Idaho Weekend

Beware of many photos to follow. I can't narrow it down...super sorry.

After Linda's funeral in Logan on Friday, we all drove up to Idaho, where she was laid to rest in the Ashton Cemetery. Though her funeral and burial was of course hard, it was also good because it helped with a little bit of closure on that end. We also found out the other day that Linda's death certificate named Amniotic Fluid Embolism as her cause of death, which has also helped bring a little bit of closure, knowing it was a completely rare and horrible thing that really could not have been prevented. It has still been very, very hard. What else is there to say?

{By the way, anyone who would like to see Linda's obituary can do so HERE}

The rest of the weekend, we all attempted to have some semblance of normalcy in celebrating the Fourth of July.

We spent a lot of time at Grandma's house, sitting around, hanging out on the porch, and playing in the yard in the sprinklers and kiddie pool. We also had a water balloon volleyball game, which was great fun (though sadly, Carlie and I lost. Next time, next time.)
One night, we made the trek to the sand dunes. This is always a fun thing to do and we did have a good time, though sort of in a redneck way... somehow we managed to only bring one package of hotdogs for the whole lot of us, no napkins, no cups, and no silverware. Pretty awesome. We made it work though and Carlie was kind enough to run back to get more hot dogs for the die hards who insist upon eating them (not me.)
Mari Ann and Grandma
Dev and Jacer
Cortney and Max
Sue and Devin showed up wearing the same shirt. Classy. I love it. I won't say who is cross-dressing....
A bunch of the crowd at the top of one of the dunes: Steve, Jen, Dev, Sue, Nort, Hallie, Jack, and Brad
Che' and little Hudson. Yes, I mean little. Jace clearly outweighs him now. It's getting ridiculous.
Jack

Landon, Che', and Hudson
Races to the top of the dunes? Yes, please.
Grandpa Doyle
Mari Ann and Jack roasting some dogs
Oh yep, I was there too. Evidence is here.
Yes, this scares me. Ryen, Mason, Carter, and Avery all took turns driving the four-wheelers around despite none of them being older than 10. We have a bunch of little dare-devils on our hands! (This is Ryen taking her turn.)
Hallie LOVES hot dogs- which she did not get from me. She was one of the lucky ones who got a dog from the one package that showed up before Carlie ran to get more. She doesn't care for the bun, oddly enough.

I think this thing is called a Razor? Fun little machine. Judd took my mom for a really crazy ride. You can see he is quite proud of himself. I took the machine for a ride and made it about 10 feet before I got it stuck. A little cautious? YES. Don't worry, I put the pedal to the metal after that and was more successful.
Remember how we didn't bring cups? We DID have water bottles, so after emptying those, they became our "cups" for the pop. Remember, I did say redneck!
Sadie and Jen

Judd back for another round of scaring innocent people- this time Hailie.


Continuing with the redneck theme, that night, Devin and I went to sit in Judd and Sue's "Redneck hot-tub." It's an animal trough sitting out in the middle of their farm that they fill up with 120 degree mineral water straight from the ground. Let me tell you, it was AMAZING! It was dark so we had a great view of the entire area, plus a lot of people were lighting fireworks, so that was really cool to watch. I think we will be hitting that up again at some point.

Monday, we were able to go to a parade and have lunch at Grandma's before we needed to head back to Utah. We hit the Rexburg parade with Mike and Lara, Che', Landon, and Hudson, Mari Ann, Jennifer, Steve, and Sadie. It was fun, though not the best parade I have ever seen. Hallie got a TON of candy though, and that is all that matters to a 2 year old.

Hallie loves Che'. She sat with her the whole time and had her help get her candy and such.
Cute Hudson
Dev and Jace
My favorite "float". They didn't really have floats, more like a lot of tractors. But this sort of counts.`
Devin and Jace. I looked over and saw that Dev had him sitting on the curb and had his arm around him and thought it was pretty cute.
Landon and Hudson. Hudson is obviously enthralled with whatever Landon is pointing at!
Oh- this is a picture of Houston for Mari Ann. He got to ride this cart in the parade as part of the "hydration committee". Apparently someone passed out last year, so he rode around looking for people who might need water to try to prevent that sort of thing. Very useful, very useful.
Mari Ann got a FREE car wash after she yelled the loudest (don't worry, we helped!) when the car wash people came by. Yay for her! She was sure excited.

Of course, on the way home I wanted to stop and see sweet Charlie. She seems to be making great progress. Every little thing she does, I consider a miracle. She continues to amaze.
I loved this little message they had up for the weekend while everyone was in Idaho. The NICU nurses take good care of her and send lots of cute pictures to Brad. Ryen turned 7 the day before her mom's funeral and some nurses took pictures of Charlie dressed up in a birthday hat and made a scrap book page to send to Ryen for her big day, which I thought was really sweet.

Anyway- it has been a crazy, crazy few weeks. It seems unfair that life has to continue on despite the fact that it will never be the same for us, and especially not for Brad and the kids. However, I know that Linda would never want us to sit around and mope all our lives. I know she would want us to continue to have family get togethers and to enjoy life, which is what we are trying to do. We are trying to get back into the routine of things- work, cleaning the house, etc. but it has been hard. I still think about her nearly constantly. The pain has eased some, though, and I know it will continue to do so.

I hope you all had a wonderful and safe Independence Day!

Memories

The last two weeks have been a whirlwind of ups and downs, crazy emotions, grieving, crying, laughing, and remembering. I do this mostly for myself, but I want to record some of my favorite Linda memories and share some of my favorite Linda pictures to remember my hilarious, fun-loving, best-aunt-ever, aunt.

It was an honor for me to be able to give Linda's life sketch at her funeral on Friday. That was a perfect opportunity for me to gather some of my thoughts and write them out. This is a format for me to preserve them. How about a narration of photos and some thoughts/fun stories (numbered) about Linda from the life sketch? Okay. Sounds good to me. Read on if you wish.

{Aren't we so glad we got these pictures at Christmas time? YES! It was a hassle and everyone was kinda ornery about it, but we had not had family pictures for probably 20 years. And now look--definitely glad to have these! Linda and her sweet family- Brad, Carter, Ryen, and Jack. Baby Charlie was in the womb.}
{All the sisters, plus Grandma and Doyle. They are a funny bunch. Sue, Linda, Mari Ann, and Lisa} {All of the siblings at Charlie's funeral four years ago. Too much loss in our family? Yes. Steve, second from the left, also passed away about a a year ago. Craig, Steve, David, Linda, Susan, Charlie in the photo, Lisa, Lynn, and Mari Ann. Now down too six. So sad.}

1)Linda was adopted when she was two days old by my grandparents and became the 9th child in the family. Linda’s arrival into the family was a surprise- her parents told the other 8 children that they were going to go away for a few days and that when they returned, they would be bringing home something special for them. Upon their arrival home, some of the siblings remember running down the stairs to see what the surprise was- it was a baby! Linda could not have been a better surprise and she quickly became the favorite sibling. Linda was sealed to her family for time and all eternity in the Salt Lake City Temple when she was three years old. Linda was a miracle and truly made our family complete.
{Christmas is a favorite holiday- though you would never know it from Linda's face. Apparently she also refused to wear the top part of her matching jammies with us. I'll forgive. It's classic in our family to give really awesome gifts at Christmas time and Linda was the QUEEN of it.}
{On our trip to Nauvoo in 2005, Brad sat in some sap. Being the good wife that she is, Linda volunteered to get it off right then and there and this picture was born. It's a favorite.}

2) Linda loved to dress up for Halloween as a child and teenager and convinced her friends to so do for many years beyond when is normally considered acceptable. They also would “get stuck” or “run out of gas” often so that they could be “rescued” by boys.
As a teenager, one of her more famous stories happened when she “borrowed” quite a number of political signs from people’s yards (of course just the ones she didn’t believe should win) and was caught, causing her to take a little trip to the police station. My grandma refused to come get her, thinking it would teach her a lesson.

{Witchapalooza at Gardner Village has become an annual family event.}
{Neil Diamond concert. ohhhh yes...all the best stories happen at Neil Diamond concerts. Read on and you will see.}

3) Linda was the “favorite aunt” and made sure to keep her status by inviting myself, my sister Jennifer, and our cousins Cortney and Che’ Lyn for a visit one summer when we were between the ages of 10 and 14. We entertained ourselves at her house while Linda would work during the day. Let’s just say that she was a trusting woman! We fried our brains on a constant diet of talk shows, ate all her food (including a massive 5 lb. brick of cheese), and walked all over town with huge ratted hair and mis- matched outfits. Let’s be honest, Linda was lucky to come home to a house still standing.

One day, someone threw a burning napkin (don’t ask me why we had a burning napkin) into a trash can, which then of course also lit on fire. It was then thrown out into the backyard and hosed down, but it became a pretty large flame before it was under control. Cortney also ran right into her screen door one day, breaking it. Linda had no idea (although she probably suspected) the fiascos that were occurring at her house while she worked. When she returned home, we put on our prettiest smiles and cleaned up really nice to ensure her that all was well. Lucky for us, we pulled off the act well, as we were invited again the next few summers. One of the summers, she took a day off of work to take us all to Lagoon and then to a Savage Garden concert. You can see why she was the favorite aunt! Oh and by the way, lest you think us unkind house guests, we did walk to the dollar store and buy Linda things like cheap lotion and bags of potpourri as thank you gifts. Very kind of us, I know.

{Family birthday party at Maddux on Brigham City. Linda was pregnant with Jack at the time and I was pregnant with Hallie. This is also when the famous van sticker appeared on her car. You know those family stickers? Linda hated them, so Sue put one on her car as a joke. Don't worry, it has stayed there ever since. She really came to love the van sticker afterall.}

4) One summer during our stay, we started to hear about a “special friend” named Brad. They had met in the cart aisle at Smith’s, despite being from the same hometown in Idaho. At first they claimed it was a business relationship because they would carpool home to Idaho sometimes. One summer during our annual visit, we spent each night going over to Brad’s neighborhood to drop off candy bars, cards, and notes on his car. (By the way, this continued into their marriage. Linda would drive around the parking lot of the school looking for Brad’s car so that she could leave him a surprise.) During our summer visits, she continued to claim that they were “just friends” but we were smart enough to figure out that it was a bit more than that. Near this time, she went on a trip to Israel with my mom and grandma. My mom’s main memory from the trip is that Linda was “over the moon” for Brad and that she missed him so much and couldn’t wait to get home to see him. Linda and Brad were married on May 15, 1999 in the Idaho Falls LDS Temple. Theirs was a special relationship. Their pet names for each other were “husband” and “wife” and it was always evident that they have such a great love for one another.

{One of the last times I saw Linda. At the baby blessings of Jace and Hudson. This is her with Brad and Jack.}

{Also a classic picture. In between the wedding and dinner at my mom's wedding. Everyone was starving and it was a good thing Sue had a lot of quarters! We sure bought out the vending machines.}

5) Brad and Linda loved to tease each other. Brad knew that Linda hated the texture and feel of cotton balls, so he would stick them under the door handle of her car on occasion. When she would go to get into the car, she would be surprised to find them there. She even refused to take them out with her hands, but would remove them with her keys.
Brad loved Linda so much that he named one of his prized cows after her- Lady Linda. He would also help Linda with her great affection for Rabbit Poop Ice- the little pellet ice- by driving across town to Arctic Circle to get it, then when they moved to the other side of town, by driving back to the other side to Sonic, which was her new preference. He would also buy large bags full for her and keep them in the freezer for during her pregnancies.

{On our visit to see Linda 2 weeks after Jace was born. This is the only picture I have of her and Jace, but it's perfect. I love it.}
{I was so sad that the quality of these pictures is so low. But, oh well, we have it. The group of us when Che' and I went to see Linda and Mari Ann at her house after the boys were born.}

6) More than anything, Linda was always kind and thoughtful. I remember getting emails from her when I was in high school, just to check in and to see how my dates were going, how school was going, etc. My parents often traveled for my dad’s job and were usually gone on my birthday. One year, Linda was babysitting us while they were gone and threw me a huge birthday party, decorated my room with balloons and candy, and made sure I had a really special day in the absence of my parents. I know she put so much thought and effort into it, and to this day, it is the birthday I remember most because of how she made me feel.

Linda would often text members of the family just to check in. She was faithful about sending funny birthday and graduation cards and some members of our family even received cards from her postmarked the day before she passed away. In our family, we love to color and it is tradition that when you color a page, you write your name and age. My best birthday card came from her a few years ago, Linda sent me a card in the form of a coloring page that she had printed from online and colored. It said “Happy birthday” then in the corner, she had written, “by Linda, age 36.” I definitely saved that one in my scrapbook.

Linda hated to see other people struggle or suffer in any way. I remember she had such concern over a co-worker’s son who had a brain tumor and then later had the same concern for my sister Jennifer’s husband Chris when he also battled a brain tumor. Linda had a soft heart and wanted to help in any way that she could. Even recently, she told me how difficult it had been for her to watch Chris suffer in the way that he did.

{Linda and I at Witchapalooza. She was always trying to get away from the camera- she hated it- so I am sure that is what she is doing here. That stink.}
{Enjoying the show with Che' and Carlie. Carlie's face is pretty great if I do say so myself.}

7) I can’t talk about Linda without mentioning her sense of humor and her quick wit. Linda is one of the most hilarious people I have ever known. One classic story happened at a Neil Diamond concert. The four sisters, including Linda, have been Neil Diamond’s biggest fans for many years. One year, we surprised each of them with tickets to go to his concert in SLC. Upon arrival, the sisters were cornered by a newscaster from FOX News. He asked what their favorite Neil songs are and while Susan and Linda respond, then my mom takes over while Linda is clearly mortified and is attempting to hide her face in the corner of the screen. She always claimed to be a “closet” Neil Diamond fan (though she was actually die-hard like the rest) and certainly did not want anyone seeing her on the news at the concert. Little did they know their brother Lynn was home that night and happened to be watching the news when the face of his sisters popped up on the screen singing a few off-key renditions of Neil Diamond songs. Somehow, one of Linda’s co-workers got a hold of the clip as well and started playing it one day while Linda was going about her work. She banned all copies of the clip from then on out, but don’t worry, it still exists. (haha, I have it HERE on my blog in fact)

{Apparently my spacing is no good. You'll have to forgive me, I'm too tired to go fix it.}

8) A few years later, there was another Neil Diamond concert, and this time the nieces were invited. We had a great time, complete with homemade t-shirts, glo-sticks, the whole bit. At one point, during the serious song, “You don’t bring me Flowers”, the audience was really feeling it and the arena became silent. Neil sang the line, “You don’t bring me flowers anymore…” when from the complete silence, we heard a voice shout, “I WILL NEIL!”We all looked down the row, shocked to find that the yell had come from none other than our own Linda.

9) One of Linda’s favorite stories occurred after that same concert. It was getting late into the night at our hotel room and everyone was having a hard time winding down. For some reason, the discussion turned to the state quarters that some people collect. Linda said, “Some people come into the credit union (where she worked) and pay three dollars for one of those quarters! It is just the stupidest thing! It’s only worth a quarter!” After a second of silence, Susan piped up, “Well, I order mine online and pay $17.50 per quarter!” Linda looked at her for a split second in disbelief and then started laughing so hard she began to cry. And cry. And cry. From then on, all we had to do was mention the Quarter Story at any given point, and Linda would again be reduced to tears of laughter. On our recent trip to Wicked, we discussed the quarter story and even though it has been years, the effect was the same on Linda.

10) The most important thing to Linda was her family- her husband and children. At her funeral I shared some quotes from her blog and her journal about each of her children that I won't share here since they are not mine to publicize. Just know that she loved each of them immensely- they were her world. She was an amazing mom who went all out on birthdays and holidays to make her kids feel special. She is one of a kind, that's for sure.

{Here is beautiful Charlie. Linda went through so much in her pregnancy to get Charlie here. She is one sweet little girl. She can still use your prayers if you would like to offer some up for her. She is off the oxygen now and breathing completely on her own, so yay for that, but there are still some challenges ahead. One thing is for sure- we love her and I know she will be such a blessing to our family. She is such a tangible reminder of her mom. What a beauty.}

Words escape me to describe the loss that I feel. Linda influenced and shaped my life a lot and her death has left such a vacancy in my life. I look forward to the day when we can be reunited. Until then, I love you Linda.

Heartbroken

Linda, Che'Lyn, and I on our Nauvoo trip in 2005. Love it.

My life was turned upside down this week with the sudden loss of my dear Aunt Linda. I have a million things floating around in my head but I will try to keep this short as I fear it will be mumbo jumbo if I don't.

I am grateful to know about the Plan of Salvation and that families are eternal. Death is not the end. We will see Linda and be with her again someday.

I am grateful for the time we were able to spend with Linda recently. It seemed it was more than normal. I am particularly grateful for the drive to Boise when we went to Wicked. That was a great time for Che' and I to talk to her the whole way there and the whole way back. We laughed a lot. I will treasure this time forever.

I am grateful for the person that Linda is. I am grateful that she felt it important to have a good relationship with her annoying little nieces. Starting at about age 10, my sister and two cousins and I would journey to Logan to spend a week with her each summer. This became the highlight of each summer. So many memories.

I am grateful for the time I was able to spend with Linda in the hospital right before her passing. Though it was traumatic, I am so grateful. I am grateful for the time I spent holding her hand and feeling the squeeze, verifying to me that somewhere deep in there, she was still there. She was still Linda.

I am grateful that my family is as close as we are and that we can help each other through this difficult time. This is the most personal loss I have ever felt and the most grief I have ever felt. I am so raw, so emotional, so up and down. But I am grateful that I have family who understands and wishes to be together at this time to help each other through.

I am grateful for Linda's husband Brad and the strength that he has. He is such a good husband and father. I am grateful that Linda's children have him.

I am especially grateful for the last gift that Linda gave: her sweet baby Charlie, who was born during this whole ordeal. What a beauty, right? She is in the NICU but things are looking up for her. She is the last piece of Linda that we have and believe me, we are clinging on to the hope that she brings.

Prayers for Brad, Carter, Ryen, Jack, and Charlie would be much appreciated. It is their loss that is the most important as Linda was their wife and mother. While I also grieve for myself, much of my grief is for them.

Please forgive me if I am MIA from the blog for a while or if all I feel like talking about is Linda. It may consume me for some time. Just a fair warning. I hope to at least create a memory post at some point, mostly for me to remember her and the contributions and influence she has had in my life.

Why yes, he is simply amazing

I married up. No question about that. I look back on myself from high school and the beginning of college and want to just go back and say "Just you wait! You have no idea the amazing-ness that is in store for you!"

As you well know, today is Father's Day. I intended to make the day as great as possible for Devin, so I planned ahead last night and started a family classic, Sticky Buns, for breakfast this morning. That's about as far as I got though on Devin's special day. He just took over from there.

When we got home from church, we got to Skype with his parents (on a mission in Estonia) for a few minutes and while we were getting Skype pulled up, he snuck into the kitchen and started lunch. I told him he wasn't supposed to be doing that and his response was, "I want to. I want to make you happy because when you are happy, that is when I am the happiest." Who in the world is he, right?

As if that isn't bad enough, I took a nap after lunch while he stayed up and took care of the kids. While I was sleeping, he also made a some brownies, complete with marshmallows and frosting "for a treat for me tonight" as he put it. I know this is making me look very, very bad, but that is just how he is. He is one who continually serves and gives without ever expecting anything in return.

Devin is a great father and I always say that my kids are so blessed to have such good relationship with their dad. He is home when I work and so he gets a lot of one-on-one time with them. Devin is a great leader in our home, patient, understanding, loving, and completely puts everyone before himself. Like I said, I have no idea how I got so lucky, but I count my blessings every day that he is mine.



Happy Father's Day, babe! I love you so much. Hallie, Jace, and I are so blessed to have you.

And to commemorate Father's Day- Jace has his first crush! Yes, I think it's official- at least in his little mind. Never mind that she is 35 (give or take a few) years older than he is. No, that certainly doesn't matter. During sunday school today, a woman in our ward sitting next to me was smiling at him and rubbing his head and he was just eating it up. He was cooing, smiling huge smiles, and trying to carry on an intelligent conversation in baby talk with her. He was smitten. Let's be honest, I don't blame him...she is a rather beautiful woman. At least we know he has good taste! What a little flirt.

Anyway, Happy Father's Day to all!

Making a Fool of One's Self

Believe me, I have LOTS of experience in this category.

The time I was flying with my cousin and she got me laughing so hard, I spilled a bowl of cheerios all over the nice business man sitting next to me? Stupendous.

The time I kicked a really good looking lifeguard in the face (on accident) while swimming in his pool? Yes, it seems impossible, but I managed it.

The time I split my pants all the way down the back at EFY? Awesome.

The time I hit the dumpster then didn't tell my parents about it? Classic.

The time I fell asleep on some man's lap on a long flight? (What is with me and flights?) No good.

Today I had one of those experiences. It might not be as bad as the others mentioned above, but I look back on it and think, "what were you thinking?!"

We had a weekend training class for our adoptive couples, so I went all day today. During one break out session, the topic was "Raising Adopted Children." Three lovely ladies did a great job presenting the material, but there was time left over, so the floor was opened for questions. Someone asked about what it is like to have adopted children and biological children and how the relationships might differ.

Ensue awkward silence. No one had anything to say. Awkward enough, apparently, that I felt myself propelling out of my seat to say something. (oh man, laughing just typing this!)

I started crying before I even spoke. Then, my blubbering mess of a self talked about how I had fallen in love with MF before I ever had biological children and then something about how when I had Hallie I recognized that the love for each was the same. I was "ugly crying" pretty much the whole time I was up there- about two minutes- and the blank stares in the audience told me that they were unclear on what the heck I was talking about. I think I made sense, kind of. I think I explained that we are adopting this child from a foreign land and that I have biological children so it sort of was an answer to the question, but one can't be sure. I thought it tied back to the topic, but maybe not.

It's the crying that is embarrassing. Not just little sniffles, I was full on crying. Snot and all. Awww, man. And these people are supposed to think I am a professional. I bet those that are on my caseload are all feeling like the drew the short end of the stick with me- a worker who can't even hold herself together? Yikes.

At least I can (kind of) laugh now about it, right? I have had worse "I'm a fool!" experiences, afterall.

P.S. for those who read my Tales of an Adoption Caseworker blog, two new posts there tonight too! I know, it's been months, but I am on a roll! I've had a bit of a stressful week and blogging helps me de-stress and process things at the same time. Bonus.

Some more thoughts. AND an awesome video.

I love this video. I have watched in numerous times and feel the Spirit of Christ-like love that this young boy has for someone who may not be "like" him.

Watching this always reminds me of MF. She has cerebral palsy, although a milder version. In the latest pictures that I have received of her, she is in a wheelchair and has braces on her legs. While I knew that she did not walk well, it made it more real to see these pictures of her. I know she will need constant care, but as each day goes by, I get more and more anxious to bring her home.

I hope that she is blessed with people in her life that will be able to see past her differences and love her for who she is, like Spencer in this video.

I look back on my own life and hope and pray that I wasn't an additional burden to those around me who were suffering alone because they were different. There is one boy in particular I remember who went to Elementary School, Junior High, and High School with me who was developmentally delayed. Most kids just stayed away from him, though some were mean and teased him. I was one who just stayed away. I really regret this now. Why couldn't I have shown him more love? Why couldn't I have been his friend? The image I have of him in my mind's eye is him sitting in a corner, always alone. No one deserves that.

A few people have asked how I feel our children will do having a sister who is developmentally delayed and how it will affect them. I hope that they learn love, compassion, and service. I hope that MF will feel that she always has a friend in each of them. I hope that they will be the ones to stand up for her when others may be mean or tease her because she is different. I hope they will be her advocates, her champions, her support. I can only see having her in our family as a large positive for them and their outlook on others who are not like them, whether that be someone of a different race, someone who speaks another language, or someone who is disabled in some way. I don't want them to be like I was- ignoring others around them because they don't know what else to do. I want them to be friends to the loners. Friends to the disabled. Friends to those that no one else wants to befriend.

The world needs more people like Spencer. I want to be one of them. I want my children to be some of them as well.

Oh Summer, Summer

Hallie and Devin enjoying some Seven Peaks time

I finally feel like summer is in full swing around here! It is my favorite time of the year and it seems like this year it has been a long time in coming since the weather has been playing tricks with our minds.

Today, Hallie, Jace and I took a walk to the library and back (about a 4 mile journey- it took about an hour) and it was nice to just bask in the sun. Don't ask about my sunburned skin. That's just a staple of summer for me.

We stopped on the way home to get some slurpees, which (along with sno-cones) are also a big must for summer. Hallie didn't quite get what it was...but that was basically my fault because I told her that we would get something like ice cream after the library. After she finished her slurpee, she said "Where is my ice cream?" and then when I put her down for Quiet Time, she said, "And I will get my ice cream when I wake up from quiet time??" Haha, poor thing.

We also have season passes to Seven Peaks, a local water park. We have decided that we will go every Tuesday evening. We have been the last two from about 6:30 pm until 8 when they close and that has been perfect. The crowds die down by that point and its not boiling hot anymore. Hals is a super dare devil in the water, which scares me a bit, but hey, she has fun! She was going down a slide tube with Devin and then decided she wanted to go on her own. Yikes. She did fine, but I about had a heart attack when she got shot out and went under the water for a bit. I'm just a paranoid mom, what can I say?

Swimming, Slurpees, long walks in the sun. Oh summer. It's about time!

What are your favorite things about summer?

Hallie-isms

It's high time for another Hallie-isms post, right? She says and does so many funny things, it is hard to keep up, but here are some of the most recent ones:

*During "quiet time", she kept yelling from behind her door "Mom, get me out of here! Mom, GET ME OUT OF HERE!" When I did go to open the door for her, she had locked it from the inside so that I couldn't. But my attempt to open it sent her into a fit of laughter, so all I could hear from the other side of the door was this cackling, "I got you" laughter. Good one, Hals, good one.

*Also a frequent "quiet time" and bedtime refrain is "I need to go potty!" so that we will get her out of her room. I usually ask, "Do you really need to go, or are you just saying that?" And she will respond, "I just saying that." At least she is honest, right?

*One day, we had the following conversation:

Hallie: What are you doing?
Me: Mopping the floor.

Hallie: I'll sit on the couch then.

Me: How come?

Hallie: Because I'm scared of the mopper! (like, duh)

Me: Why?

Hallie: Because it will get me! (I guess it is time I stop allowing the "mopper" to "get her", eh?)

*Since she has seen three of her cousins get baptized recently, she is really on the theme of baptism. She asks every day if she can get baptized. Then I explain to her that she will when she turns eight. This makes her really excited, though she doesn't get that she won't be eight for six more years. haha. She likes to say that her daddy will baptize her and that she will have bare feet.

*One night I was trying to get her to brush her teeth before bed. Her response? "I just brushed my teeth yesterday!" My point exactly.

*One night at dinner:

Me: Do you want some more green beans?

Hallie: No, I already got some tons. No, TWO tons.

*When talking about MF one day: "I will carry her around the house! She can wear the circle dress and I can wear the flower dress!"

*I was wearing my Relay for Life t-shirt one day, which has a picture of Chris. Hallie looked at it and said, "mom! it's Uncle Chris. He's not scared!" (Can you tell a 'scared' theme going on??)

*One morning she was twirling around and pretending, so I asked her what she was doing. She responded, "making oatmeal for the Beast!" then, "I'll bring Belle upstairs. She is downstairs picking flowers." (love the imagination going on in that head!)

*One day, pretending to talk on my phone, I asked her who she was talking to. She replied, "Jen. She is asking me if I want presents."

Me: "What did you say?"

Hallie: "I said, Thanks for the presents!" then, "Let's call Steve, too."

Run, Kim, Run!

"In running, it doesn't matter whether you come in first, in the middle of the pack, or last. You can say, 'I have finished.' There is a lot of satisfaction in that." -Fred Lebow, New York City Marathon co-founder

I can definitely say I will never come first in running. My question is...how do people enjoy this so much!?

I am up to running 2 miles at a time. Now, I know that most of you are probably scoffing at that, but let me tell you- I finish beet red, panting, and feeling as if I am going to die. Not pretty sight, for sure.

I am starting to like running a little bit better, but that's usually only after I am done. While I am running is a different story. While I run, I am usually cursing Camille and Kylee with everything I have. :) Just kidding...sort of.

I have a handy dandy app on my phone that tells me how far I am going, shows the gps map, tells my speed, and counts calories. That has been fun because it motivates me to do better than I did the last time. However, I am still not good by any means. One mile usually takes me 10-11 minutes. Maybe one day I will get faster, but right now I am just concentrating on the achievement of making it!

I also just got my first pair of running shoes, EVER. Yeah, they are a big help. I was just running in my old tennis shoes before and I could certainly feel it. These make it a lot easier to run. Funny how that works, right?

Well, if anything, at least these two look cute when we go for runs....

So- you runners out there, how do you do it!? What keeps you motivated? What do you think about/do when you run? Music? I haven't tried that yet, though maybe I will!

Send your help my way! Heaven knows I certainly need it!

friends, zoos, and lots of babies

Last weekend I got to spend some quality time with two of my best friends from high school-Kylee and Heidi, along with their families. Friday night we chatted from like 3 pm until midnight. Sometimes you just need some girl time and let me tell you, it was amazing.

We were some funny funny children back in the day (maybe still are?) and we had a ton of random adventures in high school that it was fun to reminisce and laugh about. Hey, when you don't drink or party and you live in a small area, you make your own fun. Believe me, we did. One of our other friends started an email chain this week about some of our random adventures and reliving some of the memories- and let me just tell you, I have not laughed so hard in a LONG, LONG time. I laughed so hard I had tears streaming down my face at times. I would share some memories here, but I don't want anyone to think less of me... haha, no really no one would get our inside jokes and would probably think we are rather stupid. Oh well. Another time.

Saturday, Hides, Ky, and I loaded up the families and went to the Zoo. Whoever thought that was a good idea on Memorial Day Weekend (cough. cough. Kylee. Okay, me) wasn't the most brilliant. It was packed! Oh well, it turned out to be a really fun time. The weather was perfect most of the day, which was extra great.

Here is the whole crew of us- Seth, Jayda, Kylee, Devin, (Jace in the stroller), Hallie, me, Jerika, Vance, Heidi, (Cosette in the stroller).

Fake ponies. Awesome. Also awesome were the fake dinosaurs around the park- apparently the theme this year? Some even spit water and growled at us. Rude.

Hallie is kind of scared of animals generally, but she liked most of the ones at the zoo because they are caged and kept their distance. Looks like she is about the size of a small chimp, according to this chart.
My favorite animals were the elephants, especially cute baby Zuri.
Little Miss Cosette. She is so squishy and adorable! She and Jace are about one month apart. It looks like the trend continues for us to have abnormally large children, eh?

These two are about two months apart. They were really funny to watch and to listen to. They enjoyed watching some people feed a giraffe (apparently they paid $40 to feed them a few pieces of bread. Totally not worth it if you ask me!). Jerika also loved pushing Hallie around in her stroller. Good times for two year olds!

Nothing beats good times with old friends and that weekend was much needed for me!

Oh for handsome- he's 3 months old!

Jace is 3 months old today! Since 3 monthers don't do all that much, here are a lot of pictures, plus a few facts about him. I am glad I kept these posts for Hallie so that I can go back and see what she was up to and what she looked like at the same age. It has been fun for me. So, without further ado, enjoy some Jacer:
*No stats this month since we don't go back to the doctor until 4 months. But, I am guessing he is around 13 pounds and SUPER long. Is that even a question?

*Hallie still believes herself to be his little mother. When he cries, she always yells, "Oh Jacer, it's okay buddy!!" or something like that.
*His favorite toy is still the bouncy chair (what would be do without that thing?!) but he does also like the swing for a minute. He is starting to really enjoy his play mat- pictures below of that.
*Jace is a good sleeper and a good eater. He has been sleeping from 7 pm until 7 or 8 am the last little while. He sometimes wakes up about 2 am but we just put his binky back in his mouth and he goes back to sleep. He eats 7-8 ounces at a time and has had that much since he was about a month old. I am excited to start solids in a month or so, I think he will be more than ready.

*Jace is starting to love to kick like a mad man. Lay him on the floor, on his mat, or on a bed, and he kicks like crazy. It is fun to watch.
*He also is pro at grabbing items now. He used to just stare at his toys, then bat at them, and now he just grabs them like its no big deal. Amazing to watch babies develop!
*He is not a cuddler. I wish he was, but he prefers to hold his head up and look around versus giving hugs and cuddles. Poo.

* We just busted out the 3-6 month clothes, though he does still fit into some 3 month stuff as well. It's mostly a length problem versus a weight problem.


* I still can't get over how handsome he is sometimes. Particularly since his parents aren't all that attractive, except for Devin. He sure is a cute boy.
* I love when I go get him in the morning or after a nap and he is grinning like crazy. I tried to get a picture, but of course as soon as the camera comes out, he stops smiling. How do kids learn that this early???
*He is overall a more serious child than Hallie ever was. I can tell that already. He has a more calm and easy going temperament, which is great. Two Hallie's would be a little out of control, let's be honest!

Happy 3 months to us, since we are the blessed ones for being able to have such a sweet and loving boy in our lives. It's amazing how much fun these babies are and how much joy they bring.