Grandma's House

After 22 years of living overseas or on the east coast my parents purchased a house in West Jordon, Utah. We drove down Friday for Karen's wedding and saw them in their NEW home for the first time. I have to say that it is so surreal that they are currently Utah residents but the idea is growing on me.

I'm excited for my parents to have a house. To put some roots down and hopefully minimize the moving trend.

And after being here for 2 days I am excited for my kids. I'm excited that they'll get to know my amazingly wonderful parents better as we'll get to see them more. I'm excited that they can GO to grandma's house. That they can make memories with grandma at her house. That they can feel the spirit and learn gospel truths at grandma's house. And that they can cheer for joy when I tell them we are going to Grandma Richards' house.

Austin asked me how much longer we were staying at grandma's house and I told him a week. His eyes got big and he grinned, "Good! I love Grandma's House!" Me too. Congrats mom and dad.

Summer Unmentionable

.......s.c.h.o.o.l.......

They called last week. How rude of them to interrupt our summer. During the conversation I learned that school starts on August 19th. Seriously??? When we get back from Utah we will only have 10 DAYS of summer freedom fun left. That was a reality check that slapped me in the face and threaten to suffocate. yikes.

I had my 6 week postpartum checkup yesterday. Knowing I was limited on summer days I invited Emma Lynn to come with me so we could have our special Back-2-School mommy date. I called Kurt on the way home and told him that he should be nervous because his 6 year old loves the mall way too much! For her date she wanted to go shopping for school and go the craft store for new art supplies. {Mom added a delicious lunch at our favorite Olive Garden.} Since they wear uniforms school shopping was easy. We got a new belt, new shoes, tons of fun socks, a headband and 2 necklaces. We accessorized. ;) Its just funny how much she enjoyed it because that mommy date would have been torture for Austin. She also discovered the store Justice and it was love at first sight. At the craft store she got new oil pastels and an animal how-to-draw instruction book. I'll have to post some of her drawings, they're great!

On the way home I was telling her how much I appreciate her and what a wonderful girl she is. I listed off 5 or so reasons why she is great and she continued the list with a few of her own. It made me smile. I love it because first of all she believed what I said about her was true and secondly she has confidence. I know all too soon doubts of her worth will creep in. Hopefully she will continue to believe the goodness I'm trying to instill. She is an amazing girl {beautiful, helpful, talented, kind, and obedient.} I relie on her so much. I am a blessed mom.

Today we went to the school to get fitted for uniforms. $400 later my THREE {{shutter}} school kids are ready for the 19th of August. Spencer looks so handsome in his uniform. It tugs on my heart strings. Breathe.

Austin told me that summer has gone by way too fast {agreed} and that we didn't have any fun. {ya, I'm feeling a little guilty about that. Isn't having a new baby FUN?!?!} O.K. we just turned the FUN on. The next few weeks are going to be intense.

Hair Bling

I had an appointment to get my hair trimmed for Karen's upcoming wedding next week. The girls and I decided to have a little bit a fun.

Emma Lynn and Ruth had rainbow tinsel put in their hair.






I went with the trendy feathers.


It feels good to be FUN.

Vale Reunion

This weekend the Vale Wards had a reunion. They invited everyone who has family or has ever lived, currently lives or would like to live in Vale to come. Personally I had never heard of such a thing probably because I never had roots in one place long enough to call home. Many people went to a lot of work and it was a fun weekend.

Friday night was the corn and watermelon feed {this is an annual activity in Vale.} All the corn and watermelon {summer staples!} you can eat, whats not to love?!!!

Saturday they had games in the park for kids. They had popcorn, Cotton candy and snow cones {{LOVE.}}

If looks could kill Austin, yikes.


Besties Brooke and Rooster.


There was also Primary Karaoke entertainment. Braxton and Spencer sang "Praise to the Man" acapella. My single most favorite moment of the day.

The fish pond was the favorite game by far because of the extremely cool prizes. Sling shot stuff animals with sound. The weather was gorgeous and it wasn't too crowded making for a great time. Afterwards Kurt took the kids swimming while Lucy and I watched. Even though the pool was extra crowded they had fun.

That evening there was a potluck dinner and talent show at the High School. It was so hot in the building, we would have been better of to have it outside. I played a piano duet with Austin's piano teacher, Lori Nelson. It was fun to practice and play with her. It seems like I don't get many opportunities any more. There was lots of talent, always inspiring.

Sunday we had church at the High School gym to seat the 550 or so people that were there. It was a little bit odd and a little hot but I still felt the spirit. I can honestly say that since I know I'll be around, I'm looking forward to the next Vale Reunion.

digiscrap

I have always loved scrapbooking. It is the best form of journaling and also a creative outlet. I always made a little time for it until Ruth was born in 2008. I guess I hit my responsibility overload {I was also YW prez, Austin started kinder, we moved into our current house and I started teaching preschool.} Anyhow I've missed it...

Ditigal scrapbooking has always intrigued me. I see all the cute announcements, handouts, cupcake toppers, and cards floating around the web and I know I can do that too! Last year for mother's day my amazing husband even bought me a new computer so I could learn to digiscrap {isn't he sweet?} About 9 months ago when I was couponing in Staples I came across a killer deal on Photoshop Elements and so I bought it {for $10!!}

So I've had the tools and still haven't created a single thing! Photoshop was overwhelming and hard to learn in a single sit down setting. Again it came down to time...

I knew I needed to get Lucy's birth announcement printed and sent out and my stubborn determination didn't want anyone else to create them but ME. And so yesterday I actually created some digiscrapbook pages! {{HOLLAR}} They are simple, I have so much to learn but...surprise, surprise I am ADDICTED.

Life

Life after Lucy was born was different than I anticipated.

Kurt has been busier than ever this year which is a good thing but it also means we haven't seen him very much. And sadly that didn't change after she was born. He was there the day she was born but that was the extent of his time off.

That first week I brought her home I was really unhappy about it. To the point that I was ready to call my Doctor for postpartum depression. One of my most favorite times {ever} is bringing home a new baby. The spirit is strong and sweet and I can't think of anything more magical. But he was missing it. And I was racking my brain for the reasons WHY we were doing this {owning our own business?} What are the benefits? I would take having a husband in my life over money every time.

I finally expressed my feelings at the end of the week. Communicating helped.

Its been a month and I still get frustrated. Last night I had a reality check. I have turned into that complaining, nagging, unhappy wife I never wanted to be. Why have I been so selfish and so consumed in my own unhappiness? Have I thought about Kurt's sacrifice? He works so hard, endlessly, to provide for our family. I have been ungrateful and unappreciative. He does not want to give up the business so I need to be supportive.

The change will come from me.

Phillips Lake

Monday through Wednesday were devoted to the Romans' family annual camp out. We switched it up this year by going a month earlier and trying a completely new location. We went to Phillips Lake just 20 minutes out of Baker City. Have to say that I LOVED the location. It was beautiful, it wasn't overly hot, the bugs were sooo minimal and there was a variety of things to do. We had a wonderful time!


I never realized how much these two look a like.




I'm pretty sure we just ATE the entire time we were there. There was so much good food. Thank you every one for your delicious contributions.

Tuesday night while we were dining on yet another dutch oven masterpiece Emma asks, "Why can't we just have hot dogs?" LOL

After grandpa went on a walk with the kids he was ready for a nap. He invited all the kids into his tent to nap with him. :D They played cousin stack up {how many cousins can you stack up on top of each other??} Definitely the party tent and amazingly enough no one got hurt. Only lots and lots of laughter.






Besides eating we played horseshoes,


blew bubbles, bounced balls, rode bikes, drew pictures


and watched for birds


And then there was the WATER activities! The Lake was so much fun, the kids especially loved it.






We added a raft to our camping supplies this year and I'm so glad we did. It was a fun addition!


Monday before we got to camp Grandpa Ken took Braxton and Brooke tubing on his boat. My kids were sad they missed it until they went out in their raft on Tuesday. That was just as great in their mind.


Austin got to be quite the proficient rower.


Wednesday all the cousins went down to the lake before we left camp. Marti had brought her supply of water toys and plus our raft and thus was born the WATER PARADE. {the water, water, water, WATER parade.} They were "singing" this song at the top of their lungs for the whole lake to hear.




Camping was a little bit different for me this time since I was bringing a 1 month old. All in all she did great but she was starting to get fussy by the end. There was something disturbing to me about having my infant smell like a campfire. She definitely didn't sleep as well but Bill and Cindy were kind enough to bring their trailer for us and Kelli and Kenzie to sleep in. She spent most of the time in the infant carrier.


At one point she was very alert when it was time to change her diaper so I let her check out the forest for just a minute.


This is where we found Austin when Lucy was taking her only nap of the entire trip not in the infant carrier.

He was hard for him to have her strapped to me all the time.

One of my most favorite things of this camping trip was watching the cousins play together. Spencer and Braxton: Hiding the Suburban cause they needed a warm place to write down their super powers. Those two are inseparable. It made me really sad they won't go to school together.

Rooster and Brooke-O: just their endless chatter with each other makes me SMILE. Especially around a campfire.

"Did you paint your babies fingernails?"
"Yes."
"What color?"
"Pink."
"You should paint her toes too."

Kenzie and Mollie: they were sooo adorable chasing the birds all over the place. I really wish I would have gotten a picture or video cause their little legs running all over the place is too cute.

And then there is Madison. Who is SO adorable. Period.

I LOVE her facial expressions. And her need to explore everything.
She was everywhere.

Emma was a helpful big cousin. "Mom, I just love Madison. She is so cute."


The kids always want to get this plus-size jar of cheesy goodness when we go to the store. Naturally I always say no without thinking. I finally gave in for this camping trip, when else can you justify such things?


The funniest part is that when we were breaking up camp on Wednesday I saw 3 cheese balls placed evenly apart on the picnic bench. I didn't think much about it before throwing them away. That night as I was tucking Roost in bed she was chatting about the camping trip. She told me that she was going to catch a chipmunk. I was curious how she planned to do that and she told me with the cheese balls. Her and Brooke-O had put 3 cheese balls on the bench for the chipmunks to eat and then they would grab them! Cheese balls are the perfect bait for everyone. ;)

It was a wonderful camping trip. Thank you, THANK YOU everyone!

ONE month

Already?!?!!


{The lamb measuring stick to chart her growth the first year.}

STATS
*Super sleeper {6-8 hours at night.}
*Super gasy
{I never had a baby with so much gas! The kids think its hilarious,
imagine that.}
*Super nurser {we are on a good schedule, the painful stage is behind us.}



She teases us with smiles. I know the "real" ones are just around the corner.



She has gotten loud. When she needs something she lets it be known. I think its survival of the fittest.



During the day she sleeps the best all cuddled up with me. She has a great relationship with her pink soothie paci.


She's a keeper.

*M*a*G*I*c*

Do you believe in magic?



How can you not believe after meeting this angel.

In my mind magic and miralces are synonymous.

The love and innocence and happiness a newborn brings into the home is miraculous.
Snuggling soft new skin is magical.
Stealing endless kisses on tiny perfect part is magical.
Watching her bond with siblings is miraculous.

Having her consistently sleep 6-8 hours at night is magically mirculous!



For me, the newborn stage is magical. I.LOVE.IT. I've always thought that the best job in the world is to love on a newborn. Ahhhhhhhh. I also think the bond between mother and baby is magical. To know your baby and fulfill their needs in a way that no one else can.

I believe in magic.

Hallie

Happy 4th Birthday Hallie.






It is interesting because as the kids get older we have more discussions about real topics. This was the first year Ruth was old enough to start to understand what happened. She found the whole thing confusing at first but luckily that didn't last long. The rest of the day she chattered about loving Hallie and heaven and seeing her again.

We miss you Hallie. We look forward to seeing you again and getting to know your sweet spirit. Thank you for teaching your cousins about the gospel. We LOVE you!

Creative Thoughtfulness

Emma Lynn is SOOO excited about Karen's upcoming wedding to Roger McMullan on August 2nd in the Bountiful temple.

She has been talking about it nonstop. She inquires about the details of Karen's attire every 5 minutes. She doesn't have her required brown sandals yet so she was trying to plan our day around the purchase of her footwear. She spent the better part of the morning making cards and crowns for "the prince and princess." {direct quote.}

She also found taffy in the cooridinating wedding colors and wrapped it up for them. There are other projects in store for the days to come such as a countdown, posters and flowers. I have a feeling we will be bringing quite a stash of Emma's thoughtfulness to the wedding. Emma is generous with cards and love notes. It is good to be loved by her. :)




She has played careful attention to the color scheme. These things are very important.

While Emma Lynn was creating Spencer brings me this masterpiece:

"See mom, I can be creative too!":D
{carrot nose and hair, super creative.}

Meridian

The location of PLAY today. Marti, Krystal, Jessica and I all met at BOUNCE {where Spencer had his birthday party.} The girls hadn't been there before so it was fun to see their excitement. They held hands doing everything, so cute.








New one - put on a Velcro suit and jump and stick to the Velcro wall.



The next stop was Settler's park. I have wanted to check out this park for about 3 summers now. I'm so glad we finally went. It is completely awesome. And I am not ashamed to admit that I was convetting such a park for Vale......Great splash pad, amazing play ground, music toys to play on, rocks wall to climb, fabulous seating...ahhh, LOVE.




Over zealous sun screen application.


LOVE this picture - when the water got cold the best way to warm up was to lay on the hot cement.