Month: June 2018

Abe went to work late on my birthday, and having him home in the morning was so fun. After he left and I put Clarissa down for her nap, I put Ammon in front of the TV and climbed back into bed to read. I spent two hours on a novel that I didn’t like and then Clarissa woke up. When she woke up, I took all of the kids to the pool.

Of course, I have trouble taking pictures at the pool because I am worried that someone will drown. But the pool with the kids was the highlight of my day. I felt so blessed to have four beautiful children, and I felt so loved by all of them. When we’re at the pool, all of them (except for Clarissa, of course!) yell, “Mom, look at me!!” Lydia loved showing off how she can float on her back, and Ammon and Mary kept jumping in the pool. Mary says “carananball!” instead of “cannonball,” and Ammon’s approximation of Mary’s approximation of the word was even more distant. I couldn’t catch it quite, but I think it had two syllables and started with a “t.” At any rate, with the kids all demanding that I look at them and admire them the whole time, I felt very inclined to look and admire. I felt very full of love–and loved!

Then we drove to Dairy Queen and got my favorite blizzard and ice cream for everyone. After that we met up with Abe, who also came home early! We dropped Lydia off at a harp master class and picked up pizza and cupcakes for dinner. After that I felt pooped so I actually went back to bed during dinner and finally picked up a book that I liked: Rebecca. It was exactly the type of book I had been wanting to read all day.

At one point I came down so the kids could sing to me and Ammon could blow out my candles. Abe then told me his present which he has been planning for months: He booked a hotel in Midway for my friend Misty and me to have a friend getaway.

Honestly, I was shocked at first. I love, adore, and honestly idolize Misty, but I HATE inconveniencing people, and Misty just moved two weeks ago. I had trouble wrapping my mind around the fact that Abe asked her to take time away from her family and make Rich babysit so we could have a weekend away.

Anyway, like I said, I was in shock so I went back upstairs and burst into tears. Abe came up after putting the kids down and gave me a massage. During the massage, he explained how this could actually be fun for Misty and that Rich probably will survive watching his kids for two days. I calmed down while Abe talked and started to actually look forward to the weekend.

All in all, turning 35 was a bit of a roller coaster, but it ended well. Hello, official mid-life!

On Tuesday we went to Tibble Fork reservoir again with our friends and neighbors. It was so chilly! We were all pretty cold, but the kids didn’t seem to mind. After a while, though, we called it quits. I took Eli with my kids and went to the library and In-n-Out. I figured since it was my birthday week I didn’t have to cook at all.

While we were out driving, I called my senators and the president to complain about the kids being separated from their families at the borders. I think I might have made one of Orrin Hatch’s aides cry. I might have voiced my opinions rather loudly…ok, I guess I was yelling. But I just felt so angry and helpless! I had donated money to RAICES, called my senators, voiced my outrage, but it seemed as though nothing would help. I couldn’t get the sounds of those crying babies out of my head.

In the meantime, Eli was in the back seat making up songs that made fun of Donald Trump. I really didn’t mind.

When we got home, we ate burgers on the lawn and my neighbor Brittany came over and sat down to chat. This was a treat because I don’t see Brittany often. We talked for hours!

On Monday we went to Tibble Fork reservoir. Abe took the kids there last year and met up with his mom and Jay, but I was on bedrest. This time I came, and I was so delighted to discover Tibble Fork! It is a reservoir in the mountains and just beautiful. The water was freezing cold, but Abe was so determined to make the most of it that he swam the entire way across the reservoir and back. He came out of the water numb and trembling, but so happy. The kids and I were very impressed.

After we were done playing in the water and sand, we met up with Karin, Jay, and Marshall at a picnic area in the canyon to eat hot dogs and s’mores. I was shocked to see Marshall. The last time I saw him he was seven years old–Lydia’s age! Now he is fifteen. I got scared thinking at how fast that time flew, and how fast Lydia will be all grown up.

 

On Saturday morning the kids gardened outside with Abe and my mom got some cute pictures:

 

Then in the afternoon Lydia had her final performance of the play they worked on during her acting camp. She was one of the three little pigs. She did a great job and remembered all of her lines.

On Friday Lydia had her last day of acting camp. She has loved this camp that Eliza Freestone, one of our favorite babysitters, put on. A lot of the neighborhood kids took part too so they all had fun together.

Honestly, I am catch-up blogging and don’t remember what happened this day, but I want to record Abe’s ministry to our family. At stake conference, Abe was struck by one person who said that we should be ministering to our families as much as we minister to others. So every week he picks a person in our family to minister to.

One week he ministered to Lydia by spending an hour on the couch with her while she told him about each and every page in her first grade binder. He listened attentively to her stories, read through her work, and admired her pictures.

Another week he ministered to Ammon by reading to him for an hour. Reading is Ammon’s favorite activity, but I don’t do it as much as he would like. Abe made him so happy by reading to him for so long.

Abe is an amazing father. Our kids are so lucky. I love him so much.

On Wednesday we went to the zoo with Blair, James and Hannah. Lydia stayed behind to go to her acting camp, attend a neighborhood tea party, and play with the neighbors.

The zoo was HOT! I think it might have been over 100 degrees that day. But it was fun to go with Blair and her crew. James, who is just six months older than Ammon, was so good at staying with Blair and not running away. In the meantime, I was literally running around the zoo chasing Ammon. There were times that I lost him even while I was running after him. It was nuts.

During Lydia’s acting camp on Tuesday, I took the other kids to the splash pad.

Then we dried off, picked up Lydia and Eli, and stopped at both the Provo and Orem libraries for books. I let the kids play at the Orem Library.

By that time, Abe was done with work! So he came and rescued us. The kids were going crazy and it was so helpful to have Abe there to corral them.

Then we went home and ate another cobb salad which Abe had the foresight to prepare yesterday. It was delicious, and our favorite part is that everyone is QUIET while they eat cobb salad. The kids don’t complain! They don’t whine! They don’t ask for forks–spoons–napkins–more water–snack food–dessert–or ANYTHING AT ALL. They just eat.

It’s amazing. We are going to eat a lot more cobb salad this summer.

After dinner, Lydia had a harp lesson, and I got my daily Dairy Queen. It’s such a bad habit. Also, on Tuesday Clarissa refused to nurse at all, so I think being done with nursing will really help these cravings (I hope).

While we were out, Abe was valiantly bathing and putting down the kids. He took these pictures:

We came home and visited with our neighbor, Josh, and then tidied the house. Clarissa has decided never to nap or go to bed these days, so she was up until 10pm. Abe and I are exhausted and burnt out. But we are also having a great summer, so there’s that to consider as we fall into bed without even having time to talk about our day each night.

On Monday morning we visited with Aunt Pam and Uncle Steve before they and my mom took off for their week-long adventure. My mom took this picture:

Ammon loves to climb on my back while I crawl around the house picking up toys. He always leans down and cries into my ear, “MY BIR-DAY!”, at which point I sing him “Happy Birthday.”

On Sunday Aunt Pam and Uncle Steve arrived from Oregon! They and my mom are going to be spending the week together in St. George and Salt Lake. It was so fun to see them and reconnect. We had dinner in the back yard and enjoyed some perfect weather before they head down to St. George, where it’s boiling hot.