The Big 2

Last weekend Tyler turned 2. We had a blast partying and enjoying spending time celebrating the 2 years Tyler has been a part of our family. We went with a circus theme this year and played games, ate food and enjoyed yet another awesome cake created by my sister, Nancy. Here's a few pics from the festivities:

Happy birthday, Tyler!! Thanks to everyone who came and celebrated with us! We had a blast and hope you did too!

Reconnected!!!

So I finally got our internet up and running now that we're back home. Gordon and I decided we'd wait to hook up the high-speed til he got back and since he's leaving AR TOMORROW!!!!!!!! it was time. It has been fun catching up on what all my blogging buddies have been doing lately and I'm sorry I didn't leave comments. There were just so many blogs I had to catch up on so please forgive me! I will have to admit I'm not sure how much blogging I'll be doing for the next little while. It has actually been nice in a way these last 6 weeks not having the option to surf. I've been thinking a lot lately about something Sis. Beck said in our regional conference a couple weeks ago. She said, "The computer is no more useful to you than the dishwasher or washing machine." I've thought a lot about that since then... Anyway, here's what's been going at the Richards house lately:

- Gordon has spent the last 6 weeks in AR. He decided to extend this year and we have been missing him like crazy! Tyler definitely needs his dad back and I'm definitely missing my hubby but he leaves tomorrow and we couldn't be more excited!!

- House, house and more house. In Gordon's abscence, I've really been trying to get some projects done around the house. I've recovered our throw pillows, re-landscaped the backyard, painted kitchen barstools and a stepping stool, and tried- somewhat hopelessly- to get our house cleaned and organized. I'll post photos of all my projects at some point.

- Tyler is definitely a full-blown little boy these days. He's so full of energy and seems to be learning new things by the minute. Tyler is mom's best bud for the most part and the time we've had with just the two of us has made me see motherhood in a new light. It has been incredibly hard but incredibly wonderful all at the same time. We've had quite a few run-ins with illness since we've been back but I'm hoping now that all the traveling is over and we're finally settled back in that he won't be getting sick anytime soon. Of course, flu season is right around the corner...

- The last couple of years my calling in our ward has been a teacher in RS. I found out recently that over the summer my calling switched from teaching the 2nd Sunday to teaching the 4th Sunday. I really do love my calling and I'm excited to teach from the Ensign. It really is a calling I learn so much from.

I guess that's about it! Hopefully my next post will be full of pics of our reunited family!! :)

On My Mind

"We women have a lot to learn about simplifying our lives. We have to decide what is important and then move along at a pace that is comfortable for us. We have to develop the maturity to stop trying to prove something. We have to learn to be content with what we are."


- Marjorie Pay Hinckley


I've been thinking about this quote a lot lately. I love this quote and I've always loved Sister Hinckley. Her attitude was the greatest and she's such an inspiration to me. Thinking about this quote lately has helped me keep things in perspective a little better as I've felt more drab than fab these days. I'm so grateful for the women in my life who inspire me. A big thanks to all of you! Thank you for doing what you do and being who you are. You make a difference in my life each and every day.

Salad Spinner Centrifuge

I read this story this morning and thought it was totally awesome!! It makes you wonder how many other problems could be solved if we were all so creative and ingenious. Read it here.

Lately

Life in AR has been pretty routine lately. Not a whole lot to report. We've mostly just been doing the same old routine and counting down the days til we get to head home. On Sunday we took advantage of the "cooler" weather and headed over to Lake Fayetteville. I was pleasantly surprised by how pleasant it actually was. They have a nice trail to walk, a beautiful lake and a small playground close by which is always a plus when you've got a toddler. Tyler can be a little timid at times and although he was excited to get to the playground, inspite of my best efforts to convince him that it was just pretend the giant plastic frog head on top of the toys made him nervous enough he wouldn't actually set foot on them. As soon as he spotted the toys he pointed and said, "Robby, robby, robby." (Meaning "Froggy, froggy, froggy") He says "robby" in this deep voice that totally cracks me up every time he says it. Anyway, we'll have to give the "robby" another go the next time we make it out there. This morning we were able to visit the botanical gardens. Every Wednesday they offer a "little sprouts" class where they talk about the 5 senses and let the kids smell and touch plants. I thought it was really fun and I think Tyler enjoyed it too. The gardens were really well planned and really well cared for and I was very impressed with them as a whole. It was definitely a good place to let the kids explore. The highlight of the day though for me was actually walking barefoot in the grass. Oh, how I've missed that!! They have a large grass area that they maintain without using pesticides so Tyler and I tossed the shoes and headed in barefoot. It was heavenly!!

Here are a few pics from our venturing out these last few days:

Botanical Gardens

Lake Fayetteville

I just had to throw this last pic in here. I took Tyler's hat off after a particularly warm day and he had some awesome hat hair. I just about died laughing. This picture doesn't quite do it justice though...

Really?

When I first saw this commercial I really thought it was a joke. Nope! You really can buy this product!! I'm thinking maybe I should just forget putting pants on Tyler all together and let him wear these...

Check out the commercial here. It really is hilarious!!





Anyone know how to post a video in this new version of blogger?

Strikin' It Rich

...Almost. This last Sunday we took a trip down to the Arkansas diamond mine with the Drurys. It was quite the experience! It was a HOT day to say the least and I think we were all puddles by the time we were done hunting for diamonds but it was definitely a fun day! It's about a 2 hour drive from our apartments and after experiencing a child throwing up in the car for the first time (I think he choked on a pringle), we made it there in one piece. The diamond mine is basically a big field where you dig and shovel dirt into buckets and then use the sifters to hunt through your dirt for diamonds. We weren't lucky enough to find anything but I don't think any of us really knew what we were doing or what we were supposed to be looking for. The boys had a blast digging in the dirt and playing in the mud under the water troffs and by the end were good and dirty. I really had to fight my dirt OCD! After getting nice and sweaty we headed over to the small waterpark. (Whoever decided to put a waterpark right next to the diamond mine was GENIOUS!!!) The little boys were so red and sweaty I think they probably thought they had died and gone to heaven when we jumped into the pool. All in all it was an awesome day and we had so much fun hanging out with the Drurys. Thanks for inviting us, Nancy!

As we were getting our equipment to go dig, I noticed the boys having a blast rolling their waterbottles back and forth to each other. It was so cute. I love it when they are buddies!


You'll see from the pictures how hot we were. Red glossy faces! Yes!




The little boys probably would have been happy filling this bucket up with dirt all day long!




I think even the "big boys" had fun digging in the dirt. See anything wrong with this picture though? :)


Look at those buff boys and that little rock! :)


Nancy was brilliant in bringing this umbrella. I think it saved the boys from literally melting into the dirt. Thanks for being so prepared, Nancy!!




This is where you brought your buckets of dirt to search for diamonds. There was a lady at the end that said she has found 8 diamonds since she started coming to the mine. Pretty amazing!


Little boys and mud! Need I say more?




I was too busy enjoying the cool water at the pool to take any pictures but I'm so glad we got to see another part of Arkansas! Thanks again Drurys!! We had a blast!

On another note, I have to give a shout-out to Lianne for designing an awesome header for me!! Thanks so much for sharing your talent, Lianne!! You're awesome! :)

Back At It

I finally started drawing again the other day. I've had high hopes of getting lots of painting in this summer and decided to finally start back into things by sitting down to draw. I'll have to say I loved every minute of it!! So this up-coming week my goal is to draw for at least 30 min every day. Hopefully I'll be able to keep this train going!

The first go in a long while: a 30 min contour drawing of some flowers sitting on our table. (The idea of a contour drawing is you use one continous line to describe the contours of an object without erasing or blocking in. You just pick a point and start drawing!) I will admit I did cheat a little and lifted my pencil a couple of times and I'm seriously RUSTY but it was definitely a good way to get back into the groove- slowly but surely! :)

For the Grandparents

I think we've finally settled into life in AR. Tyler and I just about have our daily routine down and the door knocking is in full swing for Gordon. Everything seems to be going well thus far and with the exception of a couple days of extremely rough storms we feel like the summer has officially started. I will say, however, that after our "summer sales life" is over, I definitely do not want to live anywhere with regular tornado warnings. I don't think my nerves are cut out for it. Thankfully we were lucky enough to be passed by this last time around and I am truly grateful for that.

So, for the grandparents, here's what Tyler's discovered:

He has to do everything Josh does. They are usually pretty good buds and they're sure cute when they're having fun together!


Movie nights are a blast and popcorn is his new favorite food. (He calls it "bop bo".)


He LOVES icecream cones- especially the cone part!


A new hiding place.


He can't live without his blankets...ALL of them!!



A foam mattress can be a blast to play with!

I was working on getting dinner fixed while Tyler was in his room playing with this foam mattress and pretty soon I hear, "Momma! Momma!" Somehow he had managed to roll himself up in this mattress in such a way that he was stuck and couldn't get out. We both thought it was pretty hilarious.

Flashback...

I finally got around to downloading the pics on my camera today and found a lot that I had totally forgotten about. So, I thought I'd have a flashback post since a lot of these things happened quite a while ago and apologies for the lenght of this post. This is why I need to post a lot more often.

Back in March Gordon's dad, step-mom and sister came down from WA for his nephew's baptism. Here are a few pics from the week they were here:







Before we left for AR we had our first movie night with Tyler and discovered just how much he loves POPCORN!! He just can't get enough of it. We had the Dunaways over to join in the fun and it was a blast to have them over!





And here are a few I found of Tyler that just put a smile on my face. It's been so fun to see his personality come out even more the last little while.





(I actually took that last one today. This is probably his favorite spot here in our apartment. I don't know why he loves it over there so much. I do usually move the garbage can, but both he and Josh just hang out over there and play. Silly boys!!)

Still Kickin'!

I was catching up on blogs after being disconnected from the world for the last 2 weeks and realized I haven't posted since February. I guess it's time we let everyone know we're still alive. Here are a few highlights from the last little while:

- We moved to Arkansas. So far it's treating us good and it's nice to actually get some warmer weather after our Utah snow.

- Our biggest accomplishment in the last week? Surviving the 3-day drive out to AR. We were so excited to finally be done driving and trying to entertain 2 boys in a confined car. Needless to say, I think we'll be flying home at the end of the summer...

- Tyler turned 18-months-old and can now officially attend Nursery. With the move and all the changes, I figured I'd give him a few weeks before we give that a go, but I'm hoping he'll like the change in scenery at church. Any suggestions for making that an easy transition?

Other than our move, not too much has been going on lately. I have some big plans to paint lots this summer so I hope I'll be able to post some new pieces when I get them done. I also want to send a HUGE thankyou to my Mom who helped us make the trip out. We really could not have done it without her. She's always so good to keep us sane when we're ready to pull our hair out and her optimism was priceless after the long days we had. We are so grateful for her willingness to sacrifice a week to help us drive and drive and drive and then unpack on top of that. You're the best, Mom, and we miss you a ton already!!

Random

So tonight as I was rocking Tyler to sleep, I started thinking about painting and for some odd reason this particular painting came to mind. It was painted with oil on 4 different pieces of canvas. It's one I did my first year in college and because of that has some fundamental problems, but thinking about it made me miss painting a lot all of a sudden. I haven't painted in at least a couple years and it was definitely an outlet and a serious stress reliever. So now I'm thinking I should really take it up again...for health reasons of course. ;) Random, I know. When I told Gordon that I had been thinking about this particular painting while rocking Tyler to sleep, he literally laughed out loud. Isn't that what everyone thinks about when they have a free minute?

How Quickly They Grow...

I feel like Tyler has made some developmental leaps in the last few weeks and every time they surprise me! I can't believe how big he's getting. He definitely has his goofy moments though and I've been trying to pull out the camera more to capture them. Here are a couple from the last little while...



One of his favorite things right now is to sit at his little table and color. I think it makes him feel like a big kid and for all of you moms out there, twistable crayons are the bomb!! This is his "Mom, I need you to come help me with something" face.


And for old times sake:

Last Saturday we went to the BYU men's volleyball game. It brought back such memories and it was so fun to be there with almost all of the Manning gang again. Tyler did so well the whole time even though it was a late night and even though our team lost. I guess we're not good luck after all! :)