Rock Star

There are certainly days when parenting is tough. And then there are those little moments that make it all worth it. Tonight I came home and found this little picture on Wally's desk, compliments of Jackson, and it made me smile! Our dad may not be a rock star, but he certainly rocks (and so does Jack!)

Lost In Translation

Chloe is a girl with a lot to say. The only problem is I understand less than 1 percent of what she tells me. Today was no different. As I stood in the kitchen doing dishes, she came trotting in holding Jackson's Build-A-Bear puppy. She started rattling off something about the puppy. I smiled and nodded and said things like "oh, really?" and "okay." Pleased with the outcome of our conversation, Chloe went off on her merry way. A few minutes later, I realized EXACTLY what she had been telling me as she handed me a sopping wet puppy. It seems that Jackson's puppy needed to go potty. As I cleaned up the puddle of toilet water from the bathroom floor and the trail that spanned the carpet of two rooms, I couldn't be mad. After all, I was the one who agreed and gave her permission!

Kelsie's New World

About a month before school started, Kelsie and I were having some mom and daughter time. We were looking for an address and I asked Kelsie to tell me when she found it. I parked right in front of the house we were looking for and asked her if we were there yet. She replied "I don't know, I can't see the numbers." I made a mental note to get her an eye appointment. But, like most of the mental notes I make, I forgot.

Two months later, Kelsie's eyes were tested at school. The nurse called me and said that Kelsie was having trouble seeing and that her vision was about 20/35. I finally made an eye appointment and was surprised to find out that Kelsie truly couldn't see. 20/100 in one eye and 20/70 in the other. We ordered some darling little glasses on the spot. They came in on Thursday, and Kelsie can finally see! Here's our conversation:

Kelsie: "I can see! I can see! Everything is so clear! I think I see better than anybody else."

Me: "Actually, you see just as well as everybody else."

Kelsie: "You mean everyone can see like this?"

Me: "Yep."

Kelsie: "Everyone can see the leaves on the trees?"

Me: "Uh-huh."

Wally: "Now you don't have any more excuses for your dirty room."

A Sunday Stroll

We have this little pond in our neighborhood. We've driven by on multiple occassions, but have never really stopped there. We heard that there were lots of monarch butterflies in that area, so we took advantage of a Sunday afternoon and headed out on a long walk. What a great day! I love spending time with Wally and the kids and this was definitely quality family time. We chased butterflies, tossed pebbles into the pond, rode scooters, and enjoyed being together. Then back home for cinnamon rolls. Absolutely perfect.

The Dallas Zoo

We love spending time with the Hong's and were so happy to have them at our house! The day after that depressing BYU game, Carrie and I ventured out to the Dallas Zoo with Danny and Chloe. There could not have been a more perfect day for the zoo. The weather was great AND there were no crowds. Our favorite exhibit had to be the gorillas. One came right up to the glass, which freaked Chloe out a little bit. Danny knew all of the names of the animals as well as the sounds they make. Chloe was fascinated by all those "puppies". But both of the kids loved the children's zoo! There is a small stream in the play area and it was interesting to observe the difference between girls and boys. Danny trudged into the water full steam ahead and was soon soaked from head to toe. Chloe removed her sandals and waded in the shallow end, dabbing her toes in the water.

By the end of the afternoon, both kids were worn out and took long naps. What a perfect day!

Go Cougars?

Wally and I used to have fond memories of BYU football games. Both of our dads were season ticket holders and BYU football was just what we did on crisp Autumn Saturdays. I always looked forward to going to a game with my dad. We would drive down to Provo, listen to the pre-game show on the radio, and park what seemed like 10 miles away from the stadium. Carrying our stadium chairs and the snacks that my mom packed, we would make our way to our seats and settle in for the game. By the end of the first half, I was usually bored, so I would steal the binoculars from my dad and watch the cheerleaders. Like I said, fond memories. Until now.

The (undefeated) BYU Cougars came to town to face TCU. Wally and Matt and Carrie Hong decided to go. Since the kids and I were not going to the game (it was a school night), we decided to all drive down to Fort Worth for the BYU Tailgate party. Then I would take Matt and Carrie's little guy, Danny, back to our house so they could enjoy the game. That was the plan. It was a good plan, but it didn't quite work out that way.

Having never been to Fort Worth, we googled it and found that it would take about an hour to get there from our house. Unfortunately, Google never considers traffic. At 1 hour 15 minutes we were fashionably late. At 1 hour 30 minutes we were sweating. At 1 hour 45 minutes we were DONE. We finally arrived and just as we were getting ready to pull into the parking lot, they closed it. Matt and Carrie had been waiting for us for almost 2 hours. Wally was so mad he didn't even want to go anymore and now there was nowhere for us to even park. I called Matt and told him to bring Danny to the side of the road and we would load him in the minivan and go home! Just as we did a U-turn to go home, the parking attendant re-opened the parking lot and we got in. What a relief! Once we were there we were immediately caught up in the pre-game excitement. We ate dinner and played around and then packed up the kids to head home. We thought once we arrived and had eaten, that things could only get better from there. And then, the game started. Now, we were late, but the Cougars didn't even show up. The slaughter that the Cougars endured was painful to watch. Despite the rough start and the Cougars' brutal finish, we can now say that we had a GREAT time.

The 999 Piece Puzzle

I'm always looking for quiet activities that our family can work on while we watch conference. This year, while strolling through Wal-Mart, I found some puzzles. I bought an achievable 100-piece puzzle for the kids and a more challenging 1000 piece puzzle for our whole family. After whipping through the 100-piece puzzle, we felt confident that we were ready for the BIGGIE. Not only did it keep us awake for Saturday conference, we were alert for Sunday conference, Monday's FHE, and Tuesday as well. For people with OCD tendencies (or CDO as Wally calls it-- alphabetical order, the way it should be) a jigsaw puzzle is more than a hobby. It becomes all-consuming. We stayed up late, the house didn't get cleaned, we couldn't eat at the kitchen table, all because of that puzzle. Finally, we went to place the LAST PIECE and it was nowhere to be found! Maddening, but funny.

World Class Student

Yesterday Jackson was chosen as the "World Class Student of the Week" for his kindergarten class. As you can tell by the picture (far left on the bottom row) he's thrilled. (hee hee) He actually was very excited when he saw me walk into the assembly because he knew it meant that he was the chosen one! Being the student of the week comes with many perks, one of which is line leader, which apparently is pretty important in kindergarten. Way to go Jackson!

Hurricane Ike Refugees

The silver lining to Hurricane Ike is that my cousin Matt and his family came to Dallas! We were pretty concerned about their family when we saw the news footage of the aftermath of Ike. Fortunately their home was fine. Fortunately Matt was already scheduled to be in Dallas for work, so Carrie and Danny came with him. Fortunately, for us, they stopped by for dinner one night and we got a chance to meet little Danny and catch up. And fortunately for Matt, Wally recorded the BYU game so he didn't have to miss out on that! After a couple of days, Matt and Carrie still didn't have power in their neighborhood, so Carrie and her sister (and all of the kids) headed out on a road trip. Matt stayed with us one night and Jackson couldn't have been more excited! "When will Uncle Matt get here?" he kept asking me. And then the power came back on in Houston. Jackson was a little bummed, but we were happy for the Hong's! Maybe we can meet up under more favorable circumstances!

Leapin' Lizards!

Yesterday I was vacumming my house (my favorite chore!) when I saw something scurrying across the floor out of the corner of my eye. My initial thought was "YIKES! GREAT BIG SPIDER" but upon closer examination I discovered that it was a lizard. In my house. And so I did what any other rational person would do-- I started screaming and dancing about. Kelsie, Jackson, and Chloe ran to my rescue but they all froze when I pointed out the unwelcome visitor. Wally wasn't home (not that he would be much help if he were home-- let's face it, when it comes to critters, Wally is a bit of a pansy) so I told Jackson that since he is my firstborn son that removing the lizard was his responsibility. He takes after his dad and refused. Good thing Kelsie was there! She grabbed a cup and trapped the lizard, then took it outside and let it go on the trail behind our house. She definitely earned her keep this week!

3 Down 1 To Go

You know how you just have a gut feeling after you take a test? Well, Wally's gut feeling after this last test was that there was no way, save divine intervention, that he could have passed that test. He moped around for two days before he finally came to grips with the reality that he just might have to retake it. For three weeks we dared not mention the words "CPA" or "test" fearing a relapse of the moping. Everytime someone would ask how his test went, I would cringe. I knew the results would be posted soon and I prepared for the worst.

And then, this morning, I got an ecstatic phone call from Wally. He passed! 75 is a passing score. Wally scored an 88. Yep. All that moping for nothing. Oh well, we'll take it!

Little Lady

She's 16 months, but she might as well be going on 16 years. My little Chloe is growing up and I'm not sure I'm okay with that. Last week I told her it was time to go bye-bye. She darted up the stairs and descended with a pink purse over one arm and a pink bracelet on the other. She is definitely a princess.

First Day of School

You know that commercial that shows the dad shopping for school supplies with the music "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" playing in the background? Well, that's how I felt by the time school started this year. I have really been struggling with the fact that my little Jackson is starting kindergarten (especially here in Texas where kindergarten is a full day). But I have to admit that our last week of summer changed all of that for me. We had lots of rain so we couldn't go to the pool and it seemed that the dreary weather brought out the worst in all of us. The kids fought constantly and I wasn't exactly cheery myself.

And then Monday came and Kelsie ventured off to the new and wonderful world of 3rd grade. Jackson and I went to kindergarten orientation and spent one last afternoon hanging out together. And everything seemed to go back to normal. We just needed a little structure in our lives.

Jackson's first full day of school was Tuesday. It was a crazy morning, trying to get 2 kids dressed, fed, and ready, but somehow we got them both there on time. As much as I hate to admit it, I think I will have to start waking up earlier. (Yuck!) I had these grandiose dreams of getting so much done while the kids were in school and I wasn't nearly as productive as I hoped for, but I did get a chance to clean the house and have a couple of hours to myself while Chloe slept. I didn't turn the tv or the radio on all day, I just enjoyed the peace. By the time 3:00 rolled around I was so anxious to hear every detail of Jackson's day. I wanted to know who he sat by, what he did, who he played with at recess, what his favorite part of the day was, and on and on. And when I picked him up and asked him how his first day was, all he said was "Fun! Can I go play now?" I think I missed him more than he missed me.

Violated

Sadly, my computer has contracted a virus. I feel so frustrated and, well, violated! The particular virus that my computer has is worse when I am online, so even checking my e-mail has become an ordeal, thus no posts on the blog.

We decided after weighing all of our options, that it just might be time to buy a new computer. I was a little hesitant because it's a big purchase that I wasn't exactly planning on, but it arrived today and I have to say it is totally worth every penny!

Look for updates and pics from our trip soon.

He Passed!

Yesterday was a good day. After 4 weeks and 4 days of waiting, Wally finally got his CPA results and..... he passed! All those long hours spent studying, large amounts of caffeine consumed, and slightly stressed-out (I hesitate to say grumpy) moments were worth it. Okay, the last two apply to me. We celebrated by taking the kids to Ritzy's for dinner. It's a fun little restaurant with great salads, sandwiches, and ice cream and best of all, the kids eat FREE! We spent some much needed family time together, totally relaxed, just laughing and enjoying being together. And then back home to study for the next test. I know I'm supposed to have joy in the journey, but when this whole CPA journey is over, I will rejoice!

Aloha!

There are lots of benefits to living in an HOA. The grounds are always well-kept, we have community facilities such as swimming pools, and every few months we have neighborhood events. On June 7, our HOA hosted the first annual Tahitian Luau. We stopped by and had an awesome time! They brought in giant inflatable water slides, a big sand pile, Polynesian dancers, and dinner! Jackson thought he was in heaven playing on the mountain of sand and probably would have stayed there forever, had we not dragged him home. Chloe also loved the sand. She found a shovel and parked herself at the bottom of the pile. She graciously picked out all of the garbage and handed it to me after tasting it first, of course. Kelsie is getting to that too-cool-to-hang-out-with-mom-and-dad stage of her life and spent the evening with her friends. Since when did the teenage years begin at 8? The night ended with a performance by a group of Polynesian dancers. I enjoyed it right up until they started to look for volunteers to join them. All of Kelsie's friends went up and did the Hula and I was encouraging her to join them. "Come on, it will be fun!" I told her. And then when they wanted adult volunteers, I was out of there. I averted my eyes, shrunk down, and did my best to be invisible. "Aren't you going up there?" she asked me. And then I was faced with a dilemma. Do I set my pride aside and show my daughter that it's okay to go outside of your comfort zone, or do I flee? Yep, I fled. No sense in making a fool of myself in front of all my neighbors! All in all, we had a great time and will definitely go back next year.

No More Papers, No More Books....

Summertime. It's the time of year that kids live for and parents endure. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE having Kelsie and Jackson at home, it's just that too much togetherness lends itself to disagreements. So while Kelsie and Jackson were celebrating, I was gearing up. I must admit that Kels and Jack had a great kick-off to summer with lots of fun end-of-year activities. Pre-school ended the last week of May with the main event being a graduation ceremony. The wind was a force to be reckoned with that evening and the kids had to hold their graduation caps to keep them from blowing away. The kids sang some songs, we snapped some photos, had some cake and celebrated the end of a very fun year.

Kelsie's last week of school seemed to drag on forever. Last year, the kids were out before Memorial Day. This year we finished on June 5. Unfortunately for Kelsie, I was finished before she was, which became apparent one morning as she packed up her backpack and saw the unfinished homework from the day before. Oops! We just forgot that she still had to actually work in school. Her end of year party was outside and HOT, but the kids had lots of fun.

Memorial Day Weekend

We began celebrating Memorial Day weekend on Thursday, May 22 at about 4:30 p.m. That's when Wally finished the second of four parts of the CPA exam. He studied non-stop for 13 weeks leading up to that test and we were all happy to finally have a relaxed Dad. I am happy to say that I made it through this last test with only one or two utter and complete breakdowns. I've decided that the emotional breakdowns are a good sign. It means we still need him around!


We spent the entire weekend just playing. On Friday morning, we got up and went out to IHOP for breakfast. After that we did some shopping and then went to the pool. The kids had so much fun! Kelsie is really coming along and can swim with no floaties. She has overcome her fear of jumping off the side and even comes up with tricky moves. Jackson LOVES the water. He can swim, but I prefer him to wear the little arm floaties when we're in the big pool. I wasn't sure how Chloe would react to the pool, since our pool water isn't heated. (In the heat of the summer, the water temperature is really warm, but at the beginning of the season, it takes your breath away when you jump in!) Chloe loved the water! In fact, she loved the water so much she was making me nervous. We couldn't find our little baby innertube, so Wally and I just took turns holding her. She was kicking her legs and trying to push us away. She really just wanted to swim by herself! After a couple of hours, we had to pull the kids out of the pool, because Wally and I were starting to burn (my skin hasn't seen the sun in years!) We grabbed some dinner and a couple of movies from RedBox (our new favorite!) and had the best day!


On Saturday, I started off the day by doing my long run. Long for me is probably just a warm up for most folks, but I'm slowly working my way up to a 10K. I am now up to about 5 miles on Saturdays and 3-3.5 mile runs during the week. I have found that I really enjoy running and actually look forward to it! We'll see how much running I do when the morning lows are in the 90's, but for now, it's my escape! We spent Saturday catching up on housework, yardwork, grocery shopping, etc. We bought some new pool toys for the kids and a floatie for Chloe and then headed to the pool to try it all out. Another awesome day!


Sunday was business as usual, and by the time Monday rolled around we had a mountain of laundry, sunburned shoulders, and a lot to catch up on. The kids spent the day playing with friends, while I caught up on Relief Society stuff and planned our last week of preschool. (YEAH!) Wally and I were both missing our families and all of those traditions that are part of our lives, but we wouldn't trade this chapter in our lives for anything!

One is Fun!

It's hard to believe, but our little Chloe turned one on April 19. According to our plans, she is our last, so it is hard to watch her grow from an infant to a toddler! I still can't bring myself to put away her newborn clothes, so they remain hanging in our closet. And while I do miss those newborn days, I must admit that I don't mind sleeping through the night.

We took Chloe to Build A Bear for her first birthday. She only says a few words, and one of them is "puppy," so she was absolutely delighted to go to Build A Bear! She fell in love with every animal we showed her and we had a hard time letting her choose just one. Kelsie and Jackson got to help Chloe stuff and "bathe" her puppy and even chose out a cute little wig for Chloe's bald head! We had such a great time! After Build A Bear we had to go to Jackson's soccer game, where Chloe was ready to go out on the field and play. We ended our fun day going to Chili's for dinner, where the birthday girl took a nap on the bench. When we got home, we sang "Happy Birthday" and had cake and ice cream with our neighbors. Chloe's first birthday was almost perfect. Right up until the time that she came down with the stomach flu!

We are so happy that Chloe is part of our family! She is so much fun and keeps our lives exciting! Wally and I have voted Chloe "The Most Likely Wallace Child to End Up in the ER." She is very adventurous and independent and really keeps me on my toes. My friend Michelle describes her as "a woman on a mission." Once she decides where she is going and what she wants, she is virtually unstoppable. It is not uncommon to hear me say things such as "How on earth did you get up there?" or "Don't eat the garbage!" or "Spit that out!" or "Has anybody seen Chloe?" She is also sweet and loving and lots of fun!

Home Is Where Your Mom Is

Chloe and I flew to SLC for a much anticipated trip home. The plane ride with an independent 1 year old was quite an adventure in itself. Wally made sure I brought some cash in case I needed to buy my neighbor a drink! Fortunately, on both plane rides the people we were sitting by were very kind and understanding. We spent four wonderful days bonding with baby Owen, laughing with my sisters (and Mom!), eating lots of yummy food, and enjoying family. Highlights of the trip include:

• snuggling with baby Owen
• celebrating Dad's 62nd birthday (according to Mom, he's only 48!)
• watching Chloe's first steps
• spending time with family
• being entertained by Cam
• Cafe Rio, Costa Vida, and sushi from Suehiro YUM!
• celebrating Chloe's 1st birthday
• dinner with Brent, Vickie, Brad, Jenn, Cade, and Ellie
• visiting Upon the Shelf (so many fabulous things, so little luggage space!)
• watching "Dan in Real Life" with Nellie
• shopping at the Gateway

It was so good to be home again and I was grateful for the time that Chloe got to spend with family. As our "firstborn in the wilderness" she doesn't have the same relationship with her grandmas and papas as Kelsie and Jack do. She really warmed up to everybody (especially the puppy!) and will hopefully remember everyone for when we go back in July. The time went by way too quickly, but for the first time, I didn't cry when it was time to go. It could be that Texas is growing on me. But I think I just really missed Wally, Kelsie, and Jack.

Happy Easter!

Easter seemed to come way too quickly this year. As always, we were a little sad that we were not hunting for eggs with the Miyasaki's or playing with the Wallace's in St. George. Wally missed the golfing, the kids missed their cousins, and because we didn't go out of town I had to speak in Sacrament meeting. But once that was done, we had a great Easter!

Kelsie and Jackson woke up early and started looking for their Easter baskets. Last year, the Easter Bunny did a really good job of hiding them. This year's Easter Bunny was a little more lax! Kelsie and Jack both got new umbrellas, which they really needed because of all the rain we've been getting. Chloe got some new sippy cups, but was way more interested in the Easter grass at the bottom of her basket.

Jackson Turns 5

Jackson turned 5 this month and got to have his first official birthday party. The guest list included several energetic boys so I decided to look into having his party at one of those places with the giant inflatables. Wally, ever the accountant, wasn't so sure about the cost until I told him our list of children to invite was 14 long. And suddenly, not having a birthday party in our home was worth it!

The party was fantastic! All of the kids had a great time bouncing and playing. Wally and I even joined in the fun and took turns "taking Chloe" down the giant slide. It was a blast! After playing for an hour, we sang "Happy Birthday" to Jackson, served his Lightning McQueen birthday cake, and opened presents. He got lots of fun Cars toys and Lego sets (which I was really excited about-- I love Legos!) On the way home I told him that his birthday was almost as good as Christmas to which he replied "It's way better than Christmas. On Christmas we never get to eat cake."

A Greeting From Chloe

Chloe's first word was not "dada" or "mama", instead, she says "Hi!" That tells you a little bit about Chloe. She says "Hi!" to everyone everywhere we go. She refuses to take a nap if she can hear anybody having fun because she doesn't want to miss out. Kind of reminds me of her older sister.

A New Nephew

As Cindy's due date of April 1 got closer, I started getting sad that I wouldn't be there. So Wally booked me a plane ticket to fly home to Utah on April 10. I called Cindy and told her that I was going to fly out there to see her baby, and it would really be nice if she could have him by then. She had him the next morning. What a good sister! Baby Owen was 3 weeks early and gave us a little scare with a heart arrhythmia, but is now doing great! Congratulations Cindy, Greg, and Cam! Chloe and I can't wait to see you!

Semi-Annual Update

It's that time of year again. We set our clocks forward and I am finally going to update our blog! With my new church responsibilities, I have found very little spare time. Unfortunately, the blog has been neglected. So, here is what we have been up to!

One Rough Winter

This winter has been a rough one for our family. It seems like we have been sick since October. Wait, we have been sick since October. Kelsie, Jackson, and Chloe have each spent more than their fair share of time (and money!) at the doctor's office. Between the 3 of them, they have had 9 ear infections and 9 rounds of antibiotics. Poor Jackson even suffered a ruptured ear drum and spent a week saying "What?" and "Huh?" a little more frequently than he usually does. We have now instituted strict hand-washing policies in our home, "lysol"ed every surface, and feel optimistic for a healthy spring. (If only we didn't have all those allergies!) Actually, we can't complain too much--we have had minor colds and for the most part are healthy!

Christmas Eve in Texas

This year we decided it is much easier for Santa to deliver our gifts to our home in Texas, so we spent our very first Christmas Eve away from our families. We had a small Christmas Eve dinner and our own little talent show and nativity. Even though I was a little sad that we were away from family, I enjoyed our first Christmas Eve here, especially when our kids were asleep by 9:00! (I guess we're just not as fun and exciting as the Burton's, Miyasaki's, or Wallace's!)

Christmas at Home

We had a picture-perfect Christmas! The kids got exactly what they wanted (not too hard when you want everything!) and then we got on an airplane and flew home to Utah. We were hoping for a white Christmas and we got it (as well as a white New Year's and every day in between!) By the time we left I was tired of being cold and wet and having to wear shoes, socks, and a coat and looked forward to the warm weather of Texas. We had such a great time eating at our favorite places (Cafe Rio, Mom's house, Suehiro, Training Table, etc.) and spending time with family. I love going home and feeling like we never left! All of the cousins just pick right back up where they left off and I will always cherish sitting around the kitchen table and laughing with my sisters. We spent a wonderful day with all of the Wallace's at the Discovery Museum and dinner at the Spaghetti Factory.

Back "Home"

Our vacation passed too quickly and we had to return "home" to Texas. It never gets easier to say goodbye, but we were so grateful that we could spend the holidays with family and friends that we miss so much! We arrived home in Texas a little sad, but after sleeping in our own beds, putting our winter coats in the closet, and slipping our sandals back on, we decided that life isn't too bad here.

Kelsie Turns 8

It's hard to believe, but our little Kelsie turned 8 this year and was baptized. Before Kels was born, I was warned about sleepless nights and incessant crying (both baby and me!), but nobody told me how hard it would be to watch her grow up. The day she was baptized was bitter sweet for me. I was overjoyed for her and the decision she was making to follow our Savior. I also realized that eight years have gone by too quickly and that I will have to let her grow up. That's a hard thing to do!

The baptism was absolutely perfect! Kelsie was able to be baptized on the same day as two of her best friends in our ward, which made it even more special. Grandma and Grandpa Wallace, Grandma and Grandpa Miyasaki, Aunt Angie, Natalie, and Aunt Janelle all flew in for the baptism. We had one BIG sleepover at our house and truly enjoyed having everyone stay with us. Kelsie is now officially a member of the Church and has even shared her testimony in sacrament meeting and fasted one meal.