Utah April 2009

We had a GREAT trip to Utah to see our famliy last week. We started it off with Isaac's Baptism. It was wonderful to be surrounded by our family and have them be apart of the special day. Papa and I gave the talks and all the cousins did a special musical number. We kept it short and simple, but the Spirit was strong and that's what matters.

After the Baptism we had a small reunion with a few of Aaron's counsins we hadn't seen for a long time. It was fun to see them and catch up on lives. We have all added quite a few kids since being together. We were supposed to have a BBQ in Nana and Papa's back yard, but due to inclement weather we had to move it to the church gym. That way the kids could still run and play.

One of the highlights for my kids was Jumping Jacks. For part of the reunion Papa rented out Jumping Jacks. It was so much fun to have the entire place for just our family. The kids had a blast, and the parents...well, we loved it as much as the kids...a good time was had by all.

On Easter Sunday we went to Travis and Julie Kaye's ward, they blessed little Sydnee Sage. She's a cute little thing. We didn't stay for the luncheon after because we met Susie and Darin (and kids) up in Midway at Darin's parents new house. It was fun to sit around and chat with everyone. It felt so good to get away from everyday life and just enjoy our family.Monday was family pictures. It's quite a job to orchestrate 22 people (12 of them under 8), make sure everyone is looking and smiling at the same time. I think the photographer did a good job, we should be getting the proofs soon. The little girls wore the skirts I made at Christmas. And the rest of us pulled out the colors from the skirts to match. So we all ended up in brown, yellow, blue, and green. I think it looked good. While we had a photographer there we brought the pink Easter skirts and had the girls pics taken. Not the best shots, they were all tired of stitting still, but you get the idea. After pictures we had our Annual Gardner Easter Egg Hunt. The kids go wild. After the kids go, there is one for the adults, we go even more wild than the kids. Each couple gets to find 6 eggs, each has a # inside that represents a gift card or cash. We always come away with good stuff.

We celebrated Cooper's 3rd, Dylan's 1st, and Jackson's 7th Birthdays that night.

The kids had a great time miniature golfing. That's one of those activities that I don't like doing, but I go because the kids like it. Theres a place in Orem called Trafalga that has been around longer than I have, it could use a huge makeover in the miniature golf department. The kids don't know any different, so they had a great time.

On Wed. is started snowing and by Thursday morning this is what we woke up to! A FOOT of snow. What kind of Spring Break is that? We had to dig our way out before heading up to the cabin. Once we got to the cabin there was hardly any snow. We had a great time playing games, and making smores. We also ate all kinds of yummy food.

This ended up being a WAY long post, but I wanted to document all of our fun. Utah will always be "home" for us, and I am always reassured that that's where we want to end up. Kids need to be by their cousins, and we need to be by our siblings (most of them anyway). That's just how it should be. So thanks to Nana and Papa for letting us come out. Thanks for the entertainment and vacation. Thanks for the reassurance that "home" is where family is. We love you all!

Project Completed!

I'm all done.

5 skirts

2 shirts

I'm happy with how they turned out. Hopefully the girls will like them.

My sewing machine is getting a well deserved break.

What did I get myself into?

My friends sister was looking for a daycare provider for her newborn. They wanted a home environment vs. daycare. She called to see if I knew anyone. I ended up with the job. So I will be watching a 3 month old everyday. Seriously? Did I really just say yes?

Today is day 1...so far so good. Let's pray it stays that way. Other wise I will need a daycare provider for my mental self.

Survived...

spring break. Done, checked off the list. The weather was colder than we would have liked, rainier than we would have liked. My neighbors and I attempted to take the kids fishing at our local lake. By the time we set up the chairs and watched Stewart and Mike (our neighbors) tie hooks and bait on 7 fishing polls the kids were done...running around...more interested in drinking root beer and eating cheezits than fishing. Oh well, we tried. It was too cold anyway.

The rest of the week we just hung out, played with friends, and did some spring clothes shopping. Nothing too exciting, which is sometimes a good thing. Oh, I was productive while the kids played. I made 3 surprizes (for my surprize give aways), 2 dresses for the girls, and 2 out of the 5 skirts for the Gardner Girl cousins. Not too bad.

We are saving our excitement for our trip to Utah in a few weeks. The kids ask everyday "how much longer?"...soon, really soon. We will baptize Isaac out there so all the cousins (on Aaron's side) can be there. Isaac is the oldest grandchild, so everyone is excited for his baptism. It made more sense for us to go there, than for everyone to try to come out here.

Some Serious Numbers

6 days Aaron was out of town.
5 plates of cookies delivered to say "thank you for helping with Enrichment".
4 days of watching extra kids.
3 dinners made and delivered to sick friends.
3 Church activities (Scouts, Enrichment, and Elders Quorum pic-nic).
2 school nights the kids went to bed after 9:00 due to the church activities.
1 Church talk to write and give (in Spanish).
1 Lunch with the Doc's at the hospital.
(I sould have counted loads of laundry...12-15 maybe)
= 1 TIRED Mama. I fell asleep about 9 last night and woke up at 7 this morning. It felt good.

My "jobs" are all done for now. We only have a birthday party and a BBQ on our calendar for next week. I can relax during Spring Break and enjoy hanging out with my kids. Maybe I'll even have time to work on my secret give away projects! Oh, that's a happy thought!

I Don't Want It

We have had 4 people close to us diagnosed with weird things...not just the common cold. I don't want any of it. I will stick to runny noses...I can handle that.

1. Last week one of our friends (coworker of Aaron's and also our neighbor) was working in the NICU and she was experiencing numbness in her left arm, it progressed to the inability to move her fingers. So she went to the ER and after a lenghty work-up the diagnosis was a "stenosis within her cervical canal and possibly an interruption in CSF flow. She also has compromised cervical vertebrae and stenosis of her intervertebral foramen compressing the exiting nerves." What in the heck does that mean!? I can't remember, you'll have to ask the Doctor (and he's at a conference in Vegas for a week). But they had to do surgery and replace 3 vertebraes, I can't remember what else they did. But now she can't lift or drive for 12 weeks. Did I mention she just had a baby 4 months ago?

2. Caite's Pre-K teacher is the most amazing teacher I have seen. She was diagnosed with Breast Cancer a few years ago, did all the treatments and was in the clear. This week she went in for the usual check up she has every 4 months and they found another small mass on her 7th rib. So she goes in tomorrow for a biopsy. We are hoping for the best.

3. I got a call from another friend yesterday (another coworker of Aaron's and neighbor). They needed me to watch their little boys because they were headed to the ER . Kara had all the symptoms of meningitis and was worried. They did a million tests and 3 lumbar punctures with no positive results. At least it's not meningitis. Now she has to see a neurologist.

4. We have a cute old neighbor couple that lives 2 doors up. Papa Ed and Geraldine. Geraldine just found out yesterday the she has Leukemia. It's not and aggressive form, but it's still leukemia. How sad it that.

So, I after tonight I will have taken in 3 dinners, watched extra kids, and made plates of goodies for all our "sickies". I have Enrichment that I'm in charge of tomorrow night. And I have to write a Sacrament talk in Spanish to give on Sunday in the Spanish Branch. All in a weeks time. Did I mention Aaron left for a conference last Sunday and won't be home until Friday night. He missed out on the chaos this week. I am fortunate to be able to stay home and take care of all this craziness. It keeps me busy, but it makes me happy to know I can help when help is needed. Isn't that what life's about.

Can You Smell It?

Spring is in the air! I LOVE this time of year! I love seeing the blossoms on the trees and the daffodils in our flower beds and front porch pot start to grow and bloom. I love that the weather is warm and we can go out without jackets. We have had a beautiful week with perfect weather in the mid 70's to 80's. The kind that I wish we could keep forever.

The problem is that here in Arkansas we have what I call Bipolar weather. Last week it was in the 40's, this week 70-80, and the end of this week will be cold again. So we will enjoy our shorts and t-shirts for the moment and hope that the cold front we will get at the end of the week will be short lived. For those of you who are still in snow and cold...you are welcome to visit, we would be happy to have you!