A (birth)Day at the beach

What would you be willing to pay to lay on the most perfect beautiful beach for a day?  12 hours on flights?  2 hours of driving?  packing 9 pieces of luggage?  a red eye flight with kids?
This was all worth it to us this weekend!  We have taken some very short trips to different places and even though this trip wasn't nearly as short as others we've done, it was still a little crazy.  

We left Saturday morning at 8 am for MAUI and returned the next night at 9 pm.  We had about 34 hours on the island.  And it was absolutely perfect.

We prepared for tired tantrums, bored problems on the long flights, etc, etc, but our kids exceeded our expectations and did so well!!  Hallie slept for 2 1/2 hours of the 6 hour flight and Jackson even fell asleep for 1 hour!  We had lots of games, food, books, and a few new toys from the dollar store.  It was just a perfect flight!  We had  6 seats for the 4 of us.  We brought a pack n' play, skim board, sand toys, 2 carseats, a cooler full of food for the weekend (we travel cheap) and regular clothes, swim gear, church outfits, and other necessities.  so we had a lot of baggage.  Luckily, the guy at the car rental place upgraded us to an SUV for free!


We  were on Ka'anapali beach at our hotel as soon as we arrived.  Jackson was SO excited to get to the beach (although I don't know if he really knew what to expect).  Hallie also loved the sand and water.  Watching the kids play, get wet, swim, and have fun on the beach was the one thing our trip to Hawaii was missing in December.  It was awesome.  We stayed at the same place and went to the same beaches as before.  We almost went to a new island, but thought for a 1 day trip it would be better to know where we were going.  

Whoops!  Didn't realize that wave was going to be so big!  This is the BEST ocean photo I've ever seen!  I love looking and laughing at my kiddos!

We spent 4 hours on the beach, cleaned up and headed to Lahaina to walk the streets, eat gelato and watch an amazing sunset.  Yep, these are from our camera . . . not even professional!  It really is that amazing.

The kids went to sleep easily, despite the LOUD luau happening right out our balcony.  Dave and I sat on the balcony and enjoyed the entertainment of the luau without actually having to pay for it.  We crashed an hour later and slept through the night.  Luckily, our kids went back to sleep every time they woke up.  Their usually wake up time is only 3 am in Hawaii so we were worried, but once again, they exceeded our expectations.  Hallie slept until 5:15 and Dave took her to the beach.  Jackson slept until 6:00 am (9:00 am in AZ!!)  We spent the morning on the beach getting family pictures, walking up and down the sandy shores.  What a beautiful and peaceful way to spend a birthday morning.

We attended church in Lahaina.  When I dropped Hallie off at nursery and told them her name, I realized it sounded exactly like Haole (white skin) which is the name the Hawaiian use for the white people visiting their island.  The rest of the trip I was super self-conscious every time I called her name out.  It felt like some racial slur to my own race . . .

We ate lunch in a park of the world's 3rd largest Banyon tree which was an incredible site.  Hallie napped in the car and Dave had to check out of the hotel alone.  It is amazing how quickly all of your bags and things can explode throughout a hotel room.  It was very difficult to clean it all up (while I had to wait in the car with Hallie).


We loved being on the beautiful, warm beaches, snorkling and playing with our kids.  We brought as many meals as we could so we could eat cheap, but ran out by dinner on my birthday, so we went to eat at a Hawaiian mixed plate place on the beach.  I loved the outdoor atmosphere and the delicious kalua pork and salmon salsa.  It was such a fun birthday dinner.


We saw yet another gorgeous sunset and headed to the airport to go home.  Jackson fell asleep on the ride there, transferred 5 times (car-shuttle-stroller-security-get pj's on- airplane) and then slept through the night.  Once again we got 6 seats for the 4 of us so we got to stretch out.  Hallie was up and content and happy until the plane took off, she downed a bottle and fell asleep in her carseat without a peep.  She also slept through the night.  Dave spent the night on the floor under the kids.  I got to stretch out on the other 3 seats and slept for 5 hours without waking up!   After landing Hallie stayed asleep and transferred 5 times without waking up (airplane-stroller-shuttle-car- home) 


Travel tips:  
* buy dollar store toys with many parts (I don't care if we lose them, but the kids love parts)
*Pack stuff together rather than by person.  Pack a bag of swim gear, a bag for pjs, a bag for church clothes. SO much easier than rummaging through the suitcase looking for everyone's pieces!  
*benadryl . . . tried it . . . liked it!
*Anything frozen solid can get through security with no problems . . . freeze drinks, milk for kids, etc
* We made lunchables on the plane (crackers, meat cheese) yummy (I am so sick of PB&J on planes!)

Summertime fun

Mostly we have been swimming, swimming, swimming this summer.  But we have also done some crafts and painting.  Here Jackson is painting with Q-tips a 'map' of his place in the world (his room, house, street, city, state country and world)

Jackson got hungry after swimming one evening and made a pb and honey sandwich :)

 Hallie has been in a crazy biting stage.  She doesn't do it out of anger.  She is just trying to play and interact with you (mostly only to me and Jackson).  Jackson gets terrified of her biting and runs away screaming.  In this photo he got on top of the changing table while Hallie reached up gnashing her teeth together to get more of a reaction from Jackson.  Usually, when we tell her 'soft', she will be the sweetest gentlest thing.  but when her 'play gets a little rough expect to be bitten :( I actually put her in 'timeout' in her crib and when I went to get her, she just melted into me and gave me kisses and hugs (more than usual).  She is such a loving girl, it is really strange that this is a part of her right now.

Camping in Sedona

Since we were finally spending a weekend in Arizona, we decided to road trip it a few hours north to Sedona to camp overnight.  We didn't get to leave until Dave got off work, so it was almost dark when finally found a campsite (free, I might add).   Hallie seemed really tired and lethargic on the last few switchbacks.  As soon as I pulled her out of the car she threw up.  I felt so lucky that she was out of the car and didn't get dirty or mess at all!! What a blessing!  I asked her if she was ok and she responded with a smile and an enthusiastic head nod.  What a sweetheart!

The switchback that made Hallie sick

 Jackson was thrilled to help daddy set up the tent, help me cook, shuck the corn, an be a cutie all night.  we ate brats and corn and corndogs.  Hallie was tired and we thought we'd have to sleep with her in the tent, but I tried leaving and she didn't cry at all and fell asleep on her own.  We made s'mores on the camp stove and Jackson decided he was going straight to bed after s'mores (by no coaxing from his parents. .  . we were actually prepared for him to stay up really late!).  He put himself to bed and assured us that he and Hallie would be fine alone in the tent.  So we cleaned up and spent an hour under the stars getting some couple talk time.  I was fairly warm camping (we are still in Arizona right?) but I was glad it got slightly cold.

The kids slept so well!  Hallie was up at 6, but Dave and Hallie were able to get out of the tent without waking Jackson up and we slept for another 1/2 hour.  It was a bit chilly, so we relaxed (how much can you relax with kids crawling all over you?) in the tent for a bit.  We ate eggs and bacon for breakfast, cleaned up camp and started sight seeing in the redrock country.  We hiked at Oak Canyon Vista.  Both kids (and both adults, I might add) were pretty whiny and tired.

We found Slide Rock State park and I was really excited to go.  Dave was not thrilled about the $20 entrance fee or the millions of people all around.  I just felt lucky to be there early enough to get a spot and absolutely loved the slick rock.  Jackson was pretty brave in the water and even slid down the rock a bit.  Hallie was not liking the cold water at first, but then started darting for the water, even jumping off small cliffs to get into it (we had her hand and caught her, but that just made her mad).  Dave wasn't feeling well so he took Hallie to the car and left Jackson and I to explore and enjoy a bit more.  Jackson and I walked up the river.  He was going faster and more daring than I was.  We hiked up to the top of the river and then on the way down rode several of the slides down (natural slick rock slides).  I thought this place was so fun and would go back in a heartbeat!  Dave was shocked that I thought it was worth $20 or an entire afternoon, but I loved it.

 I worked out perfectly that both kids slept for the entire 2 1/2 hours home.

After cleaning up, we had some friends over for a game night.  I liked it because we are rarely in town for weekends to hang out with friends here.  I spend a lot of time with other mom friends, but we rarely have couple time.

Father's Day funnies

Funny story . . .even though it is long it might be worth your time to get a laugh at my expense.

I thought I finally had the greatest Father's Day gift and a fantastic plan of how to surprise Dave.  Dave is a BBQ lover.  He always grills at his parent's house and my parents as well, but has never owned a full-fledged grill (although he does have a charcoal stove and countertop one).  So, I decided to buy him a grill.  I wanted to buy used since we aren't sure when and where we will be moving next,  I didn't want to feel bad about moving it or selling it.  I found a used one only 4 miles from my house and my cousin let me borrow her husband's truck.  I told Dave I was taking Jackson to the store (which I did to get money).  Then I dropped him off at my cousin's, picked up the truck, bought the grill, and the lady who sold it to me helped load it up.  I was trying to figure out the tie downs to secure it, but the lady said, "You'll probably be fine . . . it's only a few miles" . . . biggest mistake of the night (although several other bad mistakes are to follow.)

I set out slowly to go the 4 miles home.  I kept an eye on the grill and kept my speed slow.  I realized when I was almost home that I would need help moving the grill inside.  So (second mistake) I called a neighbor and was a bit distracted on the final turn to my house.  As I hung up the phone, I heard the crash of the grill sliding along the road.  I put the truck in park (and then couldn't figure out how to get out of the car and looked on pathetically at the grill top lounging in the middle of the street).  Finally, I got out of the car, picked up the grill top, and several grill pieces (3rd mistake . . . not picking up all the pieces), my outfit and hands are now covered in blackened ashes.  I put the grill back into the truck and slowly made my way 4 more houses to my home.    My neighbor who helped me move the grill was hopeful that it was not actually broken (only the top fell off, not the part with the buttons), so my spirits were up that it could still be a viable and good gift (it would just require some fixing up).  We quietly moved it to my sideyard and I left quickly to get the truck back.

As I turned out of my neighborhood, I heard thumping from the front tire so I immediately pulled into our church parking lot to examine what was happening.  There, stuck to the front tire, was the temperature gauge from the lid of the grill.  I ran over it as I pulled back over the wreckage site!  My friend and her husband happen to be at the church as I was freaking out.  He told me to drive as quickly as I could before it went flat.  I drove the 2 miles to my cousin's home, told them the sad story and felt awful for bringing them into my stupid mess.  Sure enough, the tire went flat.  I felt so stressed and panicked about the cost and inconvenience to them, as well as the cost of the grill itself.  Of course, I couldn't go home and act normal, so I came home sobbing as Dave tried to figure out the story (WHY were you driving a truck?   Who's truck?  A grill? thermometer in a tire? WHAT?!?) Jackson was picking up on my stress and worry and was getting really anxious himself.  He kept repeating that Dad could probably fix it and expressed his confidence that Dad and grandpa can fix anything and he (Jackson) could help.  Dave helped me calm down and reminded me that we have money saved just for these kinds of things and it will work out just fine.  He walked down the street with a flashlight to search for any more errant pieces.  He is so wonderful to me and never made me feel stupid (even though I still felt it!)

So, to my husband, father of my children . . .
 Happy Father's Day . . . Surprise!  Can you clean and fix your own grill?  This time make sure to screw the top part into the bottom, just in case we ever move it.  While you're at it, can you cook your own Father's day meal, too?  and sorry you can't tell what temperature it is in the grill . . . that is stuck on a tire somewhere south of here.  Oh, and just for good measure, I'll make my cousin's husband fix his car as well . . . isn't that what daddy's do best . . . fix things?

Feel-stupid-moment-of-the-year (let's hope it ends there!)

P.S. Dave is an amazing Father.  He DID fix the grill and we ate amazing steaks tonight.  I am so thankful for this man in my life.  I think I picked a pretty great daddy for my kids!

Utah Valley 1/2 marathon and more

We were able to head to Utah for the third weekend in a row and Dave worked from home on Friday.  I got to hang out with my family and friends from Orem.  Then I took Hallie to get her first haircut.  She did so well!!  It was like she knew she was getting all prettied up and she was excited about it.  She mostly held still and was happy.  

Before

 After:

I knew she would look older and now I can see her round face more.  She is such a sweetheart and a cutie.  But this weekend we felt like she started to lose some of her sweetness and she became a bully to her cousin Afton.  She is kind and loving and concerned for most baby's and others, but with Afton she would pull hair, push and steal toys . . .completely unprovoked.  Dave thinks it may be because of the dramatic effect it elicited, but I am still baffled as to why she lost her sweetness with her.

Friday night we spent in our old home in Orem.  Our friends are using the basement apartment we lived in for their home and they let us stay in their 'guest room' which was our old bedroom.  Kind of a fun way to reminise about our memories there with our old friends.  Jackson loved being with Savanna.  

I woke up early on Saturday (but not as early as most of the runners) and got up to the starting line for the 1/2 marathon by 10 mins before the start.  

I always get so nervous before a race. Why?  It's not like it matters how quickly I run or how well I do, but I still can't sleep well and get butterflies thinking about running.  I loved running mostly downhill in a beautiful and familiar canyon.  Once again, it was a mental battle and I felt like I was able to fend off negative and destructive thoughts and complete a great race.  I got 1:41 (a few minutes slower than my last one).  I have been VERY sore in my legs and back.  I feel like that is proof that I gave my very best effort and feel proud of my accomplishments.  I was so happy that Dave made the sacrifice to support and cheer me on. 

Jackson also ran a race (1K) and Dave helped him to be safe and keep running the entire way.  

 He was so proud . . . can you tell?

My brother was in charge of the finish line of the Utah Valley Marathon and did an amazing job.  The best part was that my whole family was there to congratulate me after the run.  I don't think any of them had been to my race since high school (besides my parents seeing me in St. George) so that was a fun element of this race. 

We at lunch at Tucanos with Michelle and Ryan for Dave's b-day Then we headed to the zoo.  Hallie was a handful and I got my bruised and blistered toes stepped on way to many times, but we enjoyed being with family and seeing the animals

Our trip was cut short when an earlier sunday flight was cancelled filling our flight up completely.  We had to pack and leave in 5 mins to make it to a flight to get us home before Monday.  That means that we missed church, Dave's b-day dinner and more family time.  We were sad that things didn't work out the way we were hoping, but were glad we made it home for work and activities on Monday.  That is they way stand-by goes and my family got to see our rush in action.  I was so glad to spend time with Shane, Ryan and Tyler and their families for the past 3 weekends.  I'm glad that flying gives us these fun opportunities, even if we can't have everything we want.  

We still enjoyed cheesecake for Dave's birthday.   I was so tired and sore that his birthday wasn't as great as I was planning on making it, but I hope he still knows that we love him and are so glad to have him our  lives!

Pioneer Trek

In preparation for Trek, I headed to Utah with the kids for Memorial Day.  It was so wonderful that Ryan, Tyler and Shane were all in town from different states.  That means that all the grandkids (7 of them - and 2 on the way) were together.  WOW! They had such a fun time.  The 3 older boys (Jackson, Dayton, Grant) played and played with very little adult intervention.  I LOVED watching my son have fun with his cousins.  I have such wonderful memories of times at grandma's with my cousins, I am so glad my son gets the same great memories.  We played racquetball and I am happy to report that I can still beat my brother.  I ran home with a couple of my siblings and started to get really worried about the altitude in Utah for my race in a couple of weeks. We BBQed in beautiful weather (knowing it was 113 in Phoenix made it even sweeter).  The only sad part was that Dave wasn't able to come because he had to work.  At least I had a really rough night that he was glad to have missed!

After staying up until 1:00 am talking, laughing and sharing stories and jokes with my brothers and sisters, I was woken up at 2:30 because Hallie threw up.  My mom helped me bathe her and clean up all the pjs and bedding.  I couldn't get her back to sleep and with a house full of 10 adults and 7 kids I really needed her not to cry.  So I gave her a bottle.  After finally falling asleep at 3:30, Hallie threw up again at 4:00.  Another bath, change of clothes and luckily this time she snuggled into me and went back to sleep without a peep.  I fell asleep again around 4:30.  Jackson came upstairs to let me know he had thrown up at 5:00.  I was sure he would be up for the day and I was exhausted.   But luckily, he must have not been feeling up to it . . .he fell asleep.  He was big enough to lean into the pot I brought to throw up at 6:00 (and fall back asleep) and throw up again at 7:00 (and go back to sleep until 9:00!!)  Even with a crying baby and other kids up in the house, he slept until past 9:15.  I was so proud of him for making it into the bucket and he never cried or whined about throwing up, it was just a fact that he had done it and he willingly went back to sleep.  Neither kid showed many signs of not feeling well the next day (besides taking 3 hour naps).  I was nervous to leave them to go to Trek, but what could I do?  My sister-in-law willingly watched them despite the chance that they may be sick.  She is wonderful.  Then my mom took them the next couple of days so I didn't worry about them.  We were out of cell phone range (and didn't have time to call anyway) so I was glad they were in good hands.

Trek was amazing.  We had the most fantastic group of kids.  Our boys were so strong and wanted to pull all the time, which meant that the girls had to beg for turns.  The kids were constantly serving each other and us.  Dave was an incredible 'pa' and was very aware of each kid and their needs and struggles.  I was so impressed.  It was actually more difficult than I was thinking it would be (especially since I am in shape for a 1/2 marathon next week).  We were sore, tired and exhausted everyday.  I was so thankful for my boys and girls that pulled so much!

After pulling for miles, we had to make dinner (while the boys set up camp) for our families.  The food was good and we had plenty, but cooking on a camping stove with no table or other niceties was very difficult.  Washing dishes proved difficult and after the first day, the kids chose to eat with their hands rather than have to wash their dishes . . . eww! yuck!  Our hands were so filthy (except I brought a hand washing station with soap and water, so that helped a little.)

This one, we are not mad, we are trying not to smile like the pioneers used to.

There we go, that's more like our group!

Dave and I both loved the talks that were specific for the boys, and girls.  For the women's pull our boys had pulled all morning, so the girls were just happy to have a chance to touch the handcart.  We were so strong and pulled it with no problem. The boys were late, so they didn't get to watch us at all (we were the first cart up).   We ended up being 30 minutes ahead of the next cart and got to stop and play games with the kids in our ward.

My favorite part was on the second day, we had 10 stations of pioneer activities - one of which they washed our hair!!   The cold water and clean feeling absolutely amazing!  I seriously can't tell you how much I enjoyed it.

Our testimony meeting was awesome.  I felt the spirit very strongly.  I felt so much love for the youth.  I have so much hope in the future of our church in the hand of those willing to sacrifice all to serve each other and build the kingdom of God.

On the final day, we had a wonderful 'solo' time to reflect on the things we learned during trek.  Then we forced each member of our family to take a turn on top of the handcart so we could serve them (And humble them).  We were so strong it didn't seem difficult at all.

We hiked a total of 28 miles and we were so tired, dirty and sweaty on the way home.

I am so thankful we had the opportunity to go on trek, get to know the youth (and our bishopric).  I am even more thankful for my bed, showers, my kitchen, laundry, shampoo and shorts and flip flops.  What an awesome experience.

I felt like we should have a date night since we were kid-less on Friday night, but we were too tired to do anything very fun.  I did enjoy talking and reflecting on our experience with Dave.  We woke up and unpacked our dirty trek things and re-packed for Utah.  We spent all day Saturday in Utah.  Once again, I loved seeing my kids enjoy their cousins.  Dave had fun with my siblings and we were happy my brothers and dad returned safely from their motorcycle trip.

I am not proud of this photo, but all three boys got sun burned in the hot tub.  Here they are playing Don't Eat Pete after a rub down with coconut oil.

Best Buds

Dave and I both really wanted to make it to church to hear and share testimonies about the trek on Sunday.  Luckily (with only 1 seat to spare) everything worked out with our flight and we drove directly to church. We were on time for the first time in months (Who knew that it is easier to be on time to church when you come from Utah then from across the street?).   Hallie tried nursery for the first time and the leaders encouraged me to leave her (even though she is only 17 months) and she did GREAT!  I loved being able to listen in church.  Everyone in our family slept for 2 hours after church and had a great night together.  It was a wonderful day!