re-cap

Summer came and went.

I like slow summers. Summers full of otter pops and kids playing in the sprinkler. Maybe some camping and getting together with family, but mostly just hanging out at home.

This was NOT one of those summers.


Job interviews: We went to two. One in Northern California; one in Idaho. Both were delightful experiences.

Family Weddings: Dave had four nieces/nephews get married this summer. We attended two of the weddings and one of the other receptions. So, that was busy. They all looked so happy and it was wonderful to live close enough to attend.

Boise: Dave worked three straight weeks of the night shift which is basically the worst. We don't see him at all. Even his one day off a week he sleeps all day and then stays awake all night. Plus keeping all four kids quiet requires me to be much more helicopter-y than I am comfortable with. So the kids and I packed up and headed to Boise to be with my sister. It was a delightful, though short, visit. It is awesome that Dave's family lives half way there because it makes for a convenient stop along the way.

Logan: The last week of summer vacation I went up to Cache Valley and convinced my sister to play hookie from her job to hang out at the lake. Perfect ending.

We (minus Dave) also went to my Mom's family reunion, which was quite delightful and Ana got to spend a few days at Grandma's house all by herself, which made her feel quite grown up and also homesick.


Now school has started. Katie was so excited for the first day and it did not disappoint. ("It was the perfect first day!") Jack was nervous, but his teacher is good so far and he likes it. Plus his best friend is in his class, so that helps a ton.

Ana and I are beginning home school. Everyone said to spend time "deschooling" and so we have spent the first week taking it slow. Baking, shopping, cleaning, reading, playing (educational) games, and getting lots of physical activity. I am kind of making it up as I go along. I do have a list of the standards to guide me, but when I looked at curricula nothing felt like the right fit for us. The night before school started when the kids got their back to school blessings, I asked for one too. It brought me a lot of peace and comfort. Ana and I have always butted heads a bit, and that has always made me hesitant to home school her. But I know this is the right thing for us at this time. I don't know if it will be a forever solution or just for right now, but I'm glad that I know this is the right choice. It will help me when things get difficult to know that this is what God wants for us right now. I am confident that it will strengthen our relationship.

So here we go into a new school year. There are things to be nervous about and things to be excited about and even things to be sad about since this is our final year in Utah.

Sometimes I do get nostalgic, especially when I look at pictures of my kids when they were littler, but for the most part, I am always excited to watch my kids grow up. I don't think it's sad and I don't really think "stay my babies forever." I usually think "Grow. Learn. Change. Do Amazing things. Live." A new school year always reminds me that they are doing just that. I'm happy with the people they are becoming.

it's a good time

Summer has arrived.

...sigh of happiness...

I love having the kids home. Pretty much everyone I talk to is all like "I have/want to have a good routine for the summer and the kids will do chores and homework" and I'm all like "yay! no routine! no homework!"

That's how we roll around here. But it's not like they sit around watching TV all day. They have chores (but it's more along the lines of "Ana, go pick up the living room" or "Jack, clean out the dishwasher") and they still read and play and whatnot. I love summer so much, though. Warm weather. Popsicle smiles. Running through the sprinklers. Going on hikes. And sometimes, sitting at home doing nothing.

We've had a pretty exciting summer so far.

*I turned 32.  I like being 32 so far. Actually, I love being in my 30s. I think it is my best decade yet. I actually feel like I totally like who I am. That I have talents and gifts. That I can do good things and make improvements and what not. It's very liberating.

*Jack turned 8 and then got baptized a few days later. It was a fabulous day and so far, I can tell he is taking his new responsibility seriously. Earlier in the year he was really having a heard time and I struggled to know what to do to help him. But he seems to have gotten past whatever it was and he has been wonderful lately. He also went to his first cub scout day camp and had a great time.

*Dave has had an easy schedule this month and it's been great to see him so much.

*We went on a family trip to Northern California to interview for a job there. It's a long story of how and why we ended up interviewing there, and I won't get into the details. But the town was delightful and gorgeous, the people were humble and kind, and in general we left with a very good impression. We still have a few more jobs that we are looking into, but NoCal was fun to explore a bit. It was beautiful. We even took a slight detour off of I-80 to go to Lake Tahoe and we loved every minute of the hour we were there. Okay, I didn't love pulling Charlie away. He was having too much fun throwing rocks in the lake and NOT being in the car. We also swung up to Rupert for a day to visit Dave's parents.

*Charlie is starting to talk more and more. It seems like it has taken him a lot longer than the other kids, but that might just be my imagination. This week along he started saying "some" (when he wants something) and he will sign please. He says "thank you" any time you give him something and it is adorable. He can be a little pill sometimes because he is busy and determined, but he has a charming smile that wins me over every time.

*Ana has been such a delight to have home. She plays with Charlie so much. I don't know what I would do without her. In general she is willing to do what I ask and she is so helpful. I'm going to homeschool her next year and I'm really looking forward to building that relationship.

*Katie is hilarious and as fun as ever. She is so ready for kindergarten. And this week she learned how to do the monkey bars. I am blown away by just how big and grown up she is getting. Today I was talking to her a little bit about being safe and what do if she gets lost, etc. After a few minutes, she said, "Mom, can we stop talking about this. I'm starting to feel a little sad." She has such a tender heart.

I love this life that I have. To quote Andy Dwyer (from Parks and Rec) "My whole life is a giant mess and I love it." That's pretty much how I feel. So if you stop by this summer, you will likely see toys in the yard, crafts of the table, dishes in the sink, and me doing the crossword puzzle while Charlie runs around in a diaper. You are welcome anyway. It's always a good time.

black watch

I love summer.

Our has been wonderfully low-key thus far. Jack turned 7 and finished up baseball. Ana did tennis lessons. The kids have eaten loads of otter pops, set up huge box forts in the backyard, played with neighbor friends. We visited my sister in Boise, too, and that was fun.

I have also tried to encourage a little bit more cooperation and help in the housework, so it hasn't been all fun and games. But mostly fun and games.

For the next few weeks, we will be spending time with my parents before they head to Arizona on their mission.  I love their stories.  Being young in my family and having a horrible memory, I don't remember much until my parents were well into their 40's, so it is a treasure to glimpse them when they were my age. They share little snippets at random times. Nothing formal, but still beautiful.

One story came as we were sorting through bins of fabric. Dresses with patterns pinned on, maybe even cut out. We came across a small piece of plaid fabric and my mom said, "Oh, I am not giving this away" and she handed it to my dad. To me it was just a scrap, so I asked them to tell me the story.

It was about 1975. That year Dad was away from home more than he was in it. He had a quick stop in Scotland, and wondered what he could bring home to Mom as a gift.  A friend suggested he bring her home something that she can sew. He picked out some real Scottish Black Watch Wool. He brought it home and she made a suit out of it. Though she hasn't worn it in years, it still hangs in her closet, and even the scraps still brings a smile on her face.

Just a small thread in a beautiful tapestry. 

last week of summer

With taking the kids out of school early for our move, this summer has been LONG. I am ready for school to start next week.

As this week was approaching I kept vascillating between what kind of a week we were going to have. Was I going to get my nose to the grindstone and have the kids work work work all week to make the house all nice and spotless or was I gonna just relax and let them relax and have fun. My "what good mommy's SHOULD do" radar was telling me to do the first. But my "Erin" radar was telling me the latter. All in all, I decided somewhere in between. We spent yesterday at the zoo and Monday at a park and I think I will take them to a museum this afternoon. But we do need to clean bedrooms first because as it is they won't be able to find anything come the first day of school. Ana, through diligent teethbrushing earned getting her ears pierced. She had been begging and so I figured we could compromise and she could earn it. It does look pretty cute.

On Tuesday Dave got off work early so he could go to my doctor's appointment with me. I ended up waiting for FOREVER because I guess I wasn't checked in, even though I thought I was and so that was a pain. But it was pretty exciting because we found out:

So, that's pretty exciting. I was thinking girl, so I was surprised. It definitely makes the sleeping arrangements easier because Ana was really petitioning to move upstairs with the baby. But now it is settled nicely.

The kids found out who their teachers are for school and are exciting because they each have a good friend in their class. Dave and I were reflecting last night about how blessed we have been to find this neighborhood. When deciding our rank list, I was especially worried about finding a good neighborhood here in Utah that would fit our needs. One of our main concerns was the social aspect for Ana. In Vermont, we did not go to church with even 1 little girl her age. She had great friends at school and church, but we lived so far away from them that it was hard for to really form good friendships. We prayed that we would find some place that had good friends for Ana: kids her age that she could run around with all summer and still see at school and church and have that continuity of friendships. Finding this place has been perfect. The kids in the neighborhood are kind and fun and they want to play with her.  Not all of them go to church and not all of them go to the same school, but they all have welcomed her.  The ward is great. Everyone we talk to really likes the school. Plus it is a short commute for Dave. I know that we could not have found such a perfect place without God's guidance. We were led to it.

We have a few more fun activities planned for the weekend. (Since Dave has the WHOLE WEEKEND OFF! Hooray!) and then school starts and it will just be me and little Katie for a few months before little brother joins us in January. Things have a way of working out just right.

summer wrap up

Man. Summer flew. It always does. And as it was possibly my last summer in Vermont, I am especially sad to see it go. As wonderful as fall is here, sometimes summer gets overlooked, but man is it wonderful here.  I didn't write about half the things we did. Let me explain.

No; there is too much. Let me sum up.

1.) Weekly trips to the beach.

 Photo Credit: my friend Jill

2.) Ana's birthday party

3.) Camping with the Morey's

4.) A visit from my amazing oldest sister and 3 of her beautiful daughters.

5.) Jack learning to ride a bike

6.) Shelburne Museum

7.) Moss Glen Falls with our great friends. 

Not to mention play groups and the farmer's market and the slip n' slide and bike rides and visits to the farm. I'm probably missing something. And tomorrow we are going to the fair.  Perhaps some of these will be expounded upon sometime.  There was also stuff we didn't do that I wanted to: go to a baseball game, go blueberry picking, and camp in Maine.

School starts tomorrow. I think I am ready....

mixed emotions

 1.) Even though it means summer is ending, and I was slightly panicky when I saw them on display at our local (crappy) Wal-Mart, I love buying school supplies. Seriously. My kids' school provides all school supplies except a backpack and lunch box and I still buy loads of crayons, glue, markers and notebooks. I mean, come on, crayons are only 50 cents a box. Notebooks are 17 cents. I love stocking my house full of school supplies.

2.) While we were out running errands the other day, Jack and I picked out some school clothes for him. He is so excited for Kindergarten and asks me almost daily how many weeks until it starts. I can't believe he is starting kindergarten! He and I have always been little buddies and it will be so strange to not have him home. I get weepy just thinking about it.

3.) On the other hand, Jack is so ready to go to Kindergarten. He has always been my little "routine" kid and my fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants style doesn't sit well with him. When he knows his expectations and what comes next he thrives! I am so excited for him to grow and learn. 

4.) Summer is wonderful and beautiful here, and I am not ready for it to be over. I feel frantic about it, quite frankly. I had goals and plans and ideas of how I was going to be the worlds best mommy this summer and I feel like time has slipped through my fingers like sand at the beach. I'm not ready for structure. I'm not ready to send the kids back. I'm not ready for cold weather. I want time to screech to a halt.

5.) On the other hand, maybe a routine is just what I need to kick myself into gear and to finally feel like I have a handle on things.When I get up and get going in the morning I get so much accomplished. I am a much better mother when I am productive. When things have order I am calmer and more likely to sit down and play or read or snuggle my kids.



Time marches on, doesn't it. Excuse me while I go have a panic attack.

lake placid

At the beginning of the summer we made a list of fun things to do this summer. Some of them are little things- like eat a popsicle or go on a bike ride - and some of them are bigger things. A couple weekends ago we crossed one of the bigger things off of our list: a visit to Lake Placid, NY.

We have wanted to go to Lake Placid ever since we moved here. After all, it was home to two Winter Olympic games, including the 1980 "Miracle on Ice", and it is located in the heart of the Adirondack mountains. As it is only a couple hours from here, we decided to make it a day trip.

Our first stop, after lunch of course, was a horse show. We didn't plan this activity, but when we saw it going on, Ana absolutely HAD to go. We watched a jumping competition for a while, then went on our way.

Next stop was the bobsled run. You can pay to go down it, but we were content to watch other people do it. The kids thought this was awesome. 

Next we drove into the town of Lake Placid, parked the car and walked around. Eventually we got into the ice skating rink. There were two rinks: the 1932 arena:

And the 1980 arena: 

While we were there I told the kids the story of the Miracle on Ice. They thought it was pretty cool.

We spent a lot of time just walking around town. It was a bit touristy, but was still fun. I thought this was funny: even though it was the middle of summer, there was snow on the ground in this one spot. I don't know why. 

It was interesting to me how tiny of a town Lake Placid is. It seems that the Olympics always are centered around big cities. I couldn't help but imagine the traffic traveling on those little country roads to get to the Olympics, and wonder where the spectators stayed during that month. I can't imagine such a small place could host the Olympics today. It was pretty amazing to go around a bend on this little highway and see the ski-jump lift rise above the hills high in the air. The Olympic games always fill me with such a thrill; it was fun to get a little taste of it in Lake Placid.

drive-in

A couple weekends ago we were thinking of taking the kids the movies. They had earned it (though I don't remember how) and we all wanted to go. So we decided to head to the Drive-In. The double feature of choice was Monsters University and Iron Man 3. (Both shows were awesome by the way. MU was just as good as the original, I think.) Which brings me to....

Top 8 (because I couldn't come up with 2 more) reasons why going to the Drive-In is my favorite way to watch a movie.

1.) We can take the kids to the theater and watch two new movies for only 20 bucks!

2.) Bring your own snacks. This time we brought homemade popcorn and oreos. Perfect!

3.)The old-timey playground. It had an actual teeter totter and a merry-go-round. What?!?

4.) It's late enough that by the time the kid movie is over, the kids are so tired they just curl up in the back seat and fall asleep, leaving us to watch our movie.

5.) I didn't have to worry so much about keeping Katie quiet. She watched most of the movie, but then got squirmy and tired somewhere in the middle.

6.) Adjustable volume. (I really don't like that the music is so much louder than the dialogue in most movies. I usually keep the volume down and turn on the captions.) (Does that make me sound old?) (I also like game shows.)

7.) Bedtime consists of carrying the kids into their beds. 5 minutes instead of an hour. Yes, please!

8.) It is socially acceptable to curl up in a blanket to watch the movie.  I haven't tried doing that at a regular theater, but I have a feeling it is more on the "unacceptable" side of the spectrum.



After this trip, I now have 3 things on my list of "Things I need in (or within 30 minutes of) the town we live when we grow up and get a real job": a temple, a Target, and a Drive-In theater.

independence

 "In this struggle for freedom, at home and abroad, our greatest weapon, both a sword and a shield will be our love of and faith in God. "

We headed downtown Thursday evening with a cooler of snacks, a blanket and lots of bug spray to  watch the fireworks over Lake Champlain.  It was hot and muggy and there were people everywhere. We found a spot right on the boardwalk and danced to the music as we waited for the sun to set.

Our friends brought glow-sticks for the kids, which they loved, (and which were literally a lifesaver since we lost Katie for about 30 seconds and Ana found her because of her glow-stick necklace). The adults sat talking and laughing and munching.

The fireworks began. Katie was nervous. She liked the lights, but they were too loud. She didn't cry, she just watched with her hands over her ears. She started on my lap, the moved to Daddy's, then finally ended up on our friend Sara's lap next to her best friend Kenzie. I couldn't take my eyes off of Katie's face. At times the fireworks were so bright that her whole face lit up like noon-day.  I hope a love of freedom is always shining out from that little face.

Friday morning we again packed our blanket and bug spray and sunscreen to head out to the parade.  As the parade began, two boy scouts at the front held signs to remind spectators to stand as the American flag progressed down the street. My heart swelled with pride. I was always a little bothered here at how few people stood up when the flag came passed, and it made my heart so happy to see so many people rise to the occasion. (Thank you, Boy Scouts!)

The parade was great. I loved the community bands riding on floats. Jack loved that Captain America was in it the parade and we all loved getting candy and popsicles and stickers. Katie waved to everyone through the whole thing. Several otter-pops later, the parade was over and we packed our things and scurried to our car.

Independence Day is a perfect holiday. It is a celebration without expectation. It is wonderful in its simplicity. Fireworks. A parade. A gathering of friends for hamburgers and homemade ice cream. Katie playing in the mud. (Though that is a daily occurance). The day ended with sparklers and baths.

I am proud to be an American. My heritage is rich with people of faith and perseverance and loyalty to their country. America is a beautiful land full of abundance. It is a land of so much promise. So many times in its history it has been a beacon of liberty and light. I choose to love it. I choose to believe in it. I choose to go forward with optimism. All over the world, there are good, wonderful people. I choose to believe in those people and the force for good they can be all over the world.

"I think it is time we should all awaken. Our concern isn’t about the flames of freedom which burn so brightly in our generation; the concern is that in the upcoming generation the fire has never been kindled. Our youth have never known anything but criticism of the United States of America. We need some faithful, free-loving patriots who will issue forth a clear, loud trumpet call. Remember Paul’s counsel: “For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare … to the battle?” (1 Cor. 14:8.) Freedom ought to ring in the heart of every Latter-day Saint regardless of his country." 

(source for both quotes)

what we do when the weather is good

I. love. summer.   Have I mentioned that before? ;) Summer in Vermont is amazing. Humid, but amazing.

I simply cannot stay inside when there is fun stuff to do outside. Stuff like:

*Family bike rides to the beach. Burlington has a really great bike path down by the lake. We drove to the bike path, rode the path (Jack and Katie in the trailer, Ana on her own bike) for about 3 miles to the a beach, ate a snack and rode back the way we came. Perfect!

*Beach days! We've had 3 so far. Two of them got rained out, but this time Ana caught a butterfly.

*A strawberry festival. We let Ana ride the ponies and she was in Heaven! We also had some fresh strawberry milkshakes and Ana entered a strawberry shortcake eating contest. She didn't win, but she finished it all.

You would think will all this outside time, my house would be spotless, but we are inside just long enough to make a mess, and not long enough to get it cleaned up.

Today we spent the morning outside playing in the kiddie pool. Just after we came inside (because I had neglected my housework long enough), dark clouds rolled in and it started pouring! There was a crash of thunder so loud it shook the house. Crazy weather! (You would think it would cool things off, but it just makes it muggy. )

Life is good.