It's Time to Say Goodbye

A few years after we bought our first house in 1995--so probably around 1998?--we inherited bunkbeds from Brad's mom for Teeny Ben and Not-So-Big Tucker. Money was really tight in those  days, but I wanted them to have matching comforters. My mom was visiting for a week, so I took advantage of her mad quilting skills and planned a quilt-tying project. I took advantage of my best friend, Karen, and enlisted her skills and borrowed her quilt frames. 

Not being able to afford much, I bought four twin-size flannel sheets on clearance, one king-sized bat cut in half, and a skein of red yard--for two quilts I'm sure I spent less than $40 because I remember the sheets were $3.57 apiece. The three of us tied two quilts while six little kiddos (Karen's three and my first three) ran under the quilt, or pretended it was a fort, or cried when we ignored them and quilted for too long. 

What a great memory.

When I woke Hyrum up for scriptures last week, I noticed the state of the last surviving quilt. Its brother was thrown away a few years ago, loved until it was full of holes and threadbare.

It may be time for the surviving quilt to join its brother. And it makes me sad.

Think about how much of my family's life this quilt has seen:

• How many books read with a flashlight beneath it when Mom said, "Lights out!" (This may be the last one.)
• How many forts it created--books precariously stacked on its edges
• How many movie nights
• How many tuck-in times
• How many pretend games of "house" 
• How many legos and Goldfish crackers hidden in its folds
• How many times Mom begged it to be made
• How many bedtime stories
• How many deep talks
• How many adventures on the lawn or at the park
• How many drops from a humidifier or doses of cold medicine 
• How many early morning scripture times it was dragged off a bed because someone needed a few extra minutes of cozy
• How many sleepovers
• How many cold nights backstage at the Easter pageant
• How many tears and snotty noses it's wiped

Seven kids and 22 years.

That's a lot of cozy.

I feel like I owe it a deep Marie Kondo "Thank you for your service" ceremony. If I can bring myself to say goodbye.

Wedded Bliss

Brad and I took a quick trip to Utah for my nephew's wedding.

It was a glorious spring day. Look at that sky.

Forest married his perfect match, and I can't wait to watch them create a life together.

It's not often all four of us are together for a picture where one of us isn't pulling a stupid face . . . or blinking . . .  or looking weird in general. 

 We insisted Dad and Mom join us, and I'm so glad we did.

These are the people that have known me from the beginning. They're the ones who tolerated my adolescent outbursts and idiocy. Love them.

 This mom of mine is one of the best people I know--selfless and kind and loving.

 I'm ever grateful she's my mom.

 And here's my dad. The man who has always supported me and fought for me and fought with me and loved me unconditionally.

I'm one of the lucky ones. I came from a home where I was always accepted and loved . . . and I knew it. I can only hope my kids get half of that from our home.

 A few more outtakes

 I was so happy Ben could make it to the wedding with us.

 Brad tried to get this picture . . .

. . . but Ben had his own agenda . . .

 Can you tell I was cold?

 Twenty-four hours later, we were back at the airport.

 Quick trip but fantastic memories.

Beautiful Christmas

It was a nearly perfect holiday.

Heidi's family was in Idaho, but the rest of the kids were home for Christmas. Karli sang in our ward ("Gesu Bambino"), and it was spectacular.

I decided to try something new this year, and we had our big family dinner on Christmas Adam. I really liked doing that. It made Christmas Eve and Day less stressful, and we could sit around and enjoy. Plus, Eve set the table. I loved watching her primp that table and make it beautiful. She's growing up, my girl!

After dinner, we joined Brad's sister Amy and her family to perform some Christmas carols at the local rest home. This is the fourth (?) year we've done this, and it is such a blessing for our families. Some of us are very talented while others of us are support staff, but the residents are always so happy we are there. I'm indebted to Amy for taking the initiative each year to set this up and plan it.

Christmas Eve started early for me--up at 5 am because I hadn't wrapped a single gift! Then Micah and I headed on some last-minute errands for last-minute presents and last-minute tamales (worth waiting 30 minutes in line!).

Then we were off to the zoo. We've gone to the zoo on Christmas eve for at least 12 years, and I love it. It uses up most of the very long Christmas Eve day with time together burning energy running through the zoo in the gorgeous AZ December weather. This year was busier than most (our secret must be getting out!), but it is still virtually empty and stress-free. Even my bigger kids like this tradition.

We used to do a pinata every Christmas Eve when my older kids were little with my aunt and uncle and their kids, but it's been a while since we've done one. And Micah was the official pinata buster, may the record show, even though there is no photo evidence of his mighty swing!

Kids opened pajamas (the 27th year in a row I've made pjs for my kids) and Tucker took his family home for their own Christmas Eve. I love that they are establishing traditions in their own home with their family.

After living in this house over 11 years, we finally installed a projector and sound in the basement. The installer had a medical emergency and couldn't finish the sound, but the projector worked, and we gerry-rigged it up so we could watch life-sized Buddy the Elf on the wall. I don't know what it is about this movie, but it will forever be my favorite Christmas movie.

And by 8:30, all kids were sequestered upstairs and elven magic began.

Almost four hours later (sigh!), Brad, Ben, and I had a foosball table and a punching bag stand assembled and ready for the morning rush.

We loved having Ben and Makayla here for their first married Christmas morning. Our crew is getting smaller and smaller every year, and I don't know how much I like that, so I'm happy when our ranks are bolstered by visiting adults.

It's so strange how I stress over each present and each child, but in the end, it's not the presents that matter, but the time together and the spirit that comes from giving to each other. My kids took a special interest in sharing gifts with each other this year, and that brought me an extra dose of joy.

After hours spent figuring out the new Nintendo Switch, intermittent naps, and a quick walk thrown in, we spent the evening at Brad's sister's house with a light meal of sandwiches, another walk, and peaceful time surrounded by most of our kids and now our grandkids.

It truly is a wonderful life. Here's hoping your Christmas 2018 was just as beautiful.

Back to School 2017

This post is two weeks late, but better late than never.

School started August 9th, and it is the last time I will have five kids home on the first day of school. Ben is headed back to Provo this week--on to bigger and better adventures, but we snagged him for pictures anyway.

Lily

Twelfth Grade

5'7"

Favorite Food: Bacon

Favorite Song: Forever Young by Lil Yachty

Favorite Activity: Snapchat

Favorite Show: House, MD

Favorite Movie: Safe Haven

Favorite Sport: Chasing Boys

Lily is trying hard not to wish away her senior year. She wants to be on her own and done with high school more than anything, but she's decided she's going to make good memories this year and do the best she can about all of it.

She just started a new job working at the mall, and she's getting tons of hours. All that cash will go a long way towards replacing her phone, which was stolen a few weeks ago.

Micah

Eighth Grade

101.5 lbs

5'4"

Favorite Food: Corn Dogs

Favorite Song: No favorite

Favorite Activity: Sports

Favorite Show: I don't know

Favorite Movie: "Civil War"

Favorite Sport: Football

My little boy is growing up fast. His voice is cracking almost as often as he teases his little brother. Micah is excited to play football this year (had their first W on Friday), and he's still practicing the piano, even though he does complain about how much time it takes.

He still doesn't have a phone (and may be one of only a handful in eighth grade), but as soon as he earns his Eagle, the phone is his. He's close--just a few merit badges and his Eagle project, so hopefully within the next few months he will stop checking his Instagram on my phone.

Hyrum

Fifth Grade

66.5 lbs

4'4.25"

Favorite Food: Mashed Potatoes

Favorite Song: Bagpipes (on the piano)

Favorite Activity: Reading

Favorite Show: Clone Wars

Favorite Movie: None

Favorite Sport: Soccer

I've always loved his chocolate eyes. This kid--he's a mixture of hard and soft. He loves weapons and sneaking up on a brother with a sword or nerf gun for a noisy ambush. He also loves babies and little kids, taking time to play with Annie and Eli or any other little one who's around.

Hyrum decided to try football again this year, and he quit piano but started the cello in orchestra. He loves to take things apart, and he's my only boy who hasn't needed me to nag him to death to get his homework done.

Eve

Third Grade

51.5 lb
4'1"

Favorite Food: Grapes

Favorite Song: Shut Up and Dance with Me

Favorite Activity: Coloring/Playing School

Favorite Show: SpongeBob

Favorite Movie: Princess Diaries

Favorite Sport: Swimming

My baby is in third grade. When did she grow up? Eve loves to play school, using books and papers and sticky notes to convert our homework area to her classroom. She's convinced she's going to grow up to be a teacher, and I hope she's right.

Eve loves Annie, and after Tucker and Karli bought a new house this past month, the girls got a little lonely for each other. She loves to mother anyone younger (or the same age, to be honest), and even though she's the baby of our group, she has plenty of littles around her most of the time.

Don't let this picture fool you. Micah's on his tiptoes. But it won't be long until he really is that tall. It seems like he grows every week.

Of course we had to take a silly one as well.

Brad came out just as we were finishing the photos, and he added me to the mix--first day of my second year teaching.

Then he asked for a silly one, and my patience disappeared--I'm always on a time crunch on school mornings. Look at the kids in the background. They thought it was pretty funny.

Two weeks down, and it looks to be another fantastic school year.

Bring on 2017-18!

Reunited

Almost three years ago, I posted this picture of six young men and one young woman who grew up together.

All six young men completed Spanish-speaking missions (l to r): Chile, Ecuador, Colombia, Spain, and two in Peru.

Right before Christmas, I cornered the five I could find for a quick picture. One family recently moved out of our ward, and I knew the opportunities to with them all together are dwindling.

I can't believe it's been almost three years since this bunch graduated from high school. Such great men they've all become--all very different from each other--but I know they will each remember the bond they developed growing up together in Mesa 30th Ward.

New Year, New Snow

We watched the forecast pretty closely during Christmas break to see if there would be snowfall at the cabin we could enjoy. Our best bet was New Year's Day, so after church we packed all the snow gear, a little food, and the kids, and we headed north to Pine. When we got there, only patches of snow lay hidden in the forest--the rest was muddy and brown.

We didn't give up hope, because snow was forecast to fall all night long. We went to bed with a few flakes falling, fingers crossed that it would cool off enough to blanket the ground.

As it turned out, Pine was about 100 feet below the snow line in this storm. The kids woke up to a few more slushy patches, but no real snow. After breakfast, we piled in the Suburban and headed up on the rim in search of the white stuff. We didn't have to drive far.

Four new inches of snow covered the ground and flakes fell all around us. The kids were excited. I think Eve's only enjoyed snow once or twice in her life, so this was a real treat for her.

Not many things are more thrilling to Valley of the Sun kids than snow. We never see it, so it's really a treat.

I know most of you are moaning at this right now, since your own weather has been so snowy. Sorry.

We left the cabin without bringing the sleds (or Ben's gloves). Duh. But we had fun anyway.

Hyrum is still learning how to participate in the fun without getting his feelings hurt when someone gets him back, but Micah was unfazed every time he was whitewashed or dunked in a bank.

Brad is usually the king of the mountain in these matches, but I know it's because Ben pulls back before it goes too far.

Micah shot this panorama with my camera just before we left. I know most of the world thinks of saguaro when they picture AZ, but we do have places like this.

And I'm so glad we get to visit them. For an hour. When it's 35 degrees. And quickly drive back to the cabin to warm up. Then go home to 65 degrees.

I've become such a baby about the cold!

Bye, Ben

I can't believe how fast three months sped by. Seems like just yesterday when Ben walked off that plane from Peru.

Now he's all moved into his apartment at BYU, ready to conquer his first semester of college. Does he look ready?

I made him stop for a quick shot when we got to his dorm room. It took an inordinate amount of time to get him checked into the correct apartment. His roommate hadn't arrived yet, so after choosing which side of the room he wanted, we began hauling his stuff up to his room.

Heritage's class schedule was different from MPS this year, and while Hyrum and Eve had to return to class on Wednesday, Lily, Micah and I didn't have to go back until Monday. I counted that as a small tender mercy that allowed me these days with Ben.

We flew up to Salt Lake and I was able to devote my full attention for  3 1/2 days to getting him set up.  His room went from bare to this in just a few hours:

Since we flew, we spent much of our time at stores--Ikea, Target (three times, I think), Walmart, Costco--loading him up with canned food, warm bedding and enough laundry soap to hopefully last the semester. We got his books ordered on Amazon and from the BYU bookstore. We picked out BYU gifts for his siblings at home. We walked through the Wilkinson Center, and he even got hired for a job working in the CougarEat.

We also had time to play.

We saw two movies, La La Land and Arrival, both of which I highly recommend. It was the second time seeing Arrival for me, and I understood it so much better the second time. In fact, I loved it the second time. The message in that . . . one of my favorites of the year for sure. And La La Land? Wow. Just wow. The original music. The choreography. The story. The flow of everything. The colors. Just wow. Loved it. Another of the year's best for me.

We drove around Provo in the snow. One night was particularly beautiful with the flakes falling as we circled the Provo City Center temple.

Beautiful to be sure, but too cold to get out of the car! Ben kept saying, "What have I done and where have I gone?" I know he'll get used to it, but I hope not too much, because I want him back in AZ after four years at school.

Next morning, his apartment complex looked like this. Yeah. Spectacular. But it was so cold. So. Stinking. Cold. Glad I rented 4x4 Jeep Patriot of the weekend. I needed that 4x4 more than once.

I left the hotel about 9 am Saturday morning, stopped for a quick purchase at Target, then swung by his apartment to take him to campus for orientation (his buddy brought his bike up on Sunday, so he was still transportation-less for another day). I was so excited for him the entire time we were there together.

 As we pulled up to the curb at the drop-off area, I was still ecstatic for him. College was a great time in my life--where I first began to understand myself--and I can't wait for Ben to start that adventure. He asked me why I was getting out of the car, and I said I needed a last hug before I left. That's the only time I felt that tightening in my throat--the one that comes when I'm leaving one of my babies at a milestone in their lives. Ben's tight squeeze and smiling face pushed that lump away quickly, and as he almost ran through the cold to the warmth of the ballroom, I couldn't help smiling to myself.  He's ready for this. And he's gonna knock it out of the park.

Watch out, Provo. Ben's in town.