Our Day with the Dinosaurs

I'm Back!

Ok, so, I may be officially the worst blogger of the summer, but I am back, and I am going to try to fill you in on what has been going on in my world.  It has taken me a week to just settle down enough to start thinking about blogging again.  I took my kids a couple days after school got out, and headed for Utah in our packed to the rafters Tahoe!  It was a great drive complete with diarrhea and vomiting by both kids and dog.  Yikes!  But we finally got to Grandma and Grandpa's house to begin our summer of fun.  

After being in eastern Utah for a couple of days, we drove out to Salt Lake City, and my mom and sisters were good enough to watch my kids while I flew to Washington to see a recital of my former students.  I really felt I needed to be there, and despite the cost in time and money, the trip was well worth it.  It was a trip I will not soon forget, and some really great things happened while I was there!  So, five days later I came back to Utah, and we packed up our stuff and headed back to my parents house.  While there, we did a lot of fun things.  The kids got to go horse back riding, which Sarah absolutely loved, and we went paddle boating and out to dinner at a beautiful place up in the Uintah mountains.  We went to the Dinosaur Museum in Vernal, and the new rec center there, which was like a mini water park.  The kids loved that!  We roasted hot dogs and marshmallows several times in my parents back yard, and the kids played and played in the irrigation water and the sprinklers.  They also made good friends with some of my parents neighborhood kids, who happen to be the children of some of the people Adam and I went to school with, so that was cool.   

At the end of June, my mom and I took my three youngest bananas back to Colorado Springs, as I was asked to speak and dance for our church's girls camp.  That was also a really great experience.  Truly, I am not sure it was as good for them as it was for me, but I really was so happy to be involved.  I really wanted the girls to feel that they are daughters of God, and that that means something...everything, really.  The dance was difficult for me, as I danced on a five foot by eight foot plywood platform nailed into the dirt, but the Spirit was there, and despite my inadequacies, I think it turned out fine.  My friend Rachel posted a couple pictures of that on her blog, so I am hesitant to post anymore here.  But maybe I will post a couple.  Anyway, the girls were wonderful, and I was so glad I went!  

So after we were here a couple of days, we drove back to Utah, and were there for the Fourth of July.  My sister Julie and her family came out, and we had a nice time.  The kid's favorite part was the fireworks in front of Mom and Dad's house.  We also go to celebrate Sarah's second birthday, which was a lot of fun.  She is such a girl!  She got baby dolls, complete with crib and high chair as well as some little people.  She was in Heaven!  She walks around saying "birthday babies!" all the time now, when she wants or has those particular dolls.  She is pretty cute!  Then we just hung out there for a few more days, after which, we headed down to southeastern Utah, where we attended a family reunion for Adam's family.  

The reunion was really nice.  It was a little scary for me, because I borrowed my parent's tent trailer, and I have never had to pull one myself, plus I was nervous about keeping it in pristine shape.  But we survived the six hour drive, and had a really nice time!  The kids got to make bottle rockets, and shot them off in a contest for prize money.  They also had a treasure hunt, where each child got some chocolate coins and some gold dollars.  They loved that!  Anytime money is involved, you know.  Tommy's favorite part, by far, was riding the four wheelers.  Anytime I wasn't sure where he was, I just had to look at the four wheelers, and there he would be...helmet in place, ready to go!  Oh, and I also got to make some homemade earrings, which I had never done.  They are totally amateurish, but I thought it was fun!  Of course we also had lots of great food and conversation.  They asked me to teach aerobics of all things, as well as a little yoga, though that scared almost everyone away.  Then about a week ago, I decided I needed to head home, or have a breakdown.  It was just a very long time to be away from my normal life.  However, all in all, it was fantastic trip!  I have mapped it out so you can see my many miles on the road!  Anyway, this has turned into a novel, and I will post shorter again next time, but I just wanted to tell everyone in Utah, Thanks for the wonderful memories this summer, and to my friend here in CS, I have missed you and am anxious to make more memories with all of you!  And thanks for watching over my house and yard while I was gone.  I really have the best friends and family anywhere!

Tommy

Tommy has had a birthday.  He is a big four years old.  Let me tell you a little about my birthday boy.  He is a joy!  As a baby he was calm and peaceful, and simply content with life.  He was a blessing in a busy house of chaos.  As he has grown, in many ways he has added to the chaos, but only as a four year old boy should.  He is full of energy and wonder, and his mind is constantly going!  Tommy is also a rock star in his world.  He knows the words to songs like "Video Killed the Radio Star," "Beverly Hills," "Message in a Bottle," by The Police, and U2's "Pride in the Name of Love."  He also knows all the words to every Backyardigan's song there is!  It is a lot of fun watching him sing.  He loves to play with his big brothers, and hates it when they go to school!  He loves doing "boy" things, and feeling like he is "in" with his brothers.  On the flip side, he is the apple of his little sister's eye!  From the time she could smile, she smiled most for him.  And as soon as she could laugh, her biggest giggles were reserved for Tommy!  If he is around, she is usually happy!  Actually, most people are happy around Tommy.  He just makes you laugh!  The other day he was making the connection that Grandma and Grandpa were married like Mom and Dad are married, and he said to them, "So Mom and Dad got married, and you guys got married too...(pause - think) but then you got old."  (Long pause while we all tried not to laugh too much.)  Then Grandma said, "well, how do you know we are old?"  and he held up his arm and brushed back and forth on the part we all get a little saggy in - you know the part (the tricep for those who have yet to see any sagginess) and he said, "because of this part, it's all lumpy and kinda squishy."   See what I mean?  Always thinking - for better or worse!  Anyway, we are so happy to have him!  He is a light in our lives!  Love you buddy! 

Best Friends

My Little Clown

Happy Birthday!

Playing with the Boys

Fishing with the Boys

A day after Adam and I got back to New York, we took the kids and went to a cabin for five days.  It was a beautiful cabin near the Platte river, and about a half hour from Breckenridge.  We played games and sat in a hot tub (more about that later),  and Adam took the boys fishing - Peter went spin fishing by himself with Adam, and then Adam took the older boys fly fishing.  We also celebrated Tommy's birthday early - which he thought was "AWESOME!"  

For the fly fishing trip, we bought the boys some waders and boots so that they could wade the river with their dad.  They had a great time together, although it it was cold and snowing horizontally for part of the time.  The rest of us hung around for a while, but soon hunkered down in the truck.  But the boys loved it, and asked to go again the next day.  Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures of Peter's fishing trip, but he was pretty bummed he didn't have a fly rod.  We hope he will be ready for it next year, so he can join in!

"COOOLD!"

The Mighty Hunters

        

                       

The Rest of the Crew

Adam Teaching Jens

Sam's First Fish Without Help

The Master

New York, New York

Us in Time Sqaure

So, as many of you know, Adam and I headed to New York this month for a few days of alone time, while my parents tended the kids.  I had never been, so it was really fun for me, but more importantly, we spent the time together.  We saw the New York City Ballet doing a tribute to Jerome Robbins and Leonard Bernstein.  The dancing was beautiful, but I would have like to have seen a full length ballet, as would Adam.  The next night we went to Wicked, which was fantastic!  I highly recommend it!  This video is of the most climactic point in the musical.

The next day we were supposed to go to the Yankees game, but then we, and by that I mean I, opted to do some more sightseeing and see another show.  So we went to a half price ticket stand and I bought tickets to Mary Poppins, and while I was doing that, Adam bought tickets to The Little Mermaid for that evening as a surprise. It was so sweet!  Our favorite of the two was Mary Poppins!  It was great!  If it ever comes to town, take your kids and go!  I have included a clip (the video is not great, but it still shows a really cool part of the musical) of our favorite part!  

Me and Adam before Mary Poppins

                        

We took the Staten Island Ferry and saw the Statue of Liberty, we walk around Wall Street and even visited Tiffany's.  We also had some great food!  One of our favorites was a little whole in the wall called Crepe Mania.  We had a ham and egg and swiss cheese crepe as well as a nutella and strawberries with powdered sugar crepe.  They were phenomenal!  One of our favorite snacks was a stand called Nuts 4 Nuts.  They had a mixed bag of I guess honey roasted (or sugar of some kind roasted) nuts and you could also get a bag of coconut chunks roasted the same way.  They were sooo good - warm too!  Yum!  Then of course we had to get a New York style Pizza.  So we went to a place recommended to us called Angelo's right outside the David Letterman theater.  

This place had the best pizza we have EVER had, and a great Caesar salad as well!  When we got home we tried to duplicate it and found some pretty good recipes.  (I will post that on another blog.)  All and all we had a wonderful time.  Time that was very needed.  

On the Staten Island Ferry

Adam on Wall Street

Me at Tiffany's

Sweet Reunion

This was such a special day!  I thought I would share it with you.  What a sweet experience!   As you can see, there were a bunch of happy kids!  And I have to say, I was pretty happy as well!

The Girls and Daddy

Together Again

Going Home!

Thanks to Tami for taking these beautiful pictures!!!

A Hero's Homecoming

Well, I debated whether or not to write this blog, but in the end decided to go ahead.  I am going to chronicle the past three weeks, as a lot has happened.  Adam got home on the 26th of April!  And that is where I will start....

This first part, I was not there to witness, but I wish I had been!  When his plane touched down in Dallas there were about 150 soldiers on board.  As they arrived, on the ground, two Fire trucks pulled around to each side of the plane with sirens and lights on, and proceeded to give them a water cannon salute to honor the soldiers.  That is what you are looking at in these pictures.  What a tribute!  Then as they got off the plane and entered the airport, everyone in the terminal got to their feet and applauded!  I feel emotional, even as I type this, because to me it is humbling and so touching to know that people do appreciate what these men and women, and I think their families are doing.  It meant a lot to me

This is the fire trucks in the distance 

This is of the trucks pulling around to the plane

The truck on Adam's side

The water cannon salute