School Days! 8/26

Summer went fast but we were all ready for the first day of school! The boys found out who their teachers were by postcard the day before “meet-your-teacher.” Matthew has Mrs. Rowe (who Charlie had) and Charlie has Mrs. Ornstein (or Mrs O). They were both very excited. I was nervous for Matthew because Mrs. Rowe has a very different personality than his Kindergarten teacher but so far any of his problems from school are coming mostly from him. The first week was a bit rough but I think that’s normal. Charlie quickly dove into things and is really excited about becoming a Knight. His teacher has a Medieval theme in her classroom that she uses to challenge the kids to learn new things. She sure knows how to excite third grade boys. Matthews adjustment has been harder. I remember Charlie struggling with 1st grade at the beginning as well and if you think about it first grade is the real deal; the toys are gone and they are sitting in desks! Matthew’s teacher has high expectations for her kids which involves A LOT of writing. Matthew is not a fan but I think this is exactly what he needs. We have had A LOT of after school homework battles but they are getting better.

Another adjustment for the boys was finding out that both of their BFFs were not in their classes this year. Thankfully there is a set of brothers who share teachers with Charlie and Matthew. To make things better they all get along. They have had play-dates at each others houses and Charlie and Austin now talk on the phone which is a first for us; I’ve never had kids call to talk to my kids before.

The highlight of starting the school year is that their school day does not start until 9:15!!! They are going to a “holding” school which is a little farther from our home while their real school is being torn down and rebuilt. Almost all the kids are being bussed which meant they had to switch up the start time. Our extra 25 minutes in the morning is heaven! There is a lot less of a rush in the morning and sometimes Matthew randomly sleeps in which is now not such a big deal. I also try to have the boys do their reading in the morning which is a million times more productive than in the afternoon. Who new such a simple change could make such a big difference?

 

First Day of School pictures! I’m not normally sentimental but I do always tear up when the bus drives away.

Portrait Gallery with the Relief Society. 7/13

Sometimes I forget how cool of a place I live. Our Relief Society sponsored a trip to the National Portrait Gallery in DC on a Saturday afternoon. I rode the metro in by myself which was so easy. We took a 50 min highlights tour which I thoroughly enjoyed. Did you know that when our government started issuing patents they had to have a model of what was being patented and they were all stored where the current Portrait Gallery is? We heard about everything from the first sewing machine (I saw the first singer) to unfinished portraits of George Washington. It was also fun being with my fellow sisters. I rode the metro home with Marisol who tried to convert me from Diet Coke to herbal tea. It logically makes sense but I’ve never been a tea lover.

Eating Lunch in the courtyard of the National Portrait Gallery

I love Katherine Hepburn! My sister and I must have watched “Bringing Up Baby” a million times when we were little.

Utah: Week Four 8/14

This week in Utah was the grand finale because Seth was able to join us. We have never spent that much time away from him so we were all anxious for the separation to end. What better place to celebrate being reunited than Lagoon. Seth’s plane landed at 10:30am and Lagoon opened at 11! We met all the Thackers there for a little reunion. It’s quite possible that this day was the greatest day in both of my boys life. Seth and I hadn’t been to Lagoon since we were engaged so we were both impressed with all the new rides. Wicked was REALLY scary and I think Rattle Snake Rapids and the Log Flume were my favorites. I think I’m getting old. Lucy dominated all the kiddy rides. Matthew stuck mostly with the kiddy rides but surprised us with his desire to ride The Bat and he even loved it. He also loved Bombora and rode The Egg Drop with his cousin Stu 14 times! Charlie was in for a wild day of fun. Nora conveniently bumped into us with her kids (they have season passes and live at Lagoon) and Ben took over Charlie’s itinerary for the day. This included EVERY roller coaster and even the Samurai which he had previously decided he would not be riding on.  Brave boy! We were not planning on staying until it closed but I really wanted to ride the Ferris Wheel at night so we stayed until the end!! Fun had by all!! 

Since we stayed until closing at Lagoon we decided to crash another night at Nora’s home and leave for the Basin in the morning. We stopped by to visit Allen and Missy in North Salt Lake on our way out of town. Allen was working that day so we were happy we were able to catch him before he left. We ate delicious Zucchini bread he had baked; I didn’t know my brother was a baker and a good one too. They were also nice enough to get out their Soda Stream to demonstrate for us since we were all so curious. My kids really enjoyed the little demo Allen did explaining all of the stuff on his police belt. Matthew might have been drooling. To top it all of he showed Charlie how he arrests people. Thank Allen and Missy for letting us drop by!

Visiting the Basin was the perfect place to wrap up our trip. Grandpa took the three big kids fishing which they loved. The rock Lucy is sitting on in the picture is what she claimed as “Lucy Mountain.” Matthew found himself his own island as well. I’m glad my kids think big.

We did take a morning trip to Provo and the cabin so Seth could visit with friends and my parents. We had a Michigan Reunion X 2. The Cherrys came to Utah the week after the original reunion so we had to get together again. Charlie was really looking forward to seeing his buddies again. These boys go way back.

We stopped at the cabin on our way back to Upalco and the Fowerses, Hawkinses, and my parents were there for another party. We had fun outside for a little while and then were chased inside by a rainstorm. I think that was the only time we saw it rain in Utah. We came inside played games, and ate snack cakes.

People would always ask Holly and me if we were sisters when we were at Utah State, and now I see why.

We enjoyed peaceful days and delicious food (more Dutch oven potatoes) at the Thackers. Grandma let the boys stamp and paint with all of her supplies. Conrad and Lucy enjoyed the swing set in the back yard. Lucy was having grandpa push her when she told him directly, “No more pushing Grandpa, let’s talk!”  She asked him what his favorite color was. They had also recently adopted a little kitten that all the kids loved especially Cassie. I was surprised how much that cat tolerated getting carried around. School started in the area while we were there so Grandpa had to start driving his school bus. The boys were excited to wake up early so they could ride his route with him (they even set an alarm). I’m not sure if they enjoyed the tractor or the bus ride more. On the Sunday before we left we drove up to Mill Hollow to have a picnic lunch with Mike and Collette. Cassie had been staying at the Thackers as well so she needed to get back to her parents. The scenery was breathtaking but driving over Wolf Creek is so windy.

What a trip!! I think there were a few people we didn’t get to visit with but overall we did well. We slept at EIGHT different places and the only thing we lost on the trip was Lucy’s backpack which was a bummer but considering all the stuff we were hauling around is not too bad. The flight home was in the afternoon which was nice because we didn’t have to wake up really early. We left from Upalco and drove to West Valley to pick up my dad so he could drop us off and reclaim his van. Our flight to Denver left late and was really bumpy. We only had 25 minutes until our next flight took off so we hustled to our next gate only to see that we had missed family boarding. We boarded right away but by the time we got to the back of the plane there were no more double seats. The flight attendants were great at getting people to switch around and while it would have been nice to have sat by Seth, at least the kids were all sitting by someone they knew. The plane ride was long and bumpy but we made it home!! We had four days to get the kids adjusted to start school!

Utah: Week Three 8/9

We next landed at the Liu’s Home in Cottonwood Heights. We bounced around a lot at this point in the trip but my kids were champs and greeted each day with, “Where are we sleeping tonight mommy?” After we put all the kids to bed Mandy and I went and indulged in dessert at the Dodo and caught up. Cheers for life long friends and sugar!

The next day we took all the kids to Wheeler Farm. The kids had fun but it was hot so we didn’t stay long. That was fine because we had exciting plans for that evening.

I love how Lucy has her arm around Jonah. Their mothers have their future planned, wink wink.

We had our second annual Michigan reunion in Draper. There was a mild setback before the event when I lost the key to my parents van but thanks to my parents foresight (stashed key) and a kind stranger who kept me calm, we still showed up on time. It was a great turn out with ELEVEN families showing up. Lindsey won the award for traveling the farthest by coming from Qatar. Besides Utah we had Texas, Michigan, and Maryland represented. We talked the night away and my kids  climbed in the car in utter exhaustion because we stayed so late and they were done.  It was fun to see everyone and also see how much all the kids had changed.

The next day we found ourselves traveling to yet another home. We joined the Mairs for church in their new ward. Conrad, Lucy and I hung out in nursery (I actually spent the whole trip going to nursery) and enjoyed the incredible healthy snack prepared by the nursery leaders. We’re talking peppers, cucumbers, cranberries, dried coconut, strawberries, and trail mix!! It was enjoyable to explore Nora and James’s new home in the hills of Centerville. Nora and I went on a run together in the morning and I was surprised at how quickly we were away from homes and running on trails.  That same day I loaded up the kids and we joined Holly and her kids at Hogle Zoo. We got there right when it opened so it was cool and not crowded. That place has changed completely since the last time I was the there. All the animals were out and about and there were lego exhibits (animals built out of legos) spread throughout the zoo the kids loved finding. Holly and I became friends right after we both were married and now there are eight kids between us!!

We went back to the Mairs for more fun. Nora took us all to a Dinosaur park in Ogden the next day. One thing I love about Utah is that nobody looks at you weird when you show up anywhere with a mob of kids, and a mob we had. We also scored free lunch at the elementary school so we didn’t have to worry about feeding them all. We put the babies down, enlisted some babysitters and went off on a grand shopping adventure. I had only driven by City Creek and had never gone inside so we started there at the Athleta store. I could have bought everything!! The service was amazing and they gave us each a Lara Bar after some Nora sweet talking. We made a quick stop at the Gateway and Walmart before making it back home to see everyone well and happy. Nora and James have a big dirt pile in their back yard where the kids played  for hours.  

There was a display in the dinosaur museum of rocks that looked like food. Not surprisingly this became one of my favorites.

Utah: Week Two 8/1

The Ackerson Family Reunion was held at Coulter Bay in Teton National Park. The last time I visited this beautiful place was eight years ago when Charlie was a baby! It was wonderful to go back and see those awe inspiring mountains. The drive was also beautiful but there was a noisy soundtrack (sponsored by Conrad) that took away from the experience. I rode with my mom, Lucy, and Conrad while the big boys rode with Grandpa Chuck in the truck (they did the whole drive with no DVD player- AWESOME!) Another highlight from the trip was running into my brother Tom’s family at a couple of rest stops along the way. These were not obvious places to stop (random country store in the middle of nowhere) which made it even more fun when it happened again. It was also fun to get constant text message updates from Nora about their travel progress.

Everyone arrived safely and we all got settled. James provided our tent and set it up for us the second year in a row. I had scrounged bedding and camping mattresses from the cabin so we had the basics but that’s all we really needed. It was also my mom’s birthday so we celebrated with a Texas sheet cake that disappeared in less than three minutes!

We did a family hike to Leigh Lake and then had lunch and swam at String Lake. The weather was crisp and the scenery breathtaking. Mountain lakes are beautiful and clean. The kids all loved swimming especially my little babies. Conrad loved the water and he and cousin Eli could have spent all day splashing around. It was cold so I only  went it to my waist.

There was another group hike the next day but Addie’s foot was bothering her so we hung out at the lounge with the little girls (Lucy and Abby). We also picked up a bag of Swedish fish and the lady checking me out said, “those are the most popular candy we sell and I have never eaten them and you are the first adult I have seen buy them.” Oh they were good. That afternoon we were all able to swim at the pool at Jackson Lake Lodge (Donna signed me in as staying in room #602, who knew)? That night we had a talent show that was entertaining as they get. The highlights were, “the bikers for child abuse”  by Allen’s family ,Maycee doing her improv, and Charlie’s cousin skit. Fun and very memorable.

Lucy loved all of the “girls”

The last morning was Sunday and the Mair family did a short devotional before we left. The spirit is strong in the mountains surrounded by your family. The drive home was not much better than the drive there. My mom resorted to giving Conrad Diet Coke (I was driving) but I think he mostly just dumped it all over himself.

Camping with four kids and no husband was hard. I was constantly losing them but thankfully I always found them. Conrad and Lucy both loved that fine camping dirt and could be found dumping it on their heads at any spare moment. Most of all I loved being there for all the family interactions. The kids had lots of time to play with cousins and forming memories with them. I was able to stay up late chatting with my siblings. I missed the last family reunion in the Tetons and was grateful we could make this one. I REALLY missed Seth that weekend too.

After the Tetons we returned to the cabin for a couple of days of down time. We did take all of the kids to Home Depot where they got ideas for the play structure Grandma should build at her new house. There was also a lot of cold cereal and cat teasing as well.  The morning before we left, my mom and I took them all down to the Provo river to play. The water was so low we could cross to the other side. The kids all got soaked and had a grand time, especially Conrad. We had a hard time keeping him contained.

I convinced Donna to drive with me to Pocatello to visit Vanessa. It would not be a trip out west with out a full car of kids going to see the Suttons in Idaho. We arrived to a gourmet dinner on her patio. We spent the next day at Lava Hot springs and we all had a blast. It’s really developed over the years and now with speed slides and a covered heated kiddie pool we could have stayed until it closed. Vanessa’s older girls were always helping us keep an eyes on the babies and other than the incident of Anna attempting to climb up the high dive, they were all safe. We drove back to Utah straight from Lava and decided to stop at Nora’s home in Centerville for dinner. We ate more delicious food before getting back on the road and arriving in Midway late.

Donna needed to work the next morning so I held down the fort and did laundry. Lucy and Anna played happily and little Dallin was a dream with his googley eyes. The older boys glued themselves to Netflix for the day. I LOVE Midway and Donna’s home is conveniently located close to a park and a corner grocery store that serves ice cream cones. The summer is Donna’s busy season for work so I usually don’t get much time with her. This trip was different and I was able and stay with her a few nights and drop in randomly for lunch. They might not look too much like cousins but Lucy and Anna are going to be great cousin pals.

In the late afternoon we took off for Provo so we could visit with my Grandpa Allen. It was a sweet visit. I’m not sure he knew who I was but he was so sweet with the kids and was constantly commenting on how beautiful and smart they are. I was surprised when Conrad happily climbed up on his lap. I have so many wonderful memories of my Grandpa and all the love he showed to me (even thought he had 50 other grand kids).

We made it to Mike and Collette’s that night for a sleep over in their fancy finished basement. My kids love Cassie and were happy to see her and their cousin Tiffany again. Tiffany stayed with Mike and Collette for the summer and was Cassie’s babysitter. We ate delicious biscuits and gravy in the morning and took all the kids to the Herriman fitness center to go swimming. They all had fun and were ravenous for Papa Murphey’s  Pizza(Utah favorite) afterwards.

Utah: Week One 7/24

I get overwhelmed every time I think about blogging about our Utah vacation. There was so much fun and so many pictures. I’m finally diving in!

We left early (4am) but we should have left earlier for our 6am flight. We flew out of Dulles and I forgot about the train you have to wait for and take to the gates. We only gave ourselves an hour from the time we arrived to the time our plane left.  We said a very sad farewell to Seth and were on our way. They had already started boarding by the time we got to the gate so we were on the plane fast and thankfully we were all able to sit together. The three older kids all sat together on a row and had a grand time watching shows on the DVD player. Conrad and I were across the aisle. He did as well as you can expect a 16 month old to do. I was surprised he didn’t sleep at all. We took off late which made me nervous for the connection. We only had a 45 minute layover in Denver. We landed with 30 minutes and we sped to our new gate (thankfully not too far because I gate checked my stroller to Salt Lake so I wouldn’t have to wait for it). The flight from Denver to Salt Lake was nice because there was an empty seat next to me and Conrad slept most of the flight. I was so happy to see my parents once we landed. I was exhausted but it was the 24th of July in Utah which meant there was going to be a great party at the cabin. Nora had Vanessa’s kids for cousin week so she brought all of her 10 kids to the cabin plus Tom’s, John’s, and Donna’s family. Mandy and Eddie also joined us with their kids! I ate the best Dutch oven potatoes of my life (thanks Tom) and other great food. It was a long day but worth all the fun we had.

We started our trip at the cabin which was nice because life is so slow there. We usually did a major activity every day and other than that I focused on naps and an early bed time. We went swimming with my Dad at the fitness center which the kids loved. The boys loved Grandpa tossing them in the air. Lucy also made Grandpa her swimming buddy and didn’t want to venture too far from him. The kids also helped my dad put together an Ikea night stand. Who new that could be so entertaining for kids? They were complete engrossed in the process. My mom was Charlie’s diligent piano teacher while we were there and she gave him a productive lesson every day. My parents also let me run every morning I was there. Running through the hills in the chilly morning was so good for my soul.

One of the nights there, my sister Nora invited Donna and me to come to Salt Lake for a free Lower Lights concert at the Brigham Young park. We arranged babysitting and were on our way. Nora is their biggest fan and as you can tell she got really into it. They were actually a great group and I’ve enjoyed getting in to their music more. On a side note, Utah Mormons are beautiful people. I couldn’t stop staring at all the people I was around. We walked over to the fancy Harmons at City Creek after the concert and picked out some yummy desserts. Fun evening had by all!!

We met my brother Tom at Wasatch state park for a picnic, fishing, and duck feeding. They have a great set-up where you can rent polls for kids for $3 and buy duck food for 25 cents. Charlie was happy he was able to catch a fish (they stock the lake). We stayed for a lot longer than planned because we were all having such a great time. We even convinced Donna and Bevan to join us because it’s only a few minutes from their house. Lucy loved getting to know her “girl” cousins Abby and Anna.

Conrad, Kim and Baby Eli, and Charlie fishing

We invited the Thacker family to come for Sunday dinner. The kids were happy to see more family and we all enjoyed BT cake and homemade Peanut Butter ice cream made by Uncle Mike. I was lacking in my picture taking that night and only have a few. Tiffany spent the summer at Mike and Collette’s home so we were happy to visit with her as well.

I have visited Heber hundreds of times over the year but I couldn’t recall ever eating a “train burger” at the Dairy Keen. I’m going through a serious burger obsession right now so we decided to make that one of our day activities. It did not disappoint and the kids loved playing on the pretend train outside. We went to Donna’s afterward for a visit and the girls walked over to “The Barn” which is a boutique home store by her house. We all found great new additions for our homes and picked up some ice cream on the way home.  

We had our annual reunion with Miranda and her boys at Donna’s home the next day (we all went to CEU together). I’m sad I never took a picture of a her but I did get a picture of our cute kids on the Dairy Keen train. After eating a delicious barbeque at Donna’s home (the girl makes a mean shish kabob) we went back to Dairy Keen for shakes. We walked across the street to a new fancy park they have in Heber. The kids were fascinated with the fake grass and the parents were trying to figure out how they were going to keep it clean. I was sad we didn’t get to spend more time with the Miranda and her boys but happy we did get some laughs in.

We traveled to Salt Lake the next day because my mom and dad had their weekly chess/piano classes and I arranged to meet up with some great friends from High School. I love when we get together because there is SOO much history and we can pick up right where we left off. There are 12 kids (Calley is due in a month) between us and  Lucy is the ONLY girl. I guess that’s what we get for being so boy crazy in high school.  After the visit my mom, Donna, and I went to Kohls to do some birthday shopping and my Dad watched the kids at the park across the street. After a stop at Sam’s Club we made it back to the cabin with much anticipation for our trip to Jackson Hole Wyoming for the Ackerson Family Reunion the next day!

Another Birthday For Seth!7/23

It’s really lame when your family flies out on vacation, leaving you behind and it happens to be your birthday. That is exactly what happened to Seth this year. But if you know Seth at all you know that he kept telling me when I was trying to book tickets, “it’s not a big deal, just go!” Tickets were a lot cheaper on the 24th  and we all know Utah is a fun place to be on that day. So I booked the tickets and will forever feel some guilt. The kids and I decided to throw him a surprise party the day before we left. They LOVED the planning. We designed a big poster, blew up balloons, hung streamers, and made an ice cream cake. They were really excited about creating a “balloon drop” which was a trap that would let balloons fall on Seth when he opened the door to the upstairs (he comes through the basement door so he can park his bike.) They let the balloons go a little early but it was still exciting.

I’m so grateful this man was born and decided to marry me. He is incredibly selfless and there is truly no better dad out there –playing games, reading stories, explaining science, and more. Conrad may never forgive me for taking him away from his dad for three long weeks. Happy Birthday Seth!

Gaithersburg Water Park 7/22

We snagged a Groupon that made a night at the water park not only fun but cheap!!  I only laugh at the amount of paperwork we ended up filling out before the evening was through. Soon after we arrived Matthew was splashing around in the kitty pool and slipped. He didn’t seem too injured because he got right back to playing until the life guard came and asked him if he was feeling dizzy. Of course Matthew said “Yes” so that meant Seth had to follow Matthew and the life guard to his stand and Seth had to fill out and sign some paperwork. I thought it was a little cautious on their end until Matthew went down the slide. It was his first time on a bigger water slide and he might have not been quite ready for it. He has been doing really well in swimming lessons and he was tall enough to touch at the end of it so I thought it would be fine. The slide was a little quick at the end and Matthew flew out fast and got a little disoriented. Only a couple of seconds went by and the life guard was in the water fishing him out. Again, he was fine. The same life guard from the incident before approached me and said that since the life guard made contact we would need to go and fill out and sign more papers. What??

Of course we still had a blast  besides the above mentioned incidents. Both boys spent a lot of time swimming out in the deep end. I love that they aren’t afraid of water. Lucy is still really timid in the water but that’s totally normal for my kids at that age.