Love, Deuce, and Advantage

So, my latest obsession is tennis. Yes, it is true I have given in and actually bought a tennis skirt. I've been lucky to make some great friends in our new neighborhood (we've been here a year, and I already feel so at home). These said friends have introduced me to tennis all over again. The last time I was familiar with tennis it was through my awesome Dad (he was a tennis pro for most of my growing up)...which doesn't say much for MY skill. I don't know if I've EVER had a tennis lesson, so that says something about where I was coming from when we started playing this summer. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning we play. I am having so much fun. Whats more, I am actually getting exercise that is fun. The last time I enjoyed exercise was in college when I'd run umpteen miles a day. Yeah, working on an orthopedic floor and seeing people get their knees replaced, that cured me. I miss running very much, but have found I look forward to tennis like I used to running. What Heavenly Father has blessed me with, I am overwhelmed. I am so thankful for my healthy body, this beautiful earth (seriously, have you been outside at 8:30 in the morning lately?), good friends, incredible children, a sweet and kind man to share this life with. I can't say enough good. I bet you didn't think this would all come from tennis? Well, you should try playing!

Florida and baby Claire

Kristine and I recently went to Florida to visit Deb and meet little Claire Stillman! We were so excited to see this precious new family member. I am so happy for Debra and Tyler. They are as cute as a button, hovering over Claire when she cries, with all of their questions and worries..it takes me back to earlier days. The sleepless nights, the fussy episodes..wanting to just know why this baby is crying or not sleeping, or what they are looking at. Newborns are so warm and miraculous. I felt the same spiritual feelings all over again as I held Claire and wondered if she sees guardian angels around us. New life is so miraculous! While Kris was there, we ate like queens, and Deb took us to some of the best restaurants in town. We even made special Chick-fil-A chocolate shake runs just for the whipping cream and cherry on top. We went to the Florida University campus and saw Tyler's office and met some of his fellow students. Best of all, Deb and Tyler got a date and after dinner got dumped on with rain (and I mean a warm torential downpour..if you've ever been in the south) while stranded in a park. I couldn't have been happier to see them have a nice alone time together. The changes that come with that first baby...they are blunt to say the least. This darling little inquisitive child..she couldn't be loved more. Welcome to earth Claire!!

Labor Day Camping, PIT, and kids with a hatchet?

Over Labor Day weekend, we went camping with my brother and his family and my sis, Kris and her family. We had a ball. Mostly, the kids loved the game PIT. I bet we played over 100 times. The kids also loved chopping on a log with a hatchet. The picture on the left is a testimonial of how small my viewfinder is on my camera. Josh did kind of sneak in a very disturbing and seemingly homicidal picture...oh well, they'll grow out of it right? The kids all had a very big laugh though, when they saw the picture...which is what Josh was going for. Josh is always the entertainer...loves to play the clown, a happy kid.

We hiked up to Donut Falls, had yummy breakfasts and dutch oven dinner. We played lots of games, roasted smores, hot dogs, and some very obscure things too, like oranges. Roasting obscure things was our little camping science project, and the kids loved it. We were lucky to camp by a small stream and the kids loved crossing on logs and finding a treasure trove of tadpoles on the other side. All in all, with the exception of being rained out by a torrential downpour on Sunday night, we had a fun and relaxing camping experience! Now, let's play PIT...one, one, ONE!

First Day of School...they're all gone!

The first day of school already? With a tiny bit of worrying on the kids part and a lot of worrying on the mom's part...we are off for another year of adventure. Heidi met her new first grade teacher and was happy. We did have a bet going about whether her teacher would be old or young. I said young, so Heidi owes me a Slurpie...even though I'll end up treating her, no matter..our bet was fun. The boys came home with all kinds of stories about their teachers, new kids they met, etc, etc, etc. The kids talked over each other they were so excited. We had to go one at a time..and they were all bursting at the seams waiting to tell mom about the first day. I was so pleased with how everything went. I remember grade school, everything is so magical then. I'm so glad they had a good day, even if I did cry....here and there.

The "Hidden Mickey" and Last Day Beach Fun

Did you know that there is a hidden mickey on every ride in Disneyland and California Adventure? We were informed of this by that nice magic maker. We decided to ride the Tower of Terror one more time...and Sam found the hidden Mickey on the ceiling while we waited in line. Can you see the blue ears? What a smart kid!

Sand castles, digging pits, boogie boards...we really did it up our last day at the beach. I had to get a picture of the two kids who were our die hard beachers...Sam and Ivy. They stayed the longest of all of the kids and we had to pull them away at 7 p.m. We had a nice vacation all in all. I hope our family continues to be a happy one, with more fun times in the future.

Disneyland...it's not for wimps

Here we are, we finally reached Disneyland, and with a little too much pushing by mom all day, about 7 p.m., we were tired. Sam suggested we sit down on some park benches (below) and take a rest. The little urgent voice in me screamed no, but gave in to watch out for the kids. Sam was inspired! Shortly after we sat down, a cute little lady sat by us and said "Your family looks like you need some magic". Turns out her title is "magic maker". She gave our family 4 fast passes to our favorite rides...AND front row VIP seats to the parade the next afternoon.

Just above, there sits our magic maker, what a nice lady! Below, here we are in our VIP spot just by the teacups...to watch the parade. Not only did we get a shaded front row seat, but the princesses and characters came up to the little girls and shook their hands. I thought Heidi might have a heart attack, she was so excited...she was practically singing!

My baby is 7...where did the time go?

Happy Birthday Heidi Anne. How did my baby turn 7? Here she is, the day after her birthday (which is Aug 9), complete with a sand castle cake. Recently Jack and I were joking that she is, as always, the perfect child. She is a peacemaker, a sweetheart and a sensitive child. She cares very much about making her parents happy, probably too much. I remember when she was much younger, just learning English, she became attached to words like 'indeed' and 'certainly'. She would answer me with these words instead of a simple yes. I remember thinking how could a 3 year old act so refined. Heidi was born feminine (from the way she held her hands as a baby) and refined. I'll stop my gushing, but needless to say, we're not joking Heidi, you are the perfect child! Happy Birthday.

BEACH FUN!

The older kids hit the waves with Dustin all day long. The did find a live star fish while out in the deeper water, that was exciting. Towards the end of the day, the activities turned to digging for sand crabs (the kids probably put over 30 in a bucket before letting them all go) and climbing the rocks to search for pincher crabs. Throughout the day, I probably buried Heidi and Camille three times! I tried to get into my book "Breaking Dawn"...but I couldn't bring myself to do it, the beach was too exciting!

Lucky Find

Well, we made a lucky find on our trip. We got up Sunday and decided to go to just Sacrament meeting at a local Newport chapel. Turns out we had to choose the later time due to our sleeping in and having a slow morning...which ended up being very lucky, due to it being the church building right across the street from the Newport Beach temple. There are two church meetinghouses in Newport, and we were lucky enough to attend the one by the temple...what luck! Oh...and if you're wondering about Dustin's church attire, he was so busy taking care of other details while we packed, he forgot his church clothes! While we went to Sacrament meeting, he ran home to the house to get our camera, so that we could snap this shot in front of the temple. I guess things all work out one way or another in the end, huh?

YES! We made it to Newport Beach!

The same night that we reached our rented beach house after 12 hours of driving...we did make a little trip to the beach! So what if it was 10:30 p.m.? The water was surprisingly warm that night and there was enough sound of delight to please any parent. What fun to watch the kids have fun....now here comes beach fun!

Perfect Primary Activity

Thanks to the former Primary President and her good preparations...we recently had the perfect Primary activity at the Museum of Church History. I have been feeling pretty overwhelmed with this new calling, and to have this already planned was a beautiful thing. The Museum of Church History runs like a tight ship, keeps the kids interested with costumes, skits and crafts, and they learn fantastic information about church history. We had a ball...and we had a great turn out. I learned about the sacrifices of our early church leaders and loved it! (in case you're wondering...that is in fact, my Joshua as Brigham Young!)

More Summer FUN!

How does the saying go? "Snakes, Dead Beetles, and puppy dog tails"? I think I didn't get that one quite right...but it is a pretty good description of my boys interests this summer. We were able to nourish old and new friendships this summer with this kind of fun! Sam with his buddies from the old neighborhood...Nate and Jack, what good kids and friends. Collecting dead beetles..what could be more fun?

How about ice cream sandwiches and watching "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers"? That is my kind of summer leisure! Simultaneously with all of the critters being collected outside, we were having a girls day inside. I find so much joy in my children! Their dear friends are some of our greatest blessings. Summer is now over (I'm posting this after the fact), and as I sit at home and cry...since my last child is now in 1st grade..I am grateful that I have these precious summer memories and other summers to come. I loved our summer...and I love these funny kids!