Epic BYU Adventure

My little sisters Chery and Celsea went back up to Provo to start fall semester last week.  Each time I would think about them going up there I would get so sad and I just kept thinking how badly I wanted to go with them.  Then my brain started churning and I thought up a crazy idea that I would tag along on their road trip.  After convincing Scott he wouldn’t miss me for four days and somehow tricking my fabulous in-laws into helping with the kids I was all ready to join them.  I kept it a surprise from my sisters – telling only my parents.  We went over to say goodnight on Sunday night since the plan was to leave the next morning.  I actually cried even though I knew I would see them for the next four days!  Here is Celsea sitting with my boys the night we said goodbye – they miss her so much already!

(I know it isn’t the greatest picture – I took it with my phone in the dark…)

 

My mom is so clever and conjured up a story about needing to stop by my house on their way out of town so that Scott could help my Dad check the trailer they were pulling.  As they sat out in front of my house early in the morning, Scott and my Dad put on a great show of checking the trailer.  I grabbed my suitcase and ran out the door, shouting like a maniac, “wait for me!! I’m coming with you!”  They were so surprised (I wasn’t sure if they would be or not).  I love surprising people like that – I get such a kick out of it.  Then we were off on our 12 hour road trip!

We had a great time talking and laughing and listening to music.  Sigh!

The first evening we were there I got to see my friend Tina (one of my former roommates) while I was there and reminisce about the good old days.  Over the next few days we moved Celsea into her dorm in Heritage Halls and Chery into her (3rd floor!) apartment off campus.  Whew enough stairs to last me a life time.  I needed all those stairs after eating at Brick Oven twice, chowing cinnamon bears from the bookstore, guzzling BYU Creamery chocolate milk, and gorging myself on BYU Creamery ice cream (Earnestly Chocolate in a waffle cone, thank you very much!)  Soooo tasty!

 

Here is Celsea getting to eat “real” food (non-blended) for the first time in the six weeks since her jaw surgery!  Did you know you could forget how to chew?

 

Chery, Celsea, and I in front of Celsea’s dorm building.  Yes, I am a shrimp next to my elegant long legged sisters.

 

The girls with my Mom.  We have all lived in Heritage Halls as freshmen at BYU!

 

Proud Mom and Dad…isn’t my sister adorable??

 

Celsea, striking her “foxy” pose in front of Fox hall.

It was truly a wonderful trip!  We also got to spend time with some extended family while we were there.  I had so much fun living vicariously through my sisters.  I look back on my BYU experience (especially freshman year) as one of the very best parts of my life!  I learned so much and had soooo much fun!  There is such a great feeling walking around on BYU campus.  I can’t really describe it but I crave being there.  The gorgeous mountains, sky, and cooler weather were a (literal) breath of fresh air!

 

I am so excited for Celsea to start her BYU adventure and have the time of her life.  (Chery and I spent half of our time together regaling Celsea with all of our fun freshman year experiences…I can’t believe Chery is already a senior!)  I also got to meet several of Chery and Celsea’s roommates, which is nice because I like to know who they are living with. 

 

Here we are in Celsea’s room in front of her cute bed and shelf.

I am still going through BYU withdrawals even after being home for several days.  I am already planning my next trip up there…maybe for Homecoming?  This time I will bring Scott and the boys with me – why should they miss out on the fun?  It was wonderful to come home to my sweet little family and be the queen of my home again – no sharing a kitchen with other women, and not answering to anyone else for messes I leave for later is nice.  I also definitely like my current roommate much better than any of the others! 

I miss Chery and Celsea so much already!  Celsea is the baby in our family and it is the strangest thing to go to my parents’ house and have her missing.  Tonight Boston asked where she was and while we tried to explain it to him you should have seen the look on his sweet little face.  He was so sad and kind of angry and as my older brother was teasing him by saying that a cougar named Cosmo had her locked up in a cage he looked shocked and upset!  Poor little guy!  He loves his Aunt Celsea and can’t imagine her being anywhere but home.  (Chery was up at BYU when he was born so he doesn’t know any different with her, though he loves when “Chery-choke” comes to visit).

Summer odds and ends and our new family member

These swimming pictures are from the very beginning of the summer when my sister Chery was home for a few days.  We had so much fun!  Scott was on a backpacking trip in Havasupai (Grand Canyon) while Chery was here so I took the boys and stayed at my mom’s house.

That is Scott in front of the waterfall...I promise.  :)

For me and my sisters it was like a three day slumber party!  Chery and Celsea helped me entertain Stephen and Boston, we did pedicures, watched movies, and ate a LOT of desert!  I love my sisters!


Stephen and Boston love their Aunts too.  You can’t see in these pictures but they were pelting Grandpa with the water balls. 



Lovely summer sunset...

There are only two ways to play in Arizona during the summer: wet or indoors.

So here is wet: my little piggies playing in the mud outside.  This was actually a reward for Boston during his early potty training efforts.  They literally roll in, throw, and splash to their heart’s content in that mud!


Here is our indoor playground:

Who needs a playground when you have Daddy?



Scott did a lot of handy man work this summer.  He does a lot of work for a friend of his mom - she pays well, but mostly he fixes things for his mom and my mom. He says he likes doing these things for them.

One night he literally got stuck inside my parent's garbage can drawer thing while he was fixing it...he he!  Did I help him, no, I took pictures.  Don't worry he got free very soon after this.

I had to include a picture of our newest family member….drumroll please…we got a minivan!  Wooo hoooo!!!!  (Does anyone else count their cars as family members?)  I am so thrilled to have this minivan!  As I drove it for the first time I was giddy – literally bouncing in my seat and singing at the top of my lungs.  (Luckily, I was alone so no one had to see that).  For me, it represents freedom because up until now we were a one car family.  It came to us…right after we moved we found out that a family in our new ward was selling their Honda Odyssey.  My first thought was that it would be trashed since it was an ‘04 but we were pleasantly surprised to find that it was in excellent condition.  Seriously, I could not believe how good it looked.  They took meticulous care of the van and it even has a year left on the warranty!  We snatched it up just in time for Stephen to start school.  It has been such a blessing because I would have no way to get Stephen to school if we didn’t have it!  I know it is a terrible picture.  I actually took this to show my mom that we finally cleaned out the garage enough to fit a vehicle in there….  It is definitely not Scott’s dream car, in fact, he swore that he would NEVER drive a minivan but he does.  He he!  He looks very cute doing it too, I might add. 

Boston: of potties and pacifiers

Um, yeah.  It wasn’t too many weeks after the below pictured “poopy incident” that I randomly decided to try and potty train Boston.  I tried to blur the yucky stuff so you wouldn’t have to see it but I had to include these pictures because his face was so hysterically funny!  My decision to start potty training actually had nothing to do with this but it sort of seems related….  One Sunday I just thought, “this week is the week to potty train Boston.”  We started the very next day and he has done very well so far.  He isn’t completely trained but he is continuing to improve.  We are in it for the duration.

 

 

As a reward for getting so many stickers on his chart we busted out some new Spiderman underwear.  He LOVES them as you can see…

They were a pricey investment (seriously, why are underwear so expensive??) but well worth the money.  He stays dry better when he wears these than when he wears his training pants or pull ups.  (Do pull ups fool any kid?)  Something about saying “don’t pee on Spiderman” seems to click with him!

He was so busy dancing about that I could barely get these pictures!  He refused to wear cloths for a while since that would cover Spiderman up!  I forced some clothes on him so we could take Stephen to school but the minute we got home those had to come right off!

 

Unfortunately the same week we began potty training Boston, his last pacifier went missing.  Such a tragedy!  He was totally addicted to that thing.  Yes, I know we made a resolution to do away with it months ago but eh, whatever.  I liked that pacifier!  It was rough going that first week or so as he adjusted to nap and bedtime without the pacifier.  He cried and cried!  To make matters worse, that was the same week Stephen started school.  Yeah, not the brightest idea to have all of those major changes all at once.  It definitely wasn’t planned.  The funny part was that the next day I found a pacifier in my purse.  Well, there was no turning back at that point so I made Scott throw it away.  (I felt too guilty to throw it away myself).  Even with all the pressure on him, Boston pulled through like a champ and has adjusted very well to all of his new changes.

 

Boston is such a bundle of fun and cute as a button.  I had to include these pictures of him drawing.  He is very intense when he draws and tends to favor his left hand!  See how his cute pudgy hand holds the paper in place?  Sigh…love it!

Stephen: of worms and school

What four year old doesn’t like to dig up worms?  These were dug up at my parents house under the same citrus trees I used to dig worms under!

 

A nice juicy one…

 

Stephen started going to the public preschool nearby.  He is one of the only Caucasian children in his class (there are maybe three out of 18).  He is learning a little Spanish and he LOVES, LOVES, LOVES going to school!

My handsome boy, ready for his first day!

He is in the afternoon class and I thought that it would be a big problem for him since he was still taking an afternoon nap every day up until school started.  To my surprise and delight he has done very well and falls asleep so much quicker at night!

Boston is devastated that he doesn’t get to go to school with Stephen.  I have to sign Stephen in and out of school everyday and so I have to drag Boston along and each time we go into the classroom he wants to get down and play.  I think he is finally figuring out that it is not going to happen because he doesn’t throw a huge tantrum anymore when I tell him he can’t.

 

Stephen is my little artist.  He likes to make “projects.”  One day we spent a good hour drawing pictures of food which we cut out and he taped on the walls throughout the house to simulate his favorite movie, “Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs.”

July At a Glance

We watched fireworks with the Smiths and my sister, Celsea. 

 

This is me and my beautiful sister Celsea. She is a freshman at BYU (but that is another post…) and I miss her like crazy!

 

The boys had a blast with their Smith cousins in the bed of the truck.  There was a bit of a dust storm that kicked up – hence the squinty eyes.  I didn’t know that Boston was putting the glow sticks in his mouth until this very moment!

 

We drove three hours to Thatcher to visit Scott’s grandparents and attend his cousin’s mission farewell one weekend.  Scott’s aunt Paula captured these pictures of us:

 

Scott’s brother Josh, his wife, Shea, and their son, Bently.  I love this picture!

 

Scott’s sister, Brooke, her husband, Justin, and their children, Talan, Atley, and Ryker.

 

Us.

 

A huge portion of this month was spent helping my mom care for my sweet sister Celsea after she had major surgery on her jaw so her teeth would line up properly.  After having her upper and lower jaw broken, and shifted around to match up properly, she now has metal plates and 30-some-odd screws/pins – some in her upper jaw and some in her lower jaw.  This picture was taken several days after the surgery when the swelling had come down significantly.  What does jaw surgery get you?  Six weeks of liquid/blended diet.  NO CHEWING allowed.  Yikes!  She is doing very well now and is off at BYU!  (Did I mention that I miss her?)  It was really fun getting to spend so much time with her.  We watched dozens of movies together (including all of the Harry Potter movies in a 2 day time period – too much!)  She was an excellent patient – no whining or complaining…well part of that may have been due to her numb face/tongue.  It was fabulous living so close to my family – I can zip down to their house in 10 minutes instead of the 20 minute drive it was from our old house.

We moved.

Fourth of July weekend we moved 20 minutes across town.  It was rather hot that day…118 degrees.

I think he would have ridden up there the whole way if we had let him.

We had a ton of help from family and friends despite the nasty heat.  We are so excited to live closer to our families - we are in Scott's parents' ward now and only 10 minutes from my family!

We ate lots of fast food that week/weekend.



The boys thought that all the bubble wrap was awesome – here they are having a “bubble wrap party.”  Sadly the bubble wrap monster came in the night and made it all disappear!


I took Stephen and Boston to check out the empty rooms at the old house – they weren’t around when we moved everything and I thought it might help them to have some closure to see the house empty.  Even though we disliked that old house – it really was very gross – it was so sad to leave it behind!  We loved the neighborhood, our friends, and all the memories we made there over the last three and a half years and it was so much harder to leave than I expected. 


Ready for the first Sunday in our new ward.