mr. mom

Dave is an amazing dad. I'm sure I've mentioned that before. Seeing him with my kids melts my heart.

This picture was taken last week at the Boise Zoo.
They were watching penguins swim by.

But its a different experience watching him do everything! I am just sitting on the couch as he does the dishes, changes diapers, cleans up, disciplines, feeds the kids, and still finds time to take them for bike rides and get them ready to play in the pool outside. Phew! Its exhausting just watching him do it all.

Just tonight, I watched him clean up when Ana had an accident in the kitchen, then put her in the bath, scrub the tub when she couldn't quite get out of the tub fast enough to make it on the potty, and put her back in the tub. Upon discovery that Jack had a nasty poopy diaper, he declared with desperation (and a little smile), "I am tired of poop!"

I am bordering somewhere between empathy and laughing at him. (So far the latter is winning, and it really hurts to laugh.) I'm trying -without much success- not to turn this into a "see-what-I-do-all-day" sort of experience, so I help where I can.

He is amazing. And though I know its incredibly cheesy to publicly thank him for all he's done and will still do over the next 10 days (and 10 years), I'm going to anyway.

Thanks, Dave. You Rock!

in which i blog from a hospital bed

Yesterday morning about 10:30 I started feeling some major pain in my abdomen. Dave came home from work, and at about 4:30 our doctor friend came over to check it out.

Appendicitis.

Last night I had surgery. Because I don't have anything else to do before we move in two weeks.

I'm feeling much better this morning, but I will say this much: I don't like surgery. I woke up out anesthesia shivering. I tossed and turned all night. Or at least I would have if my incisions didn't hurt when I moved. (But at least I'm not doubled over in pain when I walk.)

My one consolation: I won't ever have appendicitis again. I'm also very glad that I have so many wonderful friends and family members that are willing to help out. I'm also very glad it was appendicitis and not some other complication from my miscarriage. And I'm glad it happened this week and not two weeks from now.

I guess it could be worse.

my favorite holiday (part 1)

This weekend is my favorite time of the whole year. I love barbecues, fireworks, parades, family and spending time outside. But mostly I love what it stands for.

In my early years my Dad served in the military. We lived back east surrounded by American History, and I loved it. We visited Washington DC, the tomb of the unknown solider, gettysburg, and more. My favorite books from a young age dealt with the Revolutionary War. I soaked it in.

In my heart is a deep love and respect for this country and those who founded it. I believe they were inspired by God. I believe that the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution are akin to Revelation. I believe that miracles happened to bring this country into existence.

When I see our flag waving and listen to "God Bless the USA" or "America, the Beautiful," I get misty-eyed. I am proud to be an American.

I know we have our problems. My heart yearns for us a nation to rise to the greatness that is within us. I hope that good things are in the future.

God Bless America!

my favorite holiday (part 2)

Every year Dave's parents throw a big 4th of July BBQ in their backyard after the town parade.

It just wouldn't seem like summer without it, so this year with them out in the mission field, we decided to host the party.

It was just one long, all day party. The kids fell asleep within minutes of going to bed.

Ana at the parade:

The family hanging out:

My beautiful table decor:


It was so fun to have everyone over! I love Dave's family so much.

i have a list of lists

Dave says I have a "swirly brain."

He, on the other hand, has compartment brain. When he's at work, he is focused on working, and is there 100%. Everything he does has his full attention. I was always amazed at/driven crazy by this in school. When he was home playing with Ana, he was just playing with her - without thinking about homework or church callings or anything else.

By contrast, I have a constant stream of lists in my head. No matter what I am doing, I'm thinking of a million things that I need to do.

I'm sort of in a swirly brain daze today. I have a bbq to plan, a funeral to help with (for the 3rd weekend in a row) and we're moving in less than 3 weeks! My brain is swirling.

A lot of times it's a little paralyzing. Which is why it's after noon and I'm still in my pjs and breakfast is still on the table.

So I make lists. I have a grocery list, a shopping list, a list of things we want to take with us on our drive, a cleaning list, a phone call list, a list of things we need to get rid of, a list of things we want to do again before we leave. I also need a haircut - before I do something drastic.

Its the only way to get my swirly brain to get on track.

First on my list: take a shower.

in love

This little boy has me wrapped around his finger.

Tonight while I was laying next to him in bed, he reached out and held my hand. Then we laid facing each other. Every time I'd smile at him his eyes would light up and he'd get this big ol' grin on his face like he was the happiest boy in the world. And in the moment I was the happiest mommy in the world.



(his cousin Paisley loves him too.)


And today I realized that I really do love my husband more than the day we got married. I've wondered about sometimes when I was annoyed at some little thing or we were disagreeing about some big thing. But today I realized that our love is strong enough to withstand annoyances and disagreements. I still love being with him. I miss him when he's gone. I am so excited to start a new adventure in our lives together.


Today I also realized that Ana is a good friend. She is kind. She is willing to share. She is willing to give up what she wants (like a pink popsicle) so someone else can be happy. That is awesome!

I'm totally in love with my family.

and i sound just like my mother

Ana loves gum.

I started keeping gum around when I outlawed fruit snacks due to the rotting teeth thing. So in the afternoon when her bored self wanders into the kitchen even though she's not really hungry, I started giving her fruity flavored trident. And boy is it a hit!

It keeps her happy in the car, in the store, and at home.

Lately she's been telling me (and her brother Jack) "If we swallow it, then we become magic."

I have no response to that.

And I'll admit, I have been known to say "keep that gum in your mouth or I'll throw it away."

a driving lesson

I don't profess to be an excellent driver. I realize that I am easily distracted and reactionary.

Dave however, is an excellent driver. He grew up around cars and driving. He's very observant and is always aware of his surroundings. I always feel safe with him in the drivers seat. He almost always drives when we are together. Due to his exceptional abilities behind the wheel, he gets frustrated with other drivers. Some of these frustrations have rubbed off on me.

So today we are going to have a driving lesson. Title:

Giving up the right of way is not "nice." It is usually annoying and sometimes dangerous.

This week in town they have been repainting the crosswalks on the road. Usually they paint half of it, block off that half for a while so it can dry, then they do the other half. This usually means some interesting maneuverings around the cones. At one such intersection, I was stopped at a stop sign; it was not a 4 way stop. I wanted to turn right, but to do so I had to go around some cones into the other lane, so I had to make sure no cars were coming in either direction. When I got to the intersection, I noticed there were cars coming, so I was waiting patiently for the cars to pass. Like This:

(please excuse the crudity of this model. i did not have time to draw it to scale and paint it.)

Then I noticed that the blue car had pulled to a stop and was waving at me to go. I know they were trying to be nice, but in so doing, the gray car had to stop in the middle of the street to let me go. It would have been easier and less stressful if the blue car would have continued on their way as they should.

Another instance that happened to me recently was when someone had stopped on a two lane highway to let a semi pull out of a gas station. I was in the other lane, and since I had to right of way, I kept going and almost got slammed by a semi truck.

Other places where you should not give up the right of way: stoplights where the left turn is unprotected. Dave witnessed a near crash in Boise when some "nice" person waved the left turner on, but the other lane didn't see it and the left turner barely missed getting hit by oncoming traffic.

I recognize there are times when waving people in front of you is nice - like in a full parking lot, or in a traffic jam, etc. These are exceptions, not the rule.

I now will get off my soapbox. We'll now continue with our regular broadcast of my adorable children and precious moments.

number three

About 6 weeks ago I found out I was expecting #3 in January.

This week I found out that I am not.

This is my 3rd miscarriage: one before each of the kids. Each one has been harder than the one before.

But a series of events have brought me comfort and peace from a loving Heavenly Father. I know that He has a plan for me and for our family. I have been amazed at the outpouring of love from friends and family that have come our way. I know we are going to be okay.

I've been thinking a lot lately about the different trials everyone has. I have friends and family that have lost parents, lost jobs, lost children, struggled with infertility, and have children with disabilities. And I feel very blessed. I kiss my beautiful children extra these days. What a wonderful blessing is the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

summer lovin'

I visited my mom last weekend. Ever have days that you just feel like you need your mother? Last weekend was one of those times. Sometimes I like visiting when no one else is in town. What can I say? I like my mother to myself.

We have one more month before we move to Vermont. We are getting anxious. Dave is burnt out with work. We have found an apartment. We're excited for the adventure.

Ana started swimming "lessons." (More accurately it is structured water play,but whatever.) She loves them.





I liked that it only took me 2 minutes to comb her hair afterward. (But I still don't think I'll keep it short.)

Time is flying. Sometimes I feel like the world is spinning and I'm standing there in a daze wondering what is going on.

But I love summer, and my children. So, its cool.