Because of Him

I meant to post this on Easter Sunday.  It's amazing.  I love the Savior for all He was and is to me.  He is my strength from day to day, and in this imperfect world where I figure life out one day at a time as I travel along, I rely on Him.  (P.S.  Don't tell my kids the part about figuring it out one day at a time.  I'd lose all credibility.)

Enjoy.

He's Not So Little Anymore

There's an awesome song by Billy Dean called, "Let Them Be Little."  When our oldest three children were actually little, Tim and I used to listen to that song.  We really did treasure those little moments, but we had no idea how fast it would all go.

Tonight I was kind of glad I got to sit by this handsome guy tonight at the Real Salt Lake game.  I was trying to remember all the details so I could hold onto the memory of this night, but also trying not to think too much, because tears rolling down my cheeks at the RSL game would not have been cool. 

Nate turns 18 in less than a month.  He graduates less than a month after that.  But all this was so real in my mind tonight because yesterday Nate decided he was going to go on a mission for the LDS church, which he can do as soon as he graduates.  (Read more about missions here.)  I've known this was coming, but in part of my heart the grown up kid sitting next to me tonight will always be that curly haired, witty, observant little guy that was my helper when "his babies" were little.  I cried when I sent him to first grade, and I'll cry again when I send him out the door for his mission, but I've loved every minute in between, and enjoyed my night with him as well.  He clarified some calls to me when I didn't know what just happened on the field.  He wore his SAHS soccer jacket.  He told me where to park and I should have listened to him, not Megan.  He stood in line with me when I didn't know what I was doing.  He drank Mountain Dew because the concession stand didn't sell Dr. Pepper.    The lady who passed a beer over him spilled some on him so he smelled like beer.  And that haircut?  He got a haircut the other day.  Really.  He had to show me the receipt so I'd believe him, but I love his curls, and I'll probably always smile when I think of that haircut (and smile again when he gets that missionary haircut).

And lately, I love how he comes and sits down with me at night after the other kids go to bed and talks to me.  Sometimes I'm in the middle of something, and find myself thinking the timing isn't great, then I realize how much I'll miss these conversations when Nate isn't here anymore.  Other days he says just the right thing at the right time that makes me laugh.  

Really, my heart is happy that this little guy of mine is growing into such an incredible human being, who has been more strength to me than he'll ever know this past few years, but just for old time's sake...

Let 'em cry, 

Let 'em giggle, 

Let 'em sleep in the middle, 

Oh, but let them be little.

If you have little ones, hold on to every moment...which probably means it will hurt a little bit when it's time to let go, but you'll have so much to hold onto.

This post will one day be known as Let Them Be Little.  It may also one day be known as The Day Mom Almost Cried at the RSL Game.

Selfies

You can't be the mom of teenagers and not know about selfies.  But it makes me laugh (and get a little annoyed) when I find them on my phone.

Note to the resident teens:  All selfies found on my phone are now blogging entrainment.

Gabby is the one taking the sister selfies here...

Jeran...  I don't edit.  Sideways is how it appears on my phone.

Then there was that day Jeran decided to teach me how to take a selfie.  And post it to Instagram.  (Why is my face so freakishly distorted?  Apparently I need practice, but my handsome son has mastered the selfie smile.)

So yesterday while I was waiting for Megan at soccer practice, I was bored and decided to try a solo selfie.  (Yes kids, that means me taking a selfie without any technical assistance.)

Then while I was uploading the above selfies, look what I found on my computer...  Photo Booth entertainment...

The first time I saw this one, I remember thinking, "How did she do that?"  I had no idea she was really taking a picture.

One of our crazier days?

I do remember this one...fun with my girls.  Megan, you have the best animated faces (and perfectly crossed eyes.)

 And apparently you can change backgrounds?   (I want a roller coaster ride too.)

And Jeran + Photo Booth = entertainment.

Add caption

This post will one day be known as Selfies, Part One...Looking Forward to Future Installments.

Fun In The Sun!

Did you know that less than a day's drive from our smoggy, cold Utah winter there is a place where it's warm all year.  Jackets are optional, and swimsuits are often preferred to every day clothing...

And that's where our family went for Christmas this year.  Wahoo!

Why?

Because family time was a gift we decided we needed this year.  In five months, Nate will graduate.  A year from now we aren't sure where he'll be spending Christmas.  And we could spend hundreds of dollars on family gifts that we won't remember next year, or we could spend hundreds of dollars on one big gift that we'll always remember.

We voted for the big gift.

We also voted for warm weather destinations.

California is warm.

California is relatively close.

Gabby has never been to Disneyland or Seaworld, and Tim is the only one of us who has been to Universal Studios.

California it was.

A few hundred pictures are worth a thousand words....

Day One:  SeaWorld

Day Two:  Disneyland

Tim fell asleep waiting for the World of Color show (which was AMAZING!)

Day Three:  A visit to Aunt Bonna and Moonlight Beach

Tim's Aunt Bonna lives in Carlsbad.  When Tim called her to tell her we were going to visit, she was very excited.  When we were driving into the neighborhood where she lives, she was at the end of the street waiting for us.  Later, Joie wrote that one of her best memories of the trip was, "The chance to see Bonna waiting at the end of the street to see Dad."

Day Four:  Universal Studios 

Favorite ride:  Transformers!

Gabby's favorite

Mummy was pretty awesome also!

Delorean from Back to the Future

And they made it snow in Whoville as we were leaving

Day Five:  New Year's Eve At Disneyland

Chip and Dale recreate the Chip and Dale pose

Trust me...  They're faking it.

Joie's midnight selfie

First ride of 2014...  Radiator Springs Racers, of course!  (The wait is usually 2 hours, which we turned into about 45 minutes after standing in line for 30 minutes FIRST THING in the morning for fast passes.  The line was definitely a lot shorter after midnight, only 20 minutes!  We stayed until the park closed at 2:00 a.m.

Foot shot...only way to get all 5 of us in the picture at the same time. 

 Day Six:  Huntington Beach... A Perfect Last Day in California

Add two days in the car to and from California with the kids in electronic comas, and you have the recipe for a perfect family vacation!  It it really was amazing...  One of our favorites, maybe because we knew it was one of our last chances to be together with all the kids while they are still technically kids, or maybe because a vacation was what our family really, really needed right now.  Either way, it was filled with memorable moments.  This was definitely the best choice for a Christmas present!  We'll never forget it, and the kids don't miss the "stuff" they didn't get on Christmas Day.

This story will one day be known as Christmas Without the Snow!  It may also one day be known as Why Don't We Live In California?  Because really...  Why don't we live in California?  I'm not really seeing a down side here...  (Sigh....  Going to grab my slippers and turn up the heat... )