Happy Campers

(Beware that reading this may take up too much of your valuable time! It's a bit lengthy.)

I thought I'd write a bit about the fun trip we took over the weekend. It was cold and rainy but that didn't stop us from taking two small kids on a camping trip! I was actually a little worried about it, but the rain cooperated for the most part and we had a great time.

Before the camping began we stopped at a Thomas the Train Festival. The kids both loved it. Luke is a huge Thomas fan, so he was in seventh heaven. We bought him a little train conductor's hat and he looked so cute. It was fun to see him so excited. The train ride itself is not exactly scenic. They take you about 10 minutes each way on tracks that run right behind people's houses. That didn't phase Luke though. He would point and say "look a trampoline" or "there's a river" (actually an irrigation ditch). Seth loved the train ride too. Afterwards we hit the other activities. One of them was a temporary tattoo booth. I kept asking Luke if he wanted one and he would say no. For some reason I kept pressing so after asking a few more times he said, "Fine, I want one." ("Fine" is one of his words right now. I will ask Luke to pick up his toys or something and he'll look at me with a big sigh and say, "fine." Attitude at three!) The tattoos were a hit though. Luke got Harold on his cheek and Seth got Thomas on his hand. Seth's Thomas spanned over his fat wrist wrinkle, so everytime he bent his wrist it cracked into two!



We spent the night at a hotel in Beaver, which is basically like a truck stop, but Luke loved it. He got to swim in the motel pool which was enough for him. He kept asking later in the trip if we could go back to Beaver. We spent the rest of the weekend camping in Bryce Canyon. It was beautiful. The scenery there is truly amazing. Luke liked the orange dirt and "rock doors" we got to go through.

Now I'm digressing a little here, but I must say that our first night there was one of the worst camping nights of my life. Jer is always freezing when camping. We've had numerous experiences with this while backpacking together over the years, yet somehow he never has enough to keep him warm and seems suprised by it. Hmm...On this particular occasion Jer wanted to zip our sleeping bags together for warmth (sure). I agreed although I prefer my own sleeping bag. To make matters worse we shared this giant air mattress with Luke also. In the good old backpacking days we slept on thin air mattresses that were not the most comfy but not too bad. When we're car camping with the kids we take this huge air mattress that inflates to like 1-foot tall. It is a nightmare, in my humble opinion. (Kimberlee--if you're reading this--it reminds me of my grandma's waterbed--so you can feel my pain.) Needless to say I spent the whole night unable to roll out of the hole Jer was creating and with Luke laying on my head on the other side. Luke somehow snores like a 70-year-old man so all in all it was quite unpleasant. Jer and I checked his watch at 3:21 am and could barely believe it. In desparation I suggested Jer drive around in the car for a while. He took me up on it! I actually slept for a few mintues while he was gone and was slightly disappointed when he was back so soon. In a long line of bad camping nights, it was one of the worst ever! The next night Jer and I slept with our sleeping bags apart and Luke was on his own air mattress. Except for the few fights Luke had with his mummy bag during the night it was much better. (Seth slept like a champ in the port-a-crib throughout all of this.)



This was our first hiking trip where Luke had to walk on his own. Seth graduated to the big backpack and Luke had to hit the trail. He did awesome! The first day we did a 3-miler and the second day it was 5-miles! We didn't set any records, but he did it. I carried him for about a half mile the second day. The hike had tons of changes in elevation, including the last 3/4 mile of really steep switchbacks. He was a trooper. I found that he really didn't seem that tired. He just needed something to distract him. Right before we started up the last steep part Luke found a little piece of branch that looked like a gun. He was entertained the whole way up the switchbacks by finding all the bad guys I could see and shooting them. Luke requires specifics, so I had to wrack my brain to think of a long list of bad guys plus tell Luke exactly where they were and if he "got them." I also had to discourage him from shooting his "gun" at the actual people we were passing by. Oh well, whatever works! We had fun and I was so proud of him and his little chicken legs! Seth once again lucked out and got the best seat in the house on Jer's back.




We ended both nights by making smores around the campfire. Luke wanted a story and somehow Jer came up with Hansel and Gretel (which neither of us could really remember. The rest of the trip was full of questions about witches putting kids in their ovens--is that how the story goes? It did in Jer's version. On the way home we bagged all scenic routes and tried to get there as soon as possible. We put off lunch for around 100 miles waiting for a town with a McDonald's. We wanted Luke to be able to burn off a little energy in the playland. We made him eat his lunch by threatening loss of the playland, and so he ate. We could not have built something up more. It was a sad moment when the door to the playland was locked and the McD's employee informed us that it was closed due to threat of rain. I barely dared to look down at Luke. He took the disappointment like a champ though and after a trip to the gas station he happily got back into his carseat (with the blue ring pop he selected in hand). Crisis avoided. Family camping trip ended on a good note.





(Ignore my greasy appearance! I guess that's the price you pay for camping memories.)

Happy Birthday Baby!

Seth turned one last week. Of course he didn't really know it was a special day, but I couldn't stop hugging him and giving him kisses. Luke helped me get ready for Seth's party, and he chose a tiger pattern for Seth's cake. He helped me with the cake and when I was done he promptly informed me that it did not look like a tiger at all. Kids. Brutally honest. Oh well, great cake or not, we had a fun party. All of the kids were running around having fun like it was their birthday. Seth seemed a little bewildered but warmed up to it.




We just got back from such a fun weekend camping with the kids. I know some people don't think camping and fun go together, but it really was great. I'll have to post about that next time after I get my pics on the computer. For now I put together some pics of Seth in honor of his birthday. I spent forever looking back through these pictures of him. It is so amazing how much a baby changes in a year. I know when you're in the middle of sleep deprivation and all the craziness that goes along with a newborn it sometimes seems like forever, but now it is like the days when Seth was just a tiny, cuddly bundle went by in the blink of an eye. I read somewhere that when you're having one of those frustrating mom days you should go in and watch your kids sleep. I've tried it and it's true. They look like little angels, and it reminds me just how lucky I am. I think the same can be said of looking at their sweet baby pictures. So really these pictures are for me but anyone else can enjoy too!

Technical problems: You can minimize the music video with the x, but it still covers up the pics a little. Also, you will probably have to pause the music on the playlist. I'm not very good at this. This song was on a video that Seth's birthparents made for him. When I listen to the words it means a lot to me both from their perspective and from ours. I'm not a huge country fan, but I love this song now because it reminds me of Seth.

Good Times

This post is just a random collection of what we've been doing the last few weeks. The weather has finally been nice and the boys are out playing hard each day. I think Luke will miss our big dirt pile when we eventually get our yard in. I can't believe how fast they are growing up. Seth will be one tomorrow! Today Luke informed me that if I fell out of the car (doesn't seem like a likely scenario) he would jump over and grab me by the head to save me. In this story Seth was also saved--by a belly grab. Sounds a little painful, but it's nice to know he wants to keep us around. Yesterday Luke mentioned that he hated something, and I told him that wasn't a nice word to say. So then he looked at me and asked me if I hated that word. Clever.



Luke and Seth both like to play the "pano." Jer swears Seth can play chopsticks. I think Jer listened to music too loud as a kid. Check out that scary piano bench. It was my grandmas. One of these days I'm going to get crafty and reupholster it.



Seth likes to get into my purse any chance he gets.



Ahh...Cool Whip!



Notice the box in the background which was our project this past weekend. We have been wanting for quite a while to put up a swingset and finally did it. It came in 7 boxes and about 7,000 pieces. Jer and my dad did most of the work while I was a nazi with the directions. We finished most of it in one long day on Saturday. The model we were going to get was out of stock, so we got the next model up for the same price. Jer is about ready to kick the tube slide to the curb. We may have that up soon if he doesn't smash it into a million little pieces. Luke "helped" and has been so excited about it. On Sunday night we worked on the slide for a minute and Luke helped sort the nuts, bolts, and washers. When he got bored with that he went inside and came back with Oreos and told us there was "plenty for everybody." He sounded like an old lady--okay it sounded like something I would say to him.



Luke plays so hard these days that when he stops for a second he falls asleep. The other night he was nodding off while eating dinner. Good times.

Just Like Grandpa...

Let me just clarify that the reason this picture reminds me of my dad is not because Luke is vacuuming--neither of them are exactly known for that!!! The "Steveism" exhibited here is the tongue. My dad is known for sticking his tongue out while concentrating on just about anything, and I've noticed Luke does it quite a bit too. I actually think Luke and my dad have quite a bit in common in terms of their looks and personalities--both can be a little grumpy but we love them so much anyway! Really my dad is a great guy. He's so supportive and I love him a lot. He always has good advice. He is also annoyingly well-read--he's the guy you want on your team for Trivial Pursuit. He's almost impossible to prove wrong--I've done that once or twice in my life--sweet victory. Love you dad!

Luke was tagged by his cousin Jaxon, so here are five things about Luke you may or may not know:
**Luke loves learning about animals. Just this morning he informed me that some turtles have beaks--it's true, and I'm not sure where he learned it. His favorite animal is the tiger. He acts like a tiger, ferocious roar and all, quite a bit. He says I'm the mommy tiger, Jer is daddy tiger, he's kid tiger, and Seth of course is baby tiger.
**Luke loves to play ball. He loved throwing a ball even as a little baby. Right now kicking is his favorite thing, and he will kick the ball back and forth for hours if you will do it with him.
**Luke is a great big brother. Although he likes to wrestle and be rough with Seth, he is always telling him how much he loves him and always sticks up for Seth when his friends are sick of him getting into everything. He always says he loves Seth's "soft cheeks" and calls him his "baby friend."
**Luke is hilarious. He has his dad's sense of humor and can be very funny. He imitates voices and copies all of the phrases his dad uses: "snap, that's just the way I roll, broseph"...the list goes on.
**Luke is very sweet, but he's got a mind of his own. Watch out if he's set on doing something (or not). I wonder where he gets that from?

Luke tags Carter, Cole, K'Lee, or anyone else who wants to respond.

Moms

Yesterday I had the best Mother's Day. Just the fact that it was Sunday and we got to spend all day as a family was great. My boys (that includes Jer) surprised me with a little present Sunday morning. It's the neatest necklace. Luke also re-gave me the present he made at preschool. He said he painted on a "thing he doesn't know what it's called" (a.k.a. flowerpot) for me. As Luke and Seth helped me with my card, and I had my whole family within hugging distance I was reminded how it's not really the things that matter. The presents were sweet but just being married to Jer and having my two cute boys is present enough.



We went to my cousin's mission farewell and hearing him talk about how much he appreciates his mom and how she has helped him get to where he's at really made me fast forward for a minute to when my boys will be nineteen and leaving on missions. I sure hope I make the same kind of impression on them. I also got to see both my mom and Jer's mom and feel so lucky to have them both in my life. They are amazing moms and grandmas.



I have been thinking a lot lately about my sweet Seth and his birth parents. The last few weeks have brought some really important anniversaries in our adoption journey. At the end of April of last year we heard for the first time that Seth's birth parents were considering our family to place Seth with. Needless to say it was hard to think of anything else for the next week until we got to meet them in person. We met them for the first time on May 3rd of last year. They told us later that day that they had chosen us. That was one of the scariest, happiest, most exciting, and most emotional days of my life.

With Mother's Day and Seth's birthday approaching I have thought an extra lot about his birth mom lately. I am thankful for her everyday and the choice she made to let me be Seth's mom. She is such an amazing person and I have learned a lot from her about faith, sacrifice, love, prayer...you name it. The day Seth was placed with us was one of the most bittersweet days of my life. I literally ached and was torn up inside about what she was going through and at the same time I was overjoyed that we had a baby. A year later I still feel very emotional about it, but I also know that everyone involved is happy with the decision. I can't really remember life without Seth. I feel he was always meant to be a part of our family. I find myself in some weird way being grateful for infertility because that lead us to adoption and Seth. My life has forever been changed in the most amazing way possible by her decision. She is going on to do great things in her life like graduating from college this past week. I am so proud of her. So Happy Mother's Day to all the moms in my life.

Random Thoughts and Book Tag

I have been totally unproductive today, but I figure that's okay once in a while. I took care of the kids and hung out with the fam, but usually when they're occupied I do "stuff." Not today. My house is kind of a mess but when Jer and Luke were gone and Seth was sleeping I totally wasted time.

I decided that I'd had it with the lack of music on my iPod and spent quite a while downloading songs and creating a playlist for myself. It really was kind of a necessity. Jer got me an iPod nano for Christmas and I still hadn't put many songs on it. For a while I only had several "Love and Logic" books on there. Jim Fay is pretty entertaining but not exactly motivating while exercising.

The final straw was a few weeks ago when Jer and I ran in a local 5K. I decided at the last minute to take my iPod. Once I got running I realized that most of the songs on there made me want to pull off the side of the road and take a nap. The only songs I had that were the least bit energizing (this is really sad) were Justin Timberlake "Bringing Sexy Back" and Eminem "Lose Yourself." (Quick disclaimer: they were both the clean versions and those are the only songs I own by either of those artists. Not my normal taste in music.) Needless to say when I was rolling across the finish line listening to Eminem singing about 'vomit on his sweater" for like the third time I decided something needed to be done. I have several upcoming running/biking things I'm training for (or should be) and I needed a decent exercise mix. So I guess that big story was to justify the time I spent this afternoon making a regular listening playlist and an exercise playlist for myself. Goodbye Eminem.

Now on to the book tag. Jami sent this to me forever ago and I kind of forgot and then went on vacation. Kimberlee and Mandy have also tagged me with other things which I promise I'll get to one of these days!
Here are the rules:

1. Pick up the nearest book (at least 123 pages).
2. Turn to page 123
3. Find the 5th sentence
4. Post the 5th sentence on your blog
5. Tag 5 people

Now, I'll be honest. I don't even have a book in sight. I had to go back to my nightstand and grab one from my stack of books I might get to someday. I actually did take this book on our trip to Florida though. In fact, on the way there it was in my carry-on. I'm not sure what I was smoking thinking I would have time to dive into a huge novel. It has 973 pages. Yikes! I've heard this is really good though, so one of these days I'll start it. The book is "The Pillars of the Earth" by Ken Follett. By the way -- on the way back this book was safely stowed in my check-in bag where it belonged.

Here's the 5th sentence from page 123.
"So it's just a traveling knight or a tinker every day or two."

What does that mean you ask? I have no clue. I haven't even started the book. I tag Kimberlee, Marie, Nicole, and Kristy.

I'll wrap this up but while I'm on the subject of books, here are a few I've read recently (meaning in the last few years) that I've liked: A Thousand Splendid Suns, The Twilight Series, and most recently The Thirteenth Tale. Any recommendations?

We're Back!!

For those of you who don't know we spent last week at Disney World. That's right -- 6 fun-filled days of pure Disney magic. My husband that swore he would never take his kids to Disney anything had to eat crow and enjoy. We really did have so much fun. That might sound impossible considering we had four children four and under with us, but we had a great time. Jer's parents were awesome and probably need a vacation after this vacation since they were chasing kids as much as we were. Thanks grandma and grandpa!

My worst fears were about the long flight but it actually went pretty well. In fact, on the way back my kids were amazing. Probably due to Seth's exhaustion and Luke's complete interest in his little set of animals from Animal Kingdom. So what if the guy behind him had to return the zebra about 10 times -- it kept him busy!

I'm pretty sure that we hit every kid attraction available at Disney World. We also were able to take turns and do most of the adult rides. Jer just can't get enough of that Tower of Terror. I think my personal favorite was the Expedition Everest ride at Animal Kingdom. Luke and K'Lee got to meet just about every Disney character that exists and get their autographs. Luke burned out on that pretty quick, but K'Lee was a go-getter and filled up her whole book.

I was pleasantly surprised that Luke liked all of the rides. He loved the goofy roller coaster and getting wet on the river rapids ride. The kids took every opportunity to get soaking wet in the fountains that are all over the place. Seth was my super baby and was such a trooper about riding, eating, napping, diaper changing....in his stroller for a week!!!

We had some meltdowns along the way but nothing six adults couldn't handle. We got to experience just about every "potty" in the place, ride every form of public transportation, eat enough chicken nuggets and mac 'n cheese to kill (kids only), and worked our way through a gallon of sunscreen. I wouldn't trade it though. It was so fun to be with family, watch the cousins play together, and see the kids enjoy it like only kids can. I took only my cheesy camera and the quality of my pictures is poor. Fortunately my brother-in-law was well prepared. He brought enough camera/video equipment to capture just about the whole trip in real time. I may post some more pics when I get copies of his stuff. Now I'm off to that mountain of laundry that is waiting for me!


You could have tipped me over with a feather when Luke came back from shopping with grandma and grandpa and had chosen this hat. Really? He was known as "Steamboat Willie" for much of the trip!


Seth and the giant ant.


We just kept them hopped up on sugar.


Hanging with Addison.


Seth was almost always this happy!


Jer and I with a view of Mt. Everest.


Thumbs-up for getting wet.