Looking Forward

In a previous post I mentioned a list that I have in my head of things I am excited for Lulu to still experience. She has so much life yet to live and so many new things to try! I am excited to be a part of it too. Watching her learn and taking her places to experience new things is one of the greatest parts of being a parent. From my perspective I can see these things waiting for her, but she has no idea what is coming. It's all so exciting! Hammer and Baby would have almost the same list, but this list is specific to Lulu. I included the few things she has already done that I have checked off the list. I left them on because I like to see the whole list. This list was basically formed before she was even born. X take dance X play soccer X go to Disney Land/World X ride a roller coaster X visit the Zoo X draw pictures X write her name X go to the beach X check out books from the library X see a movie in the theater X sit on Santa's lap - learn to play the piano - go to a circus - go to Disney on Ice - go camping - ride a bike without training wheels - roast marshmallows - learn to swim - go sledding - watch fireworks up close - all day school - learn to read - loose a tooth - have a sleep-over - go to a rodeo - ice skating - go to a concert - keep trying new foods - learn to paint - ride a horse - learn photography - travel the world - go on a cruise - her first kiss There are of course more from there as she gets even older, but we'll leave it at that. Isn't life exciting?

Daddy's Weekend

Ollie took last Friday off, and yesterday too! We were excited to have lots of Daddy time over the long weekend.
We started our weekend fun on Thursday night with a pizza from Papa John's. That was a treat, since we had already been out in September and we only eat out once a month.
Friday:
We went down to temple square. The kids enjoyed the children's area of the Church Art Museum:
Here is Lulu piecing a giant magnet quilt on the magnet board:
She also loved finding the eggs under the chickens in the coop. Hammer was afraid. It was a little too realistic for him I guess:
Hammer did enjoy building a temple wall though. I had him sit on his creation for some pictures:
They both loved dressing up in Mexican clothes and learning to dance:
Lulu could have done it all day...:
...But we convinced them to walk around temple square too. Here they are looking up at the temple:
and trying very hard not to play in the water while I take their picture:
There are beautiful Autumn flowers and grasses on the square:
We also explored the visitor's center. Baby was so good the entire time. I am still amazed at how good he is. I just love him so much. We then had a picnic lunch in the van as we drove home since Baby had fallen asleep and I wanted to get home before he wanted to nurse.
When we got home, we had more fun riding bikes and blowing bubbles outside:
This is my summer wreath that I recently finished. I took it down yesterday to hang up a Fall one though:
It's true, the leaves are changing. It was the first official weekend of Fall:
Saturday:
Lulu had another soccer game:
She played against the Unicorn Ponies. For some reason that team's name was really cracking me up. So 4-year-old-girly.
After lunch I took the baby and went with my mother-in-law to a bridal shower. It was good company, and it was nice to get away and chat. Oh, and really yummy food too. The older two kids got to stay home with Dad and watch a movie.
After the shower we drove all the way back home and it was dinner time. I took Lulu to a birthday party that she had been trying so patiently to wait for. She had a great time.
No pictures from any of those events of course, but it was a full Saturday.
Sunday:
Church, and lots of Daddy time while I did my visiting teaching and choir practice without any kids.
Monday:
Ollie and Hammer went for a hike up Adam's Canyon to see a waterfall at the top. Hammer was so excited to go by himself with Ollie, and to get to ride in Dad's truck:
Just look at his face, if you can see through the reflection:
Ollie took these pictures on his phone of the Hammer man on their hike. My little boy's such a cheeser sometimes. Ollie said he was a little nervous of the waterfall because it was so loud. He must have thought it was pretty cool though because the first thing he told me when he came home was "Guess what mom? I saw a waterfall!":
While they were hiking, Lulu and I went shopping. I tried on about a million pairs of jeans, and bought two. I tried them on again today but decided they are too tight. Dang baby weight. I guess if I actually tried a little I might loose it faster. So I need to take the jeans back and keep trying. You have to have pants, it's necessary! I can only wear shorts a few more weeks.
After shopping Lulu had preschool. It was purple day, and show and tell for the letter T. She was all decked out in purple and took her Tinkerbell shoes to show her friends. She still loves preschool.
We had a nice family dinner and more outside time later. It has been such perfect weather! And we loved the extra Daddy time.

So then we woke up and it was Tuesday and Dad was back at work. I am trying to get back into reality and to be productive. Doing a long blog post counts right? As does changing lots of diapers and doing dishes and washing my hair? Right? We'll say yes. That makes me feel better.

3 kids

We decided not to buy Lulu's soccer pictures, but to take them outside our house instead. These were her best ones:
Then of course Hammer said it was his turn. It was really cute. Here are my favorites of him:
Of course Baby didn't get any pictures with the soccer ball, but I have been taking quite a few of him lately too. I just can't help it. He's such a cute little squish.
I like this one because he looks so serious, and like he may be about to punch the camera:
I'm still trying to get a really good smile on camera. It's hard!:
He is such a happy baby. He's still so calm and content all the time.
I love to hear his little voice. He is discovering that he can make cool noises!
He loves peek-a-boo, especially if it startles him a little. And he is very ticklish. I love his giggle. It kind of sounds like he is crying, but don't be alarmed. He is just laughing. It was kind of hard to get that on video too. Here are my best attempts so far:

Poor Hammer

My poor little Hammer was so sad that he wasn't invited to Lulu's preschool too. We stayed for a few minutes the first day while they all played with toys. Teacher Jennifer has cars, which is Hammer's favorite! He thought it was awesome, until 10 minutes later I had to drag him out kicking and crying and hitting, while carrying the baby in his carseat too. He doesn't understand why Lulu gets to go and he doesn't. And he doesn't understand why she gets to play soccer and he doesn't. Why is life not fair when you're 2? I know that next year he will get to go to preschool and he won't even remember these days, but I still felt bad for him. Poor Buddy. After we got home I let him wear Lulu's helmet and ride her big bike around. That cheered him up a little since he normally has to use his tiny bike while Lulu's on hers: The second day of preschool, he didn't even want to get in the van to pick Lulu up from school. Just look at his face, he was one ornery boy: I also like this picture because of his outfit. He loves to play dress up with Lulu, but we are a little short on the boy dress-ups. That will soon be remedied though, maybe at Christmas. We need some capes and boots and hats. So I don't know if it's this feeling of being left out or because he's had a little cold or he hasn't been sleeping well, but he takes most of his annoyance out on Lulu. He won't let her touch his cars unless he says it's ok. He starts beating her up if he wants her to wear a dress-up and she doesn't want to. And he melts down at little things all day long. For example, I wouldn't give him more juice and he cried and cried. The good news is the last two nights he has slept all night again, so I'm hoping for a little angel two year old today. The other good news is Daddy is taking a few days off soon and will be having some one-on-one time with Hammer. Even when he's a little pill, he's still so cute and funny. Oh so funny. I just love him so much.

Where Were You

"Where were you when the world stopped turning, that September day?
Were you teaching a class full of innocent children
Or driving down some cold interstate?
Did you feel guilty 'cause you're a survivor
In a crowded room did you feel alone?
Did you call up your mother and tell her you loved her?
Did you dust off that Bible at home?"
I'm not an Alan Jackson fan, the singer of the quote above. I don't even really like the tune of this song that much, but I do like the words. If you don't know it, you should look up the rest of the lyrics. And if you're a country fan you may even enjoy it!
I like it because it's true. Everyone remembers where they were on 9/11. A lot of people had different reactions to the tragic events, but I think there are three things we all experienced that day. There was a feeling of shock, a surge in national pride, and an appreciation for what we have that has not been taken away from us.

Every year on September 11th I remember where I was on that terrible morning. I haven't ever written about it on my blog, so maybe today on the 10th anniversary it's time to document it.

I was living at my Nana's house. I worked at a Credit Union and was going to school. I remember that morning Nana came in my room and woke me up. That was something she never did before or after that day. She is one who is very careful to give privacy and space. But that day she woke me up and I knew immediately from the look on her face that something was wrong. I wondered for a split second if I had slept in. No, she didn't know what time I even needed to get up. I wondered if someone was sick, or had died. She said "I didn't want to wake you up, but I think you need to see this." I silently followed her into her room where the news was on. The smoking towers were on tv and I said "What happened? Was this an accident?" "No," she told me, "Two planes were hijacked and crashed into the buildings. There are more planes in flight right now that have been hijacked too."

I was completely stunned. We just stood there in our pajamas watching the billowing smoke, hardly even hearing what the newscasters had to say. Why would someone do that?
And then we watched as the buildings fell. It was a horrible feeling to know that it was during work hours and there were probably thousands of people in those buildings. We just kept watching, trying to make sense of it all.

Eventually Nana and I had to tear ourselves away from the screen and get ready for work. I remember working in the drive thru at my branch, where we could listen to whatever music we wanted. We had the radio on, but it was all just news. No music. Everyone at work was talking about it, the employees and the customers.

I went to the University that day. There was a strange almost reverent feeling everywhere. I went to the library and the only noise was from the tv's that had been brought into the lobby showing the latest news of the tragedy. Students stood around the tvs in groups, quietly watching. Occasionally I would hear some mutters of disbelief and I could tell by some of the students' faces that they were just learning of the news.

I remember attending a candle light vigil at the University a few days later. I felt I wanted to be part of a group who were as shocked and saddened as I was, even though I did not personally know anyone who had died on 9/11. It was actually a nice feeling to be connected in that way with such a wide array of people that normally would just be strangers.

I also remember hearing from a few friends on missions in foreign countries that strangers approached them all day long, at random times and in random places, to tell the missionaries that they were sorry for the USA. They truly were sorry for our loss. I really appreciated hearing that, and knowing that people all over the world were just as shocked and were mourning with us.

I also remember driving down the street and hearing the song "I'm proud to be an American" and seeing people's flags flying from their houses. There were flags everywhere, and it made me cry. I still am so proud to be an American. We do have so many freedoms in this great country, and that is something that the terrorists didn't take away. I was proud to see the flag waving in my yard when I woke up this morning.

It was a horrible day. I can't believe people could feel so strongly that God wants them to fight a holy war that they would take so many innocent lives. That is not the God I know. The God I know is loving and forgiving and ever mindful of us, no matter our circumstance or religion. We are all His children. If we truly believe that then we should treat everyone with respect and love.

I have a really bad memory, but I remember that morning at Nana's very clearly. I'm sure all of us do. So, where were you?

Summer Evenings

One of my favorite things about summer is going outside after dinner to play a little more. We do it every night. Unless it's raining.
Mostly we started doing it to try to keep Hammer from falling asleep before bath time, since he is done taking naps. It really works too. Everyone ends up in a better mood for the rest of the evening.
Now it is a tradition.
I love that it feels like the day isn't over yet, even though it is winding down. We can still go out and enjoy bikes, and chalk, and the weather, and each other's company. We sit on the stairs and talk, or eat popsicles. We chat with our neighbors. There's something really wonderful about being outside in the fresh air and the warm sun.
I miss that so much when it is cold and dark in the winter evenings.
Here are a few pictures from last night's after-dinner enjoyment:

I wish it could be summer most of the year. Well...2 months of hot summer. 2 moths of cold winter so we can have white christmases. And then 8 months of early summer/late summer weather. That would be ideal.

New School

Lulu was excited to start at a new preschool this year!
Here she is ready for her first day:
Since she has afternoon kindergarten, in the mornings we still get to sleep in as long as possible, run errands, play dress-ups, etc
Her new teacher says that Lulu is very smart. She knows most of her letters already! That's because she's already did preschool last year too. I hope she can learn even more this year. She will think kindergarten is a breeze.
There are 6 girls in the afternoon class, and Lulu knows 3 of them, so that was exciting. One is our neighbor right across the street from us. One is a girl from church class. And another is from last year's dance class! Not that that would have really mattered to her. Lulu makes friends everywhere she goes. When she came out after the first day she was laughing and playing with one of the girls she didn't already know before.
I am so proud of her. She's smart, friendly, and beautiful.
Since the picture the first day was a little shadowy, we took another picture after her second day of preschool too:
She is also my good helper. She helps me clean up, she grabs me things when I'm busy nursing, she chooses her outfits and dresses herself, she often helps Hammer dress too, and she loves to help in the kitchen.
What a sweetheart she is.