Spring Break Part 2 - Southern Utah

Spring Break. Part One - Northern Utah

It didn't take us long to figure out what to do for our Spring Break this year.  Two of Kermit's nephews were engaged to be married one weekend apart with our week of Spring Break in between.  One wedding in Provo, UT the other in St. George, UT.  We booked our tickets immediately.   We were so excited for both of them and so excited that we could finally take our kids to see Northern Utah for the first time.

We flew into Salt Lake on Friday afternoon and had a few hours before we had to be down to Provo so we took the kids to see beautiful Temple Square.  We walked all around the grounds and told them all about the day we got married there almost 15 years ago. We went inside the old tabernacle and to the new conference center.  I hope that the girls will remember that day.  I wish we had more time to linger but we had to get to Provo for a dinner for cousin Elliot and his bride to be, Valerie.

 (Just enjoying the view of the most beautiful temple ever….)

 Elliot and Val were married in the Provo Temple.  Here are pictures from just after the wedding.

I think Elliot found himself a great gal!  I had a chance to visit with her a couple of times and I really like her.  Welcome to the family Valerie!

After the wedding and before the reception we had a few hours to spend.  We ended up going to BYU Museum of Art.  The special exhibit we saw was incredible!  It was called Sacred Gifts.  Amazing paintings of Christ from all over the world…some famous artists, some not. All just breathtaking.  I don't like to use the word "breathtaking" because I think it sounds silly but in this instance I cannot think of a more appropriate word.  I definitely felt the Spirit as I went through this exhibit and I think all of my family did too. You should go.  It is there until Memorial Day, so not much time.  Hop to it!

We also went to a favorite restaurant called Bombay House with the wedding party for lunch.  YUM!  A good time was had by all!

Then we got to see our very favorite Michele and Daniel! Hooray! Love these two.  We got to visit with them at their house in Provo.  Michele put together a cute little Easter Egg hunt for the girls.  We got to see their very cool house that they have remodeled.  They have great modern taste.  We also decided to take a drive up Provo Canyon to see a cute little park there so the kids could run around.  So much fun to see them. We wish they didn't have to live so far away.

 Finally was the reception that night!  (What a day!)  This is about all I got as far as pictures at the reception but all had a great time.  The food was all prepared by Elliot and Val and was fantastic!  The music was fun, the company great.  The kids played hide and seek and had themselves a blast among the crowds of Elliot and Valerie well wishers.   Below is cousin Emma with the girls.

At some point that day we also drove around BYU and let the kids play by a creek by the bell tower.  I think it was that morning before the wedding.  Yes, that was it.  Baby ducks and tulips everywhere.  What could be better.  I could not have dreamed up a more fun weekend and so glad we got to go!

Erin and Miles Visit!

Hurray for sisters!  I have the best one out there I think!  Erin came to hang out with us for the week just because!  Kermit was out of town and Romney was crazy busy with a class he is taking so why not?!  We had a blast!  We had so much fun staying up way too late laughing and visiting.  It didn't even matter that much of her visit we were were in single digits or colder.  Her little Miles warmed right up and had the girls loving every minute.  Here are some pictures with some highlights.  Can't wait to do it again!  And soon! Love you Erin!

 My girls are all huge Miles fans as you can see.  They played with him non-stop from the moment they got home from school until bedtime.  Erin laughed saying that Miles didn't have to lift a finger all week!  They even fed him!  He is such a cute little guy! I love him and am so glad he's my nephew!

Sports 101

Kermit and I are not huge sports fans.  We both love watching an occasional basketball or baseball game but we don't follow teams anymore like we used to.  Kind of sad. Sigh.  So this weekend we randomly turned on the TV and stopped at a college basketball game.  The girls were gathered around so I tried my best to explain the game.  The red team, the white team, the referee, the two point shots, the three point shots, the foul line shots, etc. Everyone seemed really interested and liked to watch.  One of them had me laughing my head off (to myself) when she most seriously said, "If I ever play basketball, I want to be the referee."  I love it!

Then today I explained to them what the Super Bowl was.  It was brought up because the twins have been invited to a Puppy Bowl Party.  The Puppy Bowl is a show on Animal Planet that shows puppies "playing football".  Perfect for a bunch of 2nd grade girls right?! But if they don't know what the Super Bowl is then they won't get it. So I explained that the Puppy Bowl is just a bunch of puppies pretending to play football. Puppies tackle each other and play tug of war with the ball etc. and it's cute to pretend the puppies are playing real foot ball.  Then one of my girls says, "How do the puppies make a basket?"

I love my girls!  Just had to laugh!

Twin Teeth

Addie & Avrie  - July 2012

I found this picture on my computer and just had to laugh.  This one always does. It is from July 2012.  We were in NYC for my birthday and staying in a hotel near Central Park.  We had been wandering all over that day visiting the touristy sites.  By the time we got back to our hotel everybody was zonked.  Addie was brushing her teeth in the tiny bathroom and Avrie was in the main sleeping area brushing her teeth.  All of a sudden Avrie had this look of horror come across her face.  Her tooth had just come out as she was brushing.  Just as she was about to say something about it we hear from the bathroom "Hey! My tooth just fell out!"  No kidding these two lost their teeth at exactly the same time!   This little story always makes me smile.  This picture is priceless.

Christmas 2013

The most wonderful time of the year!  Christmas 2013 was a success!  I was a bit nervous and wondered if we'd pull it off.  I had everything timed out perfectly but my plans came to a halt when Adeline and Avrie came down with the stomach flu on the Thursday before Christmas and had to miss their school party on Friday and didn't recover until Monday. Fortunately nobody else in the family got sick but I did have to just let some things go this year.  Like cards for example....our Christmas cards have become New Years cards....and I'm mailing them out tomorrow, January 13th. Oh well.   They turned out super cute though! I'm excited for them anyway.

The favorite gift this year were the nutcrackers you see in this picture.  I have to say that they really love their bath robes and their ice skates as well.  We are working on ice skating.  If you look carefully in the picture Avrie has a splint on her left wrist because she fell while ice skating.  She's fine now thankfully.  Next time we'll be sure to wear wrist guards under our gloves.

I think one of my favorite memories this year will be when our family went Christmas Caroling. We visited our neighbors and some older single women from our ward.  Kermit played the guitar and we sang "Good King Wenceslas" and "Away in a Manger."  Both were very cool arrangements and the girls sounded so good!  Hearing their voices never got old and almost made me cry every time!  I loved it! I definitely want to do that again next year. 

Over the break we visited a few museums and watched movies but many days were spent home in our pajamas enjoying whatever each person felt like. Some of our traditions didn't happen this year but we have the good excuse of having a new baby.  I think the thing I really want to concentrate on and set as a personal goal for 2014 is to have the shopping done by October 1st. Fall is such a busy time for our family with birthdays and holidays so I would love to unwind and focus more on service to others in December rather than worrying about if I'm ready with gifts for my own family.  I better get started! =)

Oh,and I have to mention that the girls were in HEAVEN when we got hit with a massive winter storm that dumped tons of snow and left us with crazy low temperatures.  Like  40 below!  It was heaven because school was cancelled for two days and then a third day because the pipes froze at school.  It was the vacation that kept on giving!  Thank you Chicago for the three extra days of Christmas vacation!

A visit from Grandma and Grandpa!

How lucky we are that my parents were able to be with us last week!  We had a lot happen and I'm so glad they could be here for those special occasions.  They flew in on Friday and I picked them up from the airport in time to go straight to pick up the girls from school.  The girls loved having their grandparents pick them up from school.  That evening we received word that Uncle Kimmel had decided last minute to jump on a plane and was headed into town!  Kermit went and picked him up late that night. We had a full house!

The next day was the twins baptism day.  We spent the day getting ready.  It was a very special day.  That night we ate out at the twins favorite restaurant "Noodles and Company." The next day was also a special day because Althea received her baby blessing during sacrament meeting.   It was so great to have my parents and Kimmel there to support us on this special weekend.  Kimmel had to head back home on Sunday but my parents were able to stay through until after Thanksgiving.

The kids had school for a few days before Thanksgiving.  My mom was so helpful getting the girls through their homework and piano practice.  I wish she could be here all the time to help me every week like that!  We spent the week getting ready for our Thanksgiving dinner.  Again, what would I have done without my mom!  Her years of experience hosting Thanksgiving was so great to help pull this year off.  We shared her amazing meal with some friends from church (Rockwoods, Olsons, Kotelly).

We were able to go out to dinner a few times.  We went to the new restaurant in the neighborhood called Summerhouse.  That was fun because a friend from schools father is one of the main chefs there. He came out and talked with us and gave us a few appetizers for us to try that were amazing and different than anything I ever would have tried on my own.  We also went out and got a Christmas tree from Home Depot the night before they had to leave.   A memorable week to have them here.  I love them and  I hope they know how glad I was to have them here.

Grandma

I found these photos randomly on my laptop.  They are from December 2011.  My girls with Valrea Althea Hafen King.  Kermit's mom.  Grandma.  She had just been diagnosed with lung and brain cancer over Thanksgiving weekend of that year.   We knew her time would be short and it was.  We lost her on Easter Sunday 2012.  From her diagnosis in November until her death in April we visited her in St. George 5 or 6 times.  This was from one of those visits.  Grandma had some mining property up in the mountains that she wanted to take her family to see.  Gabe and Tanc were there with their kids as well and we loaded up the suv's and climbed the steep dirt roads that lead to her mines.  We had a great time looking for fossils and rocks.  We even went into an old mine cave.  Very cool!  Grandma had been receiving her radiation treatments but still had enough energy to get out and do some things.

That is one thing I have always loved about her and miss.  She was always up for an adventure or outing.  She was never one to sit home.  She got out every day.  If somebody in the family wanted to take a hike - she'd change her shoes (or not) and join the fun.  If somebody wanted to go shopping, she'd take you off the beaten path to find the best places to shop.  If somebody wanted to go anywhere she was game to join in, always. Even when she was in pain before she had hip surgery years ago she was still up for adventure just to be with her family.  She loved to travel the world.  She loved museums and culture.  She loved life.  I hope my children will have her sense of adventure throughout their lives.  These pictures up in "no mans land" with their grandma I hope will remind them how much she loved an adventure and also how much she loved them.

Avrie and Adeline's Baptism

Avrie and Adeline on their baptism day

November 23, 2013

What an awesome weekend we had! These two have been so excited to be baptized and the day finally came!

My parents and Kermit's brother Kimmel came out to be with them on their special day.  It really was a perfect day.  We had a sweet program.  My mom and I spoke on baptism and the holy ghost.  Annaliese joined Avrie and Addie singing "Rainbows" and were accompanied by our friend who plays violin.  It was so sweet.  I love to hear them sing!   Avrie wanted to be baptized first so Adeline got to be confirmed first.  Both confirmations were beautiful.  They really looked like angels.  Just sweet and beautiful as could be.  I truly felt the love Heavenly Father has for these two and I think all that were there did too.

We had so many people come out and support us.  The Relief Society room was packed.  They have amazing primary leaders and teachers and ward members that were there.  Also they invited a few of their friends to come from school.  Mia and Stella were there with their parents.  I'm proud of Avrie and Addie for wanting to share their special day with their friends.  It was a perfect day all around and one I hope they'll never forget.  I know I won't.

Blessing Day

Althea Elsie age 6 weeks

November 24, 2013 was a special day. This beautiful baby had her blessing day at church.  My parents came in from St. George for the occasion as did Kermit's brother Kimmel from Massachusetts.  Our ward meets in a CPS school not far from our house so she was blessed in the school auditorium during our 9am sacrament service.  We got there in time but I didn't have her dressed yet so I ran to a classroom to get her ready her with my parents. It was literally a freezing cold morning so taking her out of her cozy footie jammies was a bit of a shock.  She was a good sport about it though as I changed her into her beautiful but rather tight fitting short sleeved dress.  She barely fit in it but we got it buttoned.  We finally had her set just a few minutes before she had to go up.  I was worried she would start to cry during her blessing but she did pretty well.  I gave Kermit a muslin blanket to wrap around her and she did great. Just a little fussy toward the end but not a big deal at all.  Kermit gave her a beautiful blessing and I actually recorded it on my phone. I will type it out and print it for her baby box. No doubt she is a special girl.  She is an angel from heaven.  Proof is right there in the picture above.

Baby Girl is Here!

No time like the present to take up the blog again.

Baby Girl is here!  She is just over 4 weeks and what a wonderful 4 weeks it's been.  I can't even believe it and still shake my head in disbelief.  I truly thought that we could not have another child.  That is a post for another day.  She truly is a miracle baby.  I feel so blessed to have her!

6 days before her due date we decided to schedule to be induced.  The pregnancy was harder than my other 2 by far....even more difficult than with the twins.  The thing that made it so hard was that I could NOT sleep...ever. It was driving me crazy physically and mentally.  My feet would throb in the night.  My legs were restless.  I was huge and would toss and turn never able to find a comfortable position.  I don't know if it was my age that made the difference this time or what.  All I knew is that my past pregnancies were awesome and this one was so hard on me.  October could not come soon enough.

On the Friday before I was due I was scheduled to go in at 5:30am to at last be induced.  My mom came into town a few days before so the older girls were taken care of. They also had no school that day so they could hang out at home and wait for the call to be able to come down to the hospital to meet their baby sister.  I went into their dark bedroom at 5am to kiss them goodbye and told them we'd see them in a few hours after the baby was born.  They were so sweet.  Hugs and kisses and excitement.  The whole family was just so excited that the day was finally here.  The girls went back to sleep and Kermit and I took our 10 minute drive downtown and pulled up to the valet.  I walked right in and immediately got up to my room where they started getting me ready to go.  Dr. Lisa came in at 8:30 and broke my water and started the pitocin.  We waited...waited some more.  Started getting some good contractions by about 11:30am and they gave me my epidural.  We waited, and waited more.  Nothing was happening.  The good thing was that it allowed me to get some sleep. I didn't get any sleep the night before as usual and I was exhausted. By evening, still nothing! The only action we had was me throwing up.  I think I dilated to a 4 (from a 2 which is where I was when we arrived). Kermit and I were starting to wonder if we made the right decision to induce.  We were told that because this was my 3rd delivery that this would go very fast.  In fact we were encouraged to induce because 3rd babies usually do come fast and it isn't uncommon for women not to make it to the hospital once their labor starts.  We didn't want any surprises so we chose to induce but this was not at all what we were expecting.  We had told the girls that we would see them in the afternoon with a new baby to show.  Long labor waiting and waiting and waiting..thank goodness for epidurals!  The night came and we watched the clock pass midnight.  It was now Saturday morning and we were still waiting.  Finally at 1:30am Dr. Lisa came in to check and we were ready to go!  At last!  Kermit was asleep on the couch and had to jump up ready for action.  He was dizzy and a bit disoriented as he woke up.  He jumped right in and I was ready to push immediately.  Again, I was expecting for the baby to come fast.  3 pushes is what I was told to expect.  Nope.  30 minutes of pushing.  But that's not that bad.  Everything went fine and no complications. I couldn't ask for more.  Just the amount of time wasn't what we were expecting BUT this delivery was almost exactly like both of my previous.  Long day of labor and 30 minutes of pushing.  Annaliese born at 9:40pm after being there all day.  Twins at 5am after being there since 11am the day before.  So it made sense that Althea came just as her sisters had.

I said in the beginning that I didn't believe that we were having another baby.  And that was true up until the moment she came out.  Once I finally saw her I believed it.  She was perfect!  8lbs 2 oz.  and so beautiful!  Kermit cut the cord the nurses cleaned her up and brought her to me.  Oh my! I haven't stopped thinking about her since.  I am addicted to her.  It's so strange that I couldn't picture her and couldn't even picture myself being a mom again really until that very moment.  A switch went off in me.  I am in love with that baby. I seriously cannot imagine not having her now.  Just the minute before she was born I couldn't imagine having her!  She is the perfect baby.  I love her love her love her!

I don't remember all the details after she was born but we were transferred to post partum floor where we rested.  Later that day Kermit went and got the girls and my mom and it was awesome.  They loved her from the beginning.  They have loved her ever since.  They want to love her and hold her all the time.  And they do. 

I am so blessed.

Labor Day Weekend 2010

So this last Labor Day weekend we decided to take a road trip with the kids south. All the way down to Bella Vista, Arkansas, home to my grandparents. What a great weekend we had! We broke up the 10 hour drive by stopping in at the half way point both coming and going. I planned ahead and booked a hotel (woohoo for me...no sleeping on the side of the road in a car b/c every hotel along I-55 is full)! We were thrilled beyond thrilled to get a clean and comfy room to stay the night, a free hot breakfast in the morning and...a pool to play around in, all for about $99! We vacation in style! ;) (And did I mention I didn't have to sleep in a car with a wiggly four year old on my lap? Yay!) Truly though, it was a prefect weekend!

On our journey we stopped in St. Louis to show the girls THE arch and ended up randomly running into my old friend Terica and her family. That was so cool ! I love that girl and she has the cutest family ever. She and her family live there now and it had been awhile since I'd been in touch with her. We were both pregnant with our twins at the same time when they lived here in Chi-town. It was so fun to see her there! (Terica, can I get that picture you took so I can insert it here...until then imagine two hot momma's here.)

After our St. Louis adventure we pushed on to AR for the long awaited visit with my grandparents. We had hoped to go down for a visit this summer but Grandpa's health was too poor for us to make the trip. Finally he was feeling better and was up for some company so we jumped at the chance to visit. The girls had been praying all summer for their Great Grandpa W. to get better but they really didn't know who he was. The last time they had seen him they were babies! The girls were so excited to finally be able to see him and Anna. It was great. I was so happy to see him as well. It had been about four years since I last saw him. He hasn't changed a bit and I love it. He is older sure, but he is still Grandpa. When I called to tell him we were almost there I could tell he was just so happy and told me to get over there now. Our visit was short, just a few hours. We sat at his kitchen table and visited for awhile then the kids and Kermit went out back and played. Anna made a delicious lunch for us. We visited some more then we headed out. Short and sweet but oh so worth the effort to be there. I love my Grandpa and Anna. I was so glad I got to take my family to visit.

Farewell Logan Square Ward, *sniff*

After months of hearing that it would happen, it is finally official. Logan Square Ward has been split. Our family will now be part of the newly formed Lake Shore I Ward. We have been members of Logan Square for over 10 years and will miss it. It has been home to us.

We have met and loved so many families from all over the world in our Logan Square Ward. We have truly loved the experience. Some of my best friends I have made in this ward. We will especially miss the "old timers." Those are the families that are settled here in Chicago, those few families that are constants, that we've seen year after year. It's weird to feel like we are saying good-bye to these dear friends. Nobody has moved...we just won't see them every week like we have for years.

I know why the split needs to happen. The ward is enormous with over 800 members. Only half are active, but of that half, about a quarter have very unique and serious needs. Logan Square is also transient. Every 6 months, about 25 new couples move away and 25 new couples move in. It is constantly changing and difficult for one bishopric to keep track of so many new faces and take care of so many special needs.

With mixed emotions I turned in all my RS keys to Bishop Malli tonight. I also gave him a bunch of the manuals and other materials that I will no longer be using. Last Sunday they released everyone from their callings but asked us to keep doing them until the transition is complete? I am a bit sad. I have loved serving in Relief Society for the last year and a half. I am sad that I won't be able to have that calling that pushed me to grow daily. I had wonderful counselors who I will miss working with. It was great to be able to serve along side such awesome women. I do just love the sisters of the Logan Square RS! All of them! I also feel a little sad because I feel like I was just starting to get the hang of things. For me there was a high learning curve. Maybe I'll have the opportunity in my new ward to serve in RS again, maybe not, I don't know. I know that the callings we receive are inspired. I know that God knows what He is doing so I will trust in that either way. I also know that good things are in store either way.

So farewell my to my Logan Square Ward. We love you always!

It only takes a moment

Tonight I was watching all of our videos that Kermit has put together. I love this one and I don't think I've posted it here yet. He made it for me for Valentine's Day. Most of the footage is almost a year old now. Wow how my girls are growing! I almost get teary looking at their little baby faces. (I just wish that the video wasn't frozen on my face like that...why can't it be frozen on a cute picuture of my girls? Oh well.)

Memorial Day Weekend + the rest of MAY 2010

Guess where Kermit and I spent Memorial Day weekend!
No kids!


My old stomping ground!

(Um, that would be DC in case you couldn't see the capitol there in the background on the first pic.)

Everywhere we went we kept saying, "the kids would love this....lets bring them back." Guess we'll just have to do that. This place is such a blast to visit and is where Kermit and I spent much time dating those three years....so we'll bring the kids back for SURE!


We visited the American History Museum one day and the National Gallery of Art the other. We could have seen a ton more....except when you sleep until noon....guess we'll just have to go back!

This was my first time back since I left almost 11 years ago. I loved flying in to Reagan Airport looking down at Arlington and all the old familiar places I used to go. It took me back to a time when Kermit and I would fly back and forth just to see each other for a weekend. Here I was doing the same to see my man after not seeing him all week. (He had been there on business and I flew in to join him for the long weekend.) The difference this time is that we got to go home together rather than saying good bye! (And I just realized something....Memorial Day weekend was the weekend we got engaged! That is a post for another day but all the more reason to celebrate!)

I loved my cab ride to the hotel passing all the familiar places and beautiful winding roads. I'd live there again! Oh, how I loved DC!

That weekend there was a huge parade of veterans riding motorcycles through town. Not just a few motorcycles...thousands and thousands! Thanks to all the veterans that have served our country! We love you and appreciate all you have done!

We visited the new World War II memorial. It wasn't there yet when I lived there. We liked it, but felt it was too modern for our taste. We love what it represents. Too bad this wasn't completed sooner when more WWII vets could go see it.




We stayed at a hotel across from the White House. Hay Adams. Very cool! No pics of the hotel but here is the White House anyway.

What a fun trip! Can't wait to go again! And take the family next time!


*****
Then there was the rest of May....


We are getting ready to say good bye to our good friends the Francoms. Boo hoo! Don't leave us!Good luck to you friends!


We played in cotton wood fluff. Aaaaahhhh Chooooo! Where is my zyrtec?


Visited Brookfield Zoo. If you look close there are giraffes back there.



Checking out the animals. This was only our second time at Brookfield. Pleasantly surprised this time! We just may have to go back again soon!



Grandma and Kimmel came to town! Yes, its that time of year when grandma makes her trip back to Massachusetts for the summer and when she stops in Chi town to see us! We love it! This time Uncle Kimmel came too! We visited the Art Institute....


and Millennium Park.

We had a blast with them! We cant wait to see them again soon on their turf!

And last but not least...May brought us many a family bike rides. Loving those bikes! We get lots of smiles as we ride down the street. Dad takes the lead with the three girls behind. I ride in back to push along any slow pokes.

GREAT TIMES in May 2010~