Back to School!

This summer went by incredibly quick, and it's hard to believe that the girls are back in school. They had their first day last week and did really well. These pictures are especially for their daddy who is still travelling on business. We miss him a lot!

When I took the girls to school on Thursday morning, I got them all settled in their lines. They were both a little nervous, but mostly excited. Then I had a moment of sadness just knowing that now they are going to be away from me during the day again. Because we travelled so much this summer, I really got used to having them around, and I am really going to miss them. I even had a few tears...until the fussing and whining from the 2 children in the stroller snapped me back to reality! It willl be nice to get some cleaning done and some projects finished. But it's always hard to say good-bye to carefree summer days, especially this year.

On to Utah

After our fun-filled week in Colorado, we still had our time in Utah to look forward too. We had such a good time and were able to do so many things. Of course, there are always more things to do and people to see than there is time...but I'm glad for all that we accomplished and experienced. Some of my favorites:

-Driving through Springville and Mapleton with the kids- showing them where Daddy and I first lived and where Mom first taught school and first met Grandma Patsy- such happy memories

-Getting to spend an additional week with Katy- it's no secret that she is one of my favorite people and Sutton is just an added bonus!

-Remodel adventures- Dad's house is in the middle of a major makeover so we were mostly forced to stay in the basement but everyone made the best of it- of course, we made friends with all the workers and loved to watch their progress- the girls are still talking about "Brent". I learned that you can make almost anything in the microwave (even scrambled eggs) and we loved eating on the deck.

-Going to the Bean museum, eating at the Cougareat and telling the girls all about college- loved my years at the Y, such a great time of life.

-The girls loved "helping" Grandma at her school. They also loved Hogi-Yogi ice cream- Ashton asks for it every time we visit Utah.

-Being able to shop at the Church Distribution- the girls thought it was such a treat to be able to pick out church pictures.

-Going to Helper- cleaning out Gram's pantry, waiting for the rain to stop so we could go swimming, hanging out with the Mascaro's- I love them so much for how they are taking care of Gram. It was hard to see Gram aging, but I am so glad we got to be with her.

-Getting the grandkids pictures taken at Target- what a project with 7 kids and 3 babies. I'm glad we did it though!

-Eating at Robintino's with Nick's family- I love that restaurant so much and his family is first class in every way.

-Van shopping all over Utah- by myself!! Finally finding the right van for us and knowing it was the right van when we ate Crown Burgers in it! Thanks again to my "cousin" Ernie for watching my girls ALL day long!

-Pioneer Day Parade in Dad and Pat's neighborhood and fabulous ward breakfast- I loved being able to celebrate pioneer day, especially in such a gorgeous setting.

-Going to Toy Story 3 with Grandpa Kirk

-Visiting the Bountiful 14th ward- truly one of the places on this earth where I feel the most at home, such incredible people. When I am there I feel close to my mom and to my roots. It was neat to be able to have the girls attend primary in the same room where I did so many years ago. Getting a flat tire after church wasn't so great, but having time to spend with the Becks was priceless. So thankful for their kindness.

-Girls trip to Dollar Store with Grandma- they each came home with many "treasures" including their glasses

-One of my favorite days of the trip was my day out with Pat. I love spending time with her. We ate at the California Pizza Kitchen and then birthday shopped at Down East Basics and Tai Pan Trading. Seriously, what could be better? The kids had a great time with Jenna, a girl from Pat's ward- she played right along with the kids and they loved it.

-Visiting Grandma Mary- that woman is timeless and elegant as ever. I wish we lived closer. She is still sewing and creating beautiful quilts every day.

-BYU Creamery- especially when surrounded by tons of hyper EFY teenagers!

-Gateway Mall and museum with Mel and girls- days like this make me want to laugh and cry. Laugh because we have so much fun together and it's almost perfect, cry because those days are so rare and precious because we are so far apart.

-Picking Tod up from the airport- even though it hadn't been very long, we were all so excited to see him

-Eating at Brick Oven (lots of memories there) and playing mini golf at Cascade- hands down the best landscapped mini golf course ever.

-Running errands alone with my dad- some things never change, I still love spending one-on-one time with him- such a rare event!

-Seven Peaks as a family on our last evening there- it was amazing to be playing at the waterpark and be surrounded by gorgeous mountains. My dad tended Cole and so it was a real treat to just go as the 5 of us. It was a blast.

We left Utah early on a Saturday morning. I had a really hard time saying good-bye to Dad and Pat and as we pulled away with the sun just peaking over the mountains, I was crying like a baby. I love Iowa and it is my family's home in every way, but Utah will always be my home. I'm so glad that we got the chance to visit and make memories and spend time with those that we really love so much.

Breckenridge 2010

Some experiences are just too incredible to put into words...so it is with our Anderson-Harris family reunion a couple of weeks ago in Breckenridge, Colorado.

The scenery and setting was breathtaking. The weather was divine and the company was great. All of my siblings, spouses and children were there. Three of Pat's four children and families were there (we missed the Days and Uncle Nate!). It was so fun to be together and just enjoy what felt like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity (hopefully there will be more!) The entire week I would just find myself stopping, breathing and trying to soak in the moments. We have lived so far away from family that to be together felt very special. I was clinging to every minute I could spend with those I love so much.

Some of the things to remember:

-Staying in Ogallala, Nebraska with the Evensens at a less than comfortable Comfort Inn!

-Being greeted upon arrival at the condo by Dad and Pat- love them so much!

-Going to church in Frisco- we were late and they had to open the overflow to accomodate all of us- it was quite an entry!

-riding the Gondola (numerous times!) and the smelly bus to Peak 8

-Eating dinner all together- poolside, room 222, the park or the day-use room

-Talking until way to0 late with my sisssies- eating all of Kate and Jaden's popcorn (sorry girlies!) and watching "Don" play billiards

-Getting pedicures with the gals

-Swimming, swimming and more swimming (even when Uncle Nick challenged Ashton to explore the foreign substance in the pool!) Also, Mel and Jeremy proved to be very talented in various pool stunts!

-Family group photos- somehow, we made it happen!

-Celebrating Dad and Pat's 60th birthdays

-Amazing group hike and seeing all the children wade out to Grandma Patsy who was waiting on an island in the middle of the lake

-Getting up close and personal with a moose

-Uncle Kyle's Indian story and ensuing treasure hunt- the story stayed with Jordan for the rest of the trip!

-Going "jogging" with Katy- if you could even call it that, I was seriously gasping for air at that elevation

-Serious crafting time and story time- pet rocks ROCK!

-The play production that featured costumes, memorized lines and a real tepee

-Talent show fun- Singing, interior decorating, reading, dancing, acting, gymnastics and push-ups- just to name a few!

-Riding the shuttle to the city park- all in matching shirts- we were that obnoxious family you always see on vacation and are so annoyed by

-Delicious breakfast at McDonald's (in Wal-mart, no less!) with the Andersons- it really was so yummy!

-Group Date to Kenosha's Steakhouse- Emily was a good sport and went "stag"...we loved having her. Grandpa and Grandma bravely took on tending 14 children by themselves in room 222- they did a smashing good job, too.

-Grandma's service project- we compiled humanitarian kits for other countries

All in all it was so much fun and so very memorable. Thanks Dad and Pat for making it all happen. After a week of adventure, Tod headed back to Iowa with Tricia and I drove onto Utah with my kiddos. The drive home featured being momentarily stranded near Green River in 103 degree heat while waiting for an accident to be cleared away. We made the best of it and Ashton learned the power of a positive attitude from Grandma Patsy. We then spent the next 2 weeks in Utah and had more adventures and more fun...but that's a post for another day!

Dad's Day

I wanted to write down a few thoughts about Father's Day. First, Tod is such a wonderful dad to his three girls and his boy. They simply adore him. On Sunday at church, Ashton filled out a questionnaire about her dad. They had to write in what they thought their dad would say...and she was spot on putting down that his favorite ice cream is mint chocolate chip and his favorite sports team is the Cardinals. There were 2 questions that were so profound to me. One was What has been his happiest moment? Her answer: When he got married. The other question was What does he enjoy most in life? Her answer: His family. To me, there could not have been a greater tribute to Tod than that. And it's true (especially the one about marriage, right???) The kids know their Daddy loves them and finds great happiness in them.

I also wanted to write about my dad. I always think about how incredible he is, but these thoughts have been especially prevalent since he visited for Asthon's baptism. In fact, after our weekend together as he got ready to leave, I followed him out to the car and literally felt like holding on to his leg and crying for him not to go. It was like I had reverted 30 years. I just love to be around him. I love how patient, kind and loving he is. I love that he is stable and strong and someone to count on. I always know where I stand with him. Another thing is that my dad can fix anything. I'm not just talking about things that are broken (although he is great at that too!), but he just has this knack for making things be all right. Plus, he is great at thinking up solutions. Last week, I called him in a panic on Regan's birthday. I had about 10 things going on at the same time, and the cake I was making was a disaster. I had only baked one cake mix when I really needed 2 to make the cake tall enough for the Barbie doll. I took a deep breathe and knew there was one guy who would have the answer. Sure enough, my dad was at work but was able to direct me over the phone to find an empty can, cut a cardboard circle with a hole in it, place the cake on the can and then guide the doll through the cake. Impressive. I could just picture Dad at his desk possibly making a little sketch as he instructed me on what to do. Whenever I look at this picture of the cake, I just smile. I am so lucky to have a Dad like him. He has always taken time for me, and he is someone who I greatly admire.

Summer: Weeks 1 and 2

Summer is zipping by and I wanted to record a few of the things that we have been doing. First, my motto this year has been, "Work first and then play!" I didn't want to make things too complicated so I am just having the older girls do 4 things each morning- chores, practice piano, reading, and writing (can be anything from an email to a list to a thank you note, etc.) Also, in my parenting, I am trying to say "yes" more often and save the "no" for when it is really important and not just inconvenient! Some days are better than others! So here's some of the happenings:

Gymnastics- The girls have been taking gymnastics since May and have loved it. They took it in Texas and really did well. For some reason, I had been dragging my feet on it here, but this summer they are going twice a week and really progressing. I'm glad to see them back in it.

Softball and More Softball: We have at least 4 games a week! Ouch. Good thing the season is short. Tod is coaching Jordan's team this year in coach pitch. Ashton is in regular softball.

Friends: One of my favorite parts of summer is spending more time with friends. Last week, the H family came over from Des Moines. We loved hanging out with them and eating at Chick-Fil-A. They used to live her and L was one of my first friends when we moved to Iowa. I am still amazed when we are together how much alike we are. We will just be talking and be like, "I do that too!" It's amazing. Now she has 4 adorable boys. You better believe we are all lobbying for some future hook-ups.

Yesterday, I had another sweet treat. The J family drove out from Utah and stopped at our house on their way to visit family in the midwest. M became my best friend in 7th grade and we were college roomies for 3 years. When they called and said they were getting close, I looked around my house and thought how it was actually quite messy. But then I thought, "Wait a second, this girl lived with me for a long time. She knows all my secrets and has seen me at my best and at my worst. I don't need to try and fool her." It was so good to see her and her hubby! Even though a few years had past, it was just like old times. I always been so thankfu for her friendship. She has 5 cute kids and most of them are very similar in age to mine. We had a wonderful afternoon together and can't wait to see them when we go to Utah in a few weeks. So many memories came flooding back.

Then there are our "day-to-day" friends. I love that we have more time to be with them during the summer. We can meet up at the library and go to Sonic. We can run across the street and play in the plastic pool. We can sit on the porch and chat while the kids ride bikes. We can visit during softball games and share snacks and goodies. We can have barbecues and just enjoy the company. The slower pace makes me appreciate having all these great people in my life who love me and my kids.

Vacation Bible School: Last week was VBC at the Lutheran church where the girls have gone to preschool. This was the first year the girls have gone and let me tell you, it was heaven for me and them. I got 3 hours of quiet time each day (with only Cole) and they got to play games, do crafts, have snacks, sing catchy songs and run around with friends. They learned a lot too. I was so impressed by the things they learned about the Bible and about God and His reality in our lives. It was also good for them to see that just because we all go to different churches, we have a lot of the same beliefs. Among all of this, I am teaching group piano lessons which I am really enjoying (picture banging out different rhythms on loud instruments down in the basement) and trying to finish my independent study class.

I love summertime!

Fabulous Four!

Four years ago today, Regan Cynthia came into our family! And what a girl she is- happy, charming, chatty, playful, silly, stubborn, strong-willed and not a sleeper!!! Happy Birthday Rooda! Regan is so excited today- she hasn't really known when her birthday is really coming, especially with all the hub-bub surrounding Ashton's baptism, so this morning she was thrilled to learn that today is the day! Of course, Regan opened her birthday outfit and I let her sneak a peak in my closet at the other wrapped gifts for later. I am going to go and get her some balloons to take when I pick her up from Vacation Bible School. Then tonight, we are off to her favorite place, Chuck E. Cheese!

I love this little lady so much. She has a love for life and is excited about everything. She gives the best hugs and kisses and is always up for some snuggles. In fact, she really makes me feel loved each and every day. This past year, with both of the older girls in school, Regan has been my little side-kick. We do laundry together and cook and clean. She stays right with me and although at times I wish she would go and play, I really wouldn't have it any other way. For being a fussy baby/toddler, Regan has become much more "go with the flow" and is actually very easy. But, watch out! When she turns, she really turns and then you are in it for the long haul because she is my most stubborn child. Regan loves her daddy, her sissies and her baby boy. She also likes dolls, princesses and dress-up. She cannot wait to be in dance class and also LOVES to swim. When I look at this tiny princess, I just feel happy. She brings much joy and love to our family, except when she doesn't, because she is screaming in the garage. Oh well! We love her so much, and she has us all wrapped around her little finger. Happy Birthday Princess!

Ashton's Special Weekend

Last Saturday, Ashton was baptized and became a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. It was such a memorable, wonderful weekend- one of those moments when you wish time would stand still and you could just stop and soak in everything that is happening.

One of the things that made this weekend so neat was being able to share it with so many people that we love. My dad and Pat flew in from Utah, Tod's parents drove up from Missouri and my step-sister and her family came from Ohio. Being surrounded by family was such a treat for all of us.

At Ashton's actual baptism service, I could literally feel the room brimming with love. Many of our closest friends attended which we appreciated so much. They have been like family to us. Jordan said the prayer, the girls and I sang a song and Grandma Patsy and Grandma Cindy gave amazing talks. Ashton was lucky to have her dad be able to baptize her and confirm her. The spirit was incredibly strong and Tod and I both felt so full of love for Ashton and so glad that she made this choice. And although we did encourage her to be baptized, it was her choice. One that I know will bless her forever.

Of course, we bought Ashton a beautiful white dress for the occasion. For her special day, I let her wear my mom's pearl necklace. It is the same one that I wore on my wedding day and I hope each of my daughter's will wear it when they are baptized and married. I told Ashton that now she could have a piece of Grandma Kim with her today, and I could really feel my mom's love and presence througout the day. Throughout Ashton's life, on several occasions, I have felt my mom very near and I do believe that these two have a connection.

This is a time that I look back on with special memories and I hope that Ashton will do the same. Thanks to everyone who supported and helped us.

(Thanks to my friends for taking the pics! Absolutely beautiful.)