FaceTime = Love it!

I've gotten accustomed to Becky being gone for a couple weeks at a time

every few months when the kids are off track

(year round school = SoCal beach days for them, sitting at desk for me)

This time, however, it’s a little flip-sided: Becky’s gone; kids and I are home.

For two weeks the kids and I will be on our own

(hope the kids survive… no, really…)

Becky’s on vacation with her parents and sister,

getting her passport stamped in a few different countries.

Their trip includes: Paris, London, and Interlaken/Planalp (Switzerland).

Being between seven and eight hours ahead of us means

we've got a small window of time where we can try to communicate.

And, I've never been more grateful for Facetime!

We've been trying to Facetime each other each afternoon (for me) and night (for her).

It isn't much - only a few minutes here and there.

But when we’re on separate continents, a few minutes of hearing her voice and seeing her face

is WONDERFUL!

Here’s just a snippet of one of our conversations

(can’t remember exactly what prompted the face-making..

but that’s the woman who holds my heart!)

#facetime

#thankyouapple

or is it

#thankyoustevejobs 

Daddy daughter date

Figured it I took D out for the evening, I’d better even things out with my girls too.

I was lucky enough to find tickets to Hale Center Theater’s last matinee performance of Tarzan!

If you've never been before, it’s a small theater that seats maybe 600 people.

It’s a round theater with the circular stage in the center.

The stage tilts and rotates in multiple directions at the same time, it’s pretty cool!

And their productions are amazing!

I was a little nervous about Tylie sitting for 3+ hours,

but the show kept her attention the entire time…

Afterwards, the cast all lines up in the lobby.

You get to meet, shake hands, and take pictures with the cast

if you’d like (and who wouldn't?)

The girls liked seeing the actors’ costumes and make-up up close.

A few of the actors were still in character-mode. Made it even more fun.

Quality time, my boy and I

Dallin and I had a chance to spend an evening together, just the two of us.

He's often asking, "Dad, when are we gonna go somewhere without the girls???" 

Well, with Becky out of town (er, country) I found a sitter for the girls

and D and I went to the BYU football game (vs. Middle Tennessee).

We stopped at Noodles and Co. for dinner (one of D's favorite places)
and then went on to the stadium.

It was a chilly game night-somewhere in the mid 40's... but we had fun bundled up!

Cougar tails, hot chocolate, BYU blankets, and quite a few funny faces to each other!

BYU led most of the game, so many fans left to go back to a warm home.

We lucked out by being able to snag someone's soft cushy seats for the last quarter!

Great night with this cute kid!

New day...

Not only is today a new day for our blog: once again being used.

It's also a new day for our growing monkey: Tylie.

Today she turned six!

She's been excited about it for weeks! The sooner it got, the easier it was for us to explain count-downs to her, and for her to actually grasp the time frame.

As usual, Bec and I stayed up decorating the downstairs, getting it ready for her birthday morning.

Streamers, balloons, wrapped presents... tired, but excited to see her face in the morning, we turned in.

She woke up somewhere around 6am, and couldn't go back to sleep. You'd think it was her very own Christmas! 

Bec planned a Luau birthday party with her kindergarten and dance friends. She chose gnocchi for dinner (a popular meal with each of the kids), followed by cake and ice cream with a few family friends.

Once I figure out how to get our pictures off of our camera, I'll post some. For now-here are a few I took with my phone.

Last sleep as a five-year-old... our youngest is six!

Where's time gone??

Happy birthday Tylie. Our little monkey...

Fly on the Wall

Sometimes I enjoy just taking a step back and watching, and in some cases listening, to our children play... Every now and then Becky and I get an outsiders view into their imaginary worlds. It almost feels like we're watching a timid animal out in the wild where, if you make the slightest sound, the animal will scurry off and your show for one (or two) comes to an abrupt halt!

This evening after dinner, we were cleaning up while three things took place:

1. Dallin went upstairs to shower

2. Kailee played with her Barbies

3. Tylie sat at the table finishing her food

From downstairs, I could hear Dallin singing at his little heart's content, and at the top of his lungs! Which song? Who knows, but he sung it as if it were his favorite!

Kailee lined up her Princess Barbies and their dresses in a row; some on the sofa, some on the floor in front of the sofa. All the while humming a soft song: tune, again, unknown to me.

Tylie, who was left to finish her food since she decided to talk during dinner time instead of eat, sat at the table giggling after each bite and would say to herself, "One more bite" in a tone that moms use when they're trying to motivate their child to eat just "one more bite". You know the one, tone starts out low, ends high... she was so happy to have finished; it was quite an accomplishment for her this evening!

I couldn't help but pause, watch, and listen to them. Each child content in their own world; no distractions, no worries, no sibling annoyances. It's times like these that I get a glimpse as to why the Savior admonishes us to become as little children; they're so pure and innocent. I love these moments when I can just observe them, as a fly on the wall...

Eventually

Eventually, I will be updating this blog. It seems that whenever I have something to share, I go to Facebook. The thought of playing catch up to this blog is terrifying! I might just start fresh and attempt to post something each month. But to give you something to look at, here's a picture of all the kids on their birthdays this year :)

Dallin turned 8 on April 14th

We had a BYU party and some of the BYU football players came.

(He gets 2 pictures) Our buddy got baptized this year. Such a special day.

Kailee turned 7 on June 15th

We took Kailee to Minnie and Friends Breakfast for her birthday.

Tylie turned 4 on May 23rd

(Is it sad I don't have a picture of Ty alone on her birthday or at her Tangled party?)

Our monkey is still so little!! Most 3 year olds and a few 2 year olds tower over her!

Here's to me, hopefully, getting back into my blog!

Time flies when you're having fun

It's hard to believe how fast the past nine years have gone by. Our wedding day seems as if it were only a few years ago! And yet, here we are: 2 states, 3 cities, 4 wards, 5 addresses, 5 cars, 6 jobs, 7 years of school, AND 8 car seat and/or stroller combinations later, celebrating 9 years of marriage to each other.

What a roller coaster ride it's been; one that I'd run to the end of the line to do it all over again, not changing one bit of it!

Pictures from our wedding day:

Happy Anniversary Becky!