's worn everyday since Christmas.  She also got another American Girl doll from one Grandma and a painted chest (for her AG doll) with hangers and a beautiful dress from the other Grandma.  Tyler got a lot of Lego's, which he sometimes loves and sometimes hates.  Ryan didn't get a whole lot because he doesn't care, but Santa brought him a toy workshop with lots of tools and he got some new monster trucks. He also raided every one's stockings and ate all their candy while they were distracted with their new stuff.

*We went sledding with Aunt Ashley.  Ryan didn't love it so he and I sat at the bottom of the hill and watched everyone else sled.

*We spent New Years Eve in Lehi with good friends (and good food) and family.  And then January and February happened, and with it, A LOT of snow.  Sadly I hardly took any pictures during these months, and the ones I took are on my phone.  Jeremy went on a business trip to Laredo, TX.  He was born there and hasn't been back since he was a baby, so it was fun for him to see.  We missed him...especially since it snowed constantly while he was gone.  Also during those months Alexis started piano lessons, Jeremy built a 10 foot wall/replica of a living room in our garage for his dad's booth at the boat show, and the rest of us tried to not go crazy being cooped up in the house all the time.  But now it's March, you're all caught up on our life (at least the stuff I remembered to add), and I can feel spring on it's way.  We've been dreaming of yard work and how to set up our garden, and the kids can't wait until we get the trampoline we've promised them.  Hopefully then they will stop doing flips on my couch!

learning new things

I mentioned in my last post that this move has been tough for us, and I suspect it will be for awhile, but I'm trying to focus on the positive.  I deal with bouts of homesickness and loneliness, but I generally don't believe in dwelling on the past when nothing can be done about it.  So, I'm here, I'm trying to make the best of it. The town we moved to is half the size of our old town, population wise.  And it definitely has much more of a country feel to it, especially the part of it that we live in.  So because of that, my kids and I are having more encounters with wildlife.

So far we've learned that Ryan is allergic to mosquitoes.  Fortunately, we have lots of mosquitoes here to teach us that.  The poor kid has been eaten alive and has some weird looking bumps on his skin to prove it.

Every morning we wake up to birds all over the house and the empty lots behind us and next to us.  And the other night I heard an owl hooting somewhere outside!

Because we live by the "stinky salt lake" (as Ryan puts it), we have plenty of flies that make their way into our house.  That's allowed me to develop a new hobby--fly swatting.  I suspect its not much longer before I can go pro.

Last week we passed a field of horses when Ryan yelled out "cows!"  I got to correct him and teach him what horses are. (Actually, there were horses in our old town too, I was kind of embarrassed that he got that one wrong!)

And this morning as Tyler was eating breakfast he noticed some mating bugs on the window.  He went and tapped the glass, trying to get them to move.  When that didn't work he resorted to banging on the glass, and finally concluded that they must be dead.  Alexis came out a few minutes later and immediately started tapping the glass, then banging on it, then came to the same conclusion.  Looks like it might be time to teach my kids about the birds and the bees...and the bugs.

Speaking of bugs, there are waaaaaaay to many earwigs for my liking out here.  We had a lot of earwigs in Sacramento when I was a kid and I've had an extreme hatred for them ever since.  I usually don't kill bugs that are outside, only the ones inside my house, but I make an exception for earwigs.  Those get killed no matter where they are.

Other things not related to wildlife:

We live down the road from an air force base, so everyone up this way is used to jets flying overhead and pretty much ignore it.  My kids still look up at every single plane that flies over and get excited about it.  Ryan always points and yells "Jet Tub!!", because he learned about jet tubs before jets and can't seem to separate the two words.

Our neighbors all have gardens and all have been very welcoming, so we've had lots of fresh veggies and lots of zucchini bread--both wonderful things!

The other night I was in Alexis' room helping her with homework while watching Tyler out the window.  There was a little dirt and gravel in the gutter in front of our house, so he would ride his bike down to the end of the cul-de-sac to get up some speed, and then hit the brakes as soon as he got to the dirt and gravel.  The bike would skid sideways, and once he'd stopped he would turn around and study the line he'd made with his bike tire.  Then he'd get back on the bike and do it all over again.  I called Jeremy in to watch it, and a look of pride came upon his face because he used to do the same thing as a kid, but had never taught Tyler to do it.  And I was proud of Tyler because after trying it the first time he decided on his own that he should probably be wearing his helmet, so he went and put it on.

And this morning was the first morning we've had before school that didn't feel extremely chaotic.  Even though I've got a schedule, our mornings still seem off, so I guess they'll just take practice.  In the meantime I'll take any morning I get that isn't too crazy.

So wish us luck as we continue to settle in and get used to our new lives here.  We miss our family and friends we left behind and talk about them everyday, but we are grateful for our new space and all the experiences we'll have here.

maxed out of summer

Whew.  Summer, for all intents and purposes, is over!  I have always loved summer, but this summer has been a doozy for everyone in my little family.  It's been emotionally and physically draining, and I don't think a one of us is sorry to see it go.  Also, this summer I experienced a brain malfunction unlike any I've ever experienced, even while pregnant.  You'll see hints of it throughout my retelling of the summer events.  I sure hope I find my brain again soon because I have missed it, and I'm tired of cleaning up the messes that occur when I don't think.  I guess I could spread this post out into a million little posts that would touch more on each topic, but that's not my style.  I know myself well enough to know that it would never get done, so I'm just going to lump it all together right now.  Hopefully I don't leave anything out...

This is him showing you that he's two!

June started out with Ryan's 2nd birthday.  This is great news because I honestly and sincerely believe that 2-year-olds are among God's greatest creations.  Sure, they are emotional and struggling with independence, but the cute things they do far outweigh all of that.  So I'm going to enjoy the next year before he turns three, because I do not appreciate 3-year-olds nearly as much.


Two weeks later my brother's family came to town and we went to the zoo.  It was a lot of fun to see them, yet somehow I don't have a single picture of it.  How is that possible?  That same weekend Jeremy had a birthday, and I also don't have any pictures of that.  Brain malfunction.



A week after Jeremy's birthday I had my 30th birthday.  30!  Kind of a big deal, but it got overshadowed this year by a few other bigger events.  I do have a picture of this, but only because Jeremy was in charge of the camera and his brain was working fine.


Two days after my birthday I had surgery, which I talked about in the previous post.  But before having surgery we headed up the canyon for a fun family night/picnic and so I could take a few pictures with the kids for them to keep while I was gone.


The night before surgery I dropped my kids off at my in-laws, which was very hard to do.  I've left them before, and it's always a little sad, but this time was extra hard because I knew I was going in for major surgery and the worrier in me took over.  Plus, Alexis was old enough to know what was happening, and was a little worried too. After leaving them I met Jeremy in Salt Lake for dinner before he went to a concert of one of his favorite bands, Wilco.  He's been waiting for them to come here for a long time and I was supposed to go with him originally, but then I found out that I had to drink a laxative before surgery, and I didn't want to be taking care of that business at a concert.  So I went home, drank my laxative, turned on a movie, and waited for something to happen.  Nothing did until 4 AM, which means I could have gone to the concert instead of sitting home alone, missing my kids and worrying about surgery.


Surgery at the end of June meant that July was spent recovering.  We had so many good people around us that wanted to help.  I had more help than I knew what to do with at times, and I think that's part of what made my recovery go so quickly.  I was in the hospital from Tuesday to Friday, and then Jeremy took a few days off work, and between him and my mom I had full-time help with the kids for the first week.  Then the two weeks following that I took care of them in the mornings, and in the afternoons the older two kids would go play at friends houses while Ryan and I napped. In addition to the babysitting people brought in dinner, a few breakfasts, and random snacks and treats, and constantly checked in on us to make sure we were okay.  If we would not have had all that care and attention the kids would have been in much worse shape.  Even with all that, by the end of July they were quite stir-crazy and just out of sorts because their life was a little unsettled and their mom wasn't behaving normally.  Jeremy was a true champ to step in and take over a lot of my responsibility, and even worked in a few Rhino trips with the kids.




A week and a half after surgery, Jeremy and I celebrated our 10th anniversary.  Yet another event that's kind of a big deal, but got overshadowed by other bigger events.  We did go to an outdoor concert at Thanksgiving Point that was a lot of fun, but completely wiped me out!  Again, no pictures.



By the end of July I was feeling well enough to take the kids out to do things, though I still couldn't pick any of them up, and any outing completely wore me out.  We went swimming with cousins (still, no pictures), attended a few birthday parties, and went to the aquarium in Sandy.  Look!  A picture!


August started out with a last minute thrown together birthday party for Alexis.  Good thing she has a summer birthday--water parties are usually pretty easy to plan!


Then later in the week we had Jeremy's family reunion in Great Basin National Park (that's in Nevada).  It was fun, and we actually have tons of pictures, but I'll just share one of us crowded under a canopy during a seriously cool rainstorm.


Jeremy and I were in charge of planning it this year, and despite everything else that we had going on, everything actually got done and it seemed like everyone had fun.  Though the day before we left I did a countless number of stupid things (because of my brain malfunction), including starting a pretty large fire in our grill by neglecting to take out the cooking utensils.  I wish I didn't have a picture of that...


The week of the reunion also marked 6 weeks since surgery, which was when I was technically allowed to lift heavy things.  Even now, a month later, I still love being able to pick up Ryan and snuggle him--not being able to pick him up was easily the hardest part of recovery. 


The week after the reunion is when things got REALLY crazy.  All spring and summer we had been house hunting, and in July finally had decided on a home, about an hour north of where we lived.  Making the decision to buy that house was extremely emotionally hard, and then everyday after was harder and harder as the move became a reality and I started to really realize everything that would be changing and all the things I'd have to say goodbye to.  Moving is always tough, but this seemed extra tough to me.  But we couldn't deny that the timing of everything was working out perfectly.  We had wanted to move by the time school started, and the new school district started school two weeks after our old school district, which we needed because we were homeless for a week. 

We decided to keep the town home that we lived in for the last 7 years and rent it out, and we happened to have some good friends that wanted to rent it from us.  It has been a huge, undeniable blessing to have renters fall into our laps, with no extra work from us to find them, and have them be people that you know will take care of your home.  But we needed to put in a little work to make it suitable for renters, including getting new carpet.  Jeremy and I tore out the carpet ourselves, which made for a late night but was fun to do together.


Even though we both knew that it was time for us to move, it was definitely bittersweet. That little town home has been our home for the last seven years.  I brought two of my three babies home from the hospital there, we had many milestones there, made many friends there, and experienced a lot of emotional and spiritual growth there.  It was very hard to leave, but things always change sometime, and we knew without a doubt that it was time for this change.

We said goodbye to that house 2 days before Alexis' birthday. We hadn't yet closed on the new house, so we moved in with my parents who were kind enough to open their home to us, even though they had also just moved weeks before. Then, on the 18th, Alexis turned 8 and celebrated by getting her ears pierced!  Following that, we spent several days with NOTHING to do.  It was a nice change of pace considering everything we had just gone through, and everything we had ahead of us.

Finally, the last weekend of August, we moved into our new home.  We do love our new home and all the extra space we now have, but it's going to take awhile for all of us to adjust to the change.  Last week was easily the HARDEST week I have ever experienced with the kids.  The end of summer is always hard anyway, as kids are antsy and ready to get back to school and a routine, but then you add the upheaval of a move, the uncertainty of a new school/new neighborhood/new friends, missing old friends and familiar faces, and the cumulative effects of the rest of the summer, and you have a recipe for disaster.  Constant fights, meltdowns, tears, tantrums, etc.

We ended that week with Alexis' baptism (go here to learn more), a visit from dear friends, a trip on the Rhino, and a BBQ with family.

Which brings us to today, my first real day with Alexis at school all day, Tyler at school in the afternoon during Ryan's nap, and me enjoying some much needed (and deserved) quiet downtime.  I had quite a bit of anxiety of the kids starting at a new school where they wouldn't recognize anyone, but Alexis came home yesterday saying that it was "the best first day of school ever!"  More proof to me that prayer works.  And despite the fact that I can tell I'm still experiencing a brain malfunction, I did manage to take pictures of them yesterday.  (But today I forgot to make Alexis a lunch for school or to fix Tyler's hair.)

And now I hope that fall goes much more smoothly, and that we all settle in and adjust very soon!

give life

June 26, 2012 5:30 AM, Pre-op

Three weeks ago I had surgery.  While I was in one room being operated on, my friend Crystal was in the room next to me, also being operated on.  During the surgery the surgeons removed my left kidney, flushed it out, and placed it in Crystal's lower abdomen.

I've tried many different ways to approach this on my blog for the last few weeks, but it's been difficult.  It seems I can easily put into words the silly stories of my kids, but when it comes to something a little more serious, like an experience that means a lot to me, it's harder to articulate.  So whatever comes out now is as good as its going to get.

Crystal is my neighbor.  She's just a year younger than me and, despite what you might guess because of her need for a kidney, doesn't actually have kidney disease or kidney failure.  Instead she was born with only one kidney, one that worked great for her up until the doctors removed it and tried to put it back in.  About a year ago a renal aneurism was discovered on her only kidney, and the decision was made to try an auto transplant (this means they removed her kidney, repaired the aneurism, and then tried to place her own kidney back in her body). During the surgery something went wrong and the kidney died.  Fortunately Crystal survived the surgery, but her life was changed from that point on.  You can google what it's like to live without a kidney, or read the archives of her blog to get a bit of an idea, but what you'll find is that living without a kidney can hardly be called living.

I received a range of responses from people when they heard about my decision to be a kidney donor.  Some people called me a saint, some people called me crazy.  While I can understand both responses, I don't think I'm either of those things. I did have two main reasons for choosing to do it, which I would like to share.

First Reason: I don't believe in looking at other people's misfortunes and saying things like, "Glad that didn't happen to me", or "that's their problem, not mine".  Other peoples problems are in fact everybody's problems.  No one can get through this life on their own, and while I don't think I can help everyone in the world, I do think I should help where I can, even if it seems like kind of a big deal, or a bit scary, or maybe even a little stupid.  I've had my own share of problems in my life, and each time I've dealt with one, kind people helped me even though they didn't have to, which made all the difference in the world to me.  Crystal had lots of other people in her life who also thought this way and got tested to be a donor, but were ineligible for one reason or another.  I bet if you ask her, she'll tell you that the fact that people were being tested (even if they eventually couldn't donate) made a positive difference in her attitude and her ability to deal with her "problem".

Second Reason: As I was thinking about getting tested for Crystal, one day at church (we are in the same LDS ward) I happened to be sitting near her while she was looking especially sick and defeated, and the Lord prompted me with a simple statement, "You can help her."  That statement was all it took for me to begin the testing process.

Post-op, slightly drugged, facetime chat

I will be forever grateful that I listened to that prompting because being a kidney donor has been one of the greatest experiences of my life. Yes there were times I doubted my decision, there were times when it was a little scary, and times when I thought what I was doing was crazy, but it has all been worth it.  Crystal has her life back, Avery and June have their mother back, and Chris has his wife back.  That all happened because the Lord put me in Crystal's path and told me to help her.  I suppose it would be possible to get a big head about what I did, but instead it has been a completely humbling experience for me.  I got to be part of a true miracle!  And during the process I got to find out just how many people care about me (which is a lot, for whatever reason).

Walking the hospital halls

I had been warned that my recovery would be rough and that I might be down and out for several weeks, but amazingly enough, my recovery has been pretty smooth.  I've had rough moments, like a bout with debilitating nauseousness a few weeks ago, and some crazy restless legs that make sleep difficult, but otherwise I have no complaints.  The only thing I can possibly attribute this quick recovery to is prayer.  Crystal and I have had more people than we realize praying for us, and we can feel it. After this, I will never underestimate the power of prayer.  So thank you to everyone who has prayed for us.  Thank you to everyone who has cared for our families, who has brought us dinner, who has visited us, and who has supported us.  It means the world to both of us, really.

And thank you especially to the hospital for the package (my last one!) of Lorna Doone's that I ate while typing this up--they helped me get through.


--------------------------------------
A few other things:

*Jeremy was incredibly supportive of this from day 1, and is even still today, despite the fact that he's the only one that does any work around here lately.  (Wait, that's not that different from normal...) This would not have happened without him.

*Despite what some people think, you can in fact live with only one kidney.  My remaining kidney immediately picked up where the other kidney left off, with no difference felt by me.

*The surgeon told me I have amazing kidneys with record high function.  How's that for a hidden talent?

*A cool article in the Deseret News several weeks ago about a charity fundraiser put on for Crystal.

*A link to join Team Hadlock for the Kidney Walk in September.  I'll be there!

*I don't generally talk much about my beliefs on my blog, but in this case my beliefs were so fundamentally core to my decision to donate a kidney that I couldn't help but share.  If you want to learn more about what Latter-Day Saints believe, go here.

*If you aren't registered to be an organ donor, please reconsider.  If you live in Utah and would like to register, go here.

*Not enough links yet?  Well, if you aren't yet a fan of Lorna Doone's maybe this will change your mind.

*And for those of you curious, here's a picture of my old/Crystal's new kidney (taken with a disposable camera, so pretty poor quality).

Newport

At the end of April I was lucky enough to fly to Southern California for a reunion with friends from college.  The last one was three years ago, I wrote about it here.  Instead of 11 of us this year, we only had 7.  We missed all those that weren't able to come, and it definitely had some different dynamics than the last time, but it was still so much fun and such a good experience.

I didn't even take a camera, so the only pictures I have are the ones the others have shared (hint hint), but I'll remember the trip even without pictures.  We stayed at a Marriott Resort in Newport Beach, went to the pool, swam in the ocean, did some sightseeing, and talked a lot.  The thing that is so great is that the subjects we cover as we talk vary so greatly because we talk about everything with each other.  That is especially remarkable because I hadn't seen half of them in several years, but we are all able to pick right up and carry on as if the years in between had never happened.  I count my association with each one of these women as one of the greatest blessings in my life, and I'm not saying that lightly.  And I'm extra grateful for a husband and a mother who are so willing to take over for me when I do things like this!  So until April 2015 (when we'll all be {almost}33!)...

Some YouTube goodness

I've mentioned my brother-in-law (Eric Thayne) before and shared some of the things he's up to, and here he is again!  In this video, he and another guy (Caleb Blood) are performing a mashup of two songs, Payphone and Call Me Maybe.



You should subscribe to his YouTube channel so you can see all the fun videos he's putting up without me having to introduce them to you.  Here's another one that I love, this time he's with my sister-in-law (his sister, Ashley).

spring break 2012

A month ago, during Spring Break, Jeremy and I took the kids down to Moab.  Since we don't all fit in the Rhino anymore we weren't going to take it.  Then we realized it's ridiculous to own an off-road machine and NOT take it with us.  So on the first full day there we rented a 4-wheeler and spent the day out on the trails.  The kids were absolutely wonderful!  We were out ALL day and they never complained or got tired of it.  I think it helped that one of the older two was either sitting in the front seat of the rhino or riding on the 4-wheeler with one of us.  Moab really has the greatest trails, and after this trip we've decided we need to make it an annual thing.

We camped right in the middle of town.  It was a campground unlike any we've ever stayed in, because everyone was crammed in like sardines, but it was nice nonetheless and it had a playground just down the row that the kids could play on while Jeremy and I were busy setting up or taking down camp.

It's not very often that we go on a trip with just our little family, but we have so much fun every time we do.  The kids always seem to get along better, Jeremy and I are in better moods and we have tons of fun together.  Especially on trips like this because being outdoors is what my kids love the most.  And when we go camping Alexis and Tyler are actually excited to go to bed because they both have an unnaturally strong love for their sleeping bags.  

While there we also went to Arches, though with little legs accompanying us we didn't see too much.

We hiked up a HUGE sand dune (Tyler hiked up it 3 times!)

We played in the sand, climbed rocks, jumped off rocks, and enjoyed beautiful scenery and great views.

And then, when we got back, Jeremy took apart one of our upstairs toilet because it was clogged.  Remember this?  Yeah, this time it wasn't a pencil.  It was a small toy cup.  2 toilets down, 1 to go Ryan.