Not Gone, Just Taking A Time Out

We're Back!! (or rather I'm back with some fabulous photos of the last month or so) So If you haven't heard through one grape vine or another we are back in our house. We have been since June 1st.

3 weeks after we moved back in we went on vacation to Arizona where we visited with Jon's brother Paul and his family. We had a blast. We were able to visit with one of Jon's cousins in Utah whom I had never met before. We toured Temple square and Brigham Young's home. We went to Bryce Canyon, the Grand Canyon, we flew in a 6 seater airplane over Lake Powell. We took a boat trip up the Colorado River, we took a tour of Glenn Canyon Dam in Page, Az, we swam in Lake Powell and generally just had a great time visiting with Paul's family.

The last week and a half the kids have been going to swim lessons. Heather has improved so much from last year. She's finally putting her face in the water with out fear. She does however still have to plug her nose. She is using the arm floaties and recently started jumping off of the diving board. That's actually her favorite part about the pool now. Trevor likes to be in the pool also, but only if he can stand on a step or hang onto Mom or Dad. He and are in swim lessons together since swim lessons finish just 3 days shy of his 3rd birthday. His favorite part about swim lessons is when we go play in the shallow end where he can walk in the water and play with various water toys.

Trouble Making Toddler

What is it that prompts boys to be so much more destructive than girls? No REALLY what is it!!? It's got to be more than just genetics or hormones.


In the last 2 days all I have done is clean up after Trevor. He has been into everything. Jeremy even dubbed him the monkey boy today after discovering that Trevor stole his tooth brush from his bathroom and hid it in the medicine cabinet in the hall bathroom, of which he had to climb onto the bathroom counter to get to.


He has been climbing on everything and I can't seem to keep him down. On one of his many climbs up on the kitchen countertop he discovered the scissors in the knife block and has cut into many things. 1-a quilt I made Jon several years ago, 2-several books and papers, 3- the carpet, 4- Heather's hair, and last but not least he even managed to slice, and chop into pieces, the speaker wire for the surround sound speakers hanging on the wall in the back room. It's a good thing those puppies weren't hooked up to any electricity yet.


He has also taken to removing the top sheet and all of the blankets off of my bed. I've been remaking my bed a lot lately.


This evening he decided to play with water. Luckily it was in the kitchen where it's faster and easier to clean up. He got one of Heather play kitchen pitchers, filled it up, and then proceded to pour it on a saucer that was sitting on the table. As you can image...plates of that size don't hold much water. So it went all over the kitchen table and onto the floor.


THANK YOU TREVOR!!





Seriously....What is it about boys??

Women's Week at the Gym (Hillarious)

Dear Diary,

For my birthday this year, my Husband (the dear) purchased a week of personal training at the local health club for me. Although I am still in great shape since being a high school football cheerleader 43 years ago, I decided it would be a good idea to go ahead and give it a try. I called the club and made reservations with a personal trainer named Antonio, who identified himself as a 26-year-old aerobics instructor and model for athletic clothing and swim wear. My husband seemed pleased with my enthusiasm to get started! The club encouraged me to keep a diary to chart my progress.

MONDAY:
Started my day at 6:00a.m. Tough to get out of bed, but found it was well worth it when I arrived at the health club to find Antonio waiting for me. He is something of a Greek god- with blond hair, dancing eyes and a dazzling white smile. Woo Hoo!

Antonio gave me a tour and showed me the machines. I enjoyed watching the skillful way in which he conducted his aerobics class after my workout today. VERY inspiring.

Antonio was encouraging as I did my sit-ups, although my gut was already aching from holding it in the whole time he was around. This is going to be a FANTASTIC week!!

TUESDAY:
I drank a whole pot of coffee, but I finally made it out the door. Antonio made me lie on my back and push a heavy iron bar into the air…then he put weights on it! My legs were a little wobbly on the treadmill but I made the full mile. His rewarding smile made it all worthwhile. I feel GREAT! It’s a whole new life for me.

WEDNESDAY:
The only way I can brush my teeth is by laying the toothbrush on the counter and moving my mouth back and forth over it. I believe I have a hernia in both pectorals. Driving was OK as long as I didn’t try to steer or stop. I parked on top of a GEO in the club parking lot.

Antonio is impatient with me, insisting that my screams bothered other club members. His voice is a little too perky for that early in the morning and when she scolds, he gets this nasally whine that is VERY annoying.

My chest hurt when I got on the treadmill, so Antonio put me on the stair monster. Why the heck would anyone invent a machine to simulate an activity rendered obsolete by elevators? Antonio told me it would help me get in shape and enjoy life. He said some other CRAP too.



THURSDAY:
JerkFace was waiting for me with his vampire-like teeth exposed as his thin, cruel lips were pulled back in a full snarl. I couldn’t help being half an hour late- it took me that long to tie my shoes.

Antonio took me to workout with dumbbells. When he was not looking, I ran and hid in the restroom. He sent some skinny bimbo to find me. Then as punishment, he put me on the rowing machine which I sank.

FRIDAY:
I hate that idiot Antonio more than any human being has ever hated any other human being in the history of the world. Stupid, skinny, anemic, anorexic little aerobics instructor. If there were a part of my body I could move without unbearable pain, I would beat him with it.

Antonio wanted me to work on my triceps. I don’t’ have any triceps! And if you don’t want dents in the floor don’t hand me the darn barbells or anything that weighs more than a sandwich.

The treadmill flung me off and I landed on a health and nutrition teacher. Why couldn’t it have been someone softer, like the drama coach or the choir director?

SATURDAY:
Satan left me a message on my answering machine in his grating, shrilly voice wondering why I did not show up today. Just hearing his voice made me want to smash the machine with my planner; however, I lacked the strength to even use the TV remote and ended up catching eleven straight hours of the Weather Channel.

SUNDAY:
I’m having the church van pick me up for services today so I can go and thank GOD that this week is over. I will also pray that next year my husband will choose a gift for me that is fun, like a root canal or a hysterectomy. I still say if God had wanted me to bend over, he would have sprinkled the floor with diamonds!!

Preschool Graduation

Heather graduated from PreSchool in May. Can you believe that she'll be 5 next month?? They had a short ceremony for her class and then they all got to play on the playground at the park where the ceremony was held.

Heather.........................Heather and Miss Aline


It's Kindergarten for her next year. I can't believe I'm already at the point in life where my kid is starting school. Time flies when you're taking care of other people.


A few weeks ago we got to go on a tour of the Kindergarten classrooms. Heather loved what she saw and can't wait to start school again. She tells me every day how she can't wait for summer to be over so she can go to school in her new classroom. I'm so glad she's nothing like me when it comes to school. I was so afraid of everything. I love that she loves making new friends and that with a little push and some convincing she'll give new things a try.


Heather & Miss Tiffany.......Zoelay & Heather

Jenna & Heather...................Edie & Heather

Heather & Uncle Jeremy.......Trevor & Heather

Back In Our House

We are finally back in our house. We've actually been here a week now. Things have been crazy with all the unpacking and the finishing touches being put on the house. Our kitchen is still not totally finished, but we hope to have everything finalized this week. Until then we are unpacking tons and tons of boxes.



Every cloth thing in our house was dry cleaned. That's not even half of it.



Just some of the boxes.



A few more in the kitchen.


Some of the boxes we've gone through. I'd offer to let people come take some if they want them, but it's been raining. :)