May 2014

We went to a Polynesian Festival at the start of the month.  We watched some hula dancing, ate some pulled pork, and took a ride in a longboat.  Hazel and Jack walked through the booths and each picked out an inexpensive item to take home.  Hazel chose a piece of pottery.  Minutes before leaving, she dropped it on the concrete and it broke into a bunch of pieces.  She was devastated.  A perfect stranger who saw this happen bought Hazel a replacement and chased us down as we were leaving to give it to her.  There are good people everywhere.

We decided it was time to give potty training another go with Jack.  It was a massive success!  Hooray!  

The kids' swimming lessons are going wonderfully.  Hazel can swim independently for 10-15 feet and just loves being in the water.  She plays in our community pool several afternoons a week.  Jack has begun to hold his breath under water and will swim from the wall or the step to his teacher, two or three feet.  Unfortunately, our apartment pool is quite chilly, unlike the 90 degree water his lessons are in, and he will not get in and practice at home.  

I didn't sign Hazel up for preschool out here (to minimize transitions for her), so other than swimming lessons twice a week, and buying groceries and such, we're mostly homebodies right now. Besides the pool, we've got a few other things gong for us.  

First of all, we've got a massive porch to hang out on.  I love it!  We've also got a big concrete area in front of us that the kids ride their bikes around on.  Jack especially has been on his bike constantly since we moved here.  

The other pro about being in an apartment complex is that Hazel has a bunch of built in neighbor-friends.  There are all these cute seven-year-olds she enjoys playing with.  After they come home from school, it's a big party outside every afternoon.  

We also have a nice big park right next door, just the perfect distance for H and J to ride their bikes while I carry Gemma and follow behind.  We were there yesterday and Hazel was being soooo helpful with Gemma, helping her go on slides and ride on the teeter totter.  And Jack loved pushing her in the baby swing for a long time.

Gemma's in a cute phase right now.  She's always got a book tucked under her arm.  When the kids play animals, she growls right along with them.  She loves being chased and still adores peekaboo.  She'll hide in my closet while I'm getting ready in the morning and poke out to surprise me.  She's adorable.  

Our biggest news is that we're getting ready to move ... again.  Todd's joining up with a small fire protection company in Livermore.  We're quite excited for this new venture.  Todd's looking forward to having a more challenging, dynamic job.  I'm thrilled that we're going to rent a house.  The company bought it, and we've been helping to renovate it.  Mostly Todd has been.  He's been working himself to exhaustion day after day.

The kids' favorite part about it is that we're going to have a backyard!!!  We're all pretty thrilled about it.  We've already bought a play structure on Craigslist and set it up.  The kids play on it when we go up to work on the house.  It was the ticket to finally motivate Hazel to figure out how to pump on a swing on her own.  Hip hip hooray!

 There's a bike trail entrance beside the house.  I anticipate many more outings along this path in the upcoming years... It leads almost directly to the elementary school.   I think we'll be taking Hazel to kindergarten on our bikes!

 More info to come next month!

April Review

We spent the first third of April packing and cleaning up our house in Smithfield, and saying our goodbyes to all our family nearby.

I experienced mixed emotions.  I was so excited to move back to California and "un-pause" my life.  I dreaded downsizing from the wonderful house we had into a yard-less, washer and dryer-less apartment.  I freaked out about that a bit, actually.  

The night before we left, my mom accused me of "not feeling sad at all" about moving away. I remember she said, "This must have been a really awful year for you if you're so anxious to leave."  Um, yes, yes it was a really awful year.  It wasn't all bad; I loved being near family and being in a nice house.  But it was still the hardest year of my life by a long shot, and I was happy to put it behind me. 

But that didn't stop me from crying the last time I walked through the place, everyone else already loaded up and ready to drive off.  That house was Godsent, and I will always be grateful for it and the people who took care of me while I was there.  

We moved back into our previous ward's boundaries here in Sunnyvale.  That has gone a long ways in helping us all with the transition.  We are happy to be surrounded by long-time friends and our ward family.  

Hazel and Jack have a bunk bed, and take turns sleeping on the top.  Hazel set up her scarf hammock and hangs out there a lot. (I love how this picture shows her lemur hanging out by her as well.  Also, the look on Hazel's face: "Get out of here." I get that a lot.)

We signed the two older kids up for twice a week swim lessons.  They're the only kids in their class with Teacher Ricky.  They've been three times so far, and I can see they're rapidly gaining confidence in the water.  Jack will put his face in the water on the count of three.  Hazel loves diving for toys and  swimming face-down.  She can make it 8-10 feet now.  

 One of our first field trips out here was to visit the beach and Barbara's Fishtrap (aka The Fish Restaurant) at Half Moon Bay.  It was an awesome day for everyone.  I especially loved watching Gemma experience everything for the first time.  She was fascinated with the different textures of the wet and dry sand, and loved standing in the water and being chased by the waves.

 Easter has been our first holiday out here.  Our attempt to color eggs was kind of pathetic.  I thought we'd unpacked the food coloring, but then we couldn't find it, so we ended up just coloring the eggs with markers.  Jack flipped out when he realized all the ink was coming off on his fingers.

Some of our friends organized an Easter party the Friday before.  In addition to an egg hunt, the kids tried out ice blocking and hard boiled egg races.  We love the good friends we have out here!

A family in our ward owns the local mini-golf course and hosts a ward egg hunt there every year.  It is awesome!  Our attempt to catch a photo of all three kids... not so awesome.  Gemma was sporting a bit of a fever that weekend and was furiously offended that I set her down.  

Gemma broke out in a rash moments after eating walnuts.  Guess we've got an allergy there.

I took the kids with me to visit old co-workers at Cumberland Elementary.  I think it was a really good experience for Hazel to see a kindergarten classroom and meet a K teacher.  She's been nervous about starting school this fall, and I think seeing how friendly and welcoming the atmosphere is took the edge off for her. She's since started acting a little excited about school.  

Overall, the move back has been pretty painless.  We're happy to be back.  

Turks and Caicos Trip

Mid-March, Todd and I went on a trip without the kids.  We stayed at Turks and Caicos Islands in the Caribbean for five nights.  The kids spent half the week with Todd's sister Missy and the other half with Todd's parents.  

We had our worst car rental experience ever.  Budget, you stink!  The car they gave us was such a clunker.  It was noisy and had power nothing.  It lasted 24 hours before we ended up with a flat tire.  The spare was flat as well.  Luckily, we were only a few blocks away from the office (15 minutes before they closed), and were able to walk over and demand a new car.  

Car number one:

The replacement:

Our first day there, we thought we were going to starve.  We couldn't find ANY restaurants.  We bought some fried chicken at the grocery store for lunch and were overwhelmed by the food prices.  Twenty-five dollars for a watermelon!  Six dollars for a box of cereal - on sale!  I thought we were going to starve on the trip, but we just bit the bullet and spent tons of money to eat instead. 

Eventually, we discovered that all of the restaurants were housed within the resorts on the island.  They were also remarkably expensive.  We decided the locals must not ever eat out.  There was a major class disparity that really bothered me.  The locals live in poverty, tourism pretty much the only trade on the island, as they cater to all these rich white people who travel to their home.  I felt extremely guilty, and wished there were a more visible middle class to make me feel more comfortable.  

One night, Todd made the mistake of ordering The Kraken burger.  Grilled cheese and bacon sandwich, fried egg, onion ring, burger, onion ring, burger, grilled cheese sandwich.  That thing was massive.  Someone walked by our table right after it arrived and said, "I hope you're not going swimming tonight.  You'll sink!"  Thankfully, we had a kitchen in our villa, so he could save the leftovers.  He ended up making three meals out of it!  

We chose this destination mostly because it was renowned for excellent scuba diving.  We were not disappointed.  The water was super clear.  We saw lobsters the size of dogs!  There was a huge variety of beautiful coral.  And on one of our dives, we saw a Caribbean reef shark!!!  It was an amazing experience.  I love scuba diving, feeling like I'm flying, and looking at the amazing world God's made under the water.  

We should have reviewed the basics online before our trip, however.  This was the first time we've dived in three years, and I was panicking a little before our first dive.  Todd was going over everything with me, but I just didn't feel comfortable enough.  We got in the water and started going down, and I was having a hard time equalizing.  Then I opened my mouth too wide and got some water in my mouth.  Instead of swallowing it, I spit it out, along with my regulator!  Then I realized I wouldn't be able to breathe under the water, and started swimming back up to the top to start all over. (I could have put the regulator back in my mouth underwater, but I was panicking and couldn't think straight.)  Our diving guide came up to the top with me to see what was going on.  He said he could see I had a lot on my mind and asked if I would rather go back to the boat.  No way!  I wanted to dive!  He yelled at me a bit, and said I could only come back if I "never, ever, EVER, under ANY circumstances, take that regulator out of your mouth!"  Yes, sir.  Back under I went, fighting to stay calm so I didn't get sent back to the boat.  

I did just fine after that, and felt super comfortable the second day, but that's a good lesson for us, that we really do need to refresh ourselves on scuba protocol when it's been a while since we've been diving.  

Todd found a gorgeous shell while we were diving that he grabbed to bring home.  Obviously, though, it still had a little creature living in it.  On a whim, I suggested he pop it in the microwave and see if that would kill the little bugger.  Five seconds in, there was a massive POP!  He jumped right out.  

One day, we drove around, just exploring the island, and found a great mostly-private beach.  There were only two other people on it.  We set up our beach chairs and pulled out our books, reading and snacking and enjoying the gorgeous views.  

After an hour or two, we decided to stroll down the beach and see what was around the bend.  There were shells everywhere - lots of conch - and we gathered up quite a fun collection.  

Eventually, we turned around and headed back to our chairs.  We were surprised to see someone else had joined us.  There was this massive stretch of unclaimed beach, but this lady and her dog had set up camp not five feet from our chairs and bags.  Rude!  And the closer we got, the more I was squinting to verify my suspicions.... Yep, she was topless.  Todd and I weren't sure what to do.  We weren't ready to go home yet.  We were having the time of our lives on this beach!  So we sat down in our chairs, picked up our books, and tried to just ignore this woman.  But she made it impossible.  She was tossing a ball to her dog and moving back and forth right in front of us.  Not two minutes had passed before she had come over to us and leaned down right in front of Todd to pick up a stick or something.  And she had the audacity to smile right at us and say hello.  She was definitely not going to be putting her top back on now that she had neighbors!  I couldn't take it, so we packed up our stuff and left.  

But we came back to that spot a few days later and enjoyed the serenity once again.  So there!  

Our flight didn't leave until after lunch on our last day, so we spent the morning paddle boarding in the mangroves.  We loved it!  I'm so glad we did that.  Usually, we finish out a trip the last day just relaxing and reading, and I always feel like the time drags out and makes for a long day.  I loved using our last few hours actively.  

March Review

The kids spent a week with their cousins (Todd's sister Missy) and Grammie and Poppa while Todd and I went to the Caribbean.  They had lots of fun, once Hazel got over her fear that we'd be captured by pirates or eaten by sharks.  

Otherwise, we've had lots of time to play as a family, with Todd not headed back to work just yet.  We've been to children's museums and Temple Square, rode the train through downtown Salt Lake City, and taken our bikes to the park and gone hiking.

Todd brought Hazel a scarf from Afghanistan.  She's worn it quite a bit, mostly as a cape, but it's mainly been used as a hammock.

The kids are dying for warm weather.  We had a mild day in the 50's once, and they thought it felt good enough to sunbathe.  They are looking forward to California's sunshine!

Hazel has been playing library - making elaborate story times for us to attend.  She reads us stories that she "wrote" and then has us check out books, get our hands stamped, and do a craft.  This book is "Frozen 2."  Also, notice the massive scrape on her face?  She crashed on her bike. Thankfully, it is healing well.  Vitamin E, please work wonders for us!

Hazel had her last day of preschool last week, because this week is spring break, and we are moving back to California next week.  Here she is with Teacher Josie.  I almost didn't even think to take a picture when I came to pick her up, but I'm so glad I did, because Hazel said later how happy she was to have a picture with Teacher Josie.  I guess it was a big deal.  Sometimes I wish I were more sentimental so I would think more naturally of important things like that.

Since then, we spent a few days at Todd's parents' house again.  The kids rode the tractor, got rides on the four-wheeler, and spent plenty of time outside even though it was quite chilly.

From there, we drove to Cedar City to visit with Todd's sister Laura and the other cousins for a couple of days, then made a farewell tour on the drive back home, stopping to see Kelsi and David, Ryan and Kathryn, and Missy's family again.  My parents have been coming over a bunch this week.  I think we are going to be missed when we take off!

Gemma now solidly says, "Up," when she wants to be picked up, and is good at signing "all done" or "more" at meals.  Otherwise, she jabbers quite vehemently, but it might as well be in Chinese.  She hasn't made her jaw-dropping face in a while; her latest trick is the "smoochy smooch."  She puckers up her lips and comes in for a kiss, and is getting quite a lot of mileage out of it.

Jack eats breakfast like a champ, but otherwise is quite frustrating to dine with.  He daydreams at the table and barely takes a bite. Generally, he's not been very responsive to incentives, but I thought I'd give a sticker chart a try.  Hazel was amazing with them at his age.  He earns a sticker when he finishes his food during meal time (at lunch and dinner) without being reminded again and again to take a bite.  I've been cutting out snacks and trying to give him smaller portions so his plate doesn't look so overwhelming to him.  It's still hit and miss, and he needs a lot more work on his table habits, but I'm just so relieved that it only took him a couple of weeks to fill in his chart.  Looks like it's movie night tonight!

Other than that, we've been packing.  We are going to split the drive into two days, and should roll into Sunnyvale April 10th.  We're excited!

February

Honestly, I have neither the memory nor the desire to blog about the first two weeks of February.  All I remember is the phone call from Todd, saying he had his plane ticket and would be home on the 16th, a full two weeks earlier than I'd been projecting his return.  Hazel, Jack, Gemma, and I had a dance party in the living room, then the older kids took turns cutting 20 links off our countdown chain all at once.

I quit my primary calling, planned a couple family dinners, and had some serious emotional ups and downs that last week, waiting for Sunday.

The night before, Hazel was completely bouncing off the walls.  It was better than Christmas Eve.  She was doing cartwheels, and tossing slippers in the air (ala graduation caps).  She planned and set out outfits for herself and her doll Melody.  Adorable, right?

Sunday the 16th we attended the first few minutes of church, but left after taking the sacrament, and drove two hours to the airport.  The kids were sooooo excited.  (I was nervous.)

We met up with Todd's parents and some of his siblings, nieces, and nephews.  And anxiously watched for Todd to walk through the gates.  The moment I saw him, I burst into tears.  Hazel ran to him and jumped into his arms, and didn't come down for a solid ten minutes.  Jack held back a little that first moment, but it only took one little conversation with Todd, eye to eye, before Jack was full-throttle in love as well.

The rest of the day, everyone was vying for Todd's attention.  Todd moved Jack's carseat into the back of the van and sat between J and Hazel while I shuttled them to Lehi for lunch at Missy's.  He rode back there with the kids a ton that first week back.  I love it.

Todd did ride up front with me from Lehi to Smithfield.  We had dinner with my family at my parent's house.  Afterward, there was a wild rumpus with the kids, just like I'd been dreaming of.  Lots of laughing and wrestling and running and I just sat back and videoed it and soaked in the extreme happiness we were all feeling to have Todd back.

Gemma has taken to Todd by all of a sudden deciding it's time to walk, now that Daddy's back.  She toddles all over the place now.  It's crazy.  Literally, her record was eleven consecutive steps on the 16th, and within a few days, she was walking all over the place.

And thanks to Todd, I finally have her funny face on record.  It's too difficult to get her to make it and take the picture at the same time.  She opens her mouth and pulls it down as low and as big as possible, on purpose to make us laugh.  I love it.  She cracks me up.

It's been a lot of this ever since: general mayhem and overloaded happiness at our house.  

I haven't known what to do with myself.  I truly have about three spare hours a day because I'm no longer doing everything alone.  My loneliness has been taken away.  I no longer feel all bottled up, with important things to discuss and no way to have a real conversation about anything.  I'm at peace.

Todd's been coming with us to library story time, preschool carpool, the park, the grocery store.  He's been bike riding with the kids, taking them out on individual dates, fixing things around the house, and, of course, planning ways to strike it rich.  We've been filling up on hide and go seek, tickle wars, and book reading.

I have felt a literal infusion of power and capability from heaven during this deployment, upholding me through overwhelming trials and debilitating fears of inadequacy. Now Todd has come back and taken over his roles as husband, father, best friend, life partner.  I have felt a transfer of strength in the last couple of weeks, like God has stepped back and let Todd be my support again.  I don't mean to say that I don't feel God supporting me right now - far from it.  But I've felt a release of that extra strength I needed and begged for, and haven't been dropped, because Todd is back to provide his strength to me again.

  I am overwhelmingly grateful Heavenly Father saw me through this difficult year.  I couldn't have made it without His strength.  I know He is mindful of me and my needs, and I know I was blessed through the enabling power of the Atonement to be more than I am on my own while Todd was away.