Bird Watching

One day this summer,  I looked out the window and saw these boys all sprawled out, laying in a row on a blanket under the trees in the backyard... (Evan is missing- gone to scout camp!) they were all holding so still!  I watched them for a minute and then got curious wondering what they were up to!?

See that bird nest up in the apple tree?

That's what had them mesmerized...They were watching baby birds

for several weeks we watched these babies!  We saw them take food from their mama, we saw them teeter on the edge of  the nest thinking about flying. We kind of fell in love with these little birds and then one day they were gone! That is how our summer felt,  one day it was just gone!   I love Summer and spending days going on adventures with my boys!  I love sleeping in, having no schedule, spending time with family, watching fireworks, camping, eating smores, days spent at the park and picnics.  When we discoverd that our baby birds were gone Gabe kept saying "I miss our birds"   We did miss those little birds... and  I am missing summer too!

Our summer highlights coming next...

First Kiss

Gabriel is only FIVE and I am in TROUBLE!

You know those rare times when you just click instantly with someone, an even rarer thing is when each of your families click too... well that is what happened when we met the Bouck's who recently moved in- We have all become immediate friends... It's just easy and fun to be together -they have 5 kids... 4 GIRLS and 1 boy... so we are a bit opposite in that regard but that hasn't slowed this friendship down.   

Our Gabe and their Lucy hit it off quickly. He's five, she's six. It all started with an innocent "love note"... a picture that Gabe drew for Lucy one evening after playing at the park as families.  He delivered that note the next day and since then he is constantly asking to play with Lucy.

A few weeks ago we went to a summer BBQ for our ward at the church pavilion, we ate, the adults visited, the children played and suddenly a big wind and rain storm blew in and ended the night early and we were all disappointed!  We rushed home and got everyone ready for bed.  Gabe was bouncing off the walls with what I thought was a sugar high from the dessert table that he frequented all evening!  I asked him to settle down and he could hardly contain himself when he said "Mom, I can't help it -I'm in love!"  I sighed but my ears perked right up when he said it again with a big grin on his face "I'm sooooo in love" "oh you are?"  I asked  "with who?"  He answered excitedly "I'm in love with Lucy!"  I downplayed it and brushed him off saying "oh that's really sweet of you - it's important to love everyone- we should always be nice to others"... blah blah blah.  He interrupted me and said seriously "No mom, I mean REAL love!"  I chuckled and said "Mister, YOU are too young for love" and I tucked him into bed without another thought about it.

about ten minutes later Gabe came out of his bedroom and he said "Mom I REALLY need to tell you something."  I nodded, more interested in steering him back to bed.  Then he said "...me and Lucy kissed!!" and then he did a little jump and laughed.  My eyes nearly popped out of my head but I wanted more details so I calmed down and asked "on the cheek right?"  "No"  he told me proudly..."on the lips!"  I asked "Did you  kiss her or did she kiss you?" "Who's idea was it?" He said "we both just really wanted to"  I was hoping to put all the blame on her but when I looked at how giddy he was and when that was his answer- I started to become a little alarmed!  My next thought was "surely they just leaned in and gave a little peck"  but when I asked about that Gabe proudly stated "I put my arms around her tummy and she put her arms around my neck- we hugged and kissed!... just like you and Dad do!" He was beaming! Oh, my! I didn't want to overreact about this innocent kiss and quite honestly I had a hard time keeping a straight face- he was so proud and happy, it was a little bit cute! I held it together and told Gabe lightly that it probably wasn't a good idea to kiss a girl on the lips.  He retorted with "but you kiss dad!"  I said "Gabe- Dad and I are married!"  I ruffled his hair and said "NO MORE kissing girls until your married!!" If only I could get that written in stone! 

This boy is my only one who has been curious about girlfriends, marriage and  love so early- and now he's already kissing? I'm gonna have to keep my eye on this little romeo!

Baby Blues

 I am not talking about the postpartum depression kind of blues...
 No! I am talking about HIS baby blues

I am the only child in my family who has brown eyes... I got them from my mom!  Growing up I always felt pretty special that I was the only one who had brown eyes... My grandpa Murray had a lot of nicknames for me but I especially liked it when he lovingly called me "brown eyes" My grandma Murray used to hold my face in her hands and say let me look at those "chocolate eyes!"  I used to love the attention that having brown eyes brought!  Because of that I have always been partial to brown eyes...that is until I met my one and only!

  I could lie and tell you that I fell for the wonderful fun loving perfect guy that he is but that is not true- it was too young to care about any of that important stuff!! First I fell for his blond hair (yes, he had lots of it and it curled up on the ends... irresistable!!) his tan skin, his big muscles and those BLUE eyes... they were the kicker!  bright blue and always twinkling- Glen's eyes are the color of a twin pop Popsicle blue raspberry flavor. Gorgeous!  They are Huber eyes-He got them from his mom- his whole family- all 7 of his siblings have gorgeous various shades of blue eyes!  I never would have thought I'd fall in love with blue- but I did!  I was so excited when our first born inherited a darker version of his Daddy's blue eyes... the next 2 babies got beautiful green eyes and then I got a brown eyed boy... Oliver. I love all of my boys eyes but it's been awhile since we've had a blue eyed boy and I am so in love with Simon's baby blues!

 We get lots of comments from people on his "pretty eyes"... they are so big and round and such a beautiful color! his eyelashes are super long and thick and they curl up perfectly- they are a bit hard to see in these pictures because they are so blond,  but believe me, they are killer!  The thing I love the most about these eyes are that they are so expressive and easy to read, they follow me all day long and like his daddy's they twinkle!

looking back

While I am trying to catch up on what is recent in our lives, I thought I would also go back and highlight a few happenings from the last year too... a bit of a jumble but from here on out some of my posts will be recent and some will be... not so recent... but hey at least I'm working on it right.

September 16th 2011 our Evan turned twelve!  This is a big milestone birthday in our church because when boys turn twelve they are eligible to receive the priesthood if they are worthy.  With that privilege comes much responsibility and we are so proud of Evan for his preparation and dedication and for all that we see him becoming... he is a very special young man and he has so much in store for him- he will do great things!

Evan graduated from Primary and it was such a bitter sweet day for me- I am so grateful for the time that I was able to serve as a counselor in the primary presidency while Evan was in primary- I loved teaching and catching his eye while I was up front! The bishop (Dave Gatherum) came and recognized Evan in front of the entire primary the Sunday after Evan's birthday.  Evan had completed all of the requirements in his faith in God booklet.  The bishop talked about how worn the book was and he told the children that they could all look to Evan and follow his example and by doing what he does they would be on the right path!  Evan was beaming! After he was recognized in primary all of the young men from the class that he would be joining came into primary and walked with him to his newest adventure- Young Men's!  I'm not gonna lie, I had a big lump in my throat and might have shed a tear a two as every mother emotion ran through me... I cannot believe that he is already twelve! I am so proud of him!

We invited all of our family to Evan's ordination where he received the Priesthood and then we had a special dinner in our backyard to celebrate to occasion.

I asked Evan what his favorite candy was on the day that I was planning the celebration (it changes from day to day!) he said it was peachy rings... so that was our mini theme!  We threw some down the center of each table and hung up yellow and orange balloons - easy!

Evan also chose the menu and decided on french dip sandwiches

 Evan changed into his new patriots jersey that aunt Sara sent for his birthday, the kids all played in the backyard and we visited and had a wonderful evening.

I am so grateful for Evan.  I tell him all the time that his life is not a coincidence but that there is a reason that he was placed in our family, the oldest of five boys!  I don't know what I'd do without him!  I don't like that he's growing up... and at the same time I love it!- I love who he is becoming I love watching him learn and grow and develop interests and gain confidences.  He is fun to hang out with, he likes to tease me and I love his grin!  I love that he still hugs me... I tell him he better never think he is too big or too cool to hug his mom! He is almost as tall as me and he is as handsome as can be!  He is polite and obedient and always helping others.  He is a good friend and mindful of others.  Evan is a pretty amazing kid!   I don't know how I got lucky enough to be his mom- he is a very special boy... I love everything about this 12 year old!

Was that even fun?

This one if for my Mom and Dad... they are in New York on a 3 week vacation visiting my little sister Julie.  At the beginning of the summer my mom talked my reluctant dad into purchasing a little pop up camp trailer. My mom has always been a trooper about camping- it is in her blood and she loves it!  She is the worlds best camper and knows how to do the deluxe version of camping... she thinks of EVERYTHING and camping with her means immaculate packing and organization, amazing food, anything you can imagine to make camping life easier and comfortable! She took us camping every summer when we were little...Dad came along too of course but it was my mom who loved it! She still makes sure we all go camping every summer and after ALL those years of camping she deserves a little comfort of her own and that is why I was so happy about her little pop up!  My Dad is not a lover of camping, but he is a lover of my mom and so that it how this purchase all came about!

I say this post is for them because we borrowed their little trailer a few weeks ago and broke it in!  I was in love with the idea of the trailer, because selfishly I knew that having it meant that my parents would enjoy camping even more because of it and it meant that they would finally have a comfortable BED for their old achy bones to sleep in while camping.  I want them to continue camping with us for years to come.  After using it for our own little camping trip I fell completely head over heels in love with this tiny house on wheels... It was such a luxury and we felt so spoiled!  The only thing that would have been better was to have my mom and dad there with us, we do not usually go camping without them...but of course that would have meant we slept in a tent! :)

all packed up and ready to go...

 Glen pulled the trailer with my Dad's truck... he took Evan and Gabe with him

 Eli and I followed behind in our car with the two littlest and some of the supplies

We found a great little camping spot at the base of beaver Mountain up Logan canyon

 Eli entertained Simon while we set up camp and prepared dinner

While setting up camp we noticed the thick dirt was stirred up easily which made for quite a dust mess!  We considered looking for a more grassy spot, but we were already too set up to think about moving... oh well... camping means dirt right?  lots of dirt!  We roasted hot dogs over the fire for dinner. 

Other than the dusty dirt, our camp site was beautiful...lots of trees and a little stream ran right next to us.

Eli and Evan practiced whittling with their pocket knives, we did a little exploring of the areas and then, as the sun started disappearing the enormous "killer mosquitoes" started swarming!... but mosquitoes are just part of camping... right?

We coated ourselves in bug spray, made some s'mores and then decided to head inside!  INSIDE! It was the BEST feeling ever to have a little sanctuary from the bugs,some warmth (yes it was chilly outside!) and a soft place to hang out!  Heavenly!  The boys played a game of uno...

 and then we started getting settled for the night... this is where Simon slept, along with mom and dad... look at that nice thick mattress... ah!  And no crawling on our knees to lay on the floor of a cold tent.  I told Glen I could get used to camping "trailer style"

  Here is how the boys slept... snug as bugs!

In the morning Glen made a delicious breakfast of pancakes and hashbrowns... INSIDE!  It was so easy!

 Gabe and Oliver played...

It warmed up quickly outside and the shady spot we thought we found the evening before was NOT so shady in the middle of the day!  The boys played by the little stream for awhile and had fun crossing from bank to bank by balancing on  fallen logs...

we got out stuff to make sandwiches for lunch and a million bugs and flies started swarming... so Evan and I went INSIDE and sat around the little table and prepared our sandwiches where there were no bugs to bother us!  so nice! We decided to pack up our lunches and go for a little drive to a nearby picnic area where there was also a restroom... we had spend a day and a half with no restroom... but no restrooms are just part of camping... right?  We had a nice little picnic for lunch and when we got back to camp we had a note from the ranger that we could not burn anymore wood due to a bunch of wildfires throughout the state of Utah... we were disappointed but because it was so HOT we didn't give a fire much more thought!  We found a nice little grove of trees right next to our stream and we crowded in there to get out of the heat!  We ate treats and played some games!

Simon was SUCH a little tree hugger... he LOVED camping!  He was especially mesmerized by the leaves dancing on the trees! He kept tilting his head way back and looking up at the sky- it was really cute, as is everything he does! He slept like an angle and he was happy to just kick back and take in nature!  He was carried around the entire trip so don't ask me how he had toe jam in between his tiny toes and dirt in his ears and the folds of his neck... boys- they just attract dirt I swear!

Uno... it was Gabe's first time playing and he WON!  He was so excited!

Speaking of" first time"... It was Oliver's first time to use an outhouse style potty and believe me it took him a day and a half of "holding it" and a day and a half of us coaxing him to even get him to sit there... he refused to go and was totally freaked out about it! He waited until we got home to go... he is one stubborn child (and will one day hate us for taking this picture- it was just such an accomplishment that he tried!)


When we got back from the second drive to the restrooms that day (seriously!) the boys played more games and Gabe and Ollie played with playdough for awhile.

Then we decided to go for a little hike...

Evan and Eli have been watching "American Ninja Warrior"on TV and now they are always looking for ways to do crazy stunts... they decided to jump from rock to rock downstream ninja style.

Love them!

We had to blaze our own trail and Glen and I ran into a patch of stinging nettle...yikes !  But stinging nettle is just part of camping right?  it burned and hurt and itched all at the same time! After awhile we decided to head back to camp because every plant began looking like stinging nettle and we didn't want the boys getting in it!  We might have been delirious from the poison or something but I swear it was everywhere!

The boys avoided the stinging nettle but they all had soaking WET shoes and socks when we were done, which when combined with the dust back at camp, made for quite a sight!  They were covered in mosquito bites and sweat and we had done all that there was to do...  I cringed at the thought of them crawling into nice clean beds in the trailer that night.  the boys were grumpy from going to bed late the night before and so instead of staying another night like we had planned, I suggested it might be a good idea to head home early?!  At first they boobed and bawled and I was outnumbered.  We made a delicious dinner of dutch oven potatoes, grilled chicken and fruit. Luckily no fire was necessary.  the boys were SO excited to eat inside the trailer... and once again it was so nice to avoid the swarms of flies and bugs

As the evening went on Glen and I explained that without a camp fire it would not be very fun to stay another night! We were all SO dirty and we were finally able to talk them all into packing up quick and heading home!  We got home around ten o clock Saturday night and unloaded what we could in the dark!  We all showered and Glen and I tucked the boys into bed! Then we collapsed onto the couch!  Whew!...It was a whirl wind weekend... I turned to Glen and said "was that even fun?'  "we did a lot of fun things but we were so dirty and hot and there were so many more bugs than usual and the kids fought and were kind of grumpy...Camping is SO (so so so so so ) much work!! is it worth it?  Are we going to be a camping family?" Glen said "yes!" I wasn't too sure even though I have been a camper my whole life!- but looking back at these pictures I see the smiles, I remember the fun and all the boy stuff- pocket knives, squirrel traps, rock jumping, fire, s'mores, games, picnics...

camping is about dirt, mosquitoes,stinging nettle, no restrooms and LOTS of work and it all makes for wonderful memories right!- I called my mom the next day and thanked her from the bottom of my heart for her sacrifice and work to take us camping and build those memories- The older I get the more kids I have and the hard things that life brings- they all give me a deeper appreciation for my parents!  Being a parent is not as easy as I thought it was when I was a teenager!  Man, I really should have been a nicer teenager!  I keep telling my mom thanks for everything and I think I have it covered and then I learn or experience something new in life and I find a new appreciation for her and my dad all over again! I sure love them!

The verdict is...we WILL be a camping family!- we have boys- boys need camping! After having the luxury of experiencing camping with a trailer, our tent might seem a little rugged though!  Maybe someday after years of camping with all these boys I will get a little pop up camp trailer of my own!  Love you lots mom and dad!... Thank you for letting us camp in style and ease- Your little house on wheels was heavenly- can't wait to go with you when you get home!