Last Days of Summer Vacation

As school grew closer, we were counting our remaining precious days of summer.  With Tod being gone, I didn't really have the energy to do anything too extravagant, but I still wanted to make a few more summer memories.  And that is exactly what we did.

On Thursday, we headed to "Unpack Your Backpack" and met some fabulous teachers.  It required some coordination and help from friends to get to 2 different schools in a short amount of time.

Cole has the fabulous Mrs.W for 1st grade.  Regan had her, and we are thrilled to have her again.

And Regan is heading into 3rd grade with Mrs. R.  She is so excited, and we know her teacher will be great!

We rushed home and took Cole and Luke to a friend's house, so we could head over to the middle school for 6th and 8th grade.  Pictures were only allowed at the house before and not actually at the school!!  Haha.  It was a whirlwind of locker opening, schedules, finding rooms, seeing all the new remodeling, greeting old friends, and meeting 14 different teachers!

The next day, Friday, was our last real day of summer vacation....why not a trip to one of our favorite places, Wild Cat Den?  And of course, we had to have some KFC to make the trip complete.  It was a very fun, beautiful evening.

At this point, we were really missing Tod....he had been gone since the beginning of July.  There was the temptation to just exist and not really try to get out, but I just felt so strongly that I needed to carry on and try to really enjoy this time together with my kids. These 5 are my world, and I love being their mama.

And isn't this picture just fitting...ragged jeans and all.  I survived these few months alone!!  It wasn't always pretty but we made it.

As we were driving back home, it was just the most beautiful evening ever.  Iowa is truly breathtaking.

On Saturday, we had some wonderful friends who invited us to join them for a day of camping.  Yes, I said a day of camping.  That is how we roll, and it was perfect.  But first, Ashton had her first soccer game of fall season.  They lost in a close match, but it is already evident that they are much improved from last season.  So proud of her. She was so nervous.  They have been practicing so hard, and it shows.

We then headed out to the campsite (Regan and Jordan had gone out earlier), and were greeted with some fresh, hot Iowa corn.  Delicious.

Then it was time for some fishing.  The kids absolutely loved it.  And Cole even had some success!

I am so thankful for amazing friends...more than ever while Tod was away.  They helped me in so many different ways.  I am always so thankful for patient friends who love my children.  My kids really had such a wonderful night...the perfect end to summer.

One Year Older and Wiser, Too!

In keeping with one of my favorite mantras, I anticipated my birthday this year with very low expectations.  (Some may think it sounds negative to maintain low expectations, but I have found it to be a very effective method for managing some aspects of life!)  So with my low expectations, I was completely surprised and delighted by the festivities surrounding my 39th birthday.  I have this amazing friend and neighbor...and she worked with my kids to make the day very fun and special. She had helped them get some decorations and gifts and plan out an awesome celebration.  I love that she worked with them instead of just planning it herself.  They were so excited and into the whole thing. It just made for a really great day.  Thank you, friend.

With Tod being gone, I knew that I just wanted to have a simple, fun day.  No big plans but just time together.  I woke up to a decorated house and fun birthday atmosphere.  My kids know that I love Hawaii, and so they chose luau themed decor.  Not only had they decorated but had also cleaned up the house the night before which was very sweet.  We had some doughnuts for breakfast and headed to the library (seriously, one of my favorite places!)  Ashton had violin after that, and Cole and I had a lot of fun playing at the playground while we waited for her.  In the afternoon, we were able to skype with Tod.  As we were talking, the doorbell rang...and I received a beautiful bouquet of birthday flowers- gerbera daisies and orange roses...the colors were amazing, and I couldn't stop smiling. Regan had the hardest time understanding how those flowers made it all the way here from Germany! I love that man of mine.

For dinner, we headed to Chili's (one of my top restaurants) and had a birthday meal.  Krystin kept Luke which made for a much more enjoyable, relaxing evening together.  I love my kids, and it was great to be able to take them out for a nice meal.  We had a lot of fun.  They are at some really fun ages.  Of course, we missed Tod so much.

When we got home, the Salazar family joined us for desserts and gifts (again, Krystin had done an awesome job of helping the kids get some presents.)  Cole got me a picture of Tod and I last year in Chicago (he came up with the idea on his own!).

Regan made me some artwork (love her creativity), Jordan got me a long desired new paper cutter, and Ashton got me some of my very favorite sweet treats (which I greatly enjoyed).

Then we dug into some ice cream cake!  About that time, Jackie and Tanner arrived bringing another yummy cake.  I felt very spoiled and loved.  I also loved reading all the birthday facebook messages and emails and talking to Dad and Pat and Katy during the day...and night (a late night birthday call from night owl Mel was the perfect ending to the day!)  It was a sweet, never to be forgotten birthday. For some reason, I don't have a picture with Krystin, but I will certainly always be grateful to her for making this day special.

And now I am 39 years young!  How is that possible?  I certainly don't feel that age most of the time. At one point today, Ashton asked me how it felt to know my life was about half over.  Wow, I had never thought of it that way at all!! Life is so good, and I am so thankful for all the blessings that come along with the challenges. Birthdays often cause me to reflect...I like to think back on happy memories from past days...and future memories to be made.  Is it possible to have a birthday and not think of your mom?  The one who gave you life?  I certainly took some time to reflect on memories of Mama and all that she means to me.  I am so thankful for the family I grew up in...just an amazing life.  And I am so thankful for the family I have now. I love being a wife and a mom.  It is the best.  I have my struggles, but I am comfortable in my own skin and at age 39, I like who I am.  So here is to another great year!!!

A Nauvoo Weekend!

A few weeks ago, we traveled to one of my very favorite places...the little city of Nauvoo.  Ever since my neighbors moved here a few years ago, we have been trying to find a time to go experience Nauvoo together.  Finally, everything fell into place, and we made it happen!  My neighbor Krystin has a friend who has a home in Nauvoo, and she graciously let us use it for the weekend. We had a really great time, and it sure brought back a lot of fun Nauvoo memories for me.  And it was so great to be able to spend time with our friends.  In a few short months, they will be moving...I cannot even really begin to think about that yet...so in the meantime, we are trying to squeeze in as many adventures together as possible!

We left on Friday afternoon and first headed to the Missouri/Iowa border to pick up Ashton from Tod's parents.  She had been with them for 2 weeks, and it was so good to see her and get her back with us again!  My friend Jackie came along with us for the weekend, and it felt like I had a built in nanny.  She was so helpful and with Tod gone, I don't think I could have made the trip without her. When we got to Nauvoo, we had fun exploring the old house and cooking dinner.  The house reminded me so much of my Great Grandma Thelma's house, even down to the slamming back door. We were SO thankful the house had great air conditioning since we were in for the hottest weekend of the summer.  After dinner, we headed to a show, "Sunset by the Mississippi" and Jackie took the older girls to the British Pageant.  It was SO hot and humid but the show was entertaining and fun. Then I took Krystin down Parley Street (the Trail of Hope) which leads to the river and the route the pioneers took when leaving.  The little kids loved playing by the river and throwing rocks in the water and it was a beautiful evening.

The next morning, I found myself outside alone for a few moments.  And I just kept thinking about how much I love Nauvoo and everything I learned while I was there almost 20 years ago when I did my BYU semester.  What a place.  I am so glad to be lucky enough to visit it frequently and take my family along with me.

We enjoyed some breakfast and then took the kids on a oxen ride and to a fun show at the Cultural Hall.  We visited pioneer past times and had some lunch with other members of our stake who had gathered for the day.

This next picture reminds me of how much we miss Tod...this picture just seems incomplete...but we are trying to make the most of his time away by doing fun, memorable things together!

During the afternoon, Jackie took the girls to see more of the historical sites and Krystin took the boys around to different places like the gun shop.  These two are just the best of friends.  Sometimes they fight and argue but after just a few minutes they are back together again.  They are pretty much inseparable.

I got to stay back while the babies napped and enjoy some reading time.  It honestly felt like heaven, just to have some peace and quiet which is so rare at this stage of my life!

After a yummy chicken dinner (it was so fun to be able to cook our own meals at the house), we headed to the Nauvoo pageant.  Before the pageant, they have a carnival that is always such good old-fashioned fun- sack races, handcart pulls, crafts...and this year dancing...the big girls really got into that this year.  A couple of times I glanced over at my girls, dancing with boys, and my heart skipped a beat because it seems like just yesterday, they were little toddlers watching the puppet show there...and now they were dancing.  Time flies.

The pageant itself is always wonderful and such a good reminder of all the pioneers sacrificed to live the Gospel.  It was nice this year to be staying in Nauvoo so that we didn't have to drive home so late.

On Sunday morning, we cleaned up the house and headed home.  We were all exhausted but so thankful for a weekend spend in beautiful Nauvoo!