Happy 30th Andy!

It took two packages of candles for this BIG celebration!



We had a G.I. Joe kind of theme with the first season of "G.I. Joe" on DVD (a childhood favorite of Andy's and Tucker choose the pink gift bag for it) and . . .



a "Tank" cake. My cakes aren't beautiful, but even Derek and Tucker knew what it was without me telling them. That's pretty good for me! I tried to make the frosting brown with green swirls, but the green swirls turned out very, very faint.



The boys and Andy thoroughly enjoyed both.



The celebration was a little late due to our fabulous trip to Utah, but I think he understood. (Zane is thinking: Does anyone else think it's hot in here?)



HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANDY! I love you!

Utah Trip

We just returned from a GREAT and very memorable trip to Utah! Andy had a big national conference in Salt Lake for work and of course the boys and I tagged along. This was their first plane ride and they loved it! They are still playing "airport" with their bikes and chalk lines on the driveway.

We stayed downtown for the first part of the week just across from Temple Square. It was great to be so close to the temple and we got a great mountain view from our window. The boys loved walking around temple square and learning about all the stuff there.

Tucker loved all the statues and Zane was scared to death of them, so that was interesting to accommodate. They really wanted to see the Conference Center, but we were running late to meet my mom and sister, so we thought we would come back later. Unfortunately, later it was closed for "event preparation." They never got to see it.

We also got to play with lots of cousins! We met Merrill & Jen and had a picnic at a really cool park. They loved playing with their three boys and one girl. Lightsabers and football were amoung the favorite activities!


We also had a sleep over at Mitzi's house.

She was very brave and let us come and stash the kids in the basement. They had a GLORIOUS time with each other and would still be playing if we let them! Zane and Ruby (their dog) were buddies and just loved each other.


Zane and just about any dog love each other.

We didn't get to see much of Kathy's kids because one of them was recovering from the dreaded swine flu. She is totally fine now and we saw them later. Julie also was absent because she lives in Idaho and couldn't make the trip. She was sorely missed!



Grandparent time was essential! My parents took the boys overnight so Andy & I could have a date night. We had dinner at the Garden restaurant above the Joseph Smith Memorial Building and saw the Tabernacle Choir rehearse. It was a much needed break! Then Andy's parents drove over from Colorado met up with us. We went to Thanksgiving Point to a festival there and spent most of our time at the Rocket Launch. It was a pretty cool thing. They also took the boys overnight for us to give us a break. It makes us REALLY want to live closer to grandparents!


Andy's Grandma came up from St. George to see us too. She had never met Tucker or Zane, so it was great to spend time with her and hear about all the memories she has.

My family had a big Halloween party on Saturday night that was so much fun! I think everyone wants it to be a new family tradition. I couldn't agree more, just worried about the airfare!

I wish I could have seen some friends while we were out there, but the schedule turned out to be too tight! I ran into my dear friend Madeline at Gardner Village and it was SO good to catch up! I wish her all the best. I also wish I could have gone in the mountains because I dearly miss them! The colors were so beautiful there! Maybe some of the Houston leaves will change. I guess we'll find out!



Thank goodness for good memories and happy children!

My Sons

Update on the clan:

Derek: Loves soccer, not quite sold on first grade (especially when recess is cancelled due to slight rainfall), future economist (knows the difference between a "good" and a "service") and loves playing with his new friends on our street.


Derek is in the red shorts behind the kid in the gray shirt. He scored a goal with this kick!

Tucker: Loves soccer as well, loves preschool with a devoted passion (recess is either outside or in the gym if it is raining), speaks metaphorically (the scab on his arm was "melting away like a popsicle"), and loves playing with his new friends on our street and running after Derek and his friends.


Tucker making a goal in practice. The green socks are SO Tucker!

Zane: Doesn't really love sitting around while his big brothers play soccer seemingly endlessly, loves having time with mom all by himself while they are at school though, is not fond of his high chair but loves eating like a big boy at the table, loves playing baseball with whoever will throw the ball at him, and uses psychological powers to gain control over other people via dirty looks or slanty eyes, or other wildly expressive facial movements.


Zane at one of our long soccer Saturdays. Tucker took the picture.

Baby Boy #4: yes, you read that right! A fourth boy is kicking and swishing around in my belly until sometime in early February. He is apparantly loving life in there. I imagine he will like soccer (his kicks are pronounced) and love to wrestle (his brothers like to wrestle me and so he gets wrestled in the process).

We now live in a house - HOORAY! Apartment living with all these boys and the dog was harder than I thought it would be. We got a great deal on our house, but that meant that it was VERY dirty and lots of things weren't properly maintained. We are working on it and enjoying having projects and stuff to plan for.

It is still HOT, but there have been some cooler days sprinkled into the mix, so here's hoping for those days to become more frequent so I don't end up with puffy hands and feet. Pregnancy in Houston is not for sissies!

Cruel Summer

Not really, but when you factor in the heat and humidity and "exceptional" drought we here in Houston are experiencing, it seems slightly cruel for our first summer here. Seriously! The heat index (which is like the wind chill factor for those of us used to cruel winters) gets up to 108 and higher! A few weeks ago Andy, Zane and I got a cold (how do you get a cold when it is so hot?) and all you had to do to decongest your nose was step outside for five or ten minutes. Pardon my vulgarity, but after the short time outside, the snot just poured out of Zane's nose! I am not kidding! Of course after five or ten minutes spent outside not in a swimming pool, you suffer heat exhaustion so then you must choose between being able to breathe or being cool.

Enough of that! We have had good times despite Mother Nature doing her job. We have been to the beach a few times and just love it! Galveston's beaches are not beautiful like Hawaii or Florida, but they are still fun! The boys loved jumping the waves and building sand castles. We saw jelly fish one time. That was interesting, but a little nerve wracking.


Tucker finally wins!


Zane enjoying the brown waters of the beach

We also went to Jedi Training camp. Yes, yes I know. The Jedi lived a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, but some of them are still around and taught an auditorium at the Space Center full of boys and their fathers (and us few lucky moms) the ways of the force. Each of them got a little blown up light saber so they also learned some fancy maneuvers.



We got to meet people like Darth Vader and his Stormtroopers, R2-D2, Boba Fett and my personal favorite: the Tough Lady. I don't know her name, but she is in some of the new movies and Derek and Tucker call her the Tough Lady. They even dress up like her by putting their pants on their head and waving around a light saber.


The Tough Lady

We also celebrated Derek and Tucker's birthdays. Derek is now six and Tucker is four. We had fun with them and can't believe our kids are actually growing up. Just think in five years how much our family will change! Crazy!


Derek as Anakin Skywalker


Tucker playing with his new Soccer Guys

Now we are getting ready to move to a house. We have lived in an apartment since we got here and lets just say we are very excited to be moving to a house. If Patch knew what awaited her (a yard and much easier access to take her for a walk) she would be in the car waiting. We still have until the end of this month, but who's counting?

Houston Zoo Trip

This picture is misleading. Tucker looks rather grumpy here, but in fact everyone had a great time! Yes, it was hot. Yes, it was sticky. Yes, we were drenched in sweat! Despite all of this, everyone enjoyed seeing all the animals. Tucker and Derek walked that whole zoo and still found energy for the playground at the end!



This orangutan was posing so perfectly for this picture. He just fit right into our family. Once we got up and someone else came for a picture, he turned his head and sauntered away.



Zane was ruthless at the petting zoo! We knew he loved cats and dogs, but he truly enjoyed the petting zoo more than any other exhibit! When he was in the stroller, he calmly looked at the exhibits and "oo"-ed and "aw"-ed at the proper intervals. When he got out though, he took a much more vocal and energetic response. He ran after a poor unsuspecting bird trying to "pet" it. Zane's way of petting involved arms outstretched, waving wildly back and forth with fists ready to grab a big handful of fur (or feathers in the bird's case). So, the petting zoo was perfect!
The only animals in the petting zoo were goats who were very calm and used to the turbulent kind of TLC young children provide. Zane was no exception. He was pleased as punch to have that kind of freedom and ability to run around petting every animal inside the fence. Only after Zane thrashed the goats around a bit did Derek and Tucker take a shy little pat.



Not only was the zoo cool, but our zoo experience was amazing. The animals were more active and visible than most other times I have seen them. Maybe it was the heat and humidity. Anyway, this is a cheetah that was pacing and came so close that Derek timidly backed away without realizing he was doing it! Below is a lioness. At the lion exhibit, you can walk to an underground tunnel to see them on a more "personal" level. There she was, right by the window! The male lion was there, but let's just say that he was in an awkward position that did not promote picture taking!






The aquarium was really neat. You could crawl through a tunnel to be "with" the fish. Zane and Tucker needed a lot of provoking to get through the tunnel. Good thing I didn't get stuck!




Thank you to the Houston Zoo for providing us with a fun and memorable afternoon!

Pig Party

So, the swine flu is all around us. So to ward off any bad karma or ill-will, we had a pig party! We ate Piggies in a Blanket (sausages instead of hot dogs because my kids aren't too fond of hot dogs), corn on the cob, and "slop" (salsa and chips - I wasn't very creative on that part). For dessert, Tucker and I made a Mud Pie - chocolate pudding with cookie chunks. Then we played "Pin the Snout on the Pig." Zane didn't like the blindfold. Next we played "Pig in a Basket" - throwing a pig puppet into a laundry basket at various points in the room. It started as P-I-G, like H-O-R-S-E in basketball, but Tucker already spelled PIG with his first four throws (He made one of them). In all fairness, we let the PIG thing drop and just shot baskets.



Zane enjoys the slam dunk.



Tucker likes to show off for Zane. Note the cars all over the floor. Our floor always looks like this.



Derek enjoys the dramatic wind up. He made this shot, by the way.

Last, we blew up pink balloons and had fun with them. We were going to watch a movie like, "Babe" or "Charlotte's Web" but it was a school night and they were having too much fun with the games. So, if you are stuck at home because of the swine flu, don't fret, just have a party!

P.S. Don't forget to wash your hands!

Texas Two-Step

Yes folks, we are back in Texas! After a whirlwind month of deliberation and packing and confusion, we are back. Andy was offered a job in Sugar Land which is twenty miles outside of Houston. So, after prayerful consideration, we felt that moving here was the right decision. That doesn't mean that it was easy. Andy is still in school and had to study and write reports amidst all the packing and planning. Not only is moving across the country difficult, but his new employer wanted him there on April 13th, which meant we had three weeks to get there! We told our friends and everything that we were leaving and they would ask when and we would say, "Friday is our last day!" It was very sudden. We considered having just Andy go down for a while, but it wasn't that cost effective and we would miss him WAY too much! So, here we are!

The drive was long. We made it in three days and spent two nights in a hotel.



A HUGE thank you to my parents who helped us drive across the country with three kids, a dog and a large U-Haul with a car transport attatched.



This was the view for three days for my mom and me in the van. The truck always tilted to the right a little and scared us. We thought it might tip over if a turn was taken too sharply.




Zane had the hardest time, of course. I believe that toddlers have to take a certain amount of steps each day before they can go to bed. If the requirement is not met, then mom and baby stay up until the remaining steps are taken. They also have to be held for an undetermined amount of time before bedtime can take place. Needless to say, Zane did not meet any of those requirements for a stretch of time and is now finally "catching up" on his daily steps.



Tucker did amazingly well. He rode in the U-haul a few times and overall, did excellent- THANK YOU TUCKER!



Derek also did great, but did not fall asleep once the whole way down there! He would start looking very glazed, but never gave in to the lulling temptation of sleep! He would also have a hard time settling down for bed. He doesn't want to miss a thing!



The end of one chapter, the start of another! I hope and pray our house in Cortez sells SOON SOON SOON! I know it is a horrible time to be selling a house, but we felt so strongly about moving away from Cortez, I know we did the right thing. I just hope that it sells soon!