Friday, June 28, 2013
This weekend
And to think we just hit the first day of summer last week? I thought it started a few months ago. Ugh... I don't appreciate their sense of humor with the "cool-down" joke!!
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
May Extras
Within the first week of living in our rental, I discovered tiny, fast sugar ants all over the kitchen. They came out whenever I would cook, and they smothered anything sugary that they could find (i.e., drip of honey on the jar). They were in the pantry and in the cupboards along one wall in the kitchen. And I was freaking out - I do not deal well with bugs in the kitchen. And I can already hear Brandon and Brock commenting about me not being able to serve a mission - fine, I'll take that - these bugs were driving me NUTS. I began my quest to get rid of the ants - I watched them and tried to find their entrance holes. I got my own bug spray and began nuking them. One night, I saw more than 50 and just lost it. The owners of the house were very kind and had a bug sprayer come and spray twice in two weeks to help take care of the problem. I emptied the entire wall of cupboards and emptied the entire pantry and bagged everything so that nothing was exposed to air. Taking care of this bug problem was taking up most of my "free" time during the day. I don't know what was worse - the ducks or the sugar ants. Seriously. I am happy to report that we finally took care of the problem and they are gone! Adios!
The last weekend of May (on the three-day weekend), Brandon came home from his church meetings and said that he was going to take the big kids camping. An hour later, they were out the door and Kendall and I had an evening & morning to ourselves. It was awesome. One of my favorite things is being home alone in a clean house! (I wasn't technically alone, but I didn't have any tornado mess makers around.) The report I got from the campers is that they had a lot of fun exploring in the woods and that it was a little cold at night. Apparently, Brandon gave them the two good sleeping bags, and he got the kid-size Barbie one. Good daddy! He also took the old, leaky air mattress on accident, so the kids were right next to him as the mattress lost air. He eventually deflated it and they slept on the ground. They really did have a blast and so did Kendall and I!
Funny Andrew quotes, "Mommy, my blankies taste like han-itizer. I can't eat 'em." That's because he had just wiped his hand sanitizer hands all over his blankies. He just loves to chew his blankies (all 3 of the exact same brand - we got him new ones to replace the old ones, but he's just added to his collection) and he likes to wad them up and use them as a pillow. What's funny is that Kendall is starting to do the same thing with a pink blankie that is the same brand as Andrew's. He also always says this a lot, "Get me a 'nack (snack), mom!" If I ask why, he responds with "Because you're my best friend." And in his nice, polite voice, "Mommy, can you get me a treat (or otter pop), please?" hoping that because he's saying it nice, I'll say yes.
Kendall continues to be such a messy eater, but she's not picky, so that's good! She is sleeping good too. After our Utah trip, I stopped swaddling her and rocking her to sleep and just put her in her crib and let her go to sleep on her own. She did great, and made it so easy on us. She's pretty much the best baby ever. Other than the spit up, which is ridiculously A LOT. And people never believe me when I tell them to watch out because she's a spitty baby. Then she really barfs on them and they finally understand.
Rachel wrapped up her preschool year with Miss Arlene, and it was such a good experience. It exceeded my expectations, and it is fun to see her progress with all that she has learned. I already have Andrew signed up for Arlene's preschool even though he won't be old enough to attend for a few years (she has waiting lists). Rachel loves going to school and is really looking forward to all-day kindergarten, which starts August 7! At the end of May, Rachel had her dance recital through Jeanne's Dance in Mesa. She performed two numbers, had a great time, and she was just darling. It's so fun to watch your own kids perform. Other people's kids - not as fun - but watching your own is the best. :)
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NOW ... I have some beef with this whole dance thing (and don't get me wrong - I love/loved dancing and wish I had done it more seriously in my teen years and if it ends up being Rachel's thing I'll totally support her). Ok, here goes my rant. For starters, it is pricey! Rachel was in one class that met for one hour a week ($48), not to mention the registration and recital fee and the fact that we only got 2 free tickets to the concert (any additional would have cost $10 each - and I'm sorry, but the entertainment was not THAT good, not good enough to charge $10). But the craziest part was the costume. $65 freakin' dollars for her costume. I can't remember the last time I spent $65 on an outfit for myself, let alone for a dress up type outfit for a five year old. And I couldn't help but count the costumes (more $) of the more advanced dancers - they had 6+ costumes that their moms brought in on racks to keep them all nice and neat. Oh geez. I might NOT be cut out to be a dance mom. This is a little too intense for me. The next concern is the types of dances and their level of "sexiness". Most of them were tasteful, good and fun, but there was one (performed by the 16-17 year olds) that Brandon leaned over and told me that he would not want Rachel in that dance because it was too risqué, and I agreed with him. There are a few other little things - like how a lot of dancers get a huge bouquet of flowers from their parents after the recital (which we didn't know about our first recital and totally botched it last time - we have since learned). I asked Rachel if she wanted one rose (only one because if I give her a dozen roses when she's 5, what am I going to be giving her when she's 14?!) or if she wanted to go out for ice cream afterwards. To our surprise, she chose the flower. These dance studios are running a serious business, and I'm finding these issues to be pretty standard across the board. I would love for Rachel to be able to try a lot of different things, until she figures out what her "thing" is, but I feel like there's a pressure to commit to only one extra curricular activity all too soon. Not only from a competitive stand point (in order to be competitive, they have to start young and really commit), but also financially, I don't think it's affordable to put kids in lots of different activities, which forces them to choose just one at a time. Grrrrr!! That's all for now.
The last weekend of May (on the three-day weekend), Brandon came home from his church meetings and said that he was going to take the big kids camping. An hour later, they were out the door and Kendall and I had an evening & morning to ourselves. It was awesome. One of my favorite things is being home alone in a clean house! (I wasn't technically alone, but I didn't have any tornado mess makers around.) The report I got from the campers is that they had a lot of fun exploring in the woods and that it was a little cold at night. Apparently, Brandon gave them the two good sleeping bags, and he got the kid-size Barbie one. Good daddy! He also took the old, leaky air mattress on accident, so the kids were right next to him as the mattress lost air. He eventually deflated it and they slept on the ground. They really did have a blast and so did Kendall and I!
Funny Andrew quotes, "Mommy, my blankies taste like han-itizer. I can't eat 'em." That's because he had just wiped his hand sanitizer hands all over his blankies. He just loves to chew his blankies (all 3 of the exact same brand - we got him new ones to replace the old ones, but he's just added to his collection) and he likes to wad them up and use them as a pillow. What's funny is that Kendall is starting to do the same thing with a pink blankie that is the same brand as Andrew's. He also always says this a lot, "Get me a 'nack (snack), mom!" If I ask why, he responds with "Because you're my best friend." And in his nice, polite voice, "Mommy, can you get me a treat (or otter pop), please?" hoping that because he's saying it nice, I'll say yes.
Kendall continues to be such a messy eater, but she's not picky, so that's good! She is sleeping good too. After our Utah trip, I stopped swaddling her and rocking her to sleep and just put her in her crib and let her go to sleep on her own. She did great, and made it so easy on us. She's pretty much the best baby ever. Other than the spit up, which is ridiculously A LOT. And people never believe me when I tell them to watch out because she's a spitty baby. Then she really barfs on them and they finally understand.
Rachel wrapped up her preschool year with Miss Arlene, and it was such a good experience. It exceeded my expectations, and it is fun to see her progress with all that she has learned. I already have Andrew signed up for Arlene's preschool even though he won't be old enough to attend for a few years (she has waiting lists). Rachel loves going to school and is really looking forward to all-day kindergarten, which starts August 7! At the end of May, Rachel had her dance recital through Jeanne's Dance in Mesa. She performed two numbers, had a great time, and she was just darling. It's so fun to watch your own kids perform. Other people's kids - not as fun - but watching your own is the best. :)
__________________________________________________________________
NOW ... I have some beef with this whole dance thing (and don't get me wrong - I love/loved dancing and wish I had done it more seriously in my teen years and if it ends up being Rachel's thing I'll totally support her). Ok, here goes my rant. For starters, it is pricey! Rachel was in one class that met for one hour a week ($48), not to mention the registration and recital fee and the fact that we only got 2 free tickets to the concert (any additional would have cost $10 each - and I'm sorry, but the entertainment was not THAT good, not good enough to charge $10). But the craziest part was the costume. $65 freakin' dollars for her costume. I can't remember the last time I spent $65 on an outfit for myself, let alone for a dress up type outfit for a five year old. And I couldn't help but count the costumes (more $) of the more advanced dancers - they had 6+ costumes that their moms brought in on racks to keep them all nice and neat. Oh geez. I might NOT be cut out to be a dance mom. This is a little too intense for me. The next concern is the types of dances and their level of "sexiness". Most of them were tasteful, good and fun, but there was one (performed by the 16-17 year olds) that Brandon leaned over and told me that he would not want Rachel in that dance because it was too risqué, and I agreed with him. There are a few other little things - like how a lot of dancers get a huge bouquet of flowers from their parents after the recital (which we didn't know about our first recital and totally botched it last time - we have since learned). I asked Rachel if she wanted one rose (only one because if I give her a dozen roses when she's 5, what am I going to be giving her when she's 14?!) or if she wanted to go out for ice cream afterwards. To our surprise, she chose the flower. These dance studios are running a serious business, and I'm finding these issues to be pretty standard across the board. I would love for Rachel to be able to try a lot of different things, until she figures out what her "thing" is, but I feel like there's a pressure to commit to only one extra curricular activity all too soon. Not only from a competitive stand point (in order to be competitive, they have to start young and really commit), but also financially, I don't think it's affordable to put kids in lots of different activities, which forces them to choose just one at a time. Grrrrr!! That's all for now.
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| Rachel after the recital |
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| Walking out with daddy |
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| Last day of preschool - Maddie, Abby, Luke, Jaycee, Max, Brooklyn, Steven & Rachel |
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| Rachel, Ellie, Sutton & Nolan (missing Elise) |
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| Twinner dresses - Kendall does not look as thrilled as Rachel, who just loves everything about having a little sister (for now!) |
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| Kasey Perkinson had her fourth baby at the very beginning of May - they named him Blake and he is adorable! This is him and Kendall when he was just a few weeks old. This pregnancy/delivery came with many challenges, but we're so glad that he made it here safely. Kasey was a trooper through it all! |
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| Messy, happy eater! |
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| Camping with dad in Payson |
Sunday, June 16, 2013
So glad they are ours!
Here's some pictures of my June babies. Happy 30th birthday to me tomorrow! I will be spending the day with these 3 kiddies and sharing the birthday festivities with Rachel who is turning 5. So far, our plans include JumpStreet (trampoline place) and Chuck E. Cheese for dinner. Can't imagine spending the day anyway else.
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Thursday, June 13, 2013
Rachel's Dance Recital
Password: rock
This recital includes her two dances - both recorded at the dress rehearsal (much closer up) and at the actual recital. She's the one in the middle with the short bouncy hair and fantastic hip shakes. :) Sorry for the bad camera work. During the dress rehearsal, I was holding Kendall, and also trying not to laugh my head off. If you just have time for a little bit, stick with the very first number, which was actually dress rehearsal, but it's my favorite.
This recital includes her two dances - both recorded at the dress rehearsal (much closer up) and at the actual recital. She's the one in the middle with the short bouncy hair and fantastic hip shakes. :) Sorry for the bad camera work. During the dress rehearsal, I was holding Kendall, and also trying not to laugh my head off. If you just have time for a little bit, stick with the very first number, which was actually dress rehearsal, but it's my favorite.
Monday, June 10, 2013
Editor's Note
Just for the record this is not going as well as I had hoped ...
"So after a month break, I decided that it would be unrealistic to get rid of it all together, but that I should probably narrow down the feed traffic (get rid of some "friends"), and that I shouldn't check facebook/instagram throughout the day, but save it for later at night after the kids are asleep. And hopefully I do it only after I have already read something worthwhile that day (scriptures, Ensign). That's the plan, and hopefully I'll be better off because of it." - from the blog on April 4, 2013
Old habits die hard, and I'm back to checking everything multiple times a day. Grrrr! And that was an E for effort on trying to throw in the scripture reading there, but it's just not happening. I keep having the thought to get rid of some distractions, and I know that social media is a big one, but HOW?!
"So after a month break, I decided that it would be unrealistic to get rid of it all together, but that I should probably narrow down the feed traffic (get rid of some "friends"), and that I shouldn't check facebook/instagram throughout the day, but save it for later at night after the kids are asleep. And hopefully I do it only after I have already read something worthwhile that day (scriptures, Ensign). That's the plan, and hopefully I'll be better off because of it." - from the blog on April 4, 2013
Old habits die hard, and I'm back to checking everything multiple times a day. Grrrr! And that was an E for effort on trying to throw in the scripture reading there, but it's just not happening. I keep having the thought to get rid of some distractions, and I know that social media is a big one, but HOW?!
Thursday, June 6, 2013
Utah, Spring 2013
Travels
- This was Kendall's first road trip, and she did SO great (6.5 months old)
- Left at 2p and arrived at 12:30am (normal route - through Kanab)
- On the way home we drove through Vegas and stopped at a splash pad / playground there since we were driving all day instead of half the night. The ride home always feels much longer, but the kids did really good. I think it took us about 12 hours.
- We were there May 7-19, and Brandon flew back and forth so he could spend the work week in Phoenix. He flew back the next weekend to drive us home (flight=basically the same cost as a hotel, which is what I would have need if I drove the kids by myself).
- Ironic that Brock and Nicole were down in Arizona for a work conference while we were in Utah - we were so bummed we couldn't hang with them. Lame!
Utah Doctor
- Two doctor visits - good thing we have a doctor's office up there that we regularly visit. :)
- One was for Rachel, who was up all of one night with croup, but it wasn't bad enough to take her to the hospital, so we waited it out until morning and then took her in and got the steroid. In Arizona, we have this middle-of-the-night pediatric urgent care that is the best for things like croup, but we couldn't find anything similar while we were in Utah. Brandon gets the credit for staying up with Rachel that night.
- Andrew started coughing at night, but it sounded like an ear infection cough. I took him in to get him checked, but his ears looked fine. He probably caught the croup from Rachel, but his body just handles it so much better. I got a steroid for him as well, but we never needed to use it.
- I left Utah with some sort of cold, but all of this is expected when we take a trip.
Grandma's House
- Fun at Provo Beach Resort with Grandma & daddy
- Pedicures for Mother's Day with Nancy & Kacie (we missed Rachel Murray who wasn't feeling up for it - 9 months pregnant and stressed with trying to rent out their house for the summer)
- The boys all went golfing one afternoon
- Cousin party with bounce house and hot tub (Rachel Faye had to miss because we didn't want to get the other kids sick, so she spent the day with Nana)
- Kendall loves the grass, and if you put her on her tummy, she licks it
- Rachel celebrated Allie's 5th birthday with Brynn & Kennedy, and now she wants an identical party (rainbow) for her 5th birthday just a couple weeks away! When we were dropping her off, I stayed to feed Kendall a quick bottle and visit for a minute with the adults. Rachel said in a very annoyed voice, "Mom, can you please leave? The other moms aren't here." (like we were embarrassing or something) This was a first for me! Geez!
- Andrew reminding daddy all week, "You the best daddy EVER!" He says it to Brandon more than he tells me that 'I'm the best mom ever'. Food for thought. :)
- I get my haircut in Utah every 6 months or so, and my stylist always straightens it for me (the only time anyone sees it straight). Andrew was distraught seeing my hair straightened last time, and he was again this time. He told me he didn't like it. When we asked him what was wrong, he told us that "Mommy's hair is angry." It was a funny way to describe what he was seeing.
Nana's House
- Family Pictures a success! (Other than Rachel feeling like junk, but she did great)
- Rachel told Nana she needed to get more/better grandkid toys and also that her couch smelt like dog. They really do love it there, I promise! So how do you teach an almost 5 year old to not be completely truthful all the time? :)
- My mom took Andrew and Rachel to the nursery to get all her flowers for her yard. Andrew came back with no shorts, no shoes and muddy feet (and apparently she took him into Costco like that). When I asked if they had fun with Nana, Rachel said, "Yeah, totally!"
- The kids ate all of papa's gum (I wonder how many pieces Andrew swallowed?)
- Trip to Thanksgiving Point to see all the animals. Rachel got her face painted like a piggy.
- Nana kept busy with lots of planting after Cade left on his mission.
- Mom & Dad become empty nesters with Cade leaving on his mission and Kyle getting married all in the same week! Woa!
- We all watched Chad & Cindy's wedding video and it was a riot! The wedding video captures what a disaster it was to leave all the children in charge of cooking the food for the luncheon (Kyle was the head chef) and an attempted description at what burned fettucine alfredo really smells like.
Wedding
- Bishop Rife from my parent's old ward performed the sealing. He lost his sweetheart six months ago to Lou Gehrig's disease (ALS), which was so tragic - she is the most incredible mother and gave so much service to others. Bishop Rife is amazing, and said some beautiful things to Kyle & Katherine. He also cracked some hilarious jokes, and once even said, "That was awkward" when they went in for a hug/kiss but sort of missed and then quickly recovered.
- Waiting outside the temple has to be one of the worst wedding logistics - it just takes forever. Dad came out and said, "They are almost done with their session." ha ha Then Kyle Wilson made her grand entrance while we all had our cameras ready and waiting. I guess that Katherine had to fix up her hair and re-do her curls. They both looked beautiful coming out of the temple, and they seemed so happy.
- My cousin Katelynn & Aunt Sherri came from Australia for all the events. Their cousin, Kristel Dumbrell, who's a good friend to our family was also in the states and was able to come.
- Sorry to complain, but there was SO much set up and take down to do, not to mention all the flowers and the food prep that happened the day before. The luncheon and mom's part of the reception was definitely an "Elaine Parker Event"; she goes all out and it was beautiful. It's just so much work. Brandon and I were discussing the cost/benefit of a wedding, and we think it's mostly for show and doesn't make very good economic sense. I don't have any brilliant solutions yet, but we have a few years to figure it out. :)
- We arrived at the reception in all of our wedding attire at 5:30 for pictures. While we were waiting we helped finish setting up and visited with family. Apparently Katherine was curling her hair (again), and her and Kyle came out when guests were already arriving for the reception. So there weren't any wedding party pictures taken. And why I chose to be stressed out about this is beyond me?! I was pacing like crazy, and freaking out that there weren't any pictures taken.
- Nancy and Val came and then took the kids to take them home and put them in bed for us - so nice!
- Cade just a few days before leaving to the MTC got hit on at the reception by one of Katherine's bridesmaids - so uncomfortably hilarious.
- Brandon and Chad left to go get some items to decorate their car. They decided on a "Cowboys & Indians" theme, which included a cowboy hat and headdress on their seats and they wrote on a window, "Cowboys and Indians tonight!" Oh dear me. They also put the A/C on full power, then filled the vents with confetti so it flew at them when they started the car. Of course there were handcuffs, and the best was when I had to explain to Grandpa Thompson about the handcuffs and why they were hanging from the steering wheel. They also included two goldfish in a bag for them to take with them on their honeymoon, representative of their relationship or something like that according to Brandon? Katherine handed them off to her sister-in-law, who happened to work at a pet store, and she was offended that someone had done this as a joke. She needed to find them a home fast! For the next week, we got all the goldfish updates and apparently one of them a clamped fin and the other had ICK (?) and according to Katherine's sister-in-law, they needed antibiotics asap and she needed to come get them from her. They both died while they were on their honeymoon. Brandon was so pleased with the whole thing (not with them dying, but with all the drama they caused).
- At the reception, I got Logan to smile in some pictures, which is a huge accomplishment!!
- Kyle & Katherine are good sports and came back for the farewell and some family events even while they were still on their honeymoon.
Missionary
- Cade's farewell talk was so good - he seemed so ready and seriously knocked it out of the park!
- He is such a good kid and an awesome uncle to my kids. We are going to miss him SO SO much!
- Oops! At the farewell party, mom and I didn't recognize his first little girlfriend from high school, and we both said dumb things to her not realizing who she was. But we were nice to Aubrey, who's Cade's best friend and such a darling girl!
- Packing didn't start until the day before the MTC, so it was kind of a disaster and they were packing up until the last minute. In addition to the packing, he realized that he hadn't done the online traffic school he was supposed to, so we were all taking turns answering questions, and mom finished the last hour for him after he left. It was a little crazy, and made me all stressed out.
- Pizza Pie Cafe for dinner with the Parker family, Kneaders for breakfast, and the Creamery after the MTC drop off - usually my kids don't get to go to restaurants this often!
- We hurried over to the MTC to drop him off and said goodbye in the parking lot across the street. A missionary host was waiting for him, and it was a good friend from his ward who had gotten to the MTC a few weeks earlier. We've already heard from him and he is loving the MTC and we know he'll be a great missionary in the Xalapa, Mexico Mission!
Baby Ellie
- After measuring small at her 38 week appointment, my sister-in-law, Rachel, went in for a c-section on May 16, and delivered a beautiful, baby girl - Ellie Jane Murray - 5 lb 10 oz & 16 inches long.
- We were so excited to be there and to have a new niece! Ellie & Kendall will only be 6.5 months apart - they will be great friends!
- The umbilical cord was extremely small (just bigger than a pencil) and she was given the diagnosis of IUGR (Intrauterine Growth Restriction) and was admitted to the NICU.
- She was put on a CPAP for periods of apnea and given an IV for fluids and put on oxygen all in the first day. After lots of testing, on/off oxygen, learning to eat, lots of concerns, lots of prayers, and patience, she was finally released from the NICU at 6 days old and sent home with oxygen and an apnea monitor. It has been quite the roller-coaster for Rachel and Scott!
- She's 2 weeks now and they are still trying to get her weight up and hopefully she will be weaned off the oxygen in a few weeks. They could use more prayers! (Rachel, I hope you don't mind me sharing this. We love Ellie so much and wish we could be there to help more! We think you're amazing!)
- This was Kendall's first road trip, and she did SO great (6.5 months old)
- Left at 2p and arrived at 12:30am (normal route - through Kanab)
- On the way home we drove through Vegas and stopped at a splash pad / playground there since we were driving all day instead of half the night. The ride home always feels much longer, but the kids did really good. I think it took us about 12 hours.
- We were there May 7-19, and Brandon flew back and forth so he could spend the work week in Phoenix. He flew back the next weekend to drive us home (flight=basically the same cost as a hotel, which is what I would have need if I drove the kids by myself).
- Ironic that Brock and Nicole were down in Arizona for a work conference while we were in Utah - we were so bummed we couldn't hang with them. Lame!
Utah Doctor
- Two doctor visits - good thing we have a doctor's office up there that we regularly visit. :)
- One was for Rachel, who was up all of one night with croup, but it wasn't bad enough to take her to the hospital, so we waited it out until morning and then took her in and got the steroid. In Arizona, we have this middle-of-the-night pediatric urgent care that is the best for things like croup, but we couldn't find anything similar while we were in Utah. Brandon gets the credit for staying up with Rachel that night.
- Andrew started coughing at night, but it sounded like an ear infection cough. I took him in to get him checked, but his ears looked fine. He probably caught the croup from Rachel, but his body just handles it so much better. I got a steroid for him as well, but we never needed to use it.
- I left Utah with some sort of cold, but all of this is expected when we take a trip.
Grandma's House
- Fun at Provo Beach Resort with Grandma & daddy
- Pedicures for Mother's Day with Nancy & Kacie (we missed Rachel Murray who wasn't feeling up for it - 9 months pregnant and stressed with trying to rent out their house for the summer)
- The boys all went golfing one afternoon
- Cousin party with bounce house and hot tub (Rachel Faye had to miss because we didn't want to get the other kids sick, so she spent the day with Nana)
- Kendall loves the grass, and if you put her on her tummy, she licks it
- Rachel celebrated Allie's 5th birthday with Brynn & Kennedy, and now she wants an identical party (rainbow) for her 5th birthday just a couple weeks away! When we were dropping her off, I stayed to feed Kendall a quick bottle and visit for a minute with the adults. Rachel said in a very annoyed voice, "Mom, can you please leave? The other moms aren't here." (like we were embarrassing or something) This was a first for me! Geez!
- Andrew reminding daddy all week, "You the best daddy EVER!" He says it to Brandon more than he tells me that 'I'm the best mom ever'. Food for thought. :)
- I get my haircut in Utah every 6 months or so, and my stylist always straightens it for me (the only time anyone sees it straight). Andrew was distraught seeing my hair straightened last time, and he was again this time. He told me he didn't like it. When we asked him what was wrong, he told us that "Mommy's hair is angry." It was a funny way to describe what he was seeing.
Nana's House
- Family Pictures a success! (Other than Rachel feeling like junk, but she did great)
- Rachel told Nana she needed to get more/better grandkid toys and also that her couch smelt like dog. They really do love it there, I promise! So how do you teach an almost 5 year old to not be completely truthful all the time? :)
- My mom took Andrew and Rachel to the nursery to get all her flowers for her yard. Andrew came back with no shorts, no shoes and muddy feet (and apparently she took him into Costco like that). When I asked if they had fun with Nana, Rachel said, "Yeah, totally!"
- The kids ate all of papa's gum (I wonder how many pieces Andrew swallowed?)
- Trip to Thanksgiving Point to see all the animals. Rachel got her face painted like a piggy.
- Nana kept busy with lots of planting after Cade left on his mission.
- Mom & Dad become empty nesters with Cade leaving on his mission and Kyle getting married all in the same week! Woa!
- We all watched Chad & Cindy's wedding video and it was a riot! The wedding video captures what a disaster it was to leave all the children in charge of cooking the food for the luncheon (Kyle was the head chef) and an attempted description at what burned fettucine alfredo really smells like.
Wedding
- Bishop Rife from my parent's old ward performed the sealing. He lost his sweetheart six months ago to Lou Gehrig's disease (ALS), which was so tragic - she is the most incredible mother and gave so much service to others. Bishop Rife is amazing, and said some beautiful things to Kyle & Katherine. He also cracked some hilarious jokes, and once even said, "That was awkward" when they went in for a hug/kiss but sort of missed and then quickly recovered.
- Waiting outside the temple has to be one of the worst wedding logistics - it just takes forever. Dad came out and said, "They are almost done with their session." ha ha Then Kyle Wilson made her grand entrance while we all had our cameras ready and waiting. I guess that Katherine had to fix up her hair and re-do her curls. They both looked beautiful coming out of the temple, and they seemed so happy.
- My cousin Katelynn & Aunt Sherri came from Australia for all the events. Their cousin, Kristel Dumbrell, who's a good friend to our family was also in the states and was able to come.
- Sorry to complain, but there was SO much set up and take down to do, not to mention all the flowers and the food prep that happened the day before. The luncheon and mom's part of the reception was definitely an "Elaine Parker Event"; she goes all out and it was beautiful. It's just so much work. Brandon and I were discussing the cost/benefit of a wedding, and we think it's mostly for show and doesn't make very good economic sense. I don't have any brilliant solutions yet, but we have a few years to figure it out. :)
- We arrived at the reception in all of our wedding attire at 5:30 for pictures. While we were waiting we helped finish setting up and visited with family. Apparently Katherine was curling her hair (again), and her and Kyle came out when guests were already arriving for the reception. So there weren't any wedding party pictures taken. And why I chose to be stressed out about this is beyond me?! I was pacing like crazy, and freaking out that there weren't any pictures taken.
- Nancy and Val came and then took the kids to take them home and put them in bed for us - so nice!
- Cade just a few days before leaving to the MTC got hit on at the reception by one of Katherine's bridesmaids - so uncomfortably hilarious.
- Brandon and Chad left to go get some items to decorate their car. They decided on a "Cowboys & Indians" theme, which included a cowboy hat and headdress on their seats and they wrote on a window, "Cowboys and Indians tonight!" Oh dear me. They also put the A/C on full power, then filled the vents with confetti so it flew at them when they started the car. Of course there were handcuffs, and the best was when I had to explain to Grandpa Thompson about the handcuffs and why they were hanging from the steering wheel. They also included two goldfish in a bag for them to take with them on their honeymoon, representative of their relationship or something like that according to Brandon? Katherine handed them off to her sister-in-law, who happened to work at a pet store, and she was offended that someone had done this as a joke. She needed to find them a home fast! For the next week, we got all the goldfish updates and apparently one of them a clamped fin and the other had ICK (?) and according to Katherine's sister-in-law, they needed antibiotics asap and she needed to come get them from her. They both died while they were on their honeymoon. Brandon was so pleased with the whole thing (not with them dying, but with all the drama they caused).
- At the reception, I got Logan to smile in some pictures, which is a huge accomplishment!!
- Kyle & Katherine are good sports and came back for the farewell and some family events even while they were still on their honeymoon.
Missionary
- Cade's farewell talk was so good - he seemed so ready and seriously knocked it out of the park!
- He is such a good kid and an awesome uncle to my kids. We are going to miss him SO SO much!
- Oops! At the farewell party, mom and I didn't recognize his first little girlfriend from high school, and we both said dumb things to her not realizing who she was. But we were nice to Aubrey, who's Cade's best friend and such a darling girl!
- Packing didn't start until the day before the MTC, so it was kind of a disaster and they were packing up until the last minute. In addition to the packing, he realized that he hadn't done the online traffic school he was supposed to, so we were all taking turns answering questions, and mom finished the last hour for him after he left. It was a little crazy, and made me all stressed out.
- Pizza Pie Cafe for dinner with the Parker family, Kneaders for breakfast, and the Creamery after the MTC drop off - usually my kids don't get to go to restaurants this often!
- We hurried over to the MTC to drop him off and said goodbye in the parking lot across the street. A missionary host was waiting for him, and it was a good friend from his ward who had gotten to the MTC a few weeks earlier. We've already heard from him and he is loving the MTC and we know he'll be a great missionary in the Xalapa, Mexico Mission!
Baby Ellie
- After measuring small at her 38 week appointment, my sister-in-law, Rachel, went in for a c-section on May 16, and delivered a beautiful, baby girl - Ellie Jane Murray - 5 lb 10 oz & 16 inches long.
- We were so excited to be there and to have a new niece! Ellie & Kendall will only be 6.5 months apart - they will be great friends!
- The umbilical cord was extremely small (just bigger than a pencil) and she was given the diagnosis of IUGR (Intrauterine Growth Restriction) and was admitted to the NICU.
- She was put on a CPAP for periods of apnea and given an IV for fluids and put on oxygen all in the first day. After lots of testing, on/off oxygen, learning to eat, lots of concerns, lots of prayers, and patience, she was finally released from the NICU at 6 days old and sent home with oxygen and an apnea monitor. It has been quite the roller-coaster for Rachel and Scott!
- She's 2 weeks now and they are still trying to get her weight up and hopefully she will be weaned off the oxygen in a few weeks. They could use more prayers! (Rachel, I hope you don't mind me sharing this. We love Ellie so much and wish we could be there to help more! We think you're amazing!)
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| Some funny moments! Kyle & Krissy stepping in for my mom in the line while she took a break and the girl after Cade asking him to dance at the wedding. |
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| All 3 kids fell asleep in the car on the way to the reception - it was a long day! |
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| Teeny baby Ellie in the hospital / Murray family of six! / Ellie home from the hospital |
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| Piggie face at Thanksgiving Point |
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| On a walk with Nana's dog, Zoe |
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| Grandma Parker & Kendall |
Monday, June 3, 2013
Family Pictures
We got some family pictures taken in Utah before Cade left on his mission. Kali Poulsen was our photographer, and I would definitely recommend her. Poor Rachel was SO sick on this day. We had just drove to Utah the night before, and for whatever reason, mid-day she started complaining that her tummy hurt. I thought for sure she had some sort of flu, but she never threw up and felt better the next day. She was SUCH A TROOPER for the pictures, and was trying so hard to be brave and not be all crouched over, because that is how bad her tummy hurt. What a good girl!
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| Chad & Cindy, Logan & Hailey |
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| Kyle & Katherine |
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