Halloween

We had a very happy halloween. A little trick or treating with MBA friends and then back to our neighborhood.

Parker turns 4

We had a great birthday weekend! We love Parker so much & can't imagine what we would do without him.

We had 13 3-5 year olds. Lets just say it was fun chaos. We had games, games, crafts & cake.

Later that day we headed to Roy for another party. We celebrated Parker & Zina's birthday & it was a real BASH!!

10 years ago

10 years ago today...I was living in Provo. I received a phone call & was told to watch the news. I was told so far my dad was fine but we were still waiting to hear from Dana. She was working at the Capital at the time (or near it, I can't remember which job she was doing)...only that she was in the heart of DC.

I spent the morning, like the rest of the world, crying & watching the footage & hearing the updates. What a scary day that was. I remember wishing I could be closer to my family. Hoping that the attacks were over. I remember feeling scared for them...living so close to DC, wondering where the other targets were. I remember not being able to get through to them, the phone lines were all jammed. I cried all morning.

What a scary day that was. And every year my heart aches on this day, like everyone else. But I remember how blessed I was that all the members of my family were safe. And I mourn for those who weren't as lucky as I was.

our kitty friends

Since we moved here this little black & white cat has been in the area. It's been caught a few times peeking in our front door & other times just walking across our rocks.

A few weeks ago, she was followed by 2 kittens. We held them, cuddled them, and then let them go on their way.

A few days ago the mother we making more frequent visits to our place without her kittens. The boys would go pet her & we'd give her food and water.

This morning...she brought her kittens. They are sort of teenage kittens, they aren't really babies anymore but cute none the less. We had a great time playing with the kittens & giving them food & water.

Of course we won't be keeping them & this week I am hoping to find the owner of the mom cat. But until then we will enjoy their stop bys.

Don't mind the PJ's. Just know I'm in heaven.

bye bye binky

The binky is GONE. Luke loved that binky & so did I. I would hand it to him, lay him down, & he would be out...for hours. He's always been such a good, easy sleeper.

Taking away the binky wasn't so bad. We started out by not having it in the car & only having it at bedtime/naptime.

My first attempt, I got him all sleepy & laid him down with no binky. I was shocked when I didn't hear a peep. After a couple hours I checked on him to find a binky in his mouth...must've been one hiding in the bed. I knew it couldn't be that easy.

Then one night I was out (I think that was probably for the best, I'm sure I would've caved) Jared put him to bed he cried a little, Jared held him, laid him down, cried a little...and that was it.

Naptime/bedtime isn't quite as easy as it used to, Luke takes a little settling down & sometimes I just end up holding him till he sleeps. But we are working on it.

But the binky is gone for good.

Soccer

Yesterday was Parker's first soccer practice. He is in 2 "leagues" the first one is a group set up by the MBA wives. There is 60 kids- so they were divided up in to 6 teams...with moms as the coaches. He LOVED IT.

And he scored all 3 of the goals.

And an hour later...This is the provo league. He loved this too. They use the parents to practice skills. Parker & Jared had fun together.

And this is Luke how you will commonly see him..."dead".

1st day of school

My sis Dana doesn't use facebook...and she is one of my few dedicated readers of the blog. And really I should've posted on this. So thanks for the reminder. Unfortunately I didn't take a great picture. Just a cell phone one as we were dropping Luke off at Aunt Kristi's.

But we decided to celebrate the first day with DOUGHNUTS!! Parker has been loving preschool. His teacher I think likes him too. He is one of the oldest in the class and so I think his attention span is a little longer then the younger 3 year olds. Either way I am so proud of him.

I will also admit that I like the couple hours for me & Luke. It's fun to have that time with him & fun to have just a little quiet time for me.

Both boys finished their doughnuts...no problem!!

Hiking to the Y

We have lived in Provo over a year & this is the first time we've hiked to the Y. And I'm glad we waited because it was a steep steep climb. But it was really fun. And the boys are now napping peacefully.

School has started for Jared & Parker and both are really enjoying it. It's fun to be back in Provo.

Moving Back

Well, we are back, all moved in...& it feels good to be back. It's great to be around family & friends again. We sure missed that while we were away. It's amazing how fast time is flying by.

Jared drove me & the boys home a week early so we could attend my grandma's funeral. It's been hard to be back here & not go visit her. It was hard to not be here with her for her last days & I wished that when I had left I would've really hugged her & told her over and over again how much I loved her. I'm not sure why, but when I went to say good bye to her before we left for Arkansas, the thought never crossed my mind that she would be there when I got back. And maybe that's another reason why it's been so hard for her to be gone.

Thank you everyone for your kind words & prayers with my grandma's passing. And a big thank you to my in laws who watched my boys for the 2 days of funeral services so I could be with my family. It's amazing how during tough times, you realize what amazing people you are surrounded by. Besides watching my kids for 2 days straight, they housed some of my family members, made us breakfast & cookies & gave us a loving place to stay after a couple sad days.

Back to the moving story...

We got a "new to us" car in Arkansas, just a little souvenir, oh and because our durango has 210,000 miles on it & we know it won't be with us much longer. So Jared, me and the boys took that car home and Jared flew back to Arkansas to finish his last week. His dad flew into Omaha, Jared picked him up and together they drove the Durango home. It was so kind of his dad to do it & it gave me a lot of peace of mind.

So now we're all back...settling in...getting ready for the new school year- Jared starts Aug 28 & Parker starts preschool this week.

Today he turns 2

It's hard to believe that Luke is 2.

When Parker was 2, Luke was 2 months old & for some reason that has really hit me...how crazy.

We still call Luke, our baby Luke...we love him so much. When he got up this morning, Parker ran up to him, gave him a hug & kiss and said "happy birthday Luke." They get along so well & have so much fun together. He brings so much joy to our lives. He sleeps like an angel...for many hours at a time...and I love that. When he's up he laughs, plays, eats & talks all about batman. He does everything Parker does...for better or worse.

He loves sausage & waffles. He requests them for every meal.

So TODAY. I wanted to make it a special day for Luke. So I planned that me and the boys would go see winnie the pooh. We got all ready and loaded in the car....in the 106 degree heat, from the 3rd floor, down to the parking spot...is a long walk. We were just about to the theater when I glanced back to see Luke, already drifting to sleep & Parker not far behind. So we headed back home, grabbed a happy meal & naps. We'll try again tomorrow.

Jared got home from work, we had birthday muffins, opened gifts & headed to the toy store. I know Luke doesn't really know it's his birthday, in fact when Kristi & Dan called to sing to him...he sang with them. But I love the chance to spoil him & be reminded of wonderful he is & how lucky we are.

Luke's B-day Party

We have such great intern friends...I've talked about them before, but it's been so fun to get to know them. They were so sweet to come & share in Luke's celebration. They spoiled him rotten with gifts & attention. We went to Chuck E Cheese & the boys were in heaven...and the adults too.

Luke loved the cake...maybe even more than the presents.

Carol's Farm

Jared's co-worker invited us to come see her "farm" & I loved it. I've always wanted a "farm", I use the term loosely...I've really wanted just what she had. A couple fun animals... as pets. So here's the pics from the day. It was fun...and I am pretty sure I loved the animals more than the boys did.

These were silky chicken chicks. Their moms have fluff instead of feathers. They were so cute and cuddly...even the mamas.

Texas Long Horn...they have her 3 week old baby too.
And the craziest cow i've ever seen. He was so sweet. I forget what kind he was...but I liked him.

Crystal Bridges Hike & Fountains

Tonight we decided to go out and do a little exploring of Bentonville. Bentonville is where Jared works, it's basically the birth place of Wal-Mart. They have a town square centered around the first wal-mart store which is now a museum. It's about 30 min from our place & its filled with a little history & a lot of character. In the middle of town square tonight there was a band playing (it was a 12 year girl, her dad, mom & grandpa). Listening were about 15 people. Most over the age of 60 and a couple youngins. It was pretty cute.

We went to a little fountain park & then did a hike. Along the hike there was a stone building. Inside the stone building were LED lights, some black sand in the center and a hole looking up to the sky. As the night got darker and the lights inside the stone building changed colors. I don't know all the science of how it all worked, but it was pretty neat.

So here's some pics from our night. It's amazing how in just a couple hours I take 154 pictures...I might have a problem.

My Allergy...

My sister Dana web diagnosed me with : cold urticaria...

Here is what it is....

As strange as it sounds, it's possible to have an allergy to cold temperatures. Doctors refer to this as cold urticaria (ur-tih-KAR-ee-uh). It's also sometimes called cold allergy or cold hives. With cold urticaria, exposure to cold temperatures causes redness, itching, swelling and hives on your skin. As much as possible, people with cold urticaria should avoid exposure tocold air as well as cold water. For example, swimming in cold water is the most common cause of a severe, whole-body reaction — leading to fainting, shock and even death.
If you think you have cold urticaria, consult your doctor. Treatment for cold urticaria may include antihistamines taken before cold exposure.

Yes It did say....fainting, shock & even death.

Hives, swelling, itching, burning- I have been suffering from these symptoms for some time...so I'm going to start documenting it. This was from this week- I was just cutting veggies...and this happened....

Red, swollen, itchy.

Downtown Fayetteville

Friday night was ladies night. It was so great to go out with some amazing girls. They are MBA interns, from all different great schools & are so talented & fun. Almost all of us live on the same floor and it's been so fun to get to know each other.

Downtown Fayetteville has a very happening night life. We went out to a swanky little place for sushi & then ice cream. We talked & laughed & just had a great night.

Saturday morning we woke up and headed to the farmers market with some of the same friends from the night before. The farmer's market is so fun & I just love to walk around. It made me miss the Ogden farmer's market too...I love them all.

This is a wonderful little flower stand- you take a number & wait for your turn. You tell them how much $ you want to spend and what you want & they make you a beautiful bouquet.

After the market we stopped by at a little place for brunch. What I love about brunch is I can get a quiche & cream puff & it's okay...cause it's close enough to breakfast & lunch, you can do both.

It's been a fun weekend so far & it's hard to believe it's almost over. When I think about the weekends it seems so short- but when I think about all the days in those weeks- it still feels like awhile....so i'm going to try and make the best of it.

sad to be so far away

The hardest thing about living far away- not being close to family & friends when you need them or they need you the most.

my grandma is not well...and I'm far away...my friend lost her nephew...and I'm far away...that's how I feel tonight...sad to be so far away.

VACATION

I sat down to blog & found out my sweet friend's nephew had passed away. http://dylandshaw.blogspot.com My heart feels so broken for her family & it reminds me how special families are. I know I take my family for granted. They are the people I love the most. This vacation was amazing & I love the chance I had to be with all of them. It's not often we are all together & there is something so special when it happens.

So I of course took a BILLION pictures & narrowing them down is difficult...and of course I am currently suffering from the vacation blues which makes want to choose all the pictures.

We played together, shopped the Eastern Market in DC, petted animals at frying pan park, went to the Orioles game, lots of trips to the malls, beach, beach, beach, pool, hot tub, climbing to the top of the lighthouse, eating our favorite BBQ, late night games, catching crabs on the beach, flying kits on the beach, jeep rides to see the wild horses on the beach, laughing, seashell contests, 37 people in 1 beach house, jumping waves, Luke sitting in a chair or stroller everyday & all day at the beach, fresh donuts from Duck Donuts, laying in the hammock, & just being together.