Two from Forty

That's how many years Ben has till he hits the big 40! Of course, it only matters how old you feel, and Ben and I have decided that there is no way we feel as old as we are. As we ended our day with a round of Skipbo and Uno, it really was hard for us to believe that we have come so far in our lives so quickly. If forty is the new 30, than that means we are still in our "20's", right?

Today started off like any other day, EARLY! We were all up for scripture study, but as soon as we finished with our last verse, we all started singing "Happy Birthday" to Ben.

Then it was off to our normal routine; kids off to school, Ben off to work, and me getting ready for his birthday, mingled with organizing Sophia's closet. I was pretty surprised that I had his cake in the oven before the kids were off to school. It was a good thing, because I was busy all day, which I originally didn't anticipate.

Today couldn't had been a better day for Ben's birthday. The kids had NO activities (actually I just remembered Ethan's Karate was moved to today...shoot! There goes that), and NO homework. The kids had fun playing with Ben outdoors, until dinner was ready. For dinner, I made one of Ben's favorites; Italian Chicken & Rice Dinner. After dinner, we sung to him again, and he opened his gifts. This year he told me what he wanted, and that's exactly what he got. A practice putting green for indoors, and a gift certificate for a massage. After gifts, we all had cake (lemon with orange frosting of course) and ice cream. During dessert, we all went around the table and told one thing we loved about Ben. We started off doing the game where you have to say what everyone else said, and then say yours, but that died off quickly. Everyone did have to say something original, and we went around the table three times. There are so many wonderful things about Ben, but here are the things I can remember were said.

Boston -Plays football with me, Takes me to Tilly's & Coaches my soccer team

Aubrie- Landscapes the Yard, Makes Funny Voices

Ethan- Watches me at Karate, Plays Football with me, Buys me things

Sophia- Goes to Work, Reads to Me, Swims with Me

Me- Puts his family FIRST, Honors his Priesthood, He is funny

Billy- Provides a good living for his family, has Integrity

My Mom- Is a hard worker, Is a Great Dad, Is a Great Husband to her Daughter

Happy Birthday, Ben! We LOVE YOU!

Teaching Moment I've been waiting for!

I read a lot of "Mom" books from LDS authors. There are always these stories where the Mom has this great spiritual teaching moment. While I love the scriptures and know the stories, I'll never be able to pull out a verse to go along with whatever the kids are going through. My memory doesn't work that way! I can relate stories or Gospel principles, but even then I feel like they don't have the "WOW" factor like I see in those stories. Well FINALLY I feel like I had that WOW factor, where even I learned something. This is how it all happened.

Today, when I picked up Sophia from preschool, she looked a little sad and showed me that she had a red stamp on her hand. It was her first of the year, and you could tell she was feeling a little sad and ashamed. She handed me the note from the teacher, and once she got settled in her car seat, she kept looking down at her hand. After dropping off her schoolmate, that carpools with us, I spoke with her a little bit about why she got it, and how she needed to correct that behavior so it didn't happen again. (She kept getting out of her seat in class). She sadly said , "OK" and was still mopey

When we got home she pulled a movie out of the car to watch. Typically she watches a little TV after school to unwind before her nap. I told her there wouldn't be TV today before nap time because she got a red stamp. She actually took it pretty well, and found a book to occupy herself. She then brought it over to me to read to her, and she asked again if she could watch TV. I told her no, and she looked at her hand again. Then I was INSPIRED to use it as a teaching moment. Last night our FHE lesson was on repentance, and knew the perfect way to show her what it was all about.

I asked her again how she got the red stamp, and we discussed how she made a mistake. I asked her if she was sad because she made that mistake, and she said yes. I asked her if she wanted to feel happy again. Of course, she said yes. I told her that she could feel happy again. I told her that she could say a prayer saying she was sorry and that she would try hard to be better for her teacher. After she prayed, I washed the mark off her hand. I told her the red mark was gone and asked her if she felt happy now. She got a big smile on her face and said she was and that she wanted to say sorry to her teacher. I told her that Jesus is what makes it possible for us to feel better when we make mistakes, and she said, "Yes he does Mama!" (I love how she calls me Mama btw). She then asked if she could watch a movie now, and I told her that she still had the consequence to her mistake, and that tomorrow she could start new!

Of course, she is only three and I don't know how much of that she will grasp, but I know that it will stick to some degree. Even if it doesn't, I definitely got a new perspective on the atonement. When we sin its like the red mark she had on her hand. Its always in our face, reminding us what we did wrong. She could cover her hand with her jacket (like her friend did, ha ha), or put her hand in her pocket to hide it, but it's still there. Not until we repent can that mark of sin go away, and not till then can we receive the peace of it not being there anymore. As I was rubbing the stamp off her hand I had to rub pretty hard to get it off. I was thinking how uncomfortable that had to be for her, and how it might sting for a bit. As I was doing that, I related that to sin and repentance. If we sin, repentance will heal us, but the process stings and hurts. It will take awhile for that to go away, but eventually we are good as new! What an amazing miracle the atonement. I'm so grateful for our older brother, Jesus Christ, who suffered all he suffered so we could learn and grow here in this world! I hope my children have a great appreciation for this all of their lifetime and that I'll get some great teaching moments with my older kids!

Boston's NINE!

Wow! It's amazing to me how each year passes me by more quickly than the one before. It's seems like yesterday that we baptized Boston, but it was just yesterday that he celebrated his 9th birthday! He said to me, the day of his birthday, "my teacher said I am taller". LOL I'm not sure if that's true, but he is taller in so many other ways! He continues to amaze me, and brings me so much joy! He is a great kid! He is my only kid who wakes up in the morning and turns around and makes his bed. He is the only kid that does his homework the first thing when he walks in the door, without being asked. He is my only kid who I don't have to follow up on when I ask them to do something. While he has always been like that, it amazes me to see that he doesn't grow out of it! Of course, there are many things that have changed about him. He didn't use to care what others thought so much, but know I catch him asking me not to give him so much affection in front of his friends. He also made sure that we didn't decorate his party with streamers and balloons, because that is for "little kids!" But I still catch him grabbing my hand when we go out, when he isn't paying attention, and occasionally wanting the toys in the happy meals! While each new year means new milestones and things left in the dust, Boston continues to be a loving, spiritual, responsible child!

This year was a great birthday for Boston. We wanted to make sure that we didn't have a recurrence of last year's party. That broke my heart, and I totally take the blame. It was an awful time, and invitations went out late! I told Ben he could be in charge, and so he helped Boston make and send out the invites. The decided to do a football party, where they would play a football game, watch part of one, and play Madden 2011. They were also going to eat pizza, candy, etc. and swim in the hot tub. We decided that a Saturday party would be a better turn out, and since it was his actual birthday it worked out perfect!

His birthday started like every birthday in this house... waking up to streamers in his doorway. (Well it actually starts the night before by telling him his birth story) He then opened our gifts before his soccer game.

Aubrie was so sweet, trying so hard to get him something he would like, that was affordable. She got him those under armor sweat bands, and a bag of snickers.

My brothers gave him cash! My Mom gave him money and he got a Tilly's gift card from Ben's parents. (Sophia a little excited over the gifts!)

We bought him NCAA Football 2011. I wrapped it in a big box and put some bricks in there so he wouldn't know what it was.

He was thrilled with all his gifts! After gifts, we headed out to his soccer game.

This season has been a non winning season for Boston's team. They couldn't find a coach, and Ben stepped up to a team of boys who mostly have never played before. It has been amazing to see how much they have improved. Yesterday they played the first team they played of the season, who beat them 8-0! Before I knew that, I prayed that Boston could finally have a win for his birthday. When I found out who they were playing I quickly downgraded my request to a goal! LOL I shouldn't had lowered that expectation. They came out winning, 4-2! I was so proud of the team, and happy for Boston.

After the soccer games (we were 3 for 3 ) we grabbed lunch at McDonalds. We then had a nice relaxing afternoon, until his party started.

As the time neared I was praying that it would be a great party! Eight boys had RSVP'd, but boys just kept showing that never called. Boston had a GREAT turn out! They started off playing in the backyard. They boys had fun on the trampoline, and playing tether ball, etc. When everyone arrived they walked to the park for a game of football. Then they came back for pizza and swimming.

I figured they would only sit in the hot tub, but they started daring one another to swim, and before I knew it they were in the pool, going down the slide, jumping off the waterfall, etc. They had a great time swimming. Where else can you have a swim party in November?

After swimming, we sang to Boston, had cake and opened gifts.

WIPED OUT from all the fun!

Boston got a lot of Tilly's gift cards, and football stuff! After gifts, the boys went in various directions; to the game room, and in the back yard. We sent each kid home with a big box of candy and a pack of football trading cards! Boston had so much fun. He was smiling so much the whole time. When his party was over, I asked him if he had a good party, and he got the hugest smile on his face!

A little later that evening he went to the movies with me, Aubrie, my Mom and my brothers. He was sitting next to me in the movies, and I just sat there for a moment staring at my boy with a Patriots football jersey and cap on, thinking...."where is my boy who dressed up in Spiderman costumes pretending to shoot webs from his hands, or the boy who memorized the Darth Mal, Obi-wan light saber fight?" He is still there, he's just now a 9 year old , sport loving, Tilly clothes wearing, athletic sweetheart!

Cute Things Caught on Film

Flowers Sophia picked for me on a walk with my Mom. It was all Sophia's idea and she picked them herself! Ben and I laying by the pool and Ethan brought us waters. Notice the flower taped to the side....he did that so I would know which one was mine! LOLThen when Ethan was laying by the pool he decided he wanted some shade, and came up with this!

Then he an Sophia decided to make a fort around the BBQ! Fun times around the pool the weekend before Halloween. Gotta love Arizona!

They had this cutout at Walmart and took free Polaroids for anyone who wanted to do it. The guy said this was the funniest one he had taken the whole day. Of course....its Ethan!

Sophia insisted on wearing this headband out to the store. Lucky for her she is my fourth and I couldn't care less, but rather got a kick out of how great she think she looked! Ethan had his Pie Night two weeks ago, which is a night where the parents come to their class, have pie, and listen to them read. Could he be more enthused about this?
This is what happens after a long day at church with no nap! Notice the dinner below that Aubrie made on her own from a cookbook she got as a party favor, at Kaelyn's party!

Children's Museum

So the whole time I have lived here, I thought the Children's Museum was the same thing as the Children's Science Center. The Science Center is great for older kids, but not the best place for preschoolers. Erin invited me to go with her and Sailor, so I thought that there must had been some new additions for the youngsters. When we got there, I realized that it was a totally different building, across from the science center, meant for the younger kids. Sophia and Sailor had a great time. They had so many fun things for them to do. Some of the things included a "car wash" that they rode bikes through, a craft room, a grocery store, and a section where they hung hundreds of pool noodles from the ceiling for them to make their way through.

She had a chance to paint a playhouse. She didn't do it too long because she didn't like paint on her hands!

Loved play-doh as always!

Sophia's favorite thing was the grocery store. They had little carts and real food containers. They also had older kids working the "register" and bagging. The older kids would restock, also. At first Sophia would fill her cart with things she sees me buy at the store. It was funny to watch her look for familiar items. At one point she walked to the other side of the room and reached to the highest shelf to get a Simply Lemonade container she spotted. About a half an hour into it, she was grabbing everything she could find to take it to the register and put it all on the conveyor. Who knows how long she would have been happy playing in there, because we finally had to pull the girls out so we could get back before our kids got out of school. I definitely will be taking her again, but maybe not until flu season is over. She got the flu the next day!:( Perhaps I'll just go and bring plenty of hand sanitizer!:)

Halloween Happenings 2010

This year Halloween started early. When we got home from Hawaii, there was an email in my inbox that said that Trunk or Treat would be the 9th of October. So instead of having several weeks to gather costumes, I felt as thought I was practically shopping for them before I could recover from trip. At first I thought we would just be skipping it, then I decided they would use old costumes. Of course, that didn't happen. A trip to Party City, and a little costume hunting for Ethan, turned out new costumes for all of them. Aubrie a Piratess, Boston a Hot Dog, Ethan a Ninja, and Sophia picked Strawberry Shortcake!

I used the same old cat outfit I wear every year, and Ben went as a soccer player. The kids had a fun time with the carnival games, spook alley, and of course the "trunk or treating". We decorated the car with cobwebs, and such, and played the same Halloween CD we have used every year since we have lived here. It sits in my car all year long, and gets used for Trunk or Treat only. lol Ben bought a bowl with one of those hands you control with a button. We had fun with that one this year. It even scared Sophia!Aubrie tried to hide in the cobwebs and scare a few kids. When the night was over, Boston said it was fun, but was sad there were no carnival games. Apparently he didn't see they had moved from the greenbelt to the parking lot this year, since he spent the entire time on the green belt playing football. We had a good laugh at his tunnel vision! Here are some more pics. I have to say that Sophia is the CUTEST Strawberry Shortcake I have ever seen!

The following Monday was Columbus Day, therefore the kids had off of school, and finally had time to put up all the Halloween decorations. For the first time, I let them to it all themselves. I was busy cleaning and doing other things, so I pulled out the box and said "go to it". I was quite proud of myself, not going back over their work and fixing things. I did add some spider webs the week before Halloween (per Boston's request because, "our house wasn't scary enough") but beyond that I was "hands off"!

The next Saturday was a Halloween first for Aubrie and Boston. Aubrie wanted to invite some girlfriends to a haunted house. I picked one that I thought would be appropriate, and told her she could invite 4 friends. She was soooo excited. She made cute invitations on her own, and passed them out. Only one of her friends was brave enough to go. Her best friend told her, "My Mom said I could go if I want, but there is no way I'm going to a haunted house!" Because we were down to one friend (which I was so thankful for later) I told Boston he could come along, too. We went to the Haunted Maze Farm in Glendale. They were so excited, and Aubrie's friend was very scared. While we were waiting in line, Freddy Krueger, along with another scary character tried to scare Aubrie. She is like me; hard to scare. Haunted Houses NEVER scared me, but I thought they were fun and I played into them. So fearless Aubrie went around taunting Freddy while we were in line. When we finally got in the maze, the first part involved us going through a corn maze with Freddy weaving in and out of rows trying to scare us, and the whole time he was saying, "Aubrie, I'm going to get you", "Aubrie, your mine!", etc. She thought it was funny, but her friend was extremely scared and clinging on to me with her dear life, to the point where I could hardly walk without falling. (The whole "glad there was only one friend" coming into play.) That is what I was dealing with for a 40 minute walk through a "scary" maze. Aubrie and Boston loved it and begged to go again. On the way home they were all laughing and talking about it, and Aubrie's friend decided she liked it after all! We ended the evening with Good Berry and took Aubrie's friend home. It was a good first "Haunted House" experience, and I'm sure they will be begging to go again next year. We probably will, since the farm also had fun stuff for younger children, like mazes, train rides, petting zoo, etc! A fun place for all ages!

Next came all the school parties. Of course, since I'm hating my new camera, it doesn't seem to be making it in my purse lately. I missed pictures for all of their parties.

Sophia had fun making the popcorn hand, tootsie ghost, and decorated pumpkin. She also had fun doing a cake walk (but for candy)

For Ethan's class, I volunteered to help out with pumpkins. We weighed them, measured them, guessed if it would sink or float, cleaned out the guts and counted the seeds. Afterward, they played pin the stem on the pumpkin, and made a craft. None of the kids classes got to dress up this year, which they were all sad about. Aubrie rebelled and wore a football jersey, saying she was a football player. She actually got compliments on her outfit that day! ha

So whats left?? Hmmmm...the hard part about summarizing over a month.

The night before Halloween, Ethan had a birthday party for a girl in his class, and I brought Sophia along. They had a fun time. When we got home we watched a pumpkin carving contest on Food Network. The kids loved watching that, especially Ethan. Before he went to bed, he started making sketches for a pumpkin carving, and when he woke up that was the first thing he started working on.

By the end of the day, Ethan and Aubrie had carved a pumpkin before church. It was Boston's idea to put sandwich bags on their hands. He doesn't like getting dirty!

Aubrie also made some Halloween sugar cookies, since she had to stay home from church as she was recovering from the flu. She made them all herself, and they turned out great! She is becoming my little cook...always wanting to try new things.

Halloween evening, I agreed to letting them trick or treat on our street. I stayed back and handed out candy.

When the kids got back they decided they wanted to take part in scaring the trick or treaters. Aubrie sat in a stroller by the gate, and jumped when people noticed something in there, and Boston and Ethan did this.

At first I thought there was no way that would scare anyone, but I was WRONG!!! They scared so many kids, especially the older ones. When the kids got close they would move, and sometimes Boston would start rubbing his belly and say "give me your candy! I want your candy!" One group of kids wouldn't come to the door, after several attempts, and said no candy was worth it. Another group walked to the door and asked someone in their group if it was a hologram, until Boston moved and scared them to death. Another group of teenage girls walked up to the patio and turned and ran away when they saw Boston and Ethan move. Aubrie had her fair share of scares, as most didn't expect anyone to be in the stroller. They had a great time scaring. I'm hoping they are up for it again next year!

Game, Meets, and more!

So I realized I haven't blogged about the kids activities for the year. They are staying busy, and so are we. Funny thing is that most of the time I actually am enjoying it. I love seeing the kids do things they love, trying things they don't love at first, but end up loving it, sticking with things that they don't necessarily love all the time (ie piano), and working hard to be their best at all of it.

This year the kids are doing the same activities as last, with the exception that Aubrie and Boston have continued with the gymnastics that they started in the summer. The gym is helping Aubrie be a better dance (more flexible and strong). It's helping Boston become a better athelete. Besides that, he is just good at it because he has a very precise personality. I saw that in diving this summer. After the summer, they moved Boston up to team. So now our Saturdays will consist of three soccer games during the season, mixed with gymnastic meets, karate tournaments and dance performances/competitions. This weekend was Boston's first meet. His morning started off with an 8:00 am soccer game, and then off to a Cub Scout Day Camp, and then straight to his meet! It was just a fun Strong Meet to get them excited for the season. It was in Chandler, and was during Ethan and Aubrie's soccer games. So I took him while Ben went to the games. Oh, I better not fail to mention that Aubrie's team finally had a win this year. They put Aubrie in as the midfielder, and she scored an awesome goal! She was so happy, and so was her team!!

So back to Boston's meet. Boston was so funny because the closer we got to the meet, he started to say that his stomach hurt, which usually means one of two things with Boston. In this instance it was his nerves. I knew once he saw his coach and friends, and saw how the tournament was being conducted he would feel much better. I was right. The whole time he looked calm. He did great for his first meet. He got 9th. I'm sure that doesn't sound great, but most of the boys in his age group have been taking gymnastic much longer and have a little more muscle for those dips and pull ups. His strongest event was the rope. The ropes were right in front of the audience seating, and I could hear people comment how they couldn't believe how effortless he made it look. He was happy with how he did and had fun. That's all I was hoping for.

Stretching with Team

Gearing up for the Rope

Up the Rope No Problem

On his way down while the other kid is still going up!

After the meet we stopped at the Chandler mall, that was conveniently right next door to the facility the meet was held. We first grabbed some food, and then hit a few stores that included Tilly's and kids abercrombie. Boston was so sweet the whole time. He kept holding my hand, and he would count how many things we did at the mall. Our last stop was at a popcorn store. I got some gourmet popcorn and he got a caramel apple. He acted so grateful for our time at the mall together. On our way home we talked the whole time. At one point we played "Would You Rather." Boston asked me if I would rather jump in the Antarctic or get a tattoo. I hesitated, wondering if I could survive a dive into those waters. Boston piped up and said, "I know what I would do. I would jump in the water for two reasons. First because getting a tattoo is against Gods will and also, they hurt!" I love his desire to do what is right. While at first I was dreading the long drive out to Chandler, I was grateful for that time we got to spend with one another.

When Aubrie and Boston were very young we heard a talk about what we are doing with our "precious Saturdays" with our children. The speaker mentioned how we are only given so many before they are grown up and gone, and asked if we were using them to develop relationships and establish memories, or always filling them with our own errands and personal agenda's. Luckily we heard that talk when the kids were young, because we always cherish our "Precious Saturdays!" I'm now seeing these extra activities as dates with our children and a great way to spend our "Precious Saturday's'!

The napkin holder Boston made for me at scout camp. Notice he put a heart on it for me!:)

If only I had a picture!

Last week the kids did some things that made my heart smile, and I wish I could have taken a picture, or some video! So hopefully writing them in detail will help me retain the mental pictures in my head.

Wednesday of last week Sophia showed up to scripture study complaining that her head hurt. Apparently, Ben said she had a hard night, but had failed to check her head. She was running a fever. I gave her some Tylenol and had her lay on my bed upstairs and watch TV while I got the kids going for school. Later in the morning, I was wondering where Aubrie was, and I found her upstairs with a bowl of water on the ground and her tending to Sophia's fever with a cold, wet washcloth. Typically the kids blow through their chores before school so thy can play video games, get on the computer, etc. What a sweet sister to spend that extra time tending to her little sister. Aubrie has such a nurturing spirit about her. I'll admit that she does not get that from me. I'm a little more mechanical. "Fix it up, give a kiss, and off you go little one!" I know she got it from my Mother!

Thursday, Ben brought home some new football jersey's for the boys. You could tell they were excited to wear them the next day, because they laid them out the night before. Friday morning I happened to walk with the kids to school. I got ahead of the boys, and when I looked back to check on them they were walking down the street with their arms around one another talking about their jersey's and football. Just the sight of the two of them forgetting their surroundings and putting down all pretenses was so sweet!

Another gem of the week was Friday, right before Ben and I left for date night. A few days prior, Ben had found an old ipod docking station/player and put it in the boys room. The boys have enjoyed getting ready for school with their music. Well, when Ethan came home from school on Friday he went upstairs and turned on the music. I was busy getting ready for the temple and didn't realize what he was up to, until I decided to go ask him to turn it down a bit, and found him and Sophia dancing in his room. They were having so much fun together. That isn't all. Right before we left he asked us to come and watch them dance. He had set the "stage" by pulling down his shade, and setting up "seating" with a few blankets and pillows. When we commented on how great their dancing was he said, "You can leave money over there if you want." He had set up an empty square tin on his bookshelf right by the bedroom door! LOL Ben and I had to turn our heads so he couldn't see us laughing. He then said, "I prefer coins!" Ben then hurried to our room to gather some coins to drop in his tin collection box! That kid is a piece of work!

The last great moment of the week was on Sunday. Before church, I was helping Boston go over his Faith in God book, and he picked the activity where he had to plan and make a nutritious meal. It came to no surprise that he picked Spaghetti and Meatballs! I had to help him think of some other side dishes and then we decided to make it for dinner that night. Over the past month Boston has taken more of an interest in cooking. Nothing big, but coming from not even wanting to make a PB&J, making brownies and Mac & Cheese was a huge step for him. And the fact that he wanted to do it on his own was surprising. So I knew with that new interest, making dinner with him would not be a painful experience. In fact, it was quite the opposite. He was so good at following directions. When I told him to keep an eye on the noodles and to stir them, he was on top of that amongst all the other things he was doing in between, like setting the table etc. He made the sauce and made the salad, too! He even used the sharp knives to cut tomatoes. I guess this was a great moment of the week because, typically, Boston likes to rush through things, and doesn't like to spend a lot of time learning something new. That is the result of things coming easy for him. So for him to take time for me to teach him something, and enjoy all the steps in the process was awesome! It was great and productive Mother/ Son time!

"Sweet" Reunion

I don't know if I have spoken of my Mom's side of the family on here. My Mom comes from a family of sixteen. We were all very close growing up. We were always getting together for holidays and such. I have the fondest memories as a kid with my Mom's family. One thing that made getting together so fun, was that everyone in my Mom's family is a lot of fun! They are full of energy, have great senses of humor, are "real", and are very kind. They all have these wonderful attributes. I attribute them to my Grandmother. She is one of the most amazing ladies I have every known. One time her neighbor slapped her across the cheek, and she turned her other cheek for her to slap the other one, rather than striking back with her actions or words. She was a great example to her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. I am grateful for those attributes she passed to my Mom, making her so wonderful and therefore being a great example to me.

With that said, it is always a delight to spend time with my Aunts and Uncles. There are a few Aunts that I am particularly close too, because the lived in California and I grew up with them when I was little. That is my Mom's twin sisters. They are so full of life and have the light of Christ shining from them so radiantly it's infectious. One of those twin sisters, Aunt Laura, has always been so encouraging and complimentary of Ben and I. She always tells us how proud she is of us and our little family, and how proud she is of how we handle ourselves. She is always so positive. It's been a long time since we have seen her and her husband. The last time we saw them, they stopped by in North Carolina, when I was barely pregnant with Aubrie. They took us out to dinner, and came and visited our new home.

They were supposed to visit us last year, when they were planning a cross country RV trip. A week before they left, her husband and son got in an airplane crash (they are pilots), and her husband almost died. Her faith and strength through the whole ordeal was amazing. The doctors were amazed at his recovery. A year later they started the trip they had planned before the accident. That put them here the Tuesday before our trip to Hawaii.

They wanted to surprise my Mom, so I told my Mom I wanted to take her to lunch before I left for Hawaii. When we got to Mimi's I could see them in the bar area hiding behind menus. LOL As we were walking to our table, my Aunt grabbed my Mom from behind and scared/surprised her. My Mom was happily surprised. We had a great lunch catching up. They went absolutely crazy for Sophia, and as usual they kept saying how I hadn't changed, except for the better! After lunch I took Sophia home for a nap, and they went out for the day. They dropped by later that evening, after the kids activities. The kids absolutely LOVED her! They said, "Can we have her for a Grandma, too!" They kept saying how energetic and fun she was. They are right. She LOVED the kids, and had so much fun with them. She kept telling them what great kids they were.

She wanted the tour of the house and Boston volunteered. Boston was cracking us up as he was giving her the most detailed tour I have every seen, down to the bathroom cabinets that hold the toilet paper and food in the pantry. Boston said the next day how much fun he had showing her the house! ha ha After the tour, we put the kids to bed, and sat out by the pool and enjoyed the sound of the waterfall and the cool air, as we caught up some more. We then got a tour of their RV and said our goodbyes. It was hard to say goodbye to them. They are such amazing people. I wish that we all lived in the same area so my kids could experience the fun family times I had as a kid, and also so I could see them more!:)

Mt. Humphries Or Bust

So the week before we go to Hawaii my brother Joe calls me up and asks me if I wanted to try Mt. Humphries again. My first response was, "No!" Not because I didn't want to do the hike, but in my mind I felt I didn't have the time. I hadn't packed or even begun to think about what I needed to take to Hawaii, and preparing for other things that week, like Activity Days, was making me feel busy. When I told Ben that Joe wanted to go he asked me why I wasn't. I told him I had too much going on, and when he asked me to tell him what, I couldn't really think of anything I had to get done on Saturday. Packing for myself takes less than an hour, and in reality Activity Days was already planned out. So I called my brother up and told him we were on! Aubrie decided to stay home this time, when I realized the hike was 4 hours up and 3 and 1/2 down. We did leave much later this time...about 7:00 am!

We finally picked a perfect day. No moisture and great temperatures. The hike was grueling in some spots, but overall it was very enjoyable. We made it to the saddle in about 2 hours. There we stopped for lunch and enjoyed the view, resting up for the hardest part of the hike. The last hour of the trail was through rocky tundra. There was a lot more climbing than just walking a trail. There were 3 false peaks before you got to the final one. During the last hour we passed a boyscout troop. We had gotten a good distance ahead of them, and it then became my goal to not take so many rests that it would allow for them to pass us. It's not that I cared to beat them, it just was how I paced myself. The last few hundred feet they started to close in on us, and I could hear Joe behind me saying, "They are on our heals!" I wanted to stop so bad, but I pushed up the last slope to the very top. I had to stop and catch my breath for a few minutes before I could take in this view!

We sat up top for awhile and talked to other hikers and ate some snacks. At that point I wouldn't have minded hand gliding to the bottom, or being picked up by helicopter. Ha! Knowing I had a 3 1/2 hour hike back down wasn't so appealing. We finally started our descent and it actually was quite nice. I ran the parts that had a smooth trail. Surprisingly my energy levels were high. It was all going great, until about an hour from the bottom I twisted my ankle when I stepped on a large root on the trail. It hurt so bad and I instantly wondered how in the world I was going to get down from the mountain. Then I thought, "GREAT! I was worried something like this would happen right before our Hawaii trip and it did!" I sat there wondering what to do. I knew I didn't want to be rescued! After resting for a bit, I started hobbling down the mountain. After about 15 minutes, I stopped to sit on a log and rest it. Two guys passed by and asked if I wanted them to call for help. I told them I would be alright. Joe told me we should sit there for awhile. Instantly I had the feeling that I needed to get up and keep moving. I didn't hesitate. Just a minute down the trail I passed those same guys and one of them offered me their hiking poles. Using them helped so much, and allowed me to get down much faster. I know I was prompted to get up just so I could get those.

What a great feeling it was to finally get back to the car. We stopped at the nearest gas station where we got some ice, and I iced it on and off all the way home. Despite the twisted ankle (which stopped hurting after a few days, and started hurting again after Hawaii), I was so glad to finally accomplish that hike. One more check on my bucket list! LOL