A Road Trip

We got home on Sunday, but I developed a cold and haven't done much besides laundry since we got back.
Our trip was awesome.
And was nine days long. 51 hours of that were spent in the old minivan.
Yes. 51 hours. We have a timer in the van that you can set if you ever want to see how much of your life you have spent in an uncomfortable front seat, throwing food to the kiddos in the back, begging for a potty break, or trying to change the cd to something everyone can agree on.

We got to see Reno, Sacramento, Oakland, San Francisco, Monterey Bay, Walmart in Fresno, Sequoia National Park, King's Canyon National Park, Yosemite, and the Walmart in Reno.

It was an adventure.
It was good.
It was hilarious.
It was frustrating.
It was exhausting.
It required multiple loads of laundry to be done in San Francisco's hotel.

But, it was great.
More to come when I finally get the laundry done.

A Special Birthday

Nathan turned 12 this year. Unbelievable. He has grown and changed so much over just the last year alone. It is hard to imagine him as the little baby I brought home from the hospital as a newborn with bowed legs (he was breech for the last 4 months of my pregnancy) and a cone head (vacuum assisted delivery).

He got a new DS for his birthday. We wrapped it in a giant box so he wouldn't know what it was. He was very surprised. So was Kade (and maybe a little jealous).

Here is his happy dance.

He got to pick a couple of friends to take to a little park nearby for a mini party. Burke took them and said they had a great time. I am so grateful for great friends. They are both a good influence on him.Nathan feels a need for speed.His friend Jordan.

His friend, Trevor.

He received the priesthood by his father the Sunday after his birthday. The next week, he got to pass the sacrament. He was so nervous, but did a great job. I think I may have been more nervous than he was (don't drop the tray, don't spill the water, don't trip, don't go to the wrong place, etc.) There was no need to worry. He has been fine (or the mistakes haven't been picked up by my mom-radar).

He now goes to young men's and I find I miss him in Sharing Time. He has a great time with the boys though, and seems to be fitting in well there too.

It is a great thing to have two priesthood holders in my home.

Annika's Dance

Annika is also involved in dance this year. She does one dance with some younger girls that is really cute. Her partner in this dance was a little nervous, so Annika urged her on more than once. It was funny to watch, but also encouraging that Annika knew her dance well enough to know what was coming next.
She likes to play in class a lot, but her teacher this year has been great and helped her a lot. She doesn't love dance though, so this will probably be her last year.
When I asked her what she wants to try next (piano, tumbling, etc.) she told me that she doesn't need to try anything, she would like to just come home from school and read or watch tv or play with her DS.
Then we talked about hiding your light under a bushel.
She still didn't get it.
So I may make an executive decision and try putting her in tumbling. She has had a bit of a motor delay since birth, and still struggles with gross motor skills a little. I am hoping tumbling might help with that. I guess we will see how much she likes it.

Here is her dance:

Tangled

Adrienne is doing a dance to a song in the "Tangled" soundtrack this year. The girls all have wigs (which they hate, I guess they are hot). I love the costume though, they look so cute.
Adrienne has a problem looking at the camera. Sigh. Do you love the cheesy smile?

This is her dance group and teachers. I'll bet I can guess what these girls are going to be for Halloween (or at least what Adrienne is going to be).

Here is her dance:


Unfortunately, I got my own "tangle" of sutures. It was on my shoulder and pretty sore every time I moved my arm and pulled on them. They finally came out and the wound looks great now. My boys thought it was cool that mom had to get stitches.

A Waterfall Braid

I saw this braid on Adopt A 'Do. I thought it was so cute and wanted to give it a try.
It took a few tries, but I finally figured it out.
I like the effect: long and straight, but still out of her face.


She is a busy girl though, so it didn't last through an active Saturday.

Only Happy Kids Sing...

I am feeling much better and need to update, I know. I caught this little moment the other day and had to share even though Burke thinks it is too much.
I laughed.
And laughed.

Part 1:

Part 2:

Getting There

I had what I hope will be the final procedure for this little drama done on Thursday. I am home recovering and hoping to be able to eat, sleep, and have a normal life soon.
My kids miss having me come to help at school and I really miss going to the gym and listening to Harry Potter on my Ipod while I run/jog on the treadmill.
Despite no exercise, I have found myself several pounds lighter. I guess not eating much for three weeks will do that to you, and I am not complaining about that.
I have found myself begging my husband to take me out on the town: last night we went to Wal-Mart for a birthday party gift and got a frozen yogurt that I ended up wasting.
But it was nice to get out.

Burke took both the boys skiing on Wednesday. They had so much fun. Kade did ski school in the morning and kept up with Burke and Nathan in the afternoon. He whispered in my ear that he secretly thought he did better than Nathan did. Nathan whispered that he thought Kade did okay, but needs more practice to keep up with the big guys.
They were all exhausted when they got home and they all looked like racoons because Burke forgot to put sunscreen on them until after lunch.
Now the girls are waiting for their turn.

I am hoping to have some more energy to do something productive with my blog and life soon...

Stay tuned.