A Summer of Fun!

I've decided to make another attempt at the bullet list of our activities this Summer. (Get ready for my longest blog yet - I sooo should have made this into several little blogs!)

This was our "Days 'til we move to Utah" chart. We started it at 51 days, and tore off a piece each day. We also wrote special events on it, like our trip to Palmyra, and Daddy's visits, so we knew how long we had to wait for each thing.

Mike came back from Utah a few days before Andrew graduated from Kindergarten. It was so good to have him back with us! On Tuesday, June 16, we had Andrew's cast removed, watched him graduate from Kindergarten, then spent our last night in Pennsylvania in a hotel in Wilkes-Barre. The next day we flew to Utah!

Andrew said it really did tickle to have the cast removed.


Mrs. Lukesh was a good teacher!


On the airplane to our new Home!

As soon as we'd slept a night in Utah we got right to enjoying all there is here. We went to parks with family; spent time at the Gateway; played at all three sets of Grandparents' houses; went to the Jazz Draft Party at the Energy Solutions Arena(just Mike and the boys, while I went to a Luau for Enrichment Night); and all joined in the fun at Taylorsville Days with Kathie and Henry.

We spent two nights sleeping on the balcony at the condo. The boys loved it:

Grandma and Grandpa Larsen's House:




Grandma & Grandpa Chase's House:


Nicholls Park in Fruit Heights(A.K.A. the Castle Park):

Mike took this picture at the Jazz Draft Party! :


Taylorsville Days with Kathie and Henry:


Ethan prefers slushies over ice cream!

Grandma Spencer passed away on Sunday, June 21. While it was very sad to lose the matriarch of the Spencer family, especially before we had a chance to go visit her one last time, we found ourselves rejoicing in the reunion that took place between her and Grandpa. Throughout the funeral and burial serivices there was a sense of peace and contentment from knowing that she was not only at the end of her physical suffering on this earth, but also together once again with her sweetheart.



We celebrated the 4th of July with a sleepover at Will & Heidi's house, followed by Boating on Willard Bay with Grandma & Grandpa Larsen; Carina, Ben, & Tyler; and D.J., Josh, & Sammy. Mike and I took a turn on the "Taco" while Brent gave us a wild ride. It was so awesome! I don't think I've felt so free and adventurous since before I became a mom - Definitely one of the highlights of my summer! We spent that night at the Larsens, had Breakfast in the Park, provided by Plain City, and watched the boys' cousins ride in the North Ogden Children's Parade. Mike fixed the Suzuki with help from both Dale and Brent, after which we took a much needed rest before walking from the condo to the WGU parking garage, where we watched fireworks from all over the Salt Lake Valley.

At Will & Heidi's:

Willard Bay:


On July 6th we learned that our offer on a house in Kaysville was accepted! That meant that we were done making time for house hunting and the rest of July could be filled with: more trips to parks - Liberty Park being the favorite, swimming at Grandma Chase's house and at Becky's, Family Day at Heritage Park with the Sundwalls, a visit to the Children's Museum with cousins on both sides, a trip to Lagoon with the Slade family, a night at the dollar movies to see "Night at the Museum 2," a day with Aunt Annie & Uncle Andy, playtime at IKEA, and a tour of the new Oquirrh Mountain Temple Open House. It was a very full, very fun month! Mike and I also taught the Gospel Principles class for two weeks, I subbed in Nursery a few times, and Andrew gave a talk in Primary. We liked being available to do anything that was needed in our temporary ward!

At Liberty Park:

Swimming at Chases':

Swimming at Becky's:


Heritage Park:



The Discovery Museum (AKA, Utah's Children's Museum):



Annie & Andy's House:


Oquirrh Mountain Temple Open House:


Lagoon:



Mike won us a Jazz Bear this year at his favorite Basketball Game! Wahoo!

August brought us to our new ward, the Hess Farms Ward, which I call "our little piece of Zion!" We were welcomed right away by our soon-to-be neighbors! After closing on the house on the 3rd, we began moving things from the condo to the house, and got Andrew registered at his new school. The day we "officially" moved in, Friday, Aug. 7th, so many family and new friends helped that we were completely done emptying the storage unit and unloading it all from the truck in under 1 hr. and 45 min.! It was amazing! There were some who showed up just 10 min. from the time we said to be there and found there was nothing left to do. We were so grateful for all that help!

Right away, Andrew and Ethan made new best friends on our street! It took some adjusting on my part to get used to having large chunks of the day when some, or even all of my boys were away playing at friends' houses. Other times, our house was the place to be, and we'd have up to six kids over throughout the day! I have friends who easily watch my kids for me, or ask me to watch theirs. We went on a trip to the Natural History Museum with ward friends, Andrew and Ethan swam at Kyler and Nathaniel's house, Ethan and Alex often spent time at Elliott and Quinn's house, and we all went on a family bike ride to explore our area.

• Some friends of ours from Roy invited us to a playdate at the Ogden River Parkway, and we learned that we really need to spend more time on our bikes! We all enjoy it, but Andrew and Ethan have not had the opportunity to develop any real skill in that area. It was slow-going! After a while, we decided to let the kids cool off in the river. Alex was soo excited about the water! Despite my efforts to keep all but his feet and hands out of the water, he succeeded in plopping right down on his bum, and getting completely soaked! He's such a water-baby!



• To wrap up our summer fun, just before school began for Andrew, we went on a Larsen Family Reunion Vacation to a condo in Bear Lake. (To distinguish between the condo we lived in for 8 weeks and the Bear Lake condo, Ethan calls this one "the really, really huge condo." :-) ) We had been mildly sick with a stomach flu bug that week, so I almost didn't let Ethan or I go. He was still having troubles just two hours before we were to leave, but Mike really didn't want to have him miss out on it, and members of my family were being so understanding about the possibility of getting sick themselves (which, they just about ALL did :-( ). I'm so glad we decided to all go! We had a blast! We ate great food, played inside and outside with cousins, explored the Parris Ice Cave, tested the outdoor pool, went out on the boat, slept in bunk beds, took baths in the jetted tub, and ignored the bouts of diarrhea that persisted as much as we could. It was a wonderful vacation!




• The following Monday, Aug. 24th, Andrew began First Grade! He likes his teacher, and has made good friends with yet another Ethan. I was a little worried, at first, that he'd be bored, since the curriculum seems to be going a little slower than he was used to in PA, especially in the beginning as they help the rest of the kids adjust to having school all day, since Kindergarten here is just 1/2 day. Andrew is already reading on about a 3rd grade level, and he has done very well in math, as well. I finally came to the conclusion, with the help of some whisperings from the Spirit, that there's more to school than just learning reading and math. There are plenty of other things he will be learning (Spelling, new things in Science, Social Studies, P.E., etc.), and new experiences he'll have with friends and with his teacher. It's probably a good thing that some of it will be so easy for him, so he can focus his learning efforts in other areas! As it turns out, he says he's usually one of the last ones done with his work. (Andrew says it's because he's not a good colorer - which may have some truth, though we've seen great improvement this year over last - but a note from his teacher on one unfinished assignment said that Andrew chose to visit during the time he was given to complete it - also a very likely possibility, though Andrew chooses to deny it.)
  
  
• Ethan has also started school this year! There are so many ladies in this ward with kids his age, and they have put together a joy-school type preschool. We're calling it Sunshine Preschool. Ethan goes to a different house each week, for lessons on a number of the day, a letter of the day, and a topic, such as the senses, the seasons, dinosaurs, or music. It's for two hours ,on Tuesdays and Thursdays. So far, he's only been twice, since the teacher last week had to cancel last Thursday due to a sick child. He really enjoys it, especially because Elliott is there with him. When I asked him what was his favorite part, after the first day, he said, "Feeding the chickens, and jumping on the trampoline," neither of which were actually part of the Preschool activities, just what they were able to do during free time, or while they waited for their moms to come get them. The next time, he loved the painting they did to learn about Primary and Secondary colors. He also said, "But I didn't like it as much today, because there wasn't a trampoline, or a playground!" Ahh, the things that are important to kids!



• Alex likes having some alone time at home with me, without his older brothers, but he sure is glad when it's time for them to come home! The first day Ethan was gone, I asked Alex if he was ready to go get Ethan, and he broke into a huge grin and said, "Ethie! Ethie!" which he had never said so clearly before. I knew he enjoyed having Ethan around, but now I think the bond is stronger than I previously realized! He's also happy when Andrew comes home! He likes the walk we take to go pick him up every day!
  
  
• For Labor Day Weekend, we took one more trip to Bear Lake. This time we went "Real Camping!" This was probably my other favorite highlight of the summer! As I was packing everything up to go, the thought crossed my mind that I might not really enjoy camping as an adult as much as I did as a kid, since now all the work of camping falls on Mike and I. There's so much preparation, we have to try to keep the kids safe around rocks and flames, etc., sometimes they don't sleep well in the tent, and all the cooking is up to us (of course, this time we were going with Kathie & Henry, and Dale, so there would be some division of the responsibilities). But from the very moment we arrived at our campsite, I felt this tremendous freedom and exhilaration at being outdoors! I LOVE sleeping in a tent; I LOVE the smell of the campfire; I LOVE just laying around among nature, with nothing I'm "supposed" to be doing; I LOVE watching my kids use their imaginations as they explore what seems like a whole new world to them! I find that I can relax in ways that I never allow myself anywhere else! I didn't mind that Alex tasted many of the rocks he found. I didn't mind that I was up many times in the night, checking to see if everyone was covered and warm enough - Ethan was almost always freezing because he doesn't like having covers on him. I didn't even mind that we had to leave the serenity of the Lake to start the Dutch Oven dinner I had to prepare. (It turned out really good too! Kathie and I made lightly breaded chicken, flavored with onion soup mix, and cheesey red potatoes flavored with a "Savory Garlic and Herb" packet by Lipton. The men came back late from fishing, but it was all still good!) I think the only thing that did get a little tiring, was keeping Alex from running out onto the road by himself, which he tried every chance he could get! Andrew and Ethan were great helpers at keeping him entertained, though! We canoed on the Lake, and hiked through the Minnetonka Cave. That camping trip was the perfect way to end one of our best summers ever!

• One more thing: While Mike enjoyed a night playing the newest Madden game with his brothers and cousins, I took the boys to the Utah State Fair. We met up with Grandma Chase, Uncle Trevor, Aunt Amber, Hayden, Peyton, and Grandma Bertie. I was so excited for them to try the Hands on the Farm exhibit that I'd heard so much about in years past. They enjoyed it - mostly. I think Ethan really liked it, Alex didn't do much with it, and Andrew got tired of waiting for Ethan and I to catch up. All in all, it was worth the $4 we paid to get in to the Fair(kids 5yrs. and under are free and all others are only $2 on the first day only). Then, we saw the Lego exhibit - Andrew's favorite, of course - and a shark tank show. Finally, I thought they would want to see all the farm animals up close, but they wanted to go with the rest of the group to see the rodeo. I'm so glad we did! The big boys liked it, and were very happy to be with their cousins and uncle, but Alex LOVED it! I had a blast watching him get so excited to see the horses! I especially liked spending quality time with Grandma, Danette, and Amber, too!

Ok, so there were a ton of pictures I would have loved to include - some of which I tried to and accidentally erased - but this has been a formatting nightmare! I think I've finally learned my lesson and for all lengthy posts, I will always write it in a word document and then post it, with its pictures, as I can!

So Much Has Happened!

So, we've had such a wonderful time as we've transitioned to living in Utah again. The boys have had some difficulties, but we've found that things go much better if we get to bed on time, and do our complete bedtime routine each night. (Our Bedtime Routine: At 8 pm, Family Scriptures, Family Prayer, Brush Teeth, Read Stories, then Go To Bed.)

To be able to touch on as many things we've done lately as possible, here's a bullet list:

• On Memorial Day, Andrew was in the Wyoming Parade. Then we were invited over to our friends' house, where Andrew jump-kicked a net, landed on his left arm, and broke it.


• Mike's parents, Janice & Dale, his sister, Kathie, her husband, Henry, his brother Will, and his wife, Heidi, and their kids, Jase, Brooklyn, and Braxton, all came to stay with us in PA. First, we went to Palmyra, NY, staying in the Church's Seneca Lake Cabins.

**(I guess I never got around to finishing this post. We'll just leave it as is for now, and maybe someday I'll add more to it.)

Alex Turned ONE!

I'm a BIG boy now!

As cute as it can be to have little curls at the base of little boys' necks, I was thinking that without much curl to it, Alex was starting to have a true mullet. I didn't want people thinking he was girl either. So, on his first birthday, I gave him his first haircut. Here it was before:

Here it is after:


We kept his party small - just us. He got a shirt with bugs on it from Andrew, and a shirt with a spaceship on it from Ethan. Then he opened his BIG present from Grandma and Grandpa Larsen, and Mom and Dad.

This Radio Flyer turtle scooter has wheels that turn 360*, for super gliding fun! Alex likes it, even though he has a couple inches to grow before he can ride it well himself. He mostly likes to open and close the storage compartment, or let me push him around on it. (Andrew loves it the most - too bad he's one pound too heavy for it! We let him ride it for a little while, though.)

Then it was time for cake! It's become a tradition to have an Elmo cake on your first birthday.

Rather than letting him have the whole thing to himself, Mike cut off just the eyes and nose, and let him go at it.

As you can see, he had lots of fun tearing it to pieces - and dropping those pieces on the floor!


Here are some other fun shots from today:

Naptime! He can be tough to get down, but he's soo adorable when he's asleep! He likes to have something soft right against his head &/or face.

Alex LOVES to "help" with unloading the dishwasher! He likes the tinkling sound the silverware makes when it gets thrown on the marble tiles.

Alex has adored having Daddy home these past few days! He has been a Daddy's Boy all the way! Grabbing Daddy's tongue is a favorite game. I'm afraid he's going to have a very tough time once he realizes Daddy's gone again tomorrow!

Andrew's Cool Co-Pilot

Two sets of Grandparents went together to buy this cool gift for Andrew's birthday. It was a little late in coming, but it was worth the wait. Andrew has heard about some of his friends not needing training wheels any more. Since we live on a busy street and don't have sidewalks nearby (at least, not any flat ones), we didn't think he was ready for a "real" bike, yet. But this Wee Ride Co-Pilot allows Andrew to pedal, or not, and start to learn how to balance.

After Mike took Andrew on a quick ride around the neighborhood, we all got to go on a family bike ride! We put Ethan and Alex in the Bike Trailer, on my bike, and Andrew on the Co-Pilot, on Mike's bike. We took "the bumpy road" (Swetland Ave.) down to the dike, rode all the way to the swings, then came back home on Dennison Ave. It was about 5 miles round trip! It was so great! Alex and Ethan both fell asleep on the way home.

Mother's Day

Last night was one of the most difficult nights! I was woken up every single hour - Andrew's leg aches, Alex wanting to nurse (I'm such a pushover when it comes to that!), Ethan needing to use the bathroom, hearing sounds, etc.

When Andrew woke up, he brought the gifts in that he had hidden in his room. Mike had bought me a gift before he left for Utah, and told the boys not to let me see it until Mother's Day. About a week ago, Ethan excitedly told me, "Mom, it haves a neck'ace in it, but I'n not gonnun tell you!" I replied, "Okay, don't tell me. Keep it a secret!" "O.K.," he said. It was so cute!

Andrew had given me the card he made at school on Friday, shortly after he came home. Though he hadn't written the poem inside, it easily made me cry! He wanted to give me the paper flowers he'd made on Saturday, but I made him wait 'til today. So, as he tried to give them to me, I said he had to wake Ethan up first. The first words out of Ethan's mouth were, "It's NOT Mother's Day today!" I tried to gently explain that today was indeed, Sunday, Mother's Day, but he yelled, "NO IT ISN'T!" We chose to wait until he was a little more pleasant before moving on with the gift giving.

The flowers Andrew gave me were Lilies made from tracings of his hands, rolled, with the fingers curled back for the petals. The tag says, "Mother, I made these flowers with my own two hands. With care and love these hands will grow. So, hold on tight and don't let go." How sweet! Kindergarten teachers really know how to tug at mom's heart strings!

The necklace and earrings from Mike were some I had seen on sale at a stand at Wilkes University when Ethan, Alex, and I went to have lunch with him a few weeks earlier. I loved the blue and brown beads together. I had a thought to have Andrew take a picture of me wearing them before church, but we were running late, so I thought I'd have him take it after church. Now I wish I had taken the time before, since Alex yanked on it while I was being serenaded by the Primary children, and the whole thing broke. (I think I have all the beads, so I'm going to try to fix it.)

The Primary Chorister invited several of the kids' moms to come into Primary to share their two favorite Primary songs, something special about being a mom, and a funny story that wouldn't embarrass their kids too much. I chose "If the Savior Stood Beside Me," which, besides being beautiful, I knew was Andrew's current favorite; and, "I Hope They Call Me on a Mission," hoping to send a subtle message to the boys. I said that I loved being a mom because I loved getting big hugs and knowing that I'm loved by my kids, as well as loving them the way I do. I had a hard time thinking of a funny story off the top of my head, so I just said how special it was when I was pregnant with Ethan, and too sick to play with Andrew, who was only 2 years old. He took my face in his hands and said, "That's okay. I love you, Mom. You're my best friend." It was a tender moment.

When I got Ethan from Nursery, he beamed as he handed me the paper flower he'd gotten for me, and he gave me the biggest, best hug I've gotten in a long time! He's such a good hugger!

After church, we went to Brother and Sister Badilla's house for a nice lunch, (which my kids wouldn't eat.) Then, to my surprise, when we got home, Andrew and Ethan played nicely together on their own for about two hours. I was able to get Alex to sleep and then write in my journal for a little while, completely uninterrupted! What a Mother's Day gift!

I had planned on calling all my grandmas, and webcamming with all my moms, but I got lazy. Before I knew it, it was time for baths and bedtime. I was really wishing I had followed through on my idea earlier this week, to have the kids make and send cards to each of them. (Ethan has had croupe, so I've been pretty worn out this week. We've spent lots of hours in the bathroom with the shower running hot!) I hope they all know how special they are to me! I feel very blessed to be a mother, especially in the company of all the mothers who have influenced my life! Happy Mother's Day!

Andrew's Birthday

This year, Andrew finally got his wish for a Millenium Falcon birthday cake! (It really helped that Santa had brought him the Millenium Falcon Transformer toy I could copy. And, that McCormick started making black food coloring, to make gray frosting.)

Because the house is on the market and we weren't sure if we'd have a showing that day (which we did, but earlier), we had made arrangements to have his party at Grotto Pizza in Edwardsville. We'd invited only Andrew's best friends (Adam W., Kip M., Cael H., Ethan C., Sammy S., Matthew F., Emily C., Lydia P., Ethan Slade, and Grandpa Slade), and only a few of them could make it- which made it a nice, easily controlled party. There was pizza, soda, arcade games, presents, and cake with melty ice cream (next time, remind me to bring the ice cream in a cooler). Andrew impressed some parents as he read each one of his cards outloud, without help. He got lots of fun toys - mostly Star Wars themed, which fit the party theme (thanks all!)

On his birthday, a few days later, I made him his favorite breakfast, crepes, and he got to wear the Birthday Boy pin that I forgot to have him wear at his party. That afternoon, we had the Costanzos over for fun and food. The kids ran through the sprinklers (It was like 80*!), ate hot dogs, and made pictures with markers. It was lots of fun.

I can't believe Andrew is 6 years old now! He's getting so much bigger - I think his legs just grew two inches or more recently, which is a good thing, 'cause he's small for his age. He's so much more independent lately, almost to a fault - I have to remind him to ask permission for things still, so I know what's going on. He's still so obedient and has a strong desire to Choose the Right, for which I am so grateful! I'm proud of the ways in which he tries to be a good example and a missionary to many around him! He's a good big brother to both Ethan and Alex, and he still gives me hugs and lets me kiss and hug him back! I'm so excited to keep watching him grow up! I hope and pray he will continue on the path he's on, to become an intelligent, kind, righteous young man!