Preschool Field Trip to Hee Haw Farms

Eliot's preschool class went to Hee Haw farms the week before Halloween, and I got to go along for a picture-perfect day of pumpkin patching!  I always cherish the opportunity for one-on-one time with each of my boys, and this was a fun chance to get a sneak peek into Eliot's preschool world.

 With his class

(E's in the back being grumpy; he was anxious to get going to all the activities!)

 The PIGLETS! They were so darling! Cute and pink & black and wrinkled ... oh my gosh.  Loved them!

And oh my goodness, were mama and papa HUGE!

 Mr. John Deere.

Playing in the "corn box" (a sandbox filled with dried corn kernels). First time I'd seen anything like it!  Genius!

My brave kiddo sliding down the gunny sack slide.  Watching him do this made me realize how much he has grown this past year in terms of letting go of fears and trying new things.  I was scared for him, but he didn't flinch!

 Eliot and his sweet buddy Christian.  Christian is our little next door neighbor (his mom was the one who recommended the preschool to us, and I will forever love her for it!), and he is the most docile little boy I have ever known.  I wish I could bottle his gentle, sweet nature (and give a daily dose to my boys!).  He's the perfect counter-balance to busy, exuberant Eliot!

I love this photo of me and Eliot on the hayride.  It was a happy, sunny, fun-filled day!

Zachary: 15 (really 16) months

 In his Aloha gear for the BYU vs. Hawaii game day. I see more and more of Eliot in him all the time (especially with his hair cut)!

 Lookin' casual.  

Sweet baby. Love his smiles and silly faces.  As they used to say in Spain, "Es pa'a comerselo!" (You could just eat him up!)

Little Zach is growing up fast!  These pictures are from when he was about 15 months old, though he's now just about 16 months old.  Here's a little bit of what Mr. Z has been up to in the last few months since our last update on him:

• Still no walking!  He's getting more sure-footed at standing, cruises like a champ, and will even walk while holding onto our fingers (which, up until recently, he refused to do), but no true desire to walk on his own.  We're hoping by the time he goes to Nursery?  As I was trying his Halloween costume on him the other day, the monkey outfit Eliot wore when he was Zach's age, I realized how strange it will be to have a crawling monkey instead of a toddling one. :)
• Adding more words to his repertoir daily.  He has polished "Eh-ee-ot" to the point that people outside of our family readily recognize he's saying Eliot's name.  Other words include, "Nigh, nigh" (night-night), "Ah-done" (all done), "mo" while signing for more,"yuv you" (love you), "uh oh," "ow!" said with dramatic flair (my favorite combo is "Ow, muh, muh!" when I'm dressing him, as though I'm causing him bodily harm by taking off his jammies (needless to say, the child HATES getting clothed).  He also waves and says "Hey-ya!" or "Hi!" to people as we pass.
• Favorite foods = graham crackers, grapes, mac-n-cheese, apples, toast (don't even try to pull a fast one and give him plain bread at breakfast!  The kid needs his toasted and buttered, and if he really had it his way, with jam or cinnamon sprinkles).  He also loves pizza and big-people foods.  He is not easily appeased by toddler fare.  He sees right through the injustice and demands equal treatment!  Still loves his milk and has had a hard time swapping out the bottles for sippies.
• Still more breathing troubles.  Only about five months after our first hospital stay, we went back for another round, this time more serious.  He was breathing way too rapidly at home one night, and we ended up in the ER around 11 p.m. (Why do these things happen ONLY after hours?  I swear the sun goes down and kids' bodies go berserk!).  Around 3 a.m. we were admitted to a hospital room, this time with a diagnosis of pneumonia and the promise of a 2-3 day stay.  Worst part of the stay this time was the i.v. (horrible memories I won't go into ...) and the fact that he did not sleep for 36 hours.  Misery.  We now own a nebulizer, which will hopefully help us head off serious problems in the future, but I am d.r.e.a.d.i.n.g. flu season.  My little germ magnets pick up everything, and Zach is scheduled to start Nursery mid December.  We may hold off on that (as desperate as we are to put an end to our hallway church worship) until spring time.
• Favorite activities = playing with the play kitchen/food; dumping and re-dumping toys, books, kitchen drawers, laundry piles, and anything he can get his hands on (phew, this is a tiring phase, isn't it?); playing with/tackling big brother, going for walks (as long as big brother is along to keep him entertained, otherwise Mom's too boring), tubbies (the more splashing the better), shaking his little booty to rock 'n roll music, looking at books.
• Favorite people = Grandpa (top of the list, hands down) -- he won't even go to mommy if Grandpa's got him, Daddy, Eliot, Mom, cousins.
• Sweet things =  When he gives hugs/snuggles to mom, he wiggles his bum.  It really is so cute!  His adorable little smile, which I fully admit gets him out of trouble quite often. His giggle.  He's also starting to sing/babble throughout the day as he plays or as we're out on walks.  I had forgotten about that stage (Eliot did the same thing).  I love listening to him and all his cute sounds (when he's not crying, screaming, or whining, that is!).
• Things Zach does NOT like: Sitting still -- at church, the library, anywhere; being strapped in -- in the shopping cart, in his car seat, in the stroller (if he had it his way, mom would carry him everywhere); oatmeal; most vegetables (depends on the day); getting diapered and/or dressed; and man, oh man, can he throw a tantrum if he doesn't get his way!  We're not even close to terrible 2's!
• Mouthful of teeth! I think he's currently working on 5 -- one more on the bottom (total of 3 front ones down there) and 4 molars -- yes, molars!  No eye teeth yet and not even all of his front teeth in yet, but MOLARS! Nasty, painful, sleep-ruining molars.    

In short, Zach is in a busy, energetic, curious stage of life.  He is wearing this mama out, but at the same time, we are finding such joy at his zest for life and the happy little spirit he brings to our home.  We worry for his health and hope we can survive this winter without any more hospital trips.  We have a good doctor, so we're confident she'll help us figure out his respiratory struggles, but it's never fun to have little ones with ongoing health concerns.  We love our Zach -- his spunk, his feistiness, his giggle, his sly little ways, his super-strong and determined will, the sneaky glimmer in his eyes.  He is pure joy.

Haven

I am in love with the view out my front door.  The storm door makes it possible to keep the front door open most of the time and allow for this lovely view throughout the day.  Especially in the late afternoon/early evening, the sunlight trickles through the trees in my front yard, making the prettiest patterns throughout the main floor.  The movement of the leaves and the warmth of the sunlight add their own unique design element in my home.  It makes my home even more peaceful.  That serenity of the sunlight coming through the front windows of this home contributed to a sacred moment when I had confirmed to me that this was the home we were to buy.  Even in moments when I have questioned the decision, the peace I feel when the sunlight shines through my front door and windows takes me back to that revelatory moment.  I don't always understand the Lord's workings.  To be very honest, I don't know why we're in Lehi, and sometimes I don't even know why we're in Utah for that matter.  But I do know that in quiet moments, the spirit speaks peace to my heart, and I have learned not to question the Lord's answers.

My patriarchal blessing talks about my home and the temple being my havens.  I think "haven" perfectly describes how I feel about this new home and really all of our homes since we've been married.  It is a place of shelter, refuge, comfort, and peace.  Last week while spending another short stint in the hospital with Zachary, I realized that I often take for granted plain old boring days at home.  It took the somber reminder of being locked up in a hospital room with my baby to realize how much I longed to be home, eating PB&J, with Jake and the Neverland Pirates in the background and toys scattered about the family room.  On more than one occasion, as I have carried Zach into our home after a long day of errands or outings, I have literally felt his body relax when we walk through the door.  I think my spirit does the same thing.  I love being home.  I love the peace I feel in my home (most days ... we are real people with crazy, busy boys, after all!).  I love quiet moments in late afternoons when I feel warmth and reassurance and peace.

Eliot's First Day of Preschool, 2012

School is back in session, and we have a very happy little camper!  Here are some favorite photos of our preschooler Eliot:

Our decision to have Eliot attend preschool one more year has been nothing but confirmed by the awesome experiences he has already had at "Ms. Jen's" preschool.  His new teacher is, as Eliot says, "Awesome!"  She is the perfect balance between pushing the kids academically and being an absolute teddy bear of a sweetheart.  As an example, Eliot came home from his first day with his own copy of the book, "The Kissing Hand," all about a nervous little raccoon's first day of school, along with a little baggie of Hershey kisses, a picture of him wearing a raccoon costume, and a few raccoon-themed activities they had worked on that day.  So cute and so detail-oriented.  I can already tell just from the few days we've experienced with Ms. Jen that she puts her heart and soul into teaching, which is more than I could hope for and an absolute answer to my prayers.  I think with Ms. Jen as Eliot's preschool teacher and the awesome music class we've got him signed up for, this year will be the perfect preparation for Eliot starting Kindergarten next year.

Thank heavens for amazing teachers!  As someone with an education degree, I have a pretty good understanding of how much work and energy goes into doing a good job of it.  I have an added appreciation for those angel people who have the stamina to teach young ones!  It is not a skill I feel I'm naturally blessed with, so I count on those angels in my village to help me raise my young ones.

The only tough thing about Eliot's preschool experience?  His little bro misses him terribly when he's gone!  Zach inevitably gets bored and looks at me with eyes that undoubtedly communicate, "So you're really all I've got, huh?"  These boys love each other to pieces and miss each other when they're away!  I do admit it has been nice to have some one-on-one time with Zach.  Last year during preschool Z was always napping, but now that he's older, I get to have time with Zach while he's awake.  I feel somewhat awkward getting down and playing with a little toddler, though ... it's been a few years, and I've realized I'm a little rusty!

Our Lazy Days ...

*NOTE: Don't click on any links in this post! We've got some kind of spyware issue or something that's inserting false links in my blog.  I didn't create any hyperlinks in this post, so none of the ones you'll see are legit.  Grrr ....

With what felt like a shortened summer after moving and settling in, we were too tired (and too poor!) to do anything real adventurous, so the rest of our summer we spent doing pretty laid-back, relaxed activities, like ...

  splashin' in the water table ... we've got some real water babies around here!

 ... runnin' through the sprinklers (while trying to save our scorched lawn!)

 and of course drinking plenty of hose water in the process! I wish I had gotten a picture, but Zach's favorite water activity was crawling into the middle of the sprinkler and literally sitting on it, or at least in the middle of the spray, gasping and acting shocked the whole time.  As soon as I'd "rescue" him, he'd crawl right back for more!

 ... training to be future Olympic trampolinists!

(with Mom and Dad watching Olympics late into the nights while indulging on summertime treats like homemade ice cream or fresh peach dessert!)

... hangin' in the back yard with bubbles, sidewalk chalk, the sandbox & swingset

 ... soaking up some hot summer sun and watching little ones' hair go blonde

 ... reading, reading, reading for Mr. Eliot, who can't get enough!  He's a spectacular little reader, and we are way excited about our new Lehi library, which has ... backpacks, just like the ones we loved in Salem!

 ... harvesting crops from our very own fruit trees and "garden" (read: crop of weeds with a few planter boxes of tomatoes and herbs ... sigh ... next year!).  Thanks to very little, if any, effort on our part, we did have oodles of blackberries for jamming and cobblers, and just enough peaches for a batch of fresh peach dessert!

... and biking!  Eliot now rides his own like a champ, and Z has the proper gear to ride behind Mommy in the bike trailer!  

Eliot with "Hootz" the owl at an Orem Owlz game.  

One thing we really enjoyed this year (but hardly got any pictures of!) was going on family outings to ball games, fun centers, and water parks.  We bought the "Pass of All Passes" that got us into Owlz Games, Seven Peaks in Provo, Trafalga Fun Centers, and a bunch of other venues.  We didn't use them as much as we had hoped, but having the pass did get us out and doing things together.  

We are a little reluctant to say goodbye to summer!  We're more than a little excited to have the heat and fire season cool down a bit, but it's always hard to say goodbye to relaxed schedules, sweet suntan lines on little feet and arms, the smell of sunscreen, snowcones, watermelon, and grilling.  In contrast to last summer, which was so consumed with our sweet newborn, I really feel like we got out and had a lot of fun this summer.  It was a good one.  With the start of preschool, music lessons, and football season this week, I think we can officially say goodbye to summer and welcome in the fall!  Looking forward to crunchy, colored leaves (we will have plenty of them!), soup on the menu, baking again (it has been way too hot!), jackets, perfect walking weather, BYU football (Eliot goes to his first one at LaVell Edwards stadium this year!!), and Halloween costumes.  Can't believe it's all here again!

Edwin's Tale

This is one of my favorite songs by local artist Peter Breinholt. I was introduced to "Pe-tah's" music by my sister when he was just a college kid starting out a band. I loved his folksy, happy-go-lucky style, and played my copied cassette of his first album over and over.  Now he's well known throughout the West, and his music is frequently featured on EFY and other LDS albums.

Over the years I've been to probably dozens of Peter concerts, everywhere from outdoor amphitheaters at Sundance and Thanksgiving Point, to cool Christmas venues like the Eccles Theater on the U of U campus.  Grant tolerates them, claiming "if you've seen one, you've seen them all." I don't care if he plays a lot of the old favorites, but I would argue that his music has only gotten better. More refined, more thoughtful, and he has started integrating beautiful media presentations like this one over the years.  This is by far my favorite, and makes me cry every single time.  It's all about the honor and struggle of a soldier.

Story goes, at least as far as I've been able to piece together from the bits Peter has shared over the years at his concert, that this song came to him on a plane ride, and once he had written it out, the feeling to came to him strongly that he should title it "Edwin's Tale, 1862." He jotted it down, not understanding why.  Some time later, he came across a photo while doing family history.  It was of an ancestor of his who fought as a young man (basically a boy) in the Civil War. Peter finally understood the meaning to this inspired song and its title when he learned the name of the boy in the picture (the one shown at the beginning and end of the slideshow) was Edwin, and the date the picture was taken, you guessed it, 1862.  It's an incredible story, and the song along with the slideshow give it full justice.

I was talking to Grant the other day and expressing why I feel it's so important to read stories about the Pioneers, the founding of our country, and of heroes old and modern. I feel like it gives me perspective. I feel like it makes my trials seem less difficult. I feel like it deepens my appreciation for the blessings I enjoy. I'm so grateful for talented writers and musicians who can put those feelings of appreciation into words when I feel inadequate to do so. This really is worth the watch.

Pioneer Day

We went to Lagoon with Grant's family on Pioneer Day and had a great time!  The first thing Grant's mom wanted to do when we got there was take Old West pictures in Pioneer Village.  It was a bit of an ordeal to get all of us dressed up and posed for the picture, but they turned out pretty fun!  The little kids are of course the cutest in the pictures!

 Traditional serious.

 Smiles.

Silly. 

I love this one of Eliot shooting the camera! Looks like Eliot's getting a little Lehi in his blood already! :)

Surprisingly, Lagoon was pretty slow for a holiday, and some cloud cover kept it from getting hot until the late afternoon (when we were ready to head out anyway).  And with so many aunties and grandparents eager to take the boys, we actually got to squeeze in some thrill rides. My favorite was Wicked, a roller coaster that shoots you straight up, then down right at the start, but I learned that any spinning-type rides do me in now ... I'm getting old!  My previous favorite made my head spin for hours after, so spending the rest of the day on kid duty and taking Eliot on his first daring rides (he was pretty adventurous!) was just right for me.  I loved seeing Eliot get his first taste of thrill and adventure.  He had a blast, which was really fun to watch.  It was so fun to sit next to him on his first roller coaster and water rides and hear him giggle the whole time.  Very fun way to spend Pioneer Day.

I have realized this year how much I really love Pioneer Day.  It always feels like such a perfect extension of the 4th of July because I get to spend the whole month focusing a little more than usual on the people who have sacrificed so much for my freedoms and the privileges that I enjoy.  I love singing patriotic and then pioneer songs throughout the month at church, thinking about my own pioneer ancestors, and doing simple things like watching Legacy on a Sunday afternoon to help me remember and reflect on those who made my life and the things I love possible.  This year I've had even more of a chance to ponder on the pioneers and think more deeply about what they endured as I've been listening to Gerald Lund's The Work and the Glory series.

A phrase that always comes to mind this time of year comes from a talk Sister Elaine S. Dalton gave years ago in general conference.  She was talking about an experience she had while visiting a pioneer cemetery, where, as she was marveling over the great price her ancestors paid to help establish the church in the latter days, the impression came to her, as though her relatives were speaking right to her on that holy spot, "We did this for you."  I love that.  That phrase evokes such a sweet feeling in me -- "We did this for you."  With all the fun and festivities that surround the 4th and 24th of July, I do always try to take a quiet moment to reflect on those wonderful, heroic people who did what they did, and to express my appreciation that, at least in part, they did it for me.

It Was a Pirate Parrrty!

With our June so jam-packed this year, Eliot's pirate party was delayed a few weeks, but well worth it to have the perfect venue for a pirate adventure filled with Pin the Patch on the Pirate, a treasure hunt, BBQ lunch, and of course cupcakes! We were so glad that so many of Eliot's cousins and friends could celebrate with us! Special thanks to my sister Mary for taking most of these photos while I led the kiddos on their hunt for buried treasure. We had a great time and just barely avoided a monsoon-season thunderstorm.

On our treasure hunt we found Polly, who needed a password ...

The crew (L to R): Madelyn, Reed, Weston, Emma, Eliot, Christian, Annie, Mikey

We hopscotched on one leg on Peg Leg's patio ...

We walked the plank and sent a message in a bottle ...

And finally found where X marked the spot!

We dug for buried treasure ...

    

And found our loot!
(Goodie bags with mini compasses & telescopes, ring pops, and chocolate coins)

Then it was a free-for-all in the sandbox while lunch cooked ...

And then a kids' favorites lunch of hot dogs, waternelon, chips, and drinks!

Thanks again to all of our friends for joining us on such a fun pirate adventure!

I Needed the Reminder ...

Remember this that I posted about right around the launch of my blog? Well, I have found myself in the midst of a lot of change once again (guess it really is inevitable), and I'll admit, I'm not feelin' so brave! I don't know how I forget so quickly how hard and awkward it is to the newbies. And I'm supposed to have my brave face on for my kids so that they'll feel okay about the change, and all I want to do is run back to what was comfortable! I need to remember all the times when change has brought not only growth but friendship, expanded horizons, new opportunities, accomplishment, and joy. I need to muster up my courage and get out of my comfort zone, allow myself to be a little (or maybe really) vulnerable, and be open to new experiences.

How do you cope with a move or other big changes in life?

4th of July Balloon Festival

Provo's Freedom Festival hot air balloon launch is one of our family's favorite traditions. We don't do it every year (new babies tend to make this momma unwilling to get up before 6 a.m.!), but we go every year we can. Grant and I even loaded up Eliot when he was just 9 days old so we could see them!  This year was no disappointment!  The sky was beautiful despite the fact that several wildfires were burning in the state at the time, including a major one in Alpine that broke out a couple days before.  It was a perfect morning for an early morning family adventure!

 Not my best photo of the balloons, but you can see the haze from the fires in the bottom of the photo.

 Since we like to go the day before the 4th, it was a work day for Grant, so he came all gussied up! As for the rest of us -- p.j.s for the boys, ball cap for mom!

 Aren't the skies picture perfect?!  And yea for ReMax! (Jorge, our real estate agent that helped us buy our house, worked there.)

 Zach may have had the best view of all. It was so fun to watch the the wonder (mixed with a fair amount of confusion) in his sleepy little eyes. So fun to see my little ones experience this for the first time!

And what is more American than a giant, cold bottle of Coke?!

After watching the balloon launch, we headed over to Provo Bakery to indulge in donuts and sweet rolls. We took our sugar-loaded breakfast to a nearby park, where we enjoyed the quiet of the morning and the gorgeous view of the sun coming up over Y mountain. We had a little time before Grant had to go to work, so we pushed the boys in the swings for a bit and had some peaceful, happy time as a family. It was perfect and made me so happy to enjoy that little moment together. My heart filled with joy that I get to live in a beautiful land where our freedoms allow us to have moments like that -- where we could enjoy a wonderful community celebration and time together as a family.  We live in a place that's clean, where we have beautifully cared for parks and places to enjoy as families. We have so many freedoms and comforts -- right down to donuts and chocolate milk -- and I'm so grateful for those who have served and continue to serve our country in order to preserve those rights.  I'm so grateful to Heavenly Father for allowing me to live here and to have the privilege of living in such a wonderful, wonderful country. I love the 4th, and I've gotta say, Provo celebrates it in an awesome way!