Utah: The Weekend

Saturday started off a little rough.  Sophie was up for most of the night again, which left Danny and I exhausted.  And I woke up feeling very sick.  I had plans to go to the Farmer's Market with Grandma Candy early that morning, but had to cancel.  After a little nap, and some breakfast, everyone was feeling better.  We took the kids to do Johnny's birthday shopping, and that went well.  But once we got home, I was feeling pretty sick again.  Sick enough that we cancelled Johnny's party that night, and postponed until Sunday evening.

But we forgot to call Great Grandma! :)

That's okay.  We enjoyed just visiting with her.  

As the evening progressed, I started feeling better again.  Which was good, cause we had some very special visitors that night.  Aunt Toshi, Taija, and Luke came to play!  Johnny was overcome with emotion at the sight of his BFF.

Johnny was all kisses with Luke!  And Sophie and Taija could be twins.  In looks, temperament...the whole package.  They loved being able to play together.

At some point while we were visiting, Toshi asked me how I cut Johnny's hair.  After I told her that I just used the clippers every few weeks, she mentioned that she really wanted to do something with Luke's hair.  So we called Uncle David to borrow some clippers, and Luke got his first hair cut!

He did great, and looked awesome!  I'm a sucker for little boys with nice, clean haircuts!  While we were cutting Luke's hair, Johnny was playing in the sandbox.  Both boys were in desperate need of a bath.  What will bond two boys into a destined friendship better than a bath? ;)

We all had so much fun!  We really missed Uncle Justin, though.  Especially Danny.  We're so lucky that we get to see them as often as we do!  We can't wait for the time we live closer to each other.  Johnny had so much fun, he was plumb-tuckered out.  We gave him a bottle and had him sit with Grandma while we cleaned up after the kids.  Five minutes later...

On Sunday we went to church with Grandma Candy, but Sophie and Johnny were barely hanging on after Sacrament Meeting.  So, we let Claire stay in Primary with Isabelle while we drove around for two hours so the younger two would get a nap.  As much as we hate missing church, it nice to have some quiet time.  We met up at Grandma Candy's for some yummy burgers compliments of Uncle Matt, and visited for a little bit.  We had to get back to Grandma and Papa's to get ready for Johnny's party, and get us packed to leave the next day.  On the way back, we stopped at the cemetery to leave some flowers for Aunt Rachel.

And I finally got my picture of me and the kids at Aunt Rachel's place.  That's what I'm going to call it now.  I don't like saying "grave".  Anyway, we sure miss Rachel.  I love taking the kids by whenever we're in town.  It gives us a chance to talk about Rachel, and about the Plan of Salvation.

Johnny's party was a great success, and will be covered in its own post.  Once the festivities were over, Danny and I started getting ready to pack up and hit the road.  Well, we thought a lot about it anyway.  We.  Were.  Exhausted!  So, we devised a plan.  Danny needed a day to do homework anyway, so we decided to stay an extra day so Danny could do school work and we'd travel home on Tuesday.  It was a great plan!  Danny worked all day at the school, the girls went to school with Grandma in the morning, and we enjoyed some leisurely time in the pool in the afternoon.

We love Grandma and Papa's pool!

Our plan worked great, all the way up until we tried to leave on Tuesday morning.  We were up early, since we had to make sure Danny was back in town in time for class at five.  We were doing good, and had the girls buckled in, when Sophie threw up.  We got her out of the car, changed, and the car cleaned out.  She threw up again.  We got that cleaned up, the kids buckled in, and hit the road.  And just a bit behind schedule.  But we had to pull over 2 more times before we made it to Bountiful to deal with more Sophie vomit.  Things were not going well!  Finally, she fell asleep and things were moving along nicely.  Until the car inexplicably turned off while driving 85 miles an hour somewhere between Parowan and Cedar City.  Seriously!  We pulled off the interstate, and started the car again.  Weird, but an isolated incident.  Sophie threw up one more time, all over the sidewalk at McDonald's when we stopped for lunch.  Gross, but at least it wasn't in the car again!  We ended up getting home in great time, and in one piece, and Danny did great on his test.

We miss our family already, but I think we just about kill ourselves on these trips!  I guess we should rest up before Thanksgiving when we make the trek to Colorado for Chance's blessing and Lily's baptism!  Wow...I'm tired just thinking about it. :)

Utah: The Weekdays

Things slowed down a bit after our crazy hectic Monday.  Danny had class through Wednesday, so that helped us have a slower pace.  The girls continued to go to school in the mornings, and we would spend the afternoons at Grandma Candy's.  The kids really love their time with Isabelle and Eli.  Johnny especially loved having another boy to play with.

Claire got to spend a lot of time helping Grandma in the kitchen.  Grandma and Papa's garden has provided quite the abundant harvest this summer, so Claire was able to help Grandma get some of it put up for winter.  And let me just add how much we enjoyed (and now consequently miss) those wonderful tomato sandwiches for breakfast.  Seriously, it's the breakfast of champions.  

On Thursday, we got to go to Seven Peaks with Grandma Candy, Uncle Matt and Aunt Jenny, and of course  Isabelle and Eli.  Thank you Groupon for the awesome deal!  

Unfortunately, Sophie was feeling pretty sick.  She had been up most of the night before, and honestly if we hadn't already bought our tickets, I don't think we would have gone.  The poor thing only swam for a little bit, and then spent most of the time either in a tube with an iPhone, or crying on Danny's shoulder.  

After a bath and some dinner, and a decent night's sleep, Sophie perked right back up for the remainder of our trip.  Which was good, since we still had so much fun ahead of us!  On Friday we took some time to dance in the rain.

And have a royal tea party complete with fresh baked cookies and dancing.  Lord Braxton and his brother Tavin, the Duke of Syracuse, were in attendance.  The festivities were hosted by Her Excellency, Queen Grandma and her beautiful daughters, Princess Julie and Princess Katie. :)

While the kids enjoyed their royal tea party, Danny and I got dressed up and went to Rodizio's for Danny's 10 year high school reunion.  Seriously!  10 years!  That's actually 10 years for the both of us, but we didn't bother to make it to my reunion.  Something about a night at the Sandia Casino with drinks flowing freely didn't sound all that appealing. :)

We had a great time catching up with Danny's high school buddies, and the food was pretty good too.  Mostly, it was nice to get out on a date!  It was actually the second date that week for us.  At one point, we decided to be spontaneous and irresponsible and go see a late showing of "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" after the kids went to bed.  Great movie!  The irresponsible nature of our outing made it all that much more fun. :)

And that brought our week to an end.  But we still had a full weekend ahead of us, and in true Call fashion, we made the most of every minute.

Utah: The First Few Days

We love it when we get to go with Danny on a business trip.  We especially love it when those trips are to Utah, and we get to see our family!  Danny had a class in Centerville last week, so we put the kids in the car and off we went!

Things started out hectic.  Danny had to travel to Georgia for the week preceding our trip to Utah.  He got home Friday evening, and then we woke up well before dawn on Saturday to spend 12 hours in the car with the kids.  We survived it, and got to Grandma and Papa's house at around dinner time on Saturday.  We spent that evening getting the car unpacked and the kids bathed before church the next morning.  Even with all we had to do that evening, we were so happy to be home!

Sunday morning didn't start out very well.  Danny tweaked his back pretty badly during the night, trying to get Sophie out of our bed and into hers without waking her.  He was in a pretty significant amount of pain...poor guy.  Luckily, we know an awesome physical therapist there who also takes our insurance.  We made some appointments for him first thing, and he was feeling much better as the week went on.  Anyway, after church we had dinner with Danny's family at the school.  The kids just loved being able to play on the grass!  Johnny was in heaven.  He loved hiding in the bushes...

And playing "King of the Mountain"...

But he especially loved chasing the chickens!

After we were done eating dinner, we headed over to Great Grandma Call's house for cake and ice cream in honor of Great Grandma Call's 86th birthday!  Danny has such fond memories of spending Sunday evenings at his grandparent's house.  He absolutely loves seeing our children enjoy time there as well.

A lot of Danny's cousins came for the birthday celebration, and his cousin Christina even made a fancy fondant cake for Great Grandma.  It was delicious!  I didn't get very much, though.  Seems like my plate attracted all the kids. :)  I didn't mind at all.  Kids can promote great portion control!

On Monday, Danny headed off to class and the girls went to school with Grandma.  They love going to school, and I quite enjoy only having one napping baby for a couple hours out of the morning. ;)  After school, we went up to Grandma Candy's to enjoy an afternoon of swimming.

The kids had a blast!  Johnny walked all around the kiddie pool in his little floatie, loving the water and the independence.  Danny's cousin Christina and her 3 kiddos (Makayla, Colby, and Lucas) joined us, so there were eight kids 5 years and younger in the kiddie pool.  Talk about crazy fun!

After the kids had worn themselves out, we went back to Grandma Candy's house to get dressed and put the littlest ones down for naps.  Claire and Isabelle took up their imaginary play just as soon as they were dry...

Then it was dinner time.  We took Grandma Candy and met Danny at "Five Guys" for burgers and fries...yummy!  Then Claire met up with Grandma and Papa, Aunt Julie, and Aunt Katie for their special date. They were taking Claire to the play "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers", and she was so excited!  From what we heard upon their return, Claire was enraptured the entire time.  Her favorite part was when all the princesses were kidnapped. ;)  And she LOVED it when the cast members mingled with the audience after the play, though she was too nervous to talk to any of them.  She got home WAY late, and literally went to bed with a smile on her face.

We have so much fun when we're home in Utah!  Just think...this was only the first few days. :)

To My Johnny, On His Birthday...

Happy Birthday, Johnny!

This is the first time I've experienced sadness when my child has turned one.  I've just wanted you to stay a baby forever!  

Johnny, I can't believe it's been a whole year.  You are such a delight in our home, and everyone loves you so much.  Since the day we brought you home, your sisters have wanted to see you first thing.  They can't wait to play with you, and you greet them with a smile every morning.  But not before I get my smiles!  I've cherished my mornings with you.  You wake up so happy and ready to greet the day.  I just love it.

Your smile is infectious, and your laugh can make even the grumpiest Mama happy.  Not that I would know from personal experience or anything. :)  You are so determined to experience this world, but you are also patient with the process.  If something is difficult, you will almost always quietly keep trying harder until you've worked it out.  However, the one thing you have absolutely no patience with is when your sisters take something away from you.  That will put you into a screaming fit immediately.  

You and your Daddy have a special bond.  You love wrestling with Daddy, and you get a special kick out of when he "tosses the pizza" with you.  You've made him so proud with your recent interest and love for balls of any kind.  And you literally brought tears to his eyes with your excitement over an F-117 plane that he brought you home from a business trip.  You look more and more like him every day.  You two are peas in a pod.  

Johnny, I remember just crying and crying when I was still in my first stages of pregnancy with you.  I had just lost my sister before I found out I was pregnant with you.  I was sick, as usual, only this time I had two toddlers to chase around.  I didn't know what to do about your delivery, and the doctor was giving me fits.  It was overwhelming.  On more than one occasion, I would think how much I didn't want to be pregnant.  I wasn't ready for all of it.  It was just too much.  The night before I had the ultrasound that told us you were a boy, I had a complete emotional breakdown.  I was so frightened that your little spirit would know that I didn't want to be pregnant with you.  I worried if I would be able to bond with you.  I just worried over everything and my heart was broken.

Then, weeks early, we found out that you were a boy.  Everything changed!  I felt like I knew you already, and I was already in love.  You had a special place in my heart for long before you were born, but the moment I had you in my arms I was yours forever.  You're my little buddy.  You are a Mama's boy, and I love it!

Even though I can barely stand the thought of you growing up, I know I can't stop it.  And honestly, I'm excited to see the man of God you'll grow up to be.  Because I know you will.  You and your sisters are meant for great things.  You all have a strength of spirit that is simply humbling to behold.  Your Daddy and I can barely believe that our Heavenly Father trusted us with the three of you.  It's a responsibility we take great joy in.

Happy Birthday, Son!  We love you more than words can say, and can't wait to spend another year with you.  Love you, John Boy!

Five Years Of Marital Bliss

Today Danny and I have been married for five wonderful years.  It's crazy to think that it's been five years, yet five years doesn't seem like enough time to fit in all the life we've lived.

In five years, we haven't done much in way of traveling.  We haven't splurged on cool things for ourselves, or taken dancing classes, or really even dated much!  But, what we have done in the last five years has been much more meaningful and a lot of fun, too!

In five years we've brought home three children.

Claire

Sophie

Johnny

We've graduated from BYU.

We've moved twice.  The first time into our apartment in Orem, which we stayed in until graduation.  Then Danny accepted his dream job at Edwards AFB in Lancaster, CA where we've been for the last two years.

I don't know what I expected out of our first five years of marriage when Danny and I walked out of the Salt Lake Temple five years ago.  I don't think I could have imagined how much deeper our love would grow.  How much laughter we'd share, and how many tears we would shed.  I couldn't have fathomed the level of honesty and sincerity we would develop in our marriage.  I couldn't have guessed we'd be this happy.

Here's to the next five years, and eternity after that.  I love you, Babe!  

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!

Princess Tea Party

Claire and Sophie were invited over to their friend Lizzie's house for a Princess Tea Party in honor of Lizzie's fourth birthday.  The girls were on pins and needles for days!  Every morning Claire woke up and asked, "Is today Lizzie's tea party?!"

The day finally arrived, and Claire and Sophie were dressed and ready to go.  First, we stopped and picked out presents for Lizzie.  I was worried that the girls would get distracted in the princess aisle by all the things they would want for themselves.  But I'm proud to say that they stayed very focused on what they thought Lizzie would want.  I really am proud of them!  Such sweet girls.

Once the present was wrapped, the girls were ready for tea!

Lizzie's Mom did such a great job of setting things up!  The girls had little hors dourves, and the meat and cheese were cut into the shapes of little animals!  Pink Lemonade took the place of tea, and the girls even got to poor it themselves.  Well, Lizzie did most of the pouring.  But she was the Birthday Girl!

Everyone was having a good time, eating their miniature foods, when all of a sudden it dawned on Johnny that he was at a PRINCESS PARTY!  He was not exactly comfortable with that idea... :)

For dessert, there were chocolate covered strawberries and mini pink sugar cookies.  It was really too cute.  Claire and Sophie were in princess heaven.  I think we're going to have to do more tea party lunches at home.

They were perfect ladies the entire time.  Sophie even kept a finger up while sipping her tea!  But then they got sick of eating and took to running around like half-crazed banshees.  But what can you expect?  It was a party after all!

Thank you, Lizzie!  It was the best princess tea party ever.

Relaxin' And Chillaxin'

We've found a cure for the suffocating heat here in our corner of the Mojave Desert.  Turns out that there is a way awesome pool on base!  I really wish I had known about this little gem last summer when I was as big as a whale!  Oh well.  Even though I'm (gratefully) not as big as a whale this summer, this kiddie pool has still brought us quite a few relaxing and cool summer afternoons...

Robbie, Kris, and Andi came over to enjoy a Saturday afternoon with us and since the forecast said we could expect triple digits, we planned on the pool.  It was a great decision!  Andi thought the pool was pretty cool, but the pool toys were the coolest! :) 

Seriously, this pool is perfect for us.  There's a gated area with a huge kiddie pool with only about 18 inches of water at the deepest.   But there is also a step that goes around the entire pool.  It's perfect for Johnny to sit and play on, without a floaty!  And the girls can play without me having to worry about them much.  And boy do they play!  They only get out to eat a snack...

The girls were so attached to their Uncle Robbie!  Everywhere he went, they were close behind.  I think Robbie enjoyed the attention.  How could you not? :)

And as if the day wasn't hot enough, I got to be around these two good-looking lugs...

Like I said, where Robbie went the girls followed.  He decided to pull a chair up to the pool and get some sun.  Before you knew it, there were two more chairs! :)

Andi is now 4 months old, and every time the girls see her she is able to put up with more and more of their love.  Sophie was very good at making sure Andi was happy.  Sophie is such a sweetheart.

After an afternoon at the pool, we came back to our house for some Crab Salad, Turkey and Provolone Sandwiches on (homemade) Rosemary Focaccia, and Watermelon.  Perfect summer meal!  But what would a perfect summer meal be without a perfect summer dessert? ;)  We finished the evening off with Frozen Banana Split Squares.

It was a perfect summer Saturday.  I'm going to miss these days come January! ;)

Family Pictures 2011

While we were in Utah in June, we scheduled this year's family pictures with Megan Hall.  We just love her!  She did our pictures last year as well.  It was nice to see her and her husband again, and catch up with the news from our old ward back in Orem.  I hope she never leaves the Wasatch Front!  I don't know what we'd do for a photographer then...

Here is the Call Family in 2011!