This post is long overdue. I get into these “I don’t really want to blog” moods for a while here and there, but finally decide since I’m not great at keeping up a journal I better have some family memories recorded somewhere.
Anyway, in the end of May we went with some family over to San Diego area and had the most fabulous and relaxing vacation. This place is heaven for adults and children… lots of sand, just the right amount of water, lots of people to play with, crabs to catch, getting up with the sun and wearing their swimsuits all day everyday, smores, hotdogs, flying kites, bubbles, visiting the Mormon Battalion – What more could you ask for!?! We loved having Mama and Papa Great there, Mamama and Papa dad, and almost all of my brothers and sisters and in-laws and kids. It was so nice to take a break, enjoy the company, enjoy the weather, and just relax for a few days.
Early in the morning the day after we got back, Micah left for the super activity. They had a great time hiking, boating, kayaking, and doing evening devotionals, etc. It ended up being a great trip for the boys and adults and we heard some great testimonies from the boys the next Sunday at church about how the activity had strengthened friendships, testimonies, and character. Micah posted a video on You tube a while back about the Angel’s landing hike in Zion’s national park that they all had a great time conquering!
So… EASTER! I’ve failed miserably and haven’t even written a single thing about it. I had sharing time for the month of April and each week of course was about a different part of our Savior’s life. I loved relearning things that had been a little forgotten and remembering the beauty and excitement of the Resurrection. I don’t know that I’ve ever thought deeply about how it must have felt for the people in that time who loved and followed Christ to see His resurrected being. He had prophesied of it, but I can only imagine how excited they felt to see Him again after all He had been through. I want to know Christ in that way, as I think about the resurrection, atonement, and teachings, to feel the amazement and excitement as if I were there at his feet seeing the things that he prophesied come to pass. These are things I have never doubted, but also never really tried to fully understand and feel. I love teaching these truths to my children and the different impressions I have each time I teach it.
Anyway, we painted eggs on Thursday night. This event is anticipated year round over here – we talk about it at Halloween, Christmas, birthdays – its an all time favorite. That Friday and Saturday was Father’s and Sons camp out – another highly anticipated event in our house and was thoroughly enjoyed!
He got extra dirty!
and impressed some men with his arm. Then for Sunday, somehow, Jackson was sure that the Easter bunny was hiding the eggs this year (we don’t really talk about the Easter bunny much), so when we got home from church I was a mean mom and very strict about sending them to their room and getting them out of their church clothes right away, while Micah checked if the Easter bunny had come 😉 ! The egg hunt stood alone…I didn’t buy a single piece of candy, no baskets, nothing, but you would have thought something far better than Christmas had happened here! Yes, it was the joy in the little things folks!
RIDING A TWO WHEELER
Next up – actually I think this was a little before Easter… Jackson learned to ride a bike without training wheels! He mostly just taught himself and practiced and practiced for 2 days straight any chance he got. Now he’s almost a pro!
VISIT FROM THE TRIPPS
Last weekend we got to have the Tripps stay with us! We hung out here a lot and swam in our cold pool, and went to one of the fun Aquatics Centers nearby, BounceU, out to eat, and we (Micah, our kids, and I) even went to watch one (the Tripps went to almost all) of Justin’s events in the Masters Nationals Swim Meet (okay, that was actually the reason they were here, they didn’t just want to play with us). We had a great time and now Jackson wants to compete in swimming!
MOTHER’S DAY!
I had a terrific Mother’s Day. Yesterday I had 2 bridal showers in the morning, one right after the other, so I was gone from about 8 AM to 11:30. While I was out, they were busy little bees:
I also received a fancy crock pot (my other one had cracked somehow)
and a nice new blow dryer… I think its been about 2 months that I’ve been using this tiny travel one that stops working after 5 minutes. You have to blow cold air into it so it will come back on, so blow drying was getting to be a chore with my mop of hair and, sad to say, not getting done very often. I used both today and thrilled! Do I have a great husband or what? He’s awesome … and great kids too.
On Friday Jackson came home from school and he had prepared a few things for me for Mother’s Day. They were very sweet – I love the little poem and hand prints and I love reading his responses to all of the questions about me. I read it out loud to him when he first gave it to me and I thought it was funny that he would start giggling about his responses before I did.
Anyway, the more I thought about his responses the more I felt as if this was about as close as I would get to a “mothering” report card for the year (at least from Jackson’s perspective). Micah and I had a good laugh about it and I’m just glad Jackson still loves me even though “sometimes she’s mean…” 🙂
I guess I did alright this year!
Children make life so fun. I’m so grateful for Jackson, Lacey, and Rachelle. I never knew the love and joy children would bring until I became their Mother!
We were all so excited to start this session of swim lessons… well, at least Jackson and Lacey were – Rachelle could have passed on the whole experience. But I’m happy to say that she can turn around and grab the wall if she falls in and can monkey walk like a pro! I love to see their progress in swim lessons even when they scream through almost every minute of it.
Rachelle has been hard but awesome to watch. She’s in a class with mostly 2 yr olds, so their ability to move their bodies and even just their ability to understand what the teacher is saying, is way above hers. I noticed though that it didn’t take her more than a day or two to fully understand what her teachers expected and what she needed to do to get things right. She floats on her back with a little assistance, but I think the most valuable things we’re taking from these lessons are blowing bubbles when she’s under water, when she falls or is dropped in she turns and grabs the wall, and really, I’m amazed at her new-found monkey walking skills. I think those things alone were well worth the money and tears.
Lacey has also learned a lot, but decided the last couple days to start acting scared. I’m not sure what happened that scared her, but she was nervous to dive/jump into the water. She’s always been really good at floating on her back and now she’s able to stick her head up and catch a quick breath while swimming. She’s been working hard and her freestyle is becoming more long arms rather than doggy paddle.
A few days ago, Jennifer, one of the teachers, asked me if Jackson was doing swim team this summer – She said he’s a good little swimmer. I think he’s ready and would LOVE it (what sport/competition doesn’t he love?), but I thought we’d wait another year. Don’t tell him – he wouldn’t be happy with me. 🙂 He easily makes it across the pool with a pretty good freestyle. He’s learning the other strokes and loves going every day!
Geri and Jennifer are the best! Really – We’ve been a few other places for swim lessons, and they really do the best job for all ages. They are awesome at drown proofing for pre-swimmers, excellent with beginning swimmers, and fabulous teaching the strokes for more advanced swimmers. Their energy is amazing and they always tell the kids what a great job after every turn- the kids feel so proud when they get out of the pool. Even Rachelle – she has grown up so much and I can tell when she comes out she is proud of her hard work!
