Catching Up II

Mallorie has been dying to move out of her five-point harness carseat for about six months....and I told her that she could make the switch when she turned five. The time arrived and she was able to help me pick out the new carseat. While running errands the next day, she promptly tried it out for a nap. She's loving the freedom the seat provides to be able to buckle and in-buckle herself. Ah, the little things in life. 

 Last ride and first ride.

Chadwick and Stephen had a birthday earlier last month - my hubs is the younger of the twins by 7 minutes. We had a low-key celebration for him at home that day with a nice breakfast, Morgan decorated his chair, and I managed to get the two of us out for a date night dinner at McGrath's. While he went to the bathroom, I let the waiter know it was his birthday and they happily brought out a ridiculous fish hat and sang. He was slightly mortified. Totally made my night! I post a lot about the kids and random events in life but seldom take the time to mention my sweet husband. He is hard-working to a fault (sometimes); dedicated to his calling, family, and work; has the ability to come home from the clinic and jump into a wrestling match with the dog and/or the kiddos; is artistic and handy around the house; makes me smile; and pushes me to be a better person and wife. I'm lucky to stand by his side in this ride we call life.

 

The last weekend of the month found us in the den watching the bi-annual General Conference for the LDS church. It's a time to listen to and learn from latter-day apostles and leaders of this church, to find answers to questions and time to come together as a family and feel the Spirit. Truth be told, I sometimes wonder how much we really get out of that time, especially with small children in the house. However, I have found that I can always catch a gem or two in between the chaos. This year, we tried something new and busted out the Legos. Our good friends the Taylors spend conference weekends Legoeing and it was a hit! Hands are kept busy, mouths are more quiet, and it helps the adults not fall asleep which is a total bonus. I'm hooked. Other conference traditions include pancakes for breakfast, an outing during priesthood session (we hit up the park and Krispy Kreme this year), and having a family over for dinner Sunday evening. The Ortons joined us this go-round. I'm usually feeling cross-eyed by the time the weekend is done but the time to be spiritually fed is worth the time on the couch.

 

Now to snag a picture of Mallorie before preschool one morning and I'll be officially caught up. On last month's adventures.

Catching Up September

Chadwick has a cousin that lives in town with his wife and family. They enjoy a good party more than anyone I know....games, food, creativeness, get-to-gethers...the Austin's are all about it. They host a Christmas party every year for friends within the ward boundaries and it's gotten so large that couples who have moved out of the ward boundaries are cut off from the 50+ guest list. I can't imagine trying to set up an event for that many people each year. On my own. At any rate, one of Nathan's new loves is the Escape Room experience. Several of these have popped up around Meridian (maybe nationally?) and it entails a group of people sitting in a room together with a list of clues to find more clues to get to an end point. Sometimes it's saving the world, or rescuing a small child. There's always a theme. Nathan and his wife came up with their own version to be completed within the walls of their home. Chadwick, myself, Stephen, and Tara were invited over without the kiddos to "test" the latest version of Nathan's Escape Room, and while I had reservations prior to the event, turns out it was a blast. We had a set of clues handed to us to start the chain of events, and our goal was to obtain the code to a 1970s era briefcase and retrieve the contents therein. The creativity and time put into coordinating the clues was impressive....took us a solid hour to work through the puzzles, toy bins, sign language sentence, black light message, and scripture clues to lead us to the final combo. I mean, they found an old book with an appropriate title and carved a chunk out so that it could contain a set of keys! I felt like I was in a movie....a home-made mystery.

Nathan had most of the kinks worked out from his previous attempt and had to give us very few hints. We were powered by ice cream and cake when things got tough. 

 

 

The final treasure were three bags of candy - cinnamon bears being the only one I remember. He could make this a business on the side and I would gladly participate again.

 

The Red Cross has been hounding me for months to donate blood, and while I appreciate the need for blood products, I do not appreciate the process to be endured to obtain the final product. I can draw blood from multiple veins on multiple species, but when the 18-gauge needle is heading toward my own arm, I start to sweat and go into overdrive with the talking. Powering through the distress, it was a good donation and I'm always glad to walk out with the red band around my arm. 

Then there's the den. I cannot break Spencer of the habit of throwing off the couch pillows when he's in here watching a movie. The start of the movie has him sitting on a well-put together couch. By the end, the pillows are a mess and he's sitting on top of the pile like he's king of the mountain. Drives me crazy. The other afternoon, he dumped the pillows and then proceeded to take the movies down from the shelf and carefully organize them on the floor. 

And for some reason I loved the sight of these little tennis shoes sitting in the middle of the kitchen floor after the kids had gone to bed. There will never be tiny shoes like this again in the near future.

Our apple tree didn't impress this year (neither did the peach tree or the grapes, for that matter) so I loaded the kids into the car and drove past my old veterinary clinic on the boulevard toward a Church owned orchard for some apples. Two u-turns and 35 minutes later, we found ourselves facing a large bin of Jonathon apples. The kids gleefully piled apples into boxes and I was shocked to learn that we hit 90 pounds of apples with one box to go....I gave that last box to another family and loaded our loot into the car. One apple crisp and 33 quarts of applesauce later - leaves me with fewer pounds than what I started. Thanks to Tara for helping me sauce most of our pick!

 

And the temps started to drop....welcome, fall!

The Adams Family Reunion

It feels like a year of reunions for us. The one in Utah with the vet school family. One in Donnelley over Labor Day. An upcoming Graham-Adams reunion at the end of this month. 

It's been longer than any of us could remember since the last Adams family reunion. Colorado, we thought, shortly after the Addams Family movie came out. I vividly remember getting shirts from the movie and wearing them in a group photo, sitting next to a fence with a couple of horses nearby. Groups of us have gathered at weddings and funerals...my Uncle Ben and Aunt Diane coordinated the process and found a beautiful cabin in Donnelley. 

For the purpose of keeping the family tree organized, my dad (John) is the youngest of four siblings. His sister, Tia Virginia, is the oldest, followed by Walter, Ben, and my dad. The four of them plus most of their significant others were present - Walter's wife hasn't been in great health and stayed home in Connecticut. Tia and Doug arrived in Boise two days early with the intent of spending some time with us before heading to the cabin and I'm so glad they did! My kids took to them immediately and Spencer began dragging Doug around by the finger, asking him to "follow me." Chug, as he came to be known, spent most of the trip laughing at the antics of my youngest. I also felt like I was able to re-connect with one of my favorite relatives, Tia, which was a highlight of the reunion. 

Of the cousins, only my brother David and 'sister' Colleen weren't able to come. Though older, most of the cousins reminded me of their younger selves, especially Cayla, who is my senior by 3 years. Her facial expressions, actions, and manner of speaking were just as I remembered from our youth. Her daughter Fiona is a chip off her mother's block. Ted and Charlie were as calm, quiet-spoken, and funny as remembered. I enjoyed the time with Charlie's girlfriend and Cayla's husband and all of the children that came with these couples.

It's such a different feel to gather as adults with my aunts and uncles. For example, later one evening after the kiddos had gone to bed, Uncle Walter informed me with a goofy smile and laugh that he was drunk. Did they do that when I was a kid? Is this what adults do when their children go to bed? Apparently, and we did a lot of laughing that evening. 

The last morning of our visit, the five of us were piled in queen bed in the room we shared, having a moment together, when Morgan looked at me and announced that she didn't think anyone else in the cabin went to church. Knowing full well what she meant, I mentioned that Ben and Diane went to church regularly. "No, Mom, I don't think anyone else goes to the Latter Day Saint church." She was right on that account, and before I could ask what spurred her hypothesis, she got distracted. I found out much later from my dad that she asked my Aunt Diane if she belong to the LDS church. Diane's reply - "Nope, I'm a Methodist." Morgan soaked up the response, glanced at the wine glass in Diane's hand, said, "Oh, okay!" and walked off. No judgement, no lecture about the Word of Wisdom. Just an observation. She doesn't miss much, this Morgan Magoo. 

Puzzle making, laughing, canoeing, hiking, soccer table, sailing, and decorating t-shirts were on the agenda. We spent the time catching up on life and getting to know one another again. Ted left mid-weekend to head to Washington as part of a fire crew. We celebrated Mallorie's birthday. I learned what it meant to go to the bathroom in the "Big potty" (aka outside).

And we laughed and talked some more. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I hope we don't wait 10+ years for the next gathering. The Adams crew are quirky, good people I'm happy to call family.

And She's Five!

Happy, happy birthday, Mallorie dear!

This little sweetheart of ours turned five earlier this month. She arrived after many hours of labor and hard pushing and aside from the inability to fall asleep by herself for several months, has been such a joy in our family!

 

 

Bug-a-Boos, as I love to call her, has a smile that will light up a room. Her heart is also the most tender of my children - she cries when someone leaves without giving her a hug and a kiss, adores her little brother and mothers him all day long, gives the best snuggles, is a good helper around the house, and has the sweetest voice as she sings while playing. Several months ago, she mentioned to me that she felt like she should be praying before getting out of bed in the mornings. Mallorie is also my worrier; worries who will watch them when I work or go out without the children, worries if we are going to be late, worries when someone looks like he is leaving and she hasn't had a hug, worries over new events. Definitely some of my genes in the works. 

This girl is loving preschool. Dances with joy during ballet class. Is excited to finally be taking music lessons from Aunt Becky. Adores anything My Little Pony, Barbie, or has sparkles. She's learning to play with boys and has been working to read. Picking veggies from the garden is a favored pastime. 

We were in Donnelley with the Adams clan over her birthday weekend and got to celebrate with newly-met relatives. Eggs for breakfast, a hike up in McCall for the day, and a delicious pasta dish for dinner. She helped decorate her cake with sprinkles, which she thought was fantastic. 

 

 

 

 

 

Can't wait to see how you grow and change this year, my MJ!

Beebers

For several months, Spencer referred to himself as "Beeber," which was likely a cross between Spencer and Bubba. If you ask what his name is today, he will pat his chest and quietly say, "Pencer." Melts my heart every time. However, we have frequently started calling him Beebers.

In a recent display of interest in potty training, the little man has gone potty several times in the froggy training toilet sitting in the upstairs bathroom. I'm not holding my breath for him to be out of diapers in the next 6 months, but it was an exciting event the first time nonetheless. After doing his business, I gave him high five and proceeded to tell him how great it was, how he did a good job, etc. With a grin on his face, he replied, "I know, Mom." We marched downstairs for the post-potty-in-the-toilet M&M and I had to call my mom to tell her the news and his response.

Climbing out of his crib is the second trick he learned this week. To be honest, I'm shocked that it took him this long to perfect the technique, but I wasn't complaining. The other morning he was asking for me to come get him and as I was waking Morgan up for school, I didn't get there right away. Moments later, I heard his doorknob jiggling and I peeked around the corner in time to see his little body behind the door, wide smile plastered across his face. "I. Get. Out. Of My. Bed!!" He squealed. (note: I put the periods between words to illustrate his diction. It's rough and has pauses in between most words) The following morning he popped out of his room and immediately opened the door to his sisters' room and hollered, "Ger-rerils! Morning time!!"

He is such a character! As a friend noted over the weekend, his face is full of expression. The boy doesn't have to utter a word to get across any emotion running through his head. Mallorie is quite expressive in her eyebrows, as is Chadwick I think, but Spencer? It's all over his face. He's got a neat personality that keeps us laughing.

Oh, that boy.....

Twenty-Year Reunion, Sunglasses and Such

Last month was full of activities - vet school reunion, backpacking, back to school, and Chadwick's high school reunion. It fell the same night as the WestVet Appreciation Picnic - an annual thing where the local specialty veterinary clinic sponsors dinner and a fun event for the area veterinarians/technicians and their families. While talking about which event to attend, as we were folding laundry and watching a movie, Chadwick mentioned that his high school reunion would not occur again for another 10 years. The WestVet picnic will recur next August. Somewhat in shock, I looked at him and said, "You've been out of high school for 20 years??" With a smile, he quickly pointed out that I'm not super far from that benchmark myself....and I was stunned. Not sure why that hit me so hard - maybe it's because I didn't attend my own 10 year reunion?

We didn't go to the family picnic in the afternoon as we spent the morning moving Stephen and Tara into their new home in Boise (they moved from Seattle - can I just mention that I'm stoked??) and had our own chores to finish. Date night in the evening which was fun. Chadwick knew quite a few people there and I got to meet several of his closer friends from the era. Sitting at the table with Tara certainly wasn't hard. She and I snuck out early to get back home and left the boys to re-live the Meridian High glory days....

 

Morgan is turning into a night owl. She has a hard time falling asleep and would rather read than close her eyes and attempt to turn off her brain. Because of this, we sometimes see her 3-4 times after she has been "put to bed," which drives me crazy. She's now allowed two times, though I'm quite cranky the second visit, before losing her books or her blankie. She has resorted to leaving me notes on my pillow to avoid the negative consequences of descending downstairs another time. A few weeks ago, this awaited me:

Her instructions led me to this note on the bathroom floor.

Giggling quietly, I showed the notes to Chadwick. Then we found the "big" spider in another section of the bathroom. If she thinks this is big, she'd better not move to South America any time soon...

I'm pretty sure I purchased this lip gloss for the name. Luckily, I actually like the color.

Loving these kiddos and their sunglasses. There's another picture of Spencer in an earlier post asleep in his sunglasses. Can't get enough of this boy! Unfortunately for those glasses, he dumped them out the open window at a stop light last week. I heard the crunch of the plastic under the tires of the car behind me. And another one bites the dust!

 

Trauma in the neighborhood erupted about 4 weeks ago (proof that it's been too long since writing) when a house in the upper cul-de-sac went up in flames. The fire started at the freeway and charged up the hill, fueled by dry cheatgrass, a huge burnpile, and the line of evergreen trees at the back of the neighbor's house. By the time I called 911, the flames were visible above the evergreens...I had the kids put on a movie and ran out back to see what I could do. In the end, not much. Several of us from my side of the neighborhood put out the small fire burning up our side of the small irrigation ditch and sprayed water at the other side of the bank, watching helplessly as the siding melted on a neighbor's house and listened to the popping sound of flames devouring structure and memories of the primary house fire. What was worse was the line of people streaming in and out of our street, along the big canal, and on the streets across the freeway. Four cars were parked outside my house alone, all containing people wanting to take a peek at the tragedy unfolding above us. The police finally shut off our street to anyone, including a neighbor of mine who wasn't allowed access because there were too many vehicles already clogging the small street. It was like vultures circling a dying animal. I wanted to cry in anguish and scream at the onlookers to leave these poor people to their tragedy. Alone.

In the end, emergency crews from four districts teamed up to douse the flames. The neighboring houses were spared, minus the melted siding and shed on a nearby home. No human lives were lost. I reached out to the family the next day and with the help of neighbors and caring ward members, provided meals, clothing, school supplies, and money. The childrens' school provided assistance. Family and friends donated money and more clothing. She tearfully told me that the only thing keeping them afloat for the first few weeks was the generosity pouring in from so many people. It warmed my heart to see strangers reach out to ease another's suffering. When I finally met her, I realized that this was the mom I had spent the last year waving at as we shuttled kids to and from bus stops and activities. I drove up the street to take a look at the place this afternoon. It's a ghostly shadow of its former self.

And who doesn't love a yellow dog carrying a stick twice his length?