Ammon's Farewell
A major family event took place the past month. My brother, Ammon, left on his mission. His farewell was in Nampa on June 22nd so we spent the weekend up there. It was so much fun. We always love our visits to Grandpa Lynn's and Grandma Debbie's house. Of course, it was nice to visit with Ammon a little bit before he left for his mission. His talk in church was awesome. He sounded really prepared to serve a mission - in fact, he almost sounded like a return missionary. I admit, I had a hard time focusing on all of the talk because of my lovely children.....but he did do great. We were in the over-flow section - the section that is a nightmare for any parent with young kids. Alyssa kept trying to run behind the chairs and on the wood floor of the gym. Rylan was equally as loud. Stressful times. I guess I shouldn't complain - if we would get ready on time, we would sit in the actual chapel....but then again, that doesn't guarantee quiet kids either!
Before the farewell talk, we had a yummy breakfast outside where mom and dad had prepared french toast (made with real texas toast....yummy!), lots of fruit, sausages, and juice. For the next week or two after we came home, my kids kept asking for a breakfast like they had at grandma's house (like cold cereal doesn't cut it....come on!) After the farewell talk, we had another yummy dinner. The weather was great and mom and dad have the perfect yard, so we got to set up chairs and all the family that came to support Ammon (and there was a lot of family!) visited and ate outside. It was great. All the little cousins were able to run wild and play together. They even tried to ride the goats. Mike was such a trooper taking kids out in the field and helping them try to ride the goat. He is such a good, fun dad! The kids also loved swinging together in the hammock. We were so sad when we had to pack up and leave that Sunday and come home. I always hate leaving!
Ammon enters the MTC
Ammon was to enter the MTC in Provo on July 2nd. Mom and dad brought Ammon down the day before so we could spend a little time together. They got here at lunch time and so the kids and I called them before they got to our house and told them to meet us at Jumbo Burger for lunch. We knew Ammon loved eating there whenever he came to visit us. There aren't places like that in Nampa (at least according to Ammon!). The kids thought it was great to meet Grandma and Grandpa and Ammon at the restaurant and eat. Grandpa Lynn shared his fried zucchini with Rylan - and was a real trooper about letting him double-dip in his sauce! What a patient grandpa. Gavin and Alyssa fought over who got to sit by Grandma Debbie - so of course, they each got to - one on each side (lucky her!). We had a great time eating yummy pastrami burgers and their wonderful fries and fry sauce....we kept going back for more orders of fries.
That night Jeff, Shauna, and Kyler came over for dinner. Jeff had smoked us all some yummy ribs and some pork loin. It was so good. We love everything Jeff smokes. We had a great visit with them and of course, we ate way too much of the good food! After they left, we took the kids over to the park so we could walk around the track and they could ride their bikes. Alyssa just got a big girl bike (we were sick of the little trike - we always ended up carrying it). She was so excited to show Grandma and Grandpa and Ammon how she could ride. Both kids are doing great on their bikes. Dad and Ammon walked pretty fast. I am so proud of my dad - he has been walking every day. He has lost a lot of weight and looks great! That is really what I need to be doing. My dr. told me that I need to be walking every day - and if I complain, that I need to go for two walks! Of course, we were good doing that for a few days, but now we have slacked off. As I get bigger and as the baby settles, walking is just not that comfortable!
Wednesday morning we got up and got ready for the big day. Of course, I was emotional. I have had a hard time every time my brothers have left on their missions. For the weeks leading up to this day, I have cried whenever I thought about Ammon leaving. I am so proud of him - it is just so hard to see him go for the next two years! I was also upset because Mike wasn't able to come to the MTC. He said he had too much going at work and he really couldn't miss a day. I understood, but I was already so emotional that having him go to work made it even harder on me. I kept crying as I was getting ready to go. Finally, the kids and I were all ready. Ammon was looking sharp in his suit and he and dad had double-checked everything he needed and had his bags packed. We were just waiting on Peter & Joni to come down from Logan so we could carpool together. As we were sitting in the living room talking, Alyssa was playing in the drawer of the nightstand right there in the living room. Our TV sits on the nightstand. She kept pulling stuff out and showing grandma and grandpa. I don't know why she was suddenly fascinated with the drawer - the kids have NEVER gotten into the drawer in the past. Anyway, suddenly she had the drawer pulled out and then leaned on it - and the TV and the night stand tipped over and the TV pinned her on the floor from the arm-pits down. I think it is a 30 inch TV and it is quite heavy. It was so dang scary! She was screaming and crying. All of us screamed and ran to help her. Thankfully dad was there. With all of his safety training he knew what to look for and how to help her best. Obviously, I didn't end up going to the MTC. This upset Gavin because the plan was for him to go to Build A Bear with Grandma Debbie after the MTC for his birthday (it is her birthday tradition with the grandkids). Grandpa Lynn had to reassure Gavin that his sister's health was more important. I was upset because I wanted to be there for Ammon, but I was also worried about Alyssa. Alyssa seemed fine, but we wanted to make sure there was no internal bleeding or any internal injuries, so I called Mike home from work and we took her to the InstaCare up the road. Can I just say how lucky we were? The dr. examined her and made her jump up and down and run down the halls. He said he felt no signs of any internal bleeding or damage and he said her pelvis was fine or else she wouldn't have been able to jump or run. Her pelvis must have taken the brunt of the TV and the nightstand because that is what she was crying about hurting her - and it was bruised. Poor girl! We were so lucky. That TV could have killed her if it had landed any different. We are so surprised she wasn't badly hurt. We are also so grateful Rylan wasn't right next to her. Had the TV landed on him, it probably would have killed him.
I guess mom, dad, Peter & Joni got Ammon to the MTC ok and sent him off. However, they also had quite the adventure after leaving our house. I guess on the way down to Provo, the car started feeling like the transmission was going out. They made it to the MTC, but afterward, they went to Pleasant Grove and spent several hours at my uncles' car lot and my uncles helped my dad work on the car and try to figure out what the problem(s) were. In the end, they decided the transmission was ok and they changed a bunch of fluids, but the car still doesn't seem quite right. We were glad they made it back to our house that night - and everyone was glad the day was over! I don't think any of us will forget the day Ammon went into the MTC - what a horrible day for all!
Mom and dad decided to stay all day Thursday. Dad got up early in the morning and headed to Logan. He spent the day working on Peter's truck. Mom and I took the kids down to Salt Lake and went to Build A Bear at the Gateway. Gavin was so excited to still be able to go - since he was heartbroken the day before. At Build A Bear he picked out the turtle. He then proceeded to drive us all crazy by feeling the need to try on 4 outfits. The "helpful" Build A Bear clerk told him he could take his turtle to the dressing area and they could try on up to 4 outfits. You should never say anything like that to Gavin....because then he thinks he really needs to try on 4 outfits. He tried on the new batman costume first. We all knew that was what he would end up with because he kept talking about it. It was a dilemma for him because he already had a batman costume from 3 years ago - however, he told us that the new costume was for the new batman coming out soon in the new batman movie. He could identify all of the cool new changes. It was funny to watch. However, since the lady told him he could try on 4 outfits, he had Grandma Debbie help him try on 3 more outfits after batman. Poor mom! I was almost grateful to be chasing the two other kids while they were doing that. It was driving me nuts just watching him go through all those outfit changes. Grandma Debbie also let Alyssa pick out an outfit or something - so Alyssa chose to get a baby backpack so she can carry her dolls and her bears like I carry my babies in the Bjorn. Rylan got a cute little soft dinosaur toy. Grandma Debbie is so much fun!!
After Build A Bear, we took the kids down to run in the fountain at the Gateway. We had come prepared with swimsuits and sunscreen this year. However, I think by the time we made it there, the kids were getting tired. Gavin had a blast. Alyssa played for a little bit. Rylan was just not sure about it - and we could tell he was tired and hungry. We didn't stay as long there as we had originally planned - but when kids are tired and hungry, the fun is over! We loaded them up in the car and told them we would get lunch for them at McDonalds on the way home. Thankfully, they fell asleep in the car and so we made it all of the way back to Ogden (through some horrendous traffic at 3:00 in the afternoon) and we stopped at the McDonalds in North Ogden and went through the Drive thru and then came home to eat our lunch/dinner. What a long - but fun - day!
4th of July
Friday morning mom and dad got up early to leave. It was the 4th of July. They wanted to get an early start so they would be driving home in the cooler part of the day. Everyone was still sleeping and I heard the front door shut. I knew they must be leaving so I jumped out of bed and caught them as they were pulling out of the driveway. At least I got to say goodbye! After they left, I thought it would be super cool if I ran to the store and got some donuts for breakfast and some treats for our 4th of July parade and our planned day at Willard Bay. I never go to the store by myself, so it was kind of fun just sneaking out while the kids and Mike still slept. I also put chairs in the car so I could try to save us a spot on the parade route.....but I discovered I was a little late for that as I drove past the route (and through a sort of fun run race) on the way to the store. Oh well! I went to Smiths and they had cute star-shaped donuts so I got the kids some of those along with some juice and some other goodies. I then decided to run to Wal Mart and get a cute little monkey leash for Rylan - along with some more goodies. Lately Rylan has hated being restrained in the stroller or in the shopping cart. I figured I would get him this cute little leash for the parade and then maybe he wouldn't scream or cry so much. I used to have another kid leash for Gavin and Alyssa, but I coudln't find it - and I couldn't resist the cute new monkey one!
When I got home from the store, everyone was still asleep. I showered and then started waking everyone up to come eat their 4th of July breakfast and start getting ready for the parade. I think Mike was really surprised that I had done all of that by myself so early in the morning. I was quite surprised myself, but it felt good (until later in the day when I knew I was tired and grouchy and needed a nap!)
The kids had fun at the parade and they got lots of candy. The weather was also pretty nice - there was cloud cover the whole time (as opposed to last year when we roasted to death!) The kids were so cute. Rylan was a little confused by it all, but he had fun picking up some of the candy and we had to watch him so he wouldn't put the pieces in his mouth with the wrapper on! I had packed a small cooler with drinks and popsicles so the kids thought that was cool. I also let them buy some cotton candy from one of the little street vendors walking through the parade. It was a fun morning.
After the parade I was tired and was feeling some pain so I needed to come home and sleep and take it easy. A storm also started brewing and the wind was kicking up quite a bit. We got a call from Jeff & Shauna telling us that Willard Bay was just too windy and it was not going to be a good boating day. Instead, we moved our little party to the North Ogden swimming pool. By the time we got to the pool, Jeff & Shauna and Josh & Amber were already there with their families, had set up a nice canopy for shade, and had already eaten. The kids loved playing with their cousin, Tanner. However, the wind would still pick up quite a bit and that made it a little cold at times. Rylan really didn't like our pool adventure that day. He got cold fast. He didn't really cry, but you could just tell he was miserable. It was kind of sad our 4th of July plans for a day at the beach got ruined, but hopefully we will still get to do that another day this summer!
Gavin's 6th Birthday
Gavin has been so excited about his birthday. For weeks he has told us things he would like. We finally had to tell him that he would probably get one thing. We took him to the toy aisles at the store and let him ponder and ponder what one item he wanted. With Indiana Jones, Star Wars, Transformers, the Hulk, etc....it was a hard decision. Finally, one day he told me "I will take dad up on the offer for that Megatron transformer!" I was a little shocked at how diplomatic his comment was. I just laughed. I didnt' realize Mike had made him an "offer". Gavin is just so funny! So from then on, he decided he wanted a Transformers birthday party. I had been looking for deals online and had found him some t-shirts and some pajama pants on a killer deal at Kohls (with free shipping - can't beat that!). I also found an awesome Bumblebee transformer on Amazon. Of course, I had to be sneaky and show him different transformer options so in the end he would get what he really wanted. Had I not "involved" him in the decision, he would have probably been upset if he didn't get the Megatron Mike had "offered" him at Wal Mart! :) Even though we weren't having a birthday party with friends (we did that last year) Gavin thought it was important to buy the plates, cups, hats, and table cloth in the Transformers theme at Wal Mart. I guess even a little family party is exciting to a child! Good thing!!
I was going to make him a cake and try to do something cool. I looked all over the internet for fun ideas and then decided I would try to make a cake with fondant icing. I read about a cool marshmallow fondant recipe that tasted better and was easier to work with than standard fondant. I bought the supplies to do it.....but in the end, I had so much going on that Mike and I both decided now was not the time to cause more stress in my life and to try something so involved! I ended up just frosting the cake and then putting a laminated picture of the Transformers logo on the middle. Mike and I then had sneakily bought two more little transformers when we were at Wal Mart to put on the cake. Since I didn't end up doing the fondant, we decided putting them next to the cake. Gavin was thrilled. He kept thanking us for the extra transformers and was so excited to get 3 of them and not just the 1 that we had told him he would be getting.
For his birthday, we went to Kaysville for breakfast. We have eaten a couple of times at Grannie Annies and he loves it there. I needed to go to Layton anyway to return some pants so we thought breakfast in Kaysville was a great idea. After breakfast, we ran to Kathy's house and picked up a small chest freezer. We were so excited to get it!! Later that day, we took the kids to the theater to see Wall-E. It was the first time we had taken all of the kids to the movie. We went to the new Junction and the theater was so nice. We were able to buy our tickets on line and even reserve our seats. It was awesome to get there during the previews and know our seats were all reserved and were empty! Surprisingly, Rylan made it through 3/4 of the movie. We had debated on taking him, but in the end, we decided even if he doesn't sit through all of the movie and if one of us has to take him out, the price of our ticket is cheaper than a babysitter!
After the movie, we ran to the store to get ingredients to make pizza. Gavin had requested pizza for dinner. When we told him what we were doing, he told us he didn't mean homemade pizza - he meant Pizza Hut or something! Kids!!! I told him that we were going to get ingredients so everyone could make their own pizza. He thought that idea was awesome! I mixed up a double-batch of pizza dough and the kids loved making their own dinner. Gavin was creative and he formed his pizza into a transformer-head shape. I wish I would have gotten a picture! Just as the pizza was getting done, Grandma and Grandpa Henrie came over. It was great timing. We had plenty of pizza and so we had a party with them. We had dinner, cake and ice cream, and opened presents. Oh ya - and we had to re-do the pictures of him blowing out his candles. Mike had been experimenting with the settings on the camera before we did the cake thing. I didn't know that and so I picked up the camera and started shooting pictures - but when I looked at them, they were almost black. The camera wasn't in its usual "auto" mode. I wasn't particularly happy, but Gavin didn't mind us re-lighting the candles and doing it again! It was a great day! I can't believe my "baby" is 6 already!!
And the Birthday Parties Continue.....
On Sunday, July 13th, it was my Grandpa Sage's birthday. Gavin thought it was pretty cool their birthdays were connected. :) The family planned a surprise picnic at the park in Nephi for him. It was great because we also got to spend some time in Spanish Fork visiting Grandma and Grandpa Harris as well. We rarely make it down that way. On the way down for the party, we stopped in Farmington to pick up Brad. We were dropping him off at Grandma and Grandpa Harris' house so he could spend time with them while we went to Nephi. When we first got to Spanish Fork, we decided we would pick cherries from their cherry tree and take them down to our picnic party. Mike, Brad, and Grandpa Harris hurried and picked a bunch of cherries. Their tree was loaded and those cherries were so good! We then washed them and stopped at the store for some chicken for lunch and then headed to Nephi for the party. It was a great turnout and Grandpa was really surprised so that was awesome. We had a great time. Gavin and Alyssa loved playing with all of the cousins that were there - and of course, Gavin had to bring his new Transformers toys to show off and share! Alyssa kept bugging Tiffani and Sabrina - she just thinks she is one of the big girls. She also kept sneaking into the birthday cake! That girl will eat anything if it is junk - it is the real food she struggles with (I wonder where she gets that from?!?! :) ) Mike and I got to spend the afternoon visiting with Jeff and Melanie. It was so nice!! Melanie and I have been instant messaging a lot and keeping in touch that way, but we hadn't actually seen each other in a very long time. We had a great visit!
After the picnic, we headed back up to Spanish Fork and spent the next couple of hours with Grandma and Grandpa Harris. Janette and Kristin were there too - and Alan and Michael showed up later. It was nice to visit with everyone and the kids were lucky and just continued playing with another cousin - Kristin! :) We also got the chance to try on the new hats Janette had bought on her Alaskan cruise! Mike scared Rylan to death when he put on the Wolf hat. I don't think I have ever seen Rylan make such a sad, terrified face before!
After leaving Spanish Fork, we hurried home. We dropped off Brad in Farmington and then stopped at the store to pick up drinks for our next event that night. We were supposed to meet Shauna, Kyler, Kathy, Tony, and Marissa at Grandma Swenson's house to watch the fireworks for the annual Lindquist Family Pop's concert at Weber State. For the past several years, it has become a tradition to meet them, bring yummy snacks, listen to the music, and watch the fireworks. Since we were running late after our adventures south, we ended up just meeting everyone at Jeff & Shauna's house, borrowing one of their coolers for the drinks we were bringing and then heading over to Ogden together. We had a great time visiting on Grandma Swenson's lawn, eating delicious caramel popcorn balls that Kathy made and various other treats - and watching the fireworks. Rylan loved the fireworks. He was sitting in Shauna's lap with Kyler and he just kept saying "Wow!!" In one of the pictures, he looks like he had been crying. I can't remember why he was crying - but it wasn't because of the fireworks! Kathy is always super cool and brings little glow things for the kids to make necklaces (or this year, Gavin was making "Indiana Jones whips"). Marissa was so nice for doing this with the kids! We had such a full day! We got home around 11pm and everyone was exhausted - but everyone was also happy. We got to visit so many family members and take part in so many fun activities. Families are just wonderful!!!
Home Improvements.....FINALLY!!!
We have been in our house now for 2 years. We bought the house as a bank-owned property and it had been trashed by the previous owner. It was obvious he had done a lot of damage when he knew he was going to lose it. It was also obvious that the bank had done the minimum to try to conceal the damage to just get the house sold. We have lived with horrible patch jobs - covered up by mismatched paint - for years (also stained tile and carpet, broken doors and fixtures, etc.). We have finally started making the house our home now. This past month, Mike and I have spent a lot of hours repairing old patch jobs and fixing cracks and preparing the walls for new paint. In our living and dining room, we decided to do a venetian plaster application. We bought the venetian plaster at Home Depot and found a great green color for it. Applying the venetian plaster is quite the process! Mike and I both had metal trowels and just kept applying plaster in patches all over the wall. The first coat we did we had to hold the trowel at a certain angle. That had to sit for 24 hours and then the second coat was applied at a different angle - and the second coat covered up any previous white space. During the next week, we had to burnish the walls - and that involved sanding and then rubbing them with the side of the metal trowel to make them smooth and shine. Now that two walls are done (well, except for the touch-up paint we need to do in the corners and along the baseboards) - including the biggest wall in the house - we love the look of it and can finally feel a sense of pride in our home. We are excited to continue fixing the walls and getting all of the painting done. Maybe then, we can finally start to settle in our home and start decorating and put things away. We just kept putting some of those things off because we figured we should paint first - but with jobs and kids - and obviously lack of extra money - those home improvement projects kept getting pushed aside. We are trying to get a lot of this stuff done before the new baby comes - and that deadline is fast approaching. I have a list of what I want done, but then we also have a list of what is realistic. Mike has been such a go - getter trying to get things done. I am so proud of him. I think I am wearing him out - but it feels great to finally get going on these things and it will be awesome to have so much done before the new baby! It is a great sense of accomplishment when you start to "create" your own home!
One More Major Feat for Me
This past month I also accomplished something I am rather proud of. For most, it is nothing big - and for many, it may seem rather pathetic; however, for me it was huge and it felt great. I took all three kids to the pool by myself! I know, you are probably wondering why that is such a big deal. Let me tell you. At times I experience anxiety. For those that know me well, know I don't drive that often by myself or go anywhere very often by myself. Thankfully, Mike is a trooper and he likes doing stuff all together as a family, so it really isn't too big of a deal. However, I am trying to be better. I am trying not to always live in fear - fear that something will happen to one of the kids, or fear that we will get in a car accident or something. Yes, it is stressful to live this way! I have managed to take the kids to the Dinosaur Park or to the Treehouse museum by myself. In fact, this year, it has been really fun to take the kids to the Treehouse museum now that Gavin and Alyssa are older and I am not constantly paranoid about losing one of them. I have relaxed a lot. :) I have even managed a few dr. appts or trips to Costco alone! Don't laugh - sometimes those trips alone with even just 3 kids can end up being so stressful that I go crazy! It is a great accomplishment to be able to do them and still be sane afterwards! Anyway, one Friday I decided I should try to get the kids out of the house and take them to the pool. The North Ogden pool is great for kids and sitting in the pool feels so good on my growing belly! I was pretty nervous about our outing and was having second thoughts as I pulled into the parking lot and saw a few buses, a full parking lot, and saw how crowded it was! I told the kids I wasn't sure if this was going to work because it was so crowded, but we all agreed we would try for a little bit. We went over our rules about staying together and the kids assured me they would. They know how stressed and anxious I can get! We ended up having a wonderful time! We even stayed for 2 hours. I only lost site of Alyssa once. She ended up being with Gavin, but she knew she wasn't supposed to just run off and we had a little talk. After that, things were great. Gavin and Alyssa were so good about just staying near me. We played lots of games, practiced floating, took Rylan down the slides and just laughed. I was completely relaxed the whole time and wasn't even nervous about one of the kids drowning. It was such an awesome feeling for me to know I could handle the pool alone with my kids (and they all survived!)!
1 comment:
I am so proud of you! I know it is so hard to take kids even to walmart! Your a way GOOD mom and never think anything different! I just wish we lived closer to each other! I Love your blog but don't let it interfere with our instant messaging! jk
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