Boy Howdy Graduates Swim Lessons

This summer when the kids did swim camp, another mother said that when they can pass level 4, they have reached the point of being able to swim and not die. After that, she said, they are just learning new strokes. In level 4, they master the free style.

So level 4 was our benchmark. Matthew is a proficient swimmer, I am not. I am able to not die, and I can float on my back like a champion, but putting my head under water without holding my nose is something I only tried a few months ago. Swimming seemed like a good life skill for my children so once they finally agreed to lessons I mandated they couldn't quit until after they passed level 4. To sweeten the deal, Matthew and I agreed to take them to Great Wolf Lodge after they both passed.

All of this takes us to tonight when Boy Howdy passed his level!! Hallelujah! Tonight was going to be his last night of swim lessons no matter what because Matthew and I felt his skills were good enough and Boy Howdy had grown frustrated with being told he was close to passing but not yet.

What a reward for him that he got additional external validation. He was soooo excited and he really has turned into a solid swimmer. It was fun for me to watch him swim, his movements so fluid and graceful even. I'm so glad he has that evidence that hard work and dedication really do pay off.

Testimony and Scrambled Eggs

This morning, Doodah had a couple of firsts.

He wanted scrambled eggs which I was not willing to make him on Fast Sunday. He asked if he was old enough to make them on his own. I turned the stove on for him and supervised, but he did it all with very little help. I think he may have been more excited about making eggs by himself than learning how to ride a bike (something he is getting but I wouldn't say he is proficient yet).

At church a couple hours later, a girl in his primary class got up and bore her testimony. Doodah and Chewkie were shocked, that was something they could do?!?!? Doodah could hardly contain his enthusiasm for wanting to bear his own testimony. I asked him what he wanted to say, making sure it was appropriate, and then made sure he knew how to end in the name of Jesus Christ. Again, he was all excitement going up to the stand and waiting for his turn (all by himself). His testimony. He knows the scriptures are true even though he never witnessed the events. What a great day for my darling son.

Why We LOVE Our Children (2019)

A friend recently told me that once a year she and her husband go on a date and discuss their children's strengths and what they see happening in their lives in the next year. Afterwards they take their children out on a special date and let them in on everything they'd discusssed. I thought that sounded like a lovely idea so when Matthew and I were in Portland we talked about each of our children and made plans to take them out to lunch.

A few weeks later I went to the kids' parent teacher conferences. We decided to add in their teacher's notes. Chewkie chose Mio Sushi for lunch and wanted all things crab.

Things I love about my daughter (in addition to her random love of sushi and crab):

• She is so smart, an absolutely amazing reader, and very intuitive in how she grasps new concepts.
• Chewkie is a friend to everyone, shares easily and often, is so caring (we can't watch a movie with a baby or child crying without Chewkie getting very upset), nurturing and is consistently happy. 
• Her hugs are first rate and she loves writing sweet notes for those she cares about. I often get genuinely kind words from her. 
• My hope for her is that she finds a way to enjoy making others happy while not letting her own desires get completely overridden. 

Later that week, we took Doodah to lunch. He agreed to Kitchen on Court Street mainly because they serve breakfast all day and this boy LOVES all things breakfast. He might love scrambled eggs as much as Chewkie loves crab.

Things I love about my son:

• He is also very smart and is an amazing reader.
• He has a wonderful and intuitive brain for math, thinking outside the box to come up with solutions to problems and creatively building. Doodah also has amazing attention to detail in his artwork and his lego creations.
• Doodah is so good at following rules, wanting to make things fair. And if he is excited about something he will eagerly try to help you love it too.
• My hope for him is that he understands the significance of his baptism and in having the gift of the Holy Ghost as his constant companion. I hope he learns how to take advantage of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

I've been amazed how my relationship with my kids have changed ever so slightly from me blindly loving everything about them to me having respect and admiration for the unique individuals they are developing into. I can see aspects of Matthew and I in them, but they are for sure their own people with their own seriously amazing abilities.

I Turn 40

It's amazing how much more fun turning 40 was as opposed to 30. 30 was drenched in anxiousness in not being 20 and not feeling like I was anywhere close to where I wanted to be. Turning 40, with my life in a great place was a cinch. Especially since being 30 was way funner than I thought it be and I've heard good things about my 40s. To hail the new decade I went to Maui with my college girlfriends and I made Matthew take me to Portland for a special night away.

My parents took the kids and Matthew took yesterday off. After sharing my smores cheesecake with my seminary students and a much needed nap, we went to the temple, walked around the mall, went to a super random game store in a office park in Beaverton, had a yummy dinner, before heading to a super disappointing night with one of my favorite satirists. We left early it was that unfortunate. This morning we had brunch with my darling sister before checking out of our hotel and heading home.

The weekend, while not what I expected was lovely and I am so excited to enter this new adventure that life holds. Yay 40!!

Halloween 2019 (Magician and Snow White)

This year, with my girl's trip at the end of October, we didn't get to carve pumpkins until the day before Halloween. Sadly, Matthew had to leave for a work trip just as I came back so he wasn't able to celebrate with us this year.

 I was so proud of the kids. They cleaned, designed and carved their pumpkins all by themselves.

Aah Halloween. I'm pretty sure this holiday ranks in equal importance with Christmas in the hearts and minds of my children. Doodah woke up this morning before I even left for seminary he was that excited to start the day. Thankfully they had harvest parties to look forward to at school or else I am positive they would have never made it through the day.

When they got home they were incredibly amenable to do anything I needed them to do to enable Trick or Treating to come faster. Chewkie let me put make up on her. Doodah  made up a sign for our candy cauldron.

Trick or treating was so much fun with these kids. We met up with some friends and went to every house possible between 6 and 8:30. They didn't have school the next day (thank you Salem-Keizer School District for making the best calendaring decision possible) so I let them stay out longer than normal. Doodah opted to wear his church shoes to be a better magician. He looked pretty good, but by 7:45ish, he kept wanting to sit and sort his candy. He kept shouting, "Oh my poor feet!!" when I urged him to keep going. We were back inside by 8:30. Our cauldron candy was gone but they had pounds of candy of their own.

We sure do love Halloween.

Courtside Girls' Trip - Maui 2019

My college roommates wanted to do something fun the year most of us turned 40. 40!! Wahoo!! We were going to go to Texas, but then one roommate offered up a house she has access to for our trip on Maui. What a wonderful celebration. I think we got our picture taken at every conceivable location. We lounged on the beach, we snorkeled, we nature walked (some of us in our Sunday clothes), we rappelled, and we shopped. It was a lovely weekend with some of the best women I know.

Our Sunday stroll.

I was not as graceful as I hoped I'd be.

But by the end, I was a pro! 

Look at us jump!

Us at the beach watching the surfers and the sea turtles.

It was an interesting weekend for me. I'm almost 40-years old. I've grown and changed so much in the last 20+ years I've known them. And yet, when I'm with them, I somehow revert back to the insecure and neurotic young adult I was in college. It's a little unnerving. I find myself struggling to feel accepted and prove myself their equals. I'm not quite sure why it happens but when I stop trying to compare, or doubt, or search for evidences of their indifference, I am more able to share the acceptance and love I so desperately want to feel. And then oddly enough I start to feel better myself.

It's amazing how that happens. I do love these women. We are still constantly amazed that we still like each other after all these years and that, while we are all so different, there is still so much that holds us together. We have been through college, through marriage, and having babies and now we are transitioning to caring for aging parents (not mine of course).

Here's to another 20 years travelling and loving this unique group of excellent women.

This Little Girl is in Level 4

Oh this girl. This summer, you may remember, she couldn't put her head in the water. And then she finally past level 1 and stalled in level 2. I am pretty sure it is physically impossible for this girl to float which is what level 2 is all about - floating. I talked with the swim class manager and she agreed to allow Chewkie to do level 2 (floating) and level 3 (kicking while floating from one side of the pool to the other) together at the same time.

This morning, Chewkie prayed that she would be able to pass her levels. And she did! We are all so proud of her. She is now in the same level as Doodah and to his credit he was so excited for her to be in his level, introducing her to everyone in his class.

Afterward, we went out for fancy hot cocoa. Everyone was super happy for our girl Chewks.

2019 - 2020 Class Pictures

This little girl is in 1st grade and that cool dude is in 2nd and they took another round of super awesome school pictures. I mean, seriously, how I love these kids of mine.

Family Pictures 2019

Swim Lessons

A few weeks ago Chewkie had a jazz class where parents were invited to watch the class. I was eager to go since now that they've moved buildings I don't get to see anything anymore.

I wasn't impressed. After stretching and doing jumping jacks for the first half of class, they spent the rest of the 30-minute class with their teacher only barely acknowledging their existences and engaging with them. As we left Chewkie and I decided that maybe she was done with dance classes for now.

Later, the kids decided to take swim lessons.

They had their first lesson tonight. Because of the swim camps this summer, they already knew what levels they would be in and had some familiarity with the format and instructors. Doodah was nervous that he wouldn't know any of the other kids in his class but it didn't matter anyway since he had two teachers all to himself for the first half of the one hour class. For the second half, it was him and one other girl with their two instructors. Chewkie had one on one instruction the whole time. They did so great. I loved being able to see progress from both of them. Let's hope that soon Matthew and I can make good on our promise to take them to Great Wolf Lodge after they learn how to swim.

First Day of School - 2019

We had an immensely successful first day of school this morning. Boy Howdy who was not remotely excited last year, was up and dressed before I even had a chance to ask him this year (I think mostly because he wanted to put on his new lego shirt). He even made himself a 2nd grade sign to hold up for his picture, but I wouldn't let him hold it, as the writing is extremely faint and I wasn't cool enough to have my own signs for them to hold. So instead they held up their cute little fingers signifying that Boy Howdy is now a 2nd grader and Chewkie is in 1st.

I still managed to get choked up as I walked them into school; as I was both excited and anxious for the adventures they'll experience this year.

Today was also my first day back at Seminary teaching 22 seniors this year. I still felt awkward standing in front of this new group, but at least I wasn't as bad as I was last year.

When I got them off the bus that afternoon they were both smiles and excitement!

Here's hoping we all have memorable experiences this new school year.

Summer 2019 Recap

With summer drawing to a close I thought I should recap all the fun we had over the last few months. It's interesting that every summer manages to be different than I originally plan. This year I thought we would hike and pick fruit, go to parks, and the beach. We did got to the beach, but only once with friends. We did go to parks, but only a small handful of times. Not the 10 times I had anticipated. I picked fruit, but this year the kids just weren't interested in going more than once. So what did we do?

We had gloriously lazy days mixed with super fun days going to the Zoo, the Gilbert House, OMSI, the Enchanted Forest, Family Reunion in San Diego, and the Coast as a family. We did two weeks of swim camp, enjoyed play dates, and went grocery shopping. We went out to lunch, to the movies, and had PJ-all-day days.

I have loved our summer break. I have loved sleeping in and cuddling while watching shows in my bed until 9:30 or 10:00 am. I have loved having complete autonomy over our days and not having to get out of the door with lunches made and backpacks on by 8:30.

I wasn't sure I was ready for it all to end until last week when I just wanted to run errands by myself. All of a sudden, I was ready for all of it. Waking up at 5:30 for seminary, making lunches, preparing lessons, walking to the bus stop. Sometimes when I see posts about parents crying the day before school or birthdays I think maybe if I were a better mom I would do that too. . . . But that day has not arrived. Here's to schedules!

Last Camping Trip of the Summer

While we were cuddling this morning, Boy Howdy expressed the desire to go camping one more time before school started. With two days before school started, I wasn't interested in fulfilling his dream, but didn't squash it out of hand so I let him continue. He proceeded to request we put the little up in his room for him and his sister. Relieved, I happily acquiesced. "Yes, lovey boy, you and your sister can have one last sleepover in your room." 

Thankfully, the tent fit into his room without having to rearrange any furniture. The kids were so excited about sleeping in the tent together that I had to shush them at 10pm when I went to bed. In true sleepover fashion I told them they needed to quiet down and if I needed to come in again, there would be consequences. Oh how I love these two and their love for each other.

P.S. One Sunday a week or so ago, during our "Church at Home," we discussed how we are all important members of our family. I asked Boy Howdy if our family would be better without his sister. He instantly and emphatically said, "no," (to my thankful relief).

Last Summer Beach Trip

In an attempt to live it up this last full week before school starts, and because it is 100 degrees in Salem and a whopping 80 degrees at the coast, we drove out and enjoyed a thoroughly lovely gift of a day with plenty of friends. I think we were there for 5 hours. Other people left but I just couldn't get up the motivation to leave the absolute glory of a warm day at the Oregon Coast.

At one point, Boy Howdy asked me to come over and inspect his sand creation. I had seen him over there working hard at something, I just expected it to be a castle. I was floored and pretty amazed at his moles he had lovingly built. The two poking their little heads out of the ground as well as the other lounging in the sun soaking up some rays (complete with claws). When I told Zachary to pose next to his sculpture, he decided to become a mole as well.

I wonder when I will stop being happily surprised by this sweet boy. I constantly awe at the creativity that flows from his quick mind.  Happy Beach Day!!!

Chewkie Turns 6

Chewkie turned 6 this year on a Sunday and since we were gone on our family vacation the week before, we opted to do her friend birthday party on the Monday after. She was most forlorn about having to postpone her birthday by one day but we had a great weekend celebrating our sweet girl. Saturday, we decorated her birthday cupcakes with help from her darling friend O and O's older brother L.

Sunday, my sister and her husband were out of town, so we invited their children over Saturday night. They went to church with us and helped celebrate Chewkie before going home. Chewkie got a new baby doll and carrier along with a suitcase of LOL dolls (which came with a ridiculous amount of packaging)

We saved the cupcakes she decorated for her birthday party and made another cake to eat on Sunday with family. I love that she was "wearing" her baby while we sang to her and she blew out her candles. I thought, this is a true mother in the making.

Monday could not come fast enough for this cutie pie. For her first friend birthday we went to Super Bounce which is a warehouse with lots of bounce houses for the kids to climb in, slide down, and jump on.

We invited lots of kids because we didn't want what happened to Doodah to happen to Chewkie, but somehow all but two were able to come which made for a big party for the girl. I'm pretty sure she was in heaven all day.

Oh how I love this little girl. Her zest for life and kindness still amazes me every day. She is so sensitive to the feelings of others and still cries when others are sad or hurt. She consistently thinks of those she loves before herself. She shares easily, brightens up every room, and she naturally draws people to her. I love listening to her pretend play, especially when she is playing by herself. I love that she is such a sharp reader and that she was reading chapter books by herself while she was still in kindergarten. I love that she constantly kisses and hugs me and wants to "cuddle" me even if she is still one of the most wiggly girls I know. I love that because of dance she is started enjoying makeup and yet she still wanders around outside barefoot digging in the dirt. I am so blessed to call her mine for eternity. I love you my sweet little girl.

Family Vacation at the Oregon Coast

I knew when we went to San Diego for family reunion in July that Matthew wouldn't be driving down with us. But I thought he'd make the trek back with us. When he called to deeply apologize for abandoning us due to a hectic work schedule for all but three days of the trip, I made him promise that at some point this summer we could spend time together just us. 

Since then, we've been looking at different vacation rentals on the Oregon Coast. We finally picked one solely because it had an amazing view for Matthew, bunk beds for the kids, and wasn't overly expensive for me. We were supposed to go camping the week before, but my niece got married instead, which bumped our excursion to the week after. It maybe wasn't as warm as we would have liked and one of the days rained more often than not, but we were together for one whole week just us as a family. I was in heaven.

The first day we got there too early to check in to our house. We played at the beach for a time, but soon we got hungry and it still wasn't time to check in. The kids aren't big road-trippers so we had to convince them to get back in for the drive to Tillamook for food and, of course, ice cream.

Wednesday was cold and rainy so we decided to go to the Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport. I've heard good things about it but hadn't ever gone. It was on the more expensive side of adventures, but as a fun vacation splurge I thought it was totally worth it. We saw so many unique sea creatures (like cowfish and sea horses) that I could have watched for hours. We walked in tunnels with sharks and other cool fish swimming around us on all sides. We watched the feeding of sea lions and walked along the estuary. I loved it all even if it meant getting rained on while we were viewing the outdoor exhibits.

The path to the beach was a steep hike complete with basically rappelling down the last bit of rocks to the sand. And because of that, we mostly had it all to ourselves. The kids were on a serious hunt for sand dollars at their grandmother's request, so each day we took LONG walks along the beach looking for treasures. On our last full day there, Matthew and I breathed in the perfectness of the moment.  The day, while wasn't hot, was lovely and sunny. The kids, at a beautiful age of independence mixed with a healthy amount of innocence, were playing happily together in their make-believe world of sand and rocks. The beach had only a small handful of other people making us feel completely isolated in our own little dreamworld. Despite all the stress Matthew is dealing with at work, our lives at that moment in time were utterly peaceful, contented, and perfect.

When we got back home, we immediately went into birthday mode for Chewkie and Matthew was off again on work trips, so I am so thankful we had one week just for our family.

The Hammock

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A couple of weeks ago, Matthew and I were out on a date and weren't quite ready to go home after our activity ended so we wandered into Sierra Trading Post. I found a hammock for sale and on a whim decided we needed one for our home. I've decided it was an inspired purchase.

The kids love playing in it and spend more time in our backyard because of it. Chewkie in particular LOVES to cuddle with me. But I have simply fallen in love. This summer I took up reading again. It's been so long since I've done it as a hobby, and this hammock has been the perfect spot to be reintroduced. The wind, the summer warmth, the solitude, the engaging stories. I am sure I must be in heaven.