Ballet Time

As if I didn't have enough on my plate with YW, Jason in the Elder's Quorum Presidency, and having two little girls, I am now teaching ballet. I got a call from Laura's studio director in a real bind on Sunday and I will now be teaching the pre-ballet and kinderballet classes once a week. It is a great thing that Laura's class will be free and that we get to spend some extra special time together just the two of us. Not great is the fact that I wear a leotard. Two children do crazy things to a woman's body. Thank heaven the girls are 3-7 years old and not judgmental.

It was a fun time and I think I'm really going to love using this old talent of mine in a Mommy way. A big shout out and Thank You to my parents who are watching Sara for me each week while I teach!

Updates

I did get a few things done while dealing with the chaos of the past couple weeks. The girls and I went to Liberty Park and played in the water there with Steph and Creed. It was a great time!

I made a ton of homemade freezer jam. I think my new favorite kind is raspberry peach, but the blackberry raspberry turned out yummy too.

I made some new hairbows for the girls with my mom's crocheted flowers. She also taught me how to make them. Thank heavens she had taught me to crochet years ago so this process wasn't insanely difficult. Aren't they just adorable?!

We watched my friend Deborah's kids. Have I mentioned that Laura is the coolest kid ever?! Look at her with Deb's boys!

Most importantly, Sara is walking. Walking exclusively! It is wonderful and crazy. I think she waited to walk until she could go faster than she could crawl. Also, she adores being able to carry something as she moves. Look at her go!

Where Oh Where...

My blogging has dropped off dramatically lately. Wanna know why?
A pencil eraser? Yes, I passed one kidney stone the size of a pencil eraser and two smaller ones yesterday. The process was not so fast, but I am sure glad it's over.
I'm addicted to the Olympics. All my spare time is spent watching these and I seem to be getting very little sleep. Have I mentioned that I love our olympic athletes?! What awesome role models they are! Anyone else having this problem?

Finally, I just got called into the YW Presidency in our Ward. I am the first counselor. I'm a bit overwhelmed getting into the groove with this group and meeting all the girls. And, I have taught 2 of the last 3 Sundays and spoke in Sacrament Meeting the other Sunday. The girls are super awesome and I already love them, so I'm sure I'll get into the groove soon.

Manly Birthday

Jason's birthday was this past weekend. It was a very manly celebration! His presents were manly: a blower/vacuum and chainsaw from our little family, and a pressure washer from my folks.
Also, our date (the thing my sweet hubby wanted the most) was also manly. We saw Batman: The Dark Knight while my folks watched our girls. It was an excellent movie and surprised me with it's social commentary in addition to great action and effects. Then we went out to Tepanyaki for steak and shrimp while J's folks watched our girls. It was so wonderful to be able to have some time together...that time was definitely the greatest gift.

Then, J's folks had us over for dinner and cake on Sunday. It was lots of fun!

And a quick little tribute to my love! Thank you so much for being the best teammate in the entire world. Thank you for laughing at the same things I do. Thank you for sharing my taste in music, food, tv, friends, etc. Thank you for loving me so much that I am completely secure in that love. Thank you for being such an amazing provider, wonderful father, worthy priesthood holder, and brilliant man. I love you more than anything!

Saturday Adventure

Though Thurl Bailey was not there serenading us, we had a great time this past Saturday with Steph and her family. We went initially to explore Devil's Kitchen up Payson Canyon. The drive was gorgeous and it was great fun to have us all piled in the van. The hike was very, very short but the view was beautiful.
On the way back down the canyon, we stopped at lots of outlooks. And saw some lovely, fun, terrifying and hilarious sights.

Probably the most fun of all was our stop at Payson lakes. It was just breathtaking there. The little lake and pine trees remind me why I love the mountains here. The water was much too tempting for the kids. They ended up naked and in the lake. Classy, no. Fun, oh yes!

We all enjoyed some good dinner at our favorite Chinese Buffet and then some of Jason's homemade ice cream. The kids had a great time playing together and the adults playing with them. I feel so blessed that one of my best friends's families matches so well with ours!

Summertime, And The Living Is ...

Messy. Yep, we have had a great time getting into big messes the past couple of days at our house. It began when Sara decided to dump an entire movie sized box of Nerds onto the kitchen floor. The girls then rolled around in them. And, yes, despite a thorough floor cleaning, we are still finding them days later.
Today was the best messy day of all, however. It began when Laura wanted to play with chalk outside. Then Robin from across the street brought her little girls and finger paints over to join in the fun. And, oh my, it was a lot of fun!

Sara liked the mud the best.

And yes, the Mom's got in on the act too. My back was covered in green handprints.

Then Deb's boy Jacob came over to play and also got in on the act.

But, could Laura let it stop there? Oh no! She had to play in the water as I cleaned off the porch and then in the muddy water in our neighbor's flooded back yard. Yes, she is in the tub for the second time today. But, isn't outside and messes what summer is all about? How can you say no? I know I can't!

It Really Feels Like Home

With help from an old friend of mine and my parents, we did one of the biggest emotional improvements to our house. Since the railing is finished, we could hang our art on the "display wall." Ahh...having that up makes the house really feel like our home. Sara is also thrilled to have another picture of "Jee" (Jesus) and "Baby" up and is bummed she can't reach them. We're glad she can't. It's good to be home!

Farmer's Market

We (our fam and my folks) tried out the new Farmer's Market at Thanksgiving Point this past Friday. It was not huge, but there was some good produce there and also some amazing local honey, but the majority of it was local artisans. It was really hot, so we didn't stay long; only long enough to get some berries and honey. However, it was much more convenient than going to the SLC farmer's market, so I'm sure we'll go again.

Friends

Friends are one of the best things in my life. Thank you to all the friends and family who blessed my life recently in my hard time with their calls, hugs, cards, and comments. You helped me more than you know!

Sara and Laura are also lucky to have some pretty awesome friends. My friend Karyn has two little girls just the exact same ages as mine. Look how darling they all are!! And, here is a bonus picture of Sara with her cousin Garrett, who I know will also be a friend.

Also, I'm super happy to have one of my best friends back in town, Steph. Who despite an absolute flop of an activity in the International Culture Festival, still always make for a great evening together. Though, Larry did get some good Armenian food and we all saw Thurl Bailey, unfortunately, that local activity does not come with a high recommendation. Playing in their backyard and eating Betos was much better!