It's all good . . .

Christmas Magic

I truly love Christmas.  I love the feeling of magic that surrounds it all.  I have fantastic memories from my childhood of Christmas traditions, and I think my children are creating their very own treasured memories. 

One of these was probably the sleepover they got to have by the Christmas tree on Christmas Eve's Eve.  They snuggled into their sleeping bags and got ready to sleep in the light of the tree.  Lily even read Derek a Christmas book or two. 

And then on Christmas Eve, we had more fun.  The kids had plenty of time to play in the snow that had fallen earlier this week.  Lily made a snowbird, instead of a snowman.  I wish I had thought to get a picture before it was dark.

Later on, we watched Christmas movies, played games, read Christmas books, and ate our dinner of Domino's Pizza :).  Then we had a special scripture reading of Luke Chapter 2 and talked about the true reason for Christmas.  Lily went on to tell us, that for her "Christmas is all about giving."  Derek then piped in with, "For me, Christmas is all about the presents."  Nice.

I even let the kids help me prepare the rolls for Christmas breakfast, since it has to rise overnight.  I was so concerned about having them help me do it right, I completely left out one of the main ingredients - the butterscotch pudding.  They still turned out okay though, thank goodness :).

Once the kids were tucked in, Kevin and I brought down all the presents and filled the stockings.  There was nothing to build, and so we finished early and watched "Sherlock Holmes."  It was a great night.

The next morning, we had church at 9 am, and so we got up at 6am and I got breakfast going.  Then we let the kids come down to open their stockings.  They LOVE their stockings, and get excited about every litle thing in them, whether it is a toy, fun band-aides, a new toothbrush, or underwear.

After stockings, we had breakfast and got ready for church.  Derek wore his new tie, one my parents got when they were on their mission in Scotland years ago, but he was too small for it then.  (It is the Anderson tartan, my family's line.)  Kevin has a matching tie, and so they decided to be twins.

After church, we had a quick snack, and then it was time for presents :). 

Derek had a few favorite gifts, including his new scooter.  Now he doesn't have to borrow Lily's anymore.

We also got him a punching bag.  He has needed something to hit and kick for a while, and I figured that this is a much healthier option than hitting people or walls :).  He thinks it is awesome.

Lily got a few fun things as well.  He favorite was an MP3 player.  Kevin spent an entire day loading songs, and even a movie, on there for her.  She LOVES it.

And Kevin - he only got four presents, but they were all awesome.  He got tickets to go see the Lakers play when they come to Denver and the new legend of Zelda game.  He also got the Lego Millennium Falcon, which he had picked out himself.  He spent all day putting it together :).

And somehow I surprised him this year - something that is very hard to do.  I secretly took a painting that his Grandma Wanda had painted of him and is brother, and I had it framed.  The look on his face was awesome - it was definitely a winner :).

As for me, I got a few fun things as well - books, camera stuff, a beautiful necklace, etc.  My favorite was that Kevin and the kids gave me the wise men and angel to go with my Nativity.  Now it is complete :).  I love it!

Later on, we decided to play some of the games we got for Christmas.  The kids played Just Dance Kids 2 on the Kinnect, Kevin played Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword with the kids, and then we all played Wipeout on the Kinnect.  It was so fun, and wow - what a workout!

It was a wonderful Christmas, and full of fun, joy, and of course, magic :).

Merry Christmas to all!

  Merry Christmas!

 "Christmas means giving. The Father gave his Son, and the Son gave his life. Without giving there is no true Christmas, and without sacrifice there is no true worship."  Gordon B. Hinckley (Ensign, Dec. 1983)

Christmas Parties

I love Christmas parties, and this year, I was involved in and was able to attend quite a few.  It all started a few weeks ago with our Book Club Christmas party.  It is my favorite book club meeting of the year, as we all share our favorite Christmas books with each other, and then we have a white elephant book exchange.  We had so much fun laughing, eating, and trying to steal back the book we really wanted during the exchange.

The very next night was our Relief Society Christmas dinner.  We have a traditional white elephant exchange, but it isn't like a normal one.  It is all done to a poem that tells you what to do, who to take a gift from and so on.  It is absolutely hilarious, and you never have a clue what you will end up with in the end. 

My friend Natalie brought this amazing owl hat she had crocheted for her gift, and I knew it would be a huge hit with everyone.  I had number one and started the whole thing off,  and being the "meddler" I am, I picked her gift , which started the war over the hat.  The best part was, everyone was trying to get the hat, but nobody had any control of who they got to take things from because of the poem.  We laughed so hard all night.

The next party I went to was last week, and it caused me quite a bit of stress.  It was an ornament exchange party, and I had to make 16 ornaments to bring for it.  This would have been fine if I had finished them way back in November when I first started them, but because life got crazy and they stayed untouched in the craft room for two weeks, I was in a mad rush to finish them all.   They turned out really cute though.

I was taking them with me everywhere to work on them, and by the time Wednesday night came, my fingers were red and sore from using the needle for so long.  They turned out super cute though, and the party was so much fun.  We each took turns telling how we  got the idea for our ornament, our war stories from when we made them - people with burned fingers, blisters, etc, etc.  It was definitely worth all the trouble and I can't wait until next year :).  And look at the different ornaments I ended up with . . .

The next parties were Lily and Derek's class parties.  I was in charge of Derek's party, since I am the Room Mom, and for some reason I got it into m head to make these chocolate covered marshmallow snowmen for it. 

They were for the party, and they were Derek's birthday treat for his class as well, which was how I convinced myself it was a good idea.  Four hours later, I was rethinking things, but they turned out really yummy and the kids loved them.

The party itself went really well, but unfortunately, I was so busy running things, I forgot to take a single picture.  We started with an art project where we used their handprints to make Christmas trees.  The kids then used their fingers to paint on a trunk, star, and ornaments.  They were so cute!  Then they ate a little lunch we had for them, and I read them one of my favorite Christmas stories, "The Amazing Christmas Extravaganza," by David Shannon.

Before I knew it, Derek's party was over, so the two of us headed to Lily's party.  Their party was a lot less structured, but you can get away with that in 3rd grade :).  They ate pizza, and then I read her class the same book, which they loved.  It was very fun.

After the class parties were done, there was just one more party left on the schedule - our Ward Christmas Party.  Of all the parties that happened, this one caused me the most stress.  You see, I am the Relief Society Secretary, and 3 months ago the Relief Society was put in charge of the party.  Also, you have to understand that we have a giant ward of over 500 people, and for our Halloween party, we had over 350 people attend.  This really limited what we could do in our small building and tiny gym.

Because of this, I came up with the idea that we should have a musical program followed by dessert for our party.  And because it was my idea, I was put in charge of putting together the program.  It wa a little stressful, but was actually really cool to put together.  We have so many amazingly talented people in our ward, and we ended up with many different types of performances, from hand-bells, to a string ensemble, to singers, etc.  And miracle of miracles, I convinced Kevin to sing "I Have Seen the Child" with me :).

When came to the day of the party, I spent the day helping set up and worrying if everone would show up, but I didn't need to worry, as everyone came through.  Everything went wonderfully, and we even had the youth act as ushers to help take people from the chapel to see Nativity displays.  They were all so willing to help and filled with excitement, it added such a great feeling to everything.

It turned out to be a wonderful party, and although I felt so relieved when it was over, it turned out to be such a wonderful night, that it was worth all the work of all the many people who were involved.  It was also the perfect way to finish up all the Christmas parties, as it was uplifting and was a wonderful reminder of why we celebrate Christmas in the first place.

Baptism Day

Ever since my sweet Lily was placed in my arms as a newborn, I was overwhelmed with the realization that Kevin and I were responsible to teach this precious girl everything, especially about the gospel of Jesus Christ.  It is hard to believe that it has been eight years since then, and that today our little girl was baptized and confirmed a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

 
Her baptism was part of the Stake Primary Baptism day at the Stake Center.  It was a very nice program, and ran smoothly.  We made sure to get a picture of our family before it began :). 

 
We were very blessed to have Kevin's parents come and visit so they could be here with us.  (My parents are still on a mission and couldn't come, and all of our siblings live too far away.)  Lily loves them very much and was so happy to have them here.

 
One of the really special things about this whole experience, has been the wonderful example Lily has been to her little brother.  Derek has been soaking it all in, and although he had a really hard time being reverent during the program before and after the baptism, it has really impacted him seeing his sister make this big step in her life.  (In fact, he was so excited when he saw the sign on the church, he wanted a picture with it.)

 
And it was so wonderful to see my sweet husband baptize his little girl.  He was so carried away with the emotion of it all that he had a hard time getting the words out during the baptismal prayer.  It was definitely one of those moments I will carry close to my heart.

After the baptism and the confirmation, Lily sang "I am a Child of God," and it was beautiful.  I truly don't see how anyone who heard her singing those words could ever doubt them.  It felt like she was singing her testimony, and it was then that I finally got emotional myself.  What sweet simple faith she has.  I am so grateful she is my daughter.

 PS. After the baptism, we went home and had a little party for her.  Unfortunately, most of our friends were unable to come to the party, and so I had lots of extra food.  It's all good though - we'll eat it :).  And they will all be sorry they couldn't come when they see the cupcakes my friend Beth made for it.  I especially love the lily she put on them in honor of my Lily :).

 
(The chocolate ones had mint frosting and were chocolate filled, and the vanilla had lemon filling.  So delicious!!!)

On the Fourth Week of Christmas

And what a week it was.  With a road trip to Utah, Kevin's brother's wedding, Derek's birthday, and all sorts of other things thrown in, it has been a little crazy.  Today is Christmas Eve, and yet I am not ready for tomorrow.  Maybe once I post about all the rest of this week, I can move on and focus on celebrating.  Your see, it all began on . . .

SATURDAY:

Unable to sleep the night before, I was up at five finishing up our packing, and we were on the road by 6:30 am.  We were super blessed that the roads were clear and that it wasn't snowing.  That wind through Wyoming is bad enough all on its own.

The highlight of Saturday was when we arrived in Spanish Fork and had dinner with our friends, Glen and LaDawna.  We spent the evening eating and talking while Lily and Derek played with their girls, Emma and Holly.  It sure made me miss having them as neighbors.

We had planned on staying the night there, but found out that I-15 closed at night and wasn't opening until late in the morning, making things tricky for Sunday morning.  Because of that, we found a hotel in downtown Salt Lake on Hotwire, and stayed there for the night.  We tried to get some rest to have energy for  . . .

SUNDAY:

Sunday morning I was up bright and early, because Lily and I were going to the Tabernacle Choir Christmas Concert.  My sister Holly, who lives in Idaho, also had tickets, and so we went together.  (And at the last minute, Kevin ended up babysitting her 6 month old baby, Elizabeth.  He had to stay home to watch Derek anyway, and so he offered to watch Lizzie so that Holly didn't have to leave her as long as she would have if she had left her in Ogden.)

We went extra early, because even with tickets, it wasn't guaranteed you would get in.  I think the extra large crowds had something to do with the special guest this year - David Archuletta :).  We stood in the cold rain while we waited for the doors to open, and a sweet lady lent us her extra umbrella while we stood in line.

It was worth the wait though.  The concert was AMAZING!  There is nothing quite like the Tabernacle Choir singing with an orchestra, and hearing it live was unbelievable.  Then add to that, the amazing decorations, the dancers, and David Archuletta (whom I have never been a big fan of, but he was fantastic). 

Lily and her cousins, Paul and Austin, just sat there in awe of it all.  (And it sure was fun to spend some time with my sister Holly.)  Oh, and it it couldn't get any cooler, President Monson was at the performance, and so Lily got to see the prophet in real life for the first time. 

After the concert, we said our goodbyes, checked out of our hotel, had lunch, and then checked into our other hotel.  Then we took it easy in our room for the afternoon.  Later on, we met Kevin's parents at Little America for dinner.  It was delicious and it was so fun to be together with everyone.  Then we walked to the nearest train station to ride TRAX to Temple Square.  Derek and Lily loved the train!

But the train was nothing compared to seeing the Christmas lights on Temple Square.  They were beautiful, and the kids loved every little thing - from the nativities set up, to the different colors of the lights, and of course, holding hands with Grandma and Grandpa :).

 
I loved taking pictures of the lights and the temple.  If only I had brought my tripod with me so that I could have done it right :).

After we looked at the lights, we made sure to watch the Nativity presentation out on the lawn - which is always fantastic.  It was then that we met up with Kevin's older brother, Scott, and his family, which meant Lily and Derek had cousins to play with :).  Lily and Anna hit it off like they had known each other forever, and I loved watching them walk hand in hand.

Then it was back to the hotel to get ready for the much anticipated event . . . "Build Your Brother's Pants."  It deserved its very own post though :).  After the festivities, it was time to get some sleep before . . .

MONDAY:

We got to sleep in on Monday, which was wonderful, especially since Derek and Lily had been staying up hours past their bedtime (Isn't that what happens on vacation?).  Then we got up, had breakfast, and walked to the train station.  The kids had been begging to go to the Church History Museum, and so that is where we went.

They thought it was great, and especially loved getting to stand behind the replica of the podium from the Conference Center and playing in the replica of a ship's bunk.

 
When we finished inside the museum, we headed into one of the visitor centers.  It was too busy the night before, and we had promised the kids they could go in.  they sure love looking at the statue of the Christus.  And the temple was looking so beautiful against the cold winter sky, that I had to snap a picture :).

Then we hopped on the train and headed to the Gateway for me to find a new dress for that night.  (It was a case of me not really liking anything in my closet at the time, and Kevin saying I should get something new.)  After an hour of being disappointed, I discovered DownEast Basics and found 3 beautiful dresses that I took home - for less money than one dress from the other stores.

Later that evening, we went to the Wedding dinner.  Since Kate and Randy decided not to have a reception, they had a formal dinner instead at a beautiful reception center in Sugar House.  We got there early for pictures, but Derek had fallen asleep and was not having any of it.  The poor kid was worn out and grumpy.  Luckily his grandma and grandpa worked their magic and helped him rediscover his smile :).

All of the kids were really great, and waited so patiently for the dinner to start.  Lily and Derek loved being with their cousins, and all five kids were pretty happy when I let Derek play with my iPod.  I love how all of them were entertained by watching him play :).

Randy and Kate, the reason for the celebration, were just glowing with happiness.  Kate looked gorgeous, and Lily just had to get a picture with her newest aunt (Even if Lily has forgotten how to smile in pictures - he he!  I promise, she was happy.)

Dinner was great, although a little too fancy for Lily and Derek's tastes.  No worries though, because Kevin had a pocket full of Rolos, and so they were just fine.  We were seated with two of Kevin's aunts and uncles, and had a really great time.

 
Then we all headed back to Dennis and Valerie's hotel for the traditional swimming and hottubbing the night before the wedding.  Everyone had a fantastic time, and wow - it was one big splash when all the boys jumped in the pool together :).

By the time we got to bed, we were all exhausted and ready to get some sleep for . . .

TUESDAY:

Seeing as Randy's wedding day was also Derek's fifth birthday, we decided to take him to a special birthday breakfast at Little America.  Derek loved it!  He got a pancake in the shape of a bear, and then, after he told the waitress that it was his birthday, she brought him a huge piece of chocolate cake and sang to him :).

After breakfast, we checked out of our hotel and headed through the icky weather to drop our kids off at my old roommate Terrah's house.  (She lives in the Draper area.)  She was so awesome to watch Lily and Derek for us!!  As soon as we dropped them off, we hurried back to downtown SLC for the wedding.

It was such a wonderful wedding, and I have never seen anyone smile as big as Randy as he came into the sealing room with Kate.  We are so happy for them!!  Afterwards, we did a few pictures, and then we went and picked up the kids.

Because of the long drive there and back, we were quite a bit late for the wedding luncheon, but I am so glad we went and got the kids first.  It gave them a chance to say goodbye to all their aunts, uncles, cousins, and their grandparents.  Plus, Lily got to play her recital piece for everyone, and Derek got some great cuddling in with Grandma Valerie.

 
As soon as all the goodbyes were said, we headed to Ogden to visit our friends the Jones family.  On our way, I called my older brother and found out that he was in town and headed toward us in the opposite direction.  So we both pulled off at a random exit and got to say hello.  It was so wonderful seeing Preston and Misty and their kids - even if it was only for 15 minutes :).

We got to the Jones' house just in time to help with a few last minute preparations for Marilyn's family Christmas party.  They have always been more like family than just friends to us, and so we fit right in :).  And Kevin was especially excited that the dinner was catered by Maddox - one of his favorite Utah restaurants.  (And I found it pretty funny that all the pies say they were made by Kevin - he he!)

During the party, we also found time for Derek to open his birthday presents - which he had been patiently waiting for ALL DAY.  What a sweetheart :).  His favorite gift was the Imperial Walker he got from Grandma Valerie and Grandpa Dennis.  He has been wanting one for years, but they finally made one for his collection, and so his grandma immediately got it for him.

And Derek spent the whole dinner (before his toys were opened) playing with Jordan and playing with the holly leaf decorations on the tables, turning them into spaceships and blasters :).  After Marilyn's extended family left, we stayed up late talking.  It was so wonderful to be with them, especially since their son Tyler was home from Afganistan.

The next morning we took our time getting ready and getting out, having a nice breakfast of waffles that Brent made us.  When we finally did get on the road, we were only an hour into our trip when we were stopped for a terrible accident.  A semi with a hazardous load had crashed and shut down the highway.  After almost two hours, they finally let us go, but we had to get past the accident by driving on the frontage road.  Craziness!

We finally made it home at 9 pm at night, but were very grateful that, aside from the accident, some slick roads, and some fog at the end of the trip, we had no issues.  The roads were clear, they were open, and we made it safe. 

It was a great trip, and a great week, but now that it is over, we can get ready for Christmas for real :).  Merry Christmas!!

On the Second Week of Christmas . . .

I don't know how we managed to be busier this week than last week, but we were.  It is fine though, because we still had plenty of down time amidst the activities.  We started the week with watching the First Presidency Christmas Devotional on Sunday evening.  It was the first time in 6 years that we lived in a time zone that was early enough to watch it live with the kids.  It was inspiring and wonderful, and really got us in the Christmas spirit as we sipped hot cocoa and listened to beautiful music and stories from the prophet.

On Monday evening, Derek's preschool had a special make and take activity with the parents.  Kevin got home from work just in time to take Derek, and they both had a blast.  They made a Christmas ornament out of a light bulb, and it was SO cute!

Here is the finished product.

And while we are on the subject of ornaments, here is one we had made from an art project Lily did in school this fall.  It is pretty cute :).

And we continued our tradition of letting the kids pick out a new ornament.  Someday, when they leave home, they will have quite the collection.  Lily picked the Bluebell Fairy to go along with her Lily Fairy from a few years ago.  And Derek chose Luke Skywalker - of course :).

On Tuesday evening, I decided to be really brave and take Lily to the Skate Night for her school.  She has been wanting to go for months, but we always had a conflict.  Since we were already going, I decided to invite Lily's friend Anna to join us. 

I didn't realize how tricky it would be to help two little girls learn how to skate at the same time.  I had one on each hand, and was pulled and yanked, and even knocked over, and although my back will never be the same, they got to the point at the end of the night where they didn't need to be held.

My favorite part was when the girls chose to practice on the carpet, and I got to fly around the skating rink like I was 10 years old again.  I guess skating is like riding a bike - you never forget how to do it :).

On Thursday evening, we had our  book club Christmas party, and I brought my awesome neighbor Kristin to share in the fun.  We all brought our favorite Christmas books and shared the stories with each other, and I came home with a list of books I want for my collection :).  Then we had a white elephant book exchange.  It is pretty funny to see how hard we could fight for a book we wanted - and I was no exception :).

Thursday was also when I had some time to do a little holiday baking.  I made Kevin's family recipe for Caramel brownies and  Chocolate Carmel Delights.  (The brownies are the ones that Kevin brought me the day after we had our first kiss.  I am not sure what won me over more - the kiss, or the fact that he made me amazing brownies.  He he!  I should probably post the recipe sometime.) 

Derek helped me bake them while we watched "The Muppet Christmas Carol," which is always a good time.  And it was nice to have a little helper there with me.  I had to give most of the treats away, but we managed to keep some to eat ourselves :).

And then on Friday night we had our ward Christmas party (which is where most of the treats I made had to go).  It was a big dinner and there were so many people there.  It blew us away, because not only was the whole ward out for it, but everyone was on time.  (We are used to being the first people there.)  We had a great time, especially because Lily and Derek were awesome about not running around wild with the other kids.

And then, yesterday was Lily's Christmas Piano Recital.  It was wonderful, but deserves its own post.  Don't worry, I will tell you all about it once I get the video loaded onto the computer :).

And so, Christmas is getting closer, and we are enjoying every minute of it.  I hope your celebrations are going wonderfully too :).

Fantastic Friday

Friday turned out to be a great day for us.  Both Lily and Derek didn't have school, and so I wanted to use the opportunity to visit one of the many museums here in Colorado Springs.  As we looked through our choices, we decided on the Western Museum of Mining and Industry.

I wasn't really sure what to expect, but we had a pretty good discount getting in, and so there wasn't any pressure.  Well, the kids ended up really enjoying it, and it was just the perfect size to fit for us to see in the 1 1/2 hours that we had before lunch.

The highlights were:

• Panning for Gold
• Going on a Treasure hunt for items in the museum, and when they found them all, getting a prize (Lily got a piece of petrified wood, which she thought was AWESOME.)
• Being there at the same time as a few school groups, and so sneaking up close to watch the extra demonstrations they did for them.
• Watching the huge machinery move.
• Pushing buttons on the mini displays
• Buying and eating a candy sticks

After we finished with the indoor exhibits, we headed outside to look around and see if we could find the two burros they keep there.  The kids loved it, even if we never found the burros :).

After the museum, we headed to Ft. Carson to join Kevin at a BBQ his battalion was having.  It was really great to have lunch with him and finally see where he works.  The food was yummy and the weather was gorgeous.  At one point, someone brought out the 4-wheelers that they use out in the desert so that the kids could climb on them.  We got some fun pictures on them, even if they made me put on the kevlar helmet to complete the look :).  Fun times!

It was a great day, and I am glad I made myself get out and do something with the kids.  Up until recently, I had been so busy unpacking and working on things, I felt like I was neglecting them.  Hopefully we will be able to keep it up and continue doing fun family field trips. 

The rest of our weekend was pretty great too.  I took the kids to the park on Saturday where they got to run off their energy (since our backyard won't get put in until the spring).  Lily also got to play with our new neighbor, while I had a great time getting to know her mom. 

And last night while I went to the General Relief Society broadcast, Kevin and the kids got pizza and watched a movie together :).  While they were having their fun, I had a fantastic time listening to the prophet, meeting new people, and becoming better friends with the awesome ladies in my ward.  We even went out to dessert afterward, and I have to say that I haven't laughed that hard in a while.  I am definitely feeling blessed :).

The Tender Mercies of Moving

I am not going to lie - this has been a very stressful few months, and the last 3 weeks without Kevin have been even harder.  I have done quite a few things for the first time, and I have done them without him by my side (as much as both of us wished that he could be here).  And truly, if it hadn't been so important to me that my Lily could be here to start school on time, we could have been together, but I think the sacrifice was worth it for her to have that.

But back to what I was getting to, even though I haven't had Kevin here, I have not been alone.  My Heavenly Father has been here by my side helping me every step of the way - either through comfort and peace he has brought to my soul, or through people who have gone out of their way to serve me.  They have saved me, when I was so caught up in the chaos that I didn't realize I needed saving.  There have been tender mercies every step of the way.  Here are a few . . .

* My Friend Marilyn - How do I explain all that she did for me?  As I was visiting with her the day before I left for Colorado on my own with the kids, she looked at me and said, "I am going to come with you.  I can't let you do this alone."  And she did come with me.  She is amazing.

Even if it was only for the comfort of having another adult to bounce ideas off of, or just for her company alone, it would have been worth it, but she did so much more.  She offered wonderful advice as I was having to get things for the house and buy things.  She watched the kids on multiple occasions so I could do things, like registering Lily for school and closing on the house.  And because of her, I got all three of our bedrooms painted - which never would have happened without her.

And yes, I cried when I dropped her off at the airport.  Even though it had only been a few days, it made such an amazing impact and helped give me the confidence to the rest alone.

* My Friend EmilieAn - It amazes me how generous and wonderful this old friend from high school has been to me.  She hadn't seen me in almost 14 years, and yet she welcomed us into her home to stay before we got into the house. 

She fed us, she gave me the sweetest gift basket with stuff to help us out until we got our stuff, and she watched my kids for me when the movers came with our stuff.  She even helped me fix some things that needed fixing, even though she had spent the day watching Derek.  And all of this, even though she lives about 40 minutes from me.  Like I said, she is amazing!

* The People in Our New Ward -  Our new ward got our records the day we got into the house, and so Kevin emailed the Bishop to know to expect us.  Within and hour, he had a response from both the Bishop and the Relief Society President.  A few hours after that, one of the RS presidency was at my doorstep with cookies.  I almost started to cry.

I have been lent furniture, had Lily picked up and dropped off from school, and my kids watched so I could make sense of the chaos after the movers got here.  In fact, one sweet sister in the ward, not only took my kids all day Saturday so I could get some order in the chaos, but she brought her husband with her to help me fix a few things. 

We had a lot of broken things in the move - furniture, my dryer, etc.  When she discovered that my dryer was broken, she not only took my kids, but all my laundry and did it for me.  Once again, I was saved, as I don't know what I would have done since we were out of clean clothes.  What an amazing blessing.

* My kids - With all the chaos, with all the changes, the sleeping on floors in different houses almost every night, the being without their dad, and everything else - including a mom who is barely hanging onto sanity - my kids have been wonderful. 

Yes, they have had their moments when it was all too much, but for the most part they have been happy and excited.  Whether it was having dinner on the floor, or helping us paint, or Lily collecting all the perfectly round rocks in our yard, they have been wonderful.  I love them, and they are the real reason I wasn't in this alone.

So here we are, at the end of our moving adventure, and even though I have many boxes left to unpack and quite a bit of furniture that needs repairing, we are home.  I love our house, I love our community, and I have already fallen in love with beautiful Colorado. 

I am so happy to be in the West again, with wide open spaces and mountains.  I am excited for my kids to know what I grew up with.  And I am very happy that my husband will finally get to join us again tomorrow :).

Our Moving Adventure Part 5: Vacation in Idaho

I love this picture of Derek, as it really shows how all of us were feeling by the time we reached Idaho.  A week on the road, even with stops to visit friends and family, is just a long time to have to pack up and move every day.  So, when we got to Twin Falls and knew we would be there for three weeks, it was quite a relief.

Kevin only got to stay the first week, as he had to head back to North Carolina to out-process at Ft Bragg, but even for him, it was a wonderful vacation.  I did still spend a lot of time on the phone, computer, or hunting down fax machines to arrange things for buying our house, but we still made time for fun.  We packed a lot in - in fact, each activity could be its very own post, but since I am so behind (and you don't want to have to wade through that much), I will just give you the highlights.  Be warned though, there are still a lot of them.

Chillin' in the Backyard

One of our favorite things was just relaxing in a backyard, enjoying a non-humid relatively bug-free environment.  It was wonderful, and I think it was probably the kids' favorite part of our vacation.  Here they are at Kevin's parents' home our first day there.

Derek injured himself on the way over, and so he got extra brownies from Grandma Valerie.  I think he managed to eat four, and I wonder why he didn't want his dinner :).

We also spent a lot of time in the backyard of my parents' house, as this is where we stayed.  The weather was so nice, we ate outside almost every night.  (If you notice all the people, 5 of the 7 kids in my family happened to be in town for a baby blessing, and so Lily and Derek got to see lots of family - it was wonderful.)

Dance Parties and Plays

It just so happened that the second night we were there, my old community theater group, JUMP Co., was putting on a play, and so Kevin took Lily there on a date.  Meanwhile, the rest of us had a party - my sister Holly loves any excuse to have a dance party.  We clear out the garage and have a blast.  If you notice, Derek got quite a few different girls to dance with him - already the lady's man I guess :).

Soon, Derek discovered that most of the boys were outside playing football with my brother Preston, and so he thought he should join in.  Being too small to play with the big boys, my niece McKayla played with him instead.  (And of course, Grandpa was out there too, but Isaac had him tackled pretty soon.)

Homemade Rockets

Preston and my brother-in-law Stuart made the coolest rocket launcher.  They hooked it to an air compressor and would shoot paper rockets about one hundred feet in the air.  The kids (and adults) spent hours making and shooting off rockets.  It was so much fun, and Lily and Derek especially loved it - even if Lily's first rocket exploded :).

Kevin Playing Golf with His Dad

They only made it out twice, but they had a blast.  I think one of Kevin's favorite things in the whole world is getting to play a round of golf with his dad :).

Wagon Rides with Uncle Stuart

One afternoon, Stuart hooked up their pony to the cart and gave all the kids rides.  Just another awesome memory and fun experience for Lily and Derek :).

 Elizabeth's Baby Blessing

My sister Holly has four boys, and finally had a little girl.  We got lucky and happened to be there on the Sunday that little Lizzy was getting blessed.  I have to say that I fell in love with that baby girl and was so happy to be there :).

After church we had a party to celebrate Elizabeth.  Derek loved the cake - or should I say, the frosting?  While we were together, we had to snap a few pictures.  Holly and I got one with my gorgeous niece Madeline, who is headed to BYU this fall.  And we also had to get one with my mom and her girls - it is too bad we were missing my sister Wendy, but she is having her very own moving adventure right now.

The Sandbox and Treehouse

Last year, with some help from my brother and father, Stuart built his boys the most awesome treehouse.  The kids spent so much time in there, but their favorite thing by far, was the huge sandbox under it.  Derek spent hours there every day.

Family Home Evening at Uncle Randy's Apartment

The Monday night Kevin was there, we went to his brother's apartment and had a BBQ at the pool.  The kids loved getting to swim, but I think Lily loved getting to meet his new kitten even more than that.

Jumping on Grandma's Trampoline

I love that my parents' trampoline is built into the ground.  The kids had a blast on it, and even got Kevin and I to join them a few times.  It was another thing they spent hours with.

Fun Times and Projects with Grandma Valerie

Before we came out, Lily let her grandma know that she would love to do a cooking project, and maybe a science project as well.  For the cooking project, they made the cutest (and yummiest) rainbow cupcakes.  And for the science project, they had sea animals that grew in water.  They loved every minute of it!  (And when Derek wasn't involved in the projects, he was collecting Lego heads and making creations out of them.  So strange, I know.)

Visiting Old Friends From High School

We were really lucky that our time in Twin Falls overlapped a little with a few friends that we hadn't seen in forever.  One of them was our friend Danielle and her husband.  They are in the process of moving from Ecuador to Vietnam, and so it really was a miracle that things worked out for us to get together.  We met them for lunch at Papa Kelsey's and had a blast catching up on our lives for the past decade.

(Oh, and being really lame, I forgot my camera, and so these pictures were taken with my phone.  Lily took the one with Kevin and I in it.  Oh well, it is better than no pictures at all.)

I also got to see another old friend, Carrie, the day before I left town.  I could have talked to her forever, and we had such a wonderful time catching up.  She had just had her first baby, a little girl named Elizabeth, who is only a few days older than Holly's Elizabeth :).  We had to get pictures together of the little girls, and of us as well. 

Afternoon Walks

I love taking walks on my parents' street.  My kids get to see horses, cows, sheep, and beautiful farm fields.  One afternoon, we went with the few of us that were still there visiting, and took a walk around the neighborhood.

Herrot Center Planetarium and Museum

One day we took a field trip to the free museum at the planetarium.  It was really cool and the kids loved it.  Lily was even more excited about it, when later in the day, my sister Heather took all the older kids to watch a movie about Outer Space there.  The whole rest of the days she filled our heads with information about the first black hole :).

Pony Rides

Every time we come, Lily always talks someone into giving her a pony ride on her cousins' pony.  She absolutely loves it!

Band Concerts in the City Park

Kevin's brother Randy played in the City Band, and so we made sure to go to one of the weekly concerts.  The kids had a blast eating their rainbow cupcakes, playing on the lawn, listening to the music, and even getting to be in a teddy-bear parade. 

Afterward, Lily even went up to the conductor and introduced herself, before I realized what was going on.  He even let her wave his baton - pretty much the highlight of the night for her :).  Our last night in town, the kids got to go again with Kevin's parents - so much fun!

Roasting Marshmallows

One night, my dad built a fire in the fire pit and we roasted hot dogs and marshmallows to pretend like we were camping.  It was so much fun, even with the sticky mess all of us became - he he!

Going Fishing

Lily has been begging Kevin or I to take her fishing for years, but since neither of us are fishermen, we always tell her that sometime when we go to Idaho, we will go fishing.  Well, she got her wish when my sisters Holly and Heather took the kids out fishing one morning.  (Heather is an amazing fisherman.)

Not only did Lily get to go fishing, but she caught two fish, and her fish was the very first one caught out of all them.  She loved it!  My sisters told me that at one point, she fell off of her stool and scraped up her knee, but when she started to cry, Heather told her, "Now Lily, you don't want to fish to hear you crying, because they need to know that you are the boss of them."  Lily stopped crying, jumped right up and started yelling at the water, "Listen to me, I'm the boss of you fish!"  Awesome :).

Fun Times and Tea Parties with Grandma Lynn

For the most part, after the blessing weekend, Lily was the only granddaughter left (aside from the new baby).  She didn't seem to mind at all, but my mom took full advantage of having a little girl around.  They baked, they did projects, played with jewelry, and even had a tea party on real china plates.  I know the two of them had such a wonderful time together.

Playing With Their Best Friends - Their Cousins

Lily and her cousin Austin have been best friends since they were babies.  They are only two months apart, and when they were little, they spent enough time together to be twins :).  It makes me so happy that they are still such wonderful friends.  It also makes me smile to see Derek get to build relationships with his cousins too, as he has spent most of his life across the country from them.

Taking Portraits

I got to do a few different photo sessions when I was in Idaho, and I loved every minute of it.  When I get the chance, I will post about them on my photography blog, but until then, I will leave you with one of my favorites from Elizabeth's newborn shoot.  Holly and I had such a fun time experimenting with these :).

Going to the Temple

It is so amazing to me that there is a temple in my hometown.  That whenever we come home, we get to visit it.  Not only that, but anywhere you go in town, you can see it - especially when we go to Kevin's parents' house, which is across the street :).  Lily took a special walk with Grandma Valerie around the temple and even went up and touched it.  It meant so much to her.  And while we were there, I was lucky enough to attend the temple three times.  It was such a place a peace, and just what I needed in all the stress and craziness. 

And so that was our three weeks in Twin Falls, which almost brings us to the end of our moving adventure, but not quite :).

Spring is busting out all over . . .

I love that song, although I cannot seem to remember what old musical it is from.  That is how I feel though, that spring is bursting forth everywhere and that everything is coming alive.  I love the spring.  I love how it feels when the sunshine is filled with warmth again, when you hear birds singing in the morning, and the flowers are blooming :).  It is my favorite season.

So far, our spring has been pretty full, even though it has only really been spring for a week.  Last Saturday we stared out the season with a trip to Lowe's for yard supplies - fertilizer, seed, bug killer, etc.  I even bought some strawberry plants (Yea!) and some pumpkin seeds, of which the kids are so excited to plant :).  I have them hanging on my calendar to remind us to plant them when we get back from Spring Break.

Kevin was hard at work on Friday, putting all our new purchases to work.  He dusted off the lawn mower, mowed the yard, and then put down all the stuff that will help our lawn.  He was very glad to have that checked off our list, and very happy that it even rained afterward to help it all out.

The kids have loved helping me out in the yard as well, and Lily gets so excited every time another flower blooms.  She especially loves the tulips and seeing what color they turn out to be.  I have to admit, I am just as excited as she is :).

Lately, I have been obsessed with a new project of mine.  Kevin's mom sent us a box of his childhood photos, and I have been having a blast organizing them and putting them into a photo album.  I have had to use a little detective work on a few photos to find out when they were taken, but luckily, Kevin has an amazing memory and so has been able to put me on the right path every time.  It will be so fun to have it finished so Kevin can have it to remember his childhood :).

The other day, when I went to Children's Place to find a new Easter tie for Derek (of which they were out), I happened to pick up some new sunglasses for the kids.  They loved them, and I am still smiling about Lily's comment when she put hers on.  "Oh mom, don't I look so fashionable in these?"  I love it!  And hey, she does look pretty fashionable :).

And speaking of fashionable, look at them dressed up in their Easter finery.  Because General Conference is on Easter, I had them dress up yesterday for church.  I love Lily's green dress, and Derek looks so great (even though his clothes aren't new and it is an outfit he wears almost every Sunday).   

Also on Sunday, we had our Easter lesson in nursery.  It was great, and then for our activity, we took all the kids (Luckily only thirteen, since a bunch were missing) outside for an Easter egg hunt.  It was a blast, and reminded me a little of herding sheep.  The greatest was when the kids figured out that there were mini-marshmallows in the eggs, and so soon they were just chilling and eating :).  It gave them them some exercise and was quite a workout for us leaders.  Fun times!

Another fun activity of the weekend, was having our good friends, the Drapers, come to visit.  Rob had been gone on a deployment for the Air Force since Christmas, and so we wanted to get together and see them, especially since their baby is due in a few weeks.  We had so much fun with them, and we even snuck out to do a maternity photo shoot for Angela.  It was so wonderful to be taking portraits again :).  If you want to see more, go to my photography site.

And last, but not least - and really just for fun - some pictures of Derek playing with LEGOS this morning in his adorable monkey jammies.  He is acting out the Battle of Hoth - again, and as always.  He is so funny!   (And yes, you can sort of see my laundry piles all around him - it is Monday, after all.)

And Kevin and I love his pj's - Kevin found them at Old Navy and got them for Derek, but Derek really does NOT like them.  When we try to get him to wear them, he usually pitches a fit and tells me "I don't think I look handsome in these jammies!!"   Somehow Kevin tricked him into wearing them last night, so I had to get a picture :).

And so, yes, that has been spring for us so far.  A little fun, a little chaos, a little fashion, and more than a little craziness thrown in.   I hope the rest of it will be just as fun :).