Sunday on the Blog

"I will not Be Afraid" Michael McLean from "The Best Two Years" (yes, I love this album!)

Because it's you
Because it's true
Because you're far too good to lose
Because you're here
Because it's clear
Because your love's been drowning the fear
I will not be afraid
I will not run away
I will not leave too soon and then wish I stayed
I will not be afraid, I will not be afraid

Because I've lost
Because it cost
Because my heart's been double crossed
Because I thrist to quench the hurt
Because not trying is always worse
I will not be afraid
I will not run away
I'll work the double shifts 'til the piper's paid
I will not be afraid I will not be afraid

For so long I chose to be
a prisoner of fear
I prolonged the slavery for too many years
for too many years oh

I will not be afraid
I will not run away
I'll let those memories of failure fade
The hand that I've been dealt I'm gonna play
I'll keep the things I've learned and I will not trade
I will not be afraid
I will not run away
I'll grow a little stronger everyday
I will face the music proudly that I have played
And if you knew me back then then you'll know I've changed today
I will not be afraid
I will not be afraid
I will not be afraid
I will not be afraid
I will not be afraid

"Take my Life"

I took a snapshot of my life
But the exposure was on wrong
I couldn't see a thing but then the thing's
It's been that way too long

So I have come with a request, a part of me thinks I'm insane
but I'm determined to see this thing through, and I will not complain

Take my life and turn it into something better
Choose me when you will
Take this shack, break down the walls and build a palace up on a higher hill

I thought I knew where I should go and tried to get there on my own
I took the easy roads but now I know I'm lost and all alone

Take my life, and turn it into something useful
don't stop until you're done

Take these eyes and make them see a clearer vision of what I can become

And on those days when I think I'm dying
I'll trust in you and I'll keep on trying
If you pick this road I'll take it and with you as my guide,
I know I can make it

Take my life and make it one that is worth living
don't stop until you're through
Take this life, the one that I am freely giving
I give it all, I give it all, I give it all to you
I give it all, I give it all . . .to you

Graduation and my "last" birthday

So as promised, here are some pics of Cyndel Marie's graduation: Three sisters--how lucky am I to have 2 little sisters? They were the last 2 so I was almost stuck with only 2 brothers.

Cyndel and friends (Jarom and Ariel)

Cynnie with my parents

And Cyndel with stoned Robbie. No not really stoned, just weird in pictures :p

So, isn't she the cutest thing ever? I adore my Cyndel. She is super photogenic too--I'm jealous, maybe someday I'll give up the stupid cheese face and pull some of hers. Cyndel's graduation was nice, 650 in the graduating class made it pretty long but still pleasant. And it was a milestone for a darling girl who very nearly did not make it to her first birthday. Cyndel was a pretty average newborn, a little extra sleepy perhaps and with brown hair which set her apart from the rest of our fam but nothing to be startled by. When she was a couple of months old my mom found her not breathing. She gave her CPR and took her to the hospital for all sorts of tests but they found nothing wrong with her. They told her she was just paranoid (hello, my child wasn't breathing, this is way beyond paranoid!). This continued to happen, she would go to sleep and stop breathing, I was 11 at the time and remember seeing the ambulance coming for her--me watching from the playground at school. Still nothing was found. Mother's Intuition is a powerful and amazing tool--my mom knew something was wrong and continued fighting even when they basically told her she was crazy. Finally she went above everyone's head and took Cyndel to the Children's Hospital an hour away. One chest X-ray was all it took to find the cardiovascular ring that was suffocating her from the inside when she rested. They got her into surgery immediately and she has nothing but a scar to show for it now. The surgery was early December, they told us we would have had her funeral by Christmas. So for my darling lil' sis, every milestone will always be special because we almost didn't get to keep her. And here's something weird for ya, after the surgery the brown hair all fell out and grew in blond. Creepy, no?

So, my "last" birthday went well. I say last because I turned 29 yesterday and don't intend to get any older than that! Next year will just have to be 29, take 2. I woke up to Carter singing the happy birthday to Mommy song over and over again. What a silly little boy--Lowell had only mentioned it to him once. What a sweet way to start the day. We went to play at the Children's garden, and hooray--they added UV filters to the little wading pool and it is now up and running again. I love when you take something I already love and make it that much better. The kids loved it! We then got a slightly extravagant lunch (Panda Express with shrimp, yum!) and took a long nap. Believe it or not, the kids asked to be put to bed and went down for nap without a fuss. I seriously could hardly believe it. I can't imagine the novelty of the new bed will last long, but we will soak it up while it does. My one hope with the loft bed was that they (like me) wouldn't want to go up and down and up and down and so would stay up--so far so good! :) Lowell was running around getting the car fixed, hooray for a handy hubby. He did the brakes by himself, I am so impressed. We still needed new rotors too, but some big bucks saved by his ingenuity. P.S. We hate Les Schwab, go to Big O if you don't want lazy people to lie to you (i.e. tell you your brakes are fine when they are NOT to get out of the life time warranty). When I woke up, these had been delivered:

What a wonderful hubby I have! They smell SO good. He kept the kids quiet so I could have a long nap too and then took me to, you'll never guess . . .the gardens again. Yep, I love it. We cruised in the golf cart Hillary borrowed for us and Carter was thrilled to find his new friend, "Caterpillar". Any bets on his life expectancy? Then Lowell and I were joined by my bro Robbie and his friends for dinner at Tucanos. I think I am still full. But hey, free birthday dinner followed by free birthday ice cream at Coldstone. Gotta love registering online for free stuff, I still have Baskin Robbins and Red Robin items to redeem as well.

So a delightful day with delightful company. I also had a thousand birthday wishes on facebook, so fun to have people that care. I had a b-day once where no one remembered, facebook would have saved that day. Thanks everyone, I love you!

P.S. I thought I would add Cyndel's graduation announcement because she's gorgeous, and I made them. Here you go:

A long weekend

I can hardly remember the last time I had a holiday off at work, so it was a pleasant surprise this weekend to have 4 days off in a row and Lowell home 3 of those. Party at my house! Sure it would have been nice to have worked and paid for all our playing, but where's the fun in that!?

Saturday's spa day didn't go quite as planned, i.e. there was a 3 hour wait for a massage so we just skipped it and spent nearly that long chatting and munching at Los Hermanos. Very nearly as relaxing--thanks for the good time girls! Then shopping with my mom was fruitful, finally made up my mind on the kids' new beds, bought 3 new dresses (they were sorely needed), and then ate at Sweet Tomatoes, glorious! Thanks for playing Mom!

Sunday we had my fam up for a nice BBQ and annoucement annoucement, Davis made it through his entire church class. Not sharing time mind you, but that was the first time I have ever had to go pick him up after class. He has always been returned to me much before the end of church.
Sunday night was the night we had planned to camp in the backyard, but also it turns out the day Mother Nature planned to water our garden for us. Rain flooded both the tent and the fire pit plan, so we ate microwaved S'mores in my bed!

Yeah, Lowell was cringing at all the chocolate ooey gooeyness getting on our clean sheets. Oh well, they wash. We planned on letting the kiddos sleep with us as well to complete the indoor camping plan, but wriggly little boys and the knowledge that their beds were only feet away cancelled out that idea. Wow, I love my bed. I sleep 3 nights a week in a recliner at work, so having so many days in my own snuggly bed was lovely. The time with Lowell was a big bonus too.

Monday we went on a search for mattresses and picked up the new beds from Ikea. I couldn't spend $100 on the foam mattresses they had there, so the search had to be postponed as well as the construction of the beds. They just weren't nice in my opinion and required the Ikea bedding sets which weren't fun. Monday night we had Lowell's fam over for a BBQ and had fun with them as well. Having cousins living close is so fun--growing up in California we had no family nearby. We made incredible friends who I consider family now, but I certainly did not see my cousins very often, once a year at best. We're so lucky to live close to our families and to have such willing and helpful baby-sitters.

Tuesday Lowell and I were roped into a Timeshare presentation. The offer of roundtrip air and hotel for 2 to Anaheim was too good to pass up. It still was almost not worth it, it was just so high pressure and made me really uncomfortable by the end. But yea for me, I escaped without buying anything and with my trip. Now should I get away with just my Lowelly and commit the worse possible crime to my children in not taking them or cough up the money to fly them too?? Hmmm. We also made it over to R.C. Willey where they were having a mattress sale, so I got 2 nice spring mattresses (normally $300 each) for less than I would have spent for the sub-standard ones at Ikea. Yea again for me.

Here are the munchkins Tuesday night, Stand up Davis said (like Stick 'em up, I think).

And proof that just because they are growing doesn't mean they no longer get dirty! I love that dirty little face.

Silly Billy boy

And Carter, who is actually my comedian--this was as good a funny face he could come up with.

Wednesday I spent the last of any money I'll ever have (at least it feels that way after all the bucks going into these beds!) to let the kids pick their own bedding. Sheesh bedding is expensive. Oh well, I guess these little faces are worth it:

C man chose WallE

And Big D Mickey Mouse clubhouse. Holy cow twin bedding is huge--I can't believe my little guys are growing up. I guess I knew someday they'd have to move beyond their crib/convertible toddler bed but it still snuck up on me. As much as I want them to grow and progress at the same time I feel like just freezing my sweet little guys how they are. Or just slow the flow maybe, give me some more time. Alas, it's not to be. Makes me almost, maybe, start thinking about considering trying for another.

So without further ado, $800 later, we have 2 of these:

Lots of little things to still finish, like curtains to cover the bottom, a light in there, a chair in there, and all their things re-organized, but I am excited. They really do love their "big boy beds". I hope they will last and be worth it (read, somehow magically keep my children in their beds long enough to fall asleep).

I finished reading New Moon this morning and was so happy again. Of the 4 novels I think #2 is the biggest roller coaster and it really pulls me along with it. Half the book I can barely stand to put it down to leave things as they are. So I am content at the end to leave my friends and move on to Next.

Tonight I am sneaking out of work for a few hours to go see my baby sister graduate. It's hard to believe the last of my sibs is now done with high school. That darn time keeps marching on thing. Congrats Miss Cyndel, pics to come!

B o r e d

So I am only 1.5 hrs into a 15 hr shift and I am already bored. This is not a good sign. I usually have a lot of work to do but I have been a busy bee and have most of it done. All that is left is the most mundane of chores, watching TV online, reading more of New Moon, and actually working. The thing about working at my job is it is sporadic. When samples come in, I run them. When those are done I sit here until something else comes. That could be in 15 seconds or 4 hours. I have literally gone 7 hours at work without a single sample. man, they pay me too much to do my job. Being bored is an oddity for a mom, an experience I would never have if I didn't work full time. Moms, especially of young children, always have a multitude of things they need to be doing. What an odd blessing it is to be bored. Anywho on to a review of the past week minus photos. Why no photos? Well, truth is I, yes Heidi, have actually burned out on taking pics for a couple of days. The boys have been so cooperative cheesing for me that I am fully content with the shots I have of them and all the places we went this week are well photographed, so alas, no new shots for today. This weekend will be full of "camping" and BBQs and partying with the fam, so new pics are on the way!

This week has been a good one. Tuesday I reached a goal I have been shooting for for quite some time, the boys were 37 inches and potty trained and this ushered into the grand escape called, free babysitting at Ikea. They happily toddled off to the play land while Lowell and I perused the twin bed selection, got some more kid's plates/bowls/silverware, had a peaceful dinner, and then picked up a couple of things not on the list (it was Ikea after all). What a glorious thing it is to be 37 inches and potty trained. Hooray for us!

Wednesday we made a mad dash for the zoo. The zoo closes its gates at 5 but not the grounds until 6:30. The kids can be shaken awake from nap at 4 and then we always rush to get in the car and run up to Salt Lake, most often failing and retreating to the Children's Museum (open until 6 but you can go in up to that point) or the Aquarium (summer hours close at 7). We arrived at 5:10 and thankfully they let us in. I couldn't handle another chorus of screaming when the elusive goal of the zoo was not met. Hillary joined us and we had a delightful time. We did everything, except actually look at the animals. Rode the train, played at the park, rode the carousel, ran ran ran and then scurried by a few creatures on the way out. :) The giraffes were particularly captivating, and frightening to the kids. They had shimmied under a partition until they were rather close to the giraffe who was eating and who found them interesting enough to try and explore them with his tongue. The kids won't be playing in that restricted area again. :) The cougars were also seriously hunting the boys, the gleam in their eyes was pretty frightening. So home again Hill watched the bubs while Lowell and I went to see Angels and Demons.

I finished the book that afternoon and that may have been a bad thing as there were so many differences it was distracting. Different names, missing and added characters, different plot elements--kind of disappointing. I felt the movie did not adequately depict the reasoning for the camerlengo's actions. In fact I think the book is confusing on that point as well but much more thorough than the movie. Still, I liked the movie. Even if he had the wrong name, Ewan McGregor is hot and was enjoyable to watch. Tom Hanks hair was SO much better than Da Vinci Code and the action and drama was well done. I would see it again. I am continuing through New Moon (3rd time since Feb) and enjoying it of course. It's surprises me how mad I can still be at Edward and how depressed for Bella when I know what is going to happen. That's why I love Twilight, it is so character driven and I am attached to the characters. Next up, Michael Crichton's Next (once Lowell is done with it).

Today we had a bug themed play group at my house with a bug craft and snack (ants on a log and dirt cup) and I just had a delightful time chatting with Lyndsie and Carlie while my kids were thrilled to have friends over and needed very little assistance in their adventures. Tomorrow we are having a spa day--massages and lunch. Then I will probably do some birthday shopping (it's coming up next week but my grandparent's will be in town which means all other things in the universe are usurped) with my mom and dinner at Sweet Tomatoes--love it! Sounds like a good day already! Then Sunday B-day BBQ with my fam, camp out in the backyard with S'mores, Monday Memorial and Dual (my SIL Sina's b-day is next week as well) B-day BBQ with Lowell's fam and then I still have Tuesday off. Holy cow I have a good looking weekend coming up!

A quick funny with the boys. They have become obsessed with the dogs. Happened so out of the blue, one minute they were pestering them, the next begging to have them sleep with them. We have lured a puppy or two to hang out with them for a little while (usually with food) and we'll check on them and find them reading stories to their much abused, er I mean loved, little friend. I told the dogs some day the kids would be their best friends and it is slowly coming to pass. They are starting to throw the ball for them or play tug--the dogs haven't gotten over their fear of the kids yet but when they do they'll all be the best of friends. The boys have also tried to share their love with our friends in the insect world. The other night they found a Rolly Polly bug and carried it around every where. They took it to jump on the trampoline (and dropped it on its head a few dozen times). I asked Davis what he was going to name it and he said, "Rolly Polly". Why didn't I think of that? Davis refused to reliquish his friend when we went inside for the night and the only way to save him from the watery grave of the bath tub was to make him a little home out of a tupperware container. We gave him so food and told Davis he was not to open the container under any circumstance. You can guess how that worked out. The next morning he simply said, "I lost him". I found him this morning, dead under his bed. Rest in Peace Rolly Polly, I hope there is some consolation in knowing you were loved so exceedingly before your untimely demise.

I hope you all have a delightful weekend!

Of baseball and hiking and book reviews

So we are done with Itty Bitty Baseball, hooray! The boys had fun and it was a good venture into playing with new kids and listening to a coach (or not) but it was a struggle too. They are a bit young yet, we'll try again later. The last day they had a bunch of games and then time to play with a parachute and meet Lenny the Lion (I have no clue who he's the mascot for?) How many 3 year olds can you trap in a parachute? And how long can you keep them there?
Davis high-fiving Lenny
Lenny with the kids
Bringing home the loot, balloons and "baseball" gum--their prize for finishing the class. Carter pulled the sucker off of his balloon and so when we opened the door it flew away. We sat and waved goodbye to the balloon "up up a sky". Then they started scheming. Carter said, "I know, we'll get a helicopter and fly up up up and get the 'alloon." Davis followed with, "or a space ship . . .or a rocket." They talked about it for hours. And here is Carter's official shot--sorry for the pic of a pic, lazy me didn't want to get the scanner out. I don't want to post the team pic (don't have permission from the other parents) but I can tell you that is hillarious. Watching them take it was funny enough, now I have physical evidence.
Davis (even though it says Carter-I wonder if they would replace it or if I should just keep it and laugh).

And here's some clips from one of their games. It's probably not as funny to any one else but I was laughing. My fav is when Davis runs off third base to field Carter's hit. Or them fighting over who gets to catch the ball. Anywho . . .

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

We finally made the trip up the canyon and seriously I was in heaven. I just love the outdoors. The little nip in the air, the smell of pine and camp fires, the sound of rushing water, ahhh. I had wanted to hike around but the boys just wanted to throw rocks in the water, so that's what we did.

They love being outside as well, something about boys and hiking--dirt and bugs, hooray! They kept begging to go camping while we were out so we've got plans in the works. This weekend will just be too busy (Memorial Day) so we are going to get a little fire pit for the backyard and set the tent up out there too. Kind of a trial run. Then once school is out we'll go spend the night up the canyon (hopefully a few times). We live so close to such amazing beauty, might as well enjoy it!

So that was Friday. Saturday the boys and I had some fun playing at my parent's house. Pizza and chilling--good times.

Sunday we drove up to the trail for Stewart Falls. Turns out between Lowell and I we know 3 trails, Stewart Falls, Timpanogos, and the little trails near Tibble Fork. Any help/suggestions for other trails to explore would be appreciated!! We only went a little ways up the trail, kind of trial again. I think they can handle it but we'll need to start sooner and pack a snack and such.

Boys and the mountain.
Davis being "strong like the mountain". He was cracking me up the whole hike. We passed Lowell and he said, "Bye dad, see ya later, the monster's gonna getcha". Then Lowell tooted and he said, "Daddy, no poop in your pants, you poo poo in the potty!" They both loved climbing and again, I was in heaven!

In other news, I have been obsessing over the Lost finale. I sure enjoyed this whole season but it has left me with a lot to think about and a long time to do so. Ugh.

I finished reading Gone with the Wind and did enjoy it minus the ending. I know I am probably childish in enjoying a happy ending and there is some greater meaning to how it did end, like the South didn't recover from the war and ended up tired and bitter but after 1000 pages of heart break I was tired and bitter. I was really looking for the light at the end of the tunnel and was disappointed when I didn't find it. I needed 2 more chapters, Scarlett goes home to Tara and regroups, then Rhett returns and they reconcile and have a bunch of babies. The End. See, wouldn't that be better? I quite enjoyed the historical nature of the story and have a completely different view of the Civil War now (Dang Yankees, I HATE them!). I did love love Rhett until the end as well, his conversations with Scarlett were my favorite part of the book. But yes, there was just so so much sadness. And I liked and cared about the characters a great deal in the first half of the book, but by the end my feelings for them were waning. Everyone became so hardened and different from their beginnings--again I am sure this has a greater meaning as well but it just made me sad. I turned to some Ben and Jerry's and New Moon (granted not a great place to get cheered up with the Twilight series but that is where I am in my continual reading of them and it did work). I did enjoy reading a few famous lines in their full context though, like "You need to be kissed and by someone who knows how" and "God is my witness, I will never go hungry again". I watched half of the movie yesterday and have been enjoying that. I found it followed the book more closely than more modern movies do and was entertained by the grand drama that such a film was to make at that time (especially the fake soldiers by the train tracks when Melly is having the baby). Clark Gable is great as Rhett, my fav character for sure.

I am now reading Angels and Demons again to get ready for the movie. It has been a few years since I read it and I have been enjoying it. Lowell read it all last week and I have until Wednesday night to finish--that's when we have a sitter (thanks Hill!) to watch the kids while we go see the movie. Better get to it!

My sassy sweet boys

Ugh. I'm sick again. Lowell says he has thrown up more often in the last 3 years than the rest of his life combined and I think I agree--though you have to throw the pregnancy in there too. Something about being around the little germ factories--though they are just fine (thank you, seriously I would not want them to be sick, especially vomiting sick, yuck!). It is tough though to have healthy children when both parents are sick. We hobbled along yesterday and tonight poor Lowell has the kids on his own. I tried to wear them out this morning because I am feeling a bit better. Anywho, I've been meaning to write a bit about my sassy little kids. They are getting such little mouths on them. My favorite (in the try not to let them see you laughing kind of way) is Carter saying "whateber" whenever I ask him to do something or Davis saying "What the heck!" whenever things don't go his way. Little stinkers.

Davis with his sucker all the way from DisneyLand--thanks Uncle Robbie. Next time just take us with you!
Carter too--still obsessed with the 'puter.

They have been learning their letters and are obsessed with C for Carter and D for Davis. They find "their" letter on everything and are so excited. So on the way in to baseball the other day Carter announces to me that he poo poo'd in the potty (great) and it was a C for Carter (gross!). They are still my lover boys though, I hope that part of being 3 never ends. Davis found an M on a book and let me know it was M for Mommy (aww). Carter always finds h for mommy (Heidi). Carter frequently asks for a "snuggle" and both boys need a story and a hug and a kiss from each parent before going to bed. They also continue to be each other's best friends. I was thinking today watching them playing at the children's garden that their lives would be pretty dull with just mommy to play with. I like to think I am pretty active in playing with them and taking them fun places but nothing is more fun than a brother who understands you and gets your jokes. They laughed hillariously for 20 minutes just slamming the lighthouse door at the gardens. I surely didn't get it, but they were enjoying themselves. Having twins is a struggle, no doubt about it, and truly no one understands unless they are actually parents of twins (I overheard someone at baseball watching me struggle that they had kids that were 10 months apart and that was harder--I wanted to turn around and say, well unless you had both, you just don't know.) But I talked to one mom of grown twins and she said she felt sorry for her other kids and I can understand that now. Built in friends, built in enemies. I wouldn't have volunteered for twins but I would never send them back either, crazy, silly, funny little munchkins, I just love them to pieces.

Some other things they are into: Special Agent Oso, Olivia, Looney Toons, everything Disney, playing on the computer, jumping on the trampoline (never gets old), frozen go-gurt (always), Yo-gos, noodles and cheese, chicken nuggets, chocolate milk (thanks to Lowell's mom who always provides it), cheese, playing with friends especially cousin Hannah and Andrew and Anthony, having everyone over to play at their house, and ALL their family members, they talk about them constantly and adore every chance they get to be with them. Thanks for playing with us today Hillary!

Yesterday though dragging ourselves we still had some fun. The boys got some new water toys which they enjoyed. First was a crazy armed sprinkler like Lowell had as a kid. The funny thing was that as soon as any article of clothing got wet, the boys felt they had to strip it off. We kept putting more on but eventually gave up and let them be nakey. We have a fenced yard after all.

The second were these little swimming whale and shark that they even slept with.

Next we went to the gardens--the plan was to go up the canyon but daylight was running out and the gardens ended up being perfect. The boys know it like their own backyard and finally (finally) can follow a few directions, like stay close to mom and dad (threat of hidden monsters helped too . . .) so Lowell and I got to stroll and the kids pretty much did their own thing. It was a pleasant night.
Carter in the gorgeous blossoms. Now is a great time to "smell" the gardens. There are a few blossoming trees that just smell SO amazing plus the lilac are in bloom. Mmmmm

And Davis, my cheeser
A little family of geese we were watching.
They let us get really close to them while they were eating grass. The boys were pretty timid after their run-in with a goose at the zoo. I had my camera set to video just in case :p

The masses of koi in the pond. My sister is freaked out by them (and birds) but I love watching them fight over the little bits of food. The kids dig it too of course.

No real plans for the week. The last baseball class is Friday and maybe we'll retry our canyon trip that night as well--our pass expires at the end of May so I wanted to get a few more visits in. Hope you are all having a good week!

One spoiled Mommy

Can you believe it? I didn't take any pictures of my fabulous weekend. So here are some oldies of me and munchkins. Oh, to go back to my nursing days, 64 oz of milk a day sure kept the weight off. I could eat anything I wanted. Sigh.We just packed away the onesies (now that they are potty trained) and sippy cups (just reorganizing) and it is strange how nostalgic those things are. My babies are definitely little boys now, no turning back.

Anywho, the purpose to this post, I am one spoiled mommy! What a great weekend--Lowell took such good care of me. Early Saturday we went and had massages. There was a wait so we went over to Kneader's and it turns out they were having free french toast for moms. Yeah for me, and they were so yummy too. The massage was fantastic of course (minus the fact that I realized that night I hadn't even shaved--I was there dirty and tired after a 14 hour shift and with 2 week long leg hair, yeah seriously that massage therapist was super nice not to say anything). I just mentioned I was a mom of 3 year old twins and she treated me very well. She said she could feel that I carry them around in my shoulders. I think the best part of a massage is right after, I would call that bliss. Everything is so relaxed, the endorphins are flowing like a drug, I can hardly drive because I don't care what lane I am in.

So then I met up with my mom for our now traditional lunch at the Trellis Cafe (at the gardens). Again this year the tree was blossomed right by where we were sitting and the sweet smell of the blossoms would hit us as the wind blew. The food was good and it was so restful (audible awww . . .). I had a good long nap and then my 3 boys and I went to play at Lowell's school. We drove the golf cart around (the boys even got to drive by themselves, they were so thrilled) and then rode the elevator up and down--as good as it gets for the kiddos. Home again Lowell hit me with all my gifts--first the massage, then a 2 lb box of See's (yeah the skinny me above will never be back!), a spice rack I have been wanting, and a big bag of Bath and Body Work Goodies including perfume in my new favorite scent, Butterfly Flower. Didn't I tell you I am spoiled? What a good hubby, it really was the perfect day.

Sunday was also good but couldn't surpass Saturday. With church and family obligations the relaxation aspect was just gone. We actually took the boys to sacrament meeting (shock, awe) for the first time in 8 months but we couldn't even get into the chapel. It was packed and they won't open the overflow (grumble). So we sat in the relief society room and listened and practiced. The kids did better than expected so we'll try again soon. Of course the consequence of sacrament meeting is they are even worse then usual for Sunbeams/Nursery. Davis was home within the hour and Carter was not pleasant. I don't know what to do/say about those boys. We had brunch with my family and then dinner with Lowell's and it was a good day full of lots of family.

The boys just adore their relatives so they were happy little men for the afternoon. And Lowell did the cooking and cleaning, though it's like Mother's Day every day at my house because he does most of that anyway. I think it is ironic that the reward for being a mom on mother's day is not doing what moms do. However it works I wanted to say thank you to my eternal sweetheart who takes such good care of me on special occasions and even more so all year long. He rocks (and no he is not available to borrow, and people have asked!). Love you honey!

Itty Bitty Baseball

The biggest highlight of our week has been the boys' introduction to Itty Bitty Baseball. It is a program through the Lehi Rec for 3 and 4 year olds to learn a variety of sports. They also have soccer and football. For me it is just hillarious. From the opening calisthenics (i.e. 40 3 year olds trying to do sit ups and [roll on the floor laughing] jumping jacks) to the little games they play against each other it is just so fun and funny. Case in point, Wednesday they had team picture day (uhh . . .yeah they are playing for 6 sessions, seriously they need team pictures . . .you're the sucker mom who signed them up for the class you're going to eat it up . . .I'll take 2) and all I could think of was the phrase, herding cats. Trying to get 8 3 and 4 year olds to stand in a line and smile for a camera was just so comical. I can't wait to get them back with none of the children looking and Carter more than likely picking his nose. I have a lot of sympathy for their coach, bad enough having my 2 trouble makers but the whole lot seems pretty distracted. The first day they all paid attention but by day 3 today they were all giggling and goofing off and not listening. Hmmm . . .turns out it's not just my kids who are "deaf". I seem to be the only parent who has to follow their kids through each exercise just to keep them playing and not sitting with me (i.e. climbing under the bleachers)--but I have given up caring. Let the other parents think what they will, the coach at least appreciates my help. The little game they played Weds was the funniest, I hope they do it again next week so I can get it on video. Player 1 hits the ball from the tee (after 4 attempts), ball skids through the infield, all children from the second team and the hitter chase after the ball, coach tells hitter to run to first (he goes to third then first), Davis is fighting with the kid who managed to come out with the ball, and Carter is walking aimlessly following the lines on the gym floor on the other side of the gym. Sigh, good times. Here's some shots:


They yell, Go Red Sox in between each station--so cute!
I'll try to get some better shots, a dark gym with 40 crazy kids running around isn't the ideal photography studio.
So that is the most different thing we have been doing, but not the only thing by any means. My days off were full of play, thanks to my lovely little sister returning from the inferior (we have a little college competition going on as she is in the same program as I was) Weber for the summer. Tuesday we had a fun morning of abusing Hillary's connections at the gardens. We took the boys to run run run at the children's garden which is all cleared out now that tulip festival is ending (though the tulips are still in peak form). Then we ordered soup from the Trellis Cafe--you must eat there--then got 25% off chocolate from the little shop (the boys wanted a drink which translated into chocolate for me somehow--I can't enter that little room and leave empty handed!) and then used her discount at the green house to buy hanging baskets. Check this one out:
I love the deep purple with the orange, regularly $28, I paid $17. I got 2 and a little basil plant--it smells so yummy. When we went back to pick up our soup the darling lady that works there (Jen) wouldn't let us pay for it and also gave the boys some macaroons. Those boys sure know how to work their magic. What a profitable day at the gardens! :) We finished our Thanksgiving Point day by going to the dino museum in the evening. We met up with Reva and her doll babies and the boys had fun playing with Tony and Andrew. They are so funny with their "friends".

Wednesday night we headed back to the Aquarium--we renewed our pass after a couple of months off on Saturday but only had a half hour to play (after what I call, A Come to Jesus meeting with Davis, lots of weeping and wailing on the potty which ended with the fact that yep, your hard headed mother is more stubborn than you, and shocker, Davis finally bending his will to mine and now he is potty trained. Sometimes it pays off to be this stubborn.) so we headed back Tuesday though still only made it with 40 minutes. It takes so long to get out of my house. If you haven't been in a while--go--they have added a whole new section that is really fun. Spiders, tree frogs, a big snake, little alligators, and piranha--little boy paradise. We are on our 3rd year of membership so we have watched the little aquarium grow and it is finally becoming something pretty cool. Sure we can still do the whole thing in 45 minutes, but the kids love it and who could pass up "Finding Nemo". Late Wednesday Hill came over so Lowell and I could go see Wolverine. I won't say I am much of a sci-fi comic book fan though my knowledge is increasing all the time. I will say I am a Hugh Jackman fan. I enjoyed the movie. :)

Yesterday the boys went to the dentist for their 6 month check up and did really well. Luckily Miss Cyndel was able to come help me and even more lucky the boys teeth look great. Some of their bite and spacing issues have improved and all is well. Here's hoping they inherited Dad or Robbie's 'no cavities until after their mission' teeth and not Mom's 'good thing my mom worked in a dental office' teeth. One odd thing to note--they were separate as they chose the flavor of tooth polish and their prize at the end but they both chose the same thing both times. A little eery.

Well, that brings us up to date. Tomorrow (i.e. right after my current shift ends at 0630) I am meeting up with Lowell to get a message. Yum. Then lunch with my mom at the Trellis and finally a BBQ Sunday with Lowell's fam including my favorite, juicy fat steak (with sauteed onions and mushrooms). I won't be any thinner by next week, but I hope to be more relaxed. :) A very Happy Mother's Day wish to you all!

Sunday on the blog

Michael McLean "Let it Go" (from The Best Two years)

I can still recall the hour my father told me it was time
To let it go.
Thought its mended wing had made it sings he said the bird I had cared for was not really mine.
Let it go.
Letting go he said seems to break you heart, though it will heal, it feels slow to start.
Though the pain burned within me so, he held me tight so I could let it go.
Years have passed since then and so has he, but I still hear his words:
Let it go.
There's so much of life that can't be lived while you're holding on to hurt and anger deep inside-
Let it go.
Letting go opens up the heart, there is a new day hungry to start.
You can't change what has hurt you so but you will heal if you can
Let it go.
All that's wrong in your life, let it go.
All that is worth saving is love.
Love will hold you tight.
Love lifts the burden and love shines the light.
Only love nourishes the soul, if it's not love, simply let it go.

Family Pictures are back!

We got our pictures back already, hooray! I love them of course, you can hardly tell the wind was blowing like crazy. I have posted a couple here and more on a short video--I know you may not all be as vitally interested in every single picture as I am. :)




Didn't Amanda do a great job? On a side note I forgot previously to mention BJ and Angela have found out they are having a boy. They are planning on naming him Jonathan Brad Dodenbier and call him Johnny. So when we were taking the pics the boys were running around talking about Baby Johnny in Angewa's tummy. Such cute boys, they want to play with their cousin and I keep telling them they just have to wait. I was putting Carter down to bed that night and he looked at me carefully and asked if I had a baby in my tummy. Umm, that's a no but at least I know they'll understand the concept when I do. Hopefully it wasn't a premonition, like Davis said yesterday that Jesus is coming tomorrow (today) so, repent ye repent ye the time is at hand! ;)

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