Swimming & Groundbreaking

Last winter I heard about an incredible sale on rooms at the place where Scott and I celebrated our 4th anniversary. So at the end of April we went back with Ian and Joseph and a couple other super fun families. They were so fun we all stayed up talking until 2 am without noticing!

Thankfully some of the pools were heated, because it was a windy and chilly 70 degrees (I know I won't get any sympathy from our Utah, Idaho and Connecticut family!) We remembered April being hot... but apparently the heat doesn't really arrive until about two weeks later. 

After building sandcastles alongside the lake, Ian and Scott went down some water slides and Joseph and I spend a lot of time circling the park in a lazy river. A giant bucket was suspended above a splash pad and every few minutes it would dump. Joseph was mesmerized by the "big drink" that kept "spilling" as we floated by in the river.

The boys tried water wings for the first time. Once Joseph got the hang of keeping his head afloat, they bobbed around us quite happily! They also loved it when Scott threw them in the air and when we tossed them back and forth between us.

When we first arrived it was naptime, so we settled the boys in their customary vacation locations: Joseph in the bathroom and Ian's hotel crib wedged between the bed and the wall. With the boys soundly sleeping in the blackout-curtained room, Scott and I went to enjoy the lake view from our porch. It felt instantly like a vacation as we talked uninterrupted and took in the gorgeous view. But then we noticed a dead bat on the floor next to us. And then we went to check on the boys and found this:

Ian wasn't in his crib, and was nowhere to be seen. But then we noticed a little light coming from a small closet... Ian had swept the clothes off the shelf then climbed in and fell asleep.

One last story of note: On Friday night just as we were ready to leave the pool for some dinner, our friends arrived and told us the power was out. The elevators were not working and the staircases were not lit. At all. So we waited as long as we could, and then just dragged our soggy selves and children up 11 flights of stairs in the dark, with only one small light between 10 of us. Propping the fire door open every few flights helped, but the whole thing was a little comical, pretty frightening and as Ian said "those stairs with no light were not fun". Luckily when we finished dinner the lights were back on.

In late May we attended a groundbreaking ceremony for a new church building. We are so excited about the building, which will be considerably closer to our home than our current building.

 It took place on a rainy Saturday night, but I though that all the people huddled close together under umbrellas added to whole experience.

After the stake presidency broke ground, the children were invited to do some digging. Ian was thrilled to have President Little, our former bishop, help him.

It sure was muddy and wet, but it was a neat family experience. We can't wait for the building to be done next year!

26 Candles

Thanks to Scott, I had a wonderful 3-day-long birthday celebration!

To be honest, the fact that Scott wasn't in Africa as we'd expected, that we were all no longer sick and the horrible allergic reaction covering my face was nearly gone would probably have been enough. But it still got even better!

We got a babysitter Friday night so that we could see the premier of Babies followed by a nice adult dinner. We got to the theater and the showtimes had changed, leaving us either an hour til the show started (not enough time for dinner) or 3 hours til the next showtime, which was too much time for dinner. Fortunately, IronMan 2 started in a few minutes so we opted for a Double feature -- we saw IronMan, then ran over to Potbelly's and grabbed some yummy and quick food and then dashed back for a late showing of Babies. It was perfect! It was a late night, but it was fun to feel spontaneous and see two debuting movies the same night!

Saturday was my actual birthday and Scott made it a memorable and special Day 2 of Birthday fun! Scott and the boys did some secret shopping that morning which left me with lots of time to myself. It may seem strange but the thing I really wanted to do was to work in the garden. I dug around out there til my wrists were sore and finished planting all my flowers, without once thinking about what the boys were getting into or running out of naptime before I finished. It was a great present to have all that time to do what I wanted. And then I felt tired, so I took a nap. See? This was a great day!

Before it was time for presents, Scott cooked up some steaks for dinner -- exactly what I wanted. Then Ian ran my presents to me one by one. I really enjoyed the delivery system -- my gleeful little delivery boy was a present in himself. Especially when he said "Happy Birthday pretty mommy!"

At the moment this picture was taken, I was still confused about this present. That's because I don't have the advantage you do in seeing that paper taped to the underside of the box. The paper explained an upcoming trip to see Wicked! How did Scott know that I had been meaning to mention to him all week that the show was coming to town and hint, hint, I really wanted to see it. Scott's a mind-reader.

We want our new hobby to be bike riding, and this cool helmet will let me enjoy it safely. Helmets have gotten so much cooler than they were when I last owned one 15 years ago. Ian was fascinated by the buckles and Joseph was jealous of my 'hat'.

We followed presents with my very favorite cake, the gigantic Chocolate Fudge Fantasy. It was amazing. Especially with the green frosting cat that Ian suggested Scott add. I like cats, so it was a nice touch.

 Lately Joseph likes to put food on his head and then claim he's wearing a hat. I prefer to eat the cake -- it was entirely gone after breakfast on Monday. Now that is a good chocolate cake.

 Thanks for helping make my birthday special with phone calls and emails and giant gourmet cupcakes and incredible cheesecakes topped with fruit (Doris). Besides when a friend informed me that I am now closer to 30 than I am 20, it was a very happy birthday. 

 But Scott wasn't off the hook yet -- Mother's Day was the next day so he also spent Sunday chasing kids while I relaxed and napped. Then he cooked more steak and homemade my personal favorite -- steak frites! I love fries more than almost any other food, and these were a supreme version; the best I have ever had. Did you know soaking them in water for 15 minutes before baking makes them perfect? Scott did. Of course we also ate more of the enormous cake. Delicious. 

Thanks for a perfect Birthday & Mother's Day weekend, Scott! You know how to do it right!

Joseph's First Haircut!

I loved Joseph's curls, especially when they reacted to the humidity after an hour playing in the backyard.

See? Aren't they adorable?

But he's more than 18 months and had never had a haircut. Those wispy-soft baby locks had to go and Scott and I were finally ready.

I held Joseph on my lap while I sat on the toilet set. Scott used electric clippers and got great results. It only took him 5 minutes. And Joseph actually giggled through the whole thing. Adorable.

This unflattering picture is here because he looks so old in it!

A Great Moment

Yesterday when Joseph mounted Ian's motorcyle Ian didn't push him off -- he climbed in front a drove away! It was adorable to see Joseph hanging on to his big brother, and to see his big brother letting him! They rolled through the kitchen, into the livingroom and back around several times until Joseph pulled his beenie down over his eyes and climbed off when Ian slowed around a corner.

This is my new favorite picture!