Good feelings gone....

You know the scene in Finding Nemo where Dori & Marlin are following this light & Marlin is happy, when he shouldn't be happy and then all of the sudden this scary fish jumps out at them?.....yeah, that about sums up how it feels to come back to the mainland. Don't get me wrong, I missed my kids & wanted to come home to them. HOWEVER, St. George seems to be the exact opposite of Hawaii...dry heat vs. humidity (my feet were loving the big island), vacation vs. reality (can you say laundry?), high maintenance living vs. who cares what you look like when you go to the store attitude, beautiful plants & flowers that grow everywhere vs. plants that look like they are DYING for a drink of water, oh and last but not least.....feeling like your rich vs. coming home & finding out that really, you are not! I made a valiant effort to bring a little island love back home, the kids & I a put on our suits & went out to play in the pool. An hour later, I had to give it up & go start crossing things off the list. Good feeling is gone....indeed!!
I just have to share one of my favorite moments though. We went to church on Sunday & enjoyed a wonderful sacrament meeting. Did you know that they have a lei specialist that makes them for all of the visitors? Anyway, after sacrament meeting, they announced that one of their members was moving back to the mainland, they had him come to the pulpit & everyone stood up & sang Aloha Oe to him. Everyone was really into it & the man just stood there & cried. Dale wanted to move there immediately, he loved the brotherhood that they seemed to have for one another.
Well I am back home....& yes, it really is home. I love the desert, I love the desert, I love the desert.....

Aloha!

Yesterday, we swam with a pod of 150 dolphins. Last night, we sat in a hot tub & played in a pool that was surrounded with hibiscus & palms. Today we are snorkeling with Nemo, and hopefully Crush. I think I'd like to live here (even though it costs $8.79 for a package of Ding Dongs).

It's no wonder...

Baylee's teacher is retiring this year. She was so kind to let the kids take home some of her stuff. She's brilliant, actually. Of course, everything is a treasure & will produce tears if we discard. What's a mom to do?
Notice the jolly rancher wrappers...did you know that they are a collector's item? We have been collecting all year. Baylee & her friend worked hard last night to make the teacher a going away present. They took all of their wrappers & taped them to a huge piece of cardboard & crafted a beautiful thank you note. I could have stopped them...but I didn't, two can play at this game after all.

Milestone

Ok, it's official! As long as there is an adult in the car with him, he can legally drive. Just. Plain. Weird.

Where has the time gone?

15 years ago, today, I became a mom. I was young, thank goodness, & had no idea what I was doing or the responsibility that I was taking on. Now I am old-er & still have no idea what I am doing, but Shay has made being a mom easy. Am I crazy to say that I love having a teenager? I love having this teenager. He is still obedient, still thankful for the things he has, still thoughtful & kind, and still just a good kid. Tomorrow we will go get his driving permit (ugh), he is growing up in every way, the most noticeable is the actual UP, (six foot one) and his shoe size (12). But the growing up that makes me the most proud is the young man that he is becoming. So, Happy Birthday Shay!! It is an honor being your mom.

Countdown

Tanner slept in today & left in a panic. The backpacks are BULGING with junk, cleaned out of lockers & desks. The constant stream of 'important' papers is piling up. Choir concerts, dance recitals, open gym, & preschool graduations are being attended. Closets are screaming to be organized. Lunch boxes just plain need to be thrown away. Math books are finally being returned. Homework is getting done....barely. The hooks in the mudroom, are buried. 5 days......& counting.

Learning to let up...

I am a big fan of free agency. Especially if it just involves me, but when my kids demand it...not so much. I AM learning though. Baylee's third grade talent show is today. The suggestion was made that she & her friend might want to play a little piano/violin duet. They chose a hip hop dance number to "Come on Feel the Noise" by Quiet Riot. I held my tongue and then proceeded to curl & rat her hair. It was a full circle moment....boombox & all.

Father's and Son's

Wow!! How times have changed. Shay is starting to look like Sam did and the Saint Bernard pup has given way to cute little Everett. I loved this tradition growing up because my Dad & all the boys would go & leave just my mom & I to have a girls night. The tradition continues, Keaton is now old enough to go so Baylee & I enjoy time together. Some friends came over & we scrapbooked. Baylee could hardly believe that she was included in a scrapbook night. I loved it then and I love it now.
(Poor Tanner couldn't make it though because of his schedule, he goes to rehearsal M-F from 6-10:30 & Sat. 9-5....can you believe it?)

Venting....

If you are of the Male species, just don't read this one. There are some days that I shouldn't be allowed to have contact with ANYone. I am awnry for no reason & just plain mad that my body is so out of control. If I had an extra 6 weeks to heal, wasn't scared silly about a huge emotional roller coaster & had an extra $4000.00 laying around for my deductible, I would schedule a hysterectomy TODAY!!

adventures on two wheels AND small gestures

We call him our Reliv baby. I don't know if it is that, or the fact that he is the youngest and very competitive. But the kid catches on to things FAST. The other day, Keaton insisted that it was time to take off his training wheels. Dale did and then proceeded to teach him how to ride. 3 trips up and down the rode and he was on his own. Day two, we found him at 6:30 a.m. practicing. Later that day, he wanted me to come out and watch him go off the big curb! I'm pretty sure the kid needs a helmet.

Some days, I dream of big romantic gestures. But at my core, I'm really affected by the small ones. Dale was given the task of getting the mother's day gift for church on Sunday. He came up with the idea to do chocolate (he's really smart), and yesterday he sat and packaged up 100 little bundles of joy. This is completely out of his element, not a crafty bone in his body, but I loved watching him struggle with the cellophane & ribbon. I am so grateful for the small gestures that help me to be thankful for a husband that will do anything to fulfill his responsibilities. Who needs flowers anyway?

Ole!!

I don't quite know how it happened, but somehow we have started a tradition. Last year, we held our first annual Cinco de Mayo party. We invited a few families over for some great food & fun. This year, the group grew so large that we opted to leave the kids at home & just invite adults (25 to be exact). My friend commented "We better be careful or next year this party is going to be HUGE!" Needless to say...it was huge, to me, how can one complain when you have great friends, great food & great laughs....to quote my cousin, Andrea, "can life get any better than this? I submit, it cannot!!"