Back from Vacation, not all it cracked up to be, paying off

I figured that it was my time to chime in once again. Summer is screaming by and I want to remember as much of it as I can. I can't believe that we are already halfway through the year! We just got back from Utah for the 4th of July. Before that Rachel and the kids spent two weeks in Raleigh. Rachel had been planning a trip back to Raleigh for quite some time. She loves to go back and visit with our friends the McGees and get out of the heat of Arizona. The kids also like any chance they can get to go on an airplane. I was listening to them as they were preparing for the trip. They were talking about all the fun things that they wanted to do. I asked them what one thing they are most excited about and they all said going to the bathroom on the airplane was definitely on the top of their list. You have to love kids and they way they look at things.

I was preparing myself to not have Rachel and the kids around. I knew that I would play some extra golf and stay up late watching movies, but I knew that I would more than likely be very miserable. I was assured by several friends that I would have the greatest time and that I was lucky. I knew better. I got Rachel and the kids up and ready for the airport. They had to leave around noon so we didn't have to wake up too early. The kids were all very excited and each had their own backpack they were responsible for. We loaded up the car and took off. We got to the airport and unloaded. We got to the ticket counter and were informed that I could not go back with Rachel to the gate because I would not be allowed. I was not happy about this because I wanted to spend as much time as possible with them before they left. I went back to the ticket counter and told the guy to give me a pass and that I would worry if they let me thought or not. Of course, they didn't say anything and I went right through security with them. We spent the next hour sitting and watching the kids. The kids went to the various stores and looked at all the fun things they could buy. Aubrie and Boston ended up buying some colorful rocks from one of the stores. I went to Starbucks and bought smoothies and other goodies to help fill them up. I hate how airlines now charge for every little thing. Pillows, blankets, snacks. It is no wonder they are struggling! The time came to leave and I hugged each child and gave Rachel a squeeze. I rounded the corner and could hear Sophia yelling after me. I said a quick prayer for Rachel because I knew that she had a long trip in front of her. I got to my appointment and started the week. I got a call from Rachel letting me know that she had arrived in Minneapolis and that they were doing fine. I could tell that she was tired and she said that they were having a grand old time. Sophia ended up not sleeping one second on the whole trip. I went about my day and got a lot of work done. I heard from Rachel as soon as they landed and I was grateful that everyone was safe and sound. We spoke for a while and then she said that she needed to get the kids to bed. I hate not being around Rachel and the kids. I wanted to be there with them for family prayers and nighttime prayers and every other little thing. Plus being three hours apart makes it hard as well since you seem to lose more time with each other.

In order to help the time go by more quickly I planned to do a bunch of projects around the house. I did not tell Rachel what I was up to, but had told her that I was hiring a group of guys to come and paint the house. I figured that I would do the painting and use the money that I would have paid the professional painters to do other things around the house. I also cut in a storage space under the stairs, put in a basketball court, put french doors in the office, put an epoxy flooring on the garage floors, removed pavers, put down 1 1/2 tons of quarterminus, framed in the front room and other various things. The painting was insane. I quickly realized that it was a much bigger job than I had expected. I also realized that it was a job that professionals should be doing. I got out my big latter and started to paint the front room. The 20 foot ceilings were daunting, but I survived the taping and painting without killing myself. I also realized much too late that the paint that I got was not all the same color and that the store had not created equal colors! Needless to say I was busy almost the whole time that Rachel and the kids were gone. It really helped me to not focus on them being gone and did help to make the time go by much more quickly. Taylor Price came over to help me with other projects and I was grateful for all his help. My brother-in-law also helped by telling us how to do everything and how he would do everything. We almost snapped and buried him in the desert.

On Father's day I was really bummed not having Rachel and the kids here. Rachel sent me a text and told me to check the blog. I was excited to see what was up. I logged onto the blog to see cards that Rachel and the kids had made me! It made my father's day much better and I was so grateful to Rachel for being so thoughtful. I went to church (fine it was only for the hour that I taught!) and taught my lesson. I then headed home and watched golf and rested from all the work I had done that week. I was invited to go over to the Lorenzana's for Father's Day dinner and had a great time. We had steak and lots of good food. I even got a grab bag. I am lucky to have such good friends. I called Rachel and the kids and was able to speak to them. It was great to hear them and all that they had to say. The kids shared every detail with me about all that they had been up to. I will leave it up to Rachel to fill in what all happened.

The next week was more of the same. Lots of work and counting down the days until I flew to Raleigh to meet up with Rachel and the kids. As the week wore on I started to panic because I realized that I was not going to be able to complete all of the projects I had taken on plus the painting did not turn out as well as I had hoped. I continued to push hard and work well into the night every night.

Finally Thursday arrived and I got up very early to catch my 7:00 a.m. flight. I was to bounce through Houston on my way to Raleigh. I was able to call Rachel and she told me that she had rolled her ankle the night before at a church volleyball game. I was sorry to hear that she was out of commission. I had no idea how badly she had turned her ankle, but was glad that nothing was broken. I got into Raleigh and Jason picked me up at the airport. It was good to see him and to catch up. We got to his home and the kids all came running to see me. It was so good to see them again. I found Rachel on the couch with her foot elevated to relieve the pain that she was having from her ankle. It was good to hold her again and help her with the kids. Everything seemed to be normal again even though we were miles from home. The next morning we woke up and headed down to Myrtle Beach. It took us a little over 4 hours to get down there. Of course we had to stop at the outlet mall on the way and get some much needed things! I really do appreciate Rachel and all that she does for the family. She is always thinking ahead and capitalizing on sales and keeping the kids clothed. I am sure that if it were up to me they would continue to wear the Old Navy 4th of July t-shirts from 2008!

We got into the hotel and lugged everything up the elevators and settled into the room. The kids were climbing the walls and wanted to go swimming immediately. We all changed and headed down to the pool. The kids had a wonderful time in the pool, lazy river and hot tub. We grabbed some grub and then went to bed early since we were all wiped out. The next morning we got up and hit the beach. It was great to see the kids and Rachel out in the water. They were all bogey boarding and digging sand castles and doing the normal beach stuff. Sophia got into the beach as well. She liked to go out with me into the water and to dig with Ethan on the beach. We kept going back and forth from the beach to the pool all day long. Later in the evening we had dinner and then headed out to play minigolf. The weather did not cooperate and we returned home to play cards and hang out. The next day was another beach day and we had another great day. Later in the afternoon we went bowling at the hotel. The kids loved to bowl and play video games and it was a great time. Boston really had a great time bowling and had a great time every time that he got a strike. He ended up bowling over a hundred. Ethan also had a great time. He loved to run up and throw the ball in lots of different ways. It was fun to watch him. Aubrie is getting so old. She is only a few days away from being a young woman and I am not ready for it. She is a wonderful daughter and a great helper to Rachel. After bowling we ate tacos and then headed out to play minigolf. We found a fun mini golf place near the hotel and the kids had a great time playing. It was fun to watch everyone take their turns and encourage each other. At the end of the round we had snow cones and relaxed in the humidity. Sophia fell asleep in her stroller and we were able to get her home without waking her. She was spent after a long day at the beach. That night we played cards and then hit the sack. The next morning we checked out of the hotel and then headed to the water park. The kids had a wonderful time with the tube rides and the lazy river. I was allowed to take Sophia down the tube rides and she had a blast. She kept telling me to go. I was getting tired of dragging her and the tube up to the top, but continued to do so as she directed. After 4 hours we were baked and headed back to Raleigh. I forget how hot it can be with humidity. It was 98 degrees with 95% humidity! YUCK! The ride home went fairly quick. The kids slept and Rachel was good enough to keep my company for the ride back. I love driving with Rachel. We are able to spend good time together and just talk. It was a great ride back. As soon as we got back we unloaded the car and started to do laundry and prepare for the trip back. Rachel is very organized and clean and I did not fully appreciate that until this trip. I am grateful for her because everything is always clean and orderly. It would make everything much more difficult otherwise.

The trip back was much easier. It was a direct flight and Sophia slept. We did have a couple of outbursts, but the portable DVD player made everything much easier. We landed and got all of our stuff on the shuttle bus and loaded it into our car. I was excited to get home and show the family all that I had done. I pulled into the driveway and took them around the side of the house to show them the basketball court. The boys went nuts and started shooting hoops immediately. That made me feel really good. I went on to show them the rest of the house and it was great. It was so good to be home again! We started getting ready for our next trip. I had work the next day and got home later that afternoon to help Rachel pack. We left Thursday morning for Utah. We headed out around 8:00 a.m. and began our 10-hour-journey. The trip went well and everyone seemed to tolerate it well. We got into Provo and dropped our stuff off at the hotel and then headed to the mall. There was a sale at Justice and Aubrie was able to get some more things. We also went to Cafe Rio for dinner. Rachel loves Cafe Rio. We only have one here and it is over an hour away. We headed back to the hotel and crashed. We were able to sleep in and that made it much better. The main reason that I wanted to go up to Provo over the 4th of July was to see family, but also to go to the Oquirh Mountain Temple open house. I wanted the kids to see the temple and get a better understanding of what it looked like and what to expect. It was a great teaching experience and the kids really had a great time. It was awesome to see the temple. We also drove up to the Draper Temple and drove around up there for a little while. The kids liked the temples, but did not like the driving. We headed back to Provo for Sophia's nap. I left Rachel, Ethan and Sophia and took Aubrie and Boston to Escape to Witch Mountain at Movies 8. Aubrie told me that the theater smelled like Pooh and I had to agree. We watched the movie and the kids really enjoyed it. After the movie we went back to the hotel to get Rachel and Ethan and Sophia. We could not think of anything to do. I spoke to my Uncle Jim and he said that they were going to the Orem Owls baseball game that night and that there would be fireworks after. Rachel and I decided that the kids would enjoy the game so we went. It was a great time. There was a play area right off the field and Sophia had a great time. We ate lots of popcorn and soda and took it all in. At the end of the game the fireworks went off. Sophia laid back in my chest and watched. She really liked it a great deal, but was not too found of the big booms. We headed back to the hotel and called it a night. The next morning we woke up early to go the the parade. I went out to the car to discover that someone had keyed our car and scratched it up and down both sides. I was ticked and had to file a police report. We made our way down to Center and 3rd East and parked. We met up with the family there and had a great time watching the parade. I can remember the parade from when I was a child so it was fun to watch the kids take it all in. They ran after candy and threw the poppers. It rained a little on us and then really heated up. It seems like the heat has followed us no matter where we have been. At the end of the parade we headed up to Dave and Marilyn's for a BBQ. We had a great time swimming and eating. We headed back to the hotel for Sophia's nap. I stayed with her this time while Rachel took the other children up to Bridal Vail Falls. The kids climbed up the falls and got all dirty and wet. Rachel called to tell me that they were having a great time. They got back to pick us up and we had Olive Garden for dinner. After dinner I dropped Rachel, Aubrie and Boston off to go to the Stadium of Fire. The Jonas Brothers were the main draw this year and Aubrie was super excited to see them. She did not know that we had tickets for her and she was out of her mind when she found out that she was going. I took Ethan and Sophia to my Uncle Jim's house and we set off fireworks and visited. I headed back to Provo in time to see the fireworks from the stadium of fire. It was nice that our hotel was right next to the stadium. Rachel and the kids came home and told us all about all that they had seen. I was so happy that they had such a wonderful time. We called it a night and then headed to bed very late.

The next day we woke up late and headed for home. The trip was great until we got to Camp Verde. The highway was a parking lot and we took a detour through Jerome and then into Wickenburg. I was glad when we finally got home 12 1/2 hours after we began. It is nice to be back with Rachel and the kids and safe.

Last night we had family home evening. Sometimes Rachel and I get frustrated with the kids. They fight or yell or tease and sometimes we feel that we are not doing the best job as parents. At the end of Family Night each of the kids on their own got up and bore their testimonies. It was awesome to see and I can tell that the Lord really has prepared this generation for what is coming. I am grateful for my family and love them very much.

Happy Father's Day From NC!!!!

So when I booked our trip to North Carolina, back in April, I failed to notice that I booked it over Father's Day. That wouldn't have been a big deal if Ben was with us, but he is home alone and won't be joining us till next Thursday! Of course, I told him that this will be his most relaxing Father's Day ever. He gets to sleep in, watch as much Sports as he wants, and will have compete peace and QUITE!!! However, he will miss the Father's Day cards and presents, kids singing to him in Sacrament meeting, and bringing him breakfast in bed! We can't do much about the singing, or the breakfast in bed, but.....Ben my dearest, here are your cards, and your gifts are waiting here for you! WE LOVE YOU!!! Thanks for being a great Dad!

Dance 2009!

It's that time of year again....DANCE RECITAL TIME!  This year is much busier than the rest!  Typically Aubrie was in 1 or 2 dances, but this year she is in 6.  We were at rehearsal for 5 hours.  This is what that 5 hours of my life looked like!  Get Aubrie in a costume, fill out a form for pictures (if I was getting pics of that particular group), take my own pics,  watch her perform and take video, run  back and  start all over for the next dance!  Yep that took up 5 hours.  Ben said he was sorry I had to do that all by myself! Hmmm....Not really thinking he was feeling too bad, while he stayed home watched movies and swam!  Ha ha! Actually, I   didn't mind.  Besides the fact the auditorium was FREEZING and I was starving, I enjoyed doing this for Aubrie!  She loves to dance, and she has worked very hard this year! Is was fun to see her so excited and having so much fun! Way to go Aubrie!!!!!  We are so proud of all your hard work!

Celebrating 9 years!

Two weekend's ago,  was our Wards Fathers and Sons camp out.  Being all the boys were going to be out of the house, we planned Aubrie’s birthday party around it.  Last year it was the weekend of her birthday, which worked out better,  This year she had to wait a couple of weeks.  My friend and her daughters  helped with the party.  My friend did the awesome decorations and her older girls helped with the games.  Since Aubrie is a getting older, and growing out of the character themed parties, I thought it would be fun to throw her a Hawaiian themed party.  It was perfect, since it was a pool party and our yard (the pool side anyway) has a tropical feel.  We decorated the table area like this, and also put tiki torches around the backyard!

Aubrie wanted to keep her party small, worried that too many girls would facilitate some cat fights.  She is very wise.   There were 8 girls in all, and it was perfect.  Though all the girls didn’t know one another, some from school, various wards, etc,  they all got along great!!! There was NO fighting.   The girls spent most of the time swimming and playing games in the pool.   Sophia was up for the first hour and a half of the party, and just ran with the rest of them. She just swam around the pool with her floaties, and the girls were putting her down the slide, giving her piggie back rides, etc.  They were loving her, and Sophia was eating up the attention.  She finally came to me and said “Done”….something she has NEVER said while swimming before.  I think they wore her out!  

We broke up swimming with various games and activities. Their first break was for some dinner, which was Pizza (the easiest and most popular thing) and soda!  Then they went back for some more swimming until we started the games.  

The first game was a relay race.  It was a blast.   I had purchased some grass skirts, flower “bikini tops”, and ankle and bracelet lei’s.  The girls were split into two teams.  A member from each team had to race across the yard and dress themselves in the Hawaiian attire, and do a quick hula dance and then take everything off and run back to tag the next girl.   They had so much fun,  and did the relay two extra times!   

After the relay we had a limbo contest.  Well, I guess it wasn’t really a contest.  Their were no prizes or acknowledgement of the winner.  The girls just had fun doing the limbo to some good ole Bob Marley!  Again…everyone just having fun!

After the limbo the girls played one of the funnest games of the night….the flour game.  If your wondering what in the heck that is, let me explain.  You pack flour in a bowl and then flip it over on a plate and put a quarter in the middle.   The girls take turns slicing off pieces of the flour.  Whoever causes the quarter to fall during their “cut”, has to dig the quarter out and off the plate with their nose.  This is the result!  I thought that the girls wouldn’t want to be the one digging out the flower.  I was wrong. They were all taking big slices hoping they would be the one who would have to dig it out.  When we finished the last round, all the girls stuck their faces in the flour. 

After that messy game, they all went back for some swimming to clean themselves off.  I think my pool is still recovering!  After some more swimming, we finished the night with a doughnut eating contest.  Here are some pics!  This was so much fun to watch!  Aubrie had a hard time the first round, but smoked the older girls the second go around!  I don’t know how she could eat two doughnuts?

After the doughnuts the girls made their own icecream cakes.  Each got their own ice cream sandwhich, and they decorated them with Redi Whip, sprinkles, minature M&M’s, etc.  I did this last year and it was a hit.  It wasn’t as poplar this year.  I think all the cool games made it seem less exciting!  They likes the ice cream sandwiches though, and boy is that easier than a cake! No more countless hours slaving away on cakes for me anymore!!!

When they were done, we all sang Happy Birthday to Aubrie and then she opened gifts!  She got a lot of fun stuff, but because it was small it wasn't an overwhelming pile of presents that she didn’t’ need! 

After gifts, the girls went back to swimming.  They had fun going down the slide on Boogie Boards, jumping off the waterfall, and playing a game called “Toothpaste”.  It’s basically like the game “Colors”, for those of you who grew up swimming!  Finally I pulled the plug on swimming at 10:15.  The girls got their party favors, which were lei’s and little webkinz with lei’s.  Actually, the first wave of girls went home around 9:30.   We did all the clean up while the girls were swimming, so my house was clean before they all left….yeah!  The second wave of girls went home at 10:30, shortly after getting dressed and watching 15 minutes of Underdog.   The last two girls went home around 11, and Aubrie and I stayed up and watched the rest of the Movie till Midnight!   I asked Aubrie if she had a good party, and she said it was the best yet!!! I can't believe it's been 9 years!!!!

Here is a picture of Aubrie and her BFF from school.  She couldn't make it because she got the flu!  Ironically enough, Aubrie's grade had a Hawaiian themed "end of the year" party the same day as her party.  They got to go to the neighboring community center and eat, and play in the "water" area!  Here is a pic of Aubrie and Grace!  

"Me" holidays!

One thing about my life that I sometimes wish was different was the fact that all my "special" holiday's are all wrapped up within a two week period.   That would be my birthday, anniversary, and Mother's day.  I honestly don't know if it's easier for Ben to get them all over with and not have to think about it for another year, or harder to find things to do for me.   Besides that, Aubrie's birthday happens to fall on mine, too, so things definitely get crazy, busy for me.   This year was a good busy!  This year our birthday's fell on Sunday.  While there isn't much to do on Sunday,  it's nice to get the Happy Birthday wishes at church, and an extra good reason to take that Sunday afternoon nap.   The week prior was a great build up to my birthday, which I think added to the fact that this was an amazing year for me!  

It started off with a  temple trip Thursday night.  After our session, we  had a fun time getting to know the Bishop and his wife over dinner.  Friday was Ben's sister's wedding reception. We were able to catch up with some extended family and old friends, while we were there.  Before the reception Ben surprised me with an early anniversary gift...diamond earrings.  The way he gave them to me was so cute.  He had this gun holster on and said I want to show you something.  He started to pull out something black, so thinking it was a gun I started to get pretty irritated.  Then I realized it was a box.  He got down on one knee and opened the box!  It was so romantic and sweet.  Thanks sweetie for a wonderful 13 years of marriage.  Through the ups and downs it's all been worth it!  I LOVE YOU!!

Saturday morning I spent hiking and having breakfast to celebrate another friends birthday, and Sunday afternoon was spent with lots of old and new friends as we celebrated a friendship with a family who would soon be moving.  So though those things didn't have anything to do with me, I was perfectly happy  spending time with friends.   

Saturday night we did celebrate my birthday and anniversary with the Lorenzana's.  We started with dinner at the Cheesecake Factory.   Michelle had thoughtfully put together a bunch of Kelly Green (my new favorite color...step aside yellow) gifts.  My favorite was a Vera Bradly make up bag, which she went all over town looking for:)   After dinner, we went to the movie, "State of Play".  It was a nice relaxing evening with good friends.   

Monday continued the celebrating.  Michelle and Erin  (along with help of other great friends) pulled together a birthday luncheon. The food was great, the gifts were thoughtful, but most of all  it was great to be surrounded by so many friends.  I really didn't realize how much I needed it, until the lunch was over.  I feel so blessed to have so many caring people in my life.   

While I was at my luncheon, Ben was helping me make Aubrie's birthday special.  I had coordinated with her teacher to make sure the kids didn't' bring their lunches and to find out what pizza they liked best.  Ben showed up at the lunch room with Pizza and drinks.  Of course, Ben always goes above and beyond duty, and he also showed up with bags of candy and a Pokemon card for everyone.  Aubrie was the star of the day!   I think everyone should feel like that on their birthday!!!  The boy from church, that is also in her class at school, brought Aubrie a birthday present.  It was so cute of him.  He gave her a necklace and bracelet.   She was so shy about it, she forgot to say thank you.  I love to see these cute, innocent crushes.  It's the teenage years I'm worried about. haha   Aubrie's birthday party will actually be this Friday.  I have started holding it over Father and Son's camp out.  That way the boys aren't here, and the girls can stay really late and do fun "girl" stuff!

So today marks 3rd special "me" day.... Mother's Day!  Today I felt especially grateful for the privilege I have had to give birth to and raise 4 amazing children.  Though I have many years left in the "parenting" years, I know that they will be out of the nest before I know it.   I just hope that I can love them and teach them well enough that they will come back as friends.  The little irritating things they normally do didn't seem to irritate me as much today.  I saw through different color glasses for some reason, seeing things more through their eyes, and enjoying things more.  Life gets so crazy, we seem to forget to sit back and enjoy the ride!  

Today Ben made sure my day was special, by making breakfast, a great steak dinner, and making sure that I got to relax.  Thanks sweetie for making my day a good one!  I'm glad I'm the Mother of your children!  

Disneyland again!

Ok, I know what your thinking..."Disneyland, AGAIN!!!???? Like I want to see another post about Disneyland.  How many times have they gone anyway?"  What can I say,  when we get annual passes to Disney, we always get our money's worth. It's a great, short, weekend trip, and we all love it....so why not?  I won't bore you with the details.   I'll just give you the short version.  

My Mom watched Sophia, so the trip was much more relaxing (but she was missed badly).  The kids didn't know we were going this time.  I packed their bags while they were at school the day before, and then Ben and I packed the car while they were sleeping.  Aubrie was a little confused when she couldn't find her favorite PJ's that night!  Ha!  Thursday we had them get up for school like normal.  Then the Lorenzana's showed up right before school with their kids, and them we asked them if we should ditch school and go to Disneyland.  They were so excited!   The weather was great, the lines were good, and the company was GREAT!!!  It was so laid back, even taking time to ride things like the Steamboat!  Can't ask for a better trip!

On the Steamboat!

Some candid"s while in line for Space Mountain

Gotta love these pics of Ethan and Emmy!

Again doing things we never do, and will never do again! ha!

Some classic ride pics!  Can you tell we know when the camera is going off?

Some great shots on Pirates!

The restaurant I have always wanted to eat at....but not with little kids!

Since our Disney annual passes are blacked out every Saturday from May to August, we had to find something else to do.   Thanks to my Mom, I was reminded of the Santa Monica Pier.  What a fun place to take your kids.  We started our afternoon with lunch at a GREAT Mexican restaurant at the end of the pier.  Highly recommend them.  The best enchilada's I have had in a long time.  The kids behaved so well.  We defiantly discovered the best seating arrangement for our children!
After lunch, we walked out to the end of the pier.   Here is the plaque that showed the details to the dedication of Santa Monica as a historical landmark.  Notice the date Aubrie is pointing to.  The month after I was born!

After some family shots at the end of the pier, we headed over to the fun park.  The kids had a blast here.  We gave each kid 20 dollars to spend how they wanted.  
We all rode the famous Ferris wheel.  (Parent's treat:)

Then Aubrie got a little more daring!
Here is the after picture! LOL
Then the kids tried out the rock wall.  Well, Ethan wasn't up for it because he wanted to save his money for other things.  Both kids reached the top!

After the rock wall, the kids played carnival games for stuffed animals.  Just what they needed....NOT!!  We walked out of their with 5 new "buddies", which included two stuffed snakes, and 3 stuffed dogs!  It was actually nice that the games weren't rigged like the fair and that they gave descent prizes!   Yeah for the fun park!!

  After the park, we spent several hours down at the beach relaxing.  The kids  threw a football and Frisbee around, and had fun playing in the sand and running from the waves.  I just had fun sitting in my chair an watching them have fun!  What an amazing day!