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.

We Love Visitors

We love visitors! We were lucky enough to have two sets of visitors during the month of October. First, Grandma and Papa Wallace came for a few days. Two weeks later, we got to spend some time with Sherrie, Taylor, Mackay, and baby Easton!

Grandma and Grandpa Wallace arrived and we greeted them with a house full of sick people. So instead of playing and shopping, Grandma spent her first full day here at the house while I ran kids to doctors appointments and picked up prescriptions. We did make up for it the next two days as we dragged the kids to the mall, Crate and Barrel, and The Container Store. (Shopping and eating-- that's all there is to do here!) Kelsie asked Grandma if she brought any of her delicious homemade bread with her. Being the awesome grandma that she is, she spent the evening making bread with Kelsie. I was excited to watch and learn too, and have even made a batch that was almost as good as Grandma's! Jackson was excited to have Grandma and Papa come to his soccer game. We warned them in advance that soccer to Jackson is merely a social event, but he proved us wrong and ended up having the game of his life! He even scored a goal! Chloe amazed us all by scooting across the floor. Now that she's mobile, she's trouble! As always, it was hard to say goodbye to Grandma and Papa, but we are looking forward to Christmas when we will visit them!

The Burton's came and stayed with us for a couple of days en route to Pensacola. Jackson and Mackay had a great time playing together and I was thrilled to finally see sweet little Easton. Unfortunately, we didn't have much time to play around, since they had a 10-hour trip ahead of them. (with a 3-year old and a new baby--YIKES!) We did, however take them to the mall, where we conned Taylor into watching the little boys at the play area while Sherrie and I shopped! (It's an amazing mall, you could spend a whole day there!) We had a great time with the Burtons and were so glad they stopped in! Good luck in Florida!