Our Summer in a Nutshell

We have had an incredible summer!!! I am so sad that it is almost over and even sadder that I have not written down all the exciting things that have happened since the birth of Jacob. I am still trying to figure out the balance of having four kids. It seems like I'm later than usual to everything that I go to, and it seems like I lose it more often than I care to admit; however, I'm starting to get it--obviously, I'm able to blog for a minute or two right now--right?

Anyway, our summer has been great. After Jacob was born, my mom stayed with us for three wonderful, yet very short, weeks. She was amazing. I had no idea how much she did, until she left. Not only did she keep my house spick and span, made gormet meals for us, and stayed on top of my laundry mountain, but she also played with the kids, prevented melt downs (the kids' meltdowns and my own), and most importantly, kept Hyrum out of trouble. When she left, I was quickly reminded that I am not half the mom that she is. I have the most amazing mom in the whole world, and even though she lives far away from me, I don't know what in the world I would ever do without her. I love her so much and am convinced that those three weeks are the reason that I'm feeling as well as I am today. Whenever I start feeling overwhelmed, all I need to do is call her or think of the advise she gave me just before she left. She told me that now that she is older (she is only 54 so I'd hardly call her older) she has realized that most things that get us frustrated or overwhelmed really don't matter that much. I know that, but for some reason, when she said it, it stuck with me. Whenever I find the brand new foundation that I just bought smeared all over my walls and mirror or realize that I only got 1 of the 1000 things that I wanted to get done in a day done, I have really been trying to step back and think, "It doesn't really matter. The most important thing that I can do is be the kind of mom that my mom is to me." I hope that someday I can.

After my mom left, life got really crazy. It seems like we were always going somewhere. The week after she left, the boys had Safety City, a fun week of learning about how to protect themselves. Little did I know the night before Safety City, Thobe asked Michael if bad guys were real. To him, bad guys were make believe until the day before Safety City. Imagine how traumatizing it must have been for the poor boy when he went to a day camp where the focus of the camp was to teach them how to fight off bad guys--needless to say, Alden had a great week learning how to fight bad guys and Thobe stayed home with me and the two younger boys. He did learn how to buckle his seat belt that week, which made our summer travels a lot easier.

On July 26, Michael's Grandma, Virginia Wooster (we call her GG), turned 90 years old. We had her birthday celebration on July 25. Michael's grandma is very special to us. You would never guess that she's 90 with all her energy. We really loved being able to spend time with her and Michael's grandpa and family. Michael's sister, Michelle, and her family came out for the celebration. It was really wonderful to spend time with them. The boys feel like they're in heaven when they get to spend time with their cousins. We spent most of the following week with them and even took a trip down to Kentucky for Michael's cousin's son's wedding.

The following Thursday, August 6, right after I taught my class, we loaded in our van and headed out to Utah. We had a wonderful trip! I can't believe what good travelers my boys are. Michael and I feel really blessed. My dad often called to see where we were and kept telling me that he couldn't imagine being in the car that long. In all honesty, I think we all kind of enjoy it. The boys can eat whatever they want and watch movies all day (although we had a rule that before they could watch movies that Alden had to do a math worksheet and Thobe had to review sight words). Michael and I enjoy just talking in the car, and this time, he was able to use his Blackberry so that we could listen to Pandora (an on-line radio station) and play on Facebook. My favorite thing about road trips is that it reminds me of when Michael and I were dating and took several cross country trips. We still have to pay each other a toll when we cross into a new state.

We had a wonderful time out in Utah. I was able to meet my two newest twin nieces. It was so fun to be able to hold them and play with them. They are beautiful babies!!! I love them so much! It was also fun seeing all nieces and nephews and my sisters, brother, their spouses. We did a lot of fun things while we were in Enterprise. Michael and I celebrated our 10th Wedding Anniversary on the 10th of August. We went to Wingers, one of Michael's favorite restaurants with Doug, Diane, Emily, and Laura, and then to the Shakespearean Festival with Doug and Diane and saw "As You Like It." I love seeing plays in the outdoor Shakespearean theater that they have there in Cedar City, and it was a lot of fun walking around the campus where I spent my freshman year of college. Later in the week, Michael and I went to the temple in St. George where we were married too. I love going back there and remembering where Michael and I gave ourselves to each other for eternity. I loved that. We also got our family pictures taken and had a picnic at Pine Valley, a beautiful mountain community where we went camping a time or two when I was little. When we got to the little town, there was a deer running through town and my mom said, "Oh there's Bambi." Thobe thought for a minute and then said to my mom, "How did Bambi get out if his movie?" 

On August 16, Michael gave Jacob a name and a blessing at my parents' house. Michael's sister and brother-in-law came down from Pleasant Grove with their 7 kids, my Uncle Kendall and Aunt Marlene drove down from Northern Utah too. We also had my uncles and aunts and cousins who live in or near Enterprise, my friend Catherine, and of course all my siblings were there with their families. Overall, we had over 70 people attend. It was really a wonderful feeling to be with all these people who love us that we don't get to see nearly as often as we would like.

That day, Michael went back up to Northern Utah with Michelle's family to attend Education Week at BYU and the boys and I stayed in Enterprise. Michael loved Education Week, and the boys and I loved being able to spend a little more time at Grandma's. On Monday we went and visited my grandparents' graves, stopped and took pictures of the house I lived in until I was three, and then went and rode horses at my Uncle Ronald's house. The boys loved that!!! Thobe told my Uncle Ronald, "This is so fun it TICKLES!" The next day, we headed over to Hurricane and spent the evening and the next day with Diane and her family. The main thing Alden wanted to do when we went to Utah was to see Davin's room, so he was really happy when we went there. From there we went up to Northern Utah, spent a couple days at Michelle's and then headed back home. We feel like God watched over and protected us and feel so blessed with the family that he's given us. What a great trip we had!

Between all our travels we stayed busy with learning time each day, chores, and lots of playing. Alden and Thobe got to go to basketball camp at University of Toledo with Toledo Rockets basketball players. They even got to see an old jeep like their Great Grandpa Wooster (Geful) had. The boys also finished up baseball and t-ball, and Alden started soccer. I also taught my class at Rhodes State College. I really like that I can teach it on-line because I can still have some outside enrichment and stay home with the kids. I really love being a mom and am so grateful for the wonderful kids that I have.