December 19, 2010: Christmas Eve with Cousins

 The Sunday before Christmas we usually get together with cousins for a Christmas Eve-like celebration.  We had honey baked ham, rolls, salad, fruit, and pies for dessert. 

 Then we gathered for singing.  A few years ago I made several books of music for my aunt and uncle for Christmas so that they would have them for occasions such as this.

 The books have both spiritual and secular music in them.

 My cute uncle

 Clara was an angel for the nativity and Lucy was Mary

 Ava was the baby Jesus

 Joseph and the Angel

 Josh played Joseph since he was the only boy

 Mary wasn't too excited to have the lace on her head.

 We agreed that Ava seemed to be just fine wrapped in a pillowcase and that maybe it was a good idea for the future.

 At one point, Uncle Gordy put Joseph into a straight jacket mode.  That was fun.

 We aren't totally sure what Uncle Mike is doing.

 Uncle Eric was Nephi...or a Sith depending on how you look at it.

 It's a good thing that there were plenty of bathrobes around.  Uncle Gordy played the donkey - an appropriate role for him.

 After the nativity and reading of Luke 2, Aunt Karen told some stories. 

 Josh was totally absorbed in what she was saying.

 Then we took a picture on the stairs with all of the kids.  Charlie wasn't happy.

 Erin learned how to take peppermint sticks and stab them into oranges and then drink the juice.  It's actually fun and really good and the kids loved it.

 I know I am biased, but this little girl is ridiculously cute.

July 21, 2010: All About Bonnie

I decided to become a doTerra distributor so that I can get the essential oils that I like and that are working for me at a good price, so this morning I drove down to pick up my order. But first, I picked up Bonnie.

Bonnie is my baby cousin (with two kids) and I love her. She is an amazing woman even though I think of her as a little girl. I love to hang out with her because she is so relaxed and funny and has a great sense of humor. I do tend to talk her ear off when I am with her (but I do that to most people). We have kids the same ages - same grades even. She came last summer and we ran a 5K "together" (she was about an hour ahead of me). This summer our ambitions run more along the lines of lounging on the couch and eating.

The kids swam the afternoon away and then we made bagel sandwiches for dinner and my Uncle Terry, Bonnie's dad, came over to hang out for the evening. He was kicked out by the Three Weird Sisters because they were having a dinner with old friends. Our intentions were to watch a movie, but instead we ate popcorn and cookies in the basement. The kids all slept in Josh's room in a massive blanket tent that Bonnie and I configured. Terry said that we were ruining the kids' ability to make tents because ours was so totally fabulous. Or something like that.

July 16, 2010: Rachel Rachel Rachel

Today was ALL about my cousin, Rachel. I love Rachel.

Rachel and her girls arrived around11:30 and we ate lunch. Then we got in the pool and swam and swam and swam. This time we got in and out and got in the shade a bit so that we didn't fry. We had so much fun and it was so nice to just be able to spend the time floating and talking. This is becoming my favorite gig - swimming with one person and her kids so that I get the one on one time. Awesome. Next week - cousin Erin and cousin Bonnie. And maybe I will allow Aunt Donna and Uncle Terry to float, too. :)

Tonight we are headed to Gecko's for dinner. Mexican food. We have a $25 gift certificate along with a buy one get one entree free coupon. Then we are going to get gelato on the way home. Then we are going to watch a movie. My guess is that our kids will be snoring before the opening credits roll.

July 14, 2010: 20 Years

How do you observe the anniversary of the death of your cousin?

This is a question I have asked myself the past few days. Twenty years ago my oldest cousin, Mark, was killed in a car accident on the way home from a family reunion. My Aunt Karen was driving, and my cousin, Jeanne, was in the car. A deer ran out onto the road and my aunt had no choice but to hit it. My cousin, Mark, was killed instantly. My cousin, Jeanne, was thrown out onto the road. Her knee was severely injured, and her face had a significant amount of road rash, but considering how far she was thrown, her injuries were minor.

At 11pm the night of the accident, July 14, 1990, I was hanging out with my friends, Sara and Michelle. We had just ordered pizza. I was 13 days away from moving to Utah to start at BYU that Fall so we were trying to spend as much time as possible together. For some reason, I felt like I needed to go home. There was no real reason. Metallica's "One" was playing on the radio, which I will always remember. I walked in the door, and the phone rang. It was my Aunt Donna, who asked for my mom. I handed the phone over to her, and then heard her gasp.

The following 48 hours were a blur. I got my mom ready to fly up to Utah, and later my aunt and uncle came over to pick me up so that I could drive up with them. That morning after my mom left, I remember losing it, and just sobbing uncontrollably. My Stake President (and former Bishop) knocked on the door with a copy of the hymn "Come, Come Ye Saints." He had ditched church to come be with me while I cried.

That afternoon I got a phone call at my aunt and uncle's house. It was Jeanne, calling from the hospital, asking when I would get there. She doesn't remember it. She doesn't remember that week much at all, which is a good thing. I told her I would get there as soon as I could. I spent that week being in charge of Jeanne, which solidified an already strong bond from childhood.

We learned many things during the course of the week about the strength of our family. It was a week of sorrow, and a week of miracles. It changed everything for me. Twenty years later I am still more grateful for family than I was before the accident. I am close to all of my cousins - closer than I would have been had it not happened.

Today was an ordinary day. I met a friend for lunch, and we spent the afternoon talking while our kids swam in the pool. I am going to spend a few minutes tonight telling my children about Mark. How he always had his nose in a book. How one time after his mission he had to ask me how to say "door" in English because he was saying it over and over in Spanish. How he wanted me to set him up with all of my friends in college. I will tell them how important it is to always say "I love you" to the people you love, because they might not be here tomorrow. I will tell them that I love them, give them hugs and kisses, and put them to bed. And maybe shed a tear that I didn't get the chance to know Mark as an adult. I bet we would have been close.

June 15, 2010: Rockpainting

Today was dawning a bright and sunny day, so I decided to go to the gym, put the kids in the daycare (which they love), and sit by the pool reading a book. I had every intention of swimming, but, didn't get around to it. After I was done baking, I called my cousin to see where she was and what she was doing. She was headed to Gardner Village to get a Father's Day present. Score! I wasn't too far away. So I met her there and the kids spent time talking to the ducks.

I could take pictures of this baby girl for hours. She is so stinkin' cute!

Poor Josh - flanked by all of those girls. He will definitely know how to treat them when he grows up!

Every picture that I take of Maile and Josh this summer will probably involve them climbing something.

After Gardner Village we went over to Erin's to sit in the shade while the kids played. They decided to paint rocks, so Erin got out her paint and extra t-shirts, and they each chose a rock from her garden to paint. It was pretty darn cool. Then we decided to paint part of the fence. Just for fun. We are going to have regular fence painting days this summer.





Eventually we left to go home so that I could hang out with the Scouts, but what a fun day! I could spend the whole summer in all of these backyards and be perfectly content.

June 10, 2010: Mixed Emotions

Today is a day that I was both looking forward to and dreading at the same time. I haven't quite sorted all of my emotions out about it. I keep bursting into tears at a moment's notice, but I am also peaceful again.

After three months of staying with us, my cousins from Hawaii left this morning. I woke up at 5:00am to say goodbye and fortunately it was a rushed occasion so that we didn't have too long to dwell. As hard as it has been to have 7 extra people staying here, we have had a wonderful time together. It was way less stressful than I anticipated. Way less fighting than I thought there would be between the kids. I really only had to have a sit down and holler session a couple of times. I had the chance to spend time with my 12 year old nephew, who taught me all about Pokemon, and I found that when he is working in the garden he becomes extremely talkative. Last night I went downstairs to tell him that I love him, to thank him for all of his help, and to reassure him that he is a good kid.

Saying goodbye to Jeanne and the baby was the hardest. Jeanne and I are very close - as close as sisters. We have had a lot of time to spend together and it has been fun to just sit and talk and reminisce. Plus I had a baby to snuggle and kiss and smell on a daily basis. He just started smiling this week.

So - bittersweet. While I am happy to have my house back, I will miss my cousins, and my kids will miss their cousins. This morning at 5:30am while I was crying after they left, Josh and Clara snuggled up to me. Josh got a kitchen towel to dry my tears and said, "It's ok, Mom. I will miss them, too."

Crimes and Consequences

Date: 5/26/2010
Time: Around 4pm
The Suspects: Clara, Aidan, Ava, Sabrina and Josh (otherwise known as "The Blur")
The Crime: Opening the entertainment center doors (a big no-no well established), climbing up on the entertainment center, jumping onto the lovesac
The Detective: Rachel
The Evidence: Indisputable
The Trial: Swift
The Verdict: Guilty
The Consequence: No pizza, no movie, and a 7pm bedtime

BUSTED.

April 3, 2010 - Easter

Easter came the day after we got back from California so we were a bit road weary. We dyed eggs, decorated sugar cookies, watched General Conference, and did laundry. On Easter Sunday we let the kids find baskets with candy, and then had dinner at our house. Normally we go to my parents' house the first Sunday, but after all of our travel we decided to just stay home.

Dyeing eggs

Decorating cookies

All of the cookies were egg shaped.

Cute Aidan

Jeanne giving directions for the egg hunt. Yes, she is in her pajamas and really pregnant.

The kids running up the stairs to find eggs. It was a lot of fun and lasted 2.5 seconds.

Josh and Clara searching the hallway.

Aidan

Clara

The kids examining their loot. There is something counterproductive about having them search for candy Sunday morning and then sit down to watch General Conference. It just made them extremely hyper.