Luke Goes To The Zoo

Well, after our fabulous Valentine's Day trip we took Luke to see his oncologists.  We got the news that Luke had relapsed, and we were heading back in for treatment that would ultimately lead to another bone marrow transplant.  This was our last treatment option.  So the weekend before Luke was due to admit to Primary Children's, Danny and I wanted to take the family to do something fun.  Even if the treatment is successful, it will be many, MANY months before Luke can be out doing normal things again.  After some thought, we realized that Luke had never been to the zoo!  We know he loves animals, and it would be great fun for the whole family.  We called Grandma and Papa, and they joined us along with Aunt Julie and Aunt Katie.  It was a little chillier than we had anticipated, but darn it, Luke was going to the zoo! :)  We packed our lunch and ate right as we got there so everyone would have the energy to walk around.  

  

The thing about it being cooler is that while it's a little less comfortable for us humans, it's perfect for the animals!  They were all so active...it was awesome.  The first animal the kids came across was this rooster, and they had fun with this guy!  We had to lure them away with the promise of seeing exotic animals, you know, the whole reason we come to the zoo! :)

The polar bear was definitely a highlight of the trip for all of us.  We made it in time to see the polar bear be fed.  He'd dive in and out of the water, and from our place underneath the enclosure, we were able to see him swim.  It was so neat!  Polar bears are so cool...

The seals are pretty neat, too!  They're one of Danny's favorite.  Admittedly, I think I could watch these guys swim all day.  

And the bears were so fun!  Claire loved them because we have called her "Claire Bear" since she was a fetus, really. :)  So she kind of thought of the bears as her animals.  They were so playful, and at one point Sophie said they were just like her, Claire, and Johnny!  Wrestling and having fun...

It was the funniest thing, but Johnny was all about the map.  Everywhere we walked, we were trying to direct Johnny away from any hazards on the path.  You know, like people and buildings and such. :)  His eyes were glued to the map!  He was ready to tell us where we needed to go next at a moment's notice.  He's such a boy!

And Luke was taking the whole thing in stride.  He was liking the animals, but he was pretty tired, too.  He mostly enjoyed the view from Daddy's shoulder...

Next up, according to Johnny, were the river otters. :)  Again, one of Danny's favorite.  He has a thing for water mammals.  The river otters were so cute and playful, too.  They swam together, doing what looked like tricks...just for our amusement!  Seriously adorable.

Almost as adorable as these guys!  Seriously, I'm pretty sure they could put my kids in a cage and pay admission and the people would come in droves.  Not that I'm advocating that my children should be caged.  That being said, it's not like I've never thought about it.  Hey, maybe I should cage them up and charge admission!  Just kidding...mostly... :)

We came across the bird nest, and it was an obvious photo op.  But I had to laugh thinking that once upon a time there was just Danny and I in our first little nest.  Somehow, we've ended up filling things out quite nicely!  I love this family of ours.  I never, not in a million years, would have thought we'd be where we are just 7 years after we got started.  But I wouldn't have it any other way.

According to Johnny's map (which you can see he was consulting in the nest, and it was a miracle we got him to look up and smile for the picture), our next stop was the elephants.  Who doesn't love the elephants?!  Lukey loved the elephants!  The smile on his face is exactly what we wanted out of his first trip to the zoo.  Parent payday. :)

After the elephants, Luke seemed to perk up and kind of get the idea of this whole zoo thing.  In his monster hat and monster boots, he was getting attention from everyone!  Not that he usually doesn't, but he was eating it up.  

After the elephants, Claire wanted to see the giraffes.  But on our way we happened upon the leopard, and he was out and looking right at us!  What an exquisitely beautiful creature.  You can't tell from the picture, but his eyes were the most amazing shade of green.  He was simply incredible.  

Finally we got to the giraffes.  For whatever reason, Claire has decided that the giraffe is her favorite animal.  She even chose it for the subject of her big animal report for first grade!  Seeing the leopard, and then getting up close with the giraffes, allowed me to appreciate how much beauty was created on this earth.  It really is incredible.

And that's beauty from animals and people, alike!  Look at these gorgeous girls...

It was such a fun experience to show the kids a little bit of the diverse animal life this world has to offer.  Even though I've been to zoos dozens of times in my life, it's still amazing to me.

After we enjoyed the small animals and reptiles, we found ourselves looping back toward the elephants.  The kids remembered the big elephant that sneezes water in the summer, and wanted their pictures taken.  I think I've made photo monsters out of these kids. :)  I'm a sucker for a good photo op...

You'll notice that Johnny still has his map. :)

This picture just cracks me up!  Each kids' face is priceless.  Claire was on the verge of freaking out, Sophie was having the time of her life, Johnny was making sure someone had his map, and Luke was NOT a fan of the group shot.  Awesome!

After the elephant photos, we had time for one more spot.  We knew we had to see the gorillas...they're Papa's favorite part!  Just like the other animals, the gorilla was just having a good time.  Again, so incredibly fun to watch!

You can see how much Luke was enjoying it.  That face is enough to make your heart burst!

After the gorilla, it was time to head home.  We had so much fun!  More importantly, Luke had so much fun.  It's hard to think of heading into treatment again.  We were just starting to feel like we were living a normal life.  But we know it's the right thing to do.  We're scared, but we're moving forward with faith that we can still see a miracle, and our precious boy's life will be preserved.  But if that's not the plan for Luke, we take comfort in the eternal nature of our family...and we have many precious memories like today.  

We love you, Lukey-Son!

Valentine's Weekend

Valentine's Day was on Friday this year, and in our family Valentine's Day is a family holiday.  This is our fourth year doing it this way, and we still love it!  We thought long and hard about what to cook for our special "Red and Pink" dinner, but the more we tried to decide the more we couldn't seem to decide.  Danny mentioned one evening that we had a free night at a Marriott hotel to use before March, and that was when we had our light bulb moment.  A Valentine's Day weekend was perfect!  We'd have some dinner, let the kids swim, and then head down to Provo to see the Sacred Gifts exhibit at the Museum of Art.  We were so excited!

While Valentine's Day is a family holiday, Danny still lovingly (and dutifully) gets me flowers every year.  This year he outdid himself with 100 Peruvian Lily blooms.  They were gorgeous!  I enjoyed seeing them on my table for two weeks...

Per our Valentine's Day regulations, Danny got the kids Valentine's treats, and the kids and I put together a jar of fancy chocolates for Daddy's desk at work.  It never made it to work...we ate all the chocolates at home before Monday. :)  After we exchanged gifts, we got everyone packed up for our overnighter and made our way south.  We invited Grandma Candy to enjoy our Valentine's Day celebration with us, so she met us at Zupas in Farmington Station.  We had a delicious dinner of salads, soups, and sandwiches.  The kids LOVE Zupas!  Mom does, too... :)

After dinner we made our way south a bit and got checked into our hotel for the night.  The first thing the girls did was jump on the beds!  We have a rule in our house..."You only jump on hotel beds."  So when we catch the kids jumping on the beds at home we ask them, "Is this a hotel?"  Well, this was a hotel!!  We let them jump all they wanted. :)

It didn't take long for them to want to get their swimsuits on and go swimming.  Luke had just had his broviac removed the day before, so this was his first time really going swimming.  He loved it!!  He's a fan, for sure.  It made Danny and I so happy to see him doing the things he's been missing out on.

All the kids had fun.  Sophie and Claire spent their time in the shallow end of the pool making up water dances and pretending they were mermaids.  Ah, the joys of swimming with your sister. :)  Johnny stuck around with the guys.  I know he's anxious for Luke to get better so he can have a buddy, too.

In the meantime, he'll settle for Daddy. :)

 

These kids love swimming, just like their Daddy.  What a bunch of adorable little fishes!

Unfortunately, there was no hot tub (what the heck, right?!), so the kids got chilly after a bit.  We went back up to the room, bathed the kids, and enjoyed some time visiting and eating Valentine's Treats with Grandma Candy.  When it was time for bed, Grandma opted to head home. :)  Thanks for spending Valentine's Day with us, Grandma!  We love you!

The kids slept great that night...all except Luke.  Poor boy was up screaming all night long.  I had noticed the night before that he wouldn't put any weight on his right leg.  Danny and I had a sinking feeling that something was happening on the cancer front, and not in a good way.  Between Luke's crying and our worries, neither of us slept much.  Luckily, we're pretty accustomed to functioning on little to no sleep, so we were up and getting the kids ready in time to eat the complimentary breakfast and get to Provo on time.  

We had wanted to see the Sacred Gifts exhibit around Christmas time, but we discovered Luke's tumor on his clavicle the same weekend that we were planning to go...so it obviously didn't happen.  We were anxious to see this exhibit, and we were excited to be able to take the kids.  

The exhibit was more than I could have expected.  It was incredible!  Sacred Gifts was 12 years in the making.  Some of these pieces had never before left their original places, and while the arrangement was made out of the love people in Utah have for these paintings, it's likely they'll never be lent out again.  This was literally a once in a lifetime opportunity to see these sacred pieces...unless we take a trip to Denmark...which is unlikely. :)  I have never seen original art before, and it was awe-inspiring.  And to have the subject of that art be Jesus Christ and his life and ministry was overwhelming.  The spirit was so strong, and it was so neat to have that quiet time to reflect on our Savior.  The kids did pretty well, and Claire especially enjoyed the art.  Johnny decided he was done a little earlier than I would have liked, but what can you do?  Three-year-olds aren't really your art museum types. :)

After walking through the exhibit, the kids needed to get their wiggles out.  Directly outside the MOA is some artwork that double as a playground for the little kids.  At least it did the day we were there! :)  The kids had a blast, Danny and I got the chance to sit for a spell, and we all enjoyed the gorgeous spring weather. 

Next we decided to go check out the BYU Bookstore.  As we walked through campus towards the WILK, we passed these two...

Ah.  Nothing like a little mythical sword play in the quad.  Gotta love BYU!

The Bookstore was awesome, and Danny has a long wish list now. :)  We ended up buying a 500 piece puzzle of Lavell Edwards Stadium for our upcoming trip to the cabin, two alumni license plate covers, and an oval "Y" decal for the Expedition.  This is why we only go to the Bookstore under special circumstances.  Our budget couldn't handle more frequent trips!

At this point, everyone was pretty hungry.  We decided to eat at Legends Grill in the Student Athlete Building.  It's next door to the sports museum where you can see Ty Detmer's Heisman trophy and cool stuff like that.  So while we were waiting for our pizza we ventured over to the museum.  It was pretty neat!  The kids loved the giant Cougar, and demanded a picture.  They didn't have to twist my arm!

The museum area also leads to the football offices and practice field.  As we were coming into the museum, I noticed through the glass cases a group of guys walking purposefully through the doors.  I thought to myself that they had to be football players, and sure enough I was right!  I even recognized one of them as star running back Jamaal Williams...but Danny and I didn't have the guts to get his attention.  I'm still kicking myself about that.  Would have been a great photo op!  

Lucky for all of us, I stumbled on another awesome photo op. :)  Someday, these two boys will be the halftime highlight during the National Championship Game when BYU makes history!  You saw the future here first, people. :)  

Lunch was good, but the kids were tired at this point.  It had been fun weekend outing, but it was time to get home!  And time to contact Dr. Luke about how Luke was doing.  Sigh.  

I love these Valentines of mine.  And I love that we do Valentine's Day as a family!  Danny, Claire, Sophie, Johnny, and Luke are my whole world.  And I'm crazy about each of them.  

Happy Valentine's Day!

Best Friends Forever

My family moved to New Mexico when I was in 7th grade.  It was not an easy transition for our family, and certainly not for me.  It was hard to make friends, especially friends that shared anything close to my values.  There were a few girls in my ward that were my age, and while we were friendly on Sundays, I can't say we were really friends.  But that changed when I was about 16.  I started working at Subway, and so did Amanda Pyne.  She was one of the girls in my ward, but we didn't move in the same social circles.  Until we realized that we were destined to be best friends!  Starting with the job at Subway, and all the way through our freshman year of collage, we were inseparable.  We had a fair amount of our classes together, we worked together, we went to the gym together, we went to church together...we did everything together!  Somehow, though, life got the better of us.  I stayed at BYU after our freshman year, and Amanda went back to New Mexico to attend UNM.  We stayed in touch pretty well, up until I got married and then she got married.  Then life just got busy.  But recently we found that we can stay in really great touch by texting throughout the day.  That led to us realizing that the 8 years between visits had been WAY too long!  And as it would turn out, Amanda's husband Jerry is a genealogy buff and really wanted to travel to Utah to check out the Family History Center.   It didn't take long before plans were made, and Jerry, Amanda, and Mikey were on their way to Utah!

They got to our house on Sunday evening, and Danny had a special dinner planned.  He had brined and smoked a beautiful pork roast, and it was amazing!  We enjoyed dinner and visiting.  It was the first time that I had met Amanda's son Mikey, and it was the first time she had met either of our boys.  I had met Jerry once when they were dating when they were in Provo visiting Amanda's older brother, and she had met both Danny and the girls.  But this was our first chance to really get to know each others' families.  And even though years had passed, we didn't miss a bet.  We laughed and looked through my blog books, and let the kids wreak havoc.

On Monday, we just let the kids play and we hung out.  Jerry and Amanda got the crappiest rental car in the history of ever, so he spend a good portion of the day trying to get that straightened out.  Around lunch time, they took Mikey back to the hotel with the hopes of a nap, while I got Luke down for a nap at home.  We were planning on heading into Salt Lake when Danny got home, and we wanted the kids rested.  Jerry wanted to check out the Family History Center, and get a feel for the parking situation and all so he could come back on Tuesday and get some research done.  We spent only a few minutes in the library.  It closes early on Mondays for FHE, and the environs weren't really conducive to all the small children present. :)  We walked through Temple Square, taking in the sights and letting the kids roam.  We then made our way to City Creek, since Amanda and Jerry had never been.  The fountains are always a big hit with the kids.

We shopped around some of the stores, and just enjoyed the evening.  We eventually made our way to Kneaders for dinner.  A lot of the girls in Amanda's ward in New Mexico are Utah transplants, and they are always going on and on about how much they missed Kneaders.  Amanda couldn't understand what all the fuss was about, so we had to go there for dinner.  She gets it now.  Totally and completely gets it.  Kneaders is a beautiful thing. :)

I didn't realize how much I missed my friend until I was able to spend so much time with her again!  We both know that we were meant to be friends.  The Lord has blessed us each so much by our association with one another.  

It's crazy to think that at one point we were teenage girls, feeling for all the world like we were grown ups.  We weren't!  But somewhere along the line we did grow up...and now we're surrounded by a whole passel of kids!  Crazy!

It didn't take too long for the kids to start to get tired.  So we made our way back to the cars.  On our way back through Temple Square, we decided to take a quick look in the Assembly Hall that is just south of the Tabernacle.  I've never been in there before, and it was beautiful!  Some sweet sister missionaries took our picture for us...

  We had parked over by the Family History Center, which is also next to the Church History Museum.  Claire really wanted to take a look, so the families split up at that point.  Poor Mikey hadn't been getting all the rest he usually gets, and he was ready for bed! 

I have never been through the Church History Museum, and it's amazing!  And it was so neat to watch Danny take the opportunity to teach our children about the Joseph Smith and the Restoration.  I married such an incredible man.

While Danny was teaching the kids, I wandered a bit.  I came across the death masks for Joseph and Hyrum Smith.  They were incredible.  I had no idea they used death masks then!  But I'm so glad they did.  I have read accounts that say that Joseph was a handsome man, but in the paintings we use in the Church...I really don't see it.  But I could in the masks.  And I could see the resemblance between these two brothers.  I could have stayed and stared at those masks all night.  It made those two great mean real to me, possibly for the first time.  It was amazing.

But the children weren't nearly as willing to stand in one place, so we continued to walk around the museum.  A sister missionary told us to be sure to take the kids upstairs to the children's section before we left.  It was so neat!  The girls got to translate some golden plates...

...and Johnny fished off Nephi's boat!

There were costumes to try on, and ethnic dances being taught by video.  I got an awesome video of Danny dancing a traditional Mexican dance.  Priceless!  Luke didn't get to do much of any of this, so before we left, we let him take a ride in a firetruck with his brother and sisters...and a giant iguana. :)

Needless to say, we got the kids home WAY passed bedtime.  And they were exhausted!  But it was such an awesome night, and totally worth it.  The next morning, I picked up Amanda and Mikey for some shopping while the kids were in school, and Jerry made his way back to the Family History Center.  I was dying to take Amanda to Tai Pan, and she had charged us with finding something to go on her amazing mantle.  We shopped, and conquered. :)  I love shopping with someone else's money!  It was so fun to shop and talk together, and Mikey and Luke enjoyed some mini male bonding.

Then we had an amazing lunch at home.  But it needs some back story.  New Mexico has a few things that I miss terribly.  First, and obviously, is Amanda.  Then, tied for second, is amazing green chile on EVERYTHING and a little place called Dion's.  I can't even number how many times I ate at Dion's.  It's kind of the go-to place in Rio Rancho/Albuquerque.  They serve pizza, salads, and sandwiches.  And everything is amazing!  It's been way too long since I've had me some Dion's.  And Amanda knew this.  So what does a best friend do?  Buys some Dion's pizza dough, keeps in cold in a cooler packed with ice for a two day drive, and gives it to her friend for memory's sake!  Isn't she awesome?  We picked up some pizza fixings and some root beer, and made lunch at home.  It. Was. Amazing!  One of the most beautiful and tasty pizzas ever to come out of my oven. :)

The kids decided the special occasion deserved a toast.  I'm sure the root beer in glass bottles had absolutely nothing to do with it. :)

After lunch, we let the kids play and we just sat.  Mostly because Luke needed a nap and would only sleep on my lap.  We enjoyed some "Studio C", and even Mikey ended up closing his eyes for a bit.  Tuesday night was our last night together, so we were determined to go out with a bang.  Which for me and mine means more food. :)  We introduced Amanda and Jerry to the wonders of Kneaders, but they had yet to know the joy of Cafe Rio.  So that was dinner!  And it was predictably delicious.  Since we provided the idea for dinner, Amanda provided the idea for entertainment.  They were staying at a hotel after all, so it was kind of obvious.  Swimming!

I don't have a single picture.  Hard to do when everyone was wet.  Usually, I stay out of the pool and take pictures for progeny's sake.  It has nothing to do with how I feel in a bathing suit. :)  But this was a special occasion, because we were going to let Luke get his feet wet in the pool!  So I was on Luke-duty on the steps while Danny swam with the older kids.  Again, it was awesome to sit in the pool with my best friend and watch our babies swim.  The only bad part was the inevitable "goodbye" hanging over our heads.  Time didn't seem to care how much fun we were having, or how much I had needed this time with my friend.  We had to say goodbye...

But this time, it won't be for 8 years!  We'll get together again as soon as we can.  And now we know, when you're really best friends, time can't separate you completely.  The Lord has been so good to me in bringing such precious friends into my life.  And I'm so grateful that Amanda and her family used their precious time and resources to come visit us.  We love you guys!

Unfinished Projects and Premature Aging

When we bought our house, the first thing we did...before we even moved our stuff in...was repaint the boys' bedroom.  But we overestimated how much time it would take, and we weren't able to finish before we had to just get moved in.  Danny and I promised ourselves and each other it wouldn't take years to finish.  We would finish in soon.  We really would this time!  We didn't. :)  February 1st was a Saturday, I thought we should do a project.  So we decided to finally put the chair rail up in the boys' room!  We called Papa to see if he could help us, and he was more than happy to.  These Call boys love a good project. 

Luke couldn't help, but he was happy to supervise. :)

It turned out fantastic!  And we swore up and down that we'd get that rail, closet doors, and bedroom doors painted the next weekend.  It didn't happen. :)  Stay tuned for the finished product in somewhere between 10-19 months! :)

Yesterday marked 100 days of school for Claire.  The first graders were all asked to dress like they were 100 years old, and Claire looked great for 100!  We went shopping at the DI for something for her to wear, and came across this delightful muumuu, that has now become a favorite nightgown.  The baby powdered hair in curlers and overdone makeup (complete with eyeliner wrinkles) were the perfect accessories to her outfit!  She looked fantastic!