The Good, The Bad, and....

The Good:
There is a beautiful Conservatory in our new city that has a free community night once a month! It's a beautiful place - gorgeous indoor gardens covering everything from the desert to the Himalayan mountains to the tropical rainforest. There's butterfly gardens, and there is currently a gorgeous collection of Dale Chihuly's beautiful glass art on display.

The Bad:
I dutifully printed out directions and thought I knew where I was going. But between freeway closures and detours and a complete lack of any sense of direction, it took me about 50 minutes to drive what google maps said was an 18 minute drive.
Also, I guess late August is not a good time for butterflies. The few we saw were all kind of dying.

The Ugly:
(You knew it was coming. Brace yourself.)
Due to our extended travel time, we arrive flustered and anxious. One of my children (who will remain nameless) needs to use the restroom. We unload, pack up the stroller and stride off to the building, thinking that if we can just find the front door.....
We can't find the front door. I'm too frazzeled to read the whole sign, so I just follow the arrows to the side entrance, which is locked and deserted. My child is about to wet his/her pants. In complete desperation I cast my eyes about, toss said child over the rail into the bushes and let him/her just pee in the bushes. Not a soul in sight. Dreadful, yes. But I felt it was better than wet britches.
Until the voice came over the intercom, saying, "Ma'm, that's not a bathroom."
Video cameras in the corners and an intercom so security detail can give me a lesson in proper waste disposal.
Oh, the mortification! Oh, the shame!

Just lovely. Er, I mean, Ugly.

Thirty Three??

My handsome husband turned 33 last month. We've had such a nice time enjoying his less-hectic schedule here. He's doing a general practice dental residency - just a year long. He works in the dental clinic, does rotations through the university hospitals, and is on-call with the emergency department about once a week for 24 hour shifts. He loves to work out and eat healthy. He loves to fly fish and be outside. He loves to hike, bike, climb, swim, run. He loves to play with the kids. He hates to play Barbies and loves to play sports. :)

Since our move we've had more time to be together -- I love how changes like this force a little re-invention. So we're trying to be healthier and simpler. We don't have space in the living room for the TV, and our neighbor shares her newspaper with us, so instead of watching TV in the evenings we read the newspaper. Joseph has access to an awesome work-out facility at school, so he's been enjoying that after work each day. I'm no longer teaching piano lessons, so I (theoretically) have time to keep up on running the house a little better. :) I think it's all been really good for us. We're better friends.

I love this man! He is a good man. He forgave me for wishing him a happy 32nd birthday. :) I think where we are right now is a good place to be for 33. I hope it keeps getting better. :)

Consider the Cake...

My Baby turned One.
I don't know when I turned into such a sentimental schmuck!
Little A was what it finally took for me to slow down a little (not a lot, just a little). I finally enjoyed those baby moments that I was too worried to enjoy with Ms. K and too busy to enjoy with J-boy. I snuggle her as much as she'll let me and every time I hug her I wonder if I just hold her tight enough if she'll stop growing and stay my sweet baby forever.

She loves to laugh at her brother and sister. She loves to eat yogurt and applesauce and strawberries. She loves to watch the mobile on her crib when I lay her down to take a nap. She loves playing with shoes and removing EVERY. SINGLE. BOOK. from the bookshelf. She loves to take most of the toys out of her toy baskets so she can crawl in and get cozy with the remaining stacking rings. She signs "all done" and grins. She claps whenever anyone says "good job!" She loves to play on the [very scary] stairs to the basement and gets mad when I don't let her.

I can't imagine our family without her. She brings out the best in all of us.

A's saying, "How did I get stuck with these clowns?"

Happy Anniversary!

I can't believe I've been married for 8 years. You'd think I'd know how to keep up on the laundry by now!
On the 18th we celebrated 8 years together. It's been quite the ride - lots of ups and downs, lots of love and forgivness. I'm so glad that we've got each other. I've had some time lately to think about marriage and why and how and what makes it important. I thought I was doing pretty good before I got married -- I've told friends' that I didn't even know I had a temper before I got married. But boy do I have one now!
I know that our family is where we learn to be like Heavenly Father -- nothing else can test and try and prepare us like the home laboratory. And I know that as hard as the hard times are, the good times more than make up for it if we keep pressing on.
I love you, Joseph!

Who said you could grow up?!

Baby A started walking the day after her 1st birthday -- this is for you, mom:

You know that feeling where you love someone so much it feels like your heart somehow just jumped right out of your chest to tie itself to that other person?

I love that feeling. :)

You might not get that feeling looking at my kids. That's okay. :)

Dirty faces courtesy of Skinny Cow ice cream sandwiches.

Little Pay Day

Today I was going to sneak in to Baby A's room while she was napping to grab a few diapers for my bag. I peaked through the door, and saw her laying peacefully in her crib, playing with her little taggie blanket and jabbering at herself. I love that.

And then tonight, J-boy started singing the song I've been TRYING to teach him in Primary (I'm the children's chorister at church now). We were eating dinner, and he just busted out in his squeaky little boy soprano: "I Feel My Savior's Love in all the world around me! His Spirit warms my soul through everything I see." His squeaky little boy soprano has been driving me crazy lately (MOM! Dan I-dan I- dan I - MOM! Dan I have dookies? MOM! I want a dookie! MOM! Dookie please!!!!! Please please please please please??!!!! MOM!!!!!), so it was nice to hear something sweet coming from his vocal chords. :)

What do you do in the Summer Time?