To My Johnny, On His Birthday...

Oh son, you've done it again.  You've grown a year older despite my many requests to quit growing up.  I suppose it's really out of both of our hands. :)

Johnny, you are such a rad kid!  You are an absolute blast.  You've become quite the "class clown" over the past few months, and if anyone gives you even the slightest encouragement, you'll keep the silly antics going!  And you can be pretty silly.  You still use your dimple to your advantage, and I can hardly blame you.  Why wouldn't you?  It works on me every time. 

You love to play.  You especially love to play outside.  During this summer, you've just loved playing in Grandma and Papa's backyard.  You especially enjoyed some time in the evening when it was just you and Jack outside.  You'd run around the yard with your dump truck, and play with sticks with Jack.  You've also absolutely loved the pool.  Especially once we got you some water wings.  Now you'll swim the length of the pool, and love jumping off the edge into Daddy's arms.  

Speaking of Daddy, you've made him the happiest Daddy ever.  You have a real love for jets.  You can pick them out in the sky, no matter the distance.  Whenever you hear the engines, you stop and say, "Mama!  Jets!" in that sweet two-year-old voice of yours.  You have a few toy jets, including your big F-22, that you've had quite a bit a fun playing with.  And you love it when we make your bedtime friend, Panda, into a jet.  You even make the sound effects.

John, you love to learn.  Anything and everything.  You've had the chance to go to summer school at the preschool with Claire and Sophie, and even though you're much to young to attend you've been a model student.  Mrs. Moss was proud of you when you learned your "s" and "m" sounds.  The couple of times that I needed to keep you with me, you were absolutely broken-hearted that you couldn't stay.  Not because you want to play, but because you want to learn.  You also love Nursery on Sunday, and make it very audibly clear during Sacrament Meeting that you want to get to Nursery.  Your teachers, Brother and Sister Scofield, have a special place for you in their hearts.  You are truly a sweet boy.

You are also an independent little guy.  You love to clear you own place at the table, and will run and tell me that you're "all done!"  You're also learning to pray, and you do a great job reading your verse during scripture time.  You also have a few favorite songs to sing, including "I Am Like A Star" and "I Am A Child Of God".

Johnny, you are such a good and happy boy.  But don't get me wrong.  You've been warming up to being two for quite a few months now.  You can throw a fit like nobody's business!  The melodrama is over the top when you throw yourself, writhing and crying, onto the floor at the littlest provocation.  You are also quite the tormentor.  You find great pleasure out of making your sisters upset.  But I must also add that you can be the sweetest little brother when you want to be.  And I'm pleased to say you've been nothing but an exemplary older brother to Luke.  You love that little boy with all your heart, and you are always concerned about where Luke is.  You have to give him a hug and kiss before bed, and you run to check on him the minute you get up.  I know you'll be best friends.

We love you so much, John.  You have so much greatness in you.  Your Dad and I can't wait to see the man you become, and we're confident we'll be proud of you.  Because we already are.  Even though it pains me to see you growing up so fast, I likewise could just burst with pride.  Grandma Candy used to read me a book during nap time called "I'll Love You Forever".  It had a line that I think sums up my feelings as I write this letter to you. 

"I'll love you forever.  I'll like you for always.  As long as I'm living, my baby you'll be."

Happy Birthday, Son!  You're amazing, smart, funny, handsome, and sweet as can be.  We look forward to this next year with you!  Love you, John Boy!

Six Amazing Years

Wow.  Six years.  It seems like only yesterday, yet forever ago at the same time, that Danny and I wed.  I remember waking up the morning of our wedding and laying in bed, knowing that the next morning...and every morning after...I would wake up with Danny by my side.  I was so excited to marry this incredible man, and I was more than a little pumped that he was so incredibly handsome!  I'm shallow, I know.  But he was by far the most attractive guy I had ever dated, so I was stoked to get him forever!  I can't believe it's been six years and four kids since that amazing day.

Our celebration started at the beginning of the month.  During the summer we were engaged, the band Journey came to the USANA Amphitheater.  The first concert I had ever been to was Journey, and I wanted to go again.  Danny and I had such a wonderful time that night, and the music of Journey has had a prevalent place in our home since then.  So, when we found out that Journey was coming again this summer, we just had to go!  But, we've come to be more responsible during the last six years, and with buying a home we decided that we shouldn't spend the money.  We were a little bummed, but we didn't worry too much about it.  Then, a Six Year Anniversary Miracle happened!  Danny's brother David won tickets to the concert on the radio, and since neither he nor his sweet wife had any desire to go, they gave the tickets to us.  Yay!

We left the kids with Grandma Candy for the evening, and headed out for a night of fun.  It was my first time leaving Luke, so it took me about a half hour to warm up to the idea that we were truly kid-free.  But once we got to dinner, I barely remembered we even HAD any kids!

"Pat's BBQ" is a restaurant featured on "Diners, Drive-ins', and Dives" that we hadn't had the chance to go to yet.  It didn't disappoint!  Danny got the brisket and pulled-pork, as well as some amazingly delicious jambalaya.  I ordered the 1/4 chicken and some pork ribs.  Yum, yum, YUM!!  

After dinner, we headed out to the concert.  We spread a blanket, and reminisced while we waited for the opening show.  Some group called Loverboy opened, and while we recognized a song here or there, it wasn't really the show we were excited for.  Pan Benatar played next, and she was awesome.  

But we were there to see Journey.  Finally, the real show started!  And it was awesome.  We enjoyed the music, the stars, but mostly the time together.  Remembering that one summer when it was all about us and our amazing love.  :)  Good times.  

But as the evening progressed, we started to realize that we've grown up quite a bit in the last six years.  It was distracting to watch the adults around us get more and more inebriated, and act more and more ridiculous.  Then, there was the group behind us, with a guy that just couldn't get enough to drink.  Though he had probably had enough before he got to the show.  He started out a happy drunk, if anything being annoyingly friendly to those around us.  But, as they always do, he started to get a little belligerent and he started fighting with a group of girls.  It got kind of out of control, and eventually security arrived and escorted him out of the concert.  Too bad his poor 14 or 15 year old boy had to stay.  Seriously!  Some people's parents.  

It wasn't long after that depressing scene that the show wrapped up and we headed home.  We were glad to know the kids had been good for Grandma Candy, and even Luke was sleeping like a...well...baby. :)  We spent the night there so as not to disturb the sleeping babes, and even enjoyed sleeping in a bit the next morning.  Thank you so much, Mom!

If that had been all, it would have been enough!  But perhaps to make up for years past when we weren't able to do much for our anniversary, we were able to line up some more babysitting and go out on another date on our actual anniversary day.  But before we left, we had each gotten each other a little something.  Danny brought me home some beautiful roses, and I had bought a picture for Danny.  When I saw it, I was immediately reminded of Danny.  I've seen him look just like this with each of our beautiful babies.  And what would be more appropriate for our anniversary than a reminder of the hallmark of our marriage thus far and forever.  Our sweet children.

After we exchanged our gifts, we headed out on our date.  We wanted to go to the temple, and since the Ogden Temple is still under renovation, and the Bountiful Temple was closed for cleaning, that left the Salt Lake Temple.  Which was fine by us!  All the better, really.  Seemed appropriate with it being our anniversary and all. :)  We also thought we'd try out The Cheesecake Factory for dinner, but since it's still so new and it was a Friday night, it was a forever long line to get on the list.  So, we changed our plans and decided to try out "Biaggi's", an Italian place at the Gateway that we'd heard good things about.

If the calamari was any indication, we were going to be pleased. :)

Danny originally ordered a pork tenderloin stuffed with an assortment of Italian cured meats.  Totally up Danny's alley!  But there was a mix-up, and he ended up getting the Grilled Pork Chops with Parmesan-Gorgonzola Butter.  Wasn't what he ordered, but it was delicious!

I got what I ordered, which was the Salmon and Shrimp Milanese...a fresh fillet of fennel seed and black peppercorn crusted salmon served with large shrimp, creamy Italian rice with asparagus and saffron and a lemon-basil butter sauce.  So.  Incredibly.  Delish.  We then went beyond overboard and ordered dessert...the Italian equivalent of a decadent chocolate cake and vanilla ice cream.  Wonderfully rich and perfect for the occasion.  

With full stomachs and a significantly emptier wallet, we left in time to make the last session of the evening.  We had plenty of time before the 8:00 session began, so we took some time to enjoy Temple Square and remember our special day six years before.  So much has changed, but in all the right ways things are exactly the same.  The session was small and intimate, and the perfect way to end our wonderful date.  

There are pivotal points in everyone's life.  Decisions that you make that put you irrevocably on a certain path.  Marrying Danny was one of those points in my life, and it's a decision I would make again in a heart beat.  He is an incredible man, an amazing husband, and I think literally the world's greatest Dad.  I've loved having babies with him, and I know I can only raise those babies with him by my side.  I thought my heart would burst that day six years ago, when I finally became his wife forever.  But it turns out, my heart has the ability to keep expanding.  Thank you, Danny, for making all my dreams come true.  And for showing me more dreams on our horizon I didn't know I had.  I love you today and forever.

Happy Anniversary!

Three Months

Three months already.  We can hardly believe it's been three whole months since Luke was born, but I can't believe it's only been three months.  He's such a part of our family that it doesn't seem like he was ever not here.  

If I had to use one word to describe Luke during the last month it would be "happy".  Danny and I have decided that he's the happiest baby we've ever known.  He's not just content...we've had a couple content babies.  Luke is truly a happy kid!  Whenever he sees us, he breaks into the biggest smiles and tells the funniest stories.  He literally makes my heart smile!

All that happiness could have something to do with being well-rested. ;)  Luke has definitely gotten his schedule down.  He's ready for bed at 9:00 pm, and he usually wakes up between 5:00 am and 7:00 am.  He's amazing!  

Luke loves his family.  He has really taken to his Daddy lately, but I can comfortably say he's still a Mama's boy.  He seems to really love Sophie, and always has a great big smile for her.  And him and Johnny are already best friends.  Johnny is so gentle with Luke, and is always trying to teach him how to sing a song, clap his hands, or play with a car.  And Johnny always has to give Luke a kiss goodnight before we put him down.  I can't wait to see these two grow up together.

Luke is my first baby to not just enjoy sitting in his swing or bouncer.  He's good there for a while, but then he wants to stretch out on the floor or be held.  We were able to get a fun activity mat for the floor, and Luke has really loved playing there.  He looks up at a mirror above his head and tells himself stories, and just in the last few days has figured out how to get his hands to hit the toys hanging above him.  I'm sure in no time he'll figure out how to use those fingers to grab.

Here are some more highlights of Luke at 3 months old:

*Wears 6 month clothes

*Wears size 2 shoes

*Still in size 2 diapers

*Still a binkie baby

*Is extremely ticklish, and has finally managed to get a laugh out a few times

*Loves to tell stories

*Still doesn't quite have brown eyes...they've settled into a grayish-greenish-brownish hazel.  For now.

*Has the stinkiest hands ever.  Seriously. :)

*Claire has nicknamed him "Mr. Smiles", and the name is stinking

Luke, we couldn't possibly love you more than we do now, but totally intend on loving you more tomorrow.

Playin' at City Creek Center

As mentioned in our missionary post, we were able to meet up with Alex before he went into the MTC.  We had dinner at Kneaders in the new City Creek Center.  After dinner, we were able to walk around a bit (mostly because we parked on the complete opposite end from the restaurant) and look around.  The kids quickly discovered the dancing waters...

I can't believe how much our kids have grown.  And they get more fun every day!

iFamily

Grandma Candy and Luke

Puppet Show! Featuring Lily, Claire, Bowen, Isabelle, and Johnny

Lunch on Grandma Candy's deck

FHE Activity at Grandma Candy's.  Skittles!!

Daddy and his boys.  Just chillaxin'...

Johnny dressed himself!  This boy's got style to spare.

At the JOURNEY concert! 

Feeding the ducks on a Sunday evening.

I think he looks an awful lot like the monkey on his jammies!  Too cute!

Watching Aunt Julie in "The Three Musketeers"

Cuddle time with Papa!

First big smiles caught on camera.  I wish he'd never change!

Our Missionary Month

This has been our month of missionaries.  We've welcomed them home, and we've sent them off!  And it's been awesome.

Our first set of missionaries was Danny's Uncle Stanton and Aunt Janet.  They returned home in July from serving as mission presidents in Mexico.  We were able to attend their sacrament meeting in Sandy, and it was awesome to see all the elders and sisters that had been their missionaries come to hear them speak.  They both gave awesome talks (obviously), and had some very cool stories to tell.  After sacrament meeting, we were able to go back to their home and enjoy a wonderful lunch.  The kids loved playing with their cousins.  We're so proud of Uncle Stanton and Aunt Janet, and appreciate their example of sacrifice and service.

We welcomed our next missionary home just a couple of weeks later.  Elder Jacob White returned home from serving faithfully in the Albuquerque, New Mexico mission.  We couldn't believe it had been two years since he left!  The Whites are good friends of ours from Lancaster, so we didn't think we'd be able to hear Jacob report on his mission...since he'd be going home to Lancaster.  But as it turned out, Jacob had spent his senior year of high school in Lehi, UT, and had really become part of his ward there.  The Bishop of that ward wanted Jacob to speak there, and since we were just an hour away we decided we couldn't miss it.  It was so wonderful to catch up with Bishop Bo and Jackie, as well as Jason and Jacob.  What a fun family!  Jacob served a wonderful mission, and really became a man of God.  And now I have someone else that will miss New Mexican food just as much as me! ;)

Just a couple of weeks after that, we welcomed yet another missionary home.  Elder Michael Kim returned home from serving his mission in Korea.  Micheal was a young man in the Sharon Park 9th Ward during our years there.  In fact, he was the only young man we had!  Danny got to know him pretty well while he served in the bishopric, and we didn't want to miss the chance to say hello.  So we packed the kids in the car bright and early and made it to 9:00 am church in Orem!  We didn't tell anyone we were coming, so it was fun to just show up.  And while the ward changed quite a bit, with it being mostly a student family ward, there were still a handful of familiar faces.  We loved catching up with Bishop Carrier, and realized that we really need to make it to Orem more often.  What an amazing friend he is to us!  And we loved seeing the Hulberts again, and look forward to some Alton Brown get-togethers!  

And finally, just last week we met up with Elder Alex Hirtle as he prepared to enter the MTC and serve his mission in Columbia.  Alex was a convert to the church while Danny served as Young Men's President in Lancaster, and he spent quite a few evenings in our home.  Alex has such an awesome spirit, and from the beginning of his conversion process had a zeal for the gospel and an obvious love for his Heavenly Father and fellow men.  We are so proud of Alex and the difficult, but right, decisions he's had to make.  He is a great example to us and our children, and we know that he'll be an awesome missionary.

We met up with Alex and his escorts for the week, the Hilton Family, at City Creek Center in Salt Lake.  We had a yummy dinner at Kneaders, caught up, talked mission talk, and then said goodbye for a couple short years.  We know we'll catch up with Alex soon after he gets home, and look forward to updates of his time among the Columbian people.  Return with Honor, Elder Hirtle!

It has been so fun to show expose our children to missionaries over the last month.  We know we have a lot of room to grow in being Member Missionaries ourselves.  But we do have a commitment to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and Danny and I look forward to when we will serve together.  I can't say I'm as anxious to send my boys out, as their doting mother, but I know they will and I know I'll be proud of them every minute.  Now it's my job to prepare them for their time to serve.  I hope I'm doing it right.

Saying Goodbye To Jack

Our life has changed quite a bit in the last three years.  Three years ago, we were just getting ready to move to California and start our life there.  We got there, moved into the cutest little country house with a ton of land around us, and we just had our two little girls.  The perfect time in our life to get the world's coolest dog.  We figured we were going to be in that house in Cali for years and years.  We didn't even see on our most distant horizon a move back home to Utah.

Yet, as it is with this thing we call "life", here we are back home in Utah!  Not only are we back home, but since we brought Jack into our family, we now have two more kids.  We're no longer in our country home, with our country lifestyle.  And as the months have gone by, we've noticed that our life with Jack just wasn't working very well.  We had to make a really hard decision.

Maybe it's just to assuage my own guilt, but I feel it necessary to document what went into the decision we felt we had to make.  First, Danny was becoming acutely aware that Jack was not a happy dog.  For nine months, he's been cooped up in the back yard.  Jack was accustomed to running around the 18 acres of our property til his heart was content, chasing bunnies and squirrels and the like.  He wasn't getting the exercise he needs, or the attention from us that he craved.  We tried to take him out on walks...when we got out.  And the problem wasn't that we didn't want to walk him.  It's just that we couldn't seem to find the time!  Really not too surprising when you look at our life right now.

Second, we have seen just how hard Jack is on a yard.  We didn't have a yard in California, so it didn't matter when Jack ran tracks into the dirt.  But let me tell you, a 90 lb. dog is hard on the grass!  Don't get me wrong, Jack was in no way intentionally destructive.  He's just a big dog.

And then, it's our new house.  See, our new back yard butts up against the 5th hole of a golf course.  It's a gorgeous view, unobstructed by the 3 ft. fence.  Jack would be over that in a heart beat!  And I just don't know what we'd do about him startling golfers or chasing cats.  

So, after a few weeks of crying about it, I realized that Danny was right.  Jack needed a better home so he could be a happier dog.  And, as Danny put it, we're not in dog mode right now...we're having babies.  Danny's got an awesome cousin, Lark, who lives on an amazing piece of property in eastern Idaho.  She's got 5 fun kids, with the energy to keep up with a big dog.  Lark and her daughter Kaitlyn had met Jack when they came here to visit a few months back, and they were super excited about the prospect of having Jack come live with them.  So it was decided.  And not without many tears.

The morning came to say goodbye, and I was choked up all morning.  I cried gathering up his leash and papers.  I couldn't even look at him as he gazed at me through the kitchen window.  Before I took the kids to school, I had them gather for some quick pictures.

I know the kids are going to miss Jack.  Though they were surprisingly (at least to me) unemotional when they said goodbye.  They seemed to know that he'd be happier where he was going to live.  And they know that we'll visit him when we make it up to the cabin.  Me?  I cried almost uncontrollably.  What can I say?  He's my dog!  I remember getting him as a scared little puppy, and doing my best to make him feel at home with our family.  And I'm a post-partum Mom.  The hormones are still killing me. :)

By about lunch time I got my emotions under control and quit crying.  But I still missed him.  Then Lark posted this picture on Facebook with the following caption:

"Sam has a new best friend named Jack. Danny and Katie, my kids LOVE him! He has spent the day running every where, walking the kids :), and swimming in the creek."

She also responded to my sad status that day:

 "Sorry Katie!! He will be here and you can stop anytime. My kids are so excited and Sam told me today that Jack is his blessing for being good this week."

I have to admit, I was comforted by the picture and Lark's posts, while at the same time feeling like my heart was being crushed!  But, now that a few days have passed, I'm feeling much better.  I do believe we made the right decision, for Jack as well as for us.  

Jack, you were a great dog and a wonderful member of our family!  Thank you for always being such a good friend to the kids, and letting them be so rough with you.  I know that Johnny will miss his time just hanging in the back yard with you.  Thank you for keeping us safe, and helping me to feel safer on those nights when we were home alone while Danny traveled.  We'll never have another dog quite like you!  And we'll always miss you. 

We love you, Jack!  We'll see you soon!

iFamily

Over the last few months, I've realized that we're catching quite a bit of cuteness on our iPhone cameras, but they really don't need a post of their own.  Hence, I will be posting an "iFamily" post every once in a while that will feature these cute candids, as well as a brief caption if needed.  This first set is from the beginning of the summer, since like with all things blogworthy, I'm going to have to catch up. :)

Foot baths at Grandma Call's.  The beginning of the doTerra Era!

Luke's gift from Uncle Jeff and Aunt Jami.  He looked so little in there!  But he sleeps like a champ.  Thanks, Guys!

Baths in the sink.  Look at those rolls!

Cousin Time!  Eli and Luke

There's Something About Sophie

This girl is too much.  She's too much fun.  She's too cute.  She's too smart.  She's too sweet.

Sophie is many things.  She's grown and changed so much over the last year.  And as she quickly approaches her fourth birthday, I wanted to capture just a smidgen of what she's like right now.

Sophie is such a sweetheart.  She has largely left the temper tantrums and freak outs behind her, and instead has replaced them with sweetness.  She will often come up and say, "Mom, you're the best Mom ever!"  She'll tell Danny, after a long night with her, "Thank you Daddy, for taking such good care of me when my legs hurt so bad."

She loves to dress up and make herself pretty.  She frequently takes clips and headbands and does her own hair.  She also loves to do my hair for me.

Sophie loves her sister, and she loves her brothers.  Even though she mostly fights with Johnny. :)  But she loves to take care of Luke for me, and is always so happy to see him in the morning.  She's become a little fish in the swimming pool, and practices very hard to learn how to swim on her back and put her face in the water.  She loves learning new skills.

Sophie is amazing.  That smile of hers is infectious, and her laughter sounds like music...sometimes very very loud music. :)  Her eyes are so bright and intelligent.  She's an absolute beauty. She's our Sophie Anne-kins, our Sosie, our Sosie-kins.  

We love her to pieces.